¶ The hete of þis seed is þe loue of god & þe desiring of þõ ioye
pardurable
¶ Þis hete draweth þe hert of man to god and doþ
him hate his synne
For soþe þer is no þing þat serueþ so
wel to a child as þe mylk of his norice ¶ Ne no þing is to hī
more abhominable þan þe milk whan it is melled mete .
¶ Right so þe synful man þat / loueþ his synne . him . semeth it
is to him most swete of eny þing
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¶ But fro þat tyme he lo-
ueth sadly oure lord ihū cist and desireþ þe lif pardurable /. þer
nys to him no þing moore abhominable /
for soþly þe lawe of
god is þe loue of god ¶ For which Dauyd saith ¶ I haue lo-
ued þy lawe and hated wikkednesse and hate ¶ he þt loueþ
god kepeth his lawe and his word
¶ This tree saugh the
prophete daniel in spirit vpon þe auysioū of Nabugodonosor
whan he counseiled him to do penaunce
Penaunce is
tre of lif to hem þat it receyuen and þat holdeþ him ī verry
penitence is blessed after þe sentence of Salomon
¶ In þis
penitence or contricioū ; men schal vnderstonde foure þīgis
that is to sayn what is contricioū and whiche ben þe cau-
ses þat moeuen men to contricioū and how he schulde be
contrit . and what contricioū auaileþ to þe soule
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¶ Þane
is it þus þat contricioū is þe verray sorwe þat a man re-
ceyueþ in his herte for his synnes wiþ sad prpos to schryue
him and to doo penaunce and neuer more to don synne .
¶ And þis sorwe schal be in þis maner as saith seint B ernad
¶ It schal ben heuy and greuous and ful scharp and poynaūt
in herte
¶ First for man haþ agilted his lord and his crea-
tour and more scharp and poynaūt . For he haþ agiltid his
fader celestial .
and ȝit more scharp and poynaūt for he
haþ wratthed and agilt him þat bouȝt hī wiþ his percioĆ«
blood and haþ delyuered vs fro þe bondes of synne and
fro þe cruelte of þe deuel and fro þe peynes of helle ~
¶ Þe causes þat oughten to moeue a man to contricioū ben
vj ¶ First a man schal remembr hī of his synnes .
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but
loke þat þilke remembance be to no delyt of him by no way
but gret schame and sorwe for his gilt . For Iob . saiþ þat
Synful men doon werkes worþy of confessioū .
and þerfor
saith Ezechiel ¶ I wol remembre aƚƚ þe ȝeres of my lyf
in bitternesse of mȳ hert .
and god saiþ in thapocalips .