Here Beginneth a Table of the Chapters
THE FIRST CHAPTER
Of four degrees of Christian men's living; and of the course of his
calling that this book was made unto
THE SECOND CHAPTER
A short stirring to meekness, and to the work of this book
THE THIRD CHAPTER
How the work of this book shall be wrought and of the worthiness of it
before all other works
THE FOURTH CHAPTER
Of the shortness of this work, and how it may not be come to by the
curiosity of wit, nor by imagination
THE FIFTH CHAPTER
That in the time of this work all the creatures that ever have been, be
now, or ever shall be, and all the works of those same creatures, should be hid
under the cloud of forgetting
THE SIXTH CHAPTER
A short conceit of the work of this book, treated by
question
THE SEVENTH CHAPTER
How a man shall have him in this work against all thoughts, and
specially against all those that arise of his own curiosity, of cunning, and of
natural wit
THE EIGHTH CHAPTER
A good declaring of certain doubts that may fall in this work, treated
by question, in destroying of a man's own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural
wit, and in distinguishing of the degrees and the parts of active living and
contemplative
THE NINTH CHAPTER
That in the time of this work the remembrance of the holiest creature
that ever God made letteth more than it profiteth
THE TENTH CHAPTER
How a man shall know when his thought is no sin; and if it be sin, when
it is deadly and when it is venial
THE ELEVENTH CHAPTER
That a man should weigh each thought and each stirring after that it
is, and always eschew recklessness in venial sin
THE TWELFTH CHAPTER
That by virtue of this work sin is not only destroyed, but also virtues
begotten
THE THIRTEENTH CHAPTER
What meekness is in itself, and when it is perfect and when it is
imperfect
THE FOURTEENTH CHAPTER
That without imperfect meekness coming before, it is impossible for a
sinner to come to the perfect virtue of meekness in this life
THE FIFTEENTH CHAPTER
A short proof against their error that say that there is no perfecter
cause to be meeked under, than is the knowledge of a man's own
wretchedness
THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER
That by virtue of this work a sinner truly turned and called to
contemplation cometh sooner to perfection than by any other work; and by it
soonest may get of God forgiveness of sins
THE SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER
That a very contemplative list not meddle him with active life, nor of
anything that is done or spoken about him, nor yet to answer to his blamers in
excusing of himself
THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
How that yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives as
Martha did of Mary. Of the which complaining ignorance is the cause
THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER
A short excusation of him that made this book, teaching how all
contemplatives should have all actives fully excused of their complaining words
and deeds
THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER
How Almighty God will goodly answer for all those that for the excusing
of themselves list not leave their business about the love of Him
THE ONE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
The true exposition of this gospel word, "Mary hath chosen the best
part"
THE TWO AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
Of the wonderful love that Christ had to man in person of all sinners
truly turned and called to the grace of contemplation
THE THREE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
How God will answer and purvey for them in spirit, that for business
about His love list not answer nor purvey for themselves
THE FOUR AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
What charity is in itself, and how it is truly and perfectly contained
in the work of this book.
THE FIVE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
That in the time of this work a perfect soul hath no special beholding
to any one man in this life
THE SIX AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
That without full special grace, or long use in common grace, the work
of this book is right travailous; and in this work, which is the work of the
soul helped by grace, and which is the work of only God
THE SEVEN AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
Who should work in the gracious work of this book
THE EIGHT AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
That a man should not presume to work in this work before the time that
he be lawfully cleansed in conscience of all his special deeds of
sin
THE NINE AND TWENTIETH CHAPTER
That a man should bidingly travail in this work, and suffer the pain
thereof, and judge no man
THE THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Who should blame and condemn other men's defaults
THE ONE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
How a man should have him in beginning of this work against all
thoughts and stirrings of sin
THE TWO AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Of two ghostly devices that be helpful to a ghostly beginner in the
work of this book
THE THREE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
That in this work a soul is cleansed both of his special sins and of
the pain of them, and yet how there is no perfect rest in this life
THE FOUR AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
That God giveth this grace freely without any means, and that it may
not be come to with means
THE FIVE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Of three means in the which a contemplative prentice should be
occupied; in reading, thinking, and praying
THE SIX AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Of the meditations of them that continually travail in the work of this
book
THE SEVEN AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
Of the special prayers of them that be continual workers in the work of
this book
THE EIGHT AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
How and why that short prayer pierceth heaven
THE NINE AND THIRTIETH CHAPTER
How a perfect worker shall pray, and what prayer is in itself; and, if
a man shall pray in words, which words accord them most to the property of
prayer
THE FORTIETH CHAPTER
That in the time of this work a soul hath no special beholding to any
vice in itself nor to any virtue in itself
THE ONE AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
That in all other works beneath this, men should keep discretion; but
in this none
THE TWO AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
That by indiscretion in this, men shall keep discretion in all other
things; and surely else never
THE THREE AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
That all writing and feeling of a man's own being must needs be lost if
the perfection of this work shall verily be felt in any soul in this
life
THE FOUR AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
How a soul shall dispose it on its own part, for to destroy all witting
and feeling of its own being
THE FIVE AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
A good declaring of some certain deceits that may befall in this
work
THE SIX AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
A good teaching how a man shall flee these deceits, and work more with
a listiness of spirit than with any boisterousness of body
THE SEVEN AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
A slight teaching of this work in purity of spirit; declaring how that
on one manner a soul should shew his desire unto God, and on ye contrary, unto
man
THE EIGHT AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
How God will be served both with body and with soul, and reward men in
both; and how men shall know when all those sounds and sweetness that fall into
the body in time of prayer be both good and evil
THE NINE AND FORTIETH CHAPTER
The substance of all perfection is nought else but a good will; and how
that all sounds and comforts and sweetness that may befall in this life be to
it but as it were accidents
THE FIFTIETH CHAPTER
Which is chaste love; and how in some creatures such sensible comforts
be but seldom, and in some right oft
THE ONE AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
That men should have great wariness so that they understand not bodily
a thing that is meant ghostly; and specially it is good to be wary in
understanding of this word in, and of this word
up
THE TWO AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this word in,
and of the deceits that follow thereon
THE THREE AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
Of divers unseemly practices that follow them that lack the work of
this book
THE FOUR AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How that by virtue of this work a man is governed full wisely, and made
full seemly as well in body as in soul
THE FIVE AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How they be deceived that follow the fervour of spirit in condemning of
some without discretion
THE SIX AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How they be deceived that lean more to the curiosity of natural wit,
and of clergy learned in the school of men than to the common doctrine and
counsel of Holy Church
THE SEVEN AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
How these young presumptuous disciples misunderstand this other word
up; and of the deceits that follow thereon
THE EIGHT AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
That a man shall not take ensample of Saint Martin and of Saint
Stephen, for to strain his imagination bodily upwards in the time of his
prayer
THE NINE AND FIFTIETH CHAPTER
That a man shall not take ensample at the bodily ascension of Christ,
for to strain his imagination upwards bodily in the time of prayer: and that
time, place, and body, these three should be forgotten in all ghostly
working
THE SIXTIETH CHAPTER
That the high and the next way to heaven is run by desires, and not by
paces of feet
THE ONE AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
That all bodily thing is subject unto ghostly thing, and is ruled
thereafter by the course of nature, and not contrariwise
THE TWO AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
How a man may wit when his ghostly work is beneath him or without him
and when it is even with him or within him, and when it is above him and under
his God
THE THREE AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
Of the powers of a soul in general, and how Memory in special is a
principal power comprehending in it all the other powers and all those things
in the which they work
THE FOUR AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
Of the other two principal powers, Reason and Will, and of the work of
them before sin and after
THE FIVE AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
Of the first secondary power, Imagination by name; and of the works and
of the obedience of it unto Reason, before sin and after
THE SIX AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
Of the other secondary power, Sensuality by name; and of the works and
of the obedience of it unto Will, before sin and after
THE SEVEN AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
That whoso knoweth not the powers of a soul and the manner of her
working, may lightly be deceived in understanding of ghostly words and of
ghostly working; and how a soul is made a God in grace
THE EIGHT AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
That nowhere bodily, is everywhere ghostly; and how our outer man
calleth the work of this book nought
THE NINE AND SIXTIETH CHAPTER
How that a man's affection is marvelously changed in ghostly feeling of
this nought, when it is nowhere wrought
THE SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
That right as by the defailing of our bodily wits we begin more readily
to come to knowing of ghostly things, so by the defailing of our ghostly wits
we begin most readily to come to the knowledge of God, such as is possible by
grace to be had here
THE ONE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
That some may not come to feel the perfection of this work but in time
of ravishing, and some may have it when they will, in the common state of man's
soul
THE TWO AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
That a worker in this work should not deem nor think of another worker
as he feeleth in himself
THE THREE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
How that after the likeness of Moses, of Bezaleel and of Aaron meddling
them about the Ark of the Testament, we profit on three manners in this grace
of contemplation, for this grace is figured in that Ark
THE FOUR AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
How that the matter of this book is never more read or spoken, nor
heard read or spoken, of a soul disposed thereto without feeling of a very
accordance to the effect of the same work: and of rehearsing of the same charge
that is written in the prologue
THE FIVE AND SEVENTIETH CHAPTER
Of some certain tokens by the which a man may prove whether he be
called of God to work in this work
AND HERE ENDETH THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS
GHOSTLY FRIEND IN GOD, I pray thee and I beseech thee that thou wilt have a
busy beholding to the course and the manner of thy calling. And thank God
heartily so that thou mayest through help of His grace stand stiffly in the
state, in the degree, and in the form of living that thou hast entirely
purposed against all the subtle assailing of thy bodily and ghostly enemies,
and win to the crown of life that evermore lasteth. Amen.