Of sere remedies agennes temptaciounes of feend.

Remedie unto siche maner of men and women that aren thus travaled, or ony othir wise, mai be this: first that thei wolen putten al hire trust in oure Lord Jhesu Crist and bringe thanne to mynde His passioun and His peynes that He suffride, and that thei trowe thanne stidefastli that al this sorwe and traveile that thei suffren in siche temptacions, whiche to an unkunynge man semeth forsakynge of God, is no reprovynge of God, ne non forsakynge, but assayynge for here betere, either for clensynge of here synnes bifore doon, or for grete encresynge of here mede, or for greet disposynge to mykil grace, yif thei wole abide and suffre a litil while and stonde faste with a nakid trouthe and stidefaste mynde of Jhesu Crist, so that thei turne not wilfulli agene to synne. Another remedye is that thei drede not ne sette not at herte siche malicious stirynges of despeir or blasfemye, or of the sacrament or ony siche othere that were uggly to here, for the felynge of thise temptacions foulen the soule no more than yif thei herde an hound berke or felid a flee bite. Thei tarie the soule, but thei apeire not the soule, yif a man wolde despice hem and sette hem at nought. It is not good to stryve with hem, for to putte hem ought bi maistrie; for the more that men stryven with siche thoughtes the more thei cleve to hem. And therfore thei schullen as mykil as thei moun drawe oute the thought from hem, as yif thei chargiden hem not, and sette it to summe othir good occupacion. And yit yif thei wolen ai hange upoun hem, thanne it is good to hem that thei ben not angri ne hevy for to fele hem, but that thei with a good trust in God wole bere hem as it were a bodili peyne and a scourge of oure Lord for clensynge of here synnes, as longe as He wole. And over this it is good to hem, to schewe hire hertes to sum wise man in the bigynnynge bifore thei ben rooted in the herte, and that thei leve here owen witte and folwe the counsel of him; and that thei schewe hem not lightli to noon uncouth man, that is to seie, to noon unkunnynge man and worldli, which never hadde felid siche temptacions, for thei myghte lightli bringe a symple soule into despeir bi unkunynge of hemsilf. Of this maner of temptacions, bi the whiche a man semeth forsaken of God and is not, in comfort of hem that aren temptid oure Lord seith thus bi His prophete: In modico dereliqui te et in memento indignacionis mee percussi te, et in miseracionibus meis multis congregabo te (Isaiah 54:7).

In a litil y forsook thee, that is for to seie, I suffrid thee for to be taried a litil, and in a poynt of my wraththe y smoot thee, that is to seie, al the penaunce and the peyne that thou suffrest heere is but a poynt of my wraththe in reward of peyne of helle or of purgatorie. And yit in my manyfold mercies y schal gadre thee togedre, that is for to sai, whanne that thee theenketh that thou art forsaken, thanne schal y of my greet merci gadre thee agen to me, for thanne whanne that thu wenest that thou art but lost, thanne schal oure Lord helpe thee, as seith Job: Cum te consumptum putaveris, orieris ut lucifer et habebis fiduciam (Job 11:17). That is for to seie, whanne thou art brought so lowe bi traveil in temptacion that thee thenketh noon help ne comfort, but as it were a fordoon man, yit stond stifli in hope, and prai God, and sotheli thou schalt sodaynli springe up as the dai sterre in gladnesse of herte, and have a veri trust in God, as Job seide.