Translated from the text of MS Oxf.Bodl.Laud Misc.210
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[f.114r] Q: "Friend in Christ, as Saint Paul says, 'we have no lasting city here, but seek one that is to come hereafter.' {He 13.14} And therefore I am persuaded that we should be yearning for it all the length of our life, with all our power, since we can have no rest and no stability except there. Unfortunately, I do not rightly know the way toward this place. And therefore I ask you to tell me the way toward this place."
A: "Dear friend, our Lord and our Master Jesus Christ said to his disciples that he himself is 'the way' toward heaven, and he is 'the truth' that leads us surely on our way, 'and' he is 'the life' that makes us alive in soul while we are in this world. {Jn 14.6} And after this life he will bring us to a joyous life that shall last forever, both in body and in soul."
Q: "Friend, before you proceed further, I ask you, what is this 'life of soul'? And tell me, do all men have this life?"
A: "Sir, a man is made for two kinds of life: the first life is the life of the body, and this life is possessed by both good men and wicked; the second life is of the soul, and that [life] is to live without sin. Of this life Christ speaks in the gospel where he says: 'Unless a man be born again, he may not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'" {Jn 3.3}
"The first birth of a man takes place when he is born into bodily life from his mother's womb. But he is born again of water [f.114v] and of the Holy Spirit into a life of soul, and that birth takes place when a child or a man is baptized and accepts the faith of Christian men, and renounces the devil and his works, that is, sins. And mankind lacked this life of soul from the time that Adam had sinned in Paradise until the coming of Christ. For as Saint Paul says, 'death reigned from Adam to Moses,' {Ro 5.14} and sin reigned from Moses until the time of the grace that was given by Christ. Not all the righteousness of all the old law, nor the sacrifices that were performed for men's sin, nor the preaching or prayer of prophets or priests could make mankind clean of sin."
"And therefore our Father sent his own Son down from heaven into the world to fulfill the law and the prophets, and so he did. For whereas a man could not be justified of his sin by either the law or the prophets, he of his grace, and not of our righteousness nor of our merit, forgave all men their sins who believed in him, and brought them from the death of sin to the life of soul."
"For as Christ says, 'Whoever believes in me, though he be dead, he shall live; and whoever lives and believes in me, he shall never die.' {Jn 11.25-26} And whoever has this life of soul while he is in this world, he shall come after he is dead to an endless life of bliss both in body and in soul. [...] [f.115r]
Q: "Friend, as it seems to me, this life of soul that consists of the forsaking of sin is the right path to heaven, but we are too irresolute and too foolish to be able to go by this path, and we have strong temptations and strong enemies, such as the devil and the world and our own flesh that constantly tempts us to sin. And therefore we must cast ourselves wholly on the mercy of God, and though we may not live as perfectly as he taught us and as he lived himself, we hope to be saved, for he says himself 'Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved.'" {Mk 16.16}
A: "Sir, in some respects you speak quite truly, but not all is as true as you hope in what you say. True it is that the right way to heaven is the forsaking of sin[...]. And true it is that this is a hard way and a narrow, for as Christ says, 'it is a strait way that leads a man to the life of heaven, and few there be that find that way; and a broad way it is that leads a man to perdition and to death, and very many there be that find this way.' {Mt 7.13-14} True it is also that we are irresolute and foolish, and that we have strong enemies and strong temptations also. But it is certain that if we desire wisdom from God and resolve to resist sin, God will grant us what we ask for, so long as we ask in faith. For Christ says, 'you that are wicked and evil will give your children good things when they ask you for them, and much more will your heavenly Father give [f.115v] them a good Spirit who request it of him.' {Lk 11.13} And therefore, he says, 'seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive, knock at the door and I shall open it to you.' {Lk 11.9} And Saint James says, "whoever wants wisdom, let him ask it of God who gives to all men abundantly and reproaches no man about what he shall give him; but let him ask in faith and have no doubt, for he that doubts in his request is like the current of the sea that is moved and borne about by the wind. And therefore let not such a man suppose that he shall receive anything from God.' {Jas 1.5-8} And he says, 'that man is blessed who endures temptation, for when he is proved he shall receive a crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted by God, for he is no tempter to evil nor does he tempt any man, but every man is tempted by his own desire. And when that desire has conceived, it brings forth sin, and when the sin is brought to maturity, it engenders death.'" {Jas 1.5-8}
"From these words, sir, you may see then that it is nothing but our fault that we have no wisdom and no resolve to resist our temptations; and though we may have strong enemies and great temptations, it is nothing but our own unkindness and wickedness that we fall into sin. For God allows no man to be tempted in excess of his strength, and not all the devils in hell, nor all the power of the world, nor of man's flesh, may make a man or a woman break God's commands against his will. For God has given a man a free will, and has set before him both good and evil, life and death, blessing and cursing. [f.116r] And a man may choose which of these he will take. And if a man is obedient to his God and keeps his commands, then he chooses good, life, and blessing; and if he forsakes the commands of God, then he chooses evil and death and the curse of God. As Moses says in the first book of the Old Law, and David says in the Psalter, 'all these are accursed that fall away from thy commandments.' Hence it is but our own folly and our own unkindness that we fall into sin."
"True it is also that we must all cast ourselves on the mercy of God, and not demand heaven through justice, justifying ourselves before God. For David says in the Psalter, 'no living man shall be justified in thy sight.' {Ps 142.2 Vulg.} But nevertheless, let no man hope to come to heaven unless he renounce sin, neither for the faith that he has in Christ, nor for the great mercy of God. For as Saint James says, "The devils in hell believe and tremble.' {Jas 2.19} And he says, 'just as a body is dead without spirit, so faith and belief are dead without good works.' {Jas 2.26} And Saint John says, 'whoever says that he knows God and does not keep his commands, he is a liar.' {1 Jn 2.4} And Christ says, 'why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and fail to do the things that I say?' {Lk 6.46} And he says also, 'all those that say to me "Lord, Lord" shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father that is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.' [...] And Christ says also that the Son of Man will [f.116v] come and judge every man in accordance with his works, and those who have lived well shall come to the bliss of heaven; and the others who have led their lives in sin shall go to the everlasting pains of hell that are ordained for the devil and his servants." [...]
[The questioner asks about baptized infants, who are saved yet do no good works. The answerer returns the subject to adults, concluding:] [f.117r] [f.117v]
"Here, sir, you may see two baptisms that Christian men receive: one is in water of faith--that they believe in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit--the which faith washes our soul of our uncleanness of sin just as bodily water washes our body of bodily uncleanness; the second baptism is in the Holy Spirit and in fire, when a man directs so ardent a love toward God that he will not displease him for anything, but will gladly suffer a great discomfort in order to fulfill his will. [f.118r] [...]
Q. "Friend, now I see that there is no other way to heaven except the life of soul and the forsaking of sin and keeping of God's commandments. But friend, as we know well, every living thing has some sustenance, such as food and drink, that keeps them alive. And since we have life of soul, I ask you, what is the food, and what is the drink, that causes our soul to live?"
A. "Sir, now you are asking about a great matter, and I would dearly like to tell you what you ask if God gives me grace. And I hoped that you would adopt this life when you understood it and the nourishment that sustains it. But sir, more's the pity, I see very few who act according to Christ's teaching and his words, though they see them written or hear them spoken. And nevertheless, [f.118v] in his words is the life of our soul. For as he says, 'the words that I have spoken are spirit and life.' {Jn 6.64 Vulg.} And he says also, 'he that keeps my word shall never die.' {Jn 8.51} And he says moreover, 'I speak and I work as I have a bidding and a command from my Father, and I know well that his commandment is everlasting life.' {Jn 12.49-50} And unless a man or a woman will obey Christ's words when he hears them, it were better for him not to know them. For as Christ says, 'the servant that is ignorant of his master's will and acts against it shall receive a few strokes; but he that knows the will of his master and acts against it shall receive many strokes and beatings.' {Lk 12.47-48} He said also to the Jews on an occasion when he had caused a blind man to see, 'if you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you say that you see, your sin still remains in you.' {Jn 9.41} And he says also, 'if I had not come and I had not spoken to them, they would have had no guilt; but now they have no excuse for their sin.' {Jn 15.22} And he said furthermore, 'the more that is given to a man, the more shall be required of him.' {Lk 12.48} And therefore, sir, unless you were willing to fulfill Christ's teachings in your life when you knew what they were, there would be little profit for me to write more fully to you of the life of soul and its sustenance than I do. And great harm it would cause you, and an increase in your pain in the time that is to come, and an offence to your brethren if they saw that you knew Christ's teaching but did not live in accord with it." [...] [f.119r]
"And therefore, sir, confess your faith in our Lord and in our God, Jesus Christ, and do as he has bidden you do and forsake sin, and then you will have the life of soul and its sustenance. For faith in Christ is our bread and meat for our soul, and the keeping of his teaching is the drink of our soul, for it is both water and bread [?read: blood]."
Q. "Friend, the answer you gave to my question is very short and also very obscure to me. And therefore I ask you to give me a clearer answer. My hope is that when I know Christ's teaching I will live in accord with it, for otherwise I would not have striven to learn what it was! And friend, think how Christ says, 'whoever simply gives a [cup] of water to one of the least, in the name [f.119v] of a disciple, he shall not lose his reward.' {Mt 10.42} And friend, I pray you in Christ's own name that you give me some water of Christ's own wisdom to cool the thirst of my soul, that you might have reward for your gift, and profit too. And though you may own nothing of what I ask for, consider that Christ says, 'the unprofitable servant' who lived in sloth 'shall be thrown into darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,' {Mt 25.30} inasmuch as he had his lord's treasure in his keeping and hid it under the earth and would not buy and sell to increase his lord's goods. Think also how Christ says, 'if anyone asks anything of you, give it to him, and do not turn away from him that wishes to borrow from you.' {Mt 5.42} Consider also how he will at the day of judgment condemn those men to hell forever who have not done to him the works of love and mercy. That is to say, those who did not feed him when he was hungry, nor ever gave him anything to drink when he was thirsty, nor clothed him when they saw him naked, nor lodged him when he lacked a house, nor visited him when he was sick or in prison. {Mt 25.41-46} And since my soul is hungry for food and thirsty for drink and naked for want of virtues, and I have no strong house to protect me from the storms of the devil's temptations, and I am sick and in prison on account of the sin that I have committed previously, I pray you that you write to me more plainly about the sustenance of my soul wherewith to satisfy the hunger and the thirst of my soul, and tell me plainly the virtues that Christ teaches wherewith to clothe my soul that I may not be naked at the coming of my lord but well clothed in my wedding garment."
"And speak to me plainly in words, that I may fulfill them in deeds, in order that I may build for myself a house on a foundation of stone to withstand winds and rains and the other storms of the devil's temptations. {Mt 7.24-25} [f.120r] And write to me plainly the teaching of Christ, that I may be healed thereby of the sickness of my soul, and that I may be comforted thereby while I am in the prison of this world and in a strange land as a pilgrim far from my own country. [...] And therefore do not hide from me but tell me openly what I asked earlier: what is the nourishment of our soul?"
A: "Sir, Christ says, 'Father, I confess to you that you have hidden these things from wise men and prudent and have revealed them to little children.' {Mt 11.25 / Lk 10.21} And thus Christ said to his disciples, 'it is granted to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to other men it is [not] granted. For to him that has, it shall be given, and he that has nothing, even that which he seems to have shall be taken away from him.' [...] [f.120v] And sir, since God of his goodness has given some knowlege of his words, pray to him faithfully that he give you more knowledge, and I will endeavor through the grace of God to let you know what you asked about earlier."
"You should understand, sir, that Christ is in two ways the nourishment of our soul through our faith that we place in him. In one way, he is a 'bread from heaven' for the sustenance of our soul. For as he said to the Jews, 'Moses did not give you bread of heaven, but my Father gives you true bread of heaven. For that is the true bread of God that came down from heaven and gives life to the world.' {Jn 6.32-33} [...]
"In this way, Christ is the bread of heaven and the nourishment of our soul as regards his godhood. For inasmuch as he is the bread that came down from heaven, he shows that he is true God. And this is a principal tenet of our belief. And whoever believes this, he eats this bread of heaven to the sustenance of his soul."
"And as regarding the godhood of Christ that came down from heaven, there are other tenets that every Christian man must necessari[f.121r]ly believe. One is that we must believe in his Father that sent him down from heaven to earth by the assent of the Holy Spirit who is the third person of the Godhead. And we must believe that these three persons of the blessed Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, are one God and not many gods. Nevertheless, no one of them is the other, for the Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit; nor is the Son either the Father or the Holy Spirit; nor is the Holy Spirit either the Father or the Son. We must believe also that these three Persons are infinitely mighty and all one might; infinitely good and all one goodness; and infinitely true and infinitely wise and infinitely beautiful and infinitely loving and infinitely just and infinitely merciful; and they are all one truth and one wisdom, one beauty, one love, one justice, and one mercy. And these three Persons were without beginning before they made the world from nothing. And before the world was made, they existed in an eternal bliss, and in that bliss they exist now, and shall exist in the same bliss hereafter, world without end. All this we must believe concerning the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the true bread of heaven and nourishment of our soul that believes in him."
"And in a second way he is the nourishment of our soul: inasmuch as he is man. For he says, 'the bread that I will give is my own flesh for the life of the world.' {Jn 6.51} And he said to the Jews, 'truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you shall have no life in you. And whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, he shall have an everlasting life, and I shall raise him up from death to life at the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. And whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. And just as my [f.121v] living Father sent me and I live for him, so also whoever eats me shall live for me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your forefathers, who ate angels' food in the wilderness and are dead, whoever eats of this bread shall live forevermore.' {Jn 6.53-58} In this way, Christ is food and feeds our soul that believes him to be true man."
"We must also believe many things as regards his humanity. One is that he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of human seed, and that he was born of the virgin Mary without loss of her virginity. We must believe also that he suffered his Passion under Pilate of Pounce, and was hanged on a cross, and was dead and buried, and went down to hell, and the third day arose from death to life. And we must believe that he ascended to heaven, and there he sits on the right hand of his Father, and from thence he shall come to judge both the living and the dead according to their works. And we should believe also that Christ through his death obtained for us forgiveness of our sins, and he himself forgave us our sins. And we must believe that we shall rise up from death to life both in body and in soul. And if we lived well, we shall come to an everlasting life of bliss both in body and in soul, and there our soul shall enjoy its bliss in the divinity of Christ and our body in his humanity. And thus Christ, who is true God and true man, is both bread and meat for the sustenance of our soul that believes thus in him. And so that we should remember and not forget this life of our soul nor its nourishment, on Maundy Thursday at night, when he was about to pass out of this world to his Father, as he and his disciples were eating supper, he took bread and blessed it and broke it and said, 'take this and eat this; this is my body that shall be taken for you. Do [f.122r] this in remembrance of me.'" {1 Cor 11.24 Vulg.}
"And thus, sir, every Christian man who believes that Christ is true God, eats every day the bread of heaven; and in that he believes that Christ is true man, he eats every day his flesh and his body. And this bread and this flesh is the food of our soul. But our [soul] is not [nourished] only by this bread. For as Christ says, 'a man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.' {Mt 4.4} And that word is the drink of our soul. And what kind of drink? Surely, clear water of heavenly wisdom. Christ spoke about this water one time to the woman of Samaria. For he said to that woman, 'if you knew the gift of God, and who he is that says to you, "Give me a drink," you might have asked of him and he would have given you the living water.' And then the woman said, 'you have no vessel with which to draw up the water, and the well is deep. From where, then, do you have living water? Are you greater than Jacob our forefather, who drank at this well, along with his children and animals?' And Christ said, 'every man that drinks of this water shall be thirsty again after a while, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give, he shall never thirst. For the water that I will give shall become a spring in him, that shall be leaping up into eternal life.'" {Jn 4.10-14}
"Of this same water all men drink who keep Christ's words as he taught them. And these words are the two words of love that encompass all the ten commandments. The first of these words is the first and the greatest commandment of God's law, and that is: 'Thou shalt love thy Lord God above all other things.' {Cp. Mk 12.30 / Mt 22.37 / Lk 10.27} For Christ says that whoever loves father or mother, brother or sister, wife or child above him, he is not worthy of him. 'And whoever does not hate his own life for my sake, he is not worthy of me.'" {Lk 14.26 + Mt 10.37}
"And whoever loves God in this way, [f.122v] he keeps the first three of the ten commandments. For he will not then worship any God but one, and he will keep holy his holy day. For every day he will live holy, without sin, and so make holy not only the seventh day but every day of the week. And certainly every day that a man lives in sin is the devil's workday. For every day that a man does the devil's works, he serves the devil and not God, though he sing or read holy words. 'For no man may serve two lords at once.' {Mt 6.24} And God's service is doing good works and refraining from sin. And this is holy-day-living that every man enjoys who loves God above all other things."
"And he keeps also the third commandment of the ten, that is: 'Thou shalt not take thy Lord's name in vain.' For he who loves God above all other things will do nothing that God forbids, or that is displeasing to God, and then he will not take God's name in vain. A man may take God's name in vain in two ways: one is when he swears by the name of God when it is not necessary. A man takes God's name in vain in another way when he calls God his Lord and yet does not fear him as a servant should, or obey his commands; or when a man calls God his Father and does not love him as a good child should, or obey his will. But he that loves God above all other things, he will not take God's name in vain in either of these ways. And so whoever keeps this commandment of love, he keeps the first three of these ten commandments."
"Our Lord Jesus Christ showed this love toward his Father in heaven in order to set us an example of how we should love our Lord Father in heaven above all other things, and in two respects he showed his love: one was that in all [f.123r] his teaching and working he sought the glory of his Father and renounced many honors and pleasures, for he would not displease his Father and break his commandment. [...]When the people would have had him for their king, he fled away from them into the wilderness, for he would not displease his Father. {Jn 6.15} And when the devil tempted him and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the happiness to be had from them, he said to Christ, 'all this I will give you if you fall down and worship me.' And Christ said, 'go away, Satan. It is written, 'you shall worship your Lord God and serve only him.' {Mt 4.8-10} In these actions and in many others, Christ put aside his own honors and desires in order to fulfill the will of his Father. And thereby he showed that he loved his Father above all other things."
"In another respect also he showed this same love, for he suffered willingly whatever pain men would inflict on him, whether of word or of blow or of death. For he would not be disobedient to his Father or act against his will. For on the night before his Passion, he said: 'the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' {Mt 26.41} And when he came to the place where he wished to pray and knew full well how great was the suffering before him, he said, 'Father, if it may be, let this cup pass from me; but nevertheless, [f.123v] not as I will but as you will.' {Mt 26.39} [...] If we love our God so much that we would suffer death for his love, then we drink Christ's blood to the salvation of our soul, and drink from the same cup that Christ drank. And in order that we might remember how Christ shed his blood for the love of his father and the help of his brethren, on Maundy Thursday night at supper he took a cup of wine and blessed it and said to his disciples, 'let everyone drink of it. This is my blood of a new testament, which shall be shed for the forgiveness of sins.' {Mt 26.27-28} And whoever loves God above all other things and believes in Christ's passion, he drinks Christ's blood to the salvation of his soul. And unless he have this love, he shall not be saved, though he may believe all the tenets of our faith. For Saint Paul says, 'though [...] I give away all my wealth to feed poor men, and give my body to be burned in the fire, and have no love, it profits me nothing.' {1 Cor 13.1-3} Thus, sir, if we lack love, neither faith nor any other thing shall stand us in good stead. And certainly the most principal part of love is to love God above all other things. And no man shall come to heaven unless he have this love and so drink of Christ's cup. [f.124r] For Christ asked all his disciples to drink of his cup, and so they did, [...] [the] disciples, who loved God above all other things and were ready to suffer death for his love, they drank of Christ's cup and of his blood to the salvation of their souls. And afterward they drank a cup of clear wine with Christ in the kingdom of heaven, {Mt 26.29} that gladdened their hearts. For 'wine cheers men's hearts,' {Ps 103.15 Vulg.} and no wine so much as that wine that comes from him that is the true vine.{Jn 15.1} And of this wine shall no man drink unless he drinks of the cup that I spoke of earlier."
[...] Whoever has this aforesaid love for God, he [...] offers also to God the most pleasing offering and sacrifice that he may offer to him. For through this love he offers himself to God. [...] And among all the praises [f.124v] given to God the greatest act of praise is this love. For faith, hope, and love are three acts of praise to God, but the greatest act of praise to God is love, as Saint Paul says. {1 Cor 13.13} And love is Christ's law in this world and brings a man to the bliss of heaven, which bliss is the affection of love that creatures have toward God and to one another. And from this praise by love arises another great act of praise to God, of which David spoke in the psalter: 'a spirit that is troubled and distressed for its sin is a sacrifice to God.' And 'God, you will not despise a heart that is contrite and humbled before you.' {Ps 50.19 Vulg.} It is certain that if a man loves God with all his heart and above all other things, when he knows how he has displeased God through sin, he will grieve greatly in his heart for his sin and humble himself low before God in order to receive forgiveness for his trespass. And this is the way that Mary Magdalene received forgiveness for her sins. For Christ says, 'many sins were forgiven her, for she loved much.'" {Lk 7.47}
"And unless a man love God with all his heart, with all his heart having remorse for his sins, he can be certain that he will receive no forgiveness from God for his sins. All these benefits that I have mentioned attend such men as love God above all other things."
"And Christ says, 'the second greatest commandment is like the first: you shall love your brother as yourself, and on these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.' {Mt 22.39-40} For whoever keeps the first commandment of love, he performs every kind of action that he ought to perform toward God, and keeps the first three of the ten commandments; and whoever keeps the second commandment of love, he performs every kind of action that he ought to perform toward his brother, and keeps the last seven of the ten commandments. For he honors his elders [f.125r] (and not only them, but also his brethren); and he will not slay his brother, nor defile his sister through his lust of stinking lechery; nor will he become a thief to rob his brethren; nor will he bear false witness against his brother; nor will he covet his brother's wife or his servant or any other good that he owns. Here are seven commandments kept out of the ten that God once commanded--contained in this one commandment: you shall love your brother as yourself. And so all the ten commandments are fulfilled in these two words of love. And therefore Saint Paul says, 'whoever loves, fulfills the law.'" {Ro 13.8}
"Also, he who keeps these two commandments of love eschews the seven deadly sins:"
"For he will not be proud. For pride, either it is an unreasonable haughtiness by which a man becomes rebellious against God and his commandments, or it is an unreasonable haughtiness by which a man raises himself above his brethren and despises them. But whoever loves God does not have the first pride; and whoever loves his brother as himself does not have the second."
"Also, he who has this love eschews greed, for one who loves God will desire nothing that is against his ordinance. And God is so measured in giving what he has that he scants no man of things that he needs, nor grants to any man more than he needs. But covetous men, who for lack of love love their goods more than God, desire more than they need, against God's will. And because they do not love their brethren as themselves, they desire their brothers' possessions to make themselves rich. And those goods that they have they will not share with their needy brethren."
"And he who has this love will not live in sloth, for he will be busy with all his might to serve his God by obeying his commandments. And according to the [f.125v] grace that he has received from God, he will lay aside his own life and subject himself to pain and toil for the benefit of his brethren."
"And he who has this love will have no mortal wrath toward his brother, nor desire to take vengeance on him, though he had wronged him greatly."
"And he who has this love will have no envy toward his brother, for he will neither be glad at his harm, nor sorry at his good fortune, as envious men are. Nor will he speak spitefully about him behind his back or speak in front of him anything to hurt him."
"And he who has this love will not break the commandment of God, nor for his own pleasure bring his brother or sister into great mischief and sorrow, as vile lechers do who for their own foul lusts bring their brothers and sisters into the devil's servitude and slavery from the service of God, and afterward into the the endless pain of hell which is sorrow without joy."
"And he who has this love will not take his food or his drink except in moderation as need requires. And whoever practices gluttony [...] takes his food and drink against the will [and] ordinance of God, and such a glutton and wastrel devours many men's livelihood, both to his own harm and to the harm of his brethren, for want of love."
"Thus a man who keeps the two commandments of love avoids the seven deadly sins."
"And whoever has this love, he performs the works of mercy. And if he sees his brother hungry he will give him food, and if he is thirsty he will give him drink, and if he is naked he will give him clothes, and if he is homeless he will let him a house, and if he should be sick or in prison, he will visit him and comfort him, and if he should die he buries him in the earth. These are the works of love [f.126r] and of mercy that men will do who keep the aforementioned two commandments of love. [...]
"And certainly, everything that Christ commands us to do to our brothers, either it is love, or it springs from love, or it nourishes love. Christ said to his disciples, 'this is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you. And by this shall people know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.' {Jn 13.34-35} And the kind of love that you should have toward your brethren, Christ teaches in this saying: 'Do to others as you would that others do to you.' {Lk 6.31} He says also, '[...] Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who persecute you and revile you, so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, who makes the sun rise upon the just and the unjust. For if you love only those who love you, what reward shall you have? Publicans do that much. And if you greet only your own brethren, what more shall you do? The heathen do that much. Be perfect, therefore, as your Father is perfect.'" {Mt 5.43-47} [...] [f.126v][In the story of the Good Samaritan], Christ teaches us to love our injured enemies as ourselves, for the Samaritan and the injured Jew were enemies. And yet the Samaritan had pity on him and treated him as he himself would have liked to be treated. And so every Christian man should love his enemy as himself. And therefore Saint Paul says, 'if your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, give him drink. And if you do so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head....'" {Ro 12.20}
"This love and charity is Christ's law, and in order that we should not lose this charity, Christ empowers us with six virtues that spring from love and [f.127r] *[that nourish love."
"The first virtue is peaceableness. As Saint Paul says, 'return to]Peaceableness
"And just as under the old covenant men fought for their law and for their right, so men should under this new covenant suffer, rather than fight, for right. [...] [f.127v]
"And since Christ's law is charity, and patience is a condition of charity, whoever wishes to keep God's law must necessarily be patient and longsuffering, and otherwise he is surely no follower of Christ. And very much afraid should those proud men be who say that they cannot suffer, on account of shame before the world. It is certain that whoever is ashamed to suffer is ashamed to acknowledge that he is the servant of Christ, who suffered very much. And Christ says, 'whoever is ashamed to acknowledge me and my words before men, him I will be ashamed to acknowledge before my Father in heaven.' {Lk 9.26} [...] [f.128r] [...]
"Concerning meekness, which is another virtue that springs from love and also nourishes love, Christ says, 'blessed be the meek, for they shall see God.' {Mt 5.5 + 5.8} And of all the things that Christ taught his disciples, one of the greatest was that they should be humble and meek. One time, there was an argument among the disciples as to which of them was the greatest. And Christ said, 'the kings of the infidels have lordship over them. And those that have power over them are called benefactors, but it shall not be so among you: but he that is the greatest of you shall be as the youngest; and he that is a leader, let him be as a servant. For which is greater, the one who sits at the meal or the one who serves it? Is it not the one who sits at the meal? But I am among you as one who serves.' {Lk 22.24-27} [...] [f.128v][f.129r][f.129v]
"About poverty in spirit Christ speaks also, and says, 'blessed be the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. And woe to the rich, for they find their comfort in this world.' {Mt 5.3 + Lk 6.20, 24} Such men are poor in spirit who do not desire to be rich, but desire what they need and no more. And so those who have few possessions, if they desire to be rich, are not poor in spirit, but they are greedy [f.130r] for want of love, and greed destroys love. Conversely, poverty in spirit arises from love, and also nourishes love. And there is no true Christian who lacks this poverty in spirit. [...] [f.130v] Since a Christian should not be anxious in his mind about his food, nor about his drink, nor about his clothing, and yet all of this is necessary to his life, he should not be anxious at all to get much wealth, for that is not necessary to a man's life. And since God does all things in moderation, and is so measured in his giving that he gives to no man more than he needs, it is a great sin to desire more than a man needs, for it is covetousness. And someone who holds onto God's goods in his keeping in order to spend them on his own desire, where there is no need, it is certain that he holds these goods against God's will, and then he is a thief that robs God of his goods--and not only God, but also other men who need such goods. For God gives to one man more wealth than to another not for himself, but in order that he should divide it among his needy brothers. And unless a man does this, he is not in a state of charity. For as Saint John says, 'whoever possesses wealth of the world and sees his brother in need, if he closes his heart against [f.131r] his brother, how does the love of God abide in him?' {1 Jn 3.17} And therefore he says, 'let us not love in promise or in speech, but in deed and in truth.'" {1 Jn 3.18} [...] And therefore, sir, be poor in spirit and eschew covetousness, if you have any thoughts of going to heaven. For covetousness is service to false gods, as Saint Paul says, and such shall not [f.131v] possess the kingdom of heaven, as he declares." {Col 3.5}
Truth is another virtue that arises from love and also nourishes love. For whoever loves God will love truth and be true both in work and in word, for God himself is truth and is eternally true. [...] [...] And because Christ would that his servants were perfect both in love and in truth, just as he put an end to all kinds of untruth, so also at his coming he put an end to oaths that were never ordained except as an expedient for want of truth. For among true men, there is no need for oaths. And therefore Christ says, 'it used to be said that you should not be forsworn, but should make good your oaths to God. But I tell you not to swear for any reason [...] Rather, what you say should be "yes, yes, no, no"; whatever is more than this comes from evil.' {Mt 5.33-37} [...] [f.132r] [...]
"Chastity is the sixth virtue that arises from love and also nourishes love. For he who loves God will take no pleasure that is displeasing to God or that is harmful to his brother or sister. But Christ said, '[it used to be said,] "you shall commit no adultery." But I say to you, whoever looks at a woman so as to desire her, he has committed adultery with that woman in his heart. And therefore, if your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away from you. For it is beneficial to you that one of your members perish, rather than your body go whole into the fire of hell.' [...] [f.132v]
"Sir, in these two commandments of love is all goodness fulfilled and all evil put aside. And thus the life of our soul and the right way to heaven is to believe steadfastly in Christ and to keep these two commandments of love [to God and to our fellow Christian. And God grant that we so do! A]"
* The text has evidently suffered some loss or disarrangement here, possibly the loss of an entire leaf. I have speculatively supplied a few sentences of bridging text, on the assumption that the first of the listed virtues should be "peaceableness." What is left of the context seems to point that way, but it should be noted that in Versions A and H the first virtue is in fact "mercy." [...]