Of divers temptaciouns of the feend of helle.
The Trial of Withdrawn Comfort
When spiritual consolation is removed, the soul faces intense temptations, yet God promises to be present and deliver those who endure.
Still, a person must first suffer many temptations, which often come to men and women after their comfort is withdrawn, occurring in various ways through the enemy's malice, as follows. When the devil perceives that devotion has largely been withdrawn, leaving the soul for a time as if naked, he sends some people temptations of lechery or gluttony so hot and burning that they think they've never felt anything so severe in their lives, even when they were most given to sin. They feel it's impossible to stand firm for long, believing they must inevitably fall unless they receive help. Consequently, they experience great sorrow, both for the loss of the comfort and devotion they once had, and great fear of falling away from God through such open sins. The devil does all this to make them regret their good purpose and return to their old ways of sin; but if anyone waits a while and endures a little pain, the hand of our Lord is very near and will help very soon.1 He keeps them quite safely, though they don't know how, just as the prophet David said in the person of our Lord: Cum ipso sum in tribulacione, eripiam eum et glorificabo eum (Psalms 90:15).✦2 I am with him in tribulation and in temptation; I shall deliver him, and I shall make him glorious in my bliss.
The Malice of Spiritual and Sensory Assaults
The enemy attacks the soul through spiritual doubts, despair, and terrifying sensory disturbances, especially for those dedicated to a solitary life.
When people give themselves wholly to God's service, he also maliciously tempts them with spiritual sins—such as doubt regarding the articles of faith or the Sacrament of God's Body, or despair, blasphemy against our Lord or His saints, loathing of their own life, bitterness, unreasonable heaviness, or excessive fear for themselves or their bodies.3 He also tempts some people—especially those living in solitude—with fears, horrors, trembling, and shaking, either by appearing to them in bodily form or through their imagination, whether they are asleep or awake, harassing them so that they can barely find any rest. And he also tempts in many other ways, more than I can or may say.
Read the original Latin
Neverthelees it bihoveth a man for to suffre many temptacions first, and thise temptacions fallen ofte sithes to sum men and women after whanne comfort is withdrawen upon divers maneres bi the malice of the enemye, as thus. Whanne the devyl perceyveth devocioun mykil withdrawen, that the soule is left as it were nakid for a tyme, thanne he sendeth to summe men temptacions of leccherie or glotonye, so hoot and so brennynge that hem schal thenke thei felid nevere noon so grevous in al here lif bifore whanne thei gave hem to synne most. In so mykil that thei schul thenke it impossible for to stonde longe and suffre, that thei ne schul nedynges falle but yif thei have helpe. And therfore han thei than mykil sorwe, bothe for lakkynge of comfort and devocioun that thei weren wonte to have, and mykil drede of fallyng from God bi siche open synnes. And al this worcheth the devel for to doo hem forthenke here good purpos and turne agen to synne as they were wont to doo; but whoso wole abide awhile and suffre a litil peyne, the hande of oure Lorde is ful neer and helpeth swithe soone. For He kepeth hem wel sikirli, and thei wot not how; as the prophete David seide in the persoone of oure Lord: Cum ipso sum in tribulacione, eripiam eum et glorificabo eum (Psalms 90:15). I am with him in tribulacion and in temptacion; I schal delivere him and y schal make him glorious in my blisse. Sum men he tempteth bi gosteli synnes maliciousli, as of mystrowynge of the articles of the feith or of the sacrament of Goddis bodi, also dispeir or blasphemye in oure Lord or in ony of His seyntis, or lothynge of here lif, or bittirnesse and unskilful hevynesse, or to mykil drede of hemsilf or of here bodi, yif thei putten hem hooli to Goddis service.
Sum men he tempteth also, and nameli solitarie men and women, bi dredes and ugglynesse and quakynges and schakynges, either apperynge to hem in bodili liknesse or ellis in ymagynyng, slepynge and wakynge, and tarieth hem so that thei mai unnethes have ony reste. And also on many othere wises he tempteth mo than I can or mai seie.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.90.15 — Make us glad according to the days you afflicted us, the years we saw calamity.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME forthenke: regret/repent of a prior resolve; rendered as "regret their good purpose" (not mere intellectual second thoughts).
- 2 ↩Vulgate numbering; modern English Bibles usually number this verse as Psalm 91:15.
- 3 ↩ME unskilful hevynesse: groundless or unreasonable spiritual heaviness/dejection, not mere ordinary sadness.
Scala Perfectionis (The Scale of Perfection) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent