,,revelations of ,,divine ,,love ,recorded by ,,julian1 ,anchoress at ,,norwich ,,anno ,,domini #acgc ,in lumine tuo videbimus lumen ,a version from the ,,ms4 in the ,,british ,,museum edited by ,,grace ,,warrack ,methuen ,company #cf ,essex ,street ,strand ,london #aija ,,domini1 ,,refugium ,,factus ,,es ,,nobis1 ,a ,,generatione ,,in ,,generationem4 ,,respice ,,in ,,servos ,,tuos1 ,,et ,,in ,,opera ,,tua3 ,,et ,,dirige ,,filios ,,eorum4 ,,et ,,sit ,,splendor ,,domini ,,dei ,,nostri ,,super ,,nos1 ,,et ,,opera ,,manuum ,,nostrarum ,,dirige ,,super ,,nos3 ,,et ,,opus ,,manuum ,,nostrarum ,,dirige4 ,truth seeth ,god1 and ,wisdom beholdeth ,god1 and of these two cometh the third3 that is a holy1 marvelling delight in ,god2 which is ,love4 ,,contents ,,page ,i4 ,,notes ,,on ,,manuscripts ,,and ,,editions ,,of ,,this ,,book4 xi ,,ii4 ,,note ,,as ,,to ,,two ,,julians4 xv ,,iii4 ,,introduction3-- ,part ,i4 ,the ,lady ,julian4 xvii ,part ,,ii4 ,the ,manner of the ,book4 xxxiii ,part ,,iii4 ,the ,theme of the ,book4 lv ,,iv4 ,,revelations ,,of ,,divine ,,love3-- 7editorial account7 i4 ,a ,list of ,contents1 called ,a ,particular of the ,chapters4 #a ii4-iii4 ,autobiographical4 #c iv4-ix4 ,the ,first ,revelation3 ,the ,trinity is shewn1 through the ,suffering of ,christ1 as ,goodness1 or ,love all-working4 #h x4 ,the ,second ,revelation3 ,man's ,sight of ,god's ,love is but partial because of sin's darkness4 #ba xi4 ,the ,third ,revelation3 ,all ,being is ,being of ,god and is good3 ,sin is no ,being4 #bf xii4 ,the ,fourth ,revelation3 ,the stain of sin through lacking of human love is cleared away by the ,death of ,christ in ,his ,love4 #bi xiii4 ,the ,fifth ,revelation3 ,by ,love's ,sacrifice1 in ,christ1 the evil suffered1 for ,love's ,increase1 to rise1 is overcome for ever4 #cj xiv4 ,the ,sixth ,revelation3 ,the travail of ,man against evil on earth is a glory accepted by ,love in ,heaven4 #cc xv4 ,the ,seventh ,revelation3 ,it is of ,god's ,will1 for our learning1 that on earth we change between joy of light and pain of darkness4 #cd xvi4-xxi4 ,the ,eighth ,revelation3 ,of the oneness of ,god and ,man in the ,passion of ,christ1 through ,compassion of the ,creature with ,christ and of ,christ with the ,creature4 ,all compassion in men is ,christ in men4 #cf xxii4-xxiii4 ,the ,ninth ,revelation3 ,of the worshipful entering of ,man's soul into the ,joy of ,love ,divine in the ,passion4 #df xxiv4 ,the ,tenth ,revelation3 ,of the thankful entering of the soul into the ,peace of the ,endless ,love opened up for ,man in the time of the ,passion4 #ea xxv4 ,the ,eleventh ,revelation3 ,of ,christ's ,raising1 ,fulfilling ,love to the souls of men1 as beheld in the love between ,him and ,his ,mother4 #eb xxvi4 ,the ,twelfth ,revelation3 ,all that the soul lives by and loves is ,god1 through ,christ4 #ed xxvii4-xl4 ,the ,thirteenth ,revelation3 ,man's finite love was suffered by ,infinite ,love to fail1 that falling thus through sin into pain and death of darkness1 the creature therein might more deeply know his need and more highly know1 in its succouring strength1 the ,creator's ,love1 as the ,saviour's2 that so being raised1 and for ever held clinging to that through the grace of the ,holy ,ghost1 he might rise to fuller and higher and endless oneness with ,god4 #ee xli4-xliii4 ,the ,fourteenth ,revelation3 ,beginning on earth1 ,prayer makes the soul one with ,god4 #hd xliv4-lxiii4 ,regarding these ,revelations and the ,christian ,life of ,love's travail on earth against sin4 #ic lxiv4-lxv4 ,the ,fifteenth ,revelation 7,closing73 ,of ,love's ,fulfilment in ,heaven4 #aei lxvi4 ,autobiographical3 ,the fall through frailty of nature1 by self-regarding1 into doubt of the ,shewing of ,love2 the rescue by mercy2 the assaying of faith and the overcoming by grace4 #afd lxvii4-lxviii4 ,the ,sixteenth ,revelation 7,confirming73 ,the ,indwelling of ,god ,in the ,soul1 now and for ever4 ,thou shalt not be overcome4 #afg lxix4 ,autobiographical3 ,the second assaying of faith1 through the horror of spiritual darkness2 the overcoming by virtue of the ,passion of ,christ1 with help from the ,common ,belief of the ,christian ,fellowship4 #agj lxx4-lxxxv4 ,the ,life of ,faith is kept by ,charity1 led on by ,hope #agb lxxvi4 ,the ,meaning of the ,whole4 ,of learning more on earth and ,in ,heaven of the ,one thing taught in the ,revelation3 the ,endless ,love2 in ,which ,life is everlasting4 #bja ,v4 ,,postscript ,,by ,,an ,,early ,,transcriber ,,of ,,the ,,manuscript4 #bjd ,,vi4 ,,glossary4 #bje ,the ,title-page is from a design by ,phoebe ,anna ,traquair4 ,,notes ,,on ,,manuscripts ,,and ,,editions ,this ,english book exists in two ,manuscripts3 ,no4 #cj of the ,bibliothque ,nationale1 ,paris 7,bibliotheca ,bigotiana1 #chh71 and ,no4 #bdii ,sloane1 in the ,british ,museum4 ,the ,paris ,manuscript is of the ,sixteenth ,century1 the ,sloane is in a ,seventeenth ,century handwriting2 the ,english of the ,fourteenth ,century seems to be on the whole well preserved in both1 especially perhaps in the later ,manuscript1 which must have been copied from one of mixed ,east ,anglian and northern dialects4 ,this manuscript has no title-page1 and nothing is known as to its history4 ,delisle's catalogue of the ,biblioth4 ,bigot4 7#ahgg7 gives no particulars as to the acquisition of ,no4 #chh4 ,the two versions may be compared in these sentences3-- ,chap4 ,,ii41 ,paris ,,ms43 ,this revelation was made to a ,symple creature unlettyrde leving in deadly flesh the yer of our ,lord a thousande and thre hundered and lxxiii the xiii ,daie of ,may4 ,sloane3 ,these ,revelations were shewed to a simple creature that cowde no letter the yeere of our ,lord #acgc the xiij day of may4 ,chap4 ,,li41 ,paris ,,ms43 ,the colour of his face was feyer brown whygt with full semely countenaunce4 his eyen were blakke most feyer and semely shewyng full of lovely pytte and within hym an heyward long and brode all full of endlesse hevynlynes4 ,and the lovely lokyng that he lokyd on his servant contynually4 ,and namely in his fallyng me thought it myght melt oure hartys for love4 and brek them on twoo for ,joy4 ,sloane3 ,the color of his face was faire browne1 with ful semely features1 his eyen were blak most faire and semely shewand ful of lovely pety and within him an heyward long and brode all full of endles hevyns1 and the lovely lokeing that he loked upon his servant continuly and namely in his fallyng me thowte it myte molten our herts for love bresten hem on to for joy4 ,the ,sloane ,,ms4 does not mention the writer of the book1 but the copyist of the ,paris version has1 after the ,deo ,gratias with which it ends1 added or transcribed these words3 ,explicit liber ,revelationem ,julyane anatorite sic ,norwyche cujus anime propicietur ,deus4 ,blomefield1 in his ,history of ,norfolk 7iv4 p4 #ha71 speaks of an old vellum ,manuscript1 #cf pages of which contained an account of the visions1 etc41 of the ,lady ,julian1 anchoress at ,st4 ,julian's1 ,norwich1 and quotes the title written by a contemporary3 ,here es a ,vision shewed by the godenes of ,god to a devoute ,woman3 and her name is ,julian1 that is recluse at ,noryche1 and yett is on life1 ,anno ,domini mccccxlii4 ,in the whilke ,vision er fulle many comfortabyll words1 and greatly styrrande to alle they that desyres to be ,crystes ,looverse--greatly stirring to all that desire to be lovers of ,christ4 ,this ,manuscript1 possibly containing the writing of ,julian herself1 was in the possession of the ,rev4 ,francis ,peck 7#afib-agdc74 ,the original ,,mss4 of that antiquarian writer went to ,sir ,thomas ,cave1 and ultimately to the ,british ,museum1 but his general library was sold in #ageh to ,mr ,t4 ,payne 7of ,payne ,foss71 bookseller1 ,strand1 and this old ,manuscript of the ,revelations1 which has been sought for in vain in the catalogues of public collections1 may perhaps have been bought and sold by him4#a ,it may be extant in some private library4 ,tersteegen1 who1 in his ,auserlesene ,beschreibungen ,heiliger ,seelen1 gives a long extract from ,julian's book 7vol4 iii4 p4 #beb1 #crd ed4 #aghd71 mentions in his preface that he had seen in the ,library of the late ,poiret an old ,manuscript of these ,revelations4 ,pierre ,poiret1 author of several works on mystical theology1 died in #agai near ,leyden1 but the ,manuscript has not found its way to the ,university there4 ,poiret himself refers thus to ,julian and her book in his ,catalogus ,auctorum ,mysticorum1 giving to her name the asterisk denoting greatness3 ,julianae ,matris ,anachoretae1 ,revelationes de ,amore ,dei4 ,anglice4 ,theodidactae1 profundae1 ecstaticae4 7,theologiae ,pacificae itemque ,mysticae1 p4 #ccf4 ,amsterdam1 #agjb47 ,the earliest printed edition of ,julian's book was prepared by the ,benedictine ,serenus de ,cressy1 and published in #afgj by permission of his ecclesiastical ,superior1 the ,abbot of ,lambspring1 under the title of ,sixteen ,revelations of ,divine ,love4 ,it agrees with the ,manuscript now in ,paris1 but the readings that differ from the ,sloane ,manuscript are very few and are quite unimportant4 ,this version of de ,cressy's is in ,seventeenth ,century ,english with some archaic words1 which are explained on the side margins2 it was re-printed in #ahdc4 ,a modernised version taken from the ,sloane ,,ms4 was published1 with a preface1 by ,henry ,collins in #ahgg 7,t4 ,richardson ,sons74 ,these three1 the only printed editions1 are now all of great rarity4 ,for the following version1 the editor having transcribed the ,sloane ,,ms41 divided its continuous lines into paragraphs1 supplied to many words capital letters1 and while following as far as possible the significance of the commas and occasional full stops of the original1 endeavoured to make the meaning clearer by a more varied punctuation4 ,as the book is designed for general use1 modern spelling has been adopted1 and most words entirely obsolete in speech have been rendered in modern ,english1 though a few that seemed of special significance or charm have been retained4 ,archaic forms of construction have been almost invariably left as they are1 without regard to modern grammatical usage4 ,occasionally a word has been underlined for the sake of clearness or as a help in preserving the measure of the original language1 which in a modern version must lose a little in rhythm1 by altered pronunciation and by the dropping of the termination en from verbs in the infinitive4 ,here and there a clause has been put within parentheses4 ,the very few changes made in words that might have any bearing on theological or philosophical questions1 any historical or personal significance in the presentment of ,julian's view1 are noted on the margin and in the ,glossary4 ,where prepositions are used in a sense now obscure they have generally been left as they are 7e4g41 of for by or with71 or have been added to rather than altered 7e4g41 for is rendered by the archaic but intelligible for that1 rather than by because1 and of is amplified by words in square brackets1 as by virtue of1 out of rather than changed into through or from74 ,the editor has desired to follow the rule of never omitting a word from the ,manuscript1 and of enclosing within square brackets the very few words added4 ,it may be seen that these words do not alter the sense of the passage1 but are interpolated with a view to bringing it out more clearly1 in insignificant references 7e4g4 in this ,shewing71 and once or twice in a passage of special obscurity 7see chap4 xlv74 #a v4 ,nichol's ,literary ,anecdotes1 vol4 iii4 p4 #fec4 ,,note ,,as ,,to ,,the ,,lady ,,julian1 ,,anchoress ,,at ,,st ,,julian',s1 ,,and ,,the ,,lady ,,julian ,,lampet1 ,,anchoress ,,at ,,carrow ,in ,carrow ,abbey1 by ,walter ,rye 7privately printed1 #ahhi71 is given a list of ,wills1 in which the name of the ,lady ,julian ,lampet frequently occurs as a legatee between the years #adbg 7,will of ,sir ,john ,erpingham7 and #adgh 7,will of ,william ,hallys74 ,comparing the ,will of ,hallys with that of ,margaret ,purdance1 which was made in #adga but not proved till #adhc1 and from which the name of ,lady ,julian ,lampet as a legatee is stroked out1 no doubt because of her death1 we find evidence that this anchoress died between #adgh and #adhc4 ,as even the earlier of these dates was a hundred and thirty-six years after the birth of the writer of the ,revelations1 who in ,may #acgc was over thirty years of age1 the identity of the ,lady ,julian1 recluse at ,norwich1 with the ,lady ,julian ,lampet1 though it has naturally been suggested1 is surely an impossibility4 ,there were anchorages in the churchyards both of ,st ,julian's1 ,conisford 7which belonged to the nuns of ,carrow in the sense of its revenues having been made over to them by ,king ,stephen for the support of that ,priory or ,abbey71 and of ,st ,mary's1 the ,convent ,church of the nuns4 ,see the ,will of ,robert ,pert--proved #adde--which left to the anchoress of ,carhowe #as41 to ditto at ,st ,julian's #as41 and that of the ,lady ,isobel ,morley1 who in #adff left bequests to ,dame ,julian1 anchoress at ,carrow1 and ,dame ,agnes1 anchoress at ,st ,julian's in ,cunisford--no doubt the same ,dame ,agnes that is mentioned by ,blomefield as being at ,st ,julian's in #adgb4 ,this ,agnes may have been the immediate successor of ,julian the writer of the ,revelations1 who is spoken of as yet in life--as if in great age--in #addb1 when she would be a hundred years old4 ,perhaps the almost invariable use of the surname of the ,carrow ,dame ,julian 7who was1 no doubt1 of the family of ,sir ,ralph ,lampet--frequently mentioned by ,blomefield and in the ,paston ,letters7 may go to establish proof that there had been before her and in her earlier years of recluse life another anchoress ,julian1 who most likely had been educated at ,carrow1 but who lived as an anchoress at ,st ,julian's1 and was known simply as ,dame or the ,lady ,julian4 99 99 99 99 99 ,from ,blomefield's ,history of ,norfolk1 vol4 iv4 p4 #ebd3 ,carhoe or ,carrow stands on a hill by the side of the river1 about a furlong from ,conisford or ,southgates1 and was always in the liberty of the ,city of ,norwich4444 ,here was an ancient ,hospital or ,nunnery1 dedicated to ,saint ,mary and ,saint ,john1 to which ,king ,stephen having given lands and meadows without the ,south-gate1 ,seyna and ,lescelina1 two of the sisters1 in #aadf began the foundations of a new monastery called ,kairo1 ,carrow1 ,car-hou1 and sometimes ,car-,dieu1 which was dedicated to the ,virgin ,mary and ,saint ,john1 and consisted of a prioress and nine 7afterwards twelve7 ,benedictine black nuns4444 ,their church was founded by ,king ,stephen and was dedicated to the ,blessed ,virgin1 and had a chapel of ,st ,john ,baptist joined to its south side1 and another of ,st ,catherine to its north2 there was also an anchorage by it1 and in #adbh ,lady ,julian ,lampet was anchoress there4 444 ,this nunnery for many years had been a school or place of education for the young ladies of the chief families of the diocese1 who boarded with and were educated by the nuns4 ,from ,dr ,jessopp's ,visitations of the ,diocese of ,norwich1 #adib-aecb1 ,introduction1 p4 xliv43 ,the priory of ,carrow had always enjoyed a good reputation1 and the house had for long been a favourite retreat for the daughters of the ,norwich citizens who desired to give themselves to a life of religious retirement4 ,,introduction ,,part ,i ,,the ,,lady ,,julian ,beati pauperes spiritu3 quoniam ipsorum est regnum coelorum ,s4 ,matth4 v4 #c ,very little is known of the outer life of the woman that nearly five hundred years ago left us this book4 ,it is in connection with the old ,church of ,st ,julian in the parish of ,conisford1 outlying ,norwich1 that ,julian is mentioned in ,blomefield's ,history of ,norfolk 7vol4 iv4 p4 #ha73 ,in the east part of the churchyard stood an anchorage in which an ankeress or recluse dwelt till the ,dissolution1 when the house was demolished1 though the foundations may still be seen 7#agfh74 ,in #acic ,lady ,julian1 the ankeress here was a strict recluse1 and had two servants to attend her in her old age4 ,this woman was in these days esteemed one of the greatest holiness4 ,in #adgb ,dame ,agnes was recluse here2 in #adha1 ,dame ,elizabeth ,scott2 in #aeaj1 ,lady ,elizabeth2 in #aebd1 ,dame ,agnes ,edrygge4 ,the little ,church of ,st ,julian 7in use at this day7 still keeps from ,norman times its dark round tower of flint rubble1 and still there are traces about its foundation of the anchorage built against its south-eastern wall4 ,this ,church was founded1 says the ,history of the ,county1 before the ,conquest1 and was given to the nuns of ,carhoe 7,carrow7 by ,king ,stephen1 their founder2 it hath a round tower and but one bell2 the north porch and nave are tiled1 and the chancel is thatched4 ,there was an image of ,st ,julian in a niche of the wall of the ,church1 in the ,churchyard4 ,citing the record of a burial in the churchyard of ,st ,julian1 the ,king and ,confessor1 ,blomefield observes3 which shews that it was not dedicated to ,st ,julian1 the ,bishop1 nor ,st ,julian1 the ,virgin4 ,the only knowledge that we have directly from ,julian as to any part of her history is given in her account of the time and manner in which the ,revelation came1 and of her condition before and during and after this special experience4 ,she tells how on the #acth day of ,may1 #acgc1a the ,revelation of ,love was shewed to her1 a simple creature1 unlettered1 who had before this time made certain special prayers from out of her longing after more love to ,god and her trouble over the sight of man's sin and sorrow4 ,she had come now1 she mentions1 to the age of thirty1 for which she had in one of these prayers1 desired to receive a greater consecration1--thinking1 perhaps1 of the year when the ,carpenter's workshop was left by the ,lord for wider ministry1--she was thirty years old and an half4 ,this would make her birth-date about the end of #acdb1 and the old ,manuscript says that she was yet in life in #addb4 ,julian relates that the ,fifteen consecutive ,shewings lasted from about four o'clock till after nine of that same morning1 that they were followed by only one other ,shewing 7given on the night of the next day71 but that through later years the teaching of these ,sixteen ,shewings had been renewed and explained and enlarged by the more ordinary enlightenment and influences of the same ,spirit that shewed them4 ,in this connection she speaks1 in different chapters1 of fifteen years after and more1 and of twenty years after1 save three months2 thus her book cannot have been finished before #acic4 ,of the circumstances in which the ,revelations came1 and of all matters connected with them1 ,julian gives a careful account1 suggestive of great calmness and power of observation and reflection at the time1 as well as of discriminating judgment and certitude afterwards4 ,she describes the preliminary seven days' sickness1 the cessation of all its pain during the earlier visions1 in which she had spiritual sight of the ,passion of ,christ1 and indeed during all the five hours' special ,shewing2 the return of her physical pain and mental distress and dryness of feeling when the vision closed2 her falling into doubt as to whether she had not simply been delirious1 her terrifying dream on the ,friday night1--noting carefully that this horrible ,shewing came in her sleep1 and so did none other--none of the ,sixteen ,revelations of ,love came thus4 ,then she tells how she was helped to overcome the dream-temptation to despair1 and how on the following night another ,revelation1 conclusion and confirmation of all1 was granted to strengthen her faith4 ,again her faith was assayed by a similar dream-appearance of fiends that seemed as it were to be mocking at all religion1 and again she was delivered1 overcoming by setting her eyes on the ,cross and fastening her heart on ,god1 and comforting her soul with speech of ,christ's ,passion 7as she would have comforted another in like distress7 and rehearsing the ,faith of all the ,church4 ,it may be noted here that ,julian when telling how she was given grace to awaken from the former of these troubled dreams1 says1 anon all vanished away and ,i was brought to great rest and peace1 without sickness of body or dread of conscience1 and that nothing in the book gives any ground for supposing that she had less than ordinary health during the long and peaceful life wherein ,god lengthened her patience4 ,rather it would seem that one so wholesome in mind1 so happy in spirit1 so wisely moderate1 no doubt1 in self-guidance1 must have kept that general health that she could not despise who speaks of ,god having no disdain to serve the body1 for love of the soul1 of how we are soul and body clad in the ,goodness of ,god1 of how ,god hath made waters plenteous in earth to our service and to our bodily ease1#b and of how ,christ waiteth to minister to us ,his gifts of grace unto the time that we be waxen and grown1 our soul with our body and our body with our soul1 either of them taking help of other1 till we be brought unto stature1 as nature worketh4#c ,julian mentions neither her name not her state in life2 she is the soul1 the poor or simple soul that the ,revelation was shewed to--a simple creature1 in herself1 a mere wretch1 frail and of no account4 ,of her parentage and early home we know nothing3 but perhaps her own exquisite picture of ,motherhood--of its natural 7its kind7 love and wisdom and knowledge--is taken partly from memory1 with that of the kindly nurse1 and the child1 which by nature loveth the ,mother and each of the other children1 and of the training by ,mother and ,teacher until the child is brought up to the ,father's bliss 7lxi4-lxiii474 ,the title ,lady1 ,dame or ,madame was commonly accorded to anchoresses1 nuns1 and others that had had education in a ,convent4#d ,julian1 no doubt1 was of gentle birth1 and she would probably be sent to the ,convent of ,carrow for her education4 ,there she would receive from the ,benedictine nuns the usual instruction in reading1 writing1 ,latin1 ,french1 and fine needlework1 and especially in that ,common ,christian ,belief to which she was always in her faithful heart and steadfast will so loyal1--the ,common ,teaching of ,holy ,church in which ,i was afore informed and grounded1 and with all my will having in use and understanding 7xlvi474 ,it is most likely that ,julian received at ,carrow the consecration of a ,benedictine nun2 for it was usual1 though not necessary1 for anchoresses to belong to one or other of the ,religious ,orders4 ,the more or less solitary life of the anchorite or hermit1 the anchoress or recluse1 had at this time1 as earlier1 many followers in the country parts and large towns of ,england4 ,few of the reclusoria or women's anchorholds were in the open country or forest-lands like those that we come upon in ,medieval romances1 but many churches of the villages and towns had attached to them a timber or stone cell--a little house of two or three rooms inhabited by a recluse who never left it1 and one servant1 or two1 for errands and protection4 ,occasionally a little group of recluses lived together like those three young sisters of the ,thirteenth ,century for whom the ,ancren ,riwle1 a ,rule or ,counsel for ,ancres1 was at their own request composed4 ,the recluse's chamber seems to have generally had three windows3 one looking into the adjoining ,church1 so that she could take part in the ,services there2 another communicating with one of those rooms under the keeping of her maidens1 in which occasionally a guest might be entertained2 and a third--the parlour window--opening to the outside1 to which all might come that desired to speak with her4 ,according to the ,ancren ,riwle the covering-screen for this audience-window was a curtain of double cloth1 black with a cross of white through which the sunshine would penetrate--sign of the ,dayspring from on high4 ,this screen could of course be drawn back when the recluse 'held a parliament' with any that came to her4#e ,before ,julian passed from the sunny lawns and meadows of ,carrow1 along the road by the river and up the lane to the left by the gardens and orchards of the ,coniston of that day1 to the little ,churchyard house that would hide so much from her eyes of outward beauty1 and yet leave so much in its changeful perpetual quietude around her 7great skies overhead like the ample heavenly garments of her vision blue as azure most deep and fair2 little ,speedwell's blue by the crannied wall of the ,churchyard--,veronika1 true ,image1 like the ,saint's ,holy ,vernacle at ,rome7 her vow#f might be3 ,i offering yield myself to the divine ,goodness#g for service1 in the order of anchorites3 and ,i promise to continue in the service of ,god after the rule of that order1 by divine grace and the counsel of the ,church3 and to shew canonical obedience to my ghostly fathers4 ,the only reference that ,julian makes to the life dedicated more especially to ,contemplation is where she is speaking1 as if from experience1 of the temptation to despair because of falling oftentimes into the same sins1 especially into sloth and losing of time4 ,for that is the beginning of sin1 as to my sight1--and especially to the creatures that have given themselves to serve our ,lord with inward beholding of ,his blessed ,goodness4#h ,one thing have ,i desired of the ,lord1 that will ,i seek after3 that ,i may dwell in the house of the ,lord all the days of my life1 to behold the beauty of the ,lord1 and to enquire in ,his temple--,his ,sanctuary of the ,church or of the soul4 ,that was her calling4 ,she had heard the ,voice that comes to the soul in ,spring-time and calls to the ,garden of lilies1 and calls to the ,garden of ,olive-trees 7where all the spices offered are in one ,cup of ,heavenly ,wine73 ,surge1 propera amica mea3 jam enim ,hyems transiit1 imber ambiit et recessit4 ,surge1 propera amica mea1 speciosa mea1 et veni4 ,arise3 let us go hence4#i ,for this is the natural yearnings of the soul by the touching of the ,holy ,ghost3 ,god of ,thy ,goodness1 give me ,thyself1 for ,thou art enough to me2 444 and if ,i ask anything that is less1 ever me wanteth2 but only in ,thee ,i have all 7v474 ,a soul that only fasteneth itself on to ,god with very trust1 either by seeking or in beholding1 it is the most worship that it may do to ,him1 as to my sight 7x474 ,to enquire and to behold--no doubt it was for these that ,julian sought time and quiet4 ,for she had urgent questionings and stirrings in her mind over the great hurt that is come by sin to the creature--afore this time often ,i wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of ,god the beginning of sin was not letted 7mourning and sorrow ,i made over it without reason and discretion72 and also she was filled with desire for ,god3 the longing that ,i had to ,him afore 7xxvii474 ,moreover1 this life to which ,julian gave herself was to be a life of meek continuant prayers for enabling of herself in her weakness1 and for help to others in all their needs4 ,for thought and worship could only be held together by active prayer3 the pitiful beholding of evil and pain and the joyful beholding of ,goodness and ,love would be at war1 as it were1 with each other1 unless they were set at peace for the time by the prayer of intercession4 ,and that is the call of the loving soul1 strong in its infant feebleness to wake the answering ,revelation of ,love to faith that all shall be well1 and that all is well and that when all are come up above and the whole is known1 all shall be seen to be well1 and to have been well through the time of tribulation and travail4 ,at some time in the day or night1 says the ,ancren ,riwle1 which ,julian perhaps may have read1 though as to such prayers her compassionate heart was its own director--,at some time in the day or night think upon and call to mind all who are sick and sorrowful1 who suffer affliction and poverty1 the pain which prisoners endure who lie heavily fettered with iron2 think especially of the ,christians who are amongst the heathen1 some in prison1 some in so great thralldom as is an ox or an ass2 compassionate those who are under strong temptations2 take thought of all men's sorrows1 and sigh to our ,lord that ,he may take care of them and have compassion and look upon them with a gracious eye2 and if you have leisure1 repeat this ,psalm1 ,i have lifted up mine eyes4 ,paternoster4 ,return1 ,o ,lord1 how long1 and be intreated in favour of ,thy servants3 ,let us pray4 ',stretch forth1 ,o ,lord1 to thy servants and to thy handmaids the right hand of thy heavenly aid1 that they may seek thee with all their heart1 and obtain what they worthily ask through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4' ,julian tells how in her thinking of sin and its hurt there passed before her sight all that ,christ bore for us1 and ,his dying2 and all the pains and passions of all ,his creatures1 ghostly and bodily2 and the beholding of this--with all pains that ever were or ever shall be 7xxvii74 ,from sin1 except as a general conception1 ,julian's natural instinct was to turn her eyes2 but with this ,christly compassion in her heart in looking on the sorrows of the world she could not but take account of its sin4 ,as she came to be convinced that though we be highly lifted up into contemplation1 it is needful for us to see our own sin1--albeit we should not accuse ourselves overdone much or be heavy or sorrowful indiscreetly--so when sins of others were brought before her she would seek with compassion to take the sinner's part of contrition and prayer4 ,the beholding of other man's sins1 it maketh as it were a thick mist afore the eyes of the soul1 and we cannot1 for the time1 see the fairness of ,god1 but if we can behold them with contrition with him1 with compassion on him1 and with holy desire to ,god for him 7lxxvi474 ,and notwithstanding all the stir and eager revival of the ,fourteenth ,century in religion1 politics1 literature and general life1 there was much both of sin and of sorrow then to exercise the pitiful soul--troubles enough in ,norwich itself1 of oppression and riot and desolating pestilence--troubles enough in ,europe1 ,west and ,east1--wars and enslaving and many cruelties in distant lands1 and harried ,armenian ,christians coming to the ,court of ,edward to plead for succour in their long-enduring patience4 ,there was trouble wherever one looked2 but to prayer1 and to that compassion which is in itself a prayer1 the answer came4 ,indeed the compassion was its own first immediate answer3 for then ,i saw that each kind compassion that man hath on his even-,cristen 7his fellow-,christians7 with charity1 it is ,christ in him4 ,this is the comfort that both comforts in waiting and calls to deeds of help4 ,and such charity of social service was not beyond the scope of the life enclosed1--whether it might be by deed or1 as more often1 by speech4#aj ,it is in her seeking for truth and her beholding of ,love that we best know ,julian4 ,of the opening of the ,revelation she says3 ,in all this ,i was greatly stirred in charity to mine even-,christians1 that they might see and know the same that ,i saw3 for ,i would it were comfort to them1 and again and again throughout the book she declares that the special ,shewing is given not for her in special1 but for all--for all are meant to be one in comfort as all are one in need4 ,because of the ,shewing ,i am not good1 but if ,i love ,god the better3 and in as much as ye love ,god the better it is more to you than to me4444 ,for we are all one in comfort4 ,for truly it was not shewed me that ,god loved me better than the least soul that is in grace2 for ,i am certain that there be many that never had any ,shewing nor sight but of the common teaching of ,holy ,church that love ,god better than ,i4 ,for if ,i look singularly to myself ,i am right nought2 but in general manner of regarding ,i am1 ,i hope1 in oneness of charity with all mine even-,christians4 ,for in this oneness standeth the life of all mankind that shall be saved1 and that which ,i say of me1 ,i say in the person of all mine even-,christians3 for ,i am taught in the ,spiritual ,shewing of our ,lord ,god that ,he meaneth it so4 ,and therefore ,i pray you for ,god's sake1 and counsel you for your own profit that ye leave the beholding of a worthless creature a wretch it was shewed to and mightily1 wisely and meekly behold ,god that of ,his special goodness would shew it generally1 in comfort of us all 7ix474 ,thus ,julian turns our eyes from looking on her to looking with her on the ,revelation of ,divine ,love4 ,yet surely in her we have also a shewing--a shewing of the same4 ,she tells us little of her own story1 and little is told us of her by any one else1 but all through her recording of the ,revelation the simple creature to whom it was made unconsciously shews herself1 so that soon we come to know her with a pleasure that surely she would not think too special in its regard4 7,for she herself in speaking of ,love makes note that the general does not exclude the special74 ,perhaps we are helped in this friendly acquaintanceship by those endearingly characteristic little formulas of speech disavowing any claim to dogmatic authority in the statements of her views of truth3 those modest parentheses as to my sight1 as to mine understanding4 ,wisdom and truth and love1 the dower that she saw in the ,gracious soul1 were surely in the soul of this meek woman2 but enclosing these gifts of nature and grace are qualities special to ,julian3 depth of passion1 with quietness1 order1 and moderation2 loyalty in faith1 with clearest candour--,i believe 444 but this was not shewed me--7xxxiii41 lxxvii41 lxxx47 pitifulness and sympathy1 with hope and a blithe serenity2 sound good sense with a little sparkle upon it--as of delicate humour 7that crowning virtue of saints72 and beneath all1 above all1 an exquisite tenderness that turns her speech to music4 ,i will lay thy ,stones with fair ,colours4 ,thou hast the dews of thy youth4 ,hundreds of years have gone since that early morning in ,may when ,julian thought she was dying and was partly troubled for she felt she was yet in youth and would gladly have served ,god more on earth with the gift of her days--hundreds of years since the time that her heart would fain have been told by special ,shewing that a certain creature ,i loved should continue in good living--but still we have mind of her as a gentle neighbour and of our knowing4 ,for those that love in simplicity are always young2 and those that have had with the larger ,vision of ,love the gift of love's passionate speech1 to ,god or man1 in word or form or deed1 as treasure held--live yet on the earth1 untouched by time1 though their light is shining elsewhere for other sight4 ,from that time that the ,revelation was shewed ,i desired oftentimes to learn what was our ,lord's meaning4 ,and fifteen years afterwards and more1 ,i was answered in ghostly understanding1 saying thus3 ,wouldst thou learn thy ,lord's meaning in this thing8 ,learn it well3 ,love was ,his meaning4 ,who shewed it thee8 ,love4 ,what shewed ,he thee8 ,love4 ,wherefore shewed it ,he8 ,for ,love4 ,hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more in the same4 ,but thou shalt never know nor learn other thing without end4 ,and if we1 with no special shewing1 might ask and1 in trust of spiritual understanding1 might answer more--asking to whom1 and for whom was the ,revelation shewed1 we might answer3 ,to one that loved2 for all that would learn in love4 ,ecco chi crescer li nostri amori#aa ,here is one who shall increase our love4 ,blessed are they that mourn3 for they shall be comforted4 ,blessed are the meek3 for they shall inherit the earth4 ,blessed are the pure in heart3 for they shall see ,god4 #a ,this must have been a ,friday--sacred ,day of the ,passion of ,christ--for ,easter ,sunday of #acgc was on the #agth of ,april 7,o4,s474 ,so when the ,revelation finally closed and ,julian was left to keep it in the ,faith--the ,common ,christian ,faith--it was ,sunday morning1 and the words and voices she would hear through her window opening into the ,church would be from the early worship of the ,blessed ,common assembled there4 #b ,see the ,ancren ,riwle1 ,part viii4 ,of ,domestic ,matters1 for counsels to anchoresses as to judicious care of the body3 diet1 washing1 needful rest1 avoidance of idleness and gloom1 reading1 sewing for ,church and ,poor1 making and mending and washing of clothes by the anchoress or her servant4 ,ye may be well content with your clothes1 be they white1 be they black2 only see that they be plain1 and warm1 and well made--skins well tanned2 and have as many as you need4444 ,let your shoes be thick and warm4 #c cf4 ,robert ,browning1 ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra1 xii4 #d ,s4 de ,cressy was probably the originator of the designation ,mother ,juliana4 ,the old name was ,julian4 ,the ,virgin-,martyr of the ,legend entitled ,the ,life of ,st ,juliana 7,early ,english ,text ,society7 is called in the ,manuscripts1 ,iulane1 ,juliene1 and ,juliane and ,julian4 ,so also ,lady ,julian ,berners is a name in the history of ,fifteenth ,century books4 #e ,so he kneeled at her window and anon the recluse opened it1 and asked ,sir ,percival what he would4 ',madam1' said he1 ',i am a knight of ,king ,arthur's ,court and my name is ,sir ,percival de ,galis4' ,so when the recluse heard his name1 she had passing great joy of him1 for greatly she loved him before all other knights of the world2 and so of right she ought to do1 for she was his aunt4--,malory's ,morte d',arthur1 xiv4 i4 #f ,manuale ad usum insignis ecclesie ,sarisburiensis 7ed4 of #aeee71 fo4 lxix4 ,servitium includendorum4 #g pietatis4 #h ,the sins that ,julian mentions1 despair or doubtful dread1 sloth and losing of time1 unskilful unpractical1 unreasoning heaviness and vain sorrow1 seem to be all akin to that dreaded sin1 besetting particularly the ,contemplative life1 ,accidia4 ,see ,ancren ,riwle p4 #bhg4 ,accidies salue is gestlich gledshipe4 ,the remedy for indolence is spiritual joy1 and the consolation of joyful hope from reading and from holy meditation1 or when spoken by the mouth of man4 ,often1 dear sisters1 ye ought to pray less1 that ye may read more4 ,reading is good prayer4 ,reading teacheth how1 and for what ye ought to pray4 ,in reading1 when the heart feels delight1 devotion ariseth1 and that is worth many prayers4 ,everything1 however1 may be overdone4 ,moderation is always best4--7,pub4 by the ,camden ,society74 #i ,canticles ii4 #aj4 ,st ,john xiv4 #ca4 #aj ,see the chapter ,how an ,anchoress shall behave herself to them that come to her1 in ,the ,scale of ,perfection1 by ,walter ,hilton 7died #acif71 edition of #afei1 p4 #ajf4 ,since it is so that thou oughtest not to goe out of thy house to seek occasion how thou mightest profit thy ,neighbour by deeds of ,charity1 because thou art enclosed2 444 therefore who so will speake with thee 444 be thou soon ready with a good will to aske what his will is 444 for thou knowest not what he is1 nor why he cometh1 nor what need he hath of thee1 or thou of him1 till thou hast tryed4 ,and though thou be at prayer1 or at thy devotions1 that thou thinkest loth to break off1 for that thou thinkest that thou oughtest not leave ,god for to speake with any one1 ,i think not so in this case1 for if thou be wise1 thou shalt not leave ,god1 but thou shalt find him1 and have him1 and see him in thy ,neighbour as well as in prayer1 onely in another manner4 ,if thou canst love thy ,neighbour well1 to speake with thy ,neighbour with discretion shall be no hindrance to thee4444 ,if he come to tell thee his disease distress or trouble1 and to be comforted by thy speech1 heare him gladly1 and suffer him to say what he will for ease of his own heart2 ,and when he hath done1 comfort him if thou canst1 gladly1 gently1 and charitably1 and soon break off4 ,and then1 after that1 if he will fall into idle tales1 or vanities of the ,world1 or of other men's actions1 answer him but little1 and feed not his speech1 and he will soon be weary1 and quickly take his leave1 etc4 #aa ,dante1 ,paradiso1 v4 #aje4 ,,part ,,ii ,,the ,,manner ,,of ,,the ,,book ,as an hert desirith to the wellis of watris3 so thou ,god1 my soule desirith to thee4444 ,the ,lord sent his merci in the day3 and his song in the nyght4 ,ps4 ',quemadmodum'2 from the ,prymer4 ,without any special study of the literature of ,mysticism for purposes of comparison1 in reading ,julian's book one is struck by a few characteristics wherein it differs from many other ,mystical writings as well as by qualities that belong to most or all of that general designation4 ,the silence of this book both as to preliminary ascetic exercises and as to ultimate visions of the ,absolute1 might be attributed to ,julian's being wholly concerned with giving1 for comfort to all1 that special sight of truth that came to her as the answer to her own need4 ,she sets out not to teach methods of any kind for the gradual drawing near of man to ,god1 but to record and shew forth a ,revelation1 granted once1 of ,god's actual nearness to the soul1 and for this ,revelation she herself had been prepared by the stirring of her conscience1 her love and her understanding1 in a word of her faith1 even as she was in short time to be left neither sign nor token1 but only the ,revelation to hold in faith4 ,moreover1 the means that in general she looks to for realising ,god's nearness1 in whatever measure or manner the revelation of it may come to any soul1 is the immediate one of faith as a gift of nature and a grace from the ,holy ,ghost3 faith leading by prayer1 and effort of obedience1 and teachableness of spirit1 into actual experience of oneness with ,god4 ,the natural and common heritage of love and faith is a theme that is dear to ,julian3 in her view1 longing toward ,god is grounded in the love to ,him that is native to the human heart1 and this longing 7painful through sin7 as it is stirred by the ,holy ,spirit1 who comes with ,christ1 is1 in each naturally developed ,christian1 spontaneous and increasing2--for the nearer we be to our bliss1 the more we long after it 7xlvi41 lxxii41 lxxxi474 ,this is the kinde the natural yernings of the soule by the touching of the ,holy ,ghost3 ,god of ,thy goodness give me ,thyself3 for ,thou art enow to me1 and ,i may nothing ask that is less that may be full worshippe to ,thee4 ,god is the first as well as the last3 the soul begins as well as ends with ,god3 begins by ,nature1 begins again by ,mercy1 and ends--yet without end--by ,grace4 ,certainly on the way--the way of these three1 by falling1 by succour1 by upraising--to the more perfect knowing of ,god that is the soul's ,fulfilment in ,heaven1 there is a less immediate knowledge to be gained through experience3 ,and if ,i aske anything that is lesse1 ever me wantith1 for ,it needyth us to have knoweing of the littlehede of creatures and to nowtyn all thing that is made1 for to love and have ,god that is onmade4 ,but this knowing of the littleness of creatures comes to ,julian first of all in a sight of the ,goodness of ,god2 ,for to a soule that seith the ,maker of all1 all that is made semith full litil4 ,by the further beholding1 indeed1 of ,god as ,maker and ,preserver1 that which has been rightly noughted as of no account1 is seen to be also truly of much account4 ,for that which was seen by the soul as so little that it seemed to be about to fall to nothing for littleness1 is seen by the understanding to have three properties3--,god made it1 ,god loveth it1 ,god keepeth it4 ,thus it is known as great and large1 fair and good2 it lasteth1 and ever shall1 for ,god loveth it4--,yet again the soul breaks away to its own1 with the natural flight of a bird from its ,autumn nest at the call of an unseen ,spring to the far-off land that is nearer still than its nest1 because it is in its heart4 ,but what is to me sothly in verity the ,maker1 the ,keper and the ,lover1--,i cannot tell1 for till ,i am ,substantially oned deeply united to ,him1 ,i may never have full rest ne very blisse2 that is to sey1 that ,i be so festined to ,him1 that there is right nowte that is made betwix my ,god and me 7v41 viii474 ,this fastening is all that in ,julian's book represents that needful process wherein the truth of asceticism has a part4 ,it is not essentially a process of detaching the thought from created things of time--still less one of detaching the heart from created beings of eternity--but a process of more and more allowing and presenting the man to be fastened closely to ,god by means of the original longing of the soul1 the influence of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the discipline of life with its natural tribulations1 which by their purifying serve to strengthen the affections that remaining pass through them4 ,but only in ,thee ,i have all4 ,on the way this discovery of the soul at peace must needs be sometimes a word for exclusion1 in parting and pressing onward from things that are made3 in the end it is the welcome1 all-inclusive4 ,and ,julian1 notwithstanding her enclosure as a recluse1 is one of those that1 happy in nature and not too much hindered by conditions of life1 possess for large use by the way the mystical peace of fulfilled possession through virtue of freedom from bondage to self4 ,for it is by means of the tyranny of the self1 regarding chiefly itself in its claims and enjoyments1 that creature things can be intruded between the soul and ,god2 and always1 in some way1 the meek inherit the earth4 ,all things are yours2 and ye are ,christ's4 ,the life of a recluse demanded1 no doubt1 as other lives do1 a daily self-denial as well as an initiatory self-devotion1 and from ,julian's silence as to bodily exercises it cannot of course be assumed that she did not give them1 even beyond the incumbent rule of the ,church1 though not in excess of her usual moderation1 some part in her ,christian striving for mastery over self4 ,nor could this silence in itself be taken as a proof that ascetic practices had not in her view a preparatory function such as has by many of the ,mystics been assigned to them during a process of self-training in the earlier stages of the soul's ascent to aptitude for mystical vision4 ,it is1 however1 to be noted that neither in regard to herself nor others do we hear from ,julian anything about an undertaking of this kind4 ,to her the special ,shewing came as a gift1 unearned1 and unexpected3 it came in an abundant answer to a prayer for other things needed by every soul4#a ,julian's desires for herself were for three wounds to be made more deep in her life3 contrition 7in sight of sin71 compassion 7in sight of sorrow7 and longing after ,god3 she prayed and sought diligently for these graces1 comprehensive as she felt they were of the ,christian life and meant for all2 and with them she sought to have for herself1 in particular regard to her own difficulties1 a sight of such truth as it might behove her to know for the glory of ,god and the comfort of men4 ,according to ,julian the special ,shewing is a gift of comfort for all1 sent by ,god in a time to some soul that is chosen in order that it may have1 and so may minister1 the comfort needed by itself and by others 7ix474 ,in her experience this ,revelation1 soon closed1 is renewed by influence and enlightenment in the more ordinary grace of its giver1 the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but a still fuller sight of ,god shall be given1 she rejoices to think1 in ,heaven1 to all that shall reach that ,fulfilment of blessed life--the only mount of the soul set forth in this book4 ,thither1 by the high-road of ,christ1 all souls may go1 making the steep ascent through longing and desire1--longing that embodies itself in desire towards ,god1 that is1 in ,prayer4 ,nothing is said by ,julian as to successive stages of ,prayer1 though she speaks of different kinds of prayer as the natural action of the soul under different experiences or in different states of feeling or dryness4 ,prayer is asking 7beseeching71 with submission and acquiescence2 or beholding1 with the self forgotten1 yet offered-up2 it is a thanking and a praising in the heart that sometimes breaks forth into voice2 or a silent joy in the sight of ,god as all-sufficient4 ,and in all these ways ,prayer oneth the soul to ,god4 ,to ,julian's understanding the only ,shewing of ,god that could ever be1 the highest and lowest1 the first and the last1 was the ,vision of ,him as ,love4 ,hold thee therin and thou shalt witten and knowen more in the same4 ,but thou shalt never knowen ne witten other thing without end4 ,thus was ,i lerid that ,love was our ,lord's menyng 7lxxxvi474 ,alien to the simple creature was that desert region where some of the lovers of ,god have endeavoured to find ,him1--desiring an extreme penetration of thought 7human thought1 after all1 since for men there is none beyond it7 or an utmost reach of worship 7worship from fire and ice7 in proclaiming the ,absolute ,one not only as ,all that is1 but as ,all that is not4 ,julian's desire was truly for ,god in ,himself1 through ,christ by the ,holy ,spirit of ,love3 for ,god in ,his homeliest home1 the soul1 for ,god in ,his ,city4 ,therefore she follows only the upward way of the light attempered by grace1 not turning back to the ,via ,negativa1 that downward road that starting from a conception of the ,infinite as the antithesis of the finite1#b rather than as including and transcending the finite1 leads man to deny to his words of ,god all qualities known or had by human1 finite beings4 ,julian keeps on the way that is natural to her spirit and to all her habits of thought as these may have been directed by reading and conversation3 it does not take her towards that ,divine ,darkness of which some seers have brought report4 ,hers was not one of those souls that would1 and must1 go silent and alone and strenuous through strange places3 homely and courteous she ever found ,almighty ,god in ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,julian's mystical sight was not a negation of human modes of thought3 neither was it a torture to human powers of speech nor a death-sentence to human activities of feeling4 ,he hath no despite of that which ,he hath made 7vi474 ,this seer of the littleness of all that is made saw the ,divine as containing1 not as engulfing1 all things that truly are1 so that in some way all things that are made because of ,his love last ever4 ,certainly she passes sometimes beyond the language of earth1 seeing a love and a ,goodness more than tongue can tell1 but she is never inarticulate in any painful1 struggling way--when words are not to be found that can tell all the truth revealed1 she leaves her ,lord's meaning to be taken directly from ,him by the understanding of each desirous soul4 ,so is it with the ,shewing of ,god as the ,goodness of everything that is good3 ,it is ,i--it is ,i 7xxvi474 ,certainly ,julian looks both downward and upward1 sees ,love in the lowest depth1 far below sin1 below even ,mercy2 sees ,love as the highest that can be1 rising higher and higher far above sight1 in skies that as yet she is not called to enter3 abysses there are1 below and above1 like ,angela di ,foligno's double abyss2 but here is no desert region like that where ,angela seems as an eagle descending#c from heights of unbreathable air1 baffled and blinded in its assault on the ,sun1 proclaiming the ,light ,unspeakable in anguished1 hoarse1 inarticulate cries2 here is a mountain-path between the abysses and the sound as of a chorus from pilgrims singing3 ,praise to the ,holiest in the height ,and in the depth be praise2-- ',,all ,,is ,,well3 ,,all ,,is ,,well3 ,,all ,,shall ,,be ,,well4' ,moreover1 ,julian while guided by ,reason is led by the ,mind of her soul--pioneer of the path through the wood of darkness though ,reason is ready to disentangle the lower hindrances of the way2 and where her instructed soul finds rest1 those things that are hid from the wisdom and prudence of ,reason only are to its simplicity of obedience revealed4 ,even as her ,way is ,christ-,jesus1 and her walk by longing and desire is of faith and effort1 so the ,end and the ,rest that she seeks is the fulness of ,god1 in measure as the soul can enter upon ,his fulness here and in that heavenly oneing with ,him which shall be by grace the fulfilling and overpassing of ,mankind4 ,the ,mid-,person willed to be ,ground and ,head of this fair ,end1 out of ,whom we ben al cum1 in ,whom we be all inclosid1 into ,whom we shall all wyndyn1 in ,him fynding our full ,hevyn in everlestand joye 7liii474#d ,the soul that participates in ,god cannot be lost in ,god1 the soul that wends into oneness with ,god finds there at last its ,self4 ,words of the ,spirit-nature fail to describe to man1 as he is1 this fulness of personal life1 and ,julian falls back in one effort1 daring in its infantine concreteness of language1 on acts of all the five senses to symbolise the perfection of spiritual life that is in oneness with ,god 7xliii474 ,it may be noted that in these ,revelations there is absolutely no regarding of ,christ as the ,bridegroom of the individual soul3 once or twice ,julian in passing uses the symbol of the ,spouse1 the ,fair ,maiden1 ,his loved ,wife1 but this she applies only to the ,church4 ,in her usual speech ,christ when unnamed is our ,good or our ,courteous ,lord1 or sometimes simply ,god1 and when she seeks to express pictorially ,his union with men and ,his work for men1 then the soul is the ,child and ,christ is the ,mother4 ,in this symbolic language the love of the ,christian soul is the love of the ,child to its ,mother and to each of the other children4 ,julian's ,mystical views seem in parts to be cognate with those of earlier and later systems based on ,plato's philosophy1 and especially perhaps on his doctrine of ,love as reaching through the beauties of created things higher and higher to union with the ,absolute ,beauty above1 ,which is ,god--schemes of thought developed before her and in her time by ,plotinus1 ,clement1 ,augustine1 ,dionysius the ,areopagite1 ,john the ,scot1 ,eckhart1 the ,victorines1#e ,ruysbroeck1 and others4 ,one does not know what her reading may have been1 or with what people she may have conversed4 ,possibly the learned ,austin ,friars that were settled close to ,st ,julian's in ,conisford may have lent her books by some of these writers1 or she may have been influenced through talks with a ,confessor1 or with some of the ,flemish weavers of ,norwich1 with whom ,mystical views were not uncommon4 ,yet the ,mysticism of the ,revelations is peculiarly of the ,english type4 ,less exuberant in language than ,richard ,rolle1 the ,hermit of ,hampole1 ,julian resembles him a little in her blending of practical sense with devotional fervour2 but the writer to whom she seems1 at any rate in some of her phrases1 most akin is ,walter ,hilton1 her contemporary4#f ,hilton1 however1 is very rich in quotations from the ,bible1 while ,julian's only direct quotations from any book--beyond her reference to the legend of ,st ,dionysius--are one that belongs to ,christ3 ,i thirst 7xvii471 and two that belong to the soul3 ,lord1 save me3 ,i perish6 ,nothing shal depart me from the charite of ,criste 7xv474 7,and indeed these three are a fit embodiment of the ,christian ,faith as seen in her ,revelations47 ,but ,julian1 while perhaps more speculative than either of these typical ,english ,mystics1 is thoroughly a woman4 ,lacking their literary method of procedure1 she has a high and tender beauty of thought and a delicate bloom of expression that are her own rare gifts--the beauty of the hills against skies in summer evenings1 of an orchard in mornings of ,april4 ,again and again she stirs in the reader a kind of surprised gladness of the simple perfection wherewith she utters1 by few and adequate words1 a thought that in its quietness convinces of truth1 or an emotion deep in life4 ,of a little child it has been said3 ,he thought great thoughts simply1 and ,julian's deepness of insight and simplicity of speech are like the ,child's4#g ,for ere that ,he made us ,he loved us1 and when we were made we loved ,him 7liii474 ,i love thee1 and thou lovest me1 and our love shall not be disparted in two 7lxxxii474 ,thou art my ,heaven4 ,i had liefer have been in that pain till ,doomsday than have come to ,heaven otherwise than by ,him4 ,human is the vehemence1 says a writer on ,julian's ,revelations1 of that reiterated exclusion of all other paths to joy4 ',me liked1' she says1 'none other heaven4' ,once again she touches the same octave1 condensing in a single phrase which has seldom been transcended in its brief expression of the possession that leaves the infinity of love's desire still unsatiated3 ',i saw ,him and sought ,him1 ,i had ,him1 and ,i wanted ,him4' ,fletcher's tenderness1 ,ford's passion lose colour placed side by side with the utterances of this worn recluse whose hands are empty of every treasure4#h ,sometimes with her subject her language assumes a majestic solemnity3 ,the pillars of ,heaven shall tremble and quake 7lxxv472 sometimes it seems to march to its goal in an ascent of triumphal measure as with beating of drums3 ,the body was in the grave till ,easter-morrow and from that time ,he lay nevermore4 ,for then was rightfully ended 444 7close of ,chap4 li474 ,generally1 perhaps1 the style in its movement recalls the rippling yet even flow of a brook1 cheerfully1 sweetly monotonous3 ,if any such lover be in earth which is continually kept from falling1 ,i know it not3 for it was not shewed me4 ,but this was shewed3 that in falling and in rising we are ever preciously kept in one love 7lxxxii474 ,but now and again the listener seems to be caught up to ,heaven with song1 as in that time when her marvelling joy in beholding love breaks out with voice3--,behold and see6 the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood descended down into ,hell1 and braste her bands1 and delivered all that were there that belonged to the ,court of ,heaven4 ,the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood overfloweth all ,earth and is ready to wash all creatures of sin which be of goodwill1 have been and shall be4 ,the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood ascended up into ,heaven to the blessed body of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and there is in ,him1 bleeding and praying for us to the ,father1 and is and shall be as long as it needeth2 and ever shall be as long as it needeth2 and evermore it floweth in all ,heavens1 enjoying the salvation of all mankind that are there1 and shall be--fulfilling the ,number that faileth 7xii474 ,the ,early ,english ,mystics make good reading1--even as to the mere manner of their writings we might say1 if it were possible to separate the style from the freshness of feeling and the pointedness of thought that inform it2 and though we do not1 of course1 have from ,julian1--a woman writing of the ,revelations of ,love1--the delightfully trenchant1 easy address of ,hilton in his counsels as to how to scale the ,ladder of ,perfection--counsels both wise and witty--yet ,julian1 too1 with all her sweetness1 is full of this every day vigour and common sense4 ,and sometimes she puts things in a nave1 engaging way of her own1 grave and yet light--as if with a little understanding smile to those to whom she is speaking3--,then ween we1 who be not all wise2 ,that the outward part should draw the inward to assent was not shewed to me1 but that the inward draweth the outward by grace and both shall be oned in bliss without end by the virtue of ,christ1 this was shewed 7lxi41 xix474 ,rolle1 ,hilton1 and more especially the ,ancren ,riwle1 give examples of that custom of allegorical interpretation of ,sacred ,scriptures that has fascinated many mystical authors1 but one can scarcely suppose that this method would ever have been a favourite one with ,julian even if she had been in the way of dealing with literary parallels and references4 ,for though she uses examples1 or illustrations 7sometimes calling them shewings1 or bodily examples7 and also metaphorically figurative speech1 she does not shew any interest in elaborate1 arbitrary symbolism4 ,at any rate she is too directly simple1 it seems1 and too much in the centre of realities1 to be a writer that 7without constraint of following the lines of others7 would take as foundation for an argument or an exposition outward resemblances or verbal connections1 fit perhaps to illustrate or enforce the truth in question1 but lacking in relation to it that inward vital oneness whereby certain things that to man seem below him may become symbolic to him of others that he beholds as within or above him4 ,exposition by analysis has been reckoned to be characteristic of the ,schoolmen rather than of the ,mystics1#i though surely a mystical sight may be served by an analytical process1 and to see ,god in a part before or while ,he is seen in the whole is effected not without analysis of the subtlest kind4 ,so we find analysis in ,julian's sight 7,rev4 iii473 ,i saw ,god in a point2 and in her conclusions from this3 ,by which sight ,i saw that ,he is in all things2 and in her immediate raising1 from this conclusion1 of the question3 ,what is sin8 and throughout her treatment of the problem in the scheme of her book4 ,even for the merely formal task of distinguishing by number1 ,julian1 we see1 will set briskly forward 7though we may not feel much inclined to follow7 and often she begins her careful dissections with3 ,in this ,i see--four1 five1 or six things1 as the case may be4 ,her speech of spiritual ,revelations is1 however1 helped out less by numbers than by living and homely things of sight3 the mother and the children and the nurse2 lords and servants1 kings and their subjects 7with echoes of the language of ,court and chivalry72 the deep sea-ground1 waters for our service2 clothing1 in its warmth1 grace and colour2 the light that stands in the night1 the hazel-nut1 the scales of herrings4#aj ,as one grows familiar with the ,revelations one finds oneself in the midst of a great scheme3 a network of ideas that cross and re-cross each other in a way not very clear at first1 perhaps1 but not really in confusion4 ,all through this treatise from its beginning1 the ,revelation as a whole is in the mind of ,julian2 interpolation by another writer is out of the question3 the book is all of a piece1 both as the expression of one person1 in mind and character1 and as the setting forth of a theological system4 ,from the first we find ,julian holding her diverse threads of nature and mercy and grace for the fabric of love she is weaving1 and all through she guides them in and out1 with no hesitation1 till at last the whole design lies fair before her1 shewing the ,goodness of ,god4 ,with regard to this scheme it may be noted that apart from her merely intellectual pleasure in arithmetical methods of statement1 ,julian shews throughout a mystical sense of numerical correspondences4 ,life1 both as being and action1 is1 to her sight1 in its perfection full of trinities2 while there are doubles1--incident to its imperfection1 as we may put it1 perhaps1 though the book itself does not mark this distinction in so many words--there are doubles wherein two things are partially opposed and require for their reconciling a third that will complete them into trinity4 ,first1 as the ,centre of all1 there is the ,,blessed ,,trinity3 ,all-,might1 ,all-,wisdom1 ,all-,love3 one ,goodness3 ,,father and ,,son and ,,holy ,,ghost3 one ,truth4 ,to the ,first1 ,second1 and ,third ,persons correspond the verbs ,,may1 for all-powerful freedom to do2 ,,can1 for all-skilful ability to do2 ,,will1 for all-loving will to do4 ,so also the ,father willeth1 the ,son worketh1 the ,holy ,ghost confirmeth4 ,another nomenclature of the ,holy ,trinity is1 ,might1 ,wisdom1 ,goodness3 one ,love2 but that of ,might1 ,wisdom1 ,love 7employed by ,abelard1 ,aquinas1 and the ,schoolmen generally7 is the usual one1 while ,truth1 ,wisdom1 ,love1 is employed in reference to that ,image of ,god wherein ,man is made3 for man has not created might3 his might is all in the uncreated might of ,god4 ,man in his essential ,nature is made-trinity1 like to the unmade ,blessed ,trinity--a human trinity of truth1 wisdom1 love2 and these respectively see1 behold1 and delight in the ,divine ,trinity of ,truth1 ,wisdom1 ,love4 ,man possesses ,reason1 which knows1 ,mind1 or a feeling wisdom1 which wits1 and ,love1 which loves4 ,the making of ,man by the ,son of ,god as ,eternal ,christ1 is the work of ,nature2 the falling of ,man is suffered 7allowed71 and afterwards healed1 by ,mercy2 the raising of ,man to a higher than his first state is the work of ,grace4 ,in ,nature we have our ,being2 in ,mercy we have our ,increasing2 in ,grace we have our ,fulfilling4 ,the work of grace by means of our natural ,reason enlightened by the ,holy ,ghost to see our sins1 is ,contrition2 by means of our naturally-feeling ,mind1 touched by the ,holy ,ghost to behold the pain of the world1 is ,compassion2 by means of our nature-and grace-inspired ,love1 which loves our ,maker and ,saviour 7still by the separation of sin partially1 painfully1 hid from our sight7 is greater ,longing toward ,god4 ,this longing must become an active desire3 for the chief work that we can do as fellow-workers with ,god in achieving full oneness with ,him is ,prayer2 of which there are three things to understand3 its ,ground is ,god by whose ,goodness it springeth in us2 its use is to turn our will to the will of our ,lord2 its end is that we should be made one with and like to our ,lord in all things4 ,and lastly we have for this life1 both by nature and grace1 the comprehensive virtue of ,faith1 in which all our virtues come to us and which has in its own nature three elements3 understanding1 belief1 and trust4 ,with ,faith1 which belongs perhaps chiefly to ,reason1--,faith is nought else but a right understanding1 with true belief and sure trust1 of our ,being3 that we are in ,god1 and ,god in us1 ,whom we see not1 ,a light by nature coming from our endless ,day1 that is our ,father1 ,god 7liv41 lxxxiii47--is also ,hope1 which belongs to our feeling ,mind 7our ,remembrance7 and to the work of ,mercy in this our fallen state3 ,hope that we shall come to our ,substance 7our high and heavenly nature7 again4 ,moreover1 ,charity keepeth us in ,hope and ,hope leadeth us in ,charity2 and in the end all shall be ,charity 7lxxxv474 ,with these trinities and groups of threes are others1 belonging to ,god and man1 mentioned successively in the closing chapters of the book3 three manners of ,god's ,beholding 7or ,regard of ,countenance73 that of the ,passion1 that of ,compassion1 and that of ,bliss2 three kinds of longing ,god has3 to teach us1 to have us1 to fulfil us2 three things that man needs in this life from ,god3 ,love1 ,longing1 and ,pity--pity in love1 to keep him now1 and longing in the same love to draw him to heaven2 three things by which man standeth in this life and by which ,god is worshipped3 use of man's reason natural2 common teaching of ,holy ,church2 inward gracious working of the ,holy ,ghost2--and last of all1 three properties of ,god1 in which the strength and effect of all the ,revelation standeth1 ,life1 ,love and ,light4 ,again1 ,julian speaks of things that are double1 and this double state seems to be one of imperfection1 though she does not explicitly say so4 ,man's nature1 she says1 was created double3 ,substance or ,spirit essential from out of the ,spirit ,divine1 and ,sensuality or spirit related to human senses and making human faculties1 intellectual and physical4 ,these two1 the ,substance and ,sense-soul1 in their imperfection of union through the frailty of created love 7which needs the divine in its might to support it71 became partially sundered by the failing of love4 ,for failing of love on our part1 therefore1 is all our travail--from that comes the falling1 the dying1 and the painful travail between death from sin and life from ,god--both in the race and the individual4 ,but ,christ makes the double into trinity3 for ,christ is the ,mean the medium that keepeth the ,substance and ,sense-soul together in his ,eternal1 ,divine-,human ,nature1 because of ,his perfect love2 and ,christ-,incarnate in ,his ,mercy1 by this same perfect love brings these two parts anew and more closely together2 and ,christ uprisen1 indwelling in the soul thus united1 will keep them forever together1 in oneness growing with oneness to ,him4 ,moreover1 ,man being double also as soul and body1 needs to be saved from double death1 and this salvation1 given1 is ,jesus-,christ1 who joined ,himself to us in the ,incarnation and yielded us up from the ,cross with ,his ,soul and ,body into ,his ,father's hands4 ,in a mere reading of the ,book these repeated correspondences may be felt as wearisome1 formal1 fantastic1--or rather they may seem so when1 as here1 they are brought together and noted1 for ,julian herself simply speaks of these different groups as they come in her theme4 ,but when one tries to follow the thought of this book amongst the heights and depths of the things that are seen and temporal and the things unseen and eternal1 these likenesses1 found in all1 seem to afford one guidance and surety of footing1 like steps cut out in a steep and difficult path4 ,and as one goes on1 and the whole of the meaning takes form1 these significations of something all-prevailing give one a partial understanding such as ,julian perhaps may have had3 the feeling1 the ,mind1 of a certain half-caught measure in all things that are1 a proportion1 a oneness4 ,we are amongst free nature's mountains1 but they do not rise haphazard3 they shew a strange1 a balanced beauty of line and light and shade1 as convincing1 if not as clear in its intention as the sunrise-lines and colouring of the euphrasy flower at our feet4 ,we hear as we walk the wandering sound of the vagrant1 casual wind1 but there is something in its rise and fall1 and rising again1 that has kinship with the flow and ebb and onrush of the lingering1 punctual waves on the shore4 ,sursum ,corda4 #a ,the soon-forgotten petition of ,julian's youth for a bodily sickness does not seem to have had any connection in her mind with special ,revelation3 it was desired neither as in any way a sign of invisible things nor as a direct means of beholding them4 ,and probably1 as a matter of fact1 the sickness that was granted helped her in the way that she had desired1 helped her to the sight of the ,revelation1 not directly1 but by drawing her spirit to that utter dependence on and trust in ,god that is death's first lesson for all1 that uttermost self-devotion to ,god that is life's last exercise4 ,this spiritual state1 with all that through years had gone before of feeling and thought and life's experience1 made her ready to be shewn with special largeness and clearness ,god's love3 how it filled the empty place of sin and pain and sorrow with its divine fulness4 ,as to the bodily sight introducing the ,revelation1 a sight of parts of the ,passion1 which may be compared with ,the ,,xv4 ,oos--',orationes'--,passion-prayers each beginning with ',o' 7v4 ,hora of ,sarum71 it was recognised by ,julian herself1 even at the time of her seeing it1 as being a sight of things not in substance or nature4 ,in this recognition it was proved to be neither mental delusion nor mere raving delirium4 ,but it would1 it seems1 be natural that in her weakness of body and her exaltation of spirit 7so tense that the strength of her self-surrender to death seemed to cast her back upon bodily life in the painless world between the two7 some sort of physical illusion should be brought about by her prolonged gaze upon the ,face of the ,crucifix1 and that in her desire to enter into the sufferings of the ,passion as fully as those friends of her ,lord's that beheld it1 ,julian thus gazing in the midst of night's shadows and the dim light of dawn should seem to herself to behold the sacred drops1 depicted beneath the painted or sculptured ,crown of ,thorns1 flow down right plenteously4 ,julian gave thanks for this and all the bodily sight as a gift from ,god4 ,by ,him sickness and illusion1 as well as things evil1 are suffered to come1 and by ,him ,revelation is given according to sundry times in diverse manners4 ,gain of the spirit through failure of the body--and no less by illusions of fever than by trance-state visions their seers speak of1 when ,death passes the ,spirit half through the gates--would indeed be accordant with the truth of the ,shewing that came to ,julian1 how man is raised through shame and death into glory and life1 since in the weakness of failing men the strength of ,christ is made perfect4 #b ,see the ,bampton ,lectures on ,christian ,mysticism4 ,w4 ,r4 ,inge4 7p4 #aaa47 #c ,see the ,introduction to ,le ,livre des ,visions et ,instructions de la ,bienheureuse ,angle de ,foligno1 traduit par ,ernest ,hello4 ,paris1 #ahie4 #d ,when that which drew from out the boundless deep ,turns again home4 #e v4 pp4 #bg1 #eg1 #abf1 #aef1 #afh2 cf4 ,dionysius3 ,on ,divine ,names4 ,cap4 iv4 7tr4 by ,parker74 ,s4 ,aug4 ,conf43 b4 i4 ch4 #b2 iii4 #g2 iv4 #aj-af2 vii4 #ab-ah4 #f ,see the extract from ,hilton given as a note to chapter lvii4 #g ,little ,flowers of a ,childhood 7in ,mem4 ,j4 ,d4 ,w41 ,oct4 #ahid--,march #ahii74 ,some of the thoughts of children1--some of the rising thoughts of a very little child who1 like ,julian1 faced the darkness of time 7steadfast as ,drer's pilgrim ,knight1 gentle as ,chaucer's17 and beheld on his journey the shining of the ,eternal ,city1--might be set beside words of the ,mystics as shewing1 perhaps1 through their very simplicity1 the oneness of truth that there is to see1 and the oneness of souls that see it4 ,here are convictions that the ,cause of love1 felt within1 must be ,jesus' ,good ,spirit2 comfort in discovering of death's unreality 7for if only the body1 not the spirit1 dies1 ,oh1 then it is only pretending-dying672 a flash of discernment1 perhaps1 as to the passing away of lifeless evil since although1 to the child1 indeed it is a pity that some one did not come and kill the devil2 and then he would be dead1 yet he has his own eschatology3 ,well1 when we are all dead1 the devil will be dead too4 ,more significant is a sudden overawed realisation of the great universe 7setting pause to his own run round in play71 one door to a quick perception in the child's devout spirit of analogy binding truths unseen by sense3 ,is this world always going round1 now8 7',yes4'7 ,it stays still6 still6--,jesus is looking down now3 we don't see ,him4--,here1 too1 are habitual references to the things that are meant to be1--musings over the goodness and knowledge1 the braveness and courtesy meant to be in a man2 and here is a grateful1 trusting sense of the real 'kindness' of 'wild' creatures and of hurting remedies4 ,many of those simple utterances1 careless yet arresting like a blackbird's song1 and personal with the ardent love and clear reason of a child faithfully living and bravely dying1 seem to attest a kinship with seers of truth to whom longer trial has offered a sterner strength of complex thinking1 for wider service here1 but who1 although they may have learnt thus 'more' in the knowledge of love1 shall never know nor learn other thing without end4--,i understood none higher stature in this life than childhood4 ,it is not growing like a tree ,in bulk1 doth make man better be4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a lily of a day ,is fairer far in ,may1 ,although it fall and die that night1 ,it was the plant and flower of ,light4 ,for all of the ,company of saints have the sight of ,one ,vision1 and be it in the steadfast fulfilment of labour1 or from out of the merriment of play1--through the strong1 bright peace of endurance1 or the silent acquiescence of the will1 led along valleys of darkness1--or again in some swift rush of prayer into the morning light1--all of the saints1 the babe and the ancient1 beholding the ,blissful ,countenance say with one voice3 ,,it ,,is ,,well4 ,amen4 ,amen4 #h ,catholic ,mystics of the ,middle ,ages4 ,edinburgh ,review1 ,october #ahif4 #i ,in reference to introspection ,m4 ,maeterlinck speaks of ,ruysbroeck as the one analytical mystic4 ,ruysbroeck and the ,mystics1 p4 #ai4 #aj ,in ch4 vii4 de ,cressy's the ,seal of her ,ring gives a misreading4 ,,part ,,iii ,,the ,,theme ,,of ,,the ,,book ,the phase of thought or feeling which we call ,mysticism has its origin in 444 that dim consciousness of the beyond which is part of our nature as human beings4444 ,mysticism arises when we try to bring this higher consciousness into relation with the other contents of our minds4 ,religious ,mysticism may be defined as the attempt to realise the presence of the living ,god in the soul and in nature1 or1 more generally1 as the attempt to realise in thought and feeling1 the immanence of the temporal in the eternal1 and of the eternal in the temporal4--,w4 ,r4 ,inge1 ,christian ,mysticism4 ,the ,bampton ,lectures for #aijj1 p4 #d4 ,what is ,paradise8 ,all things that are2 for all are goodly and pleasant and therefore may fitly be called a ,paradise4 ,it is said also that ,paradise is an outer ,court of ,heaven4 ,even so this world is an outer court of the eternal1 or of ,eternity1 and especially whatever in time1 or any temporal creature manifesteth or remindeth us of ,god or ,eternity2 for the creature is a guide and a path to ,god and ,eternity4#a ,god is althing that is gode1 as to my sight1 says ,julian1 and the godenes that althing hath1 it is ,he 7viii474 ,truth seeth ,god1 and every man exercising the human gift of ,reason may in the sight and in the seeing of truths1 attain to some sight of ,god as ,truth4 ,but ,wisdom beholdeth ,god1 and although the enlightenment of the ,spirit of ,wisdom for the discernment of vital truth is a grace that is granted in needful measure to him that seeks to be guided by it1 it is perhaps those receivers of grace that are mystics by nature and habit that are the most ready in reaching forward while still on earth to ,wisdom's fullest and most immediate beholding of ,god as ,all in all4 ,for theirs in the largest 7and it may be the highest7 efficiency1 and in the fullest accordance with man's first gift of ,reason ,natural1 is the further gift that ,julian calls ,mind3 the gift of a certain spiritual sensitiveness whereby they are quick to take impression of eternal things unseen 7seeing them either within or beyond the things of time that are seen7 with surrender of self to partake of their life4 ,for in this ,beholding of ,wisdom1 response of the heart in purity and insight of the imagination in faith enhance each other1 while the vision of the soul through both takes clearness4 ,the mystic1 who sees the wide-ruling oneness of ,god with all that is good--and thus1 as the ,mystics say1 with all that is1--may begin at any point the beholding of ,goodness and therein the beholding of ,god4 ,he is in the mydde poynt of all thyng1 and all ,he doeth 7xi474 ,it is in the way of those thus fully endowed for the reaching to truth in its highest wisdom here1 while they walk amongst the many manifestations of earth1 to take them as delicate partial signs instinct with a single meaning4 ,here is mystical perception3-- ,to see a world in a grain of sand1 ,and a heaven in a wild flower2 ,hold infinity in the palm of your hand1 ,and eternity in an hour2#b by a blackbird's sudden song overhear1 in woodlands within1 a joy out of the heart of the ,life of life4#c ,speaking of the spiritual sight ,julian relates3 ,i saw ,god in a point4--by which sight ,i saw that ,he is in all things4 ,to the mystical soul1 quiet to listen to the music of the spheres1 all sweet accordant sounds are singing ,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy2 to the mystical soul1 full of eyes within--like those ,creatures of ,life seen on the plain by the prophet of the ,law of life as renewed for ,hope1 and seen in the heights by the herald of the ,evangel of life as fulfilled in ,love--all symmetrical sights are as doors that are opened in ,heaven4 ,but it is most of all in the music and the symmetry made of adverse life and death by the power of love1 as this is seen from highest to lowest1 from lowest to highest1 that the ,revelation of ,god as ,love that is ,all in all is received4 ,and looking thereon in the highest manifestation1 the manifestation of ,christ1 which is made for all men1 the mystics meet other beholders1 who are not called mystics1 yet who have not merely in greater or less degree1 with them1 the common gift of ,reason1 but1 after their different manner and in their own share1 the gift of the feeling ,mind4 ,for both from the seeing of ,truth and from the beholding of ,wisdom comes the holy wondering delight in ,god that is simply delight of love in ,love4 ,so they of the ,east and they of the ,west sit down together to partake of the ,bread and the ,wine of the ,table of ,god in ,his ,kingdom4 ,there is no other than one ,food of the ,divine ,life consecrated and made ready and offered to man for his human spirit to feed on2 but the ,christian mystic finds an offering of that ,food1 which is the sanctified ,life of the ,christ of ,god1 not only in its constant presentment to the spirit alone1 by the ,spirit of ,god through ,christ4 ,to him1 as to other ,christians1 the sight and the offering of the ,life in ,god is given in that memorial1 mediate1 expectant ,sacrament consecrated for the spirit's nurture through those elected ,symbols of sense that are the most perfect and sacred symbols because in their earlier1 natural use they most immediately minister to the whole human life on earth of the ,giver and of the receivers4 ,but along with this chosen ,sacrament1 and as one with it1 there is shewn to the mystic the ,life ,divine in diverse manners of working3 he sees ,god's ,christ from afar1 fore-sees the ,eucharistic ,sacrament of ,his most sacred ,death and ,life1 now raised in the ,bread and the ,wine on high1--seeing its promise low in the ground in the earliest1 ageless life of the wheat and the vine3 seed cast away1 bruised corn of wheat1 and dying ,body1 and broken ,bread1 and daily obedience2 a hidden root1 crushed fruit of the vine1 and ,blood poured forth1 and uplifted ,wine1 and joy of ,love over ,death3 one ,life4 ,sometimes there is for the mystics a partaking of these lesser wayside sacraments1 sometimes a turning aside from their symbols2 sometimes the old song of life in the lower creation awakens singing1 sometimes it scarcely is heard4 ,but always the spirit of nature's signs as interpreted in ,man1 above all in ,christ1 lays its claim on the soul2 always as sung by the chorus of human spirits that live on the ,righteousness1 ,peace1 and ,joy of the ,will of ,god1 the ,new ,song of ,life through ,death has in it a summons and receives from one and another here1 passing through much tribulation1 its fuller concord of human achievement1 or at least the desirous ,amen4 ,so whether the mystic dwell much or little with the sights and sounds of sense1 those things that are seen and heard by the soul bear to him the command of his home1 and the merest doorway glimpses1 the echoes most distant1 making their proffer of more and more within and beyond1 say ,come4 ,i give you the end of a golden string3 ,only wind it into a ball1 ,it will lead you in at ,heaven's ,gate1 ,built in ,jerusalem wall4#d 7,although this following on to know1 this winding of the truth caught hold of into a perfect round of thought and will and life1 is probably not more easy for the mystics than for other people4 ,amore1 amor1 tu sei cerchio rotondo6#e7 ,god is in all2 but our soul may never have rest in things that are beneath itself 7lxvii474 ,well ,i wot1 says ,julian1 that heaven and earth and all that is made is great and large1 fair and good1 yet all that is made is seen as a little thing1 the size of a hazel nut1 held in the palm of her hand1 when along with it her spiritual sight beholds the ,maker4 ,and though we may find the ,maker in all things1 we find ,him1 both as ,maker and ,restorer1 first and best1 ,first and ,last1 in the soul4 ,there ,he is ,alpha1 there ,omega4 ,it is readier to us to come to the knowing of ,god than to know our own ,soul 7in its fullest powers74 ,for our soul is so deep-grounded in ,god and so endlessly treasured1 that we may not come to the knowing thereof till we have first knowing of ,god1 which is the ,maker1 to whom it is oned4 ,and yet1 we may never come to full knowing of ,god till we know first clearly our own soul 7lvi474 ,the knowledge begins with ,god1 but it begins with ,him in the lowest place of the soul rescued from sin by mercy and entered by grace4 ,for ,himself is nearest and meekest1 highest and lowest1 and doeth all 7lxxx474 ,to the soul that looks on ,christ a remembrance rises of its own fair nature made in ,his image2 yet our ,lord of ,his mercy sheweth us our sin and our feebleness by the sweet gracious light of ,himself 7lxxviii474 ,thus in the working of grace the soul comes to the knowledge both of its higher and lower parts4 ,for in finding in itself both a natural response to the working of grace by its love and its longing after ,god1 and a contrariness to the goodness of grace by its often failing and falling1 it experiences both the action of the ,godly ,will 7which is within it as a part of1 and a gift from1 its higher nature1 the ,substance7 and the action of a beastly will 7from the simple animal nature7 which can will no moral good and which1 failing of love1 falls into sin3 whereby comes pain1 with all the travail of good and evil in conflict during the course of restoration4 ,but it is only when the ,sense-soul 7wherein the higher will must overcome the lower7 is at last brought up to heaven1 enriched by all the profits of tribulation1 and is united to the ,substance waiting there1 hid with ,christ in ,god1 that we come to the perfect knowledge of ,god4 ,for that knowledge1 perfect in kind though always growing1 can only begin when1 being in our full powers and all fully holy1 we come to know clearly our own united perfected ,soul4 ,this seems to be ,julian's view 7lvi41 etc474 ,julian says elsewhere that we have in us here such a medley of good and evil that sometimes we hardly know of others or of ourselves wherein we stand1 but that each holy assent that we make 7by the ,godly ,will7 to the grace and will of ,god1 is a witness that we are of ,god4 ,a witness to our sonship1 it might be said2 and perhaps1 taking ,julian's view for the time1 we might think that as the ,lost ,son came to himself1 so the soul comes to the consciousness of the ,godly ,will2 that as he arose and came to his ,father and found ,him1 or rather was found by his ,father1 so the soul receives the healing of ,christ in ,mercy and the leading of the ,holy ,ghost in ,grace2 and that as at last1 the son not only found his father but found his lost sonship--yet a better sonship than ever he had known before--so the soul comes at last to find1 more and more fully1 that new sonship which is of its nature1 yet is more than its nature4 ,for it finds the nature oneness which by creation it had with the ,son of ,god1 enhanced and for ever sustained by grace4 ,sometimes1 truly1 the ,mystical doctrine leads by tracks that are not easily followed1 but it is perhaps only when her views are regarded in single parts1 that any harm could be found in ,julian's statements--all qualified as they are by her as to my sight4 ,at first indeed it may startle one to read of her saints that are known in the ,church and in ,heaven by their sins1 to hear that the wounds left by sin are made medicines on earth and turned to worships in ,heaven2 but then we remember the joy that shall be in ,heaven over one sinner that repenteth1 the love that loves much because much is forgiven4 ,and yet we remember the little children in their high faith and love and innocent days2 and of such is the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,but the ,child1 with many fair virtues1 albeit imperfect1 was likewise ,julian's type of the ,christian soul3 ,i understood no higher stature in this life than ,childhood4 ,to know our own soul--it behoveth us to know our own soul--our high-nature soul1 which is enclosed in ,god1 and also our soul on the earth which ,christ-,jesus inhabits1 which has in it the medley3 we have in us our ,lord ,jesus uprisen1 we have in us the wretchedness and the mischief of ,adam's falling1 dying 7lii474 ,but elsewhere ,julian gives this name our own soul to the ,church1 seeing the ,church likewise as the dwelling and working-place of ,christ 7lxii474 ,she has been speaking of the ,divine ,wisdom being as it were the ,mother of the soul1 and now she seems to lead us to the ,church as to the ,nursery where ,he tends ,his children4 ,for one single person may oftentimes be broken1 but the whole ,body of ,holy ,church was never broken1 nor ever shall be1 without end4 ,and therefore a sure thing it is1 a good and a gracious1 to will meekly and mightily to be fastened to our ,mother1 ,holy ,church1 that is ,christ ,jesus4 ,for the ,food of ,mercy that is ,his dearworthy blood and precious water is plenteous to make us fair and clean2 the sweet gracious hands of our ,mother be ready and diligently about us4 ,for ,he in all this working useth the office of a kind nurse that hath not else to do but to entend about the salvation of her child 7lxi474 ,each soul is indeed the soul of a person and most intimately knows itself in its personal experience1 through which indeed alone it can come to knowledge of others4 ,yet the single soul knows itself best in the souls of all the saints1 in the fellowship of the ,blessed ,common1 where every virtue is found1 not in each1 at this time1 but in all--not now in the perfect height nor the fairest flowering1 but at growth in that ground where each plant holds some likeness to ,christ4 ,with ,julian the ,christian ,faith is not a thing added to the ,mystical sight3 these are1 as again and again she says1 seen both as one4 ,it is the inherent ,christianity of her system that makes her teaching always1 in a large way1 practical4 ,for the system came at first to be seen by prayerful searching made out of her practical need of an answer to the problem of sin and sorrow2 the ,mystical ,vision came with contrition1 compassion1 and longing after ,god1 those wounds that her contrite1 pitiful1 longing heart had desired should be made more deep in her life4 ,it is through the work of grace that ,julian reaches back to the gift of nature1 its ground2 and from the depths of this root-ground she rises soon again to the springing and spreading grace4 ,so in the ,first of her ,shewings the higher truth is seen3 we are all in ,him beclosed1 but in the ,last--the conclusion and confirmation of all--the lower1 yet nearer1 truth1 which all may know3 and ,he is beclosed in us4 ,and speaking of this dwelling within the soul she speaks of ,his working us all into ,him3 in which working ,he willeth that we be ,his helpers1 giving to ,him all our entending1 learning ,his lores1 keeping ,his laws1 desiring that all be done that ,he doeth2 truly trusting ,in ,him 7lvii474 ,julian had prayed to feel ,christ's dying pains1 if it should be ,god's will1 in order that she might feel compassion1 and the visionary sight of ,his pain in the ,face of the ,crucifix filled her with pain as it grew upon her4 ,how might any pain be more to me than to see ,him that is all my life1 all my bliss1 and all my joy suffer8 ,yet the ,shewing of ,pain was but the introduction to1 and for a time the accompaniment of1 the ,revelation2 the ,revelation1 itself1 as a whole1 was of ,love--the ,goodness or ,active ,love of ,god4 ,so the ,first ,shewing1 as the ,ground of all the rest1 was a large view of this ,goodness as the ,ground of all ,being4 ,although through these earlier ,shewings the ,saviour's bodily pain is felt by ,julian so fully in mind that she feels it indeed as if it were bodily anguish she bore1 it is in this very experience that the shewing of ,joy is made to her spirit4 ,so when in the opening of the ,revelation she tells of beholding the ,passion of ,christ1 her first unexpected word is of sudden joy from the inner sight of the ,love that ,god is3 the sight of the ,trinity3--,and in the same ,shewing suddenly the ,trinity fulfilled my heart most of joy4 7,for where ,,jesus appeareth1 the blessed ,trinity is understood1 as to my sight47 ,and even as ,julian finds afterwards that the ,last ,word of the ,revelation is the same as the ,first3 ,thou shalt not be overcome1 so the opening ,sight already shews her that which shall be revealed all through1 for learning of more in the same1 and uplifts her heart to the fulness of joy that is shewn at the close4 ,for she feels that this shock1 as it were1 of ,revelation--this sudden joy of seeing ,love in the midst of earth's evil1 beyond and beneath and in the pain that is passing1 is the entrance into the joy of the ,lord4 ,suddenly the ,trinity fulfilled my heart with utmost joy4--,and so ,i understood it shall be in heaven without end to all that shall come there 7iv474 ,so at the close1 when the vision was not of the ,love ,divine in that bending ,face beneath the ,crown of ,thorns1 but of the human love that shall spring up to meet the ,divine out of the lowness of earth1--the vision of how from this body of death1 as from an unsightly1 shapeless1 and stagnant mass of quagmire1 there sprang a full fair creature1 a little ,child1 fully shapen and formed1 agile and lively1 whiter than lily2 which swiftly glided up into heaven--the spiritual shewing to the soul is this3 ,suddenly thou shalt be taken from all thy pain 444 and thou shalt come up above and thou shalt have me 444 and thou shalt be fulfilled of love and of bliss 7lxiv474 ,and so in that early experience of ,julian's when in her love1 abandoned to pity and worship1 she would not look up to ,heaven from the ,cross1 it was also the inward sight by the higher part of her soul of the higher part of ,christ's life1 that ,heavenly ,love that could only rejoice1 that overcame her frailty of flesh unwilling to suffer1 and made her choose only ,jesus in weal and in woe4 ,thou art my ,heaven 7xix4-lv474 ,all the ,trinity wrought in the ,passion of ,jesus ,christ1 though only the ,son of the ,virgin suffered1 and in seeing this1 ,julian saw the ,bliss of ,christ's works1 the joy that is in the blissful ,trinity by reason of the ,passion of ,christ2 the ,father willing all1 the ,son working all1 the ,holy ,ghost confirming all4 ,this complexity of the ,divine-,human life in the ,son of ,god1 this union in ,christ ,jesus of serene untouched blessedness in the heavenly regions of ,his spirit with ,his bearing1 in the active joy of a glad giver1 all the sin and sorrow of the world1 is revealed as the comfort and confidence of man1 whose own deepest experience is love that suffers1 whose highest worship therefore must be of ,love that is strong to suffer4 ,it was a double joy that was shewn in ,christ besides the bliss of the impassible ,godhead1 which is the bliss of ,love without all time and beyond all deeds4 ,for there was joy in the ,passion itself3 ,if ,i might suffer more1 ,i would suffer more1 and joy in its fruits3 ,if thou art pleased1 ,i am pleased4 ,thus1 too1 we are told of three ways in which our ,lord would have us behold ,his ,passion3 first1 the hard pains ,he suffered on earth2 second1 the love that made ,him to suffer passeth as far all ,his pains as ,heaven is above earth2 third1 the joy and the bliss that made ,him to be well-satisfied in it4--,with a glad countenance ,he looked unto ,his wounded ,side1 rejoicing 7xxii41 xxiii41 xxiv474 ,from the sight of ,love that is higher than pain comes the sight of ,love that is deeper than sin4 ,julian had had the mystical shewing that ,god is all that is good1#f and is only good1 is the life of all that is1 and doeth all that is done1 and she had reasoned1 as others before her had reasoned1 that therefore sin hath no substance and sin is no deed4 ,but perhaps it is those that are most concerned with ,god in creature things1 that suffer most shaking from the sight of evil4 ,those that seek ,god's ,kingdom in this present world1 finding the dark places of the earth full of the habitations of cruelty1 have continually the enemy as with a sword in their bones saying within them3 ,where is now thy ,god8 ,i saw1 says ,julian1 that ,he is in all things4 ,i beheld and considered1 with a soft dread1 and thought3 ,what is sin8 7xi474 ,so also it is immediately after the coming of the mystical ,shewing made yet more highly3 ,it is ,i1 it is ,i1 it is ,i that am all1 that the memory of her own experience is brought to her and she sees how in her longings after ,god1 who is all the time so close about us1 around us and within1--she had always been hindered from seeing and reaching ,him fully by the darkening1 disturbing power of sin4 ,and so ,i looked generally upon us all1 and methought3 ,if sin had not been1 we should have all been clean1 and like to our ,lord as ,he made us 7xxvii474 ,thus came again the stirring of that old question over which afore this time often ,i wondered1 with mourning and sorrow1 why the beginning of sin was not letted--for then1 methought1 all should have been well4 ,to this darkness1 crying to ,god1 the light came first as by a soft general dawning of comfort for faith4 ,sin is behoveable 7it behoved that sin should be suffered to rise7 but all shall be well1 and all shall be well1 and all manner of things shall be well4 ,yet ,julian1 unable to take comfort to her heart over that which was still so dark to her intellect1 stands beholding things general1 troublously and mourning1 saying thus in her thoughts3 ,ah good ,lord1 how might all be well1 for the great hurt that is come by sin to the creature8 7xxix474 ,the answer to this double question as to sin and pain is the central theme of the ,revelation1 though much is still hidden and much is but dimly revealed as yet to faith4 ,in brief account1 the sight1 enough for us now1 is this3 ,mercy1 by love1 suffereth us to fail of love in measure1 and in as much as we fail1 in so much we die3 for it needs must be that we die in so much as we fail of the sight and feeling of ,god that is our life4444 ,and grace worketh our dreadful failing into plenteous1 endless solace1 and grace worketh our shameful falling into high1 worshipful rising2 and grace worketh our sorrowful dying into holy1 blissful life 7xlviii474 ,by the assay of this falling we shall have an high marvellous knowing of love in ,god1 without end4 ,for strong and marvellous is that love that may not and will not be broken for trespass4 ,and this is one understanding of our profit4 ,another is the lowness and meekness that we shall get by the sight of our falling 7lxi474 ,and by this meek knowing after this manner1 through contrition and grace1 we shall be broken from all that is not our ,lord4 ,and then shall our blessed ,saviour perfectly heal us and one us to ,him 7lxxviii474 ,theodidacta1 ,profunda1 ,ecstatica--so ,julian has been designated2 perhaps she might in fuller truth be called ,theodidacta1 ,profunda1 ,evangelica4 ,she is indeed a mystic1 evangelical1 practical4 ,with all her fellow-,christians and in the most deeply personal concern she looks with a tender mind on the redeeming work of ,god by ,christ in the glorious satisfaction 7,asseth71 and in fervent response of love and thankfulness trusts in the blessed ,passion of ,christ1 and in ,his sure keeping1 and in all the restoring1 fulfilling work by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but after the ,mystical manner she seeks the beyond3 that is1 while in no way leaving the works of mercy and grace she seeks to go back to the ground or source of them1 the ,goodness of ,god1--yes1 to ,god ,himself4 ,i could not have perceived of the part of ,mercy but as it were alone in ,love4 ,the ,passion was a noble worshipful deed done in a time1 but ,love was without beginning1 is1 and shall be without ending4 ,the ,mystical ,vision is that which in outward nature sees the unseen within the seen1 but it is also that which in spiritual things sees behind and beyond the temporal means1 the eternal causes and ends 7vi474 ,and it is surely here in the spiritual things1 in the heart and centre of human existence1 in the stress of sin and suffering1 rather than amongst the gentle growing things1 and flaming lights1 and songs1 and blameless creatures of ,nature that the ,beatific ,vision on earth is at its highest4 ,for here are found united the ,evangel and the ,vision and the ,life of love4 ,there the soul is highest1 noblest1 and worthiest1 where it is lowest1 meekest1 and mildest3 it is not in nature's goodness alone that we have our life1 all our life is in three1 in nature1 in mercy1 in grace2 whereof we have meekness1 mildness1 patience and pity 7lviii41 lix474 ,man's spirit1 the higher nature that ,julian talks of1 may indeed be there in the ,heavenly places1 as an infant's angel lying in the ,father's arms1 always beholding ,his ,face in love's silence of waiting2 but here in earthly places is the ,prodigal ,son returning1 here too is the ,father's embrace1 and here is ,his earliest greeting of the son that was lost and is found4 ,and already here in the ,kingdom of ,heaven on ,earth 7where all grow pure in the sonship obedience of ,jesus ,christ71 are those that are kept from the first as little children1 taken up in ,his arms and suffered to sing their ,hosannahs1 which perfect ,his praise4 ,the ,revelation of ,love is all centred in the ,passion1 and looking on the ,passion in time the soul sees1 in vision1 the ,lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world1 the mind conceives how before all time the ,divine ,love took to itself in the ,wisdom of ,god the mode of ,manhood1 and in time created ,man in the same1 and how thus ,god could be and do all that man could be and do1 could exercise ,love ,divine in human ,faith and ,courage3 could take our flesh and live on the earth as the ,man1 ,christ-,jesus1 in all points tempted like as we are1 finding ,his daily ,bread in the will of the ,father1 drinking with joy of the ,wine of life in the evening cup of ,death4 ,pain is passing1 says ,julian1 but in passing it leads forth love in man to its deepest living1 its fairest height of pureness and strength and fulfilment4 ,thus it behoved the ,captain of man's salvation to have ,his perfection here through suffering4 ,it is the ,lamb in the midst of the ,throne1 the ,almighty ,love that was slain1 that is ,shepherd to the ,martyrs1 leading them unto living fountains of waters4 ,he that bore the yoke gives rest to the heavy-laden2 blessed is ,he that mourned3 for ,he comforteth with ,his comfort4 ,so in the ,medival story1#h the highest ,mystical ,vision1 the sight of the ,holy ,grail1 comes only to him that is pure from self1 and looks on the bleeding wound that sin has left in man1 and is compassionate1 and gives himself to service and healing4--,can ye drink of the ,cup ,i drank of8--,love's ,cup that is ,death and ,life4-- ,wine of ,love's joy ,i see thy cup ,red to the trembling brim ,with ,life outpoured1 once lifted up1 ,i drink1 remembering ,him4-- ,it is the mourners who are comforted3 those that bear griefs of their own1 or bear griefs of others fully1 do not despair1 though the mere onlooker may well despair4 ,thus the compassionate ,julian's vision is of ,comfort--comfort not for herself in special1 but for the general ,man--for all her fellow-,christians4 ,she who had long time mourned for the hurt that is come by sin to the creature1 came to the sight of comfort not by turning her eyes away but by deeper compassion that found through the very wounds the healing of ,love on earth1 the glory of ,love in ,heaven4 ,she was filled with compassion for the ,passion of ,christ1 and thus she saw ,his joy2 so afterwards1 she tells1 ,i was fulfilled in part with compassion of all mine even-,christians1 for that well1 well-beloved people that shall be saved4 ,for ,god's servants1 ,holy ,church1 shall be shaken in sorrow and anguish and tribulation in this world1 as men shake a cloth in the wind4 ,and as to this our ,lord answered in this manner3 ,a great thing shall ,i make hereof in ,heaven of endless worship and everlasting joys4 ,yea so far forth as this ,i saw3 that our ,lord joyeth of the tribulations of ,his servants1 with ruth and compassion4 ,for ,he saith3 ,i shall wholly break you of your vain affections and of your vicious pride3 and after that ,i shall together gather you1 and make you mild and meek1 clean and holy1 by oneing to me 7xxviii474 ,sin is indeed the sharpest scourge1 viler and more painful than hell1 without comparison1 an horrible thing to see for the loved soul that would be all fair and shining in the sight of ,god1 as ,nature and ,grace teacheth4 ,and darkness1 which overhangs the soul while here it is meddling with any part of sin1 so that we see not clearly the ,blissful ,countenance of our ,lord1 is a lasting1 life-long natural penance from ,god1 the feeling of which indeed does not depart with actual sinning3 for ever the more clearly that the soul seeth this ,blissful ,countenance by grace of loving1 the more it longeth to see it in fulness 7lxxii474 ,all this is in man's experience1 with many other pains--pains which in individual lives have no proportionate relation to sin1 though1 in general1 sin is cause of pain and pain purgeth4--7,for ,i tell thee1 howsoever thou do thou shalt have woe71 7lxxvii41 xxvii474 ,but the ,comfort ,revealed shews how sin1 which hath no part of being and could not be known but by the pain it is cause of1 7sin which in this view may be compared to the nails of the ,passion--mere dead matter1 though with power to wound unto death for a time the blessed ,life71 sin1 which is failure of human love1--leaves1 notwithstanding all its horror1 an opening for a fuller influx of ,divine love and strength4#i ,and as to darkness1 seeking is as good as beholding1 for the time that ,god will suffer the soul to be in travail 7x474 ,and as to tribulation of every kind1 the ,passion of our ,lord is comfort to us against all this1 and so is ,his blessed will 7xxvii474 ,the parts may seem to come by chance and to be amiss1 but the whole1 and in the whole each part1 is ordered4 ,and when we be all brought up above1 then shall we see clearly in ,god the secret things which be now hid to us4 ,then shall none of us be stirred to say3 ,lord1 if it had been thus1 then it had been full well3 but we shall all say with one voice3 ,lord1 blessed mayst ,thou be1 for it is thus3 it is well2 and now we see verily that all things are done as it was then ordained before that anything was made 7xi41 lxxxv474 ,moreover ,he that shall be our bliss when we are there1 is our ,keeper while we are here2 and the ,last ,word of the ,revelation is the same as the ,first2 ,thou shalt not be overcome4 ,he said not3 ,thou shalt not be tempested1 thou shalt not be travailed1 thou shalt not be distressed2 but ,he said3 ,thou shalt not be overcome4 ,this is ,god's comfort4 ,and that here1 meanwhile1 we should take ,his comfort is ,julian's chief desire and instruction4 ,for ,julian1 who speaking so much of sin as a strange and troubling sight1 yet gives as examples of sin only a slothful mistrusting despondency1--speaks indeed of faith and hope and charity1 compassion and meekness1 but scarcely exhorts except to the cheerful enduring of tribulation4 ,so she gives counsel as to rejoicing more in ,his whole love than sorrowing in our often fallings2 as to living gladly and merrily for love's sake in our penance of darkness 7lxxii4-lxxxi474 ,and in general1 for all experiences of life1 ,it is ,god's will that we take ,his promises and ,his comfortings as largely and as mightily as we may take them1 and also ,he willeth that we take our abiding and our troubles as lightly as we may take them1 and set them at nought 7lxiv41 lxv41 xv474 ,we are all one in comfort1 says ,julian1 all the gracious comfort was for all mine even-,christians4 ,sin separates1 pain isolates1 but salvation and comfort unite4 ,and lastly1 in this mystical vision of the oneness of man with ,god in ,christ1 man is seen not only as united in himself in the diverse parts of his nature1 and as one with his fellow man1 but as joined to that which is below him4 ,how often of one good and another1 as of that fair and sacred service of the ,mother--nearest1 readiest1 and surest--in the creatures by whom it is done1 do we hear ,julian's confident word of ,sacramental declaration3 ,it is ,christ4 ,for ,god is all that is good1 as to my sight1 and ,god hath made all that is made3 and he that loveth generally all his even-,christians for ,god1 he loveth all that is4 ,for in ,mankind that shall be saved is comprehended all3 that is to say1 all that is made and the ,maker of all4 ,for in ,man is ,god1 and ,god is in all4 ,and ,i hope1 adds ,julian1 in words that are fitting to take for her courteous1 her tender1 ,good ,speed ere we pass to her book--altogether like her as they are1 even to the careful1 conditional if 7for nothing1 not even comfort1 behoves to be overdone much71 ,i hope by the grace of ,god he that beholdeth it thus shall be truly taught and mightily comforted1 if he needeth comfort 7ix474 ,deus ubique est1 et totus ubique est4 ,all things are gathered up in ,man1 and ,man is gathered up in ,christ2 and ,christ is gathered up in the ,bosom of the ,father4 ,so the world of the lower creation makes promise3 ,all things are yours2 and the ,church says over its offering1 lifted up3 ,ye are ,christ's2 and from the stillness the voice of peace is heard3 ,and ,christ is ,god's4 ,all the promises of ,god in ,,him are ,yea and in ,,him ,amen1 unto the glory of ,god by us4 ,all the promises of ,god3 the blossom that floated to the ground2 the lily of a day that fell and died that night2 the little ,child1 whiter than lily1 that swiftly glided up into ,heaven--all the utterances silenced here--in ,him are ,yea and in ,him ,amen3 ,yea on earth and ,amen for ever4 ,he turneth the shadow of death into the morning4 ,may #aija4 #a ,theologia ,germanica1 ,chap4 #a4 #b ,blake's ,poems4 #c ,memorabilia of ,jesus1 by ,w4 ,peyton1 p4 #cc4 #d ,gilchrist's ,life and ,works of ,william ,blake1 vol4 ii4 #e ,amor de ,caritade1 by ,jacopone da ,todi 7formerly ascribed to ,s4 ,francis of ,assisi74 #f ,quid me interrogas de bono8 ,unus est bonus1 ,deus4--,s4 ,matt4 xix4 #ag4 #h ,a ,key to ,wagner's ,parsifal1 by ,h4 von ,wolzogen1 tr4 by ,ashton ,ellis4 #i ,goodness is ,active ,love--love that moves4 ,drawing back from the finite creature1 as a wave from the shore1 it suffers sin's void to appear4 ,but this lack of itself is allowed for the time1 that so returning again in its force1 to which evil is nothing1 it may cover the desolate nature with deepness and highness and fulness unknown before4 7,see lvii474 ,,revelations ,,of ,,divine ,,love ,,chapter ,i ,a ,revelation of ,love--in ,sixteen ,shewings ,this is a ,revelation of ,love that ,jesus ,christ1 our endless bliss1 made in ,sixteen ,shewings1 or ,revelations particular4 ,of the which the ,first is of ,his precious crowning with thorns2 and therewith was comprehended and specified the ,trinity1 with the ,incarnation1 and unity betwixt ,god and man's soul2 with many fair shewings of endless wisdom and teachings of love3 in which all the ,shewings that follow be grounded and oned4#a ,the ,second is the changing of colour of ,his fair face in token of ,his dearworthy#b ,passion4 ,the ,third is that our ,lord ,god1 ,allmighty ,wisdom1 ,all-,love1 right as verily as ,he hath made everything that is1 all-so verily ,he doeth and worketh all-thing that is done4 ,the ,fourth is the scourging of ,his tender body1 with plenteous shedding of ,his blood4 ,the ,fifth is that the ,fiend is overcome by the precious ,passion of ,christ4 ,the ,sixth is the worshipful#c thanking by our ,lord ,god in which ,he rewardeth ,his blessed servants in ,heaven4 ,the ,seventh is our often feeling of weal and woe2 7the feeling of weal is gracious touching and lightening1 with true assuredness of endless joy2 the feeling of woe is temptation by heaviness and irksomeness of our fleshly living27 with ghostly understanding that we are kept all as securely in ,love in woe as in weal1 by the ,goodness of ,god4 ,the ,eighth is of the last pains of ,christ1 and ,his cruel dying4 ,the ,ninth is of the pleasing which is in the ,blissful ,trinity by the hard ,passion of ,christ and ,his rueful dying3 in which joy and pleasing ,he willeth that we be solaced and mirthed#d with ,him1 till when we come to the fulness in ,heaven4 ,the ,tenth is1 our ,lord ,jesus sheweth in love ,his blissful heart even cloven in two1 rejoicing4 ,the ,eleventh is an high ghostly ,shewing of ,his dearworthy ,mother4 ,the ,twelfth is that our ,lord is most worthy ,being4 ,the ,thirteenth is that our ,lord ,god willeth we have great regard to all the deeds that ,he hath done3 in the great nobleness of the making of all things2 and the excellency of man's making1 which is above all his works2 and the precious ,amends#e that ,he hath made for man's sin1 turning all our blame into endless worship4#f ,in which ,shewing also our ,lord saith3 ,behold and see6 ,for by the same ,might1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness that ,i have done all this1 by the same ,might1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness ,i shall make well all that is not well2 and thou shalt see it4 ,and in this ,he willeth that we keep us in the ,faith and truth of ,holy ,church1 not desiring to see into ,his secret things now1 save as it belongeth to us in this life4 ,the ,fourteenth is that our ,lord is the ,ground of our ,prayer4 ,herein were seen two properties3 the one is rightful prayer1 the other is steadfast trust2 which ,he willeth should both be alike large2 and thus our prayer pleaseth ,him and ,he of ,his ,goodness fulfilleth it4 ,the ,fifteenth is that we shall suddenly be taken from all our pain and from all our woe1 and of ,his ,goodness we shall come up above1 where we shall have our ,lord ,jesus for our meed and be fulfilled with joy and bliss in ,heaven4 ,the ,sixteenth is that the ,blissful ,trinity1 our ,maker1 in ,christ ,jesus our ,saviour endlessly dwelleth in our soul1 worshipfully ruling and protecting all things1 us mightily and wisely saving and keeping1 for love2 and we shall not be overcome of our ,enemy4 #a made one1 united4 #b precious1 honoured4 #c honour-bestowing4 #d made glad4 #e ,,ms4 ,asseth ,satisfaction1 making-enough4 #f honour1 glory4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,a simple creature unlettered4--,which creature afore desired three gifts of ,god ,these ,revelations were shewed to a simple creature unlettered1#a the year of our ,lord #acgc1 the ,thirteenth day of ,may4 ,which creature had afore desired three gifts of ,god4 ,the ,first was mind of ,his ,passion2 the ,second was bodily sickness in youth1 at thirty years of age2 the ,third was to have of ,god's gift three wounds4 ,as to the ,first1 methought ,i had some feeling in the ,passion of ,christ1 but yet ,i desired more by the grace of ,god4 ,methought ,i would have been that time with ,mary ,magdalene1 and with other that were ,christ's lovers1 and therefore ,i desired a bodily sight wherein ,i might have more knowledge of the bodily pains of our ,saviour and of the compassion of our ,lady and of all ,his true lovers that saw1 that time1 ,his pains4 ,for ,i would be one of them and suffer with ,him4 ,other sight nor shewing of ,god desired ,i never none1 till the soul were disparted from the body4 ,the cause of this petition was that after the shewing ,i should have the more true mind in the ,passion of ,christ4 ,the ,second came to my mind with contrition2 ,i freely desiring that sickness to be so hard as to death1 that ,i might in that sickness receive all my rites of ,holy ,church1 myself thinking that ,i should die1 and that all creatures might suppose the same that saw me3 for ,i would have no manner of comfort of earthly life4 ,in this sickness ,i desired to have all manner of pains bodily and ghostly that ,i should have if ,i should die1 7with all the dreads and tempests of the fiends7 except the outpassing of the soul4 ,and this ,i meant#b for that ,i would be purged1 by the mercy of ,god1 and afterward live more to the worship of ,god because of that sickness4 ,and that for the more furthering#c in my death3 for ,i desired to be soon with my ,god4 ,these two desires of the ,passion and the sickness ,i desired with a condition1 saying thus3 ,lord1 ,thou knowest what ,i would1--if it be ,thy will that ,i have it--2 and if it be not ,thy will1 good ,lord1 be not displeased3 for ,i will nought but as ,thou wilt4 ,for the ,third petition1 by the grace of ,god and teaching of ,holy ,church ,i conceived a mighty desire to receive three wounds in my life3 that is to say1 the wound of very contrition1 the wound of kind#d compassion1 and the wound of steadfast#e longing toward ,god4#f ,and all this last petition ,i asked without any condition4 ,these two desires aforesaid passed from my mind1 but the third dwelled with me continually4 #a that cowde no letter unskilled in letters4 #b thought of1 designed4 #c ,,ms4 speed4 #d i4e4 natural4 #e ,,ms4 wilful earnest1 with set will4 #f ,for these wounds see xvii4 p4 #dj1 xxvii4 p4 #ef1 xxviii41 lxxii4 and xxxix4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,i desired to suffer with ,him ,and when ,i was thirty years old and a half1 ,god sent me a bodily sickness1 in which ,i lay three days and three nights2 and on the fourth night ,i took all my rites of ,holy ,church1 and weened not to have lived till day4 ,and after this ,i languored forth#a two days and two nights1 and on the third night ,i weened oftentimes to have passed2#b and so weened they that were with me4 ,and being in youth as yet1 ,i thought it great sorrow to die2--but for nothing that was in earth that meliked to live for1 nor for no pain that ,i had fear of3 for ,i trusted in ,god of ,his mercy4 ,but it was to have lived that ,i might have loved ,god better1 and longer time1 that ,i might have the more knowing and loving of ,god in bliss of ,heaven4 ,for methought all the time that ,i had lived here so little and so short in regard of that endless bliss1--,i thought it was as nothing4 ,wherefore ,i thought3 ,good ,lord1 may my living no longer be to ,thy worship6#c ,and ,i understood by my reason and by my feeling of my pains that ,i should die2 and ,i assented fully with all the will of my heart to be at ,god's will4 ,thus ,i dured till day1 and by then my body was dead from the middle downwards1 as to my feeling4 ,then was ,i minded to be set upright1 backward leaning1 with help1--for to have more freedom of my heart to be at ,god's will1 and thinking on ,god while my life would last4 ,my ,curate was sent for to be at my ending1 and by that time when he came ,i had set my eyes1 and might#d not speak4 ,he set the ,cross before my face and said3 ,i have brought thee the ,image of thy ,maker and ,saviour3 look thereupon and comfort thee therewith4 ,methought ,i was well as it was1 for my eyes were set uprightward unto ,heaven1 where ,i trusted to come by the mercy of ,god2 but nevertheless ,i assented to set my eyes on the face of the ,crucifix1 if ,i might2#e and so ,i did4 ,for methought ,i might longer dure to look even-forth#f than right up4 ,after this my sight began to fail1 and it was all dark about me in the chamber1 as if it had been night1 save in the ,image of the ,cross whereon ,i beheld a common light2 and ,i wist not how4 ,all that was away from#g the ,cross was of horror to me1 as if it had been greatly occupied by the fiends4 ,after this the upper#h part of my body began to die1 so far forth that scarcely ,i had any feeling2--with shortness of breath4 ,and then ,i weened in sooth to have passed4 ,and in this moment suddenly all my pain was taken from me1 and ,i was as whole 7and specially in the upper part of my body7 as ever ,i was afore4 ,i marvelled at this sudden change2 for methought it was a privy working of ,god1 and not of nature4 ,and yet by the feeling of this ease ,i trusted never the more to live2 nor was the feeling of this ease any full ease unto me3 for methought ,i had liefer have been delivered from this world4 ,then came suddenly to my mind that ,i should desire the second wound of our ,lord's gracious gift3 that my body might be fulfilled with mind and feeling of ,his blessed ,passion4 ,for ,i would that ,his pains were my pains1 with compassion and afterward longing to ,god4 ,but in this ,i desired never bodily sight nor shewing of ,god1 but compassion such as a kind#i soul might have with our ,lord ,jesus1 that for love would be a mortal man3 and therefore ,i desired to suffer with ,him4 #a ,i langorid forth languished on4 #b ,i thought often that ,i was about to die4 #c ,or it may be1 at in de ,cressy's version3 ,may my living be no longer to ,thy worship8 #d i4e4 could4 #e i4e4 could4 #f straight forward4 #g ,,ms4 beside4 #h ,,ms4 over4 #i kinde1 true to its nature that was made after the likeness of the ,creating ,son of ,god1 the type and the ,head of ,mankind1--therefore loving1 and sympathetic with ,him1 and compassionate of ,his earthly sufferings3 ,who1 ,himself1 for ,love's sake1 suffered as man4 ,,the ,,first ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,iv ,i saw 444 as it were in the time of ,his ,passion4444 ,and in the same ,shewing suddenly the ,trinity filled my heart with utmost joy ,in this moment suddenly ,i saw the red blood trickle down from under the ,garland hot and freshly and right plenteously1 as it were in the time of ,his ,passion when the ,garland of thorns was pressed on ,his blessed head who was both ,god and ,man1 the same that suffered thus for me4 ,i conceived truly and mightily that it was ,himself shewed it me1 without any mean4#a ,and in the same ,shewing suddenly the ,trinity fulfilled my heart most of joy4 ,and so ,i understood it shall be in heaven without end to all that shall come there4 ,for the ,trinity is ,god3 ,god is the ,trinity2 the ,trinity is our ,maker and ,keeper1 the ,trinity is our everlasting love and everlasting joy and bliss1 by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,and this was shewed in the ,first ,shewing and in all3 for where ,jesus appeareth1 the blessed ,trinity is understood1 as to my sight4 ,and ,i said3 ,benedicite ,domine6 ,this ,i said for reverence in my meaning1 with mighty voice2 and full greatly was astonied for wonder and marvel that ,i had1 that ,he that is so reverend and dreadful will be so homely with a sinful creature living in wretched flesh4 ,this ,shewing ,i took for the time of my temptation1--for methought by the sufferance of ,god ,i should be tempted of fiends ere ,i died4 ,through this sight of the blessed ,passion1 with the ,godhead that ,i saw in mine understanding1 ,i knew well that ,it was strength enough for me1 yea1 and for all creatures living1 against all the fiends of hell and ghostly temptation4 ,in this ,shewing ,he brought our blessed ,lady to my understanding4 ,i saw her ghostly1 in bodily likeness3 a simple maid and a meek1 young of age and little waxen above a child1 in the stature that she was when she conceived4 ,also ,god shewed in part the wisdom and the truth of her soul3 wherein ,i understood the reverent beholding in which she beheld her ,god and ,maker1 marvelling with great reverence that ,he would be born of her that was a simple creature of ,his making4 ,and this wisdom and truth3 knowing the greatness of her ,maker and the littleness of herself that was made1--caused her to say full meekly to ,gabriel3 ,lo me1 ,god's handmaid6 ,in this sight#b ,i understood soothly that she is more than all that ,god made beneath her in worthiness and grace2 for above her is nothing that is made but the blessed ,manhood#c of ,christ1 as to my sight4 #a intermediary--thing or person4 ,see vi41 xix41 xxxv41 lv4 #b ,either3 ,in this sight--,shewing--of her2 or ,in this her sight1--insight--beholding 7vii41 xliv41 lxv474 ,see ,rev4 xi4 ch4 xxv41 ,for our ,lord shewed me nothing in special but our ,lady ,saint ,mary2 and her ,he shewed three times4 ,the first shewing is here 7a sight referred to in ch4 vii4 and elsewhere72 the second1 in ch4 xviii42 the third1 in ch4 xxv4 #c ,this word is in ,s4 de ,cressy's edition4 ,,chapter ,v ,god1 of ,thy ,goodness1 give me ,thyself2--only in ,thee ,i have all ,in this same time our ,lord shewed me a spiritual#a sight of ,his homely loving4 ,i saw that ,he is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us3 ,he is our clothing that for love wrappeth us1 claspeth us1 and all encloseth#b us for tender love1 that ,he may never leave us2 being to us all-thing that is good1 as to mine understanding4 ,also in this ,he shewed me a little thing1 the quantity of an hazel-nut1 in the palm of my hand2 and it was as round as a ball4 ,i looked thereupon with eye of my understanding1 and thought3 ,what may this be8 ,and it was answered generally thus3 it is all that is made4 ,i marvelled how it might last1 for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for littleness4 ,and ,i was answered in my understanding3 ,it lasteth1 and ever shall last for that ,god loveth it4 ,and so ,all-thing hath the ,being by the love of ,god4 ,in this ,little ,thing ,i saw three properties4 ,the first is that ,god made it1 the second is that ,god loveth it1 the third1 that ,god keepeth it4 ,but what is to me verily the ,maker1 the ,keeper1 and the ,lover1--,i cannot tell2 for till ,i am ,substantially oned#c to ,him1 ,i may never have full rest nor very bliss3 that is to say1 till ,i be so fastened to ,him1 that there is right nought that is made betwixt my ,god and me4 ,it needeth us to have knowing of the littleness of creatures and to hold as nought#d all-thing that is made1 for to love and have ,god that is unmade4 ,for this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul3 that we seek here rest in those things that are so little1 wherein is no rest1 and know not our ,god that is ,all-mighty1 ,all-wise1 ,all-good4 ,for ,he is the ,very ,rest4 ,god willeth to be known1 and it pleaseth ,him that we rest in ,him2 for all that is beneath ,him sufficeth not us4 ,and this is the cause why that no soul is rested till it is made nought as to all#e things that are made4 ,when it is willingly made nought1 for love1 to have ,him that is all1 then is it able to receive spiritual rest4 ,also our ,lord ,god shewed that it is full great pleasance to ,him that a helpless soul come to ,him simply and plainly and homely4 ,for this is the natural yearnings of the soul1 by the touching of the ,holy ,ghost 7as by the understanding that ,i have in this ,shewing73 ,god1 of ,thy ,goodness1 give me ,thyself3 for ,thou art enough to me1 and ,i may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to ,thee2 and if ,i ask anything that is less1 ever me wanteth1--but only in ,thee ,i have all4 ,and these words are full lovely to the soul1 and full near touch they the will of ,god and ,his ,goodness4 ,for ,his ,goodness comprehendeth all ,his creatures and all ,his blessed works1 and overpasseth#f without end4 ,for ,he is the endlessness1 and ,he hath made us only to ,himself1 and restored us by ,his blessed ,passion1 and keepeth us in ,his blessed love2 and all this of ,his ,goodness4 #a ,,ms4 ghostly1 and so1 generally1 throughout the ,,ms4 #b ,becloseth1 and so generally4 #c i4e4 in essence united4 #d to nowtyn4 #e nowtid of4 de ,cressy3 naughted 7emptied74 #f surpasseth4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,the ,goodness of ,god is the highest prayer1 and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need ,this ,shewing was made to learn our soul wisely to cleave to the ,goodness of ,god4 ,and in that time the custom of our praying was brought to mind3 how we use for lack of understanding and knowing of ,love1 to take many means whereby to beseech ,him4#a ,then saw ,i truly that it is more worship to ,god1 and more very delight1 that we faithfully#b pray to ,himself of ,his ,goodness and cleave thereunto by ,his ,grace1 with true understanding1 and steadfast by love1 than if we took all the means that heart can think4 ,for if we took all these means1 it is too little1 and not full worship to ,god3 but in ,his ,goodness is all the whole1 and there faileth right nought4 ,for this1 as ,i shall tell1 came to my mind in the same time3 ,we pray to ,god for the sake of ,his holy flesh and ,his precious blood1 ,his holy ,passion1 ,his dearworthy death and wounds3 and all the blessed kindness1#c the endless life that we have of all this1 is ,his ,goodness4 ,and we pray ,him for the sake of ,his sweet ,mother's love that ,him bare2 and all the help we have of her is of ,his ,goodness4 ,and we pray by ,his holy ,cross that he died on1 and all the virtue and the help that we have of the ,cross1 it is of ,his ,goodness4 ,and on the same wise1 all the help that we have of special saints and all the blessed ,company of ,heaven1 the dearworthy love and endless friendship that we have of them1 it is of ,his ,goodness4 ,for ,god of ,his ,goodness hath ordained means to help us1 full fair and many3 of which the chief and principal mean is the blessed nature that ,he took of the ,maid1 with all the means that go afore and come after which belong to our redemption and to endless salvation4 ,wherefore it pleaseth ,him that we seek ,him and worship through means1 understanding that ,he is the ,goodness of all4 ,for the ,goodness of ,god is the highest prayer1 and it cometh down to the lowest part of our need4 ,it quickeneth our soul and bringeth it on life1 and maketh it for to waxen in grace and virtue4 ,it is nearest in nature2 and readiest in grace3 for it is the same grace that the soul seeketh1 and ever shall seek till we know verily that ,he hath us all in ,himself enclosed4 ,for ,he hath no despite of that ,he hath made1 nor hath ,he any disdain to serve us at the simplest office that to our body belongeth in nature1 for love of the soul that ,he hath made to ,his own likeness4 ,for as the body is clad in the cloth1 and the flesh in the skin1 and the bones in the flesh1 and the heart in the whole1#d so are we1 soul and body1 clad in the ,goodness of ,god1 and enclosed4 ,yea1 and more homely3 for all these may waste and wear away1 but the ,goodness of ,god is ever whole2 and more near to us1 without any likeness2 for truly our ,lover desireth that our soul cleave to ,him with all its might1 and that we be ever-more cleaving to ,his ,goodness4 ,for of all things that heart may think1 this pleaseth most ,god1 and soonest speedeth the soul4 ,for our soul is so specially loved of ,him that is highest1 that it overpasseth the knowing of all creatures3 that is to say1 there is no creature that is made that may fully know#e how much and how sweetly and how tenderly our ,maker loveth us4 ,and therefore we may with grace and ,his help stand in spiritual beholding1 with everlasting marvel of this high1 overpassing1 inestimable#f ,love that ,almighty ,god hath to us of ,his ,goodness4 ,and therefore we may ask of our ,lover with reverence all that we will4 ,for our natural#g ,will is to have ,god1 and the ,good ,will of ,god is to have us2 and we may never cease from willing nor from longing till we have ,him in fullness of joy3 and then may we no more desire4 ,for ,he willeth that we be occupied in knowing and loving till the time that we shall be fulfilled in ,heaven2 and therefore was this lesson of ,love shewed1 with all that followeth1 as ye shall see4 ,for the strength and the ,ground of all was shewed in the ,first ,sight4 ,for of all things the beholding and the loving of the ,maker maketh the soul to seem less in his own sight1 and most filleth him with reverent dread and true meekness2 with plenty of charity to his even-,christians4#h #a ,,ms4 ,to make many menys4 ,so in ,letter #che of ,the ,paston ,letters1 #adbb-aeji ,a4,d4--,our ,soverayn ,lord hath wonne the feld1 uppon the ,munday next after ,palmesunday1 he was resseved in ,york with gret solempnyte processyons4 ,and the ,mair ,comons of the said cite mad ther menys to have grace be by ,lord ,montagu ,lord ,barenars1 which be for the ,kyngs coming in to the said cite1 which graunted hem them grace4 ,letter #dgb 7from ,margaret ,paston74--,your ryth wele willers have kounselyd me that ,i xuld kownsell you to maken other menys than ye have made1 to other folks1 that wold spede your matyrs better than they have done thatt ye have spoken to therof 7ed4 by ,james ,gairdner1 vol i474 ,see ch4 iv4 p4 #h4 #b i4e4 trustingly4 #c bond as of relationship4 #d the bouke the bulk1 the thorax4 #e witten4 #f or1 as in ,s4 de ,cressy1 immeasurable4 ,the word1 however1 looks like oninestimable with the on blotted or erased4 #g kindly4 #h to his even cristen--fellow-,christians 7even equal74 ,hamlet1 ,act v4 ,sc4 i4 great folk 444 more than their even ,christian4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,the ,shewing is not other than of faith1 nor less nor more ,and it was to learn us this1 as to mine understanding1 that our ,lord ,god shewed our ,lady ,saint ,mary in the same time3 that is to say1 the high ,wisdom and ,truth she had in beholding of her ,maker so great1 so holy1 so mighty1 and so good4 ,this greatness and this nobleness of the beholding of ,god fulfilled her with reverent dread1 and withal she saw herself so little and so low1 so simple and so poor1 in regard of#a her ,lord ,god1 that this reverent dread fulfilled her with meekness4 ,and thus1 by this ground of meekness she was fulfilled with grace and with all manner of virtues1 and overpasseth all creatures4 ,in all the time that ,he shewed this that ,i have told now in spiritual sight1 ,i saw the bodily sight lasting of the plenteous bleeding of the ,head4 ,the great drops of blood fell down from under the ,garland like pellots1 seeming as it had come out of the veins2 and in the coming out they were brown-red1 for the blood was full thick2 and in the spreading-abroad they were bright-red2 and when they came to the brows1 then they vanished2 notwithstanding1 the bleeding continued till many things were seen and understood4 ,the fairness and the lifelikeness is like nothing but the same2 the plenteousness is like to the drops of water that fall off the eaves after a great shower of rain1 that fall so thick that no man may number them with bodily wit2 and for the roundness1 they were like to the scale of herring1 in the spreading on the forehead4 ,these three came to my mind in the time3 pellots1 for roundness1 in the coming out of the blood2 the scale of herring1 in the spreading in the forehead1 for roundness2 the drops off eaves1 for the plenteousness innumerable4 ,this ,shewing was quick and life-like1 and horrifying and dreadful1 sweet and lovely4 ,and of all the sight it was most comfort to me that our ,god and ,lord that is so reverend and dreadful1 is so homely and courteous3 and this most fulfilled me with comfort and assuredness of soul4 ,and to the understanding of this ,he shewed this open example3-- ,it is the most worship that a solemn ,king or a great ,lord may do a poor servant if he will be homely with him1 and specially if he sheweth it himself1 of a full true meaning1 and with a glad cheer1 both privately and in company4 ,then thinketh this poor creature thus3 ,and what might this noble ,lord do of more worship and joy to me than to shew me that am so simple this marvellous homeliness8 ,soothly it is more joy and pleasance to me than if he gave me great gifts and were himself strange in manner4 ,this bodily example was shewed so highly that man's heart might be ravished and almost forgetting itself for joy of the great homeliness4 ,thus it fareth with our ,lord ,jesus and with us4 ,for verily it is the most joy that may be1 as to my sight1 that ,he that is highest and mightiest1 noblest and worthiest1 is lowest and meekest1 homeliest and most courteous3 and truly and verily this marvellous joy shall be shewn us all when we see ,him4 ,and this willeth our ,lord that we seek for and trust to1 joy and delight in1 comforting us and solacing us1 as we may with ,his grace and with ,his help1 unto the time that we see it verily4 ,for the most fulness of joy that we shall have1 as to my sight1 is the marvellous courtesy and homeliness of our ,father1 that is our ,maker1 in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ that is our ,brother and our ,saviour4 ,but this marvellous homeliness may no man fully see in this time of life1 save he have it of special shewing of our ,lord1 or of great plenty of grace inwardly given of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,but faith and belief with charity deserveth the meed3 and so it is had1 by grace2 for in faith1 with hope and charity1 our life is grounded4 ,the ,shewing1 made to whom that ,god will1 plainly teacheth the same1 opened and declared1 with many privy points belonging to our ,faith which be worshipful to know4 ,and when the ,shewing which is given in a time is passed and hid1 then the faith keepeth it by grace of the ,holy ,ghost unto our life's end4 ,and thus through the ,shewing it is not other than of faith1 nor less nor more2 as it may be seen in our ,lord's teaching in the same matter1 by that time that it shall come to the end4 #a i4e4 seen at the same time as1 or in comparison with4 ,see the note to ch4 iv4 p4 #i4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,in all this ,i was greatly stirred in charity to my fellow-,christians that they might see and know the same that ,i saw ,and as long as ,i saw this sight of the plenteous bleeding of the ,head ,i might never cease from these words3 ,benedicite ,domine6 ,in which ,shewing ,i understood six things3--,the first is1 the tokens of the blessed ,passion and the plenteous shedding of ,his precious blood4 ,the second is1 the ,maiden that is ,his dearworthy ,mother4 ,the third is1 the blissful ,godhead that ever was1 is1 and ever shall be3 ,almighty1 ,all-,wisdom1 ,all-,love4 ,the fourth is1 all-thing that ,he hath made4--,for well ,i wot that heaven and earth and all that is made is great and large1 fair and good2 but the cause why it shewed so little to my sight was for that ,i saw it in the presence of ,him that is the ,maker of all things3 for to a soul that seeth the ,maker of all1 all that is made seemeth full little4--,the fifth is3 ,he that made all things for love1 by the same love keepeth them1 and shall keep them#a without end4 ,the sixth is1 that ,god is all that is good1 as to my sight1 and the goodness that each thing hath1 it is ,he4#b ,and all these our ,lord shewed me in the first ,sight1 with time and space to behold it4 ,and the bodily sight stinted1#c but the spiritual sight dwelled in mine understanding1 and ,i abode with reverent dread1 joying in that ,i saw4 ,and ,i desired1 as ,i durst1 to see more1 if it were ,his will1 or else to see for longer time the same4 ,in all this ,i was greatly stirred in charity to mine even-,christians1 that they might see and know the same that ,i saw3 for ,i would it were comfort to them4 ,for all this ,sight was shewed with general regard4 ,then said ,i to them that were about me3 ,it is to-day ,doomsday with me4 ,and this ,i said for that ,i thought to have died4 7,for that day that a man dieth1 he is judged#d as shall be without end1 as to mine understanding47 ,this ,i said for that ,i would they might love ,god the better1 for to make them to have in mind that this life is short1 as they might see in example4 ,for in all this time ,i weened to have died2 and that was marvel to me1 and troublous partly3 for methought this ,vision was shewed for them that should live4 ,and that which ,i say of me1 ,i say in the person of all mine even-,christians3 for ,i am taught in the ,spiritual ,shewing of our ,lord ,god that ,he meaneth so4 ,and therefore ,i pray you all for ,god's sake1 and counsel you for your own profit1 that ye leave the beholding of a poor creature#e that it was shewed to1 and mightily1 wisely1 and meekly behold ,god that of ,his courteous love and endless goodness would shew it generally1 in comfort of us all4 ,for it is ,god's will that ye take it with great joy and pleasance1 as if ,jesus had shewed it to you all4 #a it is kept1 and shall be4 #b ,god is althing that is gode1 as to my sight1 and the godenes that al thing hath1 it is he4 #c i4e4 ceased4 #d deemed4 #e a wretch4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,if ,i look singularly to myself1 ,i am right nought ,because of the ,shewing ,i am not good but if ,i love ,god the better3 and in as much as ye love ,god the better1 it is more to you than to me4 ,i say#a not this to them that be wise1 for they wot it well2 but ,i say it to you that be simple1 for ease and comfort3 for we are all one in comfort4 ,for truly it was not shewed me that ,god loved me better than the least soul that is in grace2 for ,i am certain that there be many that never had ,shewing nor sight but of the common teaching of ,holy ,church1 that love ,god better than ,i4 ,for if ,i look singularly to myself1 ,i am right nought2 but in the general ,body ,i am1 ,i hope1 in oneness of charity with all mine even-,christians4 ,for in this oneness standeth the life of all mankind that shall be saved4 ,for ,god is all that is good1 as to my sight1 and ,god hath made all that is made1 and ,god loveth all that ,he hath made3 and he that loveth generally all his even-,christians for ,god1 he loveth all that is4 ,for in mankind that shall be saved is comprehended all3 that is to say1 all that is made and the ,maker of all4 ,for in man is ,god1 and ,god is in all4 ,and ,i hope by the grace of ,god he that beholdeth it thus shall be truly taught and mightily comforted1 if he needeth comfort4 ,i speak of them that shall be saved1 for in this time ,god shewed me none other4 ,but in all things ,i believe as ,holy ,church believeth1 preacheth1 and teacheth4 ,for the ,faith of ,holy ,church1 the which ,i had aforehand understood and1 as ,i hope1 by the grace of ,god earnestly kept in use and custom1 stood continually in my sight3 ,i willing and meaning never to receive anything that might be contrary thereunto4 ,and with this intent ,i beheld the ,shewing with all my diligence3 for in all this blessed ,shewing ,i beheld it as one in ,god's meaning4#b ,all this was shewed by three ways3 that is to say1 by bodily sight1 and by word formed in mine understanding1 and by spiritual sight4 ,but the spiritual sight ,i cannot nor may not shew it as openly nor as fully as ,i would4 ,but ,i trust in our ,lord ,god ,almighty that ,he shall of ,his goodness1 and for your love1 make you to take it more spiritually and more sweetly than ,i can or may tell it4 #a sey say or tell4 #b i4e4 ,the teaching of the ,faith and the teaching of the special ,shewing were both from ,god and were seen to be at one4 ,,the ,,second ,,revelation ,,chapter ,x ,god willeth to be seen and to be sought3 to be abided and to be trusted ,and after this ,i saw with bodily sight in the face of the crucifix that hung before me1 on the which ,i gazed continually1 a part of ,his ,passion3 despite1 spitting and sullying1 and buffetting1 and many languoring pains1 more than ,i can tell1 and often changing of colour4 ,and one time ,i saw half the face1 beginning at the ear1 over-gone with dry blood till it covered to the mid-face4 ,and after that the other half was covered on the same wise1 the whiles in this first part it vanished even as it came4 ,this saw ,i bodily1 troublously and darkly2 and ,i desired more bodily sight1 to have seen more clearly4 ,and ,i was answered in my reason3 ,if ,god will shew thee more1 ,he shall be thy light3 thee needeth none but ,him4 ,for ,i saw ,him sought4#a ,for we are now so blind and unwise that we never seek ,god till ,he of ,his goodness shew ,himself to us4 ,and when we aught see of ,him graciously1 then are we stirred by the same grace to seek with great desire to see ,him more blissfully4 ,and thus ,i saw ,him1 and sought ,him2 and ,i had ,him1 ,i wanted ,him4 ,and this is1 and should be1 our common working in this life1 as to my sight4 ,one time mine understanding was led down into the sea-ground1 and there ,i saw hills and dales green1 seeming as it were moss-be-grown1 with wrack and gravel4 ,then ,i understood thus3 that if a man or woman were under the broad water1 if he might have sight of ,god so as ,god is with a man continually1 he should be safe in body and soul1 and take no harm3 and overpassing1 he should have more solace and comfort than all this world can tell4 ,for ,he willeth we should believe that we see ,him continually though that to us it seemeth but little of sight2 and in this belief ,he maketh us evermore to gain grace4 ,for ,he will be seen and ,he will be sought3 ,he will be abided and he will be trusted4 ,this ,second ,shewing was so low and so little and so simple1 that my spirits were in great travail in the beholding1--mourning1 full of dread1 and longing3 for ,i was some time in doubt whether it was a ,shewing4 ,and then diverse times our good ,lord gave me more sight1 whereby ,i understood truly that it was a ,shewing4 ,it was a figure and likeness of our foul deeds' shame that our fair1 bright1 blessed ,lord bare for our sins3 it made me to think of the ,holy ,vernacle#b at ,rome1 which ,he hath portrayed with ,his own blessed face when ,he was in ,his hard ,passion1 with steadfast will going to ,his death1 and often changing of colour4 ,of the brownness and blackness1 the ruefulness and wastedness of this ,image many marvel how it might be1 since that ,he portrayed it with ,his blessed ,face who is the fairness of heaven1 flower of earth1 and the fruit of the ,maiden's womb4 ,then how might this ,image be so darkening in colour#c and so far from fair8--,i desire to tell like as ,i have understood by the grace of ,god3-- ,we know in our ,faith1 and believe by the teaching and preaching of ,holy ,church1 that the blessed ,trinity made ,mankind to#d ,his image and to ,his likeness4 ,in the same manner-wise we know that when man fell so deep and so wretchedly by sin1 there was none other help to restore man but through ,him that made man4 ,and ,he that made man for love1 by the same love ,he would restore man to the same bliss1 and overpassing2 and like as we were like-made to the ,trinity in our first making1 our ,maker would that we should be like ,jesus ,christ1 ,our ,saviour1 in heaven without end1 by the virtue of our again-making4 ,then atwix these two1 ,he would for love and worship of man make ,himself as like to man in this deadly life1 in our foulness and our wretchedness1 as man might be without guilt4 ,this is that which is meant where it is said afore3 it was the image and likeness of our foul black deeds' shame wherein our fair1 bright1 blessed ,lord ,god was hid4 ,but full certainly ,i dare say1 and we ought to trow it1 that so fair a man was never none but ,he1 till what time ,his fair colour was changed with travail and sorrow and ,passion and dying4 ,of this it is spoken in the ,eighth ,revelation1 where it treateth more of the same likeness4 ,and where it speaketh of the ,vernacle of ,rome1 it meaneth by reason of diverse changing of colour and countenance1 sometime more comfortably and life-like1 sometime more ruefully and death-like1 as it may be seen in the ,eighth ,revelation4 ,and this dim vision was a learning1 to mine understanding1 that the continual seeking of the soul pleaseth ,god full greatly3 for it may do no more than seek1 suffer and trust4 ,and this is wrought in the soul that hath it1 by the ,holy ,ghost2 and the clearness of finding1 it is of ,his special grace1 when it is ,his will4 ,the seeking1 with faith1 hope1 and charity1 pleaseth our ,lord1 and the finding pleaseth the soul and fulfilleth it with joy4 ,and thus was ,i learned1 to mine understanding1 that seeking is as good as beholding1 for the time that ,he will suffer the soul to be in travail4 ,it is ,god's will that we seek ,him1 to the beholding of ,him1 for by that#e ,he shall shew us ,himself of ,his special grace when ,he will4 ,and how a soul shall have ,him in its beholding1 ,he shall teach ,himself3 and that is most worship to ,him and profit to thyself1 and the soul thus most receiveth of meekness and virtues with the grace and leading of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,for a soul that only fasteneth itself on to ,god with very trust1 either by seeking or in beholding1 it is the most worship that it may do to ,him1 as to my sight4 ,these are two workings that may be seen in this ,vision3 the one is seeking1 the other is beholding4 ,the seeking is common1--that every soul may have with ,his grace1--and ought to have that discretion and teaching of the ,holy ,church4 ,it is ,god's will that we have three things in our seeking3--,the first is that we seek earnestly and diligently1 without sloth1 and1 as it may be through ,his grace1 without unreasonable#f heaviness and vain sorrow4 ,the second is1 that we abide ,him steadfastly for ,his love1 without murmuring and striving against ,him1 to our life's end3 for it shall last but awhile4 ,the third is that we trust in ,him mightily of full assured faith4 ,for it is ,his will that we know that ,he shall appear suddenly and blissfully to all that love ,him4 ,for ,his working is privy1 and ,he willeth to be perceived2 and ,his appearing shall be swiftly sudden2 and ,he willeth to be trusted4 ,for ,he is full gracious#g and homely3 ,blessed may ,he be6 #a ,in de ,cressy's version3 ,i saw ,him and sought ,him4 #b ,the ,handkerchief of ,s4 ,veronica4 #c so discolouring4 #d i4e4 according to4 #e for be that for by means of that2 or possibly the ,old ,english and ,scottish 'forbye that' besides that4 #f onskilful without discernment or ability2 unpractical4 ,s4 de ,cressy1 unreasonable4 #g hend at hand2 7handy1 dexterous27 courteous1 gentle1 urbane4 ,,the ,,third ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xi ,all thing that is done1 it is well done3 for our ,lord ,god doeth all4 ,sin is no deed ,and after this ,i saw ,god in a ,point1#a that is to say1 in mine understanding1--by which sight ,i saw that ,he is in all things4 ,i beheld and considered1 seeing and knowing in sight1 with a soft dread1 and thought3 ,what is sin8 ,for ,i saw truly that ,god doeth all-thing1 be it never so little4 ,and ,i saw truly that nothing is done by hap nor by adventure1 but all things by the foreseeing wisdom of ,god3 if it be hap or adventure in the sight of man1 our blindness and our unforesight is the cause4 ,for the things that are in the foreseeing wisdom of ,god from without beginning1 7which rightfully and worshipfully and continually ,he leadeth to the best end17 as they come about fall to us suddenly1 ourselves unwitting2 and thus by our blindness and our unforesight we say3 these be haps and adventures4 ,but to our ,lord ,god they be not so4 ,wherefore me behoveth needs to grant that all-thing that is done1 it is well-done3 for our ,lord ,god doeth all4 ,for in this time the working of creatures was not shewed1 but the working of our ,lord ,god in the creature3 for ,he is in the ,mid-point of all thing1 and all ,he doeth4 ,and ,i was certain ,he doeth no sin4 ,and here ,i saw verily that sin is no deed3 for in all this was not sin shewed4 ,and ,i would no longer marvel in this1 but beheld our ,lord1 what ,he would shew4 ,and thus1 as much as it might be for the time1 the rightfulness of ,god's working was shewed to the soul4 ,rightfulness hath two fair properties3 it is right and it is full4 ,and so are all the works of our ,lord ,god3 thereto needeth neither the working of mercy nor grace3 for they be all rightful3 wherein faileth nought4 ,but in another time ,he gave a ,shewing for the beholding of sin nakedly1 as ,i shall tell3 where ,he useth working of mercy and grace4 ,and this vision was shewed1 to mine understanding1 for that our ,lord would have the soul turned truly unto the beholding of ,him1 and generally of all ,his works4 ,for they are full good2 and all ,his doings are easy and sweet1 and to great ease bringing the soul that is turned from the beholding of the blind ,deeming of man unto the fair sweet ,deeming of our ,lord ,god4 ,for a man beholdeth some deeds well done and some deeds evil1 but our ,lord beholdeth them not so3 for as all that hath being in nature is of ,godly making1 so is all that is done1 in property of ,god's doing4 ,for it is easy to understand that the best deed is well done3 and so well as the best deed is done--the highest--so well is the least deed done2 and all thing in its property and in the order that our ,lord hath ordained it to from without beginning4 ,for there is no doer but ,he4 ,i saw full surely that he changeth never ,his purpose in no manner of thing1 nor never shall1 without end4 ,for there was no thing unknown to ,him in ,his rightful ordinance from without beginning4 ,and therefore all-thing was set in order ere anything was made1 as it should stand without end2 and no manner of thing shall fail of that point4 ,for ,he made all things in fulness of goodness1 and therefore the blessed ,trinity is ever full pleased in all ,his works4#b ,and all this shewed ,he full blissfully1 signifying thus3 ,see6 ,i am ,god3 see6 ,i am in all thing3 see6 ,i do all thing3 see6 ,i lift never mine hands off my works1 nor ever shall1 without end3 see6 ,i lead all thing to the end ,i ordained it to from without beginning1 by the same ,might1 ,wisdom and ,love whereby ,i made it4 ,how should any thing be amiss8 ,thus mightily1 wisely1 and lovingly was the soul examined in this ,vision4 ,then saw ,i soothly that me behoved1 of need1 to assent1 with great reverence enjoying in ,god4 #a ,see below3 ,he is in the ,mid-point1 and lxiii4 p4 #aeh1 the blessed ,point from which nature came3 that is1 ,god4 ,see also xxi4 p4 #de1 ,where is now any point of thy pain8 7least part7 and xxi4 p4 #df1 abiding unto the last point2 and lxiv4 p4 #afa1 set the point of our thought4 ,these uses of the word may be compared with the following3--,from the ,banquet of ,dante ,alighieri1 tr4 by ,k4 ,hillard 7,kegan ,paul1 ,trench ,co471 ,bk4 ,,ii4 xiv4 #ab1 ,geometry moves between the print and the circle2 as ,euclid says1 the point is the beginning of ,geometry1 and according to him1 the circle is the most perfect figure1 and therefore may be considered its end4444 ,the point by reason of its indivisibility is immeasurable1 and the circle by reason of its arc cannot be exactly squared1 and therefore cannot be measured with precision4 ,notes by ,miss ,hillard3 ,this is why the ,deity is represented by a point4 ,paradiso1 xxviii4 #af3 ',a point beheld ,i1' ',heaven and all nature1 hangs upon that point1' etc4 ,bk4 ,,iv4 #f1 quoting ,aristotle's ,physics3 ',the circle can be called perfect when it is a true circle4 ,and this is when it contains a point which is equally distant from every part of its circumference4' ,in the ,vita ,nuova ,love appearing1 says--',i am as the centre of a circle1 to which all parts of the circumference bear an equal relation' 7',amor che muove il sole e l'altre stelle'74 ,from ,neoplatonism1 by ,c4 ,bigg1 ,d4,d4 7,s4,p4,c4,k471 p4 #abb3 ,thus we get a triplet--,soul1 ,intelligence1 and a higher ,intelligence4 ,the last is spoken of as ,one1 as a point1 as neither good nor evil because above both4 #b ,on this subject1 with the ,two ,deemings and the ,godly ,will1 see xlv41 xxxv41 xxxvii41 lxxxii4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xii ,the dearworthy blood of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ as verily as it is most precious1 so verily it it most plenteous ,and after this ,i saw1 beholding1 the body plenteously bleeding in seeming of#a the ,scourging1 as thus3--,the fair skin was broken full deep into the tender flesh with sharp smiting all about the sweet body4 ,so plenteously the hot blood ran out that there was neither seen skin nor wound1 but as it were all blood4 ,and when it came where it should have fallen down1 then it vanished4 ,notwithstanding1 the bleeding continued awhile3 till it might be seen and considered4#b ,and this was so plenteous1 to my sight1 that methought if it had been so in kind#c and in substance at that time1 it should have made the bed all one blood1 and have passed over about4 ,and then came to my mind that ,god hath made waters plenteous in earth to our service and to our bodily ease for tender love that ,he hath to us1 but yet liketh ,him better that we take full homely ,his blessed blood to wash us of sin3 for there is no water#d that is made that ,he liketh so well to give us4 ,for it is most plenteous as it is most precious3 and that by the virtue of ,his blessed ,godhead2 and it is of our ,kind1 and all-blissfully belongeth to us by the virtue of ,his precious love4 ,the dearworthy blood of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ as verily as it is most precious1 so verily it is most plenteous4 ,behold and see6 ,the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood descended down into ,hell and burst her bands and delivered all that were there which belonged to the ,court of ,heaven4 ,the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood overfloweth all ,earth1 and is ready to wash all creatures of sin1 which be of goodwill1 have been1 and shall be4 ,the precious plenty of ,his dearworthy blood ascended up into ,heaven to the blessed body of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and there is in ,him1 bleeding and praying for us to the ,father1--and is1 and shall be as long as it needeth2--and ever shall be as long as it needeth4 ,and evermore it floweth in all ,heavens enjoying the salvation of all mankind1 that are there1 and shall be--fulfilling the number#e that faileth4 #a i4e4 as it were from4 #b sene with avisement1 so1 p4 #bf4--;,i beheld with avisement4 #c i4e4 ,nature1 reality4 #d ,,ms4 licor4 #e ,the appointed number of heavenly citizens4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xiii ,the ,enemy is overcome by the blessed ,passion and ,death of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ ,and after this1 ere ,god shewed any words1 ,he suffered me for a convenient time to give heed unto ,him and all that ,i had seen1 and all intellect#a that was therein1 as the simplicity of the soul might take it4#b ,then ,he1 without voice and opening of lips1 formed in my soul these words3 ,herewith is the ,fiend overcome4 ,these words said our ,lord1 meaning ,his blessed ,passion as ,he shewed it afore4 ,on this shewed our ,lord that the ,passion of ,him is the overcoming of the ,fiend4 ,god shewed that the ,fiend hath now the same malice that he had afore the ,incarnation4 ,and as sore he travaileth1 and as continually he seeth that all souls of salvation escape him1 worshipfully1 by the virtue of ,christ's precious ,passion4 ,and that is his sorrow1 and full evil is he ashamed3 for all that ,god suffereth him to do turneth for us to joy and for him to shame and woe4 ,and he hath as much sorrow when ,god giveth him leave to work1 as when he worketh not3 and that is for that he may never do as ill as he would3 for his might is all taken#c into ,god's hand4 ,but in ,god there may be no wrath1 as to my sight3 for our good ,lord endlessly hath regard to ,his own worship and to the profit of all that shall be saved4 ,with might and right ,he withstandeth the ,reproved1 the which of malice and wickedness busy them to contrive and to do against ,god's will4 ,also ,i saw our ,lord scorn his malice and set at nought his unmight2 and ,he willeth that we do so4 ,for this sight ,i laughed mightily1 and that made them to laugh that were about me1 and their laughing was a pleasure to me4 ,i thought that ,i would that all mine even-,christians had seen as ,i saw1 and then would they all laugh with me4 ,but ,i saw not ,christ laugh4 ,for ,i understood that we may laugh in comforting of ourselves and joying in ,god for that the devil is overcome4 ,and when ,i saw ,him scorn his malice1 it was by leading of mine understanding into our ,lord3 that is to say1 it was an inward shewing of verity1 without changing of look4#d ,for1 as to my sight1 it is a worshipful property of ,god's that ,he is ever the same4 ,and after this ,i fell into a graveness1#e and said3 ,i see three things3 ,i see game1 scorn1 and earnest4 ,i see a game1 in that the ,fiend is overcome2 ,i see scorn1 in that ,god scorneth him1 and he shall be scorned2 and ,i see earnest1 in that he is overcome by the blissful ,passion and ,death of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ that was done in full earnest and with sober travail4 ,when ,i said1 he is scorned1--,i meant that ,god scorneth him1 that is to say1 because ,he seeth him now as he shall do without end4 ,for in this word ,god shewed that the ,fiend is condemned4 ,and this meant ,i when ,i said3 he shall be scorned3 he shall be scorned at ,doomsday1 generally of all that shall be saved1 to whose consolation he hath great ill-will4#f ,for then he shall see that all the woe and tribulation that he hath done to them shall be turned to increase of their joy1 without end2 and all the pain and tribulation that he would have brought them to shall endlessly go with him to hell4 #a i4e4 significance1 teaching4 #b i4e4 in so far as the simplicity of my soul was able to understand it4--,see xxiv4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy has locked instead of taken4 #d chere expression of countenance4 #e sadhede4 #f invye4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xiv ,the age of every man shall be acknowledged before him in ,heaven1 and every man shall be rewarded for his willing service and for his time ,after this our good ,lord said3 ,i thank thee for thy travail1 and especially for thy youth4 ,and in this ,shewing mine understanding was lifted up into ,heaven where ,i saw our ,lord as a lord in his own house1 which hath called all his dear worthy servants and friends to a stately#a feast4 ,then ,i saw the ,lord take no place in ,his own house1 but ,i saw ,him royally reign in ,his house1 fulfilling it with joy and mirth1 ,himself endlessly to gladden and to solace ,his dearworthy friends1 full homely and full courteously1 with marvellous melody of endless love1 in ,his own fair blessed ,countenance4 ,which glorious ,countenance of the ,godhead fulfilleth the ,heavens with joy and bliss4#b ,god shewed three degrees of bliss that every soul shall have in ,heaven that willingly hath served ,god in any degree in earth4 ,the first is the worshipful thanks of our ,lord ,god that he shall receive when he is delivered of pain4 ,this thanking is so high and so worshipful that the soul thinketh it filleth him though there were no more4 ,for methought that all the pain and travail that might be suffered by all living men might not deserve the worshipful thanks that one man shall have that willingly hath served ,god4 ,the second is that all the blessed creatures that are in ,heaven shall see that worshipful thanking1 and ,he maketh his service known to all that are in ,heaven4 ,and here this example was shewed3--,a king1 if he thank his servants1 it is a great worship to them1 and if he maketh it known to all the realm1 then is the worship greatly increased4--,the third is1 that as new and as gladdening as it is received in that time1 right so shall it last without end4 ,and ,i saw that homely and sweetly was this shewed1 and that the age of every man shall be made known in ,heaven1 and he shall be rewarded for his willing service and for his time4 ,and specially the age of them that willingly and freely offer their youth unto ,god1 passingly is rewarded and wonderfully is thanked4 ,for ,i saw that whene'er what time a man or woman is truly turned to ,god1--for one day's service and for his endless will he shall have all these three decrees of bliss4 ,and the more the loving soul seeth this courtesy of ,god1 the liefer he#c is to serve him all the days of his life4 #a ,,ms4 solemne--ceremonial4 #b ,see lxxii4 and lxxv4 #c ,thoughout this ,,ms4 the soul is referred to generally with the masculine pronoun2 the feminine pronoun is never used1 in any of its cases2 the neuter sometimes occurs4 ,,the ,,seventh ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xv ,it is not ,god's will that we follow the feeling of pains in sorrow and mourning for them ,and after this ,he shewed a sovereign ghostly pleasante in my soul4 ,i was fulfilled with the everlasting sureness1 mightily sustained without any painful dread4 ,this feeling was so glad and so ghostly that ,i was in all peace and in rest1 that there was nothing in earth that should have grieved me4 ,this lasted but a while1 and ,i was turned and left to myself in heaviness1 and weariness of my life1 and irksomeness of myself1 that scarcely ,i could have patience to live4 ,there was no comfort nor none ease to me but faith1 hope1 and charity2 and these ,i had in truth1 but little in feeling4 ,and anon after this our blessed ,lord gave me again the comfort and the rest in soul1 in satisfying and sureness so blissful and so mighty that no dread1 no sorrow1 no pain bodily that might be suffered should have distressed me4 ,and then the pain shewed again to my feeling1 and then the joy and the pleasing1 and now that one1 and now that other1 divers times--,i suppose about twenty times4 ,and in the time of joy ,i might have said with ,saint ,paul3 ,nothing shall dispart me from the charity of ,christ2 and in the pain ,i might have said with ,peter3 ,lord1 save me3 ,i perish6 ,this ,vision was shewed me1 according to mine understanding1 for that it is speedful to some souls to feel on this wise3 sometime to be in comfort1 and sometime to fail and to be left to themselves4 ,god willeth that we know that ,he keepeth us even alike secure in woe and in weal4 ,and for profit of man's soul1 a man is sometime left to himself2 although sin is not always the cause3 for in this time ,i sinned not wherefore ,i should be left to myself--for it was so sudden4 ,also ,i deserved not to have this blessed feeling4 ,but freely our ,lord giveth when ,he will2 and suffereth us to be in woe sometime4 ,and both is one love4 ,for it is ,god's will that we hold us in comfort with all our might3 for bliss is lasting without end1 and pain is passing and shall be brought to nought for them that shall be saved4 ,and therefore it is not ,god's will that we follow the feelings of pain in sorrow and mourning for them1 but that we suddenly pass over1 and hold us in endless enjoyment4 ,,the ,,eighth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xvi ,a ,part of ,his ,passion ,after this ,christ shewed a part of ,his ,passion near ,his dying4 ,i saw ,his sweet face as it were dry and bloodless with pale dying4 ,and later1 more pale1 dead1 languoring2 and then turned more dead unto blue2 and then more brown-blue1 as the flesh turned more deeply dead4 ,for ,his ,passion shewed to me most specially in ,his blessed face 7and chiefly in ,his lips73 there ,i saw these four colours1 though it were afore fresh1 ruddy1 and pleasing1 to my sight4 ,this was a pitiful change to see1 this deep dying4 ,and also the inward moisture clotted and dried1 to my sight1 and the sweet body was brown and black1 all turned out of fair1 life-like colour of itself1 unto dry dying4 ,for that same time that our ,lord and blessed ,saviour died upon the ,rood1 it was a dry1 hard wind1 and wondrous cold1 as to my sight1 and what time all the precious blood was bled out of the sweet body that might pass therefrom1 yet there dwelled a moisture in the sweet flesh of ,christ1 as it was shewed4 ,bloodlessness and pain dried within2 and blowing of wind and cold coming from without met together in the sweet body of ,christ4 ,and these four1--twain without1 and twain within--dried the flesh of ,christ by process of time4 ,and though this pain was bitter and sharp1 it was full long lasting1 as to my sight1 and painfully dried up all the lively spirits of ,christ's flesh4 ,thus ,i saw the sweet flesh dry in seeming by part after part1 with marvellous pains4 ,and as long as any spirit had life in ,christ's flesh1 so long suffered ,he pain4 ,this long pining seemed to me as if ,he had been seven nights dead1 dying1 at the point of outpassing away1 suffering the last pain4 ,and when ,i said it seemed to me as if ,he had been seven night dead1 it meaneth that the sweet body was so discoloured1 so dry1 so shrunken1 so deathly1 and so piteous1 as if ,he had been seven night dead1 continually dying4 ,and methought the drying of ,christ's flesh was the most pain1 and the last1 of ,his ,passion4 ,,chapter ,,xvii ,how might any pain be more to me than to see ,him that is all my life1 and all my bliss1 and all my joy suffer8 ,and in this dying was brought to my mind the words of ,christ3 ,i thirst4 ,for ,i saw in ,christ a double thirst3 one bodily2 another spiritual1 the which ,i shall speak of in the ,thirty-first ,chapter4 ,for this word was shewed for the bodily thirst3 the which ,i understood was caused by failing of moisture4 ,for the blessed flesh and bones was left all alone without blood and moisture4 ,the blessed body dried alone long time with wringing of the nails and weight of the body4 ,for ,i understood that for tenderness of the sweet hands and of the sweet feet1 by the greatness1 hardness1 and grievousness of the nails the wounds waxed wide and the body sagged1 for weight by long time hanging4 ,and therewith was piercing and pressing of the head1 and binding of the ,crown all baked with dry blood1 with the sweet hair clinging1 and the dry flesh1 to the thorns1 and the thorns to the flesh drying2 and in the beginning while the flesh was fresh and bleeding1 the continual sitting of the thorns made the wounds wide4 ,and furthermore ,i saw that the sweet skin and the tender flesh1 with the hair and the blood1 was all raised and loosed about from the bone1 with the thorns where-through it were rent in many pieces1 as a cloth that were sagging1 as if it would hastily have fallen off1 for heaviness and looseness1 while it had natural moisture4 ,and that was great sorrow and dread to me3 for methought ,i would not for my life have seen it fall4 ,how it was done ,i saw not2 but understood it was with the sharp thorns and the violent and grievous setting on of the ,garland of ,thorns1 unsparingly and without pity4 ,this continued awhile1 and soon it began to change1 and ,i beheld and marvelled how it might be4 ,and then ,i saw it was because it began to dry1 and stint a part of the weight1 and set about the ,garland4 ,and thus it encircled all about1 as it were garland upon garland4 ,the ,garland of the ,thorns was dyed with the blood1 and that other garland of ,blood and the head1 all was one colour1 as clotted blood when it is dry4 ,the skin of the flesh that shewed 7of the face and of the body71 was small-rimpled#a with a tanned colour1 like a dry board when it is aged2 and the face more brown than the body4 ,i saw four manner of dryings3 the first was bloodlessness2 the second was pain following after2 the third1 hanging up in the air1 as men hang a cloth to dry2 the fourth1 that the bodily ,kind asked liquid and there was no manner of comfort ministered to ,him in all ,his woe and distress4 ,ah6 hard and grievous was his pain1 but much more hard and grievous it was when the moisture failed and began to dry thus1 shrivelling4 ,these were the pains that shewed in the blessed head3 the first wrought to the dying1 while it had moisture2 and that other1 slow1 with shrinking drying1 and with blowing of the wind from without1 that dried and pained ,him with cold more than mine heart can think4 ,and other pains--for which pains ,i saw that all is too little that ,i can say3 for it may not be told4 ,the which ,shewing of ,christ's pains filled me full of pain4 ,for ,i wist well ,he suffered but once1 but this was as if ,he would shew it me and fill me with mind as ,i had afore desired4 ,and in all this time of ,christ's pains ,i felt no pain but for ,christ's pains4 ,then thought-me3 ,i knew but little what pain it was that ,i asked2 and1 as a wretch1 repented me1 thinking3 ,if ,i had wist what it had been1 loth me had been to have prayed it4 ,for methought it passed bodily death1 my pains4 ,i thought3 ,is any pain like this8 ,and ,i was answered in my reason3 ,hell is another pain3 for there is despair4 ,but of all pains that lead to salvation this is the most pain1 to see thy ,love suffer4 ,how might any pain be more to me than to see ,him that is all my life1 all my bliss1 and all my joy1 suffer8 ,here felt ,i soothfastly#b that ,i loved ,christ so much above myself that there was no pain that might be suffered like to that sorrow that ,i had to see ,him in pain4 #a or shrivelled4 #b in sure verity4 ,,chapter ,,xviii ,when ,he was in pain1 we were in pain ,here ,i saw a part of the compassion of our ,lady1 ,saint ,mary3 for ,christ and she were so oned in love that the greatness of her loving was cause of the greatness of her pain4 ,for in this ,shewing ,i saw a ,substance of ,nature's#a ,love1 continued by ,grace1 that creatures have to ,him3 which ,kind ,love was most fully shewed in ,his sweet ,mother1 and overpassing2 for so much as she loved ,him more than all other1 her pains passed all other4 ,for ever the higher1 the mightier1 the sweeter that the love be1 the more sorrow it is to the lover to see that body in pain that is loved4 ,and all ,his disciples and all ,his true lovers suffered pains more than their own bodily dying4 ,for ,i am sure by mine own feeling that the least of them loved ,him so far above himself that it passeth all that ,i can say4 ,here saw ,i a great oneing betwixt ,christ and us1 to mine understanding3 for when ,he was in pain1 we were in pain4 ,and all creatures that ought suffer pain1 suffered with ,him3 that is to say1 all creatures that ,god hath made to our service4 ,the firmament1 the earth1 failed for sorrow in their ,nature in the time of ,christ's dying4 ,for it belongeth naturally to their property to know ,him for their ,god1 in whom all their virtue standeth3 when ,he failed1 then behoved it needs to them1 because of kindness between them1 to fail with ,him1 as much as they might1 for sorrow of ,his pains4 ,and thus they that were ,his friends suffered pain for love4 ,and1 generally1 all3 that is to say1 they that knew ,him not suffered for failing of all manner of comfort save the mighty1 privy keeping of ,god4 ,i speak of two manner of folk1 as they may be understood by two persons3 the one was ,pilate1 the other was ,saint ,dionyse#b of ,france1 which was at that time a ,paynim4 ,for when he saw wondrous and marvellous sorrows and dreads that befell in that time1 he said3 ,either the world is now at an end1 or ,he that is ,maker of ,kind suffereth4 ,wherefore he did write on an altar3 ,,this ,,is ,,the ,,altar ,,of ,,unknown ,,god4 ,god that of ,his goodness maketh the planets and the elements to work of ,kind to the blessed man and the cursed1 in that time made withdrawing#c of it from both2 wherefore it was that they that knew ,him not were in sorrow that time4 ,thus was our ,lord ,jesus made-naught for us2 and all we stand in this manner made-naught with ,him1 and shall do till we come to ,his bliss2 as ,i shall tell after4 #a i4e4 ,natural4 #b ,dionysius1 the ,areopagite1 according to the legend of ,s4 ,denis4 #c ,,ms4--it was withdrawen from bothe4 ,,chapter ,,xix ,thus was ,i learned to choose ,jesus for my ,heaven1 whom ,i saw only in pain at that time ,in this time ,i would have looked up from the ,cross1 but ,i durst not4 ,for ,i wist well that while ,i beheld in the ,cross ,i was surely-safe2 therefore ,i would not assent to put my soul in peril3 for away from the ,cross was no sureness1 for frighting of fiends4 ,then had ,i a proffer in my reason1#a as if it had been friendly said to me3 ,look up to ,heaven to ,his ,father4 ,and then saw ,i well1 with the faith that ,i felt1 that there was nothing betwixt the ,cross and ,heaven that might have harmed me4 ,either me behoved to look up or else to answer4 ,i answered inwardly with all the might of my soul1 and said3 ,nay2 ,i may not3 for ,thou art my ,heaven4 ,this ,i said for that ,i would not4 ,for ,i would liever have been in that pain till ,doomsday than to come to ,heaven otherwise than by ,him4 ,for ,i wist well that ,he that bound me so sore1 ,he should unbind me when that ,he would4 ,thus was ,i learned to choose ,jesus to my ,heaven1 whom ,i saw only in pain at that time3 meliked no other ,heaven than ,jesus1 which shall be my bliss when ,i come there4 ,and this hath ever been a comfort to me1 that ,i chose ,jesus to my ,heaven1 by ,his grace1 in all this time of ,passion and sorrow2 and that hath been a learning to me that ,i should evermore do so3 choose only ,jesus to my ,heaven in weal and woe4 ,and though ,i as a wretched creature had repented me 7,i said afore if ,i had wist what pain it would be1 ,i had been loth to have prayed71 here saw ,i truly that it was reluctance and frailty of the flesh without assent of the soul3 to which ,god assigneth no blame4 ,repenting and willing choice be two contraries which ,i felt both in one at that time4 ,and these be of our two parts3 the one outward1 the other inward4 ,the outward part is our deadly flesh-hood1 which is now in pain and woe1 and shall be1 in this life3 whereof ,i felt much in this time2 and that part it was that repented4 ,the inward part is an high1 blissful life1 which is all in peace and in love3 and this was more inwardly felt2 and this part is that in which mightily1 wisely and with steadfast will ,i chose ,jesus to my ,heaven4 ,and in this ,i saw verily that the inward part is master and sovereign to the outward1 and doth not charge itself with1 nor take heed to1 the will of that3 but all the intent and will is set to be oned unto our ,lord ,jesus4 ,that the outward part should draw the inward to assent was not shewed to me2 but that the inward draweth the outward by grace1 and both shall be oned in bliss without end1 by the virtue of ,christ1--this was shewed4 #a see xxxv4 and lv4 ,,chapter ,,xx ,for every man's sin that shall be saved ,he suffered1 and every man's sorrow and desolation ,he saw1 and sorrowed for ,kinship and ,love ,and thus ,i saw our ,lord ,jesus languoring long time4 ,for the oneing with the ,godhead gave strength to the manhood for love to suffer more than all men might suffer3 ,i mean not only more pain than all men might suffer1 but also that ,he suffered more pain than all men of salvation that ever were from the first beginning unto the last day might tell or fully think1 having regard to the worthiness of the highest worshipful ,king and the shameful1 despised1 painful death4 ,for ,he that is highest and worthiest was most fully made-nought and most utterly despised4 ,for the highest point that may be seen in the ,passion is to think and know what ,he is that suffered4 ,and in this ,shewing ,he brought in part to mind the height and nobleness of the glorious ,godhead1 and therewith the preciousness and the tenderness of the blessed ,body1 which be together united2 and also the lothness that is in our ,kind to suffer pain4 ,for as much as ,he was most tender and pure1 right so ,he was most strong and mighty to suffer4 ,and for every man's sin that shall be saved ,he suffered3 and every man's sorrow and desolation ,he saw1 and sorrowed for ,blindness and love4 7,for in as much as our ,lady sorrowed for ,his pains1 in so much ,he suffered sorrow for her sorrow2--and more1 in as greatly as the sweet manhood of ,him was worthier in ,kind47 ,for as long as ,he was passible ,he suffered for us and sorrowed for us2 and now ,he is uprisen and no more passible1 yet ,he suffereth with us4 ,and ,i1 beholding all this by ,his grace1 saw that the ,love of ,him was so strong which ,he hath to our soul that willingly ,he chose it with great desire1 and mildly ,he suffered it with well-pleasing4 ,for the soul that beholdeth it thus1 when it is touched by grace1 it shall verily see that the pains of ,christ's ,passion pass all pains3 all pains that is to say1 which shall be turned into everlasting1 o'erpassing joys by the virtue of ,christ's ,passion4 ,,chapter ,,xxi ,we be now with ,him in ,his ,pains and ,his ,passion1 dying4 ,we shall be with ,him in ,heaven4 ,through learning in this little pain that we suffer here1 we shall have an high endless knowledge of ,god which we could never have without that ,it is ,god's will1 as to mine understanding1 that we have ,three#a ,manners of ,beholding ,his blessed ,passion4 ,the ,first is3 the hard ,pain that ,he suffered1--beholding it with contrition and compassion4 ,and that shewed our ,lord in this time1 and gave me strength and grace to see it4 ,and ,i looked for the departing with all my might1 and thought to have seen the body all dead2 but ,i saw ,him not so4 ,and right in the same time that methought1 by the seeming1 the life might no longer last and the ,shewing of the end behoved needs to be1--suddenly 7,i beholding in the same ,cross71 ,he changed the look of ,his blessed ,countenance4#b ,the changing of ,his blessed ,countenance changed mine1 and ,i was as glad and merry as it was possible4 ,then brought our ,lord merrily to my mind3 ,where is now any point of the pain1 or of thy grief8 ,and ,i was full merry4 ,i understood that we be now1 in our ,lord's meaning1 in ,his ,cross with ,him in ,his pains and ,his ,passion1 dying2 and we1 willingly abiding in the same ,cross with ,his help and ,his grace unto the last point1 suddenly ,he shall change ,his ,cheer to us1 and we shall be with ,him in ,heaven4 ,betwixt that one and that other shall be no time1 and then shall all be brought to joy4 ,and thus said ,he in this ,shewing3 ,where is now any point of thy pain1 or thy grief8 ,and we shall be full blessed4 ,and here saw ,i verily that if ,he shewed now to us ,his ,blissful ,cheer1 there is no pain in earth or in other place that should aggrieve us2 but all things should be to us joy and bliss4 ,but because ,he sheweth to us time of ,his ,passion1 as ,he bare it in this life1 and ,his ,cross1 therefore we are in distress and travail1 with ,him1 as our frailty asketh4 ,and the cause why ,he suffereth it to be so1 is for that ,he will of ,his goodness make us the higher with ,him in ,his bliss2 and for this little pain that we suffer here1 we shall have an high endless knowing in ,god which we could#c never have without that4 ,and the harder our pains have been with ,him in ,his ,cross1 the more shall our worship#d be with ,him in ,his ,kingdom4 #a xxii4 and xxiii4 #b ,his blisful chere1 or blessed ,cheer2 lxxii4 and ,note4 #c might4 #d i4e4 glory4 ,,the ,,ninth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xxii ,the ,love that made ,him to suffer passeth so far all ,his ,pains as ,heaven is above ,earth ,then said our good ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 ,art thou well pleased that ,i suffered for thee8 ,i said3 ,yea1 good ,lord1 ,i thank ,thee2 ,yea1 good ,lord1 blessed mayst ,thou be4 ,then said ,jesus1 our kind ,lord3 ,if thou art pleased1 ,i am pleased3 it is a joy1 a bliss1 an endless satisfying to me that ever suffered ,i ,passion for thee2 and if ,i might suffer more1 ,i would suffer more4 ,in this feeling my understanding was lifted up into ,heaven1 and there ,i saw three heavens3 of which sight ,i marvelled greatly4 ,and though ,i see three heavens--and all in the blessed manhood of ,christ--none is more1 none is less1 none is higher1 none is lower1 but they are even-like in bliss4 ,for the ,first ,heaven1 ,christ shewed me ,his ,father2 in no bodily likeness1 but in ,his property and in ,his working4 ,that is to say1 ,i saw in ,christ that the ,father is4 ,the working of the ,father is this1 that ,he giveth meed to ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,this gift and this meed is so blissful to ,jesus that ,his ,father might have given ,him no meed that might have pleased ,him better4 ,the first heaven1 that is the pleasing of the ,father1 shewed to me as one heaven2 and it was full blissful3 for ,he is full pleased with all the deeds that ,jesus hath done about our salvation4 ,wherefore we be not only ,his by ,his buying1 but also by the courteous gift of ,his ,father we be ,his bliss1 we be ,his meed1 we be ,his worship1 we be ,his crown4 7,and this was a singular marvel and a full delectable beholding1 that we be ,his crown67 ,this that ,i say is so great bliss to ,jesus that ,he setteth at nought all ,his travail1 and ,his hard ,passion1 and ,his cruel and shameful death4 ,and in these words3 ,if that ,i might suffer more1 ,i would suffer more1--,i saw in truth that as often as ,he might die1 so often ,he would1 and love should never let ,him have rest till ,he had done it4 ,and ,i beheld with great diligence for to learn how often ,he would die if ,he might4 ,and verily the number passed mine understanding and my wits so far that my reason might not1 nor could1 comprehend it4 ,and when ,he had thus oft died1 or should1 yet ,he would set it at nought1 for love3 for all seemeth#a ,him but little in regard of ,his love4 ,for though the sweet manhood of ,christ might suffer but once1 the goodness in ,him may never cease of proffer3 every day ,he is ready to the same1 if it might be4 ,for if ,he said ,he would for my love make new ,heavens and new ,earth1 it were but little in comparison2#b for this might be done every day if ,he would1 without any travail4 ,but to die for my love so often that the number passeth creature's reason1 it is the highest proffer that our ,lord ,god might make to man's soul1 as to my sight4 ,then meaneth ,he thus3 ,how should it not be that ,i should not do for thy love all that ,i might of deeds which grieve me not1 sith ,i would1 for thy love1 die so often1 having no regard#c to my hard pains8 ,and here saw ,i1 for the ,second#d ,beholding in this blessed ,passion the love that made ,him to suffer passeth as far all ,his pains as ,heaven is above ,earth4 ,for the pains was a noble1 worshipful deed done in a time by the working of love3 but#e ,love was without beginning1 is1 and shall be without ending4 ,for which love ,he said full sweetly these words3 ,if ,i might suffer more1 ,i would suffer more4 ,he said not1 ,if it were needful to suffer more3 for though it were not needful1 if ,he might suffer more1 ,he would4 ,this deed1 and this work about our salvation1 was ordained as well as ,god might ordain it4 ,and here ,i saw a ,full ,bliss in ,christ3 for ,his bliss should not have been full1 if it might any better have been done4 #a ffor al thynketh him but litil in reward of ,his love in comparison with4 #b ,,ms4 ,reward4 #c ,,ms4 ,reward4 #d ,see xxi41 xxiii4 #e ,,ms4 and1 probably here1 at in other places1 with something of the force of but4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii ,the ,glad ,giver ,all the ,trinity wrought in the ,passion of ,jesus ,christ ,and in these three words3 ,it is a joy1 a bliss1 an endless satisfying to me1 were shewed three heavens1 as thus3 ,for the joy1 ,i understood the pleasure of the ,father2 and for the bliss1 the worship of the ,son2 and for the endless satisfying1#a the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,father is pleased1 the ,son is worshipped1 the ,holy ,ghost is satisfied4#b ,and here saw ,i1 for the ,third ,beholding in ,his blissful ,passion3 that is to say1 the ,joy and the ,bliss that make ,him to be well-satisfied in it4 ,for our ,courteous ,lord shewed ,his ,passion to me in five manners3 of which the first is the bleeding of the head2 the second is1 discolouring of ,his face2 the third is1 the plenteous bleeding of the body1 in seeming as from the scourging2 the fourth is1 the deep dying3--these four are aforetold for the pains of the ,passion4 ,and the fifth is this that was shewed for the joy and the bliss of the ,passion4 ,for it is ,god's will that we have true enjoying with ,him in our salvation1 and therein ,he willeth that we be mightily comforted and strengthened2 and thus willeth ,he that merrily with ,his grace our soul be occupied4 ,for we are ,his bliss3 for in us ,he enjoyeth without end2 and so shall we in ,him1 with ,his grace4 ,and all that ,he hath done for us1 and doeth1 and ever shall1 was never cost nor charge to ,him1 nor might be1 but only that which ,he did in our manhood1 beginning at the sweet ,incarnation and lasting to the ,blessed ,uprise on ,easter-morrow3#c so long dured the cost and the charge about our redemption in deed3 of the which deed ,he enjoyeth endlessly1 as it is aforesaid4 ,jesus willeth that we take heed to the bliss that is in the blessed ,trinity because of our salvation and that we desire to have as much spiritual enjoying1 with ,his grace1 7as it is aforesaid73 that is to say1 that the enjoying of our salvation be as like to the joy that ,christ hath of our salvation as it may be while we are here4 ,all the ,trinity wrought in the ,passion of ,christ1 ministering abundance of virtues and plenty of grace to us by ,him3 but only the ,maiden's ,son suffered3 whereof all the blessed ,trinity endlessly enjoyeth4 ,all this was shewed in these words3 ,art thou well pleased8--and by that other word that ,christ said3 ,if thou art pleased1 then am ,i pleased2--as if ,he said3 ,it is joy and satisfying enough to me1 and ,i ask nought else of thee for my travail but that ,i might well please thee4 ,and in this ,he brought to mind the property of a glad giver4 ,a glad giver taketh but little heed of the thing that he giveth1 but all his desire and all his intent is to please him and solace him to whom he giveth it4 ,and if the receiver take the gift highly and thankfully1 then the courteous giver setteth at nought all his cost and all his travail1 for joy and delight that he hath pleased and solaced him that he loveth4 ,plenteously and fully was this shewed4 ,think also wisely of the greatness of this word ever4 ,for in it was shewed an high knowing of love#d that ,he hath in our salvation1 with manifold joys that follow of the ,passion of ,christ4 ,one is that ,he rejoiceth that ,he hath done it in deed1 and ,he shall no more suffer2 another1 that ,he bought us from endless pains of hell4 #a lykyng4 #b lykith4 #c ,esterne morrow ,easter morning4 #d ,experience of loving 7874 ,,the ,,tenth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xxiv ,our ,lord looked unto ,his wounded ,side1 and beheld1 rejoicing4444 ,lo6 how ,i loved thee ,then with a glad cheer our ,lord looked unto ,his ,side and beheld1 rejoicing4 ,with ,his sweet looking ,he led forth the understanding of ,his creature by the same wound into ,his ,side within4 ,and then he shewed a fair1 delectable place1 and large enough for all mankind that shall be saved to rest in peace and in love4#a ,and therewith ,he brought to mind ,his dearworthy blood and precious water which he let pour all out for love4 ,and with the sweet beholding ,he shewed ,his blessed heart even cloven in two4 ,and with this sweet enjoying1 ,he shewed unto mine understanding1 in part1 the blessed ,godhead1 stirring then the poor soul#b to understand1 as it may be said1 that is1 to think on1#c the endless ,love that was without beginning1 and is1 and shall be ever4 ,and with this our good ,lord said full blissfully3 ,lo1 how that ,i loved thee1 as if ,he had said3 ,my darling1 behold and see thy ,lord1 thy ,god that is thy ,maker and thine endless joy1 see what satisfying and bliss ,i have in thy salvation2 and for my love rejoice thou with me4 ,and also1 for more understanding1 this blessed word was said3 ,lo1 how ,i loved thee6 ,behold and see that ,i loved thee so much ere ,i died for thee that ,i would die for thee2 and now ,i have died for thee and suffered willingly that which ,i may4 ,and now is all my bitter pain and all my hard travail turned to endless joy and bliss to me and to thee4 ,how should it now be that thou shouldst anything pray that pleaseth me but that ,i should full gladly grant it thee8 ,for my pleasing is thy holiness and thine endless joy and bliss with me4 ,this is the understanding1 simply as ,i can say it1 of this blessed word3 ,lo1 how ,i loved thee4 ,this shewed our good ,lord for to make us glad and merry4 #a ,see note on the passage in li41 long and broad1 all full of endless heavens2 ,he hath1 beclosed in ,him1 all heavens and all joy and bliss4 #b ,see xiii41 the simplicity of the soul4 #c ,,ms4 that is to mene the endles love4 ,,the ,,eleventh ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xxv ,i wot well that thou wouldst see my blessed ,mother4444 ,wilt thou see in her how thou art loved8 ,and with this same cheer of mirth and joy our good ,lord looked down on the right side and brought to my mind where our ,lady stood in the time of ,his ,passion2 and said3 ,wilt thou see her8 ,and in this sweet word it was as if ,he had said3 ,i wot well that thou wouldst see my blessed ,mother3 for1 after myself1 she is the highest joy that ,i might shew thee1 and most pleasance and worship to me2 and most she is desired to be seen of my blessed creatures4 ,and for the high1 marvellous1 singular love that ,he hath to this sweet ,maiden1 ,his blessed ,mother1 our ,lady ,saint ,mary1 ,he shewed her highly rejoicing1 as by the meaning of these sweet words2 as if ,he said3 ,wilt thou see how ,i love her1 that thou mightest joy with me in the love that ,i have in her and she in me8 ,and also 7unto more understanding this sweet word7 our ,lord speaketh to all mankind that shall be saved1 as it were all to one person1 as if ,he said3 ,wilt thou see in her how thou art loved8 ,for thy love ,i made her so high1 so noble and so worthy2 and this pleaseth me1 and so will ,i that it doeth thee4 ,for after ,himself she is the most blissful sight4 ,but hereof am ,i not learned to long to see her bodily presence while ,i am here1 but the virtues of her blessed soul3 her truth1 her wisdom1 her charity2 whereby ,i may learn to know myself and reverently dread my ,god4 ,and when our good ,lord had shewed this and said this word3 ,wilt thou see her8 ,i answered and said3 ,yea1 good ,lord1 ,i thank ,thee2 yea1 good ,lord1 if it be ,thy will4 ,oftentimes ,i prayed this1 and ,i weened to have seen her in bodily presence1 but ,i saw her not so4 ,and ,jesus in that word shewed me ghostly sight of her3 right as ,i had seen her afore little and simple1 so ,he shewed her then high and noble and glorious1 and pleasing to ,him above all creatures4 ,and ,he willeth that it be known2 that so all those that please them in ,him should please them in her1 and in the pleasance that ,he hath in her and she in ,him4#a ,and1 to more understanding1 ,he shewed this example3 ,as if a man love a creature singularly1 above all creatures1 he willeth to make all creatures to love and to have pleasance in that creature that he loveth so greatly4 ,and in this word that ,jesus said3 ,wilt thou see her8 methought it was the most pleasing word that ,he might have given me of her1 with that ghostly ,shewing that ,he gave me of her4 ,for our ,lord shewed me nothing in special but our ,lady ,saint ,mary2 and her ,he shewed three times4#b ,the first was as she was with ,child2 the second was as she was in her sorrows under the ,cross2 the third is as she is now in pleasing1 worship1 and joy4 #a ,and he wil that it be knowen that al those that lyke in him should lyken in hir and in the lykyng that he hath in hir and she in him4 #b ,see 7#a7 iv4 7referred to in vii472 7#b7 xviii4 ,,the ,,twelfth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xxvi ,it is ,i1 it is ,i ,and after this our ,lord shewed ,himself more glorified1 as to my sight1 than ,i saw ,him before in the ,shewing wherein ,i was learned that our soul shall never have rest till it cometh to ,him1 knowing that ,he is fulness of joy1 homely and courteous1 blissful and very life4 ,our ,lord ,jesus oftentimes said3 ,i it am1 ,i it am3 ,i it am that is highest1 ,i it am that thou lovest1 ,i it am that thou enjoyest1 ,i it am that thou servest1 ,i it am that thou longest for1 ,i it am that thou desirest1 ,i it am that thou meanest1 ,i it am that is all4 ,i it am that ,holy ,church preacheth and teacheth thee1 ,i it am that shewed me here to thee4 ,the number of the words passeth my wit and all my understanding and all my powers4 ,and they are the highest1 as to my sight3 for therein is comprehended--,i cannot tell1--but the joy that ,i saw in the ,shewing of them passeth all that heart may wish for and soul may desire4 ,therefore the words be not declared here2 but every man after the grace that ,god giveth him in understanding and loving1 receive them in our ,lord's meaning4 ,,the ,,thirteenth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,xxvii ,often ,i wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of ,god the beginning of sin was not hindered3 for then1 methought1 all should have been well4 ,sin is behovable--playeth a needful part--2 but all shall be well ,after this the ,lord brought to my mind the longing that ,i had to ,him afore4 ,and ,i saw that nothing letted me but sin4 ,and so ,i looked1 generally1 upon us all1 and methought3 ,if sin had not been1 we should all have been clean and like to our ,lord1 as ,he made us4 ,and thus1 in my folly1 afore this time often ,i wondered why by the great foreseeing wisdom of ,god the beginning of sin was not letted3 for then1 methought1 all should have been well4 ,this stirring of mind was much to be forsaken1 but nevertheless mourning and sorrow ,i made therefor1 without reason and discretion4 ,but ,jesus1 who in this ,vision informed me of all that is needful to me1 answered by this word and said3 ,it behoved that there should be sin2#a but all shall be well1 and all shall be well1 and all manner of thing shall be well4 ,in this naked word sin1 our ,lord brought to my mind1 generally1 all that is not good1 and the shameful despite and the utter noughting#b that ,he bare for us in this life1 and ,his dying2 and all the pains and passions of all ,his creatures1 ghostly and bodily2 7for we be all partly noughted1 and we shall be noughted following our ,master1 ,jesus1 till we be full purged1 that is to say1 till we be fully noughted of our deadly flesh and of all our inward affections which are not very good27 and the beholding of this1 with all pains that ever were or ever shall be1--and with all these ,i understand the ,passion of ,christ for most pain1 and overpassing4 ,all this was shewed in a touch and quickly passed over into comfort3 for our good ,lord would not that the soul were affeared of this terrible sight4 ,but ,i saw not sin3 for ,i believe it hath no manner of substance nor no part of being1 nor could it be known but by the pain it is cause of4 ,and thus#c pain1 it is something1 as to my sight1 for a time2 for it purgeth1 and maketh us to know ourselves and to ask mercy4 ,for the ,passion of our ,lord is comfort to us against all this1 and so is ,his blessed will4 ,and for the tender love that our good ,lord hath to all that shall be saved1 ,he comforteth readily and sweetly1 signifying thus3 ,it is sooth#d that sin is cause of all this pain2 but all shall be well1 and all shall be well1 and all manner of thing shall be well4 ,these words were said full tenderly1 showing no manner of blame to me nor to any that shall be saved4 ,then were it a great unkindness#e to blame or wonder on ,god for my sin1 since ,he blameth not me for sin4 ,and in these words ,i saw a marvellous high mystery hid in ,god1 which mystery ,he shall openly make known to us in ,heaven3 in which knowing we shall verily see the cause why ,he suffered sin to come4 ,in which sight we shall endlessly joy in our ,lord ,god4#f #a ,synne is behovabil1 but al shal be wel al shal be wel al manner of thyng shal be wele4 #b ,being made as nothing1 set at nought4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy has this instead of thus4 #d i4e4 truth1 an actual reality4 ,see lxxxii4 #e ,as it were1 an unreasonable contravention of natural1 filial trust4 #f ,see also chap4 lxi4 ,from the ,enchiridion of ,saint ,augustine3--,all things that exist1 therefore1 seeing that the ,creator of them all is supremely good1 are themselves good4 ,but because they are not like their ,creator1 supremely and unchangeably good1 their good may be diminished and increased4 ,but for good to be diminished is an evil1 although1 however much it may be diminished1 it is necessary1 if the being is to continue1 that some good should remain to constitute the being4 ,for however small or of whatever kind the being may be1 the good which makes it a being cannot be destroyed without destroying the being itself4444 ,so long as a being is in process of corruption1 there is in it some good of which it is being deprived2 and if a part of the being should remain which cannot be corrupted1 this will certainly be an incorruptible being1 and accordingly the process of corruption will result in the manifestation of this great good4 ,but if it do not cease to be corrupted1 neither can it cease to possess good of which corruption may deprive it4 ,but if it should be thoroughly and completely consumed by corruption1 there will then be no good left1 because there will be no being4 ,wherefore corruption can consume the good only by consuming the being4 ,every being1 therefore1 is a good2 a great good1 if it cannot be corrupted2 a little good1 if it can3 but in any case1 only the foolish or ignorant will deny that it is a good4 ,and if it be wholly consumed by corruption1 then the corruption itself must cease to exist1 as there is no being left in which it can dwell4 ,chap4 x4 ,by the ,trinity1 thus supremely and equally and unchangeably good1 all things were created2 and these are not supremely and equally and unchangeably good1 but yet they are good1 even taken separately4 ,taken as a whole1 however1 they are very good1 because their ensemble constitutes the universe in all its wonderful order and beauty4--,the ,works of ,aurelius ,augustine1 ,bishop of ,hippo1 7,edited by the ,rev4 ,marcus ,dods1 ,d4,d471 vol4 ix4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii ,each brotherly compassion that man hath on his fellow ,christians1 with charity1 it is ,christ in him ,thus ,i saw how ,christ hath compassion on us for the cause of sin4 ,and right as ,i was afore in the ,shewing of the ,passion of ,christ fulfilled with pain and compassion1 like so in this sight ,i was fulfilled1 in part1 with compassion of all mine even-,christians--for that well1 well beloved people that shall be saved4 ,for ,god's servants1 ,holy ,church1 shall be shaken in sorrow and anguish1 tribulation in this world1 as men shake a cloth in the wind4 ,and as to this our ,lord answered in this manner3 ,a great thing shall ,i make hereof in ,heaven of endless worship and everlasting joys4 ,yea1 so far forth ,i saw1 that our ,lord joyeth of the tribulations of ,his servants1 with ruth and compassion4 ,on each person that ,he loveth1 to ,his bliss for to bring them1 ,he layeth something that is no blame in ,his sight1 whereby they are blamed and despised in this world1 scorned1 mocked1#a and outcasted4 ,and this ,he doeth for to hinder the harm that they should take from the pomp and the vain-glory of this wretched life1 and make their way ready to come to ,heaven1 and up-raise them in ,his bliss everlasting4 ,for ,he saith3 ,i shall wholly break you of your vain affections and your vicious pride2 and after that ,i shall together gather you1 and make you mild and meek1 clean and holy1 by oneing to me4 ,and then ,i saw that each kind compassion that man hath on his even-,christians with charity1 it is ,christ in him4 ,that same noughting that was shewed in ,his ,passion1 it was shewed again here in this ,compassion4 ,wherein were two manner of understandings in our ,lord's meaning4 ,the one was the bliss that we are brought to1 wherein ,he willeth that we rejoice4 ,the other is for comfort in our pain3 for ,he willeth that we perceive that it shall all be turned to worship and profit by virtue of ,his passion1 that we perceive that we suffer not alone but with ,him1 and see ,him to be our ,ground1 and that we see ,his pains and ,his noughting passeth so far all that we may suffer1 that it may not be fully thought4 ,the beholding of this will save us from murmuring#b and despair in the feeling of our pains4 ,and if we see soothly that our sin deserveth it1 yet ,his love excuseth us1 and of ,his great courtesy ,he doeth away all our blame1 and beholdeth us with ruth and pity as children innocent and unloathful4 #a ,something that is no lak in his syte1 whereby thei are lakid dispisyd in thys world1 scornyd 7a word like rapyd--probably mokyd1 as in ,s4 de ,cressy7 outcasten4 #b gruching4 ,,chapter ,,xxix ,how could all be well1 for the great harm that is come by sin to the creature8 ,but in this ,i stood beholding things general1 troublously and mourning1 saying thus to our ,lord in my meaning1 with full great dread3 ,ah6 good ,lord1 how might all be well1 for the great hurt that is come1 by sin1 to the creature8 ,and here ,i desired1 as far as ,i durst1 to have some more open declaring wherewith ,i might be eased in this matter4 ,and to this our blessed ,lord answered full meekly and with full lovely cheer1 and shewed that ,adam's sin was the most harm that ever was done1 or ever shall be1 to the world's end2 and also ,he shewed that this sin is openly known in all ,holy ,church on earth4 ,furthermore ,he taught that ,i should behold the glorious ,satisfaction#a3 for this ,amends-making#b is more pleasing to ,god and more worshipful1 without comparison1 than ever was the sin of ,adam harmful4 ,then signifieth our blessed ,lord thus in this teaching1 that we should take heed to this3 ,for since ,i have made well the most harm1 then it is my will that thou know thereby that ,i shall make well all that is less4 #a asyeth asseth1 ,satisfying1 ,fulfilment4 ,see p4 #b4 #b asyeth making4 ,see preceding note4 ,,chapter ,,xxx ,two parts of ,truth3 the part that is open3 our ,saviour and our salvation2--and the part that is hid and shut up from us3 all beside our salvation ,he gave me understanding of two parts of truth4 ,the one part is our ,saviour and our salvation4 ,this blessed part is open and clear and fair and light1 and plenteous1--for all mankind that is of good will1 and shall be1 is comprehended in this part4 ,hereto are we bounden of ,god1 and drawn and counselled and taught inwardly by the ,holy ,ghost and outwardly by ,holy ,church in the same grace4 ,in this willeth our ,lord that we be occupied1 joying in ,him2 for ,he enjoyeth in us4 ,the more plenteously that we take of this1 with reverence and meekness1 the more thanks we earn of ,him and the more speed#a to ourselves1 thus--may we say--enjoying our part of our ,lord4 ,the other part is hid and shut up from us3 that is to say1 all that is beside our salvation4 ,for it is our ,lord's privy counsel1 and it belongeth to the royal lordship of ,god to have ,his privy counsel in peace1 and it belongeth to ,his servant1 for obedience and reverence1 not to learn#b wholly ,his counsel4 ,our ,lord hath pity and compassion on us for that some creatures make themselves so busy therein2 and ,i am sure if we knew how much we should please ,him and ease ourselves by leaving it1 we would4 ,the saints that be in ,heaven1 they will to know nothing but that which our ,lord willeth to shew them3 and also their charity and their desire is ruled after the will of our ,lord3 and thus ought we to will1 like to them4 ,then shall we nothing will nor desire but the will of our ,lord1 as they do3 for we are all one in ,god's seeing4 ,and here was ,i learned that we shall trust and rejoice only in our ,saviour1 blessed ,jesus1 for all thing4 #a i4e4 profit4 #b ,it longyth to the ryal ,lordship of ,god to have his privy councell in pece1 and it longyth to his servant for obedience and reverens not to wel wetyn his counselye4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi ,the ,spiritual ,thirst 7which was in ,him from without beginning7 is desire in ,him as long as we be in need1 drawing us up to ,his ,bliss ,and thus our good ,lord answered to all the questions and doubts that ,i might make1 saying full comfortably3 ,i may make all thing well1 ,i can make all thing well1 ,i will make all thing well1 and ,i shall make all thing well2 and thou shalt see thyself that all manner of thing shall be well4 ,in that ,he saith1 ,i may1 ,i understand it for the ,father2 and in that ,he saith1 ,i can1 ,i understand it for the ,son2 and where ,he saith1 ,i will1 ,i understand it for the ,holy ,ghost2 and where ,he saith1 ,i shall1 ,i understand it for the unity of the blessed ,trinity3 three ,persons and one ,truth2 and where ,he saith1 ,thou shalt see thyself1 ,i understand the oneing of all mankind that shall be saved unto the blessed ,trinity4 ,and in these five words ,god willeth we be enclosed in rest and in peace4 ,thus shall the ,spiritual ,thirst of ,christ have an end4 ,for this is the ,spiritual ,thirst of ,christ3 the love-longing that lasteth1 and ever shall1 till we see that sight on ,doomsday4 ,for we that shall be saved and shall be ,christ's joy and ,his bliss1 some be yet here and some be to come1 and so shall some be1 unto that day4 ,therefore this is ,his thirst and love-longing1 to have us altogether whole in ,him1 to ,his bliss1--as to my sight4 ,for we be not now as fully whole in ,him as we shall be then4 ,for we know in our ,faith1 and also it was shewed in all the ,revelations that ,christ ,jesus is both ,god and man4 ,and anent the ,godhead1 ,he is ,himself highest bliss1 and was1 from without beginning1 and shall be1 without end3 which endless bliss may never be heightened nor lowered in itself4 ,for this was plenteously seen in every ,shewing1 and specially in the ,twelfth1 where ,he saith3 ,i am that which is highest4 ,and anent ,christ's ,manhood1 it is known in our ,faith1 and also it was shewed1 that ,he1 with the virtue of ,godhead1 for love1 to bring us to ,his bliss suffered pains and passions1 and died4 ,and these be the works of ,christ's ,manhood wherein ,he rejoiceth2 and that shewed ,he in the ,ninth ,revelation1 where ,he saith3 ,it is a joy and bliss and endless pleasing to me that ever ,i suffered ,passion for thee4 ,and this is the bliss of ,christ's works1 and thus he signifieth where ,he saith in that same ,shewing3 we be ,his bliss1 we be ,his meed1 we be ,his worship1 we be ,his crown4 ,for anent that ,christ is our ,head1 ,he is glorified and impassible2 and anent ,his ,body in which all ,his members are knit1 ,he is not yet fully glorified nor all impassible4 ,therefore the same desire and thirst that ,he had upon the ,cross 7which desire1 longing1 and thirst1 as to my sight1 was in ,him from without beginning7 the same hath ,he yet1 and shall have unto the time that the last soul that shall be saved is come up to ,his bliss4 ,for as verily as there is a property in ,god of ruth and pity1 so verily there is a property in ,god of thirst and longing4 7,and of the virtue of this longing in ,christ1 we have to long again to ,him3 without which no soul cometh to ,heaven47 ,and this property of longing and thirst cometh of the endless ,goodness of ,god1 even as the property of pity cometh of ,his endless ,goodness4 ,and though longing and pity are two sundry properties1 as to my sight1 in this standeth the point of the ,spiritual ,thirst3 which is desire in ,him as long as we be in need1 drawing us up to ,his bliss4 ,and all this was seen in the ,shewing of ,compassion3 for that shall cease on ,doomsday4 ,thus ,he hath ruth and compassion on us1 and ,he hath longing to have us2 but ,his wisdom and ,his love suffereth not the end to come till the best time4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii ,there be deeds evil done in our sight1 and so great harms taken1 that it seemeth to us that it were impossible that ever it should come to good end4 ,that ,great ,deed ordained 444 by which our ,lord ,god shall make all things well ,one time our good ,lord said3 ,all thing shall be well2 and another time he said3 ,thou shalt see thyself that all ,,manner of thing shall be well2 and in these two sayings the soul took sundry understandings4 ,one was that ,he willeth we know that not only ,he taketh heed to noble things and to great1 but also to little and to small1 to low and to simple1 to one and to other4 ,and so meaneth ,he in that ,he saith3 ,,all ,,manner ,,of ,,things shall be well4 ,for ,he willeth we know that the least thing shall not be forgotten4 ,another understanding is this1 that there be deeds evil done in our sight1 and so great harms taken1 that it seemeth to us that it were impossible that ever it should come to good end4 ,and upon this we look1 sorrowing and mourning therefor1 so that we cannot resign us unto the blissful beholding of ,god as we should do4 ,and the cause of this is that the use of our reason is now so blind1 so low1 and so simple1 that we cannot know that high marvellous ,wisdom1 the ,might and the ,goodness of the blissful ,trinity4 ,and thus signifieth ,he when ,he saith3 ,,thou ,,shalt ,,see ,,thyself if#a all manner of things shall be well4 ,as if ,he said3 ,take now heed faithfully and trustingly1 and at the last end thou shalt verily see it in fulness of joy4 ,and thus in these same five words aforesaid3 ,i may make all things well1 etc41 ,i understand a mighty comfort of all the works of our ,lord ,god that are yet to come4 ,there is a ,deed the which the blessed ,trinity shall do in the last ,day1 as to my sight1 and when the ,deed shall be1 and how it shall be done1 is unknown of all creatures that are beneath ,christ1 and shall be till when it is done4 ,the ,goodness and the ,love of our ,lord ,god will that we wit know that it shall be2 ,and the ,might and the ,wisdom of him by the same ,love will hill conceal it1 and hide it from us what it shall be1 and how it shall be done4#b ,and the cause why ,he willeth that we know this ,deed shall be1 is for that ,he would have us the more eased in our soul and the more set at peace in love#c--leaving the beholding of all troublous things that might keep us back from true enjoying of ,him4 ,this is that ,great ,deed ordained of our ,lord ,god from without beginning1 treasured and hid in ,his blessed breast1 only known to ,himself3 by which ,he shall make all things well4 ,for like as the blissful ,trinity made all things of nought1 right so the same blessed ,trinity shall make well all that is not well4 ,and in this sight ,i marvelled greatly and beheld our ,faith1 marvelling thus3 ,our ,faith is grounded in ,god's word1 and it belongeth to our ,faith that we believe that ,god's word shall be saved in all things2 and one point of our ,faith is that many creatures shall be condemned3 as angels that fell out of ,heaven for pride1 which be now fiends2 and man#d in earth that dieth out of the ,faith of ,holy ,church3 that is to say1 they that be heathen men2 and also man#e that hath received ,christendom and liveth unchristian life and so dieth out of charity3 all these shall be condemned to hell without end1 as ,holy ,church teacheth me to believe4 ,and all this so standing1#f methought it was impossible that all manner of things should be well1 as our ,lord shewed in the same time4 ,and as to this ,i had no other answer in ,shewing of our ,lord ,god but this3 ,that which is impossible to thee is not impossible to me3 ,i shall save my word in all things and ,i shall make all things well4 ,thus ,i was taught1 by the grace of ,god1 that ,i should steadfastly hold me in the ,faith as ,i had aforehand understood1 and therewith that ,i should firmly believe that all things shall be well1 as our ,lord shewed in the same time4 ,for this is the ,great ,deed that our ,lord shall do1 in which ,deed ,he shall save ,his word and ,he shall make all well that is not well4 ,how it shall be done there is no creature beneath ,christ that knoweth it1 nor shall know it till it is done2 according to the understanding that ,i took of our ,lord's meaning in this time4 #a if that4 7,acts xxvi4 #h47 #b ,inserted from ,serenus de ,cressy's version4 #c pecid in love--levyng the beholdyng of al tempests that might letten us of trew enjoyeng in hym4 ,s4 de ,cressy3 let us of true enjoying in him4 #d ,s4 de ,cressy1 many4 #e ,s4 de ,cressy1 many4 #f stondyng al this4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii ,it is ,god's will that we have great regard to all ,his deeds that ,he hath done1 but evermore it needeth us to leave the beholding what the ,deed shall be ,and yet in this ,i desired1 as far as ,i durst1 that ,i might have full sight of ,hell and ,purgatory4 ,but it was not my meaning to make proof of anything that belongeth to the ,faith3 for ,i believed soothfastly that ,hell and ,purgatory is for the same end that ,holy ,church teacheth1 but my meaning was that ,i might have seen1 for learning in all things that belong to my ,faith3 whereby ,i might live the more to ,god's worship and to my profit4 ,but for all my desire1 ,i could#a see of this right nought1 save as it is aforesaid in the ,first ,shewing1 where ,i saw that the devil is reproved of ,god and endlessly condemned4 ,in which sight ,i understood as to all creatures that are of the devil's condition in this life1 and therein end1 that there is no more mention made of them afore ,god and all ,his ,holy than of the devil1--notwithstanding that they be of mankind--whether they be christened or not4 ,for though the ,revelation was made of goodness in which was made little mention of evil1 yet ,i was not drawn thereby from any point of the ,faith that ,holy ,church teacheth me to believe4 ,for ,i had sight of the ,passion of ,christ in diverse ,shewings1--the ,first1 the ,second1 the ,fifth1 and the ,eighth1--wherein ,i had in part a feeling of the sorrow of our ,lady1 and of ,his true friends that saw ,him in pain2 but ,i saw not so properly specified the ,jews that did ,him to death4 ,notwithstanding ,i knew in my ,faith that they were accursed and condemned without end1 saving those that converted1 by grace4 ,and ,i was strengthened and taught generally to keep me in the ,faith in every point1 and in all as ,i had before understood3 hoping that ,i was therein with the mercy and the grace of ,god2 desiring and praying in my purpose that ,i might continue therein unto my life's end4 ,and it is ,god's will that we have great regard to all ,his deeds that ,he hath done1 but evermore it needeth us to leave the beholding what the ,deed shall be4 ,and let us desire to be like our brethren which be saints in ,heaven1 that will right nought but ,god's will and are well pleased both with hiding and with shewing4 ,for ,i saw soothly in our ,lord's teaching1 the more we busy us to know ,his secret counsels in this or any other thing1 the farther shall we be from the knowing thereof4 #a ,i coude of this right nowte4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv ,all that is speedful for us to learn and to know1 full courteously will our ,lord shew us ,our ,lord ,god shewed two manner of secret things4 ,one is this great ,secret ,counsel with all the privy points that belong thereto3 and these secret things ,he willeth we should know as being1 but as hid until the time that ,he will clearly shew them to us4 ,the other are the secret things that ,he willeth to make open and known to us2 for ,he would have us understand that it is ,his will that we should know them4 ,they are secrets to us not only for that ,he willeth that they be secrets to us1 but they are secrets to us for our blindness and our ignorance2 and thereof ,he hath great ruth1 and therefore ,he will ,himself make them more open to us1 whereby we may know ,him and love ,him and cleave to ,him4 ,for all that is speedful for us to learn and to know1 full courteously will our ,lord shew us3 and of that is this ,shewing1 with all the preaching and teaching of ,holy ,church4 ,god shewed full great pleasance that ,he hath in all men and women that mightily and meekly and with all their will take the preaching and teaching of ,holy ,church4 ,for it is ,his ,holy ,church3 ,he is the ,ground1 ,he is the ,substance1 ,he is the ,teaching1 ,he is the ,teacher1 ,he is the ,end1 ,he is the ,meed for which every kind soul travaileth4 ,and this of the ,shewing is made known1 and shall be known to every soul to which the ,holy ,ghost declareth it4 ,and ,i hope truly that all those that seek this1 ,he shall speed3 for they seek ,god4 ,all this that ,i have now told1 and more that ,i shall tell after1 is comforting against sin4 ,for in the ,third ,shewing when ,i saw that ,god doeth all that is done1 ,i saw no sin3 and then ,i saw that all is well4 ,but when ,god shewed me for sin1 then said ,he3 ,all ,,shall be well4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv ,i desired to learn assuredly as to a certain creature that ,i loved4444 ,it is more worship to ,god to behold ,him in all than in any special thing ,and when ,god ,almighty had shewed so plenteously and joyfully of ,his ,goodness1 ,i desired to learn assuredly as to a certain creature that ,i loved1 if it should continue in good living1 which ,i hoped by the grace of ,god was begun4 ,and in this desire for a singular ,shewing1 it seemed that ,i hindered myself3 for ,i was not taught in this time4 ,and then was ,i answered in my reason1 as it were by a friendly intervenor#a3 ,take it ,,generally1 and behold the graciousness of the ,lord ,god as ,he sheweth to thee3 for it is more worship to ,god to behold ,him in all than in any special thing4 ,and therewith ,i learned that it is more worship to ,god to know all-thing in general1 than to take pleasure in any special thing4 ,and if ,i should do wisely according to this teaching1 ,i should not only be glad for nothing in special1 but ,i should not be greatly distressed for no manner of thing#b3 for ,,all shall be well4 ,for the fulness of joy is to behold ,god in all3 for by the same blessed ,might1 ,wisdom1 and ,love1 that ,he made all-thing1 to the same end our good ,lord leadeth it continually1 and thereto ,himself shall bring it2 and when it is time we shall see it4 ,and the ground of this was shewed in the ,first ,revelation1 and more openly in the ,third1 where it saith3 ,i saw ,god in a point4 ,all that our ,lord doeth is rightful1 and that which ,he suffereth#c is worshipful3 and in these two is comprehended good and ill3 for all that is good our ,lord doeth1 and that which is evil our ,lord suffereth4 ,i say not that any evil is worshipful1 but ,i say the sufferance of our ,lord ,god is worshipful3 whereby ,his ,goodness shall be known1 without end1 in ,his marvellous meekness and mildness1 by the working of mercy and grace4 ,rightfulness is that thing that is so good that it may not be better than it is4 ,for ,god ,himself is very ,rightfulness1 and all ,his works are done rightfully as they are ordained from without beginning by ,his high ,might1 ,his high ,wisdom1 ,his high ,goodness4 ,and right as ,he ordained unto the best1 right so ,he worketh continually1 and leadeth it to the same end2 and ,he is ever full-pleased with ,himself and with all ,his works4 ,and the beholding of this blissful accord is full sweet to the soul that seeth by grace4 ,all the souls that shall be saved in ,heaven without end be made rightful in the sight of ,god1 and by ,his own goodness3 in which rightfulness we are endlessly kept1 and marvellously1 above all creatures4 ,and ,mercy is a working that cometh of the goodness of ,god1 and it shall last in working all along1 as sin is suffered to pursue rightful souls4 ,and when sin hath no longer leave to pursue1 then shall the working of mercy cease1 and then shall all be brought to rightfulness and therein stand without end4 ,and by ,his sufferance we fall2 and in ,his blissful ,love with ,his ,might and ,his ,wisdom we are kept2 and by mercy and grace we are raised to manifold more joys4 ,thus in ,rightfulness and ,mercy ,he willeth to be known and loved1 now and without end4 ,and the soul that wisely beholdeth it in grace1 it is well pleased with both1 and endlessly enjoyeth4 #a ,a friendful mene intermediary 7person or thing71 medium3 compare chaps4 xix41 lv4 #b ,see xxxvi4 #gd4 #c i4e4 alloweth4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi ,my sin shall not hinder ,his ,goodness working4444 ,a deed shall be done--as we come to ,heaven--and it may be known here in part2--though it be truly taken for the general ,man1 yet it excludeth not the special4 ,for what our good ,lord will do by ,his poor creatures1 it is now unknown to me ,our ,lord ,god shewed that a deed shall be done1 and ,himself shall do it1 and ,i shall do nothing but sin1 and my sin shall not hinder#a ,his ,goodness working4 ,and ,i saw that the beholding of this is a heavenly joy in a fearing soul which evermore kindly by grace desireth ,god's will4 ,this deed shall be begun here1 and it shall be worshipful to ,god and plenteously profitable to ,his lovers in earth2 and ever as we come to ,heaven we shall see it in marvellous joy1 and it shall last thus in working unto the last ,day2 and the worship and the bliss of it shall last in ,heaven afore ,god and all ,his ,holy ones for ever4 ,thus was this deed seen and understood in our ,lord's signifying3 and the cause why ,he shewed it is to make us rejoice in ,him and in all ,his works4 ,when ,i saw ,his ,shewing continued1 ,i understood that it was shewed for a great thing that was for to come1 which thing ,god shewed that ,he ,himself should do it3 which deed hath these properties aforesaid4 ,and this shewed ,he well blissfully1 signifying that ,i should take it myself faithfully and trustingly4 ,but what this deed should be was kept secret from me4 ,and in this ,i saw that ,he willeth not that we dread to know the things that ,he sheweth3 ,he sheweth them because ,he would have us know them2 by which knowing ,he would have us love ,him and have pleasure and endlessly enjoy in ,him4 ,for the great love that ,he hath to us ,he sheweth us all that is worshipful and profitable for the time4 ,and the things that ,he will now have privy1 yet of ,his great goodness ,he sheweth them close3 in which shewing ,he willeth that we believe and understand that we shall see the same verily in ,his endless bliss4 ,then ought we to rejoice in ,him for all that ,he sheweth and all that ,he hideth2 and if we steadily#b and meekly do thus1 we shall find therein great ease2 and endless thanks we shall have of ,him therefor4 ,and this is the understanding of this word3--,that it shall be done for me1 meaneth that it shall be done for the general ,man3 that is to say1 all that shall be saved4 ,it shall be worshipful and marvellous and plenteous1 and ,god ,himself shall do it2 and this shall be the highest joy that may be1 to behold the deed that ,god ,himself shall do1 and man shall do right nought but sin4 ,then signifieth our ,lord ,god thus1 as if ,he said3 ,behold and see6 ,here hast thou matter of meekness1 here hast thou matter of love1 here hast thou matter to make nought of#c thyself1 here hast thou matter to enjoy in me2--and1 for my love1 enjoy thou in me3 for of all things1 therewith mightest thou please me most4 ,and as long as we are in this life1 what time that we by our folly turn us to the beholding of the reproved1 tenderly our ,lord ,god toucheth us and blissfully calleth us1 saying in our soul3 ,let be all thy love1 my dearworthy child3 turn thee to me--,i am enough to thee--and enjoy in thy ,saviour and in thy salvation4 ,and that this is our ,lord's working in us1 ,i am sure the soul that hath understanding#d therein by grace shall see it and feel it4 ,and though it be so that this deed be truly taken for the general ,man1 yet it excludeth not the special4 ,for what our good ,lord will do by ,his poor creatures1 it is now unknown to me4 ,but this deed and that other aforesaid1 they are not both one but two sundry4 ,this deed shall be done sooner 7and that time shall be as we come to ,heaven71 and to whom our ,lord giveth it1 it may be known here in part4 ,but that ,great ,deed aforesaid shall neither be known in ,heaven nor earth till it is done4 ,and moreover ,he gave special understanding and teaching of working of miracles1 as thus3--,it is known that ,i have done miracles here afore1 many and diverse1 high and marvellous1 worshipful and great4 ,and so as ,i have done1 ,i do now continually1 and shall do in coming of time4 ,it is known that afore miracles come sorrow and anguish and tribulation#e2 and that is for that we should know our own feebleness and our mischiefs that we are fallen in by sin1 to meeken us and make us to dread ,god and cry for help and grace4 ,miracles come after that1 and they come of the high ,might1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness of ,god1 shewing ,his virtue and the joys of ,heaven so far at it may be in this passing life3 and that to strengthen our faith and to increase our hope1 in charity4 ,wherefore it pleaseth ,him to be known and worshipped in miracles4 ,then signifieth ,he thus3 ,he willeth that we be not borne over low for sorrow and tempests that fall to us3 for it hath ever so been afore miracle-coming4 #a lettyn his goodnes werkyng4 #b wilfully4 #c to nowten4 #d is a perceyvid 7,s4 de ,cressy1 pearced2 ,collins1 pierced27 has perception4 #e ,see v41 xlviii41 lix41 lxi4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii ,in every soul that shall be saved is a ,godly ,will that never assented to sin1 nor ever shall4--,for failing of ,love on our part1 therefore is all our travail ,god brought to my mind that ,i should sin4 ,and for pleasance that ,i had in beholding of ,him1 ,i attended not readily to that shewing2 and our ,lord full mercifully abode1 and gave me grace to attend4 ,and this shewing ,i took singularly to myself2 but by all the gracious comfort that followeth1 as ye shall see1 ,i was learned to take it for all mine even-,christians3 all in general and nothing in special3 though our ,lord shewed me that ,i should sin1 by me alone is understood all4 ,and therein ,i conceived a soft dread4 ,and to this our ,lord answered3 ,i keep thee full surely4 ,this word was said with more love and secureness and spiritual keeping than ,i can or may tell4 ,for as it was shewed that ,i#a should sin1 right so was the comfort shewed3 secureness and keeping for all mine even-,christians4 ,what may make me more to love mine even-,christians than to see in ,god that ,he loveth all that shall be saved as it were all one soul8 ,for in every soul that shall be saved is a ,godly ,will that never assented to sin1 nor ever shall4 ,right as there is a beastly will in the lower part that may will no good1 right so there is a ,godly ,will in the higher part1 which will is so good that it may never will evil1 but ever good4 ,and therefore we are that which ,he loveth and endlessly we do that which ,him pleaseth4 ,this shewed our ,lord in shewing the wholeness of love that we stand in1 in ,his sight3 yea1 that ,he loveth us now as well while we are here1 as ,he shall do while we are there afore ,his blessed face4 ,but for failing of love on our part1 therefore is all our travail4 #a ,perhaps the omitted word is all2 but de ,cressy has ,i as above3 that ,i should sin4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii ,in ,heaven the token of sin is turned to worship4--,examples thereof ,also ,god shewed that sin shall be no shame to man1 but worship4 ,for right as to every sin is answering a pain by truth1 right so for every sin1 to the same soul is given a bliss by love3 right as diverse sins are punished with diverse pains according as they be grievous1 right so shall they be rewarded with diverse joys in ,heaven according as they have been painful and sorrowful to the soul in earth4 ,for the soul that shall come to ,heaven is precious to ,god1 and the place so worshipful that the goodness of ,god suffereth never that soul to sin that shall come there without that the which sin shall be rewarded2 and it is made known without end1 and blissfully restored by overpassing worship4 ,for in this ,sight mine understanding was lifted up into ,heaven1 and then ,god brought merrily to my mind ,david1 and others in the ,old ,law without number2 and in the ,new ,law ,he brought to my mind first ,mary ,magdalene1 ,peter and ,paul1 and those of ,inde2#a and ,saint ,john of ,beverley#b2 and others also without number3 how they are known in the ,church in earth with their sins1 and it is to them no shame1 but all is turned for them to worship4 ,and therefore our courteous ,lord sheweth it thus for them here in part like as it is there in fulness3 for there the token of sin is turned to worship4 ,and ,saint ,john of ,beverley1 our ,lord shewed him full highly1 in comfort to us for homeliness2 and brought to my mind how he is a dear neighbour1#c and of our knowing4 ,and ,god called him ,saint ,john of ,beverley plainly as we do1 and that with a most glad sweet cheer1 shewing that he is a full high saint in ,heaven in ,his sight1 and a blissful4 ,and with this he made mention that in his youth and in his tender age he was a dearworthy servant to ,god1 greatly ,god loving and dreading1 and yet ,god suffered him to fall1 mercifully keeping him that he perished not1 nor lost no time4 ,and afterward ,god raised him to manifold more grace1 and by the contrition and meekness that he had in his living1 ,god hath given him in ,heaven manifold joys1 overpassing that which he should have had if he had not fallen4 ,and that this is sooth1 ,god sheweth in earth with plenteous miracles doing about his body continually4 ,and all this was to make us glad and merry in love4 #a ,s4 ,thomas and ,s4 ,jude4 ,according to tradition the ,gospel was carried to ,india by these ,apostles4 #b ,s4 ,john of ,beverley was consecrated ,bishop of ,hexham in #fhg1 and was afterwards ,archbishop of ,york4 ,he founded the monastery of ,beverley in the midst of the wood called ,deira1 among the ruins of the deserted ,roman settlement of ,pentuaria4 ,this monastery1 like so many others of the ,anglo-,saxons1 was a double community of monks and nuns4 ,in #gah ,john retired for the remaining years of his life to ,beverley1 where he died in #gba on the #gth of ,may4444 ,he was canonised in #ajcg4 ,henschenius the ,bollandist1 in the second tome of ,may1 has published books of the miracles wrought at the relicks of ,st ,john of ,beverley written by eye-witnesses4 ,his sacred bones were honourably translated into the church of ,alfric1 ,archbishop of ,york1 in #ajcg4 ,a feast in honour of his translation was kept on the #beth of ,october4--,alban ,butler's ,lives of the ,saints1 etc4 ,perhaps the fact that the ,saint's original ,feast ,day of the #gth of ,may occurred on the second day of ,julian's illness1 had something to do with his being brought to her mind a few days after with so much vividness4 #c and browte to mynd how he is an hende neybor and of our knowyng--i4e4 he was a countryman of our own4 hende near1 urbane1 gentle4 ,,chapter ,,xxxix ,sin is the sharpest scourge4444 ,by contrition we are made clean1 by compassion we are made ready1 and by true longing towards ,god we are made worthy ,sin is the sharpest scourge that any chosen soul may be smitten with3 which scourge thoroughly beateth#a man and woman1 and maketh him hateful in his own sight1 so far forth that afterwhile#b he thinketh himself he is not worthy but as to sink in hell1--till that time when contrition taketh him by touching of the ,holy ,ghost1 and turneth the bitterness into hopes of ,god's mercy4 ,and then ,he beginneth his wounds to heal1 and the soul to quicken as it is turned unto the life of ,holy ,church4 ,the ,holy ,ghost leadeth him to confession1 with all his will to shew his sins nakedly and truly1 with great sorrow and great shame that he hath defouled the fair image of ,god4 ,then receiveth he penance for every sin as enjoined by his doomsman#c that is grounded in ,holy ,church by the teaching of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and this is one meekness that greatly pleaseth ,god2 and also bodily sickness of ,god's sending1 and also sorrow and shame from without1 and reproof1 and despite of this world1 with all manner of grievance and temptations that we be cast in1#d bodily and ghostly4 ,full preciously our ,lord keepeth us when it seemeth to us that we are near forsaken and cast away for our sin and because we have deserved it4 ,and because of meekness that we get hereby1 we are raised well-high in ,god's sight by ,his grace1 with so great contrition1 and also compassion1 and true longing to ,god4 ,then they be suddenly delivered from sin and from pain1 and taken up to bliss1 and made even high saints4 ,by contrition we are made clean1 by compassion we are made ready1 and by true longing toward ,god we are made worthy4 ,these are three means1 as ,i understand1 whereby that all souls come to heaven3 that is to say1 that have been sinners in earth and shall be saved3 for by these three medicines it behoveth that every soul be healed4 ,though the soul be healed1 his wounds are seen afore ,god1--not as wounds but as worships4 ,and so on the contrary-wise1 as we be punished here with sorrow and penance1 we shall be rewarded in heaven by the courteous love of our ,lord ,god ,almighty1 who willeth that none that come there lose his travail in any degree4 ,for ,he beholdeth sin as sorrow and pain to ,his lovers1 to whom ,he assigneth no blame1 for love4 ,the meed that we shall receive shall not be little1 but it shall be high1 glorious1 and worshipful4 ,and so shall shame be turned to worship and more joy4 ,but our courteous ,lord willeth not that ,his servants despair1 for often nor for grievous falling3 for our falling hindereth#e not ,him to love us4 ,peace and love are ever in us1 being and working2 but we be not alway in peace and in love4 ,but ,he willeth that we take heed thus that ,he is ,ground of all our whole life in love2 and furthermore that ,he is our everlasting ,keeper and mightily defendeth us against our enemies1 that be full fell and fierce upon us2--and so much our need is the more for that we give them occasion by our falling4#f #a al forbetyth4 ,s4 de ,cressy3 all to beateth1 ,judges ix4 #ec4 #b otherwhile4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy3 ,dome's-man1 i4e4 ,confessarius4 #d ,,ms4 will be cast in4 #e letteth not ,him to love us4 #f ,see chap4 lxviii4 ,inx both passages the ,brit4 ,mus4 ,,ms4 seems to have him1 not hem them4 ,the reading here might be3 ,for we give ,him occasion by our failing--occasion to keep and defend us3 and so in lxxviii43 ,he keepeth us mightily and mercifully in the time that we are in our sin and among all our enemies that are full fell upon us2--and so much we are in the more peril4 ,for we give ,him occasion thereto and know not our own need4 ,or possibly the sense is 7#a73 ,he defendeth us so much as our need is the more so much more as2 and 7#b7 so much more as we are in the more peril4 ,but ,s4 de ,cressy's version has in both passages them1 and this reading agrees with chap4 lxxvi43 ,we have this fear by the stirring of our enemy and by our own folly and blindness--we who fall often into sin4 ,,chapter ,,xl ,true love teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love4 ,to me was shewed no harder hell than sin4 ,god willeth that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul1 as ,god loveth it ,this is a sovereign friendship of our courteous ,lord that ,he keepeth us so tenderly while we be in sin2 and furthermore ,he toucheth us full privily and sheweth us our sin by the sweet light of mercy and grace4 ,but when we see our self so foul1 then ween we that ,god were wroth with us for our sin1 and then are we stirred of the ,holy ,ghost by contrition unto prayer and desire for the amending of our life with all our mights1 to slacken the wrath of ,god1 unto the time we find a rest in soul and a softness in conscience4 ,then hope we that ,god hath forgiven us our sins3 and it is truth4 ,and then sheweth our courteous ,lord ,himself to the soul--well-merrily and with glad cheer--with friendly welcoming as if it#a had been in pain and in prison1 saying sweetly thus3 ,my darling ,i am glad thou art come to me3 in all thy wo ,i have ever been with thee2 and now seest thou my loving and we be oned in bliss4 ,thus are sins forgiven by mercy and grace1 and our soul is worshipfully received in joy like as it shall be when it cometh to ,heaven1 as oftentimes as it cometh by the gracious working of the ,holy ,ghost and the virtue of ,christ's ,passion4 ,here understand ,i in truth that all manner of things are made ready for us by the great goodness of ,god1 so far forth that what time we be ourselves in peace and charity1 we be verily saved4 ,but because we may not have this in fulness while we are here1 therefore it falleth to us evermore to live in sweet prayer and lovely longing with our ,lord ,jesus4 ,for ,he longeth ever to bring us to the fulness of joy2 as it is aforesaid1 where ,he sheweth the ,spiritual ,thirst4 ,but now if any man or woman because of all this spiritual comfort that is aforesaid1 be stirred by folly to say or to think3 ,if this be true1 then were it good to sin so as to have the more meed1--or else to charge the less guilt to sin1--beware of this stirring3 for verily if it come it is untrue1 and of the enemy of the same true love that teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love4 ,i am sure by mine own feeling1 the more that any kind#b soul seeth this in the courteous love of our ,lord ,god1 the lother he is to sin and the more he is ashamed4 ,for if afore us were laid together all the pains in ,hell and in ,purgatory and in ,earth--death and other--1 and by itself sin1 we should rather choose all that pain than sin4 ,for sin is so vile and so greatly to be hated that it may be likened to no pain which is not sin4 ,and to me was shewed no harder hell than sin4 ,for a kind#c soul hath no hell but sin4 ,and when we give our intent to love and meekness1 by the working of mercy and grace we are made all fair and clean4 ,as mighty and as wise as ,god is to save men1 so willing ,he is4 ,for ,christ ,himself is the ground of all the laws of ,christian men1 and ,he taught us to do good against ill3 here may we see that ,he is ,himself this charity1 and doeth to us as ,he teacheth us to do4 ,for ,he willeth that we be like ,him in wholeness of endless love to ourself and to our even-,christians3 no more than ,his love is broken to us for our sin1 no more willeth ,he that our love be broken to ourself and to our even-,christians3 but that we endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul1 as ,god loveth it4 ,then shall we hate sin like as ,god hateth it1 and love the soul as ,god loveth it4 ,and this word that ,he said is an endless comfort3 ,i keep thee securely4 #a he1 that is1 the soul4 #b ,a naturally-loving1 filial human soul4 #c ,a naturally-loving1 filial human soul4 ,,the ,,fourteenth ,,revelation4 ,,chapter ,,xli ,i am the ,ground of thy beseeching4 ,also to prayer belongeth thanking ,after this our ,lord shewed concerning ,prayer4 ,in which ,shewing ,i see two conditions in our ,lord's signifying3 one is rightfulness1 another is sure trust4 ,but yet oftentimes our trust is not full3 for we are not sure that ,god heareth us1 as we think because of our unworthiness1 and because we feel right nought1 7for we are as barren and dry oftentimes after our prayers as we were afore72 and this1 in our feeling our folly1 is cause of our weakness4#a ,for thus have ,i felt in myself4 ,and all this brought our ,lord suddenly to my mind1 and shewed these words1 and said3 ,i am ,ground of thy beseeching3 first it is my will that thou have it2 and after1 ,i make thee to will it2 and after1 ,i make thee to beseech it and thou beseechest it4 ,how should it then be that thou shouldst not have thy beseeching8 ,and thus in the first reason1 with the three that follow1 our good ,lord sheweth a mighty comfort1 as it may be seen in the same words4 ,and in the first reason1--where ,he saith3 ,and thou beseechest it1 there ,he sheweth ,his full great pleasance1 and endless meed that ,he will give us for our beseeching4 ,and in the second reason1 where ,he saith3 ,how should it then be8 etc41 this was said for an impossible thing4 ,for it is most impossible that we should beseech mercy and grace1 and not have it4 ,for everything that our good ,lord maketh us to beseech1 ,himself hath ordained it to us from without beginning4 ,here may we see that our beseeching is not cause of ,god's goodness2 and that shewed ,he soothfastly in all these sweet words when ,he saith3 ,i am the ,ground4--,and our good ,lord willeth that this be known of ,his lovers in earth2 and the more that we know it the more should we beseech1 if it be wisely taken2 and so is our ,lord's meaning4 ,beseeching is a true1 gracious1 lasting will of the soul1 oned and fastened into the will of our ,lord by the sweet inward work of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,our ,lord ,himself1 ,he is the first receiver of our prayer1 as to my sight1 and taketh it full thankfully and highly enjoying2 and ,he sendeth it up above and setteth it in the ,treasure1 where it shall never perish4 ,it is there afore ,god with all ,his ,holy continually received1 ever speeding the help of our needs2 and when we shall receive our bliss it shall be given us for a degree of joy1 with endless worshipful thanking from#b ,him4 ,full glad and merry is our ,lord of our prayer2 and ,he looketh thereafter and ,he willeth to have it because with ,his grace ,he maketh us like to ,himself in condition as we are in kind3 and so is ,his blissful will4 ,therefore ,he saith thus3 ,pray inwardly1#c though thee thinketh it savour thee not3 for it is profitable1 though thou feel not1 though thou see nought2 yea1 though thou think thou canst not4 ,for in dryness and in barrenness1 in sickness and in feebleness1 then is thy prayer well-pleasant to me1 though thee thinketh it savour thee nought but little4 ,and so is all thy believing prayer in my sight4 ,for the meed and the endless thanks that ,he will give us1 therefor ,he is covetous to have us pray continually in ,his sight4 ,god accepteth the goodwill and the travail of ,his servant1 howsoever we feel3 wherefore it pleaseth ,him that we work both in our prayers and in good living1 by ,his help and ,his grace1 reasonably with discretion keeping our powers#d turned to ,him1 till when that we have ,him that we seek1 in fulness of joy3 that is1 ,jesus4 ,and that shewed ,he in the ,fifteenth ,revelation1 farther on1 in this word3 ,thou shalt have me to thy meed4 ,and also to prayer belongeth thanking4 ,thanking is a true inward knowing1 with great reverence and lovely dread turning ourselves with all our mights unto the working that our good ,lord stirreth us to1 enjoying and thanking inwardly4 ,and sometimes1 for plenteousness it breaketh out with voice1 and saith3 ,good ,lord1 ,i thank ,thee6#e ,blessed mayst ,thou be6 ,and sometime when the heart is dry and feeleth not1 or else by temptation of our enemy1--then it is driven by reason and by grace to cry upon our ,lord with voice1 rehearing ,his blessed ,passion and ,his great ,goodness2 and the virtue of our ,lord's word turneth into the soul and quickeneth the heart and entereth#f it by ,his grace into true working1 and maketh it pray right blissfully4 ,and truly to enjoy our ,lord1 it is a full blissful thanking in ,his sight4 #a ,,ms43 ,and this in our felyng our foly is cause of our wekenes4 ,s4 de ,cressy3 ,and thus in our feelings our folly is cause of our weakness4 #b of by1 from4 #c inderly inwardly--or from the heart3 heartily1 as in lxvi4 #d i4e4 ,faculties4--,,ms4 ,mights4 #e ,grante mercy grand-merci4 #f entrith1 leadeth4 ,,chapter ,,xlii ,prayer is a right understanding of that fulness of joy that is to come1 with accordant longing and sure trust ,our ,lord ,god willeth that we have true understanding1 and specially in three things that belong to our prayer4 ,the first is3 by whom and how that our prayer springeth4 ,by whom1 ,he sheweth when ,he saith3 ,i am the ,ground2 and how1 by ,his ,goodness3 for ,he saith first3 ,it is my will4 ,the second is3 in what manner and how we should use our prayer2 and that is that our will be turned unto the will of our ,lord1 enjoying3 and so meaneth ,he when ,he saith3 ,i make thee to will it4 ,the third is that we should know the fruit and the end of our prayers3 that is1 that we be oned and like to our ,lord in all things2 and to this intent and for this end was all this lovely lesson shewed4 ,and ,he will help us1 and we shall make it so as ,he saith ,himself2--,blessed may ,he be6 ,for this is our ,lord's will1 that our prayer and our trust be both alike large4 ,for if we trust not as much as we pray1 we do not full worship to our ,lord in our prayer1 and also we tarry#a and pain our self4 ,the cause is1 as ,i believe1 that we know not truly that our ,lord is the ,ground on whom our prayer springeth2 and also that we know not that it is given us by the grace of ,his love4 ,for if we knew this1 it would make us to trust to have1 of our ,lord's gift1 all that we desire4 ,for ,i am sure that no man asketh mercy and grace with true meaning1 but if mercy and grace be first given to him4 ,but sometimes it cometh to our mind that we have prayed long time1 and yet we think to ourselves that we have not our asking4 ,but herefor should we not be in heaviness4 ,for ,i am sure1 by our ,lord's signifying1 that either we abide a better time1 or more grace1 or a better gift4 ,he willeth that we have true knowing in ,himself that ,he is ,being2 and in this knowing ,he willeth that our understanding be grounded1 with all our mights and all our intent and all our meaning2 and in this ground ,he willeth that we take our place and our dwelling1 and by the gracious light of ,himself ,he willeth that we have understanding of the things that follow4 ,the first is our noble and excellent making2 the second1 our precious and dearworthy again-buying2 the third1 all-thing that ,he hath made beneath us1 ,he hath made to serve us1 and for our love keepeth it4 ,then signifieth ,he thus1 as if ,he said3 ,behold and see that ,i have done all this before thy prayers2 and now thou art1 and prayest me4 ,and thus ,he signifieth that it belongeth to us to learn that the greatest deeds be already done1 as ,holy ,church teacheth2 and in the beholding of this1 with thanking1 we ought to pray for the deed that is now in doing3 and that is1 that ,he rule and guide us1 to ,his worship1 in this life1 and bring us to ,his bliss4 ,and therefor ,he hath done all4 ,then signifieth ,he thus3 that we should see that ,he doeth it1 and that we should pray therefor4 ,for the one is not enough4 ,for if we pray and see not that ,he doeth it1 it maketh us heavy and doubtful2 and that is not ,his worship4 ,and if we see that ,he doeth1 and we pray not1 we do not our debt1 and so may it not be3 that is to say1 so is it not the thing that is in ,his beholding4 ,but to see that ,he doeth it1 and to pray forthwithal1--so is he worshipped and we sped4 ,all-thing that our ,lord hath ordained to do1 it is ,his will that we pray therefor1 either in special or in general4 ,and the joy and the bliss that it is to ,him1 and the thanks and the worship that we shall have therefor1 it passeth the understanding of creatures1 as to my sight4 ,for prayer is a right#b understanding of that fulness of joy that is to come1 with well-longing and sure trust4 ,failing of our bliss that we be kindly ordained to1 maketh us to long2 true understanding and love1 with sweet mind in our ,saviour1 graciously maketh us to trust4 ,and in these two workings our ,lord beholdeth us continually#c3 for it is our due part1 and ,his ,goodness may no less assign to us4 ,thus it belongeth to us to do our diligence2 and when we have done it1 then shall us yet think that it is nought1--and sooth it is4 ,but if we do as we can1 and ask1 in truth1 for mercy and grace1 all that faileth us we shall find in ,him4 ,and thus signifieth ,he where ,he saith3 ,i am ,ground of thy beseeching4 ,and thus in this blessed word1 with the ,shewing1 ,i saw a full overcoming against all our weakness and all our doubtful dreads4 #a i4e4 torment1 tire1 hinder4 #b rythwis right manner of4 #c ,or3 ',and for these two workings our ,lord looketh to us continually4' ,see above3 so is it not in ,his beholding1 and chap4 xliii4 for ,he beholdeth us in love and would make us partners of ,his good deed4 ,,chapter ,,xliii ,prayer uniteth the soul to ,god ,prayer oneth the soul to ,god4 ,for though the soul be ever like to ,god in kind and substance1 restored by grace1 it is often unlike in condition1 by sin on man's part4 ,then is prayer a witness that the soul willeth as ,god willeth2 and it comforteth the conscience and enableth man to grace4 ,and thus ,he teacheth us to pray1 and mightily to trust that we shall have it4 ,for ,he beholdeth us in love and would make us partners of ,his good deed1 and therefore ,he stirreth us to pray for that which it pleaseth him to do4 ,for which prayer and good will1 that we have of ,his gift1 ,he will reward us and give us endless meed4 ,and this was shewed in this word3 ,and thou beseechest it4 ,in this word ,god shewed so great pleasance and so great content1 as though ,he were much beholden to us for every good deed that we do 7and yet it is ,he that doeth it7 because that we beseech ,him mightily to do all things that seem to ,him good3 as if ,he said3 ,what might then please me more than to beseech me1 mightily1 wisely1 and earnestly1 to do that thing that ,i shall do8 ,and thus the soul by prayer accordeth to ,god4 ,but when our courteous ,lord of ,his grace sheweth ,himself to our soul1 we have that which we desire4 ,and then we see not1 for the time1 what we should more pray1 but all our intent with all our might is set wholly to the beholding of ,him4 ,and this is an high unperceivable prayer1 as to my sight3 for all the cause wherefor we pray it1 is oned into the sight and beholding of ,him to whom we pray2 marvellously enjoying with reverent dread1 and with so great sweetness and delight in ,him that we can pray right nought but as ,he stirreth us1 for the time4 ,and well ,i wot1 the more the soul seeth of ,god1 the more it desireth ,him by ,his grace4 ,but when we see ,him not so1 then feel we need and cause to pray1 because of failing1 for enabling of our self1 to ,jesus4 ,for when the soul is tempested1 troubled1 and left to itself by unrest1 then it is time to pray1 for to make itself pliable and obedient#a to ,god4 7,but the soul by no manner of prayer maketh ,god pliant to it3 for ,he is ever alike in love47 ,and this ,i saw3 that what time we see needs wherefor we pray1 then our good ,lord followeth us1 helping our desire2 and when we of ,his special grace plainly behold ,him1 seeing none other needs1 then we follow ,him and ,he draweth us unto ,him by love4 ,for ,i saw and felt that ,his marvellous and plentiful ,goodness fulfilleth all our powers2 and therewith ,i saw that ,his continuant working in all manner of things is done so goodly1 so wisely1 and so mightily1 that it overpasseth all our imagining1 and all that we can ween and think2 and then we can do no more but behold ,him1 enjoying1 with an high1 mighty desire to be all oned unto ,him1--centred to ,his dwelling1--and enjoy in ,his loving and delight in ,his goodness4 ,and then shall we1 with ,his sweet grace1 in our own meek continuant prayer come unto ,him now in this life by many privy touchings of sweet spiritual sights and feeling1 measured to us as our simpleness may bear it4 ,and this is wrought1 and shall be1 by the grace of the ,holy ,ghost1 so long till we shall die in longing1 for love4 ,and then shall we all come into our ,lord1 our ,self clearly knowing1 and ,god fully having2 and we shall endlessly be all had in ,god3 ,him verily seeing and fully feeling1 ,him spiritually hearing1 and ,him delectably in-breathing1 and of ,him sweetly drinking4#b ,and then shall we see ,god face to face1 homely and fully4 ,the creature that is made shall see and endlessly behold ,god which is the ,maker4 ,for thus may no man see ,god and live after1 that is to say1 in this deadly life4 ,but when ,he of ,his special grace will shew ,himself here1 ,he strengtheneth the creature above its self1 and ,he measureth the ,shewing1 after ,his own will1 as it is profitable for the time4 #a supple and buxum4 #b ,to express the fulness of spiritual perception the mystic seizes on all the five sense-perceptions as symbols4 ,for the last word ,s4 de ,cressy gives again the word smelling 7rendered here1 above1 by in-breathing74 ,collins reads the ,brit4 ,mus4 ,,ms4 as following2 but the word there is swelowyng swallowing4 ,,anent ,,certain ,,points ,,in ,,the ,,foregoing ,,fourteen ,,revelations ,,chapter ,,xliv ,god is endless1 sovereign ,truth1--,wisdom1--,love1 not-made2 and man's ,soul is a creature in ,god which hath the same properties made ,god shewed in all the ,revelations1 oftentimes1 that man worketh evermore ,his will and ,his worship lastingly without any stinting4 ,and what this work is1 was shewed in the ,first1 and that in a marvellous example3 for it was shewed in the working of the soul of our blissful ,lady1 ,saint ,mary3 that is1 the working of ,truth and ,wisdom4#a ,and how it is done ,i hope by the grace of the ,holy ,ghost ,i shall tell1 as ,i saw4 ,truth seeth ,god1 and ,wisdom beholdeth ,god1 and of these two cometh the third3 that is1 a holy marvellous#b delight in ,god2 which is ,love4 ,where ,truth and ,wisdom are verily1 there is ,love verily1 coming of them both4 ,and all of ,god's making3 for ,he is endless sovereign ,truth1 endless sovereign ,wisdom1 endless sovereign ,love1 unmade2 and man's ,soul is a creature in ,god which hath the same properties made1#c and evermore it doeth that it was made for3 it seeth ,god1 it beholdeth ,god1 and it loveth ,god4 ,whereof ,god enjoyeth in the creature2 and the creature in ,god1 endlessly marvelling4 ,in which marvelling he seeth his ,god1 his ,lord1 his ,maker so high1 so great1 and so good1 in comparison with him that is made1 that scarcely the creature seemeth ought to the self4 ,but the clarity and the clearness of ,truth and ,wisdom maketh him to see and to bear witness#d that he is made for ,love3 in which ,god endlessly keepeth him4 #a ,see chap4 iv4 #b i4e4 marvelling4 #c chaps4 liv41 lv4 #d beknowen4 ,,chapter ,,xlv ,all heavenly things and all earthly things that belong to ,heaven are comprehended in these two judgments ,god deemeth us looking upon our ,nature-,substance1 which is ever kept one in ,him1 whole and safe without end3 and this doom is because of ,his rightfulness in the which it is made and kept4 ,and man judgeth looking upon our changeable ,sense-soul1 which seemeth now one thing1 now other1--according as it taketh of the higher or lower parts1--and is that which showeth outward4 ,and this wisdom of man's judgment is mingled because of the diverse things it beholdeth4 ,for sometimes it is good and easy1 and sometimes it is hard and grievous4 ,and in as much as it is good and easy it belongeth to the rightfulness2 and in as much as it is hard and grievous by reason of the sin beheld1 which sheweth in our ,sense-soul1 our good ,lord ,jesus reformeth it by the working in our ,sense-soul of mercy and grace through the virtue of ,his blessed ,passion1 and so bringeth it to the rightfulness4 ,and though these two judgments be thus accorded and oned1 yet both shall be known in ,heaven without end4 ,the first doom1 which is of ,god's rightfulness1 is because of ,his high endless life in our ,substance2 and this is that fair sweet doom that was shewed in all the fair ,revelation1 in which ,i saw ,him assign to us no manner of blame4 ,but though this was sweet and delectable1 yet in the beholding only of this1 ,i could not be fully eased3 and that was because of the doom of ,holy ,church1 which ,i had afore understood and which was continually in my sight4 ,and therefore by this doom methought ,i understood that sinners are worthy sometime of blame and wrath2 but these two could ,i not see in ,god2 and therefore my desire was more than ,i can or may tell4 ,for the higher doom was shewed by ,god ,himself in that same time1 and therefore me behoved needs to take it2 and the lower doom was learned me afore in ,holy ,church1 and therefore ,i might in no way leave the lower doom4 ,then was this my desire3 that ,i might see in ,god in what manner that which the doom of ,holy ,church teacheth is true in ,his sight1 and how it belongeth to me verily to know it2 whereby the two dooms might both be saved1 so as it were worshipful to ,god and right way to me4 ,and to all this ,i had none other answer but a marvellous example of a lord and of a servant1 as ,i shall tell after3 and that full mistily shewed4#a ,and yet ,i stand desiring1 and will unto my end1 that ,i might by grace know these two dooms as it belongeth to me4 ,for all heavenly1 and all earthly things that belong to ,heaven1 are comprehended in these two dooms4 ,and the more understanding1 by the gracious leading of the ,holy ,ghost1 that we have of these two dooms1 the more we shall see and know our failings4 ,and ever the more that we see them1 the more1 of nature1 by grace1 we shall long to be fulfilled of endless joy and bliss4 ,for we are made thereto1 and our ,nature-,substance is now blissful in ,god1 and hath been since it was made1 and shall be without end4 #a ,chap4 li4 ,,chapter ,,xlvi ,it is needful to see and to know that we are sinners3 wherefore we deserve pain and wrath4 ,he is ,god3 ,good1 ,life1 ,truth1 ,love1 ,peace3 ,his ,clarity and ,his ,unity suffereth ,him not to be wroth ,but our passing life that we have here in our sense-soul knoweth not what our ,self is4 ,and when we verily and clearly see and know what our ,self is#a then shall we verily and clearly see and know our ,lord ,god in fulness of joy4 ,and therefore it behoveth needs to be that the nearer we be to our bliss1 the more we shall long after it3 and that both by nature and by grace4 ,we may have knowing of our ,self in this life by continuant help and virtue of our high ,nature4 ,in which knowing we may exercise and grow1 by forwarding and speeding of mercy and grace2 but we may never fully know our ,self until the last point3 in which point this passing life and manner of pain and woe shall have an end4 ,and therefore it belongeth properly to us1 both by nature and by grace1 to long and desire with all our mights to know our ,self in fulness of endless joy4 ,and yet in all this time1 from the beginning to the end1 ,i had two manner of beholdings4 ,the one was endless continuant love1 with secureness of keeping1 and blissful salvation1--for of this was all the ,shewing4 ,the other was of the common teaching of ,holy ,church1 in which ,i was afore informed and grounded--and with all my will having in use and understanding4 ,and the beholding of this went not from me3 for by the ,shewing ,i was not stirred nor led therefrom in no manner of point1 but ,i had therein teaching to love it and find it good#b3 whereby ,i might1 by the help of our ,lord and ,his grace1 increase and rise to more heavenly knowing and higher loving4 ,and thus in all the ,beholding methought it was needful to see and to know that we are sinners1 and do many evils that we ought to leave1 and leave many good deeds undone that we ought to do3 wherefore we deserve pain and wrath4 ,and notwithstanding all this1 ,i saw soothfastly that our ,lord was never wroth1 nor ever shall be4 ,for ,he is ,god3 ,good1 ,life1 ,truth1 ,love1 ,peace2 ,his ,clarity#c and ,his ,unity suffereth ,him not to be wroth4 ,for ,i saw truly that it is against the property of ,his ,might to be wroth1 and against the property of ,his ,wisdom1 and against the property of ,his ,goodness4 ,god is the ,goodness that may not be wroth1 for ,he is not other but ,goodness3 our soul is oned to ,him1 unchangeable ,goodness1 and between ,god and our soul is neither wrath nor forgiveness in ,his sight4 ,for our soul is so fully oned to ,god of ,his own ,goodness that between ,god and our soul may be right nought4 ,and to this understanding was the soul led by love and drawn by might in every ,shewing3 that it is thus our good ,lord shewed1 and how it is thus in truth of ,his great ,goodness4 ,and ,he willeth that we desire to learn it--that is to say1 as far as it belongeth to ,his creature to learn it4 ,for all things that the simple soul#d understood1 ,god willeth that they be shewed and made known4 ,for the things that ,he will have privy1 mightily and wisely ,himself ,he hideth them1 for love4 ,for ,i saw in the same ,shewing that much privity is hid1 which may never be known until the time that ,god of ,his goodness hath made us worthy to see it2 and therewith ,i am well-content1 abiding our ,lord's will in this high marvel4 ,and now ,i yield me to my ,mother1 ,holy ,church1 as a simple child oweth4 #a ,so ,s4 de ,cressy has it4 ,there is evidently an omission in the ,,ms4 of part of this sentence4 ,see lvi41 lxxii4 ,the dim sight of ,god comes before the dim sight of the ,self1 but the clear sight of ,god comes after the clear sight of the ,self4 #b like it4 #c ,cressy has3 ,he is ,peace2 and ,his ,might1 ,his ,wisdom1 ,his ,charity1 and ,his ,unity1 etc4 #d ,chap4 ii4 a simple creature2 the soul1 xxiv41 xiii41 etc41 and xxxii4 p4 #fd4 ,,chapter ,,xlvii ,we fail oftentimes of the sight of ,him1 and anon we fall into our self1 and then find we no feeling of right1--nought but contrariness that is in our self ,two things belong to our soul as duty3 the one is that we reverently marvel1 the other that we meekly suffer1 ever enjoying in ,god4 ,for ,he would have us understand that we shall in short time see clearly in ,himself all that we desire4 ,and notwithstanding all this1 ,i beheld and marvelled greatly3 ,what is the mercy and forgiveness of ,god8 ,for by the teaching that ,i had afore1 ,i understood that the mercy of ,god should be the forgiveness of ,his wrath after the time that we have sinned4 ,for methought that to a soul whose meaning and desire is to love1 the wrath of ,god was harder than any other pain1 and therefore ,i took#a that the forgiveness of ,his wrath should be one of the principal points of ,his mercy4 ,but howsoever ,i might behold and desire1 ,i could in no wise see this point in all the ,shewing4#b ,but how ,i understood and saw of the work of mercy1 ,i shall tell somewhat1 as ,god will give me grace4 ,i understood this3 ,man is changeable in this life1 and by frailty and overcoming falleth into sin3 he is weak and unwise of himself1 and also his will is overlaid4 ,and in this time he is in tempest and in sorrow and woe2 and the cause is blindness3 for he seeth not ,god4 ,for if he saw ,god continually1 he should have no mischievous feeling1 nor any manner of motion or yearning that serveth to sin4#c ,thus saw ,i1 and felt in the same time2 and methought that the sight and the feeling was high and plenteous and gracious in comparison with that which our common feeling is in this life2 but yet ,i thought it was but small and low in comparison with the great desire that the soul hath to see ,god4 ,for ,i felt in me five manner of workings1 which be these3 ,enjoying1 mourning1 desire1 dread1 and sure hope4 ,enjoying3 for ,god gave me understanding and knowing that it was ,himself that ,i saw2 mourning3 and that was for failing2 desire3 and that was ,i might see ,him ever more and more1 understanding and knowing that we shall never have full rest till we see ,him verily and clearly in heaven2 dread was3 for it seemed to me in all that time that that sight should fail1 and ,i be left to myself2 sure hope was in the endless love3 that ,i saw ,i should be kept by ,his mercy and brought to ,his bliss4 ,and the joying in ,his sight with this sure hope of ,his merciful keeping made me to have feeling and comfort so that mourning and dread were not greatly painful4 ,and yet in all this ,i beheld in the ,shewing of ,god that this manner of sight may not be continuant in this life1--and that for ,his own worship and for increase of our endless joy4 ,and therefore we fail oftentimes of the sight of ,him1 and anon we fall into our self1 and then find we no feeling of right1--naught but contrariness that is in our self2 and that of the elder root of our first sin1#d with all the sins that follow1 of our contrivance4 ,and in this we are in travail and tempest#e with feeling of sins1 and of pain in many divers manners1 spiritual and bodily1 as it is known to us in this life4 #a understood--took it4 #b ,but for nowte that ,i myte beholden and desyrin ,i could not se4 #c ne no manner steryng ne or ye the yernyng4 #d i4e4 contrariness1 springing from the beginning of sin in the first fall of man4 #e traveylid and tempested4 ,,chapter ,,xlviii ,i beheld the property of ,mercy1 and ,i beheld the property of ,grace3 which have two manners of working in one love ,but our good ,lord the ,holy ,ghost1 which is endless life dwelling in our soul1 full securely keepeth us2 and worketh therein a peace and bringeth it to ease by grace1 and accordeth it to ,god and maketh it pliant4#a ,and this is the mercy and the way that our ,lord continually leadeth us in as long as we be here in this life which is changeable4 ,for ,i saw no wrath but on man's part2 and that forgiveth ,he in us4 ,for wrath is not else but a forwardness and a contrariness to peace and love2 and either it cometh of failing of might1 or of failing of wisdom1 or of failing of goodness3 which failing is not in ,god1 but is on our part4 ,for we by sin and wretchedness have in us a wretched and continuant contrariness to peace and to love4 ,and that shewed ,he full often in ,his lovely ,regard of ,ruth and ,pity4#b ,for the ground of mercy is love1 and the working of mercy is our keeping in love4 ,and this was shewed in such manner that ,i could#c not have perceived of the part of mercy but as it were alone in love2 that is to say1 as to my sight4 ,mercy is a sweet gracious working in love1 mingled with plenteous pity3 for mercy worketh in keeping us1 and mercy worketh turning to us all things to good4 ,mercy1 by love1 suffereth us to fail in measure and in as much as we fail1 in so much we fall2 and in as much as we fall1 in so much we die3 for it needs must be that we die in so much as we fail of the sight and feeling of ,god that is our life4 ,our failing is dreadful1 our falling is shameful1 and our dying is sorrowful3 but in all this the sweet eye of pity and love is lifted never off us1 nor the working of mercy ceaseth4#d ,for ,i beheld the property of mercy1 and ,i beheld the property of grace3 which have two manners of working in one love4 ,mercy is a pitiful property which belongeth to the ,motherhood in tender love2 and grace is a worshipful property which belongeth to the royal ,lordship in the same love4 ,mercy worketh3 keeping1 suffering1 quickening1 and healing2 and all is tenderness of love4 ,and grace worketh3 raising1 rewarding1 endlessly overpassing that which our longing and our travail deserveth1 spreading abroad and shewing the high plenteous largess#e of ,god's royal ,lordship in ,his marvellous courtesy2 and this is of the abundance of love4 ,for grace worketh our dreadful failing into plenteous1 endless solace2 and grace worketh our shameful falling into high1 worshipful rising2 and grace worketh our sorrowful dying into holy1 blissful life4 ,for ,i saw full surely that ever as our contrariness worketh to us here in earth pain1 shame1 and sorrow1 right so1 on the contrary wise1 grace worketh to us in heaven solace1 worship1 and bliss2 and overpassing4 ,and so far forth1 that when we come up and receive the sweet reward which grace hath wrought for us1 then we shall thank and bless our ,lord1 endlessly rejoicing that ever we suffered woe4 ,and that shall be for a property of blessed love that we shall know in ,god which we could never have known without woe going before4 ,and when ,i saw all this1 it behoved me needs to grant that the mercy of ,god and the forgiveness is to slacken and waste our wrath4 #a buxum ready to bend or obey4 #b lovely chere1 loving ,look4 ,see li41 lxxi41 etc4 #c ,i cowth not a perceyven of4 #d ,but in all this the swete eye of pite and love cumith never of us1 ne the werkyng of mercy cesyth not4 #e or largeness4 ,,chapter ,,xlix ,where our ,lord appeareth1 peace is taken1 and wrath hath no place4 ,immediately is the soul made at one with ,god when it is truly set at peace in itself ,for this was an high marvel to the soul which was continually shewed in all the ,revelations1 and was with great diligence beholden1 that our ,lord ,god1 anent ,himself may not forgive1 for ,he may not be wroth3 it were impossible4 ,for this was shewed3 that our life is all grounded and rooted in love1 and without love we may not live2 and therefore to the soul that of ,his special grace seeth so far into the high1 marvellous ,goodness of ,god1 and seeth that we are endlessly oned to ,him in love1 it is the most impossible that may be1 that ,god should be wroth4 ,for wrath and friendship be two contraries4 ,for ,he that wasteth and destroyeth our wrath and maketh us meek and mild1--it behoveth needs to be that ,he ,himself be ever one in love1 meek and mild3 which is contrary to wrath4 ,for ,i saw full surely that where our ,lord appeareth1 peace is taken and wrath hath no place4 ,for ,i saw no manner of wrath in ,god1 neither for short time nor for long2--for in sooth1 as to my sight1 if ,god might be wroth for an instant1#a we should never have life nor place nor being4 ,for as verily as we have our being of the endless ,might of ,god and of the endless ,wisdom and of the endless ,goodness1 so verily we have our keeping in the endless ,might of ,god1 in the endless ,wisdom1 and in the endless ,goodness4 ,for though we feel in ourselves1 frail wretches1 debates and strifes1 yet are we all-mannerful enclosed in the mildness of ,god and in ,his meekness1 in ,his benignity and in ,his graciousness4#b ,for ,i saw full surely that all our endless friendship1 our place1 our life and our being1 is in ,god4 ,for that same endless ,goodness that keepeth us when we sin1 that we perish not1 the same endless ,goodness continually treateth in us a peace against our wrath and our contrarious falling1 and maketh us to see our need with a true dread1 and mightily to seek unto ,god to have forgiveness1 with a gracious desire of our salvation4 ,and though we1 by the wrath and the contrariness that is in us1 be now in tribulation1 distress1 and woe1 as falleth to our blindness and frailty1 yet are we securely safe by the merciful keeping of ,god1 that we perish not4 ,but we are not blissfully safe1 in having of our endless joy1 till we be all in peace and in love3 that is to say1 full pleased with ,god and with all ,his works1 and with all ,his judgments1 and loving and peaceable with our self and with our even-,christians and with all that ,god loveth1 as love beseemeth4#c ,and this doeth ,god's ,goodness in us4 ,thus saw ,i that ,god is our very ,peace1 and ,he is our sure ,keeper when we are ourselves in unpeace1 and ,he continually worketh to bring us into endless peace4 ,and thus when we1 by the working of mercy and grace1 be made meek and mild1 we are fully safe2 suddenly is the soul oned to ,god when it is truly peaced in itself3 for in ,him is found no wrath4 ,and thus ,i saw when we are all in peace and in love1 we find no contrariness1 nor no manner of letting through that contrariness which is now in us2 nay1 our ,lord of ,his ,goodness maketh it to us full profitable4 ,for that contrariness is cause of our tribulations and all our woe1 and our ,lord ,jesus taketh them and sendeth them up to ,heaven1 and there are they made more sweet and delectable than heart may think or tongue may tell4 ,and when we come thither we shall find them ready1 all turned into very fair and endless worships4 ,thus is ,god our steadfast ,ground3 and ,he shall be our full bliss and make us unchangeable1 as ,he is1 when we are there4 #a a touch4 #b buxumhede4 #c liketh4 ,,chapter ,l ,the blame of our sin continually hangeth upon us4 ,in the sight of ,god the soul that shall be saved was never dead1 nor ever shall be dead ,and in this life mercy and forgiveness is our way and evermore leadeth us to grace4 ,and by the tempest and the sorrow that we fall into on our part1 we be often dead as to man's doom in earth2 but in the sight of ,god the soul that shall be saved was never dead1 nor ever shall be4 ,but yet here ,i wondered and marvelled with all the diligence of my soul1 saying thus within me3 ,good ,lord1 ,i see ,thee that art very ,truth2 and ,i know in truth#a that we sin grievously every day and be much blameworthy2 and ,i may neither leave the knowing of ,thy truth1#b nor do ,i see ,thee shew to us any manner of blame4 ,how may this be8 ,for ,i knew by the common teaching of ,holy ,church and by mine own feeling1 that the blame of our sin continually hangeth upon us1 from the first man unto the time that we come up unto heaven3 then was this my marvel that ,i saw our ,lord ,god shewing to us no more blame than if we were as clean and as holy as ,angels be in heaven4 ,and between these two contraries my reason was greatly travailed through my blindness1 and could have no rest for dread that ,his blessed presence should pass from my sight and ,i be left in unknowing of how ,he beholdeth us in our sin4 ,for either it behoved me to see in ,god that sin was all done away1 or else me behoved to see in ,god how ,he seeth it1 whereby ,i might truly know how it belongeth to me to see sin1 and the manner of our blame4 ,my longing endured1 ,him continually beholding2--and yet ,i could have no patience for great straits#c and perplexity1 thinking3 ,if ,i take it thus that we be no sinners and not blameworthy1 it seemeth as ,i should err and fail of knowing of this truth#d2 and if it be so that we be sinners and blameworthy1--,good ,lord1 how may it then be that ,i cannot see this true thing#e in ,thee1 which art my ,god1 my ,maker1 in whom ,i desire to see all truths8#f ,for three points make me hardy to ask it4 ,the first is1 because it is so low a thing3 for if it were an high thing ,i should be a-dread4 ,the second is1 that it is so common3 for if it were special and privy1 also ,i should be a-dread4 ,the third is1 that it needeth me to know it 7as methinketh7 if ,i shall live here for knowing of good and evil1 whereby ,i may1 by reason and grace1 the more dispart them asunder1 and love goodness and hate evil1 as ,holy ,church teacheth4 ,i cried inwardly1 with all my might seeking unto ,god for help1 saying thus3 ,ah6 ,lord ,jesus1 ,king of bliss1 how shall ,i be eased8 ,who shall teach me and tell me that thing me needeth to know1 if ,i may not at this time see it in ,thee8 #a sothly4 #b sothe4 #c awer1 liii4 note #a4 #d soth4 #e sothnes4 #f trueths4 ,,chapter ,,li ,he is the ,head1 and we be ,his members4 ,therefore our ,father nor may nor will more blame assign to us than to ,his own ,son1 precious and worthy ,christ ,and then our ,courteous ,lord answered in shewing full mistily a wonderful example of a ,lord that hath a ,servant3 and ,he gave me sight to my understanding of both4 ,which sight was shewed doubly in the ,lord and doubly in the ,servant3 the one part was shewed spiritually in bodily likeness1 and the other part was shewed more spiritually1 without bodily likeness4 ,for the first sight1 thus1 ,i saw two persons in bodily likeness3 that is to say1 a ,lord and a ,servant2 and therewith ,god gave me spiritual understanding4 ,the ,lord sitteth stately in rest and in peace2 the ,servant standeth by afore his ,lord reverently1 ready to do his ,lord's will4 ,the ,lord looketh upon his ,servant full lovingly and sweetly1 and meekly he sendeth him to a certain place to do his will4 ,the ,servant not only he goeth1 but suddenly he starteth1 and runneth in great haste1 for love to do his ,lord's will4 ,and anon he falleth into a slade1#a and taketh full great hurt4 ,and then he groaneth and moaneth and waileth and struggleth1 but he neither may rise nor help himself by no manner of way4 ,and of all this the most mischief#b that ,i saw him in1 was failing of comfort3 for he could not turn his face to look upon his loving ,lord1 which was to him full near1--in ,whom is full comfort2--but as a man that was feeble and unwise for the time1 he turned his mind#c to his feeling and endured in woe4 ,in which woe he suffered seven great pains4 ,the first was the sore bruising that he took in his falling1 which was to him feelable pain2 the second was the heaviness of his body2 the third was feebleness following from these two2 the fourth1 that he was blinded in his reason and stunned in his mind1 so far forth that almost he had forgotten his own love2 the fifth was that he might not rise2 the sixth was most marvellous to me1 and that was that he lay all alone3 ,i looked all about and beheld1 and far nor near1 high nor low1 ,i saw to him no help2 the seventh was that the place which he lay on was a long1 hard1 and grievous place4 ,i marvelled how this ,servant might meekly suffer there all this woe1 and ,i beheld with carefulness to learn if ,i could perceive in him any fault1 or if the ,lord should assign to him any blame4 ,and in sooth there was none seen3 for only his goodwill and his great desire was cause of his falling2 and he was unlothful1 and as good inwardly as when he stood afore his ,lord1 ready to do his will4 ,and right thus continually his loving ,lord full tenderly beholdeth him4 ,but now with a double manner of ,regard3 one outward1 full meekly and mildly1 with great ruth and pity1--and this was of the first sight1 another inward1 more spiritually1--and this was shewed with a leading of mine understanding into the ,lord1 in the which ,i saw ,him highly rejoicing for the worshipful restoring that ,he will and shall bring ,his ,servant to by ,his plenteous grace2 and this was of that other shewing4 ,and now was my understanding led again into the first sight2 both keeping in mind4 ,then saith this courteous ,lord in his meaning3 ,lo1 lo1 my loved ,servant1 what harm and distress he hath taken in my service for my love1--yea1 and for his goodwill4 ,is it not fitting that ,i award him for his affright and his dread1 his hurt and his maim and all his woe8 ,and not only this1 but falleth it not to me to give a gift that shall be better to him1 and more worshipful1 than his own wholeness should have been8--or else methinketh ,i should do him no grace4 ,and in this an inward spiritual ,shewing of the ,lord's meaning descended into my soul3 in which ,i saw that it behoveth needs to be1 by virtue of ,his great ,goodness and ,his own worship1 that ,his dearworthy ,servant1 which ,he loved so much1 should be verily and blissfully rewarded1 above that he should have been if he had not fallen4 ,yea1 and so far forth1 that his falling and his woe1 that he hath taken thereby1 shall be turned into high and overpassing worship and endless bliss4 ,and at this point the shewing of the example vanished1 and our good ,lord led forth mine understanding in sight and in shewing of the ,revelation to the end4 ,but notwithstanding all this forth-leading1 the marvelling over the example went never from me3 for methought it was given me for an answer to my desire1 and yet could ,i not take therein full understanding to mine ease at that time4 ,for in the ,servant that was shewed for ,adam1 as ,i shall tell1 ,i saw many diverse properties that might in no manner of way be assigned#d to single ,adam4 ,and thus in that time ,i stood for much part in unknowing3 for the full understanding of this marvellous example was not given me in that time4 ,in which mighty example three properties of the ,revelation be yet greatly hid2 and notwithstanding this further forthleading1 ,i saw and understood that every ,shewing is full of secret things left hid4 ,and therefore me behoveth now to tell three properties in which ,i am somewhat eased4 ,the first is the beginning of teaching that ,i understood therein1 in the same time2 the second is the inward teaching that ,i have understood therein afterward2 the third1 all the whole ,revelation from the beginning to the end 7that is to say of this ,book7 which our ,lord ,god of ,his goodness bringeth oftentimes freely to the sight of mine understanding4 ,and these three are so oned1 as to my understanding1 that ,i cannot1 nor may1 dispart them4 ,and by these three1 as one1 ,i have teaching whereby ,i ought to believe and trust in our ,lord ,god1 that of the same goodness of which ,he shewed it1 and for the same end1 right so1 of the same goodness and for the same end ,he shall declare it to us when it is ,his will4 ,for1 twenty years after the time of the ,shewing1 save three months1 ,i had teaching inwardly1 as ,i shall tell3 ,it belongeth to thee to take heed to all the properties and conditions that were shewed in the example1 though thou think that they be misty and indifferent#e to thy sight4 ,i assented willingly1 with great desire1 and inwardly beheld with heedfulness#f all the points and properties that were shewed in the same time1 as far forth as my wits and understanding would serve3 beginning my beholding at the ,lord and at the ,servant1 and the manner of sitting of the ,lord1 and the place that he sat on1 and the colour of his clothing and the manner of shape1 and his countenance without1 and his nobleness and his goodness within2 at the manner of standing of the ,servant1 and the place where1 and how2 at his manner of clothing1 the colour and the shape2 at his outward having and at his inward goodness and his unloathfulness4 ,the ,lord that sat stately in rest and in peace1 ,i understood that ,he is ,god4 ,the ,servant that stood afore the ,lord1 ,i understood that it was shewed for ,adam3 that is to say1 one man was shewed1 that time1 and his falling1 to make it thereby understood how ,god beholdeth ,all-,man and his falling4 ,for in the sight of ,god all man is one man1 and one man is all man4 ,this man was hurt in his might and made full feeble2 and he was stunned in his understanding so that he was turned from the beholding of his ,lord4 ,but his will was kept whole in ,god's sight2--for his will ,i saw our ,lord commend and approve4 ,but himself was letted and blinded from the knowing of this will2 and this is to him great sorrow and grievous distress3 for neither doth he see clearly his loving ,lord1 which is to him full meek and mild1 nor doth he see truly what himself is in the sight of his loving ,lord4 ,and well ,i wot when these two are wisely and truly seen1 we shall get rest and peace here in part1 and the fulness of the bliss of ,heaven1 by ,his plenteous grace4 ,and this was a beginning of teaching which ,i saw in the same time1 whereby ,i might come to know in what manner ,he beholdeth us in our sin4 ,and then ,i saw that only ,pain blameth and punisheth1 and our courteous ,lord comforteth and sorroweth2 and ever ,he is to the soul in glad ,cheer1 loving1 and longing to bring us to ,his bliss4 ,the place that the ,lord sat on was simple1 on the earth1 barren and desert1 alone in wilderness2 his clothing was ample and full seemly1 as falleth to a ,lord2 the colour of his cloth was blue as azure1 most sad and fair1 his cheer was merciful2 the colour of his face was fair-brown1--with full seemly features2 his eyes were black1 most fair and seemly1 shewing outward full of lovely pity1 and shewing1 within him1 an high ,regard1#g long and broad1 all full of endless heavens4 ,and the lovely looking wherewith ,he looked upon ,his ,servant continually1--and especially in his falling1--methought it might melt our hearts for love and burst them in two for joy4 ,the fair looking shewed itself of a seemly mingledness which was marvellous to behold3 the one part was ,ruth and ,pity1 the other was ,joy and ,bliss4 ,the ,joy and ,bliss passeth as far ,ruth and ,pity as ,heaven is above earth3 the ,pity was earthly and the ,bliss was heavenly3 the ,ruth and ,pity of the ,father was in regard of the falling of ,adam1 which is ,his most loved creature2 the ,joy and ,bliss was in regard of ,his dearworthy ,son1 which is even with the ,father4 ,the ,merciful ,beholding of ,his ,countenance#h of love fulfilled all earth and descended down with ,adam into hell1 with which continuant pity ,adam was kept from endless death4 ,and thus ,mercy and ,pity dwelleth with mankind unto the time we come up into ,heaven4 ,but man is blinded in this life and therefore we may not see our ,father1 ,god1 as ,he is4 ,and what time that ,he of ,his goodness willeth to shew ,himself to man1 ,he sheweth ,himself homely1 as man4 ,notwithstanding1 ,i reason1 in verity#i we ought to know and believe that the ,father is not man4 ,but his sitting on the earth barren and desert1 is to signify this3--,he made man's soul to be ,his own ,city and ,his dwelling-place3 which is most pleasing to ,him of all ,his works4 ,and what time that man was fallen into sorrow and pain1 he was not all seemly to serve in that noble office2 and therefore our ,lord ,father would prepare ,himself no other place1 but would sit upon the earth abiding mankind1 which is mingled with earth1 till what time by ,his grace ,his dearworthy ,son had brought again ,his ,city into the noble fairness with ,his hard travail4 ,the blueness of the clothing betokeneth ,his steadfastness2 the brownness of his fair face1 with the seemly blackness of the eyes1 was most accordant to shew ,his holy soberness4 ,the length and breadth of his garments1 which were fair1 flaming about1 betokeneth that ,he hath1 beclosed in ,him1 all ,heavens1 and all ,joy and ,bliss3#aj and this was shewed in a touch of time1 where ,i have said3 ,mine understanding was led into the ,lord2 in which inward shewing ,i saw ,him highly rejoice for the worshipful restoring that ,he will and shall bring ,his servant to by ,his plenteous grace4 ,and yet ,i marvelled1 beholding the ,lord and the ,servant aforesaid4 ,i saw the ,lord sit stately1 and the ,servant standing reverently afore his ,lord4 ,in which ,servant there is double understanding1 one without1 another within4 ,outwardly3--he was clad simply1 as a labourer which were got ready for his toil2#aa and he stood full near the ,lord--not evenly in front#ab of him1 but in part to one side1 on the left4 ,his clothing was a white kirtle1 single1 old1 and all defaced1 dyed with sweat of his body1 strait-fitting to him1 and short--as it were an handful beneath the knee2 threadbare1 seeming as it should soon be worn out1 ready to be ragged and rent4 ,and of this ,i marvelled greatly1 thinking3 this is now an unseemly clothing for the ,servant that is so greatly loved to stand in afore so worshipful a ,lord4 ,and inwardly in him was shewed a ground of love3 which love that he had to the ,lord was even-like#ac to the love that the ,lord had to him4 ,the wisdom of the ,servant saw inwardly that there was one thing to do which should be to the worship of the ,lord4 ,and the ,servant1 for love1 having no regard to himself nor to nothing that might befall him1 hastily he started and ran at the sending of his ,lord1 to do that thing which was his will and his worship4 ,for it seemed by his outward clothing as he had been a continuant labourer of long time1 and by the inward sight that ,i had both of the ,lord and the ,servant it seemed that he was a#ad new one1 that is to say1 new beginning to travail3 which ,servant was never sent out afore4 ,there was a treasure in the earth which the ,lord loved4 ,i marvelled and thought what it might be1 and ,i was answered in mine understanding3 ,it is a food which is delectable and pleasant to the ,lord4 ,for ,i saw the ,lord sit as a man1 and ,i saw neither meat nor drink wherewith to serve him4 ,this was one marvel4 ,another marvel was that this majestic ,lord had no servant but one1 and him he sent out4 ,i beheld1 thinking what manner of labour it might be that the ,servant should do4 ,and then ,i understood that he should do the greatest labour and hardest travail3 that is1 he should be a gardener1 delve and dyke1 toil and sweat1 and turn the earth upside-down1 and seek the deepness1 and water the plants in time4 ,and in this he should continue his travail and make sweet floods to run1 and noble and plenteous fruits to spring1 which he should bring afore the ,lord to serve him therewith to his desire4 ,and he should never turn again till he had prepared this food all ready as he knew that it pleased the ,lord4 ,and then he should take this food1 with the drink in the food1 and bear it full worshipfully afore the ,lord4 ,and all this time the ,lord should sit in the same place1 abiding his ,servant whom he sent out4 ,and yet ,i marvelled from whence the ,servant came4 ,for ,i saw in the ,lord that ,,he hath within ,himself endless life1 and all manner of goodness1 save that treasure that was in the earth4 ,and also that treasure was grounded in the ,lord in marvellous deepness of endless love1 but it was not all to ,his worship till the ,servant had thus nobly prepared it1 and brought it before ,him in himself present4 ,and without the ,lord was nothing but wilderness4 ,and ,i understood not all what this example meant1 and therefore ,i marvelled whence the ,servant came4 ,in the ,servant is comprehended the ,second ,person in the ,trinity2 and in the ,servant is comprehended ,adam3 that is to say1 ,all-,man4 ,and therefore when ,i say the ,son1 it meaneth the ,godhead which is even with the ,father2 and when ,i say the ,servant1 it meaneth ,christ's ,manhood1 which is rightful ,adam4 ,by the nearness of the ,servant is understood the ,son1 and by the standing on the left side is understood ,adam4 ,the ,lord is the ,father1 ,god2 the ,servant is the ,son1 ,christ ,jesus2 the ,holy ,ghost is ,even#ae ,love which is in them both4 ,when ,adam fell1 ,god's ,son fell3 because of the rightful oneing which had been made in heaven1 ,god's ,son might not be disparted from ,adam4 7,for by ,adam ,i understand ,all-,man47 ,adam fell from life to death1 into the deep#af of this wretched world1 and after that into hell3 ,god's ,son fell with ,adam1 into the deep#ag of the ,maiden's womb1 who was the fairest daughter of ,adam2 and for this end3 to excuse ,adam from blame in heaven and in earth2 and mightily ,he fetched him out of hell4 ,by the wisdom and goodness that was in the ,servant is understood ,god's ,son2 by the poor clothing as a labourer standing near the left side1 is understood the ,manhood and ,adam1 with all the scathe#ah and feebleness that followeth4 ,for in all this our good ,lord shewed ,his own ,son and ,adam but one ,man4 ,the virtue and the goodness that we have is of ,jesus ,christ1 the feebleness and the blindness that we have is of ,adam3 which two were shewed in the ,servant4 ,and thus hath our good ,lord ,jesus taken upon ,him all our blame1 and therefore our ,father nor may nor will more blame assign to us than to ,his own ,son1 dearworthy ,christ4 ,thus was ,he1 the ,servant1 afore ,his coming into earth standing ready afore the ,father in purpose1 till what time ,he would send ,him to do that worshipful deed by which mankind was brought again into heaven2--that is to say1 notwithstanding that ,he is ,god1 even with the ,father as anent the ,godhead4 ,but in ,his foreseeing purpose that ,he would be ,man1 to save man in fulfilling of ,his ,father's will1 so ,he stood afore ,his ,father as a ,servant1 willingly#ai taking upon ,him all our charge4 ,and then ,he started full readily at the ,father's will1 and anon ,he fell full low1 into the ,maiden's womb1 having no regard to ,himself nor to ,his hard pains4 ,the white kirtle is the flesh2 the singleness is that there was right nought atwix the ,godhead and ,manhood2 the straitness is poverty2 the eld is of ,adam's wearing2 the defacing1 of sweat of ,adam's travail2 the shortness sheweth the ,servant's labour4 ,and thus ,i saw the ,son saying in ,his meaning#bj3 ,lo6 my dear ,father1 ,i stand before ,thee in ,adam's kirtle1 all ready to start and to run3 ,i would be in the earth to do ,thy worship when it is ,thy will to send me4 ,how long shall ,i desire8 ,full soothfastly wist the ,son when it would be the ,father's will and how long ,he should desire3 that is to say1 ,he wist it anent the ,godhead3 for ,he is the ,wisdom of the ,father2 wherefore this question was shewed with understanding of the ,manhood of ,christ4 ,for all mankind that shall be saved by the sweet ,incarnation and blissful ,passion of ,christ1 all is the ,manhood of ,christ3 for ,he is the ,head and we be ,his members4 ,to which members the day and the time is unknown when every passing woe and sorrow shall have an end1 and the everlasting joy and bliss shall be fulfilled2 which day and time for to see1 all the ,company of ,heaven longeth4 ,and all that shall be under heaven that shall come thither1 their way is by longing and desire4 ,which desire and longing was shewed in the ,servant's standing afore the ,lord1--or else thus in the ,son's standing afore the ,father in ,adam's kirtle4 ,for the longing#ba and desire of all ,mankind that shall be saved appeared in ,jesus3 for ,jesus is ,all that shall be saved1 and ,all that shall be saved is ,jesus4 ,and all of the ,charity of ,god2 with obedience1 meekness1 and patience1 and virtues that belong to us4 ,also in this marvellous example ,i have teaching with me as it were the beginning of an ,a4,b4,c41 whereby ,i have some understanding of our ,lord's meaning4 ,for the secret things of the ,revelation be hid therein2--notwithstanding that all the ,shewings are full of secret things4 ,the sitting of the ,father betokeneth ,his ,godhead3 that is to say1 by shewing of rest and peace3 for in the ,godhead may be no travail4#bb ,and that ,he shewed ,himself as ,lord1 betokeneth ,his governance to our manhood4 ,the standing of the ,servant betokeneth travail2 on one side1 and on the left1 betokeneth that he was not all worthy to stand even-right afore the ,lord2 his starting was the ,godhead1 and the running was the ,manhood3 for the ,godhead started from the ,father into the ,maiden's womb1 falling into the taking of our ,kind4 ,and in this falling he took great sore3 the sore that ,he took was our flesh1 in which ,he had also swiftly feeling of deadly pains4 ,that he stood adread before the ,lord and not even-right1 betokeneth that ,his clothing was not seemly#bc to stand in even-right afore the ,lord1 nor that might not1 nor should not1 be ,his office while ,he was a labourer2 nor also ,he might not sit in rest and peace with the ,lord till ,he had won ,his peace rightfully with ,his hard travail2 and that he stood by the left side betokeneth that the ,father left ,his own ,son1 willingly1#bd in the ,manhood to suffer all man's pains1 without sparing of ,him4 ,by that his kirtle was in point to be ragged and rent1 is understood the blows1 the scourgings1 the thorns and the nails1 the drawing and the dragging1 ,his tender flesh rending4 7,as ,i saw in some part before how the flesh was rent from the skull1 falling in pieces until the time when the bleeding ceased1 and then it began to dry again1 cleaving to the bone47 ,and by the struggling and writhing1 groaning and moaning1 is understood that ,he might never rise almightily from the time that ,he was fallen into the ,maiden's womb1 till his body was slain and dead1 ,he yielding the soul into the ,father's hands with all ,mankind for whom ,he was sent4 ,and at this point ,he began first to shew ,his might3 for ,he went into ,hell1 and when ,he was there ,he raised up the great ,root out of the deep deepness which rightfully was knit to ,him in high ,heaven4 ,the body was in the grave till ,easter-morrow1 and from that time ,he lay nevermore4 ,for then was rightfully ended the struggling and the writhing1 the groaning and the moaning4 ,and our foul deadly flesh that ,god's ,son took on ,him1 which was ,adam's old kirtle1 strait1 worn-bare1 and short1 was then by our ,saviour made fair1 new1 white and bright and of endless cleanness2 loose and long#be2 fairer and richer than was then the clothing which before ,i saw on the ,father3 for that clothing was blue1 but ,christ's clothing is coloured now of a fair seemly medlour1 which is so marvellous that ,i can it not describe3 for it is all of very worships4 ,now sitteth not the ,son on earth in wilderness1 but ,he sitteth in ,his noblest ,seat1 which ,he made in ,heaven most to ,his pleasing4 ,now standeth not the ,son afore the ,father as a ,servant afore the ,lord dreadingly1 meanly clad1 in part naked2 but ,he standeth afore the ,father even-right1 richly clad in blissful largeness1 with a ,crown upon ,his head of precious richness4 ,for it was shewed that we be ,his ,crown3 which ,crown is the ,joy of the ,father1 the ,worship of the ,son1 the ,satisfying of the ,holy ,ghost1 and endless marvellous ,bliss to all that be in ,heaven4 ,now standeth not the ,son afore the ,father on the left side1 as a labourer1 but ,he sitteth on ,his ,father's right hand1 in endless rest and peace4#bf 7,but it is not meant that the ,son sitteth on the right hand1 side by side1 as one man sitteth by another in this life1--for there is no such sitting1 as to my sight1 in the ,trinity1--but ,he sitteth on ,his ,father's right hand1--that is to say3 in the highest nobleness of the ,father's joys47 ,now is the ,spouse1 ,god's ,son1 in peace with ,his loved ,wife1 which is the ,fair ,maiden of endless ,joy4 ,now sitteth the ,son1 ,very ,god and ,man1 in ,his ,city in rest and peace3 which ,city ,his ,father hath adight to ,him of ,his endless purpose2 and the ,father in the ,son2 and the ,holy ,ghost in the ,father and in the ,son4 #a i4e4 a steep hollow place2 a ravine4 #b i4e4 injury1 harm4 #c entended4 #d aret reckoned4 #e i4e4 not of definite purport1 indistinct4 #f avisement4 #g ,,ms4 within him an heyward long and brode1 all full of endless hevyns4 ,cressy and ,collins transcribe this word without explanation1 but give heavenliness for heavens4 ,it seems most likely that hey has been written as if affixed to ward 7i4e4 regard1 deeming1 or reward71 or else to reward1 meaning1 as usual1 regard 7,beholding74 ,see pp4 #ajh and #aac4 ,if an heyward--long and brode all full of endless hevyns1--were to be rendered as an high reward1 revealed for the future along with1 though less clearly than1 the divine pity for the pains of the present1 reference might be made to ,revelation ix4 pp4 #dg1 #ej3 ,it is a joy1 a bliss1 an endless satisfying to me that ever suffered ,passion for thee4 444 ,in this feeling mine understanding was lifted up into ,heaven3 and there ,i saw three heavens2 and to ,rev4 x4 p4 #ea3 then with a glad ,cheer our ,lord looked into ,his ,side and beheld1 rejoicing4 ,with ,his sweet looking ,he led forth the understanding of ,his creature by the same wound into ,his ,side within4 ,and then ,he shewed a fair delectable place1 and large enough for all mankind that shall be saved to rest in peace and in love4 ,but ,regard 7scope of true1 continuing1 divine ,sight1 ,insight1 ,all-comprehending sight7 seems more likely to be the true rendering4 ,long and broad go strangely with the word1 but on p4 #aac the length and breadth of the garments is interpreted immediately after the colour of the eyes1 and is said to betoken that ,he hath in ,him1 all ,heavens1 and all ,joy and ,bliss1 and indeed these words but fill out the idea of the more frequently used high to signify the enclosing of endless heavens3 that ,sphere of fulness which is infinite4 ,with this passage may be compared one below1 on p4 #aac3 ,the ,merciful ,beholding of ,his loving ,cheer fulfilled all earth and descended down with ,adam into hell1 444 and thus ,mercy and ,pity dwelleth with mankind unto the time we come up into ,heaven4 ,the other1 the ,inward1 the high ,beholding or ,regard it not said to fill ,heaven1 but to be full of endless ,heavens4 ,so elsewhere it is said that in our ,sense-soul1 the lower part of human nature1 ,god dwells1 but that our ,substance1 the higher part1 dwells in ,god4 7,the regard of ,mercy and ,pity is with the ,sense-soul2 the high ,regard of ,joy and ,bliss is with the ,substance47 ,p4 #acb1 chap4 lv43 ,i saw that our ,substance is in ,god1 and also ,i saw that in our ,sense-soul ,god is4 lvi4 p4 #ace3 ,the worshipful ,city that our ,lord ,jesus sitteth in1 it is our ,sense-part1 in which ,he is enclosed2 and our ,nature-,substance is beclosed in ,jesus1 with the blessed ,soul of ,christ sitting in rest in the ,godhead4 #h lofly cher4 #i ,i reson sothly we owen4 #aj ,see p4 #aab1 the high reward4 #aa which wer disposed to travel4 #ab even fornempts strait opposite4 #ac i4e4 equal 7,,ms4 even like74 #ad ,s4 de ,cressy3 anaved2 ,,ms4 anew4 #ae i4e4 equal--see p4 #aad4 ,all of the ,charity of ,god1 the mutual love that also embraces created souls1 p4 #aah4 #af the slade4 #ag the slade4 #ah mischief4 #ai wilfully voluntarily1 of ,his own ,will as ,god4 #bj purpose1 intent1 thought or speech4 #ba langor4 #bb i4e4 painful toil4 ,he sitteth 444 in peace and rest4 ,and the ,godhead ruleth and careth for heaven and earth and all that is 7lxvii474 #bc honest4 #bd wilfully4 #be wyde and syde wide and long4 #bf ,but see also xxxix4 p4 #ha1 lxxx4 p4 #aid4 ,,chapter ,,lii ,we have now matter of mourning3 for our sin is cause of ,christ's pains2 and we have1 lastingly1 matter of joy3 for endless love made ,him to suffer ,and thus ,i saw that ,god rejoiceth that ,he is our ,father1 and ,god rejoiceth that ,he is our ,mother1 and ,god rejoiceth that ,he is ,very ,spouse and our soul is ,his loved ,wife4 ,and ,christ rejoiceth that ,he is our ,brother1 and ,jesus rejoiceth that ,he is our ,saviour4 ,these are five high joys1 as ,i understand1 in which ,he willeth that we enjoy2 ,him praising1 ,him thanking1 ,him loving1 ,him endlessly blessing4 ,all that shall be saved1 we have in us1 for the time of this life1 a marvellous mingling#a both of weal and woe3 we have in us our ,lord ,jesus uprisen1 we have in us the wretchedness and the mischief of ,adam's falling1 dying4 ,by ,christ we are steadfastly kept1 and by ,his grace touching us we are raised into sure trust of salvation4 ,and by ,adam's falling we are so broken1 in our feeling1 in diverse manners by sins and by sundry pains1 in which we are made dark1 that scarsely we can take any comfort4 ,but in our intent#b we abide in ,god1 and faithfully trust to have mercy and grace2 and this is ,his own working in us4 ,and of ,his goodness ,he openeth the eye of our understanding1 by which we have sight1 sometime more and sometime less1 according as ,god giveth ability to receive4 ,and now we are raised into the one1 and now we are suffered to fall into the other4 ,and thus is this medley so marvellous in us that scarsely we know of our self or of our even-,christian in what way we stand1 for the marvellousness of this sundry feeling4 ,but that same ,holy ,assent1 that we assent to ,god when we feel ,him1 truly setting our will to be with ,him1 with all our heart1 and with all our soul1 and with all our might4 ,and then we hate and despise our evil stirrings and all that might be occasion of sin1 spiritual and bodily4#c ,and yet nevertheless when this sweetness is hid1 we fall again into blindness1 and so into woe and tribulation in diverse manners4 ,but then is this our comfort1 that we know in our faith that by virtue of ,christ which is our ,keeper1 we assent never thereto1 but we groan there-against1 and dure on1 in pain and woe1 praying1 unto that time that ,he sheweth ,him again to us4 ,and thus we stand in this medley all the days of our life4 ,but ,he willeth that we trust that ,he is lastingly with as4 ,and that in three manner4--,he is with us in ,heaven1 very ,man1 in ,his own ,person1 us updrawing2 and that was shewed in the ,shewing of the ,spiritual ,thirst4 ,and ,he is with us in earth1 us leading2 and that was shewed in the ,third ,shewing1 where ,i saw ,god in a ,point4 ,and ,he is with us in our soul1 endlessly dwelling1 us ruling and keeping2 and that was shewed in the ,sixteenth ,shewing1 as ,i shall tell4 ,and thus in the ,servant was shewed the scathe and blindness of ,adam's falling2 and in the ,servant was shewed the wisdom and goodness of ,god's ,son4 ,and in the ,lord was shewed the ruth and pity of ,adam's woe1 and in the ,lord was shewed the high nobility and the endless worship that ,mankind is come to by the virtue of the ,passion and death of ,his dearworthy ,son4 ,and therefore mightily ,he joyeth in his falling for the high raising and fulness of bliss that ,mankind is come to1 overpassing that we should have had if he had not fallen4--,and thus to see this overpassing nobleness was mine understanding led into ,god in the same time that ,i saw the ,servant fall4 ,and thus we have1 now1 matter of mourning3 for our sin is cause of ,christ's pains2 and we have1 lastingly1 matter of joy3 for endless love made ,him to suffer4 ,and therefore the creature that seeth and feeleth the working of love by grace1 hateth nought but sin3 for of all things1 to my sight1 love and hate are the hardest and most unmeasureable contraries4 ,and notwithstanding all this1 ,i saw and understood in our ,lord's meaning that we may not in this life keep us from sin as wholly in full cleanness as we shall be in ,heaven4 ,but we may well by grace keep us from the sins which would lead us to endless pains1 as ,holy ,church teacheth us2 and eschew venial ones reasonably up to our might4 ,and if we by our blindness and our wretchedness any time fall1 we should readily rise1 knowing the sweet touching of grace1 and with all our will amend us upon the teaching of ,holy ,church1 according as the sin is grievous1 and go forthwith to ,god in love2 and neither1 on the one side1 fall over low1 inclining to despair1 nor1 on the other side1 be over-reckless1 as if we made no matter of it#d2 but nakedly acknowledge our feebleness1 finding that we may not stand a twinkling of an eye but by ,keeping of grace1 and reverently cleave to ,god1 on ,him only trusting4 ,for after one wise is the ,beholding by#e ,god1 and after another wise is the ,beholding by#f man4 ,for it belongeth to man meekly to accuse himself1 and it belongeth to the proper ,goodness of our ,lord ,god courteously to excuse man4 ,and these be two parts that were shewed in the double ,manner of ,regard with which the ,lord beheld the falling of ,his loved ,servant4 ,the one was shewed outward1 very meekly and mildly1 with great ruth and pity2 and that of endless ,love4 ,and right thus willeth our ,lord that we accuse our self1 earnestly and truly seeing and knowing our falling and all the harms that come thereof2 seeing and learning#g that we can never restore it2 and therewith that we earnestly and truly see and know ,his everlasting love that ,he hath to us1 and ,his plenteous mercy4 ,and thus graciously to see and know both together is the meek accusing that our ,lord asketh of us1 and ,himself worketh it where it is4 ,and this is the lower part of man's life1 and it was shewed in the ,lord's outward manner of ,regard4 ,in which shewing ,i saw two parts3 the one is the rueful falling of man1 the other is the worshipful ,satisfaction#h that our ,lord hath made for man4 ,the other manner of ,regard was shewed inward3 and that was more highly and all fully one4#i ,for the life and the virtue that we have in the lower part is of the higher1 and it cometh down to us from out of the ,natural love of the high ,self1 by the working of grace4 ,atwix the life of the one and the life of the other there is right nought3 for it is all one love4 ,which one blessed love hath now1 in us1 double working3 for in the lower part are pains and passions1 mercies and forgiveness1 and such other that are profitable2 but in the higher part are none of these1 but all one high love and marvellous joy3 in#aj which joy all pains are highly restored4 ,and in this time our ,lord showed not only our ,excusing#aa from blame1 in ,his beholding of our higher part1 but the worshipful nobility that ,he shall bring us to by the working of grace in our lower part1 turning all our blame that is therein1 from our falling into endless worship when we be oned to the high ,self above4#ab #a medlour1 medle4 #b menyng4 #c ,and thus is this medle so mervelous in us that onethys we knowen of our selfe or of our evyn ,cristen in what way we stonden for the marveloushede of this sundry felyng4 ,but that ilke holy assent that we assenten to ,god when we feel hym truly willand to be with him with al our herte1 with al our soule and with al our myte1 and than we haten and dispisen our evil sterings and al that myte be occasion of synne gostly and bodily4 #d gove no fors gave it no force4 #e of4 #f of4 #g witand witting4 #h ,asseth4 #i and al on--perhaps for all is one4 #aj in in1 into1 or unto4 #aa i4e4 ,exculpating--as in ,romans ii4 #ae4 #ab ,man1--seeing he is not a simple nature--in one aspect of his being1 which is the better1 and that ,i may speak more openly what ,i ought to speak1 his very self1 is immortal2 but on the other side1 which is weak and fallen1 and which alone is known to those who have no faith except in sensible things1 he is obnoxious to mortality and mutability4--,from the ,didascolon of ,hugo of ,st ,victor1 as quoted in ,f4 ,d4 ,maurice's ,medival ,philosophy1 p4 #adg4 ,,chapter ,,liii ,in every soul that shall be saved is a ,godly ,will that never assented to sin1 nor ever shall4 ,ere that ,he made us ,he loved us1 and when we were made we loved ,him ,and ,i saw that ,he willeth that we understand ,he taketh not harder the falling of any creature that shall be saved than ,he took the falling of ,adam1 which1 we know1 was endlessly loved and securely kept in the time of all his need1 and now is blissfully restored in high overpassing joy4 ,for our ,lord is so good1 so gentle1 and so courteous1 that ,he may never assign default in those in whom ,he shall ever be blessed and praised4 ,and in this that ,i have now told was my desire in part answered1 and my great difficulty#a some deal eased1 by the lovely1 gracious ,shewing of our good ,lord4 ,in which ,shewing ,i saw and understood full surely that in every soul that shall be saved is a ,godly ,will that never assented to sin1 nor ever shall3 which ,will is so good that it may never will evil1 but evermore continually it willeth good2 and worketh good in the sight of ,god4 ,therefore our ,lord willeth that we know this in the ,faith and the belief2 and especially that we have all this blessed ,will whole and safe in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,for that same ,kind#b that ,heaven shall be filled with behoveth needs1 of ,god's rightfulness1 so to have been knit and oned to ,him1 that therein was kept a ,substance which might never1 nor should1 be parted from ,him2 and that through ,his own ,good ,will in ,his endless foreseeing purpose4 ,but notwithstanding this rightful knitting and this endless oneing1 yet the redemption and the again-buying of mankind is needful and speedful in everything1 as it is done for the same intent and to the same end that ,holy ,church in our ,faith us teacheth4 ,for ,i saw that ,god began never to love mankind3 for right the same that mankind shall be in endless bliss1 fulfilling the joy of ,god as anent ,his works1 right so the same1 mankind hath been in the foresight of ,god3 known and loved from without beginning in his#c rightful intent4 ,by the endless assent of the full accord of all the ,trinity1 the ,mid-,person willed to be ,ground and ,head of this fair ,kind3 out of ,whom we be all come1 in ,whom we be all enclosed1 into ,whom we shall all wend1#d in ,him finding our full ,heaven in everlasting joy1 by the foreseeing purpose of all the blessed ,trinity from without beginning4 ,for ere that ,he made us ,he loved us1 and when we were made we loved ,him4 ,and this is a ,love that is made1 to our ,kindly ,substance1 by virtue of the ,kindly ,substantial ,goodness of the ,holy ,ghost2 ,mighty1 in ,reason1 by virtue of the ,might of the ,father2 and ,wise1 in ,mind1 by virtue of the ,wisdom of the ,son4 ,and thus is ,man's ,soul made by ,god and in the same point knit to ,god4 ,and thus ,i understand that man's ,soul is made of nought3 that is to say1 it is made1 but of nought that is made4 ,and thus3--,when ,god should make man's body ,he took the clay of earth1 which is a matter mingled and gathered of all bodily things2 and thereof ,he made man's body4 ,but to the making of man's ,soul ,he would take right nought1 but made it4 ,and thus is the ,nature-made rightfully oned to the ,maker1 which is ,substantial ,nature not-made3 that is1 ,god4 ,and therefore it is that there may nor shall be right nought atwix ,god and man's ,soul4 ,and in this endless ,love man's ,soul is kept whole1 as the matter of the ,revelations signifieth and sheweth3 in which endless ,love we be led and kept of ,god and never shall be lost4 ,for ,he willeth we#e be aware that our ,soul is a life1 which life of ,his ,goodness and ,his ,grace shall last in ,heaven without end1 ,him loving1 ,him thanking1 ,him praising4 ,and right the same that we shall be without end1 the same we were treasured in ,god and hid1 known and loved from without beginning4 ,wherefore ,he would have us understand that the noblest thing that ever ,he made is mankind3 and the fullest ,substance and the highest ,virtue is the blessed ,soul of ,christ4 ,and furthermore ,he would have us understand that ,his#f dear worthy ,soul of ,manhood was preciously knit to ,him in the making by ,him of ,manhood's ,substantial ,nature which knot is so subtle and so mighty that 7it7#g--man's soul--is oned into ,god3 in which oneing it is made endlessly holy4 ,furthermore ,he would have us know that all the souls that shall be saved in ,heaven without end1 are knit and oned in this oneing and made holy in this holiness4 #a awer awe1 travail of perplexity1 dilemma--see l4 note #c4 #b ,man's nature4 #c ,or 7it may be73 ,in ,his ,rightful ,intent 444 the ,mid-,person willed4444 #d wynden4 #e wetyn wit4 #f ,s4 de ,cressy has this 2 the word in the ,,ms4 is more like his4 #g ,the pronoun it given by ,s4 de ,cressy is omitted in the ,,ms4 ,the meaning is1 perhaps1 that the ,manhood-,substance1 or ,soul of ,christ1 was in its making1 by the ,second ,person in the ,trinity1 so united to ,himself that ,man's ,substance and each man's soul 7in salvation71 being one with it1 are one with ,god the ,son4 ,see li4 p4 #aag4 ,,chapter ,,liv ,faith is nought else but a right understanding1 with true belief and sure trust1 of our ,being3 that we are in ,god1 and ,god is in us3 ,whom we see not ,and because of this great1 endless love that ,god hath to all ,mankind1 ,he maketh no disparting in love between the blessed ,soul of ,christ and the least soul that shall be saved4 ,for it is full easy to believe and to trust that the dwelling of the blessed ,soul of ,christ is full high in the glorious ,godhead1 and verily1 as ,i understand in our ,lord's signifying1 where the blessed ,soul of ,christ is1 there is the ,substance of all the souls that shall be saved by ,christ4 ,highly ought we to rejoice that ,god dwelleth in our soul1 and much more highly ought we to rejoice that our soul dwelleth in ,god4 ,our soul is made to be ,god's dwelling-place2 and the dwelling-place of the soul is ,god1 ,which is unmade4 ,and high understanding it is1 inwardly to see and know that ,god1 which is our ,maker1 dwelleth in our soul2 and an higher understanding it is1 inwardly to see and to know that our soul1 that is made1 dwelleth in ,god's ,substance3 of which ,substance1 ,god1 we are that we are4 ,and ,i saw no difference between ,god and our ,substance3 but as it were all ,god2 and yet mine understanding took that our ,substance is in ,god3 that is to say1 that ,god is ,god1 and our ,substance is a creature in ,god4 ,for the ,almighty ,truth of the ,trinity is our ,father3 for ,he made us and keepeth us in ,him2 and the deep ,wisdom of the ,trinity is our ,mother1 in ,whom we are all enclosed2 the high ,goodness of the ,trinity is our ,lord1 and in ,him we are enclosed1 and ,he in us4 ,we are enclosed in the ,father1 and we are enclosed in the ,son1 and we are enclosed in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and the ,father is enclosed in us1 and the ,son is enclosed in us1 and the ,holy ,ghost is enclosed in us3 ,almightiness1 ,all-,wisdom1 ,all-,goodness3 one ,god1 one ,lord4 ,and our faith is a ,virtue that cometh of our ,nature-,substance into our ,sense-soul by the ,holy ,ghost2 in which all our virtues come to us3 for without that1 no man may receive virtue4 ,for it is nought else but a right understanding1 with true belief1 and sure trust1 of our ,being3 that we are in ,god1 and ,god in us1 ,whom we see not4 ,and this virtue1 with all other that ,god hath ordained to us coming therein1 worketh in us great things4 ,for ,christ's merciful working is in us1 and we graciously accord to ,him through the gifts and the virtues of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this working maketh that we are ,christ's children1 and ,christian in living4 ,,chapter ,,lv ,christ is our ,way--,mankind shall be restored from double death ,and thus ,christ is our ,way1 us surely leading in ,his laws1 and ,christ in ,his body mightily beareth us up into heaven4 ,for ,i saw that ,christ1 us all having in ,him that shall be saved by ,him1 worshipfully presenteth ,his ,father in heaven with us2 which present full thankfully ,his ,father receiveth1 and courteously giveth it to ,his ,son1 ,jesus ,christ3 which gift and working is joy to the ,father1 and bliss to the ,son1 and pleasing to the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and of all things that belong to us to do1 it is most pleasing to our ,lord that we enjoy in this joy which is in the blessed ,trinity in virtue of our salvation4 7,and this was seen in the ,ninth ,shewing1 where it speaketh more of this matter47 ,and notwithstanding all our feeling of woe or weal1 ,god willeth that we should understand and hold#a by faith that we are more verily in heaven than in earth4 ,our ,faith cometh of the natural ,love of our soul1 and of the clear light of our ,reason1 and of the steadfast ,mind which we have from#b ,god in our first making4 ,and what time that our soul is inspired into our body1 in which we are made sensual1 so soon mercy and grace begin to work1 having of us care and keeping with pity and love3 in which working the ,holy ,ghost formeth1 in our ,faith1 ,hope that we shall come again up above to our ,substance1 into the ,virtue of ,christ1 increased and fulfilled through the ,holy ,ghost4 ,thus ,i understood that the sense-soul is grounded in ,nature1 in ,mercy1 and in ,grace3 which ,ground enableth us to receive gifts that lead us to endless life4 ,for ,i saw full assuredly that our ,substance is in ,god1 and also ,i saw that in our sense-soul#c ,god is3 for in the self-same point that our ,soul is made sensual1 in the self-same point is the ,city of ,god ordained to ,him from without beginning2 into which seat ,he cometh1 and never shall remove from it4 ,for ,god is never out of the soul3 in which ,he dwelleth blissfully without end4 ,and this was seen in the ,sixteenth ,shewing where it saith3 ,the place that ,jesus taketh in our soul1 ,he shall never remove from it4 ,and all the gifts that ,god may give to creatures1 ,he hath given to ,his ,son ,jesus for us3 which gifts ,he1 dwelling in us1 hath enclosed in ,him unto the time that we be waxen and grown1--our soul with our body and our body with our soul1 either of them taking help of other1--till we be brought up unto stature1 as nature worketh4 ,and then1 in the ground of nature1 with working of mercy1 the ,holy ,ghost graciously inspireth into us gifts leading to endless life4 ,and thus was my understanding led of ,god to see in ,him and to understand1 to perceive and to know1 that our soul is made-trinity1 like to the unmade blissful ,trinity1#d known and loved from without beginning1 and in the making oned to the ,maker1 as it is aforesaid4 ,this sight was full sweet and marvellous to behold1 peaceable1 restful1 sure1 and delectable4 ,and because of the worshipful oneing that was thus made by ,god betwixt the soul and body1 it behoveth needs to be that mankind shall be restored from double death3 which restoring might never be until the time that the ,second ,person in the ,trinity had taken the lower#e part of man's nature2 to ,whom the highest#f part was oned in the ,first-making4 ,and these two parts were in ,christ1 the higher and the lower3 which is but one ,soul2 the higher part was one in peace with ,god1 in full joy and bliss2 the lower part1 which is sense-nature1#g suffered for the salvation of mankind4 ,and these two parts in ,christ were seen and felt in the ,eighth ,shewing1 in which my body was fulfilled with feeling and mind of ,christ's ,passion and ,his death1 and furthermore with this was a subtile feeling and privy inward sight of the ,high ,part which ,i was shewed in the same time when ,i could not1 even for the friendly#h proffer made to me1 look up into ,heaven3 and that was because of that mighty beholding that ,i had of the ,inward ,life4 ,which ,inward ,life is that ,high ,substance1 that precious ,soul1 of ,christ1 which is endlessly rejoicing in the ,godhead4 #a feythyn4 #b of4 #c sensualite4 #d ,wisdom1 ,truth1 ,love or ,goodness1 p4 #ic4 #e the ,sense-soul4 #f the ,substance4 #g sensualite4 #h wher ,i myte not for the mene profir lokyn up on to hevyn4 mene medium1 is perhaps a sub4 in the gen4 intervenor's1 intermediary's4 ,see xix4 p4 #db and xxxv4 p4 #gj1 ,s4 de ,cressy has3 ,where ,i might not for the mean profer look up2 ,collins3 for the meanwhile4 ,,chapter ,,lvi ,god is nearer to us than our own soul ,we can never come to full knowing of ,god till we know first clearly our own ,soul ,and thus ,i saw full surely that it is readier to us to come to the knowing of ,god than to know our own ,soul4 ,for our ,soul is so deep-grounded in ,god1 and so endlessly treasured1 that we may not come to the knowing thereof till we have first knowing of ,god1 which is the ,maker1 to whom it is oned4 ,but1 notwithstanding1 ,i saw that we have1 for fulness1 to desire wisely and truly to know our own ,soul3 whereby we are learned to seek it where it is1 and that is1 in ,god4 ,and thus by gracious leading of the ,holy ,ghost1 we should know them both in one3 whether we be stirred to know ,god or our ,soul1 both these stirrings are good and true4 ,god is nearer to us than our own ,soul3 for ,he is the ,ground in whom our ,soul standeth1 and ,he is the ,mean that keepeth the ,substance and the ,sense-nature together so that they shall never dispart4 ,for our soul sitteth in ,god in very rest1 and our soul standeth in ,god in very strength1 and our ,soul is kindly rooted in ,god in endless love3 and therefore if we will have knowledge of our ,soul1 and communing and dalliance therewith1 it behoveth to seek unto our ,lord ,god in whom it is enclosed4 7,and of this enclosement ,i saw and understood more in the ,sixteenth ,shewing1 as ,i shall tell47 ,and as anent our ,substance and our ,sense-part1 both together may rightly be called our ,soul3#a and that is because of the oneing that they have in ,god4 ,the worshipful ,city that our ,lord ,jesus sitteth in is our ,sense-soul1 in which ,he is enclosed3 and our ,kindly ,substance is enclosed in ,jesus with the blessed ,soul of ,christ sitting in rest in the ,godhead4 ,and ,i saw full surely that it behoveth needs to be that we should be in longing and in penance unto the time that we be led so deep into ,god that we verily and truly know our own ,soul4 ,and truly ,i saw that into this high deepness our good ,lord ,himself leadeth us in the same love that ,he made us1 and in the same love that ,he bought us by ,mercy and ,grace through virtue of ,his blessed ,passion4 ,and notwithstanding all this1 we may never come to full knowing of ,god till we know first clearly our own ,soul4 ,for until the time that our ,soul is in its full powers#b we cannot be all fully holy3 and that is until the time that our ,sense-soul by the virtue of ,christ's ,passion be brought up to the ,substance1 with all the profits of our tribulation that our ,lord shall make us to get by ,mercy and ,grace4 ,i had1 in part1 experience of the ,touching of ,god in the soul1 and it is grounded in ,nature4 ,that is to say1 our ,reason is grounded in ,god1 which is ,substantial ,naturehood4#c ,out of this ,substantial ,naturehood ,mercy and ,grace springeth and spreadeth into us1 working all things in fulfilling of our joy3 these are our ,ground in which we have our ,increase and our ,fulfilling4 ,these be three properties in one ,goodness3 and where one worketh1 all work in the things which be now belonging to us4 ,god willeth that we understand this1 desiring with all our heart to have knowing of them more and more unto the time that we be fulfilled3 for fully to know them is nought else but endless joy and bliss that we shall have in ,heaven1 which ,god willeth should be begun here in knowing of ,his love4 ,for only by our ,reason we may not profit1 but if we have evenly therewith ,mind and ,love3 nor only in our ,nature-,ground that we have in ,god we may not be saved but if we have1 coming of the same ,ground1 ,mercy and ,grace4 ,for of these three working all together we receive all our ,goodness4 ,of the which the first gifts are goods of ,nature3 for in our ,first making ,god gave us as full goods as we might receive in our spirit alone1#d--;and also greater goods2 but ,his foreseeing purpose in ,his endless wisdom willed that we should be double4 #a anempts our substance and sensualite it may rytely be clepid our soule4 #b the full myts4 #c ,i had in partie touching and it is grounded in kynd3 that is to sey1 our reson is groundid in ,god1 which is substantial kyndhede4 #d ffor in our first makyng ,god gaf us as ful goods and also greter godes as we myte receivin only in our spirite4 ,in the ,,ms4 the word spirit is used only here1 where it means the ,substance4 ,,chapter ,,lvii ,in ,christ our two natures are united ,and anent our ,substance ,he made us noble1 and so rich that evermore we work ,his will and ,his worship4 7,where ,i say we1 it meaneth ,man that shall be saved47 ,for soothly ,i saw that we are that which ,he loveth1 and do that which ,him pleaseth1 lastingly without any stinting3 and that by virtue of the great riches and of the high noble virtues by measure come to our soul what time it is knit to our body3 in which knitting we are made ,sensual4 ,and thus in our ,substance we are full1 and in our ,sense-soul we fail3 which failing ,god will restore and fulfil by working of ,mercy and ,grace plenteously flowing into us out of ,his own ,nature-,goodness4#a ,and thus ,his ,nature-,goodness maketh that ,mercy and ,grace work in us1 and the ,nature-goodness that we have of ,him enableth us to receive the working of ,mercy and ,grace4 ,i saw that our nature is in ,god whole3 in which whole nature of ,manhood ,he maketh diversities flowing out of ,him to work ,his will3 whom ,nature keepeth1 and ,mercy and ,grace restoreth and fulfilleth4 ,and of these none shall perish3 for our nature that is the higher part is knit to ,god1 in the making2 and ,god is knit to our nature that is the lower part1 in our flesh-taking3 and thus in ,christ our two natures are oned4 ,for the ,trinity is comprehended in ,christ1 in whom our higher part is grounded and rooted2 and our lower part the ,second ,person hath taken3 which nature first to ,him was made-ready4#b ,for ,i saw full surely that all the works that ,god hath done1 or ever shall1 were fully known to ,him and aforeseen from without beginning4 ,and for ,love ,he made ,mankind1 and for the same ,love would be ,man4 ,the next#c ,good that we receive is our ,faith1 in which our profiting beginneth4 ,and it cometh out of the high riches of our nature-,substance into our ,sensual soul1 and it is grounded in us through the ,nature-,goodness of ,god1 by the working of ,mercy and ,grace4 ,and thereof come all other goods by which we are led and saved4 ,for the ,commandments of ,god come therein3 in which we ought to have two manners of understanding3 the one is that we ought to understand and know which are ,his biddings1 to love and to keep them2 the other is that we ought to know ,his forbiddings1 to hate and to refuse them4 ,for in these two is all our working comprehended4 ,also in our faith come the ,seven ,sacraments1 each following other in order as ,god hath ordained them to us3 and all manner of virtues4 ,for the same virtues that we have received of our ,substance1 given to us in ,nature by the ,goodness of ,god1--the same virtues by the working of ,mercy are given to us in ,grace through the ,holy ,ghost1 renewed3 which virtues and gifts are treasured to us in ,jesus ,christ4 ,for in that same#d time that ,god knitted ,himself to our body in the ,virgin's womb1 ,he took our ,sensual soul3#e in which taking ,he1 us all having enclosed in ,him1 oned it to our ,substance3 in which oneing ,he was perfect ,man4 ,for ,christ having knit in ,him each#f man that shall be saved1 is perfect ,man4 ,thus our ,lady is our ,mother in whom we are all enclosed and of her born1#g in ,christ3 7for she that is ,mother of our ,saviour is ,mother of all that shall be saved in our ,saviour27 and our ,saviour is our ,very ,mother in whom we be endlessly borne1#h and never shall come out of ,him4 ,plenteously and fully and sweetly was this shewed1 and it is spoken of in the ,first1 where it saith3 ,we are all in ,him enclosed and ,he is enclosed in us4 ,and that enclosing of ,him in us is spoken of in the ,sixteenth ,shewing1 where it saith3 ,he sitteth in our soul4 ,for it is ,his good-pleasure to reign in our ,understanding blissfully1 and sit in our ,soul restfully1 and to dwell in our ,soul endlessly1 us all working into ,him3 in which working ,he willeth that we be ,his helpers1 giving to ,him all our attending1 learning ,his lores1 keeping ,his laws1 desiring that all be done that ,he doeth2 truly trusting in ,him4 ,for soothly ,i saw that our ,substance is in ,god4#i #a kynde godhede4 #b adyte4 #c or the first4 #d ilk same4 #e ,here1 as above1 the ,,ms4 term for the ,sensual soul is the ,sensualite4 #f ilk each4 #g ,the ,,ms4 word is in both cases borne1 which may mean either born or borne4 ,s4 de ,cressy gives born both for the first word and the second4 ,see lx4 ,he sustaineth us within ,himself in love1 etc42 and lxiii4 ,in the taking of our nature ,he quickened us1 etc4 #h ,see preceding note4 #i ,from ,the ,scale or ,ladder of ,perfection1 by ,walter ,hilton 7,fourteenth century71 edition of #afei1 ,part ,,iii4 ch4 ii43-- ,the soule of a man is a life consisting of three powers1 ,memory1 ,understanding1 and ,will1 after the image and likeness of the blessed ,trinity4444 ,whereby you may see1 that man's soule 7which may be called a created ,trinity7 was in its natural state replenished in its three powers1 with the remembrance1 sight1 and love of the most blessed uncreated ,trinity1 which is ,god4444 ,but when ,adam sinned1 choosing love and delight in himselfe1 and in the creatures1 he lost all his excellency and dignity1 and thou also in him4 ,ch4 ,,iii4 ,sec4 i4 ,and though we should prove not to be able to recover it fully here in this life1 yet should we desire and endeavour to recover the image and likeness of the dignity we had1 so that our soul might be reformed as it were in a shadow by grace to the image of the ,trinity which we had by nature1 and hereafter shall have fully in bliss4444 ,sec4 ii4 ,seeke then that which thou hast lost1 that thou mayest finde it2 for well ,i wote1 whosoever once hath an inward sight1 but a little of that dignity and that spirituall fairness which a soule hath by creation1 and shall have again by grace1 he will loath in his heart all the blisse1 the liking1 and the fairnesse of this world4444 ,nevertheless as thou hast not as yet seen what it is fully1 for thy spiritual eye is not yet opened1 ,i shall tell thee one word for all1 in the which thou shalt seeke1 desire1 and finde it2 for in that one word is all that thou hast lost4 ,this word is ,jesus4444 ,if thou feelest in thy heart a great desire to ,jesus 444 then seekest thou well thy ,lord ,jesus4 ,and when thou feelest this desire to ,god1 or to ,jesus 7for it is all one7 holpen and comforted by a ghostly might1 insomuch that it is turned into love1 affection1 and spiritual fervour and sweetnesse1 into light and knowing of truth1 so that for the time the point of thy thought is set upon no other created thing1 nor feeleth any stirring of vain-glory1 nor of selfe-love1 nor any other evill affection 7for they cannot appear at that time7 but this thy desire is onely enclosed1 rested1 softened1 suppled1 and annoynted in ,jesus1 then hast thou found somewhat of ,jesus2 ,i mean not him as he is1 but a shadow of him2 for the better that thou findest him1 the more shalt thou desire him4 ,then observe by what manner of ,prayer or ,meditation or exercise of ,devotion thou findest greatest and purest desire stirred up in thee to him1 and most feeling of him1 by that kind of prayer1 exercise1 or worke seekest thou him best1 and shalt best finde him4444 ,see then the mercy and courtesie of ,jesus4 ,thou hast lost him1 but where8 soothly in thy house1 that is to say1 in thy soul1 that if thou hadst lost all thy reason of thy soule1 by its first sinne1 thou shouldst never have found him again2 but he left thee thy reason1 and so he is still in thy soule1 and never is quite lost out of it4 ,nevertheless1 thou art never the nearer him1 till thou hast found him4 ,he is in thee1 though he be lost from thee2 but thou art not in him1 till thou hast found him4 ,this is his mercy also1 that he would suffer himself to be lost onely where he may be found1 so that thou needest not run to ,rome1 nor to ,jerusalem to seeke him there1 but turne thy thoughts into thy owne soule1 where he is hid1 as the ,prophet saith2 ,truly thou art the hidden ,god1 hid in thy soule1 and seek him there4 ,thus saith he himselfe in the ,gospel2 ,the kingdome of heaven is likened to a treasure hid in the field1 the which when a man findeth1 for joy thereof1 he goeth and selleth all that he hath1 and buyeth that field4 ,jesus is a treasure hid in the soule4444 ,as long as ,jesus findeth not his image reformed in thee1 he is strange1 and the farther from thee3 therefore frame and shape thyself to be arrayed in his likenesse1 that is in humility and charity1 which are his liveries1 and then will he know thee1 and familiarly come to thee1 and acquaint thee with his secrets4 ,thus saith he to his ,disciples2 ,who so loveth me1 he shall be loved of my ,father1 and ,i will manifest my selfe unto him4 ,there is not any vertue nor any good work that can make thee like to our ,lord1 without ,humility and ,charity1 for these two above all other are most acceptable 7'most leyf'7 to him1 which appeareth plainly in the ,gospel1 where our ,lord speaketh of humility thus2 ,learn of me1 for ,i am meeke and humble in heart4 ,he saith not1 learn of me to go barefoot1 or to go into the desart1 and there to fast forty dayes1 nor yet to choose to your selves ,disciples 7as ,i did7 but learne of me meeknesse1 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart4 ,also of charity he saith thus2 ,this is my ,commandment1 that ye love one another as ,i loved you1 for by that shall men know you for my ,disciples4 ,not that you worke miracles1 or cast out ,devills1 or preach1 or teach1 but that each one of you love one another in charity4 ,if therefore thou wilt be like him1 have humility and charity4 ,now thou knowest what charity is1 viz4 ,to love thy neighbour as thy selfe4 ,chap4 ,,iv4 ,sec4 #a4444 ,now ,i shall tell thee 7according to my feeble ability7 how thou mayest enter into thy selfe to see the ground of sin1 and destroy it as much as thou canst1 and so recover a part of thy souls dignity4444 ,draw in thy thoughts 444 and set thy intent and full purpose1 as if thou wouldst not seek nor find any thing but onely the grace and spiritual presence of ,jesus4 ,this will be painful2 for vaine thoughts will presse into thy heart very thick1 to draw thy minde down to them4 ,and in doing thus1 thou shalt find somewhat1 but not ,jesus whom thou seekest1 but onely a naked remembrance of his name4 ,but what then shalt thou finde8 ,surely this2 ,a darke and ill-favoured image of thy owne soule1 which hath neither light of knowledge nor feeling of love of ,god4444 ,this is not the image of ,jesus1 but the image of sin1 which ,st ,paul calleth a body of sinne and of death4444 ,peradventure now thou beginnest to thinke with thy selfe what this image is like1 and that thou shouldst not study much upon it1 ,i will tell thee4 ,it is like no bodily thing2 ,what is it then saist thou8 ,verily it is nought1 or no reall thing1 as thou shalt finde1 if thou try by doing as ,i have spoken2 that is1 draw in thy thoughts into thy selfe from all bodily things1 and then shalt thou find right nought wherein thy soule may rest4 ,this nothing is nought else but darknesse of conscience1 and a lacking of the love of ,god and of light2 as sin is nought but a want of good1 if it were so that the ground of sin was much abated and dryed up in thee1 and thy soule was reformed right as the image of ,jesus2 then if thou didst draw into thy selfe thy heart1 thou shouldst not find this ,nought1 but thou shouldst find ,jesus2 not only the naked remembrance of this name1 but ,jesus ,christ in thy soule readily teaching thee1 thou shouldst there find light of understanding1 and no darknesse of ignorance1 a love and liking of him2 and no pain of bitternesse1 heavinesse1 or tediousenesse of him4444 ,and here also thou must beware that thou take ,jesus ,christ into thy thoughts against this darknesse in thy mind1 by busie prayer and fervent desire to ,god1 not setting the point of thy thoughts on that foresaid ,nought1 but on ,jesus ,christ whom thou desirest4 ,think stifly on his passion1 and on his ,humility1 and through his might thou shalt arise4 ,do as if thou wouldst beate downe this darke image1 and go through-stitch with it4 ,thou shalt hate 7'agryse'7 and loath this darknesse and this ,nought1 just as the ,devill1 and thou shalt despise and all to break it 7'brest it'74 ,for within this ,nought is ,jesus hid in his joy1 whom thou shalt not finde with all thy seeking1 unlesse thou passe this darknesse of conscience4 ,this is the ghostly travel ,i spake of1 and the cause of all this writing is to stir thee thereto1 if thou have grace4 ,this darknesse of conscience1 and this ,nought is the image of the first ,adam3 ,st ,paul knew it well1 for he said thus of it2 ,as we have before borne the image of the earthly man1 that is the first ,adam1 right so that we might now beare the image of the heavenly man1 which is ,jesus1 the second ,adam4 ,st ,paul bare this image oft full heavily1 for it was so cumbersome to him1 that he cryed out of it1 saying thus2 ,o who shall deliver me from this body and this image of death4 ,and then he comforted himselfe and others also thus3 ,the grace of ,god through ,jesus ,christ4 ,,chapter ,,lviii ,all our life is in three3 ',nature1 ,mercy1 ,grace4' ,the high ,might of the ,trinity is our ,father1 and the deep ,wisdom of the ,trinity is our ,mother1 and the great ,love of the ,trinity is our ,lord ,god1 the blessed ,trinity1 which is everlasting ,being1 right as ,he is endless from without beginning1 right so it was in ,his purpose endless1 to make ,mankind4 ,which fair ,kind first was prepared#a to ,his own ,son1 the ,second ,person4 ,and when ,he would1 by full accord of all the ,trinity1 ,he made us all at once2 and in our making ,he knit us and oned us to ,himself3 by which oneing we are kept as clear and as noble as we were made4 ,by the virtue of the same precious oneing1 we love our ,maker and seek ,him1 praise ,him and thank ,him1 and endlessly enjoy ,him4 ,and this is the work which is wrought continually in every soul that shall be saved3 which is the ,godly ,will aforesaid4 ,and thus in our making1 ,god1 ,almighty1 is our ,nature's ,father2 and ,god1 ,all-,wisdom1 is our ,nature's ,mother2 with the ,love and the ,goodness of the ,holy ,ghost3 which is all one ,god1 one ,lord4 ,and in the knitting and the oneing ,he is our ,very1 ,true ,spouse1 and we ,his loved ,wife1 ,his ,fair ,maiden3 with which ,wife ,he is never displeased4 ,for ,he saith3 ,i love thee and thou lovest me1 and our love shall never be disparted in two4 ,i beheld the working of all the blessed ,trinity3 in which beholding ,i saw and understood these three properties3 the property of the ,fatherhood1 the property of the ,motherhood1 and the property of the ,lordhood1 in one ,god4 ,in our ,father ,almighty we have our keeping and our bliss as anent our natural ,substance1 which is to us by our making1 without beginning4 ,and in the ,second ,person in skill#b and wisdom we have our keeping as anent our ,sense-soul3 our restoring and our saving2 for ,he is our ,mother1 ,brother1 and ,saviour4 ,and in our good ,lord1 the ,holy ,ghost1 we have our rewarding and our meed-giving for our living and our travail1 and endless overpassing of all that we desire1 in ,his marvellous courtesy1 of ,his high plenteous grace4 ,for all our life is in three3 in the first we have our ,being1 in the second we have our ,increasing1 and in the third we have our ,fulfilling3 the first is ,nature1 the second is ,mercy1 and the third is ,grace4 ,for the first1 ,i understood that the high ,might of the ,trinity is our ,father1 and the deep ,wisdom of the ,trinity is our ,mother1 and the great ,love of the ,trinity is our ,lord3 and all this have we in ,nature and in the making of our ,substance4#c ,and furthermore ,i saw that the ,second ,person1 which is our ,mother as anent the ,substance1 that same dearworthy ,person is become our ,mother as anent the ,sense-soul4 ,for we are double by ,god's making3 that is to say1 ,substantial and ,sensual4 ,our ,substance is the higher part1 which we have in our ,father1 ,god ,almighty2 and the ,second ,person of the ,trinity is our ,mother in ,nature1 in making of our ,substance3 in whom we are grounded and rooted4 ,and ,he is our ,mother in ,mercy1 in taking of our ,sense-part4 ,and thus our ,mother is to us in diverse manners working3 in whom our parts are kept undisparted4 ,for in our ,mother ,christ we profit and increase1 and in ,mercy ,he reformeth us and restoreth1 and1 by the virtue of ,his ,passion and ,his ,death and ,uprising1 oneth us to our ,substance4 ,thus worketh our ,mother in ,mercy to all ,his children which are to ,him yielding#d and obedient4 ,and ,grace worketh with ,mercy1 and specially in two properties1 as it was shewed3 which working belongeth to the ,third ,person1 the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he worketh rewarding and giving4 ,rewarding is a large giving-of-truth that the ,lord doeth to him that hath travailed2 and giving is a courteous working which ,he doeth freely of ,grace1 fulfilling and overpassing all that is deserved of creatures4 ,thus in our ,father1 ,god ,almighty1 we have our being2 and in our ,mother of ,mercy we have our reforming and restoring3 in whom our ,parts are oned and all made perfect ,man2 and by reward-yielding and giving in ,grace of the ,holy ,ghost1 we are fulfilled4 ,and our ,substance is in our ,father1 ,god ,almighty1 and our ,substance is in#e our ,mother1 ,god1 ,all-wisdom2 and our ,substance is in our ,lord the ,holy ,ghost1 ,god ,all-goodness4 ,for our ,substance is whole in each ,person of the ,trinity1 which is one ,god4 ,and our ,sense-soul is only in the ,second ,person ,christ ,jesus2 in whom is the ,father and the ,holy ,ghost3 and in ,him and by ,him we are mightily taken out of ,hell1 and out of the wretchedness in ,earth worshipfully brought up into ,heaven and blissfully oned to our ,substance3 increased in riches and in nobleness by all the virtues of ,christ1 and by the grace and working of the ,holy ,ghost4 #a ,,ms4 adyte to ordained to1 made ready for4 #b ,,ms4 ,witt4 #c in our substantiall makyng4 #d buxum4 #e ,s4 de ,cressy gives the in twice missed in the ,brit4 ,mus4 ,,ms4 ,,chapter ,,lix ,jesus ,christ that doeth ,good against evil is our ,very ,mother3 we have our ,being of ,him where the ,ground of ,motherhood beginneth1--with all the sweet ,keeping by ,love1 that endlessly followeth4 ,and all this bliss we have by ,mercy and ,grace3 which manner of bliss we might never have had nor known but if that property of ,goodness which is ,god had been contraried3 whereby we have this bliss4 ,for wickedness hath been suffered to rise contrary to the ,goodness1 and the ,goodness of ,mercy and ,grace contraried against the wickedness and turned all to goodness and to worship1 to all these that shall be saved4 ,for it is the property in ,god which doeth good against evil4 ,thus ,jesus ,christ that doeth good against evil is our ,very ,mother3 we have our ,being of ,him1--where the ,ground of ,motherhood beginneth1--with all the sweet ,keeping of ,love that endlessly followeth4 ,as verily as ,god is our ,father1 so verily ,god is our ,mother2 and that shewed ,he in all1 and especially in these sweet words where ,he saith3 ,i it am4#a ,that is to say1 ,i it am1 the ,might and the ,goodness of the ,fatherhood2 ,i it am1 the ,wisdom of the ,motherhood2 ,i it am1 the ,light and the ,grace that is all blessed ,love3 ,i it am1 the ,trinity1 ,i it am1 the ,unity3 ,i am the sovereign ,goodness of all manner of things4 ,i am that maketh thee to love3 ,i am that maketh thee to long3 ,i it am1 the endless fulfilling of all true desires4 ,for there the soul is highest1 noblest1 and worthiest1 where it is lowest1 meekest1 and mildest3 and out of this ,substantial ,ground we have all our virtues in our ,sense-part by gift of ,nature1 by helping and speeding of ,mercy and ,grace3 without the which we may not profit4 ,our high ,father1 ,god ,almighty1 which is ,being1 ,he knew and loved us from afore any time3 of which knowing1 in ,his marvellous deep charity and the foreseeing counsel of all the blessed ,trinity1 ,he willed that the ,second ,person should become our ,mother4 ,our ,father willeth1 our ,mother worketh1 our good ,lord the ,holy ,ghost confirmeth3 and therefore it belongeth to us to love our ,god in whom we have our being3 ,him reverently thanking and praising for#b our making1 mightily praying to our ,mother for#c mercy and pity1 and to our ,lord the ,holy ,ghost for#d help and grace4 ,for in these three is all our life3 ,nature1 ,mercy1 ,grace3 whereof we have meekness and mildness2 patience and pity2 and hating of sin and of wickedness1--for it belongeth properly to virtue to hate sin and wickedness4 ,and thus is ,jesus our ,very ,mother in ,nature by virtue of our first making2 and ,he is our ,very ,mother in ,grace1 by taking our nature made4 ,all the fair working1 and all the sweet natural office of dearworthy ,motherhood is impropriated#e to the ,second ,person3 for in ,him we have this ,godly ,will whole and safe without end1 both in ,nature and in ,grace1 of ,his own proper ,goodness4 ,i understood three manners of beholding of ,motherhood in ,god3 the first is grounded in our ,nature's making2 the second is taking of our nature1--and there beginneth the ,motherhood of ,grace2 the third is ,motherhood of working1--and therein is a forthspreading by the same ,grace1 of length and breadth and height and of deepness without end4 ,and all is one ,love4 #a it is ,i4 #b ,,ms4 of4 #c ,,ms4 of4 #d ,,ms4 of4 #e ,or appropriated to2 ,,ms4 impropried made to be the property of2 assigned and consigned to4 ,,chapter ,,lx ,the ,kind1 loving1 ,mother ,but now behoveth to say a little more of this forthspreading1 as ,i understand in the meaning of our ,lord3 how that we be brought again by the ,motherhood of ,mercy and ,grace into our ,nature's place1 where that we were made by the ,motherhood of ,nature-,love3 which kindly-love1 it never leaveth us4 ,our ,kind ,mother1 our ,gracious ,mother1#a for that ,he would all wholly become our ,mother in all things1 ,he took the ,ground of ,his ,works full low and full mildly in the ,maiden's womb4 7,and that ,he shewed in the ,first ,shewing where ,he brought that meek ,maid afore the eye of mine understanding in the simple stature as she was when she conceived47 ,that is to say3 our high ,god is sovereign ,wisdom of all3 in this low place ,he arrayed and dight ,him full ready in our poor flesh1 ,himself to do the service and the office of ,motherhood in all things4 ,the ,mother's service is nearest1 readiest1 and surest3 nearest1 for it is most of nature2 readiest1 for it is most of love2 and surest#b for it is most of truth4 ,this office none might1 nor could1 nor ever should do to the full1 but ,he alone4 ,we know that all our mothers' bearing is bearing of us to pain and to dying3 and what is this but that our ,very ,mother1 ,jesus1 ,he--,all-,love--beareth us to joy and to endless living8--blessed may ,he be6 ,thus ,he sustaineth#c us within ,himself in love2 and travailed1 unto the full time that ,he would suffer the sharpest throes and the most grievous pains that ever were or ever shall be2 and died at the last4 ,and when ,he had finished1 and so borne us to bliss1 yet might not all this make full content to ,his marvellous love2 and that sheweth ,he in these high overpassing words of love3 ,if ,i might suffer more1 ,i would suffer more4 ,he might no more die1 but ,he would not stint of working3 wherefore then it behoveth ,him to feed us2 for the dearworthy love of ,motherhood hath made ,him debtor to us4 ,the mother may give her child suck of her milk1 but our precious ,mother1 ,jesus1 ,he may feed us with ,himself1 and doeth it1 full courteously and full tenderly1 with the ,blessed ,sacrament that is precious food of my life2 and with all the sweet ,sacraments ,he sustaineth us full mercifully and graciously4 ,and so meant ,he in this blessed word where that ,he said3 ,it is ,i#d that ,holy ,church preacheth thee and teacheth thee4 ,that is to say3 ,all the health and life of ,sacraments1 all the virtue and grace of my ,word1 all the ,goodness that is ordained in ,holy ,church for thee1 it is ,i4 ,the ,mother may lay the child tenderly to her breast1 but our tender ,mother1 ,jesus1 ,he may homely lead us into ,his blessed breast1 by ,his sweet open side1 and shew therein part of the ,godhead and the joys of ,heaven1 with spiritual sureness of endless bliss4 ,and that shewed ,he in the ,tenth ,shewing1 giving the same understanding in this sweet word where ,he saith3 ,lo6 how ,i loved thee2 looking unto the ,wound in ,his side1 rejoicing4 ,this fair lovely word ,mother1 it is so sweet and so close in ,nature of itself#e that it may not verily be said of none but of ,him2 and to her that is very ,mother of ,him and of all4 ,to the property of ,motherhood belongeth natural love1 wisdom1 and knowing2 and it is good3 for though it be so that our bodily forthbringing be but little1 low1 and simple in regard of our spiritual forthbringing1 yet it is ,he that doeth it in the creatures by whom that it is done4 ,the ,kindly1#f loving ,mother that witteth and knoweth the need of her child1 she keepeth it full tenderly1 as the nature#g and condition of ,motherhood will4 ,and as it waxeth in age1 she changeth her working1 but not her love4 ,and when it is waxen of more age1 she suffereth that it be beaten#h in breaking down of vices1 to make the child receive virtues and graces4 ,this working1 with all that be fair and good1 our ,lord doeth it in them by whom it is done3 thus ,he is our ,mother in ,nature by the working of ,grace in the lower part for love of the higher part4 ,and ,he willeth that we know this3 for ,he will have all our love fastened to ,him4 ,and in this ,i saw that all our duty that we owe1 by ,god's bidding1 to ,fatherhood and ,motherhood1 for reason of ,god's ,fatherhood and ,motherhood is fulfilled in true loving of ,god2 which blessed love ,christ worketh in us4 ,and this was shewed in all the ,revelations and especially in the high plenteous words where ,he saith3 ,it is ,i that thou lovest4 #a ,our ,mother by ,nature1 our ,mother ,in ,grace4 #b ,these clauses1 probably omitted by mistake1 are in ,s4 de ,cressy's version4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy has sustained4 ,see lvii4 p4 #aci4 #d ,i it am4 #e so kynd of the self4 #f kynde4 #g kind4 #h bristinid4 ,,chapter ,,lxi ,by the assay of this falling we shall have an high marvellous knowing of ,love in ,god1 without end4 ,for strong and marvellous is that love which may not1 nor will not1 be broken for trespass ,and in our spiritual forthbringing ,he useth more tenderness of keeping1 without any likeness3 by as much as our soul is of more price in ,his sight4 ,he kindleth our understanding1 ,he directeth our ways1 ,he easeth our conscience1 ,he comforteth our soul1 ,he lighteneth our heart1 and giveth us1 in part1 knowing and believing in ,his blissful ,godhead1 with gracious mind in ,his sweet ,manhood and ,his blessed ,passion1 with reverent marvelling in ,his high1 overpassing ,goodness2 and maketh us to love all that ,he loveth1 for ,his love1 and to be well-pleased with ,him and all ,his works4 ,and when we fall1 hastily ,he raiseth us by ,his lovely calling#ab and gracious touching4 ,and when we be thus strengthened by ,his sweet working1 then we with all our will choose ,him1 by ,his sweet grace1 to be ,his servants and ,his lovers lastingly without end4 ,and after this ,he suffereth some of us to fall more hard and more grievously than ever we did afore1 as us thinketh4 ,and then ween we 7who be not all wise7 that all were nought that we have begun4 ,but this is not so4 ,for it needeth us to fall1 and it needeth us to see it4 ,for if we never fell1 we should not know how feeble and how wretched we are of our self1 and also we should not fully know that marvellous love of our ,maker4 ,for we shall see verily in heaven1 without end1 that we have grievously sinned in this life1 and notwithstanding this1 we shall see that we were never hurt in ,his love1 we were never the less of price in ,his sight4 ,and by the assay of this falling we shall have an high1 marvellous knowing of love in ,god1 without end4 ,for strong and marvellous is that love which may not1 nor will not1 be broken for trespass4 ,and this is one understanding of our profit4 ,another is the lowness and meekness that we shall get by the sight of our falling3 for thereby we shall highly be raised in heaven2 to which raising we might#c never have come without that meekness4 ,and therefore it needeth us to see it2 and if we see it not1 though we fell it should not profit us4 ,and commonly1 first we fall and later we see it3 and both of the ,mercy of ,god4 ,the mother may suffer the child to fall sometimes1 and to be hurt in diverse manners for its own profit1 but she may never suffer that any manner of peril come to the child1 for love4 ,and though our earthly mother may suffer her child to perish1 our heavenly ,mother1 ,jesus1 may not suffer us that are ,his children to perish3 for ,he is ,all-mighty1 ,all-wisdom1 and ,all-love2 and so is none but ,he1--blessed may ,he be6 ,but oftentimes when our falling and our wretchedness is shewed us1 we are so sore adread1 and so greatly ashamed of our self1 that scarcely we find where we may hold us4 ,but then willeth not our courteous ,mother that we flee away1 for ,him were nothing lother4 ,but ,he willeth then that we use the condition of a child3 for when it is hurt1 or adread1 it runneth hastily to the mother for help1 with all its might4 ,so willeth ,he that we do1 as a meek child saying thus3 ,my kind ,mother1 my ,gracious ,mother1 my dearworthy ,mother1 have mercy on me3 ,i have made myself foul and unlike to ,thee1 and ,i nor may nor can amend it but with thine help and grace4 ,and if we feel us not then eased forthwith1 be we sure that ,he useth the condition of a wise mother4 ,for if ,he see that it be more profit to us to mourn and to weep1 ,he suffereth it1 with ruth and pity1 unto the best time1 for love4 ,and ,he willeth then that we use the property of a child1 that evermore of nature trusteth to the love of the mother in weal and in woe4 ,and ,he willeth that we take us mightily to the ,faith of ,holy ,church and find there our dearworthy ,mother1 in solace of true ,understanding1 with all the blessed ,common4 ,for one single person may oftentimes be broken1 as it seemeth to himself1 but the whole ,body of ,holy ,church was never broken1 nor never shall be1 without end4 ,and therefore a sure thing it is1 a good and a gracious1 to will meekly and mightily to be fastened and oned to our ,mother1 ,holy ,church1 that is1 ,christ ,jesus4 ,for the food of mercy that is ,his dearworthy blood and precious water is plenteous to make us fair and clean2 the blessed wounds of our ,saviour be open and enjoy to heal us2 the sweet1 gracious hands of our ,mother be ready and diligently about us4 ,for ,he in all this working useth the office of a kind nurse that hath nought else to do but to give heed about#d the salvation of her child4 ,it is ,his office to save us3 it is ,his worship to do for us1#e and it is ,his will that we know it3 for ,he willeth that we love ,him sweetly and trust in ,him meekly and mightily4 ,and this shewed ,he in these gracious words3 ,i keep thee full surely4 #a clepyng4 #b ,from the ,ancren ,riwle 7,camden ,society's version1 edited by ,j4 ,morton1 ,d4,d471 p4 #bca3 ,the sixth comfort is1 that our ,lord1 when ,he suffereth us to be tempted1 playeth with us1 as the mother with her young darling3 she flies from him1 and hides herself1 and lets him sit alone1 and look anxiously around1 and call ,dame6 ,dame6 and weep awhile2 and then she leapeth forth laughing1 with outspread arms1 and embraceth and kisseth him1 and wipeth his eyes4 ,in like manner1 our ,lord sometimes leaveth us alone1 and withdraweth ,his grace1 ,his comfort1 and ,his support1 so that we feel no delight in any good that we do1 nor any satisfaction of heart2 and yet1 at that very time1 our dear ,father loveth us never the less1 but doth it for the great love that ,he hath to us4 p4 #ace3 ,the fourth reason why our ,lord hideth ,himself is1 that thou mayest seek him more earnestly1 and call1 and weep after ,him1 as the little baby doth after his mother 7ase deth thet lutel baban--in another manuscript 'lite barn'--efter his moder74 #c i4e4 could4 #d entend about4 #e ,s4 de ,cressy has here to do it4 ,this ,,ms4 seems to have3 to don us1 possibly for to work at us1 carry out our salvation to perfection1 or1 to take in hand for us1 to do for us4 ,see ,the ,paston ,letters1 vol4 ii4 7,letter #dgb71 ,may #adfc1 he prayid hym that he wold don for hym in hys mater1 and gaf hym a reward2 and withinne ryth short tym after1 his mater sped4 ,,chapter ,,lxii ,god is ,very ,father and ,very ,mother of ,nature3 and all natures that ,he hath made to flow out of ,him to work ,his will shall be restored and brought again into ,him by the salvation of ,mankind through the working of ,grace ,for in that time ,he shewed our frailty and our fallings1 our afflictings and our settings at nought1#a our despites and our outcastings1 and all our woe so far forth as methought it might befall in this life4 ,and therewith ,he shewed ,his blessed ,might1 ,his blessed ,wisdom1 ,his blessed ,love3 that ,he keepeth us in this time as tenderly and as sweetly to ,his worship1 and as surely to our salvation1 as ,he doeth when we are in most solace and comfort4 ,and thereto ,he raiseth us spiritually and highly in heaven1 and turneth it all to ,his worship and to our joy1 without end4 ,for ,his love suffereth us never to lose time4 ,and all this is of the ,nature-,goodness of ,god1 by the working of ,grace4 ,god is ,nature#b in ,his being3 that is to say1 that ,goodness that is ,nature1 it is ,god4 ,he is the ground1 ,he is the substance1 ,he is the same thing that is ,nature-hood4#c ,and ,he is very ,father and very ,mother of ,nature3 and all natures that ,he hath made to flow out of ,him to work ,his will shall be restored and brought again into ,him by the salvation of man through the working of ,grace4 ,for of all natures#d that ,he hath set in diverse creatures by part1 in man is all the whole2 in fulness and in virtue1 in fairness and in goodness1 in royalty and nobleness1 in all manner of majesty1 of preciousness and worship4 ,here may we see that we are all beholden to ,god for nature1 and we are all beholden to ,god for grace4 ,here may we see us needeth not greatly to seek far out to know sundry natures1 but to ,holy ,church1 unto our ,mother's breast3 that is to say1 unto our own soul where our ,lord dwelleth2 and there shall we find all now in faith and in understanding4 ,and afterward verily in ,himself clearly1 in bliss4 ,but let no man nor woman take this singularly to himself3 for it is not so1 it is general3 for it is of our precious ,christ1 and to ,him was this fair nature adight#e for the worship and nobility of man's making1 and for the joy and the bliss of man's salvation2 even as ,he saw1 wist1 and knew from without beginning4 #a our brekyngs and our nowtyngs4 #b kynde4 #c kindhede4 #d kyndes4 #e i4e4 made ready1 prepared1 appointed4 ,,chapter ,,lxiii ,as verily as sin is unclean1 so verily is it unkind--a disease or monstrous thing against nature4 ,he shall heal us full fair4 ,here may we see that we have verily of ,nature to hate sin1 and we have verily of ,grace to hate sin4 ,for ,nature is all good and fair in itself1 and ,grace was sent out to save ,nature and destroy sin1 and bring again fair nature to the blessed point from whence it came3 that is ,god2 with more nobleness and worship by the virtuous working of ,grace4 ,for it shall be seen afore ,god by all ,his ,holy in joy without end that ,nature hath been assayed in the fire of tribulation and therein hath been found no flaw1 no fault4#a ,thus are ,nature and ,grace of one accord3 for ,grace is ,god1 as ,nature is ,god3 ,he is two in manner of working and one in love2 and neither of these worketh without other3 they be not disparted4 ,and when we by ,mercy of ,god and with ,his help accord us to ,nature and ,grace1 we shall see verily that sin is in sooth viler and more painful than hell1 without likeness3 for it is contrary to our fair nature4 ,for as verily as sin is unclean1 so verily is it unnatural1#b and thus an horrible thing to see for the loved#c soul that would be all fair and shining in the sight of ,god1 as ,nature and ,grace teacheth4 ,yet be we not adread of this1 save inasmuch as dread may speed us3 but meekly make we our moan to our dearworthy ,mother1 and ,he shall besprinkle us in ,his precious blood and make our soul full soft and full mild1 and heal us full fair by process of time1 right as it is most worship to ,him and joy to us without end4 ,and of this sweet fair working ,he shall never cease nor stint till all ,his dearworthy children be born and forthbrought4 7,and that shewed ,he where ,he shewed me understanding of the ghostly ,thirst1 that is the love-longing that shall last till ,doomsday47 ,thus in our ,very ,mother1 ,jesus1 our life is grounded1 in the foreseeing ,wisdom of ,himself from without beginning1 with the high ,might of the ,father1 the high sovereign ,goodness of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and in the taking of our nature ,he quickened us2 in ,his blessed dying upon the ,cross ,he bare us to endless life2 and from that time1 and now1 and evermore unto ,doomsday1 ,he feedeth us and furthereth us3 even as that high sovereign ,kindness of ,motherhood1 and as ,kindly need of ,childhood asketh4 ,fair and sweet is our ,heavenly ,mother in the sight of our souls2 precious and lovely are the ,gracious ,children in the sight of our ,heavenly ,mother1 with mildness and meekness1 and all the fair virtues that belong to children in ,nature4 ,for of nature the ,child despaireth not of the ,mother's love1 of nature the ,child presumeth not of itself1 of nature the ,child loveth the ,mother and each one of the other children4 ,these are the fair virtues1 with all other that be like1 wherewith our ,heavenly ,mother is served and pleased4 ,and ,i understood none higher stature in this life than ,childhood1 in feebleness and failing of might and of wit1 unto the time that our ,gracious ,mother hath brought us up to our ,father's ,bliss4#d ,and then shall it verily be known to us ,his meaning in those sweet words where ,he saith3 ,all shall be well3 and thou shalt see1 thyself1 that all manner of things shall be well4 ,and then shall the ,bliss of our ,mother1 in ,christ1 be new to begin in the ,joys of our ,god3 which new beginning shall last without end1 new beginning4 ,thus ,i understood that all ,his blessed children which be come out of ,him by ,nature shall be brought again into ,him by ,grace4 #a no lak 7blame71 no defaute4 #b as sothly as sin is onclene as sothly is it onkinde4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy has the loving soul4 #d ,our fader bliss4 ,,the ,,fifteenth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,lxiv ,thou shalt come up above4 ,a very fair creature1 a little ,child--nimble and lively1 whiter than lily ,afore this time ,i had great longing and desire of ,god's gift to be delivered of this world and of this life4 ,for oftentimes ,i beheld the woe that is here1 and the weal and the bliss that is being there3 7and if there had been no pain in this life but the absence of our ,lord1 methought it was some-time more than ,i might bear27 and this made me to mourn1 and eagerly to long4 ,and also from mine own wretchedness1 sloth1 and weakness1 me liked not to live and to travail1 as me fell to do4 ,and to all this our courteous ,lord answered for comfort and patience1 and said these words3 ,suddenly thou shalt be taken from all thy pain1 from all thy sickness1 from all thy distress#a and from all thy woe4 ,and thou shalt come up above and thou shalt have me to thy meed1 and thou shalt be fulfilled of love and of bliss4 ,and thou shalt never have no manner of pain1 no manner of misliking1 no wanting of will2 but ever joy and bliss without end4 ,what should it then aggrieve thee to suffer awhile1 seeing that it is my will and my worship8 ,and in this word3 ,suddenly thou shalt be taken1--,i saw that ,god rewardeth man for the patience that he hath in abiding ,god's will1 and for his time1 and for that man lengtheneth his patience over the time of his living4 ,for not-knowing of his time of passing1 that is a great profit3 for if a man knew his time1 he should not have patience over that time2 but1 as ,god willeth1 while the soul is in the body it seemeth to itself that it is ever at the point to be taken4 ,for all this life and this languor that we have here is but a point1 and when we are taken suddenly out of pain into bliss then pain shall be nought4 ,and in this time ,i saw a body lying on the earth1 which body shewed heavy and horrible1#b without shape and form1 as it were a swollen quag of stinking mire4#c ,and suddenly out of this body sprang a full fair creature1 a little ,child1 fully shapen and formed1 nimble#d and lively1 whiter than lily2 which swiftly#e glided up into heaven4 ,and the swollenness of the body betokeneth great wretchedness of our deadly flesh1 and the littleness of the ,child betokeneth the cleanness of purity in the soul4 ,and methought3 ,with this body abideth#f no fairness of this ,child1 and on this ,child dwelleth no foulness of this body4 ,it is more blissful that man be taken from pain1 than that pain be taken from man2#g for if pain be taken from us it may come again3 therefore it is a sovereign comfort and blissful beholding in a loving soul that we shall be taken from pain4 ,for in this behest#h ,i saw a marvellous compassion that our ,lord hath in us for our woe1 and a courteous promising#i of clear deliverance4 ,for ,he willeth that we be comforted in the overpassing2#aj and that ,he shewed in these words3 ,and thou shalt come up above1 and thou shalt have me to thy meed1 and thou shalt be fulfilled of joy and bliss4 ,it is ,god's will that we set the point of our thought in this blissful beholding as often as we may1--and as long time keep us therein with ,his grace2 for this is a blessed contemplation to the soul that is led of ,god1 and full greatly to ,his worship1 for the time that it lasteth4 ,and when we fall again to our heaviness1 and spiritual blindness1 and feeling of pains spiritual and bodily1 by our frailty1 it is ,god's will that we know that ,he hath not forgotten us4 ,and so signifieth ,he in these words3 ,and thou shalt never more have pain2 no manner of sickness1 no manner of misliking1 no wanting of will2 but ever joy and bliss without end4 ,what should it then aggrieve thee to suffer awhile1 seeing it is my will and my worship8 ,it is ,god's will that we take ,his behests#aa and ,his comfortings as largely and as mightily as we may take them1 and also ,he willeth that we take our abiding and our troubles#ab as lightly as we may take them1 and set them at nought4 ,for the more lightly we take them1 and the less price we set on them1 for love1 the less pain we shall have in the feeling of them1 and the more thanks and meed we shall have for them4 #a disese4 #b uggley4 #c a bolned quave of styngand myre4 #d swifie agile1 quick4 #e sharply4 #f beleveth4 #g full blissful 444 mor than4 #h i4e4 promise1 proclamation4 #i behoting4 #aj i4e4 the exceeding fulness of heavenly bliss4 #aa ,see note #h above4 #ab diseases discomforts1 distresses4 ,,chapter ,,lxv ,the ,charity of ,god maketh in us such a unity that1 when it is truly seen1 no man can part himself from other ,and thus ,i understood that what man or woman with firm will#a chooseth ,god in this life1 for love1 he may be sure that he is loved without end3 which endless love worketh in him that grace4 ,for ,he willeth that we be as assured in hope of the bliss of heaven while we are here1 as we shall be in sureness while we are there4 ,and ever the more pleasance and joy that we take in this sureness1 with reverence and meekness1 the better pleaseth ,him1 as it was shewed4 ,this reverence that ,i mean is a holy courteous dread of our ,lord1 to which meekness is united3 and that is1 that a creature seeth the ,lord marvellous great1 and itself marvellous little4 ,for these virtues are had endlessly by the loved of ,god1 and this may now be seen and felt in measure through the gracious presence of our ,lord when it is seen3 which presence in all things is most desired1 for it worketh marvellous assuredness in true faith1 and sure hope1 by greatness of charity1 in dread that is sweet and delectable4 ,it is ,god's will that ,i see myself as much bound#b to ,him in love as if ,he had done for me all that ,he hath done2 and thus should every soul think inwardly of its#c ,lover4 ,that is to say1 the ,charity of ,god maketh in us such a unity that1 when it is truly seen1 no man can part himself from other4 ,and thus ought our soul to think that ,god hath done for it#d all that ,he hath done4 ,and this sheweth ,he to make us to love ,him and nought dread but ,him4 ,for it is ,his will that we perceive that all the might of our ,enemy is taken into our ,friend's hand2 and therefore the soul that knoweth assuredly this1 he#e shall not dread but ,him that he loveth4 ,all other dread he#f setteth among passions and bodily sickness and imaginations4 ,and therefore though we be in so much pain1 woe1 and distress that it seemeth to us we can think of right nought but of that which we are in1 or of that which we feel1 yet as soon as we may1 pass we lightly over1 and set we it at nought4 ,and why8 ,for that ,god willeth we know ,him2 and if we know ,him and love ,him and reverently dread ,him1 we shall have peace1 and be in great rest1 and it shall be great pleasance to us1 all that ,he doeth4 ,and this shewed our ,lord in these words3 ,what should it then aggrieve thee to suffer awhile1 sith it is my will and my worship8 ,now have ,i told you of ,fifteen ,revelations1 as ,god vouchsafed to minister them to my mind1 renewed by lightings and touchings1 ,i hope of the same ,spirit that shewed them all4 ,of which ,fifteen ,shewings the ,first began early in the morn1 about the hour of four2 and they lasted1 shewing by process full fair and steadily1 each following other1 till it was nine of the day1 overpassed4 #a wilfully4 #b bounden beholden4 #c his4 #d him4 #e i4e4 the soul4 #f i4e4 the soul4 ,,chapter ,,lxvi ,all was closed1 and ,i saw no more4 ,for the folly of feeling a little bodily pain ,i unwisely lost for the time the comfort of all this blessed ,shewing of our ,lord ,god ,and after this the good ,lord shewed the ,sixteenth ,revelation on the night following1 as ,i shall tell after3 which ,sixteenth was conclusion and confirmation to all ,fifteen4 ,but first me behoveth to tell you as anent my feebleness1 wretchedness and blindness4--,i have said in the beginning3 ,and in this moment all my pain was suddenly taken from me3 of which pain ,i had no grief nor distress as long as the ,fifteen ,shewings lasted following4 ,and at the end all was close1 and ,i saw no more4 ,and soon ,i felt that ,i should live and languish2#a and anon my sickness came again3 first in my head with a sound and a din1 and suddenly all my body was fulfilled with sickness like as it was afore4 ,and ,i was as barren and as dry as if ,i never had comfort but little4 ,and as a wretched creature ,i moaned and cried for feeling of my bodily pains and for failing of comfort1 spiritual and bodily4 ,then came a ,religious person to me and asked me how ,i fared4 ,i said ,i had raved to-day4 ,and he laughed loud and heartily4#b ,and ,i said3 ,the ,cross that stood afore my face1 methought it bled fast4 ,and with this word the person that ,i spake to waxed all sober and marvelled4 ,and anon ,i was sore ashamed and astonished for my recklessness1 and ,i thought3 ,this man taketh in sober earnest#c the least word that ,i might say4 ,then said ,i no more thereof4 ,and when ,i saw that he took it earnestly and with so great reverence1 ,i wept1 full greatly ashamed1 and would have been shriven2 but at that time ,i could tell it no priest1 for ,i thought3 ,how should a priest believe me8 ,i believe not our ,lord ,god4 ,this ,shewing ,i believed verily for the time that ,i saw ,him1 and so was then my will and my meaning ever for to do without end2 but as a fool ,i let it pass from my mind4 ,ah6 lo1 wretch that ,i am6 this was a great sin1 great unkindness1 that ,i for folly of feeling of a little bodily pain1 so unwisely lost for the time the comfort of all this blessed ,shewing of our ,lord ,god4 ,here may you see what ,i am of myself4 ,but herein would our ,courteous ,lord not leave me4 ,and ,i lay still till night1 trusting in ,his mercy1 and then ,i began to sleep4 ,and in the sleep1 at the beginning1 methought the ,fiend set him on my throat1 putting forth a visage full near my face1 like a young man's and it was long and wondrous lean3 ,i saw never none such4 ,the colour was red like the tilestone when it is new-burnt1 with black spots therein like black freckles--fouler than the tilestone4 ,his hair was red as rust1 clipped in front1#d with full locks hanging on the temples4 ,he grinned on me with a malicious semblance1 shewing white teeth3 and so much methought it the more horrible4 ,body nor hands had he none shapely1 but with his paws he held me in the throat1 and would have strangled me1 but he might not4 ,this horrible ,shewing was made whilst ,i was sleeping1 and so was none other4 ,but in all this time ,i trusted to be saved and kept by the mercy of ,god4 ,and our ,courteous ,lord gave me grace to waken2 and scarcely had ,i my life4 ,the persons that were with me looked on me1 and wet my temples1 and my heart began to comfort4 ,and anon a light smoke came in the door1 with a great heat and a foul stench4 ,i said3 ,benedicite ,domine6 it is all on fire that is here6 ,and ,i weened it had been a bodily fire that should have burnt us all to death4 ,i asked them that were with me if they felt any stench4 ,they said1 ,nay3 they felt none4 ,i said3 ,blessed be ,god6 ,for then wist ,i well it was the ,fiend that was come to tempest me4 ,and anon ,i took to that which our ,lord had shewed me on the same day1 with all the ,faith of ,holy ,church 7for ,i beheld it is both one71 and fled thereto as to my comfort4 ,and anon all vanished away1 and ,i was brought to great rest and peace1 without sickness of body or dread of conscience4 #a langiren4 #b inderly inwardly2 so de ,cressy2 7,collins has drolly74 #c sadly solidly1 soberly4 #d evisid aforn with syde lokks hongyng on the thounys 7or thowngs1 or thoungs74 ,bradley's ,dictionary of ,middle ,english--thun787wange temple1 evesed p4 ple of efesian to clip the edges 7cf4 eaves74 ,the ,paris ,,ms4 however reads3 ,his hair was rede as rust not scoryd afore1 with syde lockes hangyng on the thouwonges4 ,s4 de ,cressy gives this as3 his hair was red as rust not scoured2 afore with side locks hanging down in flakes4 ,,the ,,sixteenth ,,revelation ,,chapter ,,lxvii ,the place that ,jesus taketh in our soul ,he shall never remove from1 without end3--for in us ,his homliest home and ,his endless dwelling4 ,our soul can never have rest in things that are beneath itself--yet may it not abide in the beholding of its self ,and then our ,lord opened my spiritual eye and shewed me my soul in midst of my heart4 ,i saw the ,soul so large as it were an endless world1 and as it were a blissful kingdom4 ,and by the conditions that ,i saw therein ,i understood that it is a worshipful ,city4 ,in the midst of that ,city sitteth our ,lord ,jesus1 ,god and ,man1 a fair ,person of large stature1 highest ,bishop1 most majestic#a ,king1 most worshipful ,lord2 and ,i saw ,him clad majestically4#b ,and worshipfully ,he sitteth in the ,soul1 even-right#c in peace and rest4 ,and the ,godhead ruleth and sustaineth#d heaven and earth and all that is1--sovereign ,might1 sovereign ,wisdom1 and sovereign ,goodness1--but the place that ,jesus taketh in our ,soul ,he shall never remove it1 without end1 as to my sight3 for in us is ,his homliest home and ,his endless dwelling4#e ,and in this sight ,he shewed the satisfying that ,he hath of the making of ,man's ,soul4 ,for as well as the ,father might make a creature1 and as well as the ,son could make a creature1 so well would the ,holy ,ghost that ,man's ,soul were made3 and so it was done4 ,and therefore the blessed ,trinity enjoyeth without end in the making of ,man's ,soul3 for ,he saw from without beginning what should please ,him without end4 ,all thing that ,he hath made sheweth ,his ,lordship1--as understanding was given at the same time by example of a creature that is to see great treasures and kingdoms belonging to a lord2 and when it had seen all the nobleness beneath1 then1 marvelling1 it was moved to seek above to the high place where the lord dwelleth1 knowing1 by reason1 that his dwelling is in the worthiest place4 ,and thus ,i understood in verity that our ,soul may never have rest in things that are beneath itself4 ,and when it cometh above all creatures into the ,self1 yet may it not abide in the beholding of its ,self1 but all the beholding is blissfully set in ,god that is the ,maker dwelling therein4 ,for in ,man's ,soul is ,his very dwelling2 and the highest light and the brightest shining of the ,city is the glorious love of our ,lord1 as to my sight4 ,and what may make us more to enjoy in ,god than to see in ,him that ,he enjoyeth in the highest of all ,his works8 ,for ,i saw in the same ,shewing that if the blessed ,trinity might have made ,man's ,soul any better1 any fairer1 any nobler than it was made1 ,he should not have been full pleased with the making of ,man's ,soul4 ,and ,he willeth that our hearts be mightily raised above the deepness of the earth and all vain sorrows1 and rejoice#f in ,him4 #a solemnest4 #b solemnly in state4 #c i4e4 straight-set4 #d gemeth4 #e woning4 #f enjoyen4 ,,chapter ,,lxviii ,he said not3 ,thou shalt not be tempested1 thou shalt not be travailed1 thou shalt not be afflicted2 but ,he said3 ,thou shalt not be overcome ,this was a delectable ,sight and a restful ,shewing1 that it is so without end4 ,the beholding of this while we are here is full pleasing to ,god and full great profit to us2 and the soul that thus beholdeth1 it maketh it like to ,him that is beheld1 and oneth it in rest and peace by ,his grace4 ,and this was a singular joy and bliss to me that ,i saw ,him sitting3 for the quiet secureness of sitting sheweth endless dwelling4 ,and ,he gave me to know soothfastly that it was ,he that shewed me all afore4 ,and when ,i had beheld this with heedfulness1 then shewed our good ,lord words#a full meekly without voice and without opening of lips1 right as ,he had afore done1 and said full sweetly3 ,wit it now well that it was no raving that thou sawest to-day3 but take it and believe it1 and keep thee therein1 and comfort thee therewith1 and trust thou thereto3 and thou shalt not be overcome4 ,these ,last ,words were said for believing and true sureness that it is our ,lord ,jesus that shewed me all4 ,and right as in the first word that our good ,lord shewed1 signifying ,his blissful ,passion1--,herewith is the devil overcome1--right so ,he said in the last word1 with full true secureness1 meaning us all3 ,thou shalt not be overcome4 ,and all this teaching in this true comfort1 it is general1 to all mine even-,christians1 as it is aforesaid3 and so is ,god's will4 ,and this word3 ,thou shalt not be overcome1 was said full clearly#b and full mightily1 for assuredness and comfort against all tribulations that may come4 ,he said not3 ,thou shalt not be tempested1 thou shall not be travailed1 thou shah not be afflicted2 but ,he said3 ,thou shalt not be overcome4 ,god willeth that we take heed to these words1 and that we be ever strong in sure trust1 in weal and woe4 ,for ,he loveth and enjoyeth us1 and so willeth ,he that we love and enjoy ,him and mightily trust in ,him2 and all shall be well4 ,and soon after1 all was close and ,i saw no more4 #a ,see lxx4 ,he shewed it all the ,revelation again within in my soul4 #b sharply decisively4 ,,chapter ,,lxix ,i was delivered from the ,enemy by the virtue of ,christ's ,passion ,after this the ,fiend came again with his heat and with his stench1 and gave me much ado1#a the stench was so vile and so painful1 and also dreadful and travailous4 ,also ,i heard a bodily jangling1#b as if it had been of two persons2 and both1 to my thinking1 jangled at one time as if they had holden a parliament with a great busy-ness2 and all was soft muttering1 so that ,i understood nought that they said4 ,and all this was to stir me to despair1 as methought1--seeming to me as though they mocked at praying of prayers#c which are said boisterously with the mouth1 failing of devout attending and wise diligence3 the which we owe to ,god in our prayers4 ,and our ,lord ,god gave me grace mightily for to trust in ,him1 and to comfort my soul with bodily speech as ,i should have done to another person that had been travailed4 ,methought that busy-ness#d might not be likened to no bodily busy-ness4 ,my bodily eye ,i set in the same ,cross where ,i had been in comfort afore that time2 my tongue with speech of ,christ's ,passion and rehearsing the ,faith of ,holy ,church2 and my heart to fasten on ,god with all the trust and the might4 ,and ,i thought to myself1 saying3 ,thou hast now great busy-ness to keep thee in the ,faith for that thou shouldst not be taken of the ,enemy3 wouldst thou now from this time evermore be so busy to keep thee from sin1 this were a good and a sovereign occupation6 ,for ,i thought in sooth were ,i safe from sin1 ,i were full safe from all the fiends of hell and enemies of my soul4 ,and thus he occupied me all that night1 and on the morn till it was about prime day4 ,and anon they were all gone1 and all passed2 and they left nothing but stench1 and that lasted still awhile2 and ,i scorned him4 ,and thus was ,i delivered from him by the virtue of ,christ's ,passion3 for therewith is the ,fiend overcome1 as our ,lord ,jesus ,christ said afore4 #a made me full besy4 #b i4e4 gabbling4 #c bidding of bedes4 #d see above1 made me full busy4 ,,chapter ,,lxx ,above the ,faith is no goodness kept in this life1 as to my sight1 and beneath the ,faith is no help of soul2 but in the ,faith1 there willeth the ,lord that we keep us ,in all this blessed ,shewing our good ,lord gave understanding that the ,sight should pass3 which blessed ,shewing the ,faith keepeth1 with ,his own good will and ,his grace4 ,for ,he left with me neither sign nor token whereby ,i might know it1 but ,he left with me ,his own blessed word in true understanding1 bidding me full mightily that ,i should believe it4 ,and so ,i do1--,blessed may ,he be6--,i believe that ,he is our ,saviour that shewed it1 and that it is the ,faith that ,he shewed3 and therefore ,i believe it1 rejoicing4 ,and thereto ,i am bounden by all ,his own meaning1 with the next words that follow3 ,keep thee therein1 and comfort thee therewith1 and trust thou thereto4 ,thus ,i am bounden to keep it in my faith4 ,for on the same day that it was shewed1 what time that the ,sight was passed1 as a wretch ,i forsook it1 and openly ,i said that ,i had raved4 ,then our ,lord ,jesus of ,his mercy would not let it perish1 but ,he showed it all again within in my soul#a with more fulness1 with the blessed light of ,his precious love3 saying these words full mightily and full meekly3 ,wit it now well3 it was no raving that thou sawest this day4 ,as if ,he had said3 ,for that the ,sight was passed from thee1 thou losedst it and hadst not skill to keep#b it4 ,but wit#c it now2 that is to say1 now that thou seest it4 ,this was said not only for that same time1 but also to set thereupon the ground of my faith when ,he saith anon following3 ,but take it1 believe it1 and keep thee therein and comfort thee therewith and trust thou thereto2 and thou shalt not be overcome4 ,in these six words that follow 7,take it--etc47 ,his meaning is to fasten it faithfully in our heart3 for ,he willeth that it dwell with us in faith to our life's end1 and after in fulness of joy1 desiring that we have ever steadfast trust in ,his blissful behest--knowing ,his ,goodness4 ,for our faith is contraried in diverse manners by our own blindness1 and our spiritual enemy1 within and without2 and therefore our precious ,lover helpeth us with spiritual sight and true teaching in sundry manners within and without1 whereby that we may know ,him4 ,and therefore in whatsoever manner ,he teacheth us1 ,he willeth that we perceive ,him wisely1 receive ,him sweetly1 and keep us in ,him faithfully4 ,for above the ,faith is no goodness kept in this life1 as to my sight1 and beneath the ,faith is no help of soul2 but in the ,faith1 there willeth the ,lord that we keep us4 ,for we have by ,his goodness and ,his own working to keep us in the ,faith2 and by ,his sufferance through ghostly enmity we are assayed in the ,faith and made mighty4 ,for if our faith had none enmity1 it should deserve no meed1 according to the understanding that ,i have in all our ,lord's teaching4 #a see ch4 lxviii4 #b couthest not4 #c i4e4 learn1 perceive1 know for certainty by the conviction of reason and consciousness--grasp once for all the truth beheld4 ,,chapter ,,lxxi ,three manners of looking seen in our ,lord's ,countenance ,glad and joyous and sweet is the ,blissful lovely ,cheer#a of our ,lord to our souls4 ,for ,he beholdeth#b us ever1 living in love-longing3 and ,he willeth that our soul be in glad cheer to ,him1 to give ,him ,his meed4 ,and thus1 ,i hope1 with ,his grace ,he hath drawn1 and more shall draw1 the ,outer ,cheer to the ,inner ,cheer1 and make us all one with ,him1 and each of us with other1 in true lasting joy that is ,jesus4 ,i have signifying of ,three manners of ,cheer of our ,lord4 ,the first is ,cheer of ,passion1 as ,he shewed while ,he was here in this life1 dying4 ,though this manner of ,beholding be mournful and troubled1 yet it is glad and joyous3 for ,he is ,god4--,the second manner of ,cheer is of ,ruth and ,compassion3 and this sheweth ,he1 with sureness of ,keeping1 to all ,his lovers that betake them#c to ,his mercy4 ,the third is the ,blissful ,cheer1 as it shall be without end3 and this was shewed oftenest and longest-continued4 ,and thus in the time of our pain and our woe ,he sheweth us ,cheer of ,his ,passion and ,his ,cross1 helping us to bear it by ,his own blessed virtue4 ,and in the time of our sinning ,he sheweth to us ,cheer of ,ruth and ,pity1 mightily keeping us and defending us against all our enemies4 ,and these be the common ,cheer which ,he sheweth to us in this life2 therewith mingling the third3 and that is ,his ,blissful ,cheer1 like1 in part1 as it shall be in ,heaven4 ,and that shewing is by gracious touching and sweet lighting of the spiritual life1 whereby that we are kept in sure faith1 hope1 and charity1 with contrition and devotion1 and also with contemplation and all manner of true solace and sweet comforts4 #a ,cher1 in earlier chapters rendered by manner of ,countenance or ,regard4 #b ,the word of the ,,ms4 might be3 he havith 7possibly draweth71 or behadith or behavith4 ,there is a verb bi-hawen to behold--in other forms bihabben1 bi-halden--2 and behave had the meaning of to manage1 govern4 ,elsewhere in the ,,ms4 to regard1 if not to fix the eyes upon1 is expressed 7e4g4 in xxxix47 simply by to holden without the prefix4 ,s4 de ,cressy has here he beheld4 #c that have to2 ,s4 de ,cressy1 have need to4 ,,chapter ,,lxxii ,as long as we be meddling with any part of sin we shall never see clearly the ,blissful ,countenance of our ,lord ,but now behoveth me to tell in what manner ,i saw sin deadly in the creatures which shall not die for sin1 but live in the joy of ,god without end4 ,i saw that two contrary things should never be together in one place4 ,the most contrary that are1 is the highest bliss and the deepest pain4 ,the highest bliss that is1 is to have ,him in clarity of endless life1 ,him verily seeing1 ,him sweetly feeling1 all-perfectly having in fulness of joy4 ,and thus was the ,blissful ,cheer of our ,lord shewed in ,pity3#a in which ,shewing ,i saw that sin is most contrary1--so far forth that as long as we be meddling with any part of sin1 we shall never see clearly the ,blissful ,cheer of our ,lord4 ,and the more horrible and grievous that our sins be1 the deeper are we for that time from this blissful sight4 ,and therefore it seemeth to us oftentimes as we were in peril of death1 in a part of hell1 for the sorrow and pain that the sin is to us4 ,and thus we are dead for the time from the very sight of our blissful life4 ,but in all this ,i saw soothfastly that we be not dead in the sight of ,god1 nor ,he passeth never from us4 ,but ,he shall never have ,his full bliss in us till we have our full bliss in ,him1 verily seeing ,his fair ,blissful ,cheer4 ,for we are ordained thereto in nature1 and get thereto by grace4 ,thus ,i saw how sin is deadly for a short time in the blessed creatures of endless life4 ,and ever the more clearly that the soul seeth this ,blissful ,cheer by grace of loving1 the more it longeth to see it in fulness4 ,for notwithstanding that our ,lord ,god dwelleth in us and is here with us1 and albeit ,he claspeth us and encloseth#b us for tender love that ,he may never leave#c us1 and is more near to us than tongue can tell or heart can think1 yet may we never stint of moaning nor of weeping nor of longing till when we see ,him clearly in ,his ,blissful ,countenance4 ,for in that precious blissful sight there may no woe abide1 nor any weal fail4#d ,and in this ,i saw matter of mirth and matter of moaning3 matter of mirth3 for our ,lord1 our ,maker1 is so near to us1 and in us1 and we in ,him1 by sureness of keeping through ,his great goodness2 matter of moaning3 for our ghostly eye is so blind and we be so borne down by weight of our mortal flesh and darkness of sin1 that we may not see our ,lord ,god clearly in ,his fair ,blissful ,cheer4 ,no2 and because of this dimness#e scarsely we can believe and trust ,his great love and our sureness#f of keeping4 ,and therefore it is that ,i say we may never stint of moaning nor of weeping4 ,this weeping meaneth not all in pouring out of tears by our bodily eye1 but also hath more ghostly understanding4 ,for the kindly desire of our soul is so great and so unmeasurable1 that if there were given us for our solace and for our comfort all the noble things that ever ,god made in heaven and in earth1 and we saw not the fair ,blissful ,cheer#g of ,himself1 yet we should not stint of moaning nor ghostly weeping1 that is to say1 of painful longing1 till when we should see verily the fair ,blissful ,cheer of our ,maker4 ,and if we were in all the pain that heart can think and tongue may tell1 if we might in that time see ,his fair ,blissful ,cheer1 all this pain should not aggrieve us4 ,thus is that ,blissful ,sight the end of all manner of pain to the loving soul1 and the fulfilling of all manner of joy and bliss4 ,and that shewed ,he in the high1 marvellous words where ,he said3 ,i it am that is highest2 ,i it am that is lowest2 ,i it am that is all4 ,it belongeth to us to have three manner of knowings3 the first is that we know our ,lord ,god2 the second is that we know our self3 what we are by ,him1 in ,nature and ,grace2 the third is that we know meekly what our self is anent our sin and feebleness4 ,and for these three was all the ,shewing made1 as to mine understanding4 #a ,that is3 in the ,shewing of ,pity 7,rev4 ii7 ch4 x41 in which it was shewed darkly4 ,s4 de ,cressy has in party part1 but the word seems to be pite pity4 #b halsith2 beclosith4 #c levyn2 tellen2 thyn ken2 stint2 see4 #d abiden1 ne no wele fallen4 #e myrkehede1 unethes we can leven and trowen4 #f sekirnes4 #g ,the words ,blissful ,cheer cannot be rendered by the more beautiful and familiar ,,blessed ,,countenance1 and even ,blissful ,countenance might fail to bring out the reference to one ,aspect of the ,divine ,face1 one part of the threefold ,truth4 ,,chapter ,,lxxiii ,two manners of sickness that we have3 impatience1 or sloth2--despair1 or mistrustful dread ,all the blessed teaching of our ,lord was shewed by three parts3 that is to say1 by bodily sight1 and by word formed in mine understanding1 and by spiritual sight4 ,for the bodily sight1 ,i have said as ,i saw1 as truly as ,i can2 and for the words1 ,i have said them right as our ,lord shewed them to me2 and for the spiritual sight1 ,i have told some deal1 but ,i may never fully tell it3 and therefore of this sight ,i am stirred to say more1 as ,god will give me grace4 ,god shewed two manners of sickness that we have3 the one is impatience1 or sloth3 for we bear our travail and our pains heavily2 the other is despair1 or doubtful dread1 which ,i shall speak of after4 ,generally1 ,he shewed sin1 wherein that all is comprehended1 but in special ,he shewed only these two4 ,and these two are they that most do travail and tempest us1 according to that which our ,lord shewed me2 and of them ,he would have us be amended4 ,i speak of such men and women as for ,god's love hate sin and dispose themselves to do ,god's will3 then by our spiritual blindness and bodily heaviness we are most inclining to these4 ,and therefore it is ,god's will that they be known1 for then we shall refuse them as we do other sins4 ,and for help of this1 full meekly our ,lord shewed the patience that ,he had in ,his ,hard ,passion2 and also the joying and the satisfying that ,he hath of that ,passion1 for love4 ,and this ,he shewed in example that we should gladly and wisely bear our pains1 for that is great pleasing to ,him and endless profit to us4 ,and the cause why we are travailed with them is for lack in knowing#a of ,love4 ,though the three ,persons in the ,trinity#b be all even#c in ,itself1 the soul#d took most understanding in ,love2 yea1 and ,he willeth that in all things we have our beholding and our enjoying in ,love4 ,and of this knowing are we most blind4 ,for some of us believe that ,god is ,almighty and may do all1 and that ,he is ,all-,wisdom and can do all2 but that ,he is ,all-,love and will do all1 there we stop short4#e ,and this not-knowing it is1 that hindereth most ,god's lovers1 as to my sight4 ,for when we begin to hate sin1 and amend us by the ordinance of ,holy ,church1 yet there dwelleth a dread that letteth us1 because of the beholding of our self and of our sins afore done4 ,and some of us because of our every-daily sins3 for we hold not our ,covenants1 nor keep we our cleanness that our ,lord setteth us in1 but fall oftentimes into so much wretchedness that shame it is to see it4 ,and the beholding of this maketh us so sorry and so heavy1 that scarsely we can find any comfort4 ,and this dread we take sometime for a meekness1 but it is a foul blindness and a weakness4#f ,and we cannot despise it as we do another sin1 that we know as sin3 for it cometh subtly of ,enmity1 and it is against truth4 ,for it is ,god's will that of all the properties of the blissful ,trinity1 we should have most sureness and comfort in ,love3 for ,love maketh ,might and ,wisdom full meek to us4 ,for right as by the courtesy of ,god ,he forgiveth our sin after the time that we repent us1 right so willeth ,he that we forgive our sin1 as anent our unskilful heaviness and our doubtful dreads4 #a for unknowing4 #b seen as ,might1 ,wisdom1 ,love4 #c i4e4 equal4 #d i4e4 ,julian 7xiii41 xxiv41 xlvi474 #e astynten4 #f ,s4 de ,cressy3 a wickedness2 but the ,,ms4 word is waykenes4 ,,chapter ,,lxxiv ,there is no dread that fully pleaseth ,god in us but reverent dread ,for ,i understand that there be four manner of dreads4 ,one is the dread of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty4 ,this dread doeth good1 for it helpeth to purge man1 as doeth bodily sickness or such other pain as is not sin4 ,for all such pains help man if they be patiently taken4 ,the second is dread of pain1 whereby man is stirred and wakened from sleep of sin4 ,he is not able for the time to perceive the soft comfort of the ,holy ,ghost1 till he have understanding of this dread of pain1 of bodily death1 of spiritual enemies2 and this dread stirreth us to seek comfort and mercy of ,god1 and thus this dread helpeth us1#a and enableth us to have contrition by the blissful touching of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the third is doubtful dread4 ,doubtful dread in as much as it draweth to despair1 ,god will have it turned in us into love by the knowing of love3 that is to say1 that the bitterness of doubt be turned into the sweetness of natural love by grace4 ,for it may never please our ,lord that ,his servants doubt in ,his ,goodness4 ,the fourth is reverent dread3 for there is no dread that fully pleaseth ,god in us but reverent dread4 ,and that is full soft1 for the more it is had1 the less it is felt for sweetness of love4 ,love and ,dread are brethren1 and they are rooted in us by the ,goodness of our ,maker1 and they shall never be taken from us without end4 ,we have of nature to love and we have of grace to love3 and we have of nature to dread and we have of grace to dread4 ,it belongeth to the ,lordship and to the ,fatherhood to be dreaded1 as it belongeth to the ,goodness to be loved3 and it belongeth to us that are ,his servants and ,his children to dread ,him for ,lordship and ,fatherhood1 as it belongeth to us to love ,him for ,goodness4 ,and though this reverent-dread and love be not parted asunder1 yet they are not both one1 but they are two in property and in working1 and neither of them may be had without other4 ,therefore ,i am sure1 he that loveth1 he dreadeth1 though that he feel it but a little4 ,all dreads other than reverent dread that are proffered to us1 though they come under the colour of holiness yet are not so true1 and hereby may they be known asunder4--,that dread that maketh us hastily to flee from all that is not good and fall into our ,lord's breast1 as the ,child into the ,mother's bosom1#b with all our intent and with all our mind1 knowing our feebleness and our great need1 knowing ,his everlasting goodness and ,his blissful love1 only seeking to ,him for salvation1 cleaving to ,him with sure trust3 that dread that bringeth us into this working1 it is natural1#c gracious1 good and true4 ,and all that is contrary to this1 either it is wrong1 or it is mingled with wrong4 ,then is this the remedy1 to know them both and refuse the wrong4 ,for the natural property of dread which we have in this life by the gracious working of the ,holy ,ghost1 the same shall be in heaven afore ,god1 gentle1 courteous1 and full delectable4 ,and thus we shall in love be homely and near to ,god1 and we shall in dread be gentle and courteous to ,god3 and both alike equal4 ,desire we of our ,lord ,god to dread ,him reverently1 to love ,him meekly1 to trust in ,him mightily2 for when we dread ,him reverently and love ,him meekly our trust is never in vain4 ,for the more that we trust1 and the more mightily1 the more we please and worship our ,lord that we trust in4 ,and if we fail in this reverent dread and meek love 7as ,god forbid we should671 our trust shall soon be misruled for the time4 ,and therefore it needeth us much to pray our ,lord of grace that we may have this reverent dread and meek love1 of ,his gift1 in heart and in work4 ,for without this1 no man may please ,god4 #a ,here the transcriber of the ,b4 ,mus4 ,,ms4 repeats 7by mistake1 no doubt7 to seek1 etc4 ,s4 de ,cressy3 helpeth us as an entry4 #b ,s4 de ,cressy3 ,mothers ,arme1 but ,,ms4 7,b4,m47 ,moder barme4 #c kinde4 ,,chapter ,,lxxv ,we shall see verily the cause of all things that ,he hath done2 and evermore we shall see the cause of all things that ,he hath permitted ,i saw that ,god can do all that we need4 ,and these three that ,i shall speak of we need3 love1 longing1 pity4 ,pity in love keepeth us in the time of our need2 and longing in the same love draweth us up into ,heaven4 ,for the ,thirst of ,god is to have the general ,man unto ,him3 in which thirst ,he hath drawn ,his ,holy that be now in bliss2 and getting ,his lively members1 ever ,he draweth and drinketh1 and yet ,he thirsteth and longeth4 ,i saw three manners of longing in ,god1 and all to one end2 of which we have the same in us1 and by the same virtue and for the same end4 ,the first is1 that ,he longeth to teach us to know ,him and love ,him evermore1 as it is convenient and speedful to us4 ,the second is1 that ,he longeth to have us up to ,his ,bliss1 as souls are when they are taken out of pain into ,heaven4 ,the third is to fulfill us in bliss2 and that shall be on the ,last ,day1 fulfilled ever to last4 ,for ,i saw1 as it is known in our ,faith1 that the pain and the sorrow shall be ended to all that shall be saved4 ,and not only we shall receive the same bliss that souls afore have had in heaven1 but also we shall receive a new bliss1 which plenteously shall be flowing out of ,god into us and shall fulfill us2 and these be the goods which ,he hath ordained to give us from without beginning4 ,these goods are treasured and hid in ,himself2 for unto that time no ,creature is mighty nor worthy to receive them4 ,in this fulfilling we shall see verily the cause of all things that ,he hath done2 and evermore we shall see the cause of all things that ,he hath suffered4#a ,and the bliss and the fulfilling shall be so deep and so high that1 for wonder and marvel1 all creatures shall have to ,god so great reverent dread1 overpassing that which hath been seen and felt before1 that the pillars of heaven shall tremble and quake4 ,but this manner of trembling and dread shall have no pain2 but it belongeth to the worthy might of ,god thus to be beholden by ,his creatures1 in great dread trembling and quaking for meekness of joy1 marvelling at the greatness of ,god the ,maker and at the littleness of all that is made4 ,for the beholding of this maketh the creature marvellously meek and mild4 ,wherefore ,god willeth--and also it belongeth to us1 both in nature and grace--that we wit and know of this1 desiring this sight and this working2 for it leadeth us in right way1 and keepeth us in true life1 and oneth us to ,god4 ,and as good as ,god is1 so great ,he is2 and as much as it belongeth to ,his goodness to be loved1 so much it belongeth to ,his greatness to be dreaded4 ,for this reverent dread is the fair courtesy that is in ,heaven afore ,god's face4 ,and as much as ,he shall then be known and loved overpassing that ,he is now1 in so much ,he shall be dreaded overpassing that ,he is now4 ,wherefore it behoveth needs to be that all ,heaven and earth shall tremble and quake when the pillars shall tremble and quake4 #a i4e4 permitted2 all that is good our ,lord doeth1 and that which is evil our ,lord suffereth1 xxxv4 ,,chapter ,,lxxvi ,the soul that beholdeth the fair nature of our ,lord ,jesus1 it hateth no hell but sin ,i speak but little of reverent dread1 for ,i hope it may be seen in this matter aforesaid4 ,but well ,i wot our ,lord shewed me no souls but those that dread ,him4 ,for well ,i wot the soul that truly taketh the teaching of the ,holy ,ghost1 it hateth more sin for vileness and horribleness than it doth all the pain that is in hell4 ,for the soul that beholdeth the fair nature#a of our ,lord ,jesus1 it hateth no hell but sin1 as to my sight4 ,and therefore it is ,god's will that we know sin1 and pray busily and travail earnestly and seek teaching meekly that we fall not blindly therein2 and if we fall1 that we rise readily4 ,for it is the most pain that the soul may have1 to turn from ,god any time by sin4 ,the soul that willeth to be in rest when an other man's sin cometh to mind1 he shall flee it as the pain of hell1 seeking unto ,god for remedy1 for help against it4 ,for the beholding of other man's sins1 it maketh as it were a thick mist afore the eyes of the soul1 and we cannot1 for the time1 see the fairness of ,god1 but if we may behold them with contrition with him1 with compassion on him1 and with holy desire to ,god for him4 ,for without this it harmeth#b and tempesteth and hindereth the soul that beholdeth them4 ,for this ,i understood in the ,shewing of ,compassion4 ,in this blissful ,shewing of our ,lord ,i have understanding of two contrary things3 the one is the most wisdom that any creature may do in this life1 the other is the most folly4 ,the most wisdom is for a creature to do after the will and counsel of his highest sovereign ,friend4 ,this blessed ,friend is ,jesus1 and it is ,his will and ,his counsel that we hold us with ,him1 and fasten us to ,him homely--evermore1 in what state soever that we be2 for whether-so that we be foul or clean1 we are all one in ,his loving4 ,for weal nor for woe ,he willeth never we flee from ,him4 ,but because of the changeability that we are in1 in our self1 we fall often into sin4 ,then we have this doubting dread by the stirring of our enemy and by our own folly and blindness3 for they say thus3 ,thou seest well thou art a wretched creature1 a sinner1 and also unfaithful4 ,for thou keepest not the ,command#c2 thou dost promise oftentimes our ,lord that thou shalt do better1 and anon after1 thou fallest again into the same1 especially into sloth and losing of time4 7,for that is the beginning of sin1 as to my sight1--and especially to the creatures that have given them to serve our ,lord with inward beholding of ,his blessed ,goodness47 ,and this maketh us adread to appear afore our courteous ,lord4 ,thus is it our enemy that would put us aback#d with his false dread1 by reason of our wretchedness1 through pain that he threateth us with4 ,for it is his meaning to make us so heavy and so weary in this1 that we should let out of mind the fair1 ,blissful ,beholding of our ,everlasting ,friend4 #a kindness4 #b noyith4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy--thy ,covenant4 #d on bakke4 ,,chapter ,,lxxvii ,accuse not thyself overmuch1 deeming that thy tribulation and thy woe is all thy fault4 ,all thy living is penance profitable4 ,in the remedy ,he willeth that we rejoice ,our good ,lord shewed the enmity of the ,fiend3 in which ,shewing ,i understood that all that is contrary to love and peace is of the ,fiend and of his part4 ,and we have1 of our feebleness and our folly1 to fall2 and we have1 of mercy and grace of the ,holy ,ghost1 to rise to more joy4 ,and if our enemy aught winneth of us by our falling1 7for it is his pleasure1#a7 he loseth manifold more in our rising by charity and meekness4 ,and this glorious rising1 it is to him so great sorrow and pain for the hate that he hath to our soul1 that he burneth continually in envy4 ,and all this sorrow that he would make us to have1 it shall turn to himself4 ,and for this it was that our ,lord scorned him1 and it was this that made me mightily to laugh4 ,then is this the remedy1 that we be aware of our wretchedness and flee to our ,lord3 for ever the more needy that we be1 the more speedful it is to us to draw nigh to ,him4#b ,and let us say thus in our thinking3 ,i know well ,i have a shrewd pain2 but our ,lord is ,all-,mighty and may punish me mightily2 and ,he is ,all-,wisdom and can punish me discerningly2 and ,he is ,all-,goodness and loveth me full tenderly4 ,and in this beholding it is necessary for us to abide2 for it is a lovely meekness of a sinful soul1 wrought by mercy and grace of the ,holy ,ghost1 when we willingly and gladly take the scourge and chastening of our ,lord that ,himself will give us4 ,and it shall be full tender and full easy1 if that we will only hold us satisfied with ,him and with all ,his works4 ,for the penance that man taketh of himself was not shewed me3 that is to say1 it was not shewed specified4 ,but specially and highly and with full lovely manner of look was it shewed that we shall meekly bear and suffer the penance that ,god ,himself giveth us1 with mind in ,his blessed ,passion4 7,for when we have mind in ,his blessed ,passion1 with pity and love1 then we suffer with ,him like as ,his friends did that saw it4 ,and this was shewed in the ,thirteenth ,shewing1 near the beginning1 where it speaketh of ,pity47 ,for ,he saith3 ,accuse not thyself overdone much1 deeming that thy tribulation and thy woe is all for thy fault2 for ,i will not that thou be heavy or sorrowful indiscreetly4 ,for ,i tell thee1 howsoever thou do1 thou shalt have woe4 ,and therefore ,i will that thou wisely know thy penance2 and thou shalt see in truth that all thy living is penance profitable4 ,this place is prison and this life is penance1 and in the remedy ,he willeth that we rejoice4 ,the remedy is that our ,lord is with us1 keeping and leading into the fulness of joy4 ,for this is an endless joy to us in our ,lord's signifying1 that ,he that shall be our bliss when we are there1 ,he is our keeper while we are here4 ,our way and our heaven is true love and sure trust2 and of this ,he gave understanding in all the ,shewings and especially in the ,shewing of the ,passion where ,he made me mightily to choose ,him for my heaven4#c ,flee we to our ,lord and we shall be comforted1 touch we ,him and we shall be made clean1 cleave we to ,him and we shall be sure1#d and safe from all manner of peril4 ,for our courteous ,lord willeth that we should be as homely with ,him as heart may think or soul may desire4 ,but let us beware that we take not so recklessly this homeliness as to leave courtesy4 ,for our ,lord ,himself is sovereign homeliness1 and as homely as ,he is1 so courteous ,he is3 for ,he is very courteous4 ,and the blessed creatures that shall be in heaven with ,him without end1 ,he will have them like to ,himself in all things4 ,and to be like our ,lord perfectly1 it is our very salvation and our full bliss4 ,and if we wot not how we shall do all this1 desire we of our ,lord and ,he shall teach us3 for it is ,his own good-pleasure and ,his worship2 blessed may ,he be6 #a ,s4 de ,cressy1 likeness2 ,collins1 business4 ,the word may be ,lifenes lefness1 pleasure2 lif lef lief 7,morris' ,specimens of ,early ,english7 pleasing1 dear4 #b neyghen him4 #c ch4 xix4 #d sekir4 ,,chapter ,,lxxviii ,though we be highly lifted up into contemplation by the special gift of our ,lord1 yet it is needful to us to have knowledge and sight of our sin and our feebleness ,our ,lord of ,his mercy sheweth us our sin and our feebleness by the sweet gracious light of ,himself2 for our sin is so vile and so horrible that ,he of ,his courtesy will not shew it to us but by the light of ,his grace and mercy4 ,of four things therefore it is ,his will that we have knowing3 the first is1 that ,he is our ,ground from whom we have all our life and our being4 ,the second is1 that ,he keepeth us mightily and mercifully in the time that we are in our sin and among all our enemies1 that are full fell upon us2 and so much we are in the more peril for that we give them occasion thereto1 and know not our own need4#a ,the third is1 how courteously ,he keepeth us1 and maketh us to know that we go amiss4 ,the fourth is1 how steadfastly ,he abideth us and changeth no regard3#b for ,he willeth that we be turned again1 and oned to ,him in love as ,he is to us4 ,and thus by this gracious knowing we may see our sin profitably without despair4 ,for truly we need to see it1 and by the sight we shall be made ashamed of our self and brought down as anent our pride and presumption2 for it behoveth us verily to see that of ourselves we are right nought but sin and wretchedness4 ,and thus by the sight of the less that our ,lord sheweth us1 the more is reckoned#c which we see not4 ,for ,he of ,his courtesy measureth the sight to us2 for it is so vile and so horrible that we should not endure to see it as it is4 ,and by this meek knowing after this manner1 through contrition and grace we shall be broken from all that is not our ,lord4 ,and then shall our blessed ,saviour perfectly heal us1 and one us to ,him4 ,this breaking and this healing our ,lord meaneth for the general ,man4 ,for he that is highest and nearest with ,god1 he may see himself sinful--and needeth to--with me2 and ,i that am the least and lowest that shall be saved1 ,i may be comforted with him that is highest3 so hath our ,lord oned us in charity2 as where ,he shewed me that ,i should sin4#d ,and for joy that ,i had in beholding of ,him ,i attended not readily to that ,shewing1 and our courteous ,lord stopped there and would not further teach me till that ,he gave me grace and will to attend4 ,and hereby was ,i learned that though we be highly lifted up into contemplation by the special gift of our ,lord1 yet it is needful to us therewith to have knowing and sight of our sin and our feebleness4 ,for without this knowing we may not have true meekness1 and without this meekness we may not be saved4 ,and afterward1 also1 ,i saw that we may not have this knowing from our self2 nor from none of all our spiritual enemies3 for they will us not so great good4 ,for if it were by their will1 we should not see it until our ending day4 ,then be we greatly beholden#e to ,god for that ,he will ,himself1 for love1 shew it to us in time of mercy and grace4 #a ,see ch4 xxxix4 p4 #ha4 #b chere manner of looking on us2 mien4 #c ,s4 de ,cressy3 wasted1 but the indistinct word of the ,brit4 ,mus4 ,,ms4 is probably castid1 for cast1 or casten conjectured4 #d ch4 xxxvii4 #e i4e4 in gratitude4 ,,chapter ,,lxxix ,i was taught that ,i should see mine own sin1 and not other men's sin except it may be for comfort and help of my fellow-,christians 7lxxvi47 ,also ,i had of this ,revelation more understanding4 ,in that ,he shewed me that ,i should sin1 ,i took it nakedly to mine own singular person1 for ,i was none otherwise shewed at that time4 ,but by the high1 gracious comfort of our ,lord that followed after1 ,i saw that ,his meaning was for the general ,man3 that is to say1 ,all-,man2 which is sinful and shall be unto the last day4 ,of which ,man ,i am a member1 as ,i hope1 by the mercy of ,god4 ,for the blessed comfort that ,i saw1 it is large enough for us all4 ,and here was ,i learned that ,i should see mine own sin1 and not other men's sins but if it may be for comfort and help of mine even-,christians4 ,and also in this same ,shewing where ,i saw that ,i should sin1 there was ,i learned to be in dread for unsureness of myself4 ,for ,i wot not how ,i shall fall1 nor ,i know not the measure nor the greatness of sin2 for that would ,i have wist1 with dread1 and thereto ,i had none answer4 ,also our courteous ,lord in the same time ,he shewed full surely and mightily the endlessness and the unchangeability of ,his love2 and1 afterward1 that by ,his great goodness and ,his grace inwardly keeping1 the love of ,him and our soul shall never be disparted in two1 without end4#a ,and thus in this dread ,i have matter of meekness that saveth me from presumption1 and in the blessed ,shewing of ,love ,i have matter of true comfort and of joy that saveth me from despair4 ,all this homely ,shewing of our courteous ,lord1 it is a lovely lesson and a sweet1 gracious teaching of ,himself in comforting of our soul4 ,for ,he willeth that we should know by the sweetness and homely loving of ,him1 that all that we see or feel1 within or without1 that is contrary to this is of the enemy and not of ,god4 ,and thus2--,if we be stirred to be the more reckless of our living or of the keeping of our hearts because that we have knowing of this plenteous love1 then need we greatly to beware4 ,for this stirring1 if it come1 is untrue2 and greatly we ought to hate it1 for it all hath no likeness of ,god's will4 ,and when that we be fallen1 by frailty or blindness1 then our courteous ,lord toucheth us and stirreth us and calleth us2 and then willeth ,he that we see our wretchedness and meekly be aware of it4#b ,but ,he willeth not that we abide thus1 nor ,he willeth not that we busy us greatly about our accusing1 nor ,he willeth not that we be wretched over our self2#c but ,he willeth that we hastily turn ourselves unto ,him4 ,for ,he standeth all aloof and abideth us sorrowfully and mournfully till when we come1 and hath haste to have us to ,him4 ,for we are ,his joy and ,his delight1 and ,he is our salve and our life4 ,when ,i say ,he standeth all alone1 ,i leave the speaking of the blessed ,company of heaven1 and speak of ,his office and ,his working here on earth1--upon the condition of the ,shewing4 #a ,see xxxvii41 xl41 xlviii41 lxi41 lxxxii4 #b ben it aknowen4 ,s4 de ,cressy1 be it a knowen4 #c ,,ms4 wretchful of our selfe4 ,s4 de ,cressy1 wretchful on our self4 ,,chapter ,,lxxx ,himself is nearest and meekest1 highest and lowest1 and doeth all4 ,love suffereth never to be without ,pity ,by three things man standeth in this life2 by which three ,god is worshipped1 and we be speeded1#a kept and saved4 ,the first is1 use of man's ,reason natural2 the second is1 common teaching of ,holy ,church2 the third is1 inward gracious working of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and these three be all of one ,god3 ,god is the ground of our natural reason2 and ,god1 the teaching of ,holy ,church2 and ,god is the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and all be sundry gifts to which ,he willeth that we have great regard1 and attend us thereto4 ,for these work in us continually all together2 and these be great things4 ,of which great things ,he willeth that we have knowing here as it were in an ,a4,b4,c41 that is to say1 that we have a little knowing2 whereof we shall have fulness in ,heaven4 ,and that is for to speed us4 ,we know in our ,faith that ,god alone took our nature1 and none but ,he2 and furthermore that ,christ alone did all the works that belong to our salvation1 and none but ,he2 and right so ,he alone doeth now the last end3 that is to say1 ,he dwelleth here with us1 and ruleth us and governeth us in this living1 and bringeth us to ,his bliss4 ,and this shall ,he do as long as any soul is in earth that shall come to heaven1--and so far forth that if there were no such soul but one1 ,he should be withal alone till ,he had brought him up to ,his bliss4 ,i believe and understand the ministration of angels1 as clerks tell us3 but it was not shewed me4 ,for ,himself is nearest and meekest1 highest and lowest1 and doeth all4 ,and not only all that we need1 but also ,he doeth all that is worshipful1 to our joy in heaven4 ,and where ,i say that ,he abideth sorrowfully and moaning1 it meaneth all the true feeling that we have in our self1 in contrition and compassion1 and all sorrowing and moaning that we are not oned with our ,lord4 ,and all such that is speedful1 it is ,christ in us4 ,and though some of us feel it seldom1 it passeth never from ,christ till what time ,he hath brought us out of all our woe4 ,for love suffereth never to be without pity4 ,and what time that we fall into sin and leave the mind of ,him and the keeping of our own soul1 then keepeth ,christ alone all the charge2 and thus standeth ,he sorrowfully and moaning4 ,then belongeth it to us for reverence and kindness to turn us hastily to our ,lord and leave ,him not alone4 ,he is here alone with us all3 that is to say1 only for us ,he is here4 ,and what time ,i am strange to ,him by sin1 despair or sloth1 then ,i let my ,lord stand alone1 in as much as it is in me4 ,and thus it fareth with us all which be sinners4 ,but though it be so that we do thus oftentimes1 ,his ,goodness suffereth us never to be alone1 but lastingly ,he is with us1 and tenderly ,he excuseth us1 and ever shieldeth us from blame in ,his sight4 #a i4e4 helped onwards4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxi ,god seeth all our living a penance3 for nature-longing of our love is to ,him a lasting penance in us4 ,his love maketh ,him to long ,our ,good ,lord shewed ,himself in diverse manners both in heaven and in earth1 but ,i saw ,him take no place save in man's soul4 ,he shewed ,himself in earth in the sweet ,incarnation and in ,his blessed ,passion4 ,and in other manner ,he shewed ,himself in earth as in the ,revelation where ,i say3 ,i saw ,god in a ,point4#a ,and in another manner ,he shewed ,himself in earth thus as it were in pilgrimage3 that is to say1 ,he is here with us1 leading us1 and shall be till when ,he hath brought us all to ,his bliss in heaven4 ,he shewed ,himself diverse times reigning1 as it is aforesaid2 but principally in man's soul4 ,he hath taken there ,his resting-place and ,his worshipful ,city3 out of which worshipful ,see ,he shall never rise nor remove without end4 ,marvellous and stately#b is the place where the ,lord dwelleth1 and therefore ,he willeth that we readily answer to#c ,his gracious touching1 more rejoicing in ,his whole love than sorrowing in our often fallings4 ,for it is the most worship to ,him of anything that we may do1 that we live gladly and merrily1 for ,his love1 in our penance4 ,for ,he beholdeth us so tenderly that ,he seeth all our living here a penance3 for nature's longing in us is to ,him aye-lasting penance in us#d3 which penance ,he worketh in us and mercifully ,he helpeth us to bear it4 ,for ,his love maketh ,him to long for us2 ,his wisdom and ,his truth with ,his rightfulness maketh ,him to suffer us to be here3 and in this same manner of longing and abiding ,he willeth to see it in us4 ,for this is our natural penance1--and the highest1 as to my sight4 ,for this penance goeth#e never from us till what time that we be fulfilled1 when we shall have ,him to our meed4 ,and therefore ,he willeth that we set our hearts in the ,overpassing#f3 that is to say1 from the pain that we feel into the bliss that we trust4 #a ch4 xi4 #b solemne4 #c entenden to turn our attention1 respond to4 #d or1 at in ,s4 de ,cressy1 ,for kind longing in us to him is a lasting penance in us4 #e cometh4 #f ,the exceeding ,bliss4 ,our light affliction1 which is but for a moment1 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory4--#b ,cor4 iv4 #ag4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxii ,in falling and in rising we are ever preciously kept in one ,love ,but here shewed our courteous ,lord the moaning and the mourning of the soul1 signifying thus3 ,i know well thou wilt live for my love1 joyously and gladly suffering all the penance that may come to thee2 but in as much as thou livest not without sin thou wouldest suffer1 for my love1 all the woe1 all the tribulation and distress that might come to thee4 ,and it is sooth4#a ,but be not greatly aggrieved with sin that falleth to thee against thy will4 ,and here ,i understood that which was shewed that the ,lord beholdeth the servant with pity and not with blame4#b ,for this passing life asketh#c not to live all without blame and sin4 ,he loveth us endlessly1 and we sin customably1 and ,he sheweth us full mildly1 and then we sorrow and mourn discreetly1 turning us unto the beholding of ,his mercy1 cleaving to ,his love and goodness1 seeing that ,he is our medicine1 perceiving that we do nought but sin4 ,and thus by the meekness we get by the sight of our sin1 faithfully knowing ,his everlasting love1 ,him thanking and praising1 we please ,him3--,i love thee1 and thou lovest me1 and our love shall not be disparted in two3 for thy profit ,i suffer these things to come4 ,and all this was shewed in spiritual understanding1 saying these blessed words3 ,i keep thee full surely4 ,and by the great desire that ,i saw in our blessed ,lord that we shall live in this manner1--that is to say1 in longing and enjoying1 as all this lesson of love sheweth1--thereby ,i understood that that which is contrarious to us is not of ,him but of enmity2 and ,he willeth that we know it by the sweet gracious light of ,his kind love4 ,if any such lover be in earth which is continually kept from falling1 ,i know it not3 for it was not shewed me4 ,but this was shewed3 that in falling and in rising we are ever preciously kept in one ,love4 ,for in the ,beholding of ,god we fall not1 and in the beholding of self we stand not2 and both these manners of beholding be sooth as to my sight4 ,but the ,beholding of our ,lord ,god is the highest soothness4#d ,then are we greatly bound to ,god#e for that ,he willeth in this living to shew us this high soothness4 ,and ,i understood that while we be in this life it is full speedful to us that we see both these at once4 ,for the higher ,beholding keepeth us in spiritual solace and true enjoying in ,god2 and that other that is the lower ,beholding keepeth us in dread and maketh us ashamed of ourself4 ,but our good ,lord willeth ever that we hold us much more in the ,beholding of the higher1 and yet leave not the knowing of the lower1 unto the time that we be brought up above1 where we shall have our ,lord ,jesus unto our meed and be fulfilled of joy and bliss without end4 #a i4e4 truth4 ,see xxvii41 ,it is sooth that sin it cause of all this pain4 #b ch4 li4 #c i4e4 demandeth not that we live4 #d sooth1 soothness3 i4e4 truth1 trueness4 ,both these ben soth1 as to my syte4 ,but the beholdyng of our ,lord ,god is the heyest sothnes4 ,see chaps4 xlv41 liii41 etc41 the two ,deemings3 the ,beholding by ,god of the higher ,self and the ,beholding by man of the lower self4 #e in gratitude1 obligation4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxiii ,life1 ,love1 and ,light ,i had1 in part1 touching1 sight1 and feeling in three properties of ,god1 in which the strength and effect of all the ,revelation standeth3 and they were seen in every ,shewing1 and most properly in the ,twelfth1 where it saith oftentimes3 ,it is ,i4 ,the properties are these3 ,life1 ,love1 and ,light4#a ,in life is marvellous homeliness1 and in love is gentle courtesy1 and in light is endless ,nature-hood4 ,these properties were in one ,goodness3 unto which ,goodness my ,reason would be oned1 and cleave to it with all its might4 ,i beheld with reverent dread1 and highly marvelling in the sight and in the feeling of the sweet accord1 that our ,reason is in ,god2 understanding that it is the highest gift that we have received2 and it is grounded in nature4 ,our faith is a light by nature coming of our endless ,day1 that is our ,father1 ,god4 ,in which light our ,mother1 ,christ1 and our good ,lord1 the ,holy ,ghost1 leadeth us in this passing life4 ,this light is measured discreetly1 needfully standing to us in the night4 ,the light is cause of our life2 the night is cause of our pain and of all our woe3 in which we earn meed and thanks of ,god4 ,for we1 with mercy and grace1 steadfastly know and believe our light1 going therein wisely and mightily4 ,and at the end of woe1 suddenly our eyes shall be opened1 and in clearness of light our sight shall be full3 which light is ,god1 our ,maker and ,holy ,ghost1 in ,christ ,jesus our ,saviour4 ,thus ,i saw and understood that our faith is our light in our night3 which light is ,god1 our endless ,day4 #a ,cf4 chs4 lxxxv4 and lxxxvi4 ,these words might be 7as ,life1 ,light1 and ,love7 for the ,trinity of ,might 7the ,father willeth71 ,wisdom 7the ,son worketh71 ,love 7the ,holy ,ghost confirmeth73 one ,goodness3 or as it is sometimes denoted1 the ,trinity of ,might1 ,wisdom1 ,goodness3 one ,love4 ,but here the thought seems to be centred in ,light as the manifestation of ,being 7of ,kyndhede relationships1 correspondences of nature73 of the ,triune ,divine ,light which in ,man is corresponding ,reason1 ,faith1 ,charity3 ,charity keeping man1 while here1 in ,faith and ,hope2 ,charity leading him from and through and into the ,eternal ,divine ,love4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxiv ,charity ,the light is ,charity1 and the measuring of this light is done to us profitably by the wisdom of ,god4 ,for neither is the light so large that we may see our blissful ,day1 nor is it shut from us2 but it is such a light in which we may live meedfully1 with travail deserving#a the endless worship of ,god4 ,and this was seen in the ,sixth ,shewing where ,he said3 ,i thank thee of thy service and of thy travail4 ,thus ,charity keepeth us in ,faith and ,hope1 and ,hope leadeth us in ,charity4 ,and in the end all shall be ,charity4 ,i had three manners of understanding of this light1 ,charity4 ,the first is ,charity unmade2 the second is ,charity made2 the third is ,charity given4 ,charity unmade is ,god2 ,charity made is our soul in ,god2 ,charity given is virtue4 ,and that is a precious gift of working in which we love ,god1 for ,himself2 and ourselves1 in ,god2 and that which ,god loveth1 for ,god4 #a i4e4 earning the endless praise4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxv ,lord1 blessed mayest ,thou be1 for it is thus3 it is well ,and in this sight ,i marvelled highly4 ,for notwithstanding our simple living and our blindness here1 yet endlessly our courteous ,lord beholdeth us in this working1 rejoicing2 and of all things1 we may please ,him best wisely and truly to believe1 and to enjoy with ,him and in ,him4 ,for as verily as we shall be in the bliss of ,god without end1 ,him praising and thanking1 so verily we have been in the foresight of ,god1 loved and known in ,his endless purpose from without beginning4 ,in which unbegun love ,he made us2 and in the same love ,he keepeth us and never suffereth us to be hurt in manner by which our bliss might be lost4 ,and therefore when the ,doom is given and we be all brought up above1 then shall we clearly see in ,god the secret things which be now hid to us4 ,then shall none of us be stirred to say in any wise3 ,lord1 if it had been thus1 then it had been full well2 but we shall say all with one voice3 ,lord1 blessed mayst thou be1 for it is thus3 it is well2 and now see we verily that all-thing is done as it was then ordained before that anything was made4 ,,chapter ,,lxxxvi ,love was our ,lord's ,meaning ,this book is begun by ,god's gift and ,his grace1 but it is not yet performed1 as to my sight4 ,for ,charity pray we all2 together with ,god's working1 thanking1 trusting1 enjoying4 ,for thus will our good ,lord be prayed to1 as by the understanding that ,i took of all ,his own meaning and of the sweet words where ,he saith full merrily3 ,i am the ,ground of thy beseeching4 ,for truly ,i saw and understood in our ,lord's meaning that ,he shewed it for that ,he willeth to have it known more than it is3 in which knowing ,he will give us grace to love to ,him and cleave to ,him4 ,for ,he beholdeth ,his heavenly treasure with so great love on earth that ,he willeth to give us more light and solace in heavenly joy1 in drawing to ,him of our hearts1 for sorrow and darkness#a which we are in4 ,and from that time that it was shewed ,i desired oftentimes to learn#b what was our ,lord's meaning4 ,and fifteen years after1 and more1 ,i was answered in ghostly understanding1 saying thus3 ,wouldst thou learn#c thy ,lord's meaning in this thing8 ,learn it well3 ,love was ,his meaning4 ,who shewed it thee8 ,love4 ,what shewed ,he thee8 ,love4 ,wherefore shewed it ,he8 ,for ,love4 ,hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more in the same4 ,but thou shalt never know nor learn therein other thing without end4 ,thus was ,i learned#d that ,love was our ,lord's meaning4 ,and ,i saw full surely that ere ,god made us ,he loved us2 which love was never slacked1 nor ever shall be4 ,and in this love ,he hath done all ,his works2 and in this love ,he hath made all things profitable to us2 and in this love our life is everlasting4 ,in our making we had beginning2 but the love wherein ,he made us was in ,him from without beginning3 in which love we have our beginning4 ,and all this shall we see in ,god1 without end4 #a merkness dimness4 #b witten to see clearly4 #c witten to see clearly4 #d lerid4 ,,postscript ,,by ,a ,,scribe ,the ,sloane ,,ms4 is entitled ,revelations to one who could not read a ,letter1 ,anno ,dom4 #acgc1 and each chapter is headed by a few lines denoting its contents4 ,these titles are in language similar to that of the text1 and are probably the work of an early scribe4 ,no doubt it is the same scribe who after the last sentence of the book adds the aspiration3 ,which ,jesus mot grant us ,amen4 ,and to him also may be assigned this conclusion3-- ,thus endeth the ,revelation of ,love of the blissid ,trinite shewid by our ,savior ,christ ,jesu for our endles comfort and solace and also to enjoyen in him in this passand journey of this life4 ,amen ,jesu ,amen ,i pray ,almyty ,god that this booke com not but to the hands of them that will be his faithfull lovers1 and to those that will submitt them to the faith of holy ,church1 and obey the holesom understondying and teching of the men that be of vertuous life1 sadde ,age and sound lering3 ffor this ,revelation is hey ,divinitye and hey wisdom1 wherfore it may not dwelle with him that is thrall to synne and to the ,devill4 ,and beware thou take not on thing after thy affection and liking1 and leve another3 for that is the condition of an heretique4 ,but take every thing with other4 ,and1 trewly understonden1 ,all is according to holy ,scripture and groundid in the same4 ,and that ,jesus1 our very love1 light and truth1 shall shew to all clen soulis that with mekeness aske profe reverently this wisdom of hym4 ,and thou to whom this boke shall come1 thank heyley and hertily our ,saviour ,christ ,jesu that he made these shewings and revelations1 for the1 and to the1 of his endles love1 mercy and goodnes for thine and our save guide1 to conduct to everlastying bliss3 the which ,jesus mot grant us4 ,,amen4 ,,glossary ,adight prepared1 ordained4 ,adventure chance1 hazard4 ,after according to4 ,all thing with the verb singular--kept here chiefly to express all1 the whole of things related to each other1 though often1 as in the original1 meaning simply every1 each4 ,in ,early and ,middle ,english thing had no s in the plural4 ,and had sometimes the force of but1 and once or twice in the ,,ms4 it is used in its sense of if1 or of and though1 or and when4 ,asseth1 asyeth1 asyeth-making satisfaction2 fulfilment 7theologically used74 ,asketh requireth1 demandeth4 ,avisement consideration2 observation with self-consulting4 ,beclosed enclosed4 ,behest promise3 a thing proclaimed2 afterwards1 command4 ,behold in behold4 ,beholding manner of regarding things4 ,belongeth to1 behoveth is incumbent1 befitteth4 ,blissful used sometimes as blessed4 ,bodily perceived by any of the bodily senses1 effected by material agency4 ,braste burst4 ,busyness the state of being busy2 great busyness much ado4 ,but if unless1 save4 ,cause reason1 end1 object4 ,cheer expression of countenance shewing sorrow or gladness2 mien4 ,close shut away2 hid1 or partially hid4 ,come from go from4 ,common3 the ,blessed ,common the ,christian ,community4 ,contrarious perverse4 ,various other forms are used from to contrary1 to oppose4 ,could and can refer to knowledge and practical skill1 ability4 ,courteous gently considerate and fair2 reverentially ceremonious2 ,gracious4 ,deadly mortal4 ,dearworthy precious2 beloved and honoured4 ,depart dispart1 part4 ,deserve earn4 ,disease distress1 trouble1 want of case4 ,doom1 deeming judgment4 ,doomsman priestly confessor4 ,enjoy in enjoy2 rejoice in4 ,entend attend4 ,enter to lead in4 ,even equal2 even-like2 even-right straight1 straight-facing4 ,even-,christian 7even-cristen1 sing4 or pl47 fellow-,christian4 ,hamlet ,v4 i41 ,and the more the pity that great folk have countenance in this world to drown or hang themselves more than their even ,christian4 ,faithfully trustfully4 ,for that because4 ,fulfilled of filled full with4 ,fulfilling fulfilment1 ,perfect ,bliss4 ,garland crown4 ,generally relating to things or people in general1 not in special4 ,grante mercy 7grand merci7 great thanks4 ,have to betake one's self to4 ,hastily quickly1 soon4 ,homely intimate1 simple1 as of one at home4 ,honest fair1 seemly4 ,if that 7chap4 xxxii41 ,thou shalt see--if all--shall be well ,acts xxvi4 #h74 ,impropriated 7impropried7 to appropriated to4 ,indifferent 7to thy sight1 chap4 li47 indistinct4 ,intellect understanding1 that which is to be understood1 inference4 xiii4 ,intent attention4 ,kind nature1 race1 birth1 species2 natural1 etc42 kindly as by birth and kinship1 natural1 filial1 gentle1 genial1 human and humane4 ,known made known4 ,languor to languish4 ,learn teach4 ,let1 letten hinder 7letted74 ,like 7it liketh him1 meliketh7 to suit1 be similar to the desire1 to be pleasing 7,amos iv4 #e74 ,liking pleasure1 pleasance4 ,likeness 7without any likeness7 comparison4 ,may1 might1 often for can and could of modern usage4 ,mean to think1 say1 signify1 intend2 to have in one's mind4 ,mean1 means medium1 intermediary thing1 or person1 or communication4 ,mind feeling1 memory1 sympathetic perception or realisation4 ,mischief hurt1 injury1 harm4 ,mights powers1 faculties4 ,morrow morning4 ,moaning sorrowing4 ,naked simple1 single1 plain1 by itself4 ,needs of need2 it behoveth needs is incumbent through necessity4 ,oweth ought1 is bound by duty or debt4 ,one 7oned1 oneing7 to make one1 unite4 ,over upper4 ,overpassing exceeding2 the overpassing the ,restoration1 the heavenly ,fulfilment of the ,company of souls made more than conquerors2 the ,supernal ,blessedness4 ,pass to die4 ,passing surpassingly4 ,regard1 in regard of in respect of1 comparison with4 ,regard look1 sight4 ,ready prepared2 readily quickly4 ,sad ,sober 7sad votaress1 ,milton1 ,comus71 originally firm 7rype and sad corage1 ,chaucer3 ,the ,clerkes ,tale1 #afd74 ,say tell4 ,skilfully discerningly1 with practical knowledge and ability4 ,slade a steep1 hollow place2 a ravine4 ,so far forth to such a measure4 ,solemn festal1 as of a yearly feast1 stately1 ceremonial4 ,sooth very reality1 that which is2 soothly1 soothfastly4 ,speed prospering1 furtherance1 profit4 ,stint 7stinten7 to cease4 ,stirring 7stering7 moving1 prompting1 motion4 ,substantial and sensual1 relating respectively 7in the writer's psychology7 to the ,substance or higher self1 and the soul inhabiting the body on earth1 called by her the ,sensualite1 and in chap4 lvii4 the sensual soul2 cf4 ,genesis i4 #bg1 with ii4 #g4 ,tarry to vex1 delay4 ,touch 7a7 an instant4 ,touching influence4 ,trow believe4 ,unknowing ignorance2 unmade not made4 ,ween suppose1 expect1 think4 ,will2 ,he will ,he willeth that4 ,wilfully with firm will1 resolutely4 ,wit to know by perception1 to experience1 find1 learn4 ,knowledge knows3 ,wisdom wits4 ,worship honour1 praise1 glory4 ,wretch a poor1 a mean creature of no account4 ,,the ,,end4