A Ryght Profytable Treatyse Compendiously Drawen Out Of Many and Dyvers Wrytynges Of Holy Men | Page 5

[thou] art / & what [thou] shalt
be. By reason of thy body / [thou] were foule slyme of the erthe / &
now thy body is the hous of fylte & derte / & herafter it shall be
wormes mete. Also ymagyne [the] paynes of them [that] ben in helle &
how that payne shall neuer haue ende / & how they suffre all these
paynes for a lytell delectacõn & pleasyr in synne. Also ymagyne the
Ioye of paradyse / & how that shal neuer be fynysshed & how shortly
and soone it may be goten. Than thynke what sorowe & waylynge may
be to them [that] for so lytell a thynge here haue lost so grete Ioye
contynuell. And whan [thou] hast ony thynge that doth dysplease the /
or elles [thou] dredest to haue it / thynke & yf [thou] were in helle

[thou] sholdest haue that / & all that [thou] woldest not haue / & so
shalt [thou] suffre all thynge for crystus sake & his loue. Also whan
[thou] hast ony thynge that pleaseth the / or elles that [thou] desyrest to
haue / thynke & yf thou were in paradyse [thou] sholdest haue it & all
other thynges that thou woldest desyre. Also whan there falleth ony fest
of ony saynt thynke on h[ym] what payne he suffred here for goddes
sake & how shorte his payne was. Than thynke how greate Ioye he hath
in heuen for that whiche is euerlastynge. And soo thou mayst thynke
that the trybulacion or tourmentynge of the good men is soone gone.
And in lyke wyse the Ioye of euyll men fadeth anone. but good men
with theyr trybulacyon here geteth eternall glorye. And euyll men with
theyr ouermoche Ioye here geteth euerlastynge payne. Furthermore
whan [thou] art accombred [with] slouth & lackest deuocõn / take this
wrytynge & ymagyne dilygently all these thynges rehersed. Than
thynke of the tyme [that] [thou] lesest in vayne ydelnes / & thynke [that]
they that ben in helle wolde gyue all the worlde for so moche tyme to
redeme theyr synnes yf they myght haue it. Whan [thou] hast ony
trouble / thynke that they [that] ben in paradyse shall neuer haue suche
trouble. And whan [thou] hast ony spirytuell consolacyon or comforte /
thynke [that] they that ben in helle shall euer lacke that. Whan thou
goost to bedde or to thy rest / thynke what [thou] hast thought / what
[thou] hast sayd / what [thou] hast done that daye. And how
prouffytable [thou] haste spende thy tyme / the whiche was gyuen the
to spende it vertuously / to obteyne euerlastynge lyf. Yf [thou] haue
spended it well / gyue praysynge to god. And yf [thou] haue spended it
euyll / wepe & be sory for it. And the next daye yf thou may / dyfferre
not to be confessed. Yf [thou] haue sayd or done ony thynge that
greueth thy conscyence sore / ete no mete vntyll [thou] be shryuen &
[thou] mayst. Now for a conclusyon / ymagyne in thy mynde two
cytees / one full of trouble & mysery whiche is helle / an other full of
Ioye and comforte whiche is paradyse. And how to one of these two ye
must nedes come. Than thynke in thyself what thynge sholde cause the
to do euyll / or what thynge sholde drawe the fro god. And I trowe
[thou] shalt fynde none suche. I am certayne yf thou kepe well all these
[that] ben wryten here. The holy goost wyll be with the & teche [the] to
kepe them parfytly. Wherfore kepe well all these preceptes &
cõmaûdementes & leue none behynde. Rede them twyes in the weke /

on wensdaye & saterdaye. And as [thou] fyndest thou hast done as it is
wryten. Gyue praysynge to god / whiche is euer pyteous & mercyfull in
worlde withouten ende Amen.
¶ A deuoute prayer for relygyous people / or for theym that entre in to
relygyon. Remembrynge the termes / and to do theym in dede.
Ihesu my maker & sauyour to thy wyll and ordynaûce I commytte me
euery houre. Besechynge the entyerly for grace & mercy / so that I may
be one of them that shall be saued. Teche me good lorde thy
commaundementes to fulfylle / and to do that I come fore / eschewynge
all euyll. Gyue me grace to loue the and to drede the aboue all thynge.
Remembrynge thy grete benefettes / and euer to gyue the thankynge.
And to kepe euer charyte / obedyence / pacyence / sylence / with
humylyte / demynge euer the best / saye well / telle the trouthe / and
neuer to lye. Lothe to offende / sory for my synne