and another Ghostly This Word was shewed for the bodily Thirst And for the Ghostly Thirst was shewed as I shall say after And I understood by the bodily Thirst that the Body had feeling of moisture for the blessed Flesh and Bones was left all alone without blood and moisture The blessed Body dried all alone long time with wringing of the Nails and weight of the Body for I understood that for tenderness of the sweet Hands and the sweet Feet by the great hardness and grievousness of the Nails the Wounds waxed wide and the Body setled for weight by long time hanging and pearcing and raising of the Head and binding of the Crown all baken with dry blood with the sweet Hair clinging the dry flesh to the Thorns and the Thorns to the flesh drying And in the beginning while the flesh was fresh and bleeding the continual setting of the Thorns made the Wounds wide And furthermore I saw that the sweet skin and the tender flesh with the hair and with the blood was all raced and loosed about with the Thorns and broken in many pieces and were hanging as they would hastily have fallen down while it had kind moisture how it was down I saw not but I understood that it was with the sharp Thorns and the boystrous grievous sitting on of the Garland not sparing and without pity that altho brake the sweet skin with the flesh and the Hair loosed it from the bone where through it was broken in pieces as a Cloath and sagging downward as it would hastily have fallen for heaviness and for loosness And that was great sorrow and dread to me for methought that I would not for my life have seen it fall This continued a while and after it began to change and I beheld and marvelled how it might be and then I saw it was for it began to dry and stint a part of the weight that was round about the Garland And so it was invironed all about as it were Garland upon Garland the Garland of Thornes was dyed with the Garland of Blood and that other Garland and the Head all was one Colour as clottered blood when it was dried The skin and the flesh that seemed of the Face and of the Body was small rimpild with a tawny Colour like a dry board when it is aged and the face more brown than the body I saw four manner of drying The first was bloodless The second Pain following after The third is that he was hanging up in the Aire as men hang a Cloath for to dry The fourth that the bodily kind asked Liquor and there was no manner of Comfort ministred to him Ah hard and grievous was that Pain but much more hard and grievous it was when the moisture failed and all began to dry thus clinging These were two Pains that shewed in the blessed Head The first wrought to the drying while it was moist and that other slow with clinging and drying with blowing of Wind from without that dryed him more and pained with Cold than my heart can think and all other Pains for which Pains I saw that all is too litle that I can say for it may not be told The shewing of Christs Pains filled me full of Pains for I wist well that he suffered but once but as he would shew it me and fill me with mind as I had before desired And in all this time of Christs presence I felt no Pain but for Christs Pains Then thought me I knew full litle what Pain it was that I asked and as a Wretch I repented me thinking if I had wist what it had been loath had me been to have prayed it for methought my Pains passed any bodily Death I thought Is any Pain in Hell like this and I was answered in my Reason Hell is an other Pain for their is Despair but of all Pains that lead to Salvation this is the most to see the Lover to suffer How might any Pain be more than to see him that is all my Life all my Bliss and all my Joy suffer Here left I stedfastly that I loved Christ so much above my self that there was no Pain that might be suffered like to that sorrow that I had to see him in Pain The xviij Chapter HEre I saw in part the Compassion of our Blessed Lady Saint Mary for Christ And she was so * i. e. united onyd in Love that the greatness of her Love was cause of the greatness of her Pain for in this I saw a substance of kind Love continued by Grace that his Creatures have to him which kind Love was most * i e. plenteous fulsomelie shewed in his sweet Mother and overpassing For so much as she loved him more than all other her Pain passed all other for ever the higher the mightier the sweeter that the Love is the more sorrow it is to the Lover to see that Body in pain that he loved And so all his Disciples and all his true Lovers suffered more Pain than their own bodily dying For I am sure by my own feeling that the least of them loved him so far above himself that it passeth all that I can say Here saw I a great * i e. union oning between Christ and Vs to my understanding for when he was in Pain we were in Pain and all Creatures that might suffer Pain suffered with him that is to say all Creatures that God hath made to our Service The Firmament and Earth failed for sorrow in their kind in the time of Christs dying for it longeth | i e. natural kindly to their property to know him for their Lord in whom all their vertue standeth And when he feeled then behoved needs to them for kindness to feel with him in as much as they might for sorrow of his Pains And thus they that were his Friends suffered Pain for Love And generally all that is to say they that knew him not suffered for feeling of all manner of Comfort save the Mighty privy keeping of God I mean of two manner of People that know him not as it may be understood by two Persons That one was Pilate that other Person was St. Dionise of France which was that time a Paynius for when he saw Wonders and Marveils Sorrows and Dreads that befell at that time he said Either the World is now at an End or else he that is Maker of * i e. nature kinds suffereth Wherefore he did Write on an Altar This is an Altar of the unknown God God of his goodness that maketh Planners and the Elements to work in their kind to the blessed man and to the Cursed In that time it was withdrawn from both Wherefore it was that they that knew him not were in sorrow that time Thus was our Lord Jesu Pained for us and we stand all in this manner of Pain with him and shall do till that we come to his bliss as I shall say hereafter The xix
most God and soonest speedeth For our Soule is so preciouslie loved of him that is highest that it over-passeth the knowing of all Creatures That is to saie There is no Creature that is made that may wit how much and how sweetly and how tenderlie that our Maker loveth us And therefore we may with his Grace and his helpe stand in Ghostlie beholding with everlasting marvailing in this high over-passing unmeasurable Love that our Lord hath to us of his Goodnes And therefore we may aske of our Lover with Reverence all that we will for our * i. e. naturall kindlie Will is to have God and the Good-will of God is to have us And we may never cease of willing ne of loving till we have him in fulhead of joy And then we may no more will for he will that we be occupied in knowing and loving till the time cometh that we shall be fulfilled in Heaven And therefore was this Lesson of Love shewed with all that followeth as you shall see for the strength and the ground of all was shewed in the first sight for of all things the beholding and the loving of the Maker maketh the Soul to seem least in his own sight and most filleth it with reverent dread and true meekness and with plenty of Charity to his even Christian The vij Chapter ANd to learn us this as to my understanding our good Lord shewed our Lady Mary in the same time that is to mean the high Wisdom and Truth that she had in beholding her Maker This Wisdom and Truth made her to behold her God so Great so High so Mighty and so Good This greatness and this | i. e. nobleness Noblety of her beholding of God fulfilled her of reverend deed And with this she saw her self so litle and so low so simple and so poor in regard of her God that this reverend Dread fulfilled her of meekness And thus by this ground she was fulfilled of Grace and of all manner of Vertues and passeth all Creatures And in all the time that he shewed this that I have now said in Ghostly sight I saw the bodily sight lasting of the plentuous bleeding of the head the great drops of Blood fell down from under the Garland like Pellots seeming as it had come out of the Veins And in the coming out they were brown red for the blood was full thick and in the spreading abroad they were bright red and when it came at the | i. e. forehead Brows there they vanished And notwithstanding the bleeding continued till many things were seen and understanded nevertheless the fair head and the lively head continued in the same beauty and liveliness The plentuous head is like to the drops of Water that fall off the evesing of an House after a great shower of Rain that fall so thick that no man may number them with any bodily Wit And for the roundness they were like to the Seal of her Ring in the spreading of the forehead These three things came to my mind in the time Pellets for the roundhead in the comming out of the blood the Scale of Herring for the round-head in the spreading the dropps of the evesing of an House for the plentuous head unnumerable This shewing was quick and lively and hideous and dreadful and sweet and lovely And of all the sight that I saw this was most comfort to me that our good Lord that is so reverent and dreadful is so homely and so courteous And this most fulfilled me with liking and sickness * i. e. in of Soul And to the understanding of this he shewed this open example It is the most worship that a solemn King or a great Lord may do to a poor Servant if he will be homely with him and namely if he shew it himself of a full true meaning and with a glad chere both in private and openly Then thinketh this poor Creature thus Lo what might this Noble Lord do more Worship and Joy to me than to shew to me that am so little This marvelous himeliness verily it is more joy and liking to me than if he gave me great gifts and were himself strange in manner This bodily example was shewed so high that this mans heart might be ravished and almost forget himself for Joy of this great homeliness Thus it faireth by our Lord Jesu and by us for verily it is the most joy that may be as to my sight that he that is highest and mightest nobliest and worthiest is lowest and meekest homliest and courtesiest And truly and verily this marvellous joy shall he shew us all when we shall see him And this will our good Lord that we believe and trust joy and like comfort us and make solace as we may with his Grace and with his Help into the time that we see it verily for the most fulhed of joy that we shall have as to my sight is this marvellous courtesie and homeliness of our Father that is our Maker in our Lord Jesu Christ that is our Brother and our Saviour But this marvelous Homlliness may no man know in this Life but if he have it by special shewing of our Lord or of great plenty of Grace inwardly given of the Holy Ghost but Faith and Belief with Charity deserve the meed and so it is had by Grace For in Faith with Hope and Charity our Life is grounded the shewing is made to whom that God will plainly teach the same opened and declared with many privy Points belonging to our Faith and Belief which be worshipful to be known And when the shewing which is given for a time is passed and hid then Faith keepeth it by Grace of the Holy Ghost unto our Lives end And thus by the shewing it is none other than Faith no less no more as it may be seen by our Lords meaning in the same matter by than it come to the last end The viij Chapter ANd as long as I saw this sight of the plentuousness of bleeding of the Head I might never stint of these Words Benedicite Dominis In which shewing I understood six things The first is the Tokens of the blessedful Passion and the plentuous shedding of his precious Blood The second is the Maiden that is his dear worthy Mother The third is the blessedful God-head that ever was and shall be all Mighty all Wisdom and all Love The fourth is all thing that he hath made for well I wote that Heaven and Earth and all that is made is great large fair and good but the cause why it sheweth so litle to my sight was for I saw it in the presence of him that is the Maker for a Soul that seeth the Maker of all thing all that is made seemeth full litle The fifth is that he that made all thing that is made for Love and by the same Love it is kept and shall be without end as it is before said The sixth is that God is all
letted me but sin And so I beheld generally in us all and methought if sin had not been we should all have been clean and like to our Lord as he made us And thus in my folly before this time often I wondred why by the great foresaid Wisdom of God the beginning of sin was not letted for then thought me that all should have been well This stirring was much to be forsaken and nevertheless Mourning and Sorrow I made therefore without Reason and Discretion but Jesu that in this Vision Informed me of all that me needed answered by this Word and said Sin is * i. e. behoveful behovely but all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well In this naked Word sin our Lord brought to my mind generally all that is not good and the shameful despite and the uttermost Tribulation that he bear for us in this Life and his dying and all his Pains and Passion Bodily and Ghostly and the Pains of all his Creatures Ghostly and Bodily For we be all in part troubled and we shall be troubled following our Master Jesu till we be full purged of our deadly Flesh and of all our inward Affections which be not very good And the beholding of this with all the Pains that ever were or ever shall be And with all this I understood the Passion of Christ for the most Pain and over-passing And all this was shewed in a touch and readily passed over into Comfort for our good Lord would not that the Soul were afraid of this ugly sight but I saw not sin for I be-believe it had no manner of substance ne no part of being ne it might not be known but by the Pain that is caused thereof And this Pain is something as to my sight for a time for it purgeth and maketh us to know our self and ask Mercy for the Passion of our Lord is Comfort to us against all this and so is his blessed Will and for the tender Love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved he comforteth readily and sweetly meaning thus It is true that sin is cause of all this Pain but all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well These Words were shewed full tenderly shewing no manner of blame to me ne to none that shall be safe Then were it great unkindness of me to blame or wonder on God of my sin sithen he blameth not me for sin And in these same Words I saw an high marvellous privity hid in God Which privity he shall openly make and shall be known to us in Heaven In which knowing we shall verily see the cause why he suffered sin to come In which sight we shall endlesly have joy The xxxiij Chapter THus I saw how Christ hath Compassion on us for the cause of sin And right as I was before in the Passion of Christ fulfilled with Pain and Compassion like in this I was in party fulfilled with Compassion of all my even Christen for full well he loveth people that shall be saved that is to say Gods Servants Holy Church shall be shaked in Sorrow and Anguish and Tribulation in this World as men shaketh a Cloath in the Wind And as to this our Lord answered shewing on this manner Ah A great thing shall I make hereof in Heaven of endless Worship and of everlasting Joy Ye so far forth I saw that our Lord enjoyeth of the Tribulation of his Servants with Pity and Compassion and to each person that he loveth to his Bliss for to bring he layeth on him something that is no * i e. impediment lack in in his sight whereby they be | i e. humbled lowed and despised in this World scorned and mocked and cast out And this he doth for to * i e. hinder let the harm that they should take of the Pomp and of the Pride and of the vain Glory of this wretched Life and make their way ready to come to Heaven in bliss without end Everlasting For he saith I shall all to break you from your vain Affections and your vicious Pride and after that I shall gather you and make you meek and mild clean and Holy by | i e. uniting oning to me And then saw I that each kind Compassion that man hath on his even Christian with Charity it is Christ in him that each manner naughting that was shewed in his Passion it was shewed again here in this Compassion Wherein were two manner of understandings in our Lords meaning that one was the bliss that we be brought to wherein he will that we * i e. rejoyce enjoy That other is for Comfort in our Pain for he will that we | i e. know wit that all shall turn us to Worship and to profit by the vertue of his Passion And that we wit that we suffered right naught alone but with him and see him our ground And that we see his Pains and his Tribulation pass so far all that we may suffer that it may not be full thought And the well-beholding of this will save us from grudging and dispair in the feeling of our Pains And if we see verily that our sin deserveth it yet his Love excuseth us and of his great courtesse he doth away all our blame and beholdeth us with ruth and pitty as Children Innocents and * i e. unspotted unloathful The xxjx. Chapter BUt in this I stood beholding generally | ie darkly sweinly and mourningly saying thus to our Lord in my meaning with full great dreed Ah good Lord How might all be well for the great harm that is to come by sin to thy Creatures And here I desired as I durst to have some more open declaring wherewith that I might be eased in this And to this our blessed Lord answered full meekly and with full lovely cheir and shewed that Adams sin was the most harm that ever was done or ever shall be into the Worlds end And also he shewed that this is openly known in all Holy Church in Earth Furthermore he learned that I should behold the glorious * i e. satisfaction Asseethe for this Asseeth-making is more pleasing to the blessed God-head and more Worshipful for mans Salvation without Comparison than ever was the sin of Adams harmful Then meaneth our blessed Lord thus and in this Teaching that we should take heed to this For sithen that I have made well by the most harm then it is my will that thou know thereby that I shall make well all that is less The xxx Chapter HE gave understanding of two parties that one party is our Saviour and our Salvation This blessed part is open clear fair and light and plenteous for all Mankind that is of good will and that shall be is comprehended in this part Hereto we be bound of God and drawn and counselled and learned inwardly by the Holy Ghost and outward by
IN this same time that I sawe this sight of the head bleeding our good Lord shewed a Ghostlie sight of his * i. e friendly homelie loving I saw that he is to us all thing that is good and comfortable to our help He is our Clothing that for Love wrappeth us and windeth us †i. e. embraceth halseth us and all becloseth us hangeth about us for tender Love that he maie never leave us And so in this sight I saw that he is all thing that is good as to my understanding And in this he shewed a litle thing the quantitie of a Hasel-Nutt lying in the palme of my hand as me seemed and it was as round as a Ball. I looked theron with the eie of my understanding and thought What may this be and it was answered generallie thus It is all that is made I marvelled how it might last For me thought it might sodenlie have fallen to naught for litlenes And I was answered in my Understanding It lasteth and ever shall For God loveth it And so hath all thing being by the Love of God In this litle thing I sawe three Propeties The first is that God made it The second is that God loveth it The third is that God keepeth it But What beheld I therein verilie the Maker the Keeper the Lover For till I am substanciallie united to him I maie never have full rest ne verie blisse that is to saie that I be so fastned to him that there be right nought that is made betweene my God and mee This litle thing that is made me thought it might have fallen to nought for litleness Of this needeth us to have knowledge that us liketh naught all thing that is made for to love God and have God that is unmade For this is the cause which we be not all in ease of Heart and Soule For we seeke here rest in this thing that is so litle where no rest is in and we know not our God that is all Mightie all Wise and all Good for he is verie rest God will be known and him liketh that we rest us in him For all that is beneath him sufficeth not us And this is the Cause why that no Soule is in Rest till it is * i. e emptied naughted of all things that are made When she is wilfullie naughted for love to have him that is all then is she able to receave Ghostlie rest And also our good Lord shewed that it is full great pleasure to him that a seelie Soule come to him naked plainlie and homelie For this is the kind dwelling of the Soule by the touching of the Holie Ghost as by the understanding that I have in this shewing God of thy goodnes give me thy self for thou art enough to me And I may aske nothing that is lesse that may be fullie Worship to thee and if I aske any thing that is lesse ever me wanteth But onlie in thee I have all And these wordes of the Goodnes of God be full love-some to the Soule and full nere touching the Will of our Lord for his Goodnes fulfilleth all his Creatures and all his blessed Works without end For he is the endlesse head and he made us onlie to himselfe and restored us by his precious Passion and ever keepeth us in his blessed Love and all this is of his Goodnes The vj. Chapter THis shewing was given to my understanding to learne our Soule wisely to cleave to the Goodnes of God and in that same time the custome of our Praier was brought to my mind how that we use for unknowing of Love to make many meanes Then sawe I verilie that it is more worship to God and more verie delight that we faithfullie pray to himself of his Goodnes and cleave therto by his Grace with true understanding and stedfast beleif then if we made all the meanes that heart may think For if we make all these meanes it is too litle and not full Worship to God But in his Goodnes is all the whole and there faileth right nought For thus as I shall saie came to my minde in the same time We Pray to God for his Holie flesh and for his precious Blood his Holie Passion his deare worthie Death and worshipfull Wounds for all the blessed kindenes and the endles Life that we have of all this it is of the Goodnes of God and we Praie him for his sweet Mothers Love that bare him and all the helpe that we have of her it is of his Goodnes And we Praie for his Holie Crosse that he died on and all the helpe and all the vertue of that we have of that Crosse it is of his Goodnes And on the same wise all the helpe that we have to special Saints and of all the blessed Companie of Heaven the deare worthie Love and the Holy endles Friendship that we have of them it is of his Goodnes For the meanes that the Goodnes of God hath ordeined for to helpe us be full faire and many Of which the chiefe and principall meane is the blessed * i. e. humanity kind that he took of the Maiden with all the meanes that went before and come after which be longing to our Redemption and to our endless Salvation Wherefore it pleaseth him that we seeke him and Worship him by Meanes Understanding and knowing that he is the Goodnes of all For to the Goodnes of God is the highest Praier and it cometh down to us to the lowest partie of our neede it quickneth our Soule and maketh it live and makes it to waxe in Grace and Vertue it is nearest in kind and readiest in Grace For it is the same Grace that the Soule seeketh and ever shall till we know our God verilie that hath us all in himself beclosed A man goeth upright and the Soule of his body is * i. e. Enclosed sparred as a purse full faire and when it is time of his necessity it is opened and sparred againe full | i e. seemly honestlie And that it is he that doth this it is shewed there where he saith He cometh downe to us to the lowest part of our need For he hath no despite of that he made ne hath he no disdaine to serve us at the simplest office that to our bodie longeth in kind for love of the Soule that he made to his own likenes For as the Bodie is cladd in the Cloath and the Flesh in the Skinn and the Bones in the Flesh and the Heart in the bulke so are we Soule and Bodie cladd and enclosed in the Goodnes of God Yea and more * i. e. truely homelie for all they vanish and wast away the Goodnes of God is ever whole and more nere to us without any comparison For truelie our Lover desireth that the Soule cleave to him with all the mightes and that we be evermore cleaving to his Goodnes for of all thing that heart can thinke it pleaseth
Holy Church in the same Grace In this will our Lord that we be occupied and joying in him for he joyeth in us And the more plenteously that we take of this with Reverence and Meekness the more thank we deserve of him and the more * i e. profit speed to our self And thus may we see and | i e. rejoyce in that enjoy our part is our Lord That other is hid and †i e. shut up sparred from us that is to say all that is besides our Salvation for that is our Lords privy Counsel and it longeth to the Royal Lordship of God to have his privy Counsels in Peace And it longeth to his Servants for Obedience and Reverence not to will to know his Counsels Our Lord hath pity and Compassion on us for that some Creatures make them so busie therein and I am sure if we | i e. knew wist how greatly we should please him and ease our self to leave it we would The Saints in Heaven they will nothing wit but what our Lord will shew them and also their Charity and their desire is ruled after the Will of our Lord And thus ought we that our Will be like to them then shall we nothing will ne desire but the Will of our Lord like as they do for we be all one in Gods meaning And here I was learned that I should only enjoy in our blessed Saviour Jesu and trust in him for all thing The xxxij Chapter ANd thus our good Lord answered to all the Questions and Doubts that I might make saying full Comfortably I may make all thing well And I can make all thing well and I shall make all thing well and I will make all thing well and thou shalt see thy self that all manner of thing shall be well There he saith I may I understand for the Father and there he saith I can I understand for the Son and there he saith I will I understand for the Holy Ghost and there he saith I shall I understand the Unity of the blessed Trinity Three Persons and one Truth And there he saith Thou shalt see thy self I understand the Coming of all Mankind that shall be saved into the blessedful Trinity And in these five Words God will that we be enclosed in Rest and Peace And thus shall the Ghostly thirst of Christ have an end for this is the Ghostly thirst of Christ the Love-longing that lasteth and ever shall till we see that sight at Dooms-day for we that shall be safe and shall be Christs Joy and his Bliss been yet here and some be to come and so shall some be into that day Therefore this is his thirst and Love-longing of us all together here in him to our endless bliss as to my sight for we be not now fully as whole in him as we shall be then for we know in our Faith and also it was shewed in all that Christ Jesu was both God and Man And | i e. according to aneynst the Godhead he is himself highest bliss and was fro without beginning and shall be without end Which very endless bliss may never be * i e. encreased highed nor | i e diminished lowed in it self And this was plenteously seen in every shewing and namely in the xijth where he saith I it am that is highest And as aneynst Christs Manhood it is known in our Faith and also shewed that he through the Vertue of the Godhead for Love to bring us to his bliss suffered Pains and Passion and died And these be the Works of Christs Manhood wherein he enjoyeth And that shewed he in the ixth where he saith It is a joy a bliss and endless liking to me that ever I suffered Passion for thee And this is the bliss of Christs Works And thus he meaneth there he saith in the same shewing We be his bliss we be his | i e reward meed we be his Worship we be his Crown For as aneynst that Christ is our head he is glorified and unpassible And as aneynst his body in which all his Members be knit he is not yet full glorified ne all unpassible For the same thirst and longing that he had upon the | i e. cross Roode-tree which desire longing and thirst as to my fight was in him from without beginning the same hath he yet and shall into the time that the last Soul that shall be saved is come up to his bliss For as truly as there is a property in God of ruth and pity as verily there is a property in God of thirst and longing And of the vertue of this longing in Christ we have to long again to him without which no Soul cometh to Heaven And this property of longing and thirst cometh of the endless goodness of God right as the property of pity cometh of his endless goodness And though he have longing and pity they been sundry properties as to my sight And in this standeth the point of Ghostly thirst which is lasting in him as long as we be in need us drawing up to his bliss And all this was seen in shewing of Compassion for that shall cease at Dooms-day Thus he hath ruth and Compassion on us And he hath longing to have us but his Wisdom and his Love suffer not the | i e. end same to come till the best time The xxxij Chapter ONe time our good Lord said All manner of thing shall be well And another time he said Thou shalt see thy self that all manner of thing shall be well And in these two the Soul took sundry manner of understanding One was this that he will we wit that not only he taketh heed to noble things and to great but also to litle and to small to low and to simple and to one and to other And so meaneth he in that he saith All manner of thing shall be well for he will that we wit that the least thing shall not be forgotten Another understanding is this that there be many deeds evil done in our sight and so great harms take that it seemeth to us that it were impossible that ever it should come to a good end And upon this we look sorrow and mourn therefore so that we cannot rest us in the blissedful beholding of God as we should do And the cause is this that the use of our Reason is now so blind so low and so simple that we cannot know the high marvellous Wisdom the Might and the Goodness of the blissedful Trinity And this meaneth he where he saith Thou shalt see thy self that all manner of thing shall be well As if he said take now faithfully and trustfully add at the last end thou shalt be verily in | i e. fulness fulhead of Joy And thus in the same five Words beforesaid I may make all thing well I understand a mighty Comfort of all Works of our Lord God that are for to come There is a
deed the which the blissedful Trinity shall do in the last day as to my sight And what the deed shall be and how it shall be done it is unknown of all Creatures which are beneath Christ and shall be till when it shall be done The Goodness and the Love of our Lord God will that we | i e. know wit that it shall be And the Might and the Wisdom of him by the same Love will * i e. conceal hill it and hide it from us what it shall be and how it shall be done And the cause why he will we wit it thus is for he will we be the more eased in our Soul and peaceable in Love leaving the beholding of all Tempests that might | i e. hinder let us of true enjoying in him This is the great deed ordeined of our Lord God fro without beginning treasured and hid in his blessed Breast only known to himself by which deed he shall make all thing well for right as the blessed Trinity made all thing of naught right so the same blessed Trinity shall make well all that is not well And in this sight I marvelled greatly and beheld our Faith meaning thus Our Faith is grounded in Gods Word and it longeth to our Faith that we believe that Gods Word shall be saved in all thing And one point of our Faith is that many Creatures shall be damned as Angels that fell out of Heaven for Pride which be now Fiends and many in Earth that dyeth out of the Faith of Holy Church that is to say tho that be Heathen And also many that hath received Christendome and liveth unchristen Life and so dyeth out of Charity all these shall be damned to Hell without end as Holy Church teacheth me to believe And standing all this methought it was unpossible that all manner of thing should be well as our Lord shewed in this time And as to this I had no other answer in shewing of our Lord but this That that is unpossible to thee is not unpossible to mee I shall save my Word in all thing and I shall make all thing well And in this I was taught by the Grace of God that I should stedfastly hold me in the Faith as I had before understood And therewith that I should stand and | i e firmly sadly believe that all manner thing shall be well as our Lord shewed in the same time for this is the great deed that our Lord God shall do In which deed he shall save his Word in all thing and he shall make well all that is not well But what the deed shall be and how it shall be done there is no Creature beneath Christ that wot it ne shall wit it till it is done as to the understanding that I took of our Lords meaning in this time The xxxiij Chapter ANd yet in this I desired as I durst that I might have some fight of Hell and of Purgatory But it was not my meaning to take proof of any thing that longeth to our Faith for I believed | i e. assuredly sothfastlie that Hell and Purgatory is for the same end that Holy Church teacheth for but my meaning was that I might have seen for Learning in all thing that longeth to my Faith whereby I might live the more to Gods Worship and to my Profit And for ought that I could desire I ne could see of this right nought but as it is before said in the first shewing where that I saw the Devil is reproved of God and endless by damned In which sight I understand that all the Creatures that be of the Devils condition in this Life and therein ending there is no more mention made of them before God and all his Holy Ones then of the Devil notwithstanding that they be of Mankind whether they have be-Christened or not For though the Revelation was shewed of Goodness in which was made litle mention of Evil Yet I was not drawn thereby from any point of the Faith that Holy Church teacheth me to believe For I had sight of the Passion of Christ in divers shewing In the first in the second in the fourth in the eighth as it is before said wherein I had in part feeling of the sorrow of our Lady and of his true Friends that saw his Pains but I saw not so properly specified the Jews that did him to Death but notwithstanding I knew in my Faith that they were Accursed and Damned without end saving those that were Converted by Grace And I was strengthed and learned generally to keep me in the Faith in every Point and in all as I had before understood hoping that I was therein with Mercy and the Grace of God desiring and praying in my meaning that I might continue therein unto my lives end It is Gods will that we have great regard to all the deeds that he hath done for he will thereby that we know trust and believe all that he shall doe But evermore us needeth leave the beholding what the deed shall be and desire we to be like to our Brethren which be the Saints in Heaven that will right nought but Gods will Then shall we only enjoy in God and be well apaid both with hiding and shewing For I saw verily in our Lords meaning the more we busie us to know his privities in that or in any other thing the farther more shall we be from the knowing The xxxjv Chapter OUr Lord shewed two manner of | i e. secrets privities One is this great privity with all the privy Points thereto belonging And these privities he will we know thus hid into the time that he will clearly shew them to us That other are the privities which himself shewed openly in this Revelation for those are privities which he will make open and known to us for he will that we wit that it is his will that we know them They are privities to us but not only for that he will they be privities to us but they are privities to us for our blind-head and our unknowing And therefore hath he great ruth and therefore he will make them open to us himself whereby we may know him and love him and cleave to him For all that is | i e. profitable speedeful for us to wit and for to know full courteously our good Lord will shew us what it is with all the Preaching and Teaching of Holy Church God shewed full great pleasaunce that he hath in all men and women that mightily and wisely take the Preaching and Teaching of Holy Church for he it is Holy Church He is the Ground He is the Substance He is the Teaching He is the Teacher He is the End and He is the Meed Wherefore every kind Soul Traveleth And this is known and shall be known to each Soul to which the Holy Ghost declareth it And I hope truly all those that seek thus they shall speed for they
seek God All this that I have now said and more as I shall say hereafter is comforting against sin For in the third shewing when I saw that God doth all that is done I saw not sin and then I saw that all is well but when God shewed me for sin then said he All shall be well The xxxv Chapter ANd when God Almighty had shewed so plenteously and so fully of his Goodness I desired to wit of a certain Creature that I loved if it should continue in good Living which I hoped by the Grace of God was begun And in this singular desire it seemed that I letted my self for I was not taught in this time And then was I answered in my Reason as it were by a friendful mean Take it generally and behold the courtesie of thy Lord God as he shewed to thee for it is more Worship to God to behold him in all than in any special thing I assented and therewith I learned that it is more Worship to God to know all thing in general than to like in any thing in special and if I should do wisely after this Teaching I hold not be glad for any thing in special ne greatly diseased for any manner thing for All shall be well For the full-head of joy is to behold God in all for by the same blessed Might Wisdom and Love that he made all thing to the same end our good Lord leadeth it continually and there to himself shall bring it and when it is time we shall see it And the ground of this was shewed in the first and more openly in the third where it saith I saw God in a Point All that our Lord doth is rightfully and all that he suffereth is Worshipful And in these two is comprehended Good and Evil for all that is Good our Lord doth and that is Evil our Lord suffereth I say not that Evil is Worshipful but I say the sufferance of our Lord God is Worshipful whereby his Goodness shall be known without end and his marvellous Meekness and Mild-head by this working of Mercy and Grace Right | i e Plenitude full-head is that thing that is so good that it may not be better than it is For God himself is very rightful head and all his Works be done rightfully as they be ordained fro without beginning by his high Might his high Wisdom his high Goodness And right as he hath ordained it to the best right so he worketh continually and leadeth it to the same end And he is ever full pleased with himself and with all his Works And the beholding of this blessed Accord is full sweet to the Soul that seeth it by Grace All the Souls that shall be saved in Heaven without end be made rightful in the sight of God and by his own Goodness In which rightfullness we be endlesly kept and marvellously above all Creatures And Mercy is a Working that cometh of the Goodness of God And it shall last working as long as sin is suffered to pursue rightful Souls And when sin hath no longer leave to pursue then shall the Working of Mercy cease And then shall all be brought into rightfulness and therein stand without end By his sufferance we fall and in his blessed Love with his Might and his Wisdom we are kept and by Mercy and Grace we be raised to manifold more Joy And thus in Rightfulness and in Mercy he will be known and Loved now and without end And the Soul that wisely beholdeth in Grace is | i e. wel contented well paid with both and endlesly enjoyeth The xxxvj Chapter OUr Lord God shewed that a deed shall be done and himself shall do it and it shall be Worshipful and marvellous and plentuous and by him it shall be done and himself shall do it And this is the highest joy that the Soul understood that God himself shall do it And I shall do right nought but sin and my sin shall not | i e. hinder let his Goodness Working And I saw that the beholding of this is a Heavenly Joy in a * i e. fearful dreadful Soul which evermore Godly by Grace desireth Gods Will This deed shall by begun here and it shall be Worshipful to God and plentuously profitable to all his Lovers in Earth And ever as we come to Heaven we shall see it in marvellous Joy And it shall last thus in Working to the last Day and the Worship and the Bliss of that shall last in Heaven before God and all his Holy Saints without end Thus was this deed seen and understand in our Lords meaning and the cause why he shewed it is to make us to enjoy in him and in all his Works When I saw the shewing continued I understood it was shewed for a great thing that was then for to come Which thing God shewed that himself should do it Which deed hath the Properties before said And this shewed he full blessedfully meaning that I should take it wistly faithfully and trustfully but what the Deed should be it was kept privy to me And in this I saw he will not we dread to know the things that he sheweth He sheweth them for he will we know them By which knowing he will we Love him and like in him and endlesly enjoy in him And for the great Love that he hath to us he sheweth us all that is Worshipful and Profitable for the time And those things that he will now have privy yet of his great Goodness he shewed them * i e. secretly close In which shewing he will we believe and understand that we should see it verily in his endless Bliss Then ought we to enjoy in him for all that he sheweth and all that he hideth And if we | i e. willingly wilfully and meekly do this we shall find therein great ease and endless thanking we shall have of him therefore And this is the understanding of this Word That it shall be done by me that is to say the general Man that is to say all that shall be safe it shall be Worshipful Marvellous and Plentuous and By me it shall be done and God himself shall do it And this shall be highest Joy that may be beholden of the Deed that God himself shall do it and Man shall do right nought but sin Then meaneth our Lord God thus as if he said Behold and see here hast thou matter of Meekness Here hast thou matter of Love Here hast thou matter of Knowing thy self Here hast thou matter of Enjoying in me And for my Love enjoy in me for of all thing therewith might thou most please mee And as long as we be in this Life what time that we by our Folly turn us to the beholding of the reproved tenderly our Lord toucheth us and blissedfully calleth us saying in our Soul Let me alone my dear worthy Child intend to me I am enough to thee and enjoy in thy Saviour and in thy
that we desire And notwithstanding all this I beheld and marvelled greatly what is the Mercy and Forgiveness of God For by the Teaching that I had before I understood that the Mercy of God shall be Forgiveness of his Wrath after the time that we have sinned For methought that to a Soul whose meaning and desire is to Love that the Wrath of God were harder than any other Pain And therefore I took that the Forgiveness of his Wrath should be one of the principal Points of his Mercy But for ought that I might behold and desire I could not see this Point in all the shewing But how I saw and understood of the Working of Mercy I shall say some deal as God will give me Grace I understood thus Man is changeable in this Life and by simpleness and uncunning falleth into sin He is unmighty and unwise of himself and also his Will is over-laid In this time he is in Tempest and in Sorrow and in Woe And the cause is blindness for he seeth not God for if he saw God continually he should have no mischievous feeling ne no manner stirring nor sorrowing that serveth to sin Thus saw I and felt in the same time and methought that the sight and the feeling was high and plentuous and gracious in regard that our common feeling is in this Life but yet methought it was but low and small in regard of the great desire that the Soul hath to see God For I felt in me five manner of workings which be these Enjoying Mourning Desire Dreed and true Hope Enjoying for God gave me understanding and knowing that it was himself that I saw Mourning and that was for feeling desire that was that I might see him for ever more and more understanding and knowing that we shall never have full rest till we see him clearly and verily in Heaven Dreed was for it seemed to me in all that time that sight should fail and I to be left to my self True hope was in the endless Love that I saw that I should be kept by his Mercy and brought to the bliss And the joying in his sight with this true Hope of his merciful keeping made me to have Feeling and Comfort So that Mourning and dreed were not greatly painful And yet in all this I beheld in the shewing of God that this manner sight of him may not be continuant in this Life and that for his own Worship and for increase of our endless joy And therefore we fail oftentimes of the sight of him And anon we fall into our self and then find we feeling of right naught but the contrarious that is in our self And that of the old Root of our first sin with all that followeth of our own continuance And in this we be travelled and tempted with feeling of sin and of pain in many diverse manner Ghostly and Bodily as it is known to us in this Life The xlviij Chapter BUt our good Lord the Holy Ghost which is endless Life dwelling in our Soul full truly keepeth us and worketh therein a Peace and bringeth it to ease by Grace and maketh it | i e. complyant buxom and accordeth it to God And this is the Mercy and the Way that our good Lord continually leadeth us in as long as we be in this Life which is changeable For I saw no Wrath but on mans party and that forgiveth he in us For Wrath is not else but a frowardness and a contrariousness to Peace and Love And either it cometh of feeling of Might or of feeling of Wisdom or of feeling of Goodness which feeling is not of God but it is in our party for we by sin and wretchedness have in us a Wrath and a continuant contrariousness to Peace and to Love And that shewed he full oft in his lovely Chear of ruth and pity For the ground of Mercy is in Love and the working of Mercy is our keeping in Love And this was shewed in such a manner that I could not perceive of the property of Mercy otherwise but as it were all Love in Love that is to say as to my sight Mercy is a sweet gracious working in Love * ie mingled medled with plenteous pitty for Mercy worketh us keeping and Mercy worketh turning to us all thing to good Mercy for Love suffereth us to fail by measure and in as much as we fail in so much we fall and in as much as we fall in so much we die For us behooveth needs to die in as much as we fail sight and feeling of God that is our life Our failing is dreadful our falling is shameful and our dying is sorrowful But yet in all this the sweet eye of pity and love departeth never from us ne the working of Mercy ceaseth not For I beheld the property of Mercy and I beheld the property of Grace which have two manner of Working in one Love Mercy is a pitiful property which longeth to Mother-hood in tender Love And Grace is a Worshipful property which longeth to Royal Lordship in the same Love Mercy worketh keeping suffering quickening and healing and all is of tenderness of Love And Grace worketh with Mercy raising rewarding endlesly over-passing that our Loving and our Travel deserveth spreading abroad and shewing the high plenteousness largeness of Gods Royal Lordship in his marvellous courtesie And this is of the abundance of Love for Grace worketh our dreadful failing into plenteous and endless solace And Grace worketh our shameful falling into high Worshipful rising and Grace worketh our sorrowful dying into Holy blissful Life For I saw full truly that ever as our contrariousness worketh to us here in Earth pain shame and sorrow Right so on the contrariwise Grace worketh to us in Heaven Solace Worship and Bliss and over-passing so far forth that when we come up and receive that sweet Reward which Grace hath wrought to us there we shall thank and bless our Lord endlesly enjoying that ever we suffered Woe and that shall be for a property of blessed Love that we shall know in God which we might never have known without Woe going before And when I saw all this me behooved needs to grant that the Mercy of God and the Forgiveness slacketh and wasteth our Wrath. The xljx Chapter FOr it was an high marvel to the Soul which was continuantly shewed in all and with great diligence beholding that our Lord God aneynst himself may not forgive for he may not be Wrath. It were unpossible for this was shewed that our Life is all grounded and rooted in Love and without Love we may not live And therefore to the Soul that of his special Grace seeth so far forth of the high marvellous goodness of God that we be endlesly oned to him in Love It is the most unpossible that may be that God should be Wrath for Wrath and Friendship be two Contraries for he that wasteth and destroyeth our Wrath and maketh us meek and mild it
behooveth us needs to believe that he be ever in one Love meek and mild Which is contrary to Wrath for I saw full truly that where our Lord appeareth Peace is taken and Wrath hath no * i e place steede For I saw no manner of Wrath in God neither for short time nor for long for truly as so my sight if God might be Wrath a while we should neither have Life ne steede ne being for as verily as we have our being of the endless Might of God and of the endless Wisdom and of the endless Goodness Also verily we have our keeping in the endless Might of God in the endless Wisdom and in the endless Goodness For though we feel in us Wrath Debate and Strife yet we be all mercifully beclosed in the midhead of God and in his meekhead in his benignity and in his * i e. kindness buxomness For I saw full truly that all our endless Friendship our steed our life and our being is in God for that same endless Goodness that keepeth us when we sin that we perish not That same endless Goodness continually treateth in us a Peace against our Wrath and our contrarious falling and maketh us to see our need with a true dread mightily to seek unto God to have Forgiveness with a gracious desire of our Salvation for we may not be blissfully saved till we be verily in Peace and in Love for that is our Salvation And though we be Wrath and the contrariousness that is in us be now in Tribulation Disease and Woe as falling into our blindness and our pronity Yet be we sure and safe by the merciful keeping of God that we perish not but we be not blissfully safe in having of our endless joy till we be all in Peace and in Love that is to say full pleased with God and with all his Works and with all his Dooms and loving and pleasable with our selves and with our even Christen and with all that God loveth as love liketh And this doth Gods Goodness in us Thus saw I that God is our very Peace and he is our sure Keeper when we be our self at unpeace and he continually worketh to bring us into endless Peace And thus when by the working of mercy and grace we be made meek and mild than we be full safe Suddenly is the Soul oned to God when she is truly peaced in her self for in him is found no Wrath. And thus I saw when we be all in Peace and in Love we find no contrariousness in no manner of letting And that contrariousness which is now in us our Lord God of his goodness maketh it to us full profitable For contrariousness is cause of all our Tribulation and all our Woe And our Lord Jesu taketh them and sendeth them up to Heaven and then they are made more sweet and delectable than Heart may think or Tongue can tell And when we come thither we shall find them ready all turned into very fairness and endless Worship Thus is God our stedfast ground and shall be our full bliss and make us unchangeable as he is when we be there The L. Chapter ANd in this deadly Life Mercy and Forgiveness is our way that evermore leadeth us to grace And by the tempest and the sorrow that we fall in on our party we be often dead as to mans Doome in Earth but in the sight of God the Soul that shall be safe was never dead ne never shall be But yet here I wondred and marvelled with all the diligence of my Soul meaning thus Good Lord I see that thou art the very Truth and I know truly that we sin grievously all day and be much blame-worthy And I may neither leave the knowing of this | i e. truth sooth nor I see not the shewing to us no manner of blame How may this be For I know by the common teaching of Holy Church and by mine own feeling that the blame of our sins continually hangeth upon us fro the first man into the time that we come up into Heaven 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 Heaven And between these two contraries my Reason was greatly travelled by my blindness and could have no rest for dread that his blessed Presence should pass from my sight and I to be left in unknowing how he behold us in our sin for either me behooved to see in God that sin were all done away or else me behooved to see in God how he seeth it whereby I might truly know how it longeth to mee to see sin and the manner of our blame My longing endured him continually beholding and yet I could have no patience for great fear and perplexity thinking if I take it thus that we be no sinners nor no blame worthy it seemeth as I should Erre and fail of knowing of this sooth And if it be true that we be sinners and blame worthy good Lord how may it then be that I cannot see this truth in thee which art my God my Maker in whom I desire to see all truth For three Points make me hardy to ask it The first is for it is so low a thing for if it were an high I should be | i e. fear adred The second is that it is so common for if it were special and privy also I should be adred The third is that it needeth me to wit as me thinketh if I shall live here for knowing of Good and Evil whereby I may by reason and by grace the more depart them asunder and love Goodness and hate Evil as Holy Church teacheth I cried inwardly with all my Might seeking unto God for help meaning thus Ah Lord Jesu King of Bliss How shall I be eased Who shall tell me and teach me that me needeth to wit if I may not at this time see it in thee The lj Chapter ANd then our courteous Lord answered in shewing full | i e. darkly mistely by a wonderful Example of a Lord that hath a Servant and gave me sight to my understanding of both which sight was shewed double in the Lord and the sight was shewed double in the Servant That one party was shewed Ghostly in bodily likeness That other party was shewed more Ghostly without bodily likeness For the first thus I saw two Persons in bodily likeness that is to say a Lord and a Servant And therewith God gave me Ghostly understanding The Lord sitteth solemnly in rest and in peace the Servant standeth before his Lord reverently ready to do his Lords Will The Lord looketh upon his Servant full lovely and sweetly and meekly he sendeth him into a certain place to do his Will The Servant not only he goeth but suddenly he starteth and runneth in great haste for Love to do his Lords Will. And anon he falleth in a * i e. precipice
of endless cleanness wide and side fairer and richer than was the cloathing which I saw on the Father for that cloathing was blew And Christs cloathing is now of fair seemly | i e. mixture medelour which is so marvellous that I can it no descrie for it is all of very Worship Now sitteth not the Lord on Earth in Wilderness but he sitteth on his rich and noble Seat which he made in Heaven most to his liking Now standeth not the Son before the Father as a Servant before the Lord dreadfully cloathed in party naked but he standeth before the Father even right richly cloathed in blissful largeness with a Crown upon his head of precious richness For it was shewed that we be his Crown Which Crown is the Fathers joy the Sons Worship the Holy Ghosts liking And endless marvellous bliss to all that be in Heaven Now standeth not the Son before the Father on the left side as a Labourer but he sitteth on the Fathers right hand in endless rest and peace But it is not meant that the Son sitteth on the right hand beside as one man sitteth by another in this Life For there is no such sitting as to my sight in the Trinity but he sitteth on his Fathers right hand that is to say right in the highest nobility of the Fathers joy Now is the Spouse Gods Son in peace with his loved Wife Which is the fair Maiden of endless joy Now sitteth the Son very God and very Man in his City in rest and in peace which his Father hath dight to him of endless purpose And the Father in the Son And the Holy Ghost in the Father and in the Son The Lij Chapter ANd thus I saw that God | i e. rejoyce enjoyeth that he is our Father and God enjoyeth that he is our Mother And God enjoyeth that he is our very Spouse and our Soul his loved Wife And Christ enjoyeth that he is our Brother And Jesu enjoyeth that he is our Saviour These be five high joyes as I understand in which he will that we enjoy him praising him thanking him loving him endlesly blessing all that shall be saved for the time of this Life we have in us a marvellous | i e. mixture medelour both of weal and of woe We have in us our Lord Jesu Christ up-risen and we have in us the wretchedness and the mischief of Adams falling dying By Christ we be lastingly kept and by his gracious touching we be raised into very trust of Salvation And by Adams falling we be so briken in our feeling on diverse manners by sin and by sundry pains In which we be made dark and so blind that unneths we can take any Comfort But in our meaning we abide God and faithfully trust to have Mercy and Grace And this is his own working in us and of his Goodness openeth the eye of our understanding by which we have sight some time more and sometime less | i e. according as after that God giveth ability to take And now we be raised into that one and now we are suffered to fall into that other And thus is that medle so marvellous in us that unneths we know of our self or of our even Christen in what way we stand for the marvellousness of this sundry feeling But that each holy assent that we assent to God when we feel him truly willing to be with him with all our heart with all our Soul and with all our might And then we hate and despise our evil stirring and all that might be occasion of sin Ghostly and Bodily And yet nevertheless when this sweetness is hid we fall again into blindness and so into Woe and Tribulation on diverse manners But then is this our comfort that we know in our Faith that by the vertue of Christ which is our Keeper we assent never thereto But we grudge there against and endure in pain and in woe praying into that time that he shewed him again to us And thus we stand in this medelour all the dayes of our Life But he will we trust that he is lastingly with us and that in three manners He is with us Heaven very man in his own person us up-drawing And that was shewed in the Ghostly thirst And he is with us in Earth us leading and that was shewed in the third where I saw God in a point And he is with us in our Soul endlesly | ie dwelling wonning ruling and guiding us And that was shewed in the xvjth as I shall say And thus in the Servant was shewed the blindness and the mischief of Adams falling And in the Servant was shewed the Wisdom and the Goodness of Gods Son And in the Lord was shewed the rewth and the pity of Adams Woe And in the Lord was shewed the high nobility and endless Worship that mankind is come to by the vertue of the Passion and the Death of his dear worthy Son And therefore mightily he enjoyeth in his falling for the high raising and fulhead of bliss that mankind is come to over-passing that we should have had if he had not fallen And thus to see this over-passing nobility was my understanding led into God in the same time that I saw the Servant fall And thus we have matter of mourning for our sin is cause of Christs pains and we have lastingly matter of joy for endless Love made him to suffer And therefore the Creature that seeth and feeleth the working of Love by Grace hateth nought but sin for of all thing as to my sight Love and Hate be hardest and most unmeasurable contraries And notwithstanding all this I saw and understood this in our Lords meaning that we | i e. can may not in this Life keep us from sin all holy in full cleanness as we shall be in Heaven But we may well by Grace keep us fro the sins which would lead us to endless pain as Holy Church teacheth us and eschew Venial reasonably * i e. according to up our might And if we by our blindness and our wretchedness any time fall that we readily rise knowing the sweet touching of Grace and wilfully amend us upon teaching of Holy Church after that the sin is grievous and go forth with God in Love And neither on that one side fall over low enclining to despair ne on that other side be over richless as we | i e. cared not give no force But meekly know our feebleness witting that we may not stand the twinkling of an eye but with keeping of Grace and reverently cleave to God in him only trusting For otherwise is the beholding of God and otherwise is the beholding of Man For it longeth to man meekly to accuse himself and it longeth to the proper Goodness of our Lord God courteously to excuse man And these be two parties that were shewed in the double chear in which the Lord beheld the falling of his loved Servant That
in fulhead that is to say in his own Likeness For notwithstanding that our Lord God dwelleth now in us and is here with us and * i e. embraceth colleth us and becloseth us for tender Love that he may never leave us and is more near to us than Tongue may tell or Heart may think Yet may we never stint of mourning ne of weeping nor of seeking nor of Longing till when we see him clear in his blessedful chear For in that precious sight there may no Woe abide nor Weal fail And in this I saw matter of Mirth and matter of Mourning Matter of Mirth that our Lordour Maker is so near to us and in us and we in him by faithfulness of keeping of his great goodness Matter of Mourning for our Ghostly eye is so blind and we so boarn down with Weight of our deadly flesh and Darkness of sin that we may not see our Lord God clearly in his blessedful chear No and because of this Darkness scarce we can believe or * i e. think trowe his great Love and our Faithfulness of keeping And therefore it is that I say we may never leave off Mourning ne Weeping This Weeping meaneth not all in pouring out of tears by our bodily eye but also to more Ghostly understanding for the | i e. natural kindly desire of our Soul is so great and so unmeasurable that if it were given us to our joy and our comfort all the * i e. nobleness nobly that ever God made in Heaven and in Earth and we saw not the fair blessedful chear of himself yet should we never leave mourning ne of Ghostly Weeping that is to say of painful Longing till when we see verily the fair blessedful chear of our Maker And if we were in all the pain that heart may think or tongue may tell and we might in that time see his blessedful chear all this pain should us not grieve Thus is that blessedful sight end of all manner of pain to Loving Souls and fulfilling of all manner of joy and bliss And that shewed he in the high marvellous Words where he saith I it am that is highest I it am that thou lovest I it am that is all It longeth to us to have three manner of knowings The first is that we know our Lord God The second is that we know our self what we are by him in kind and in grace The third is that we know meekly that our self is against our sin and against our feebleness And for these three was all this shewing made as to my understanding The Lxxij Chapter ALL this blessed teaching of our Lord God was shewed by three parts that is to say By bodily sight and by Word formed in my understanding and by Ghostly sight For the bodily sight I have said as I saw as truly as I can And for the Words I have said them right as our Lord shewed them me And for the Ghostly sight I have said some deal but I may never full tell it And therefore of this Ghostly sight I am stirred to say more as God will give me grace God shewed two manner of sickness that we have That one is unpatience or slouth for we bear our travel and our pain heavily That other is despair or doubtful dreed as I shall say after Generally he shewed sin wherein all is comprehended but in special he shewed none but these two And these two are it that most travelleth and troubleth us as by that our Lord shewed me Of which he will we be amended I speak of such men and women that for Gods Love hate sin and dispose them to do Gods Will Then by our Ghostly blind-head and bodily heaviness we are most enclining to this And therefore it is Gods will that they be known and then should we refuse them as we do other sins And for help against this full meekly our Lord shewed the patience that he had in this hard Passion And also the joy and the liking that he hath of that Passion for Love And this he shewed in Example that we should gladly and easily bear our pains for that is great pleasing to him and endless profit to us And the cause why we are travelled with them is for unknowing of Love Though the Three Persons of the blessed Trinity be all even in the self The Soul took most understanding in Love yea and he will in all thing that we have our beholding and our enjoying in Love And of this knowing are we most blind For some of us believe that God is All mighty and may do all and that he is All wisdom and can do all But that he is All Love and will do all there we fail And this unknowing it is that most letteth Gods Lovers as to my sight For when we begin to hate sin and amend us by the ordinance of Holy Church yet there dwelleth a dread that letteth us by the beholding of our self and of our sin afore done And some of us for our every day sins for we hold not our promise nor keep our cleanness that our Lord setteth us in but fall oft-times into so much wretchedness that shame it is to say it And the beholding of this maketh us so sorry and so heavy that unneths we can see any comfort And this dread we take sometime for a meekness but it is a foul blindness and a wickedness And we cannot despise it as we do another sin that we know which cometh through lack of true Judgment and it is again truth For of all the properties of the blissedful Trinity it is Gods will that we have most Faithfulness and Liking in Love for Love maketh Might and Wisdom full meek to us For right as by the courtesie of God he forgetteth our sin after the time that we repent us So will he that we forget our sin as against our unskillful heaviness and our doubtful dreads The Lxxiij Chapter FOr I understood four manner of Dreads One is dread of a | i e. fright fray that cometh to man suddenly by frailty This dread doth good for it helpeth to purge man as doth bodily sickness or such other pain that is not sin for all such pains help man if they be patiently taken The second is dread of pain whereby man is stirred and waked fro sleep of sin For man that is hard of sleep of sin he is not able for the time to receive the soft comfort of the Holy Ghost till he hath undertaken this dread of pain of bodily death and of Ghostly Enemies And this dread stirreth us to seek Comfort and Mercy of God And thus this dread helpeth us as an entry and ableth us to have contrition by the blissedful touching of the Holy Ghost The third is doubtful dread Doubtful dread is as much as it draweth to despair God will have it turned in us into Love by true knowing of Love that is to say that the bitterness of doubts
be turned into sweetness of kind Love by grace for it may never please our Lord that his Servants doubt in his goodness The fourth is Reverent Dread for there is no dread that fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread and that is soft For the more it is had the less it is felt for sweetness of Love Love and Dread are Brethren and they are rooted in us by the goodness of our Maker and they shall never be taken from us without end We have of kind to Love and we have of grace to Love and have we of kind to dread and we have of grace to dread It longeth to the Lordship and to the Father-head to be dread as it longeth to the goodness to be Loved and it longeth to us that are his Servants and his Children to dread him for Lordship and Father-head as it longeth to us to Love him for God-head And though this reverent Dread and Love be not both in one but are two in property and in working and neither of them may be had without other And therefore I am sure he that Loveth he dreadeth though he feel it but little All dreads other than reverend dread that are proferred to us though they come under colour of Holiness they are not so true And hereby may they be known asunder That dread that maketh us hastily to flee fro all that is not good and fall into our Lords breast as the Child into the Mothers arme with all our intent and with all our mind knowing our feebleness and our great need knowing his everlasting Goodness and his blessed Love only seeking into him for Salvation cleaving to with faithful trust That dread that bringeth us into this Working it is kind and gracious and good and true And all that is contrarious to this either it is wrong or it is medled with wrong Then is this the remedy to know them both and refuse the wrong For the kind property of dread which we have in this Life by the gracious Working of the Holy Ghost the same shall be in Heaven afore God gentle courteous full sweet And thus we shall in Love be homely and near to God And we in dread be gentle and curteous to God and both in one manner like * i e. equal even Desire we then of our Lord God to dread him reverently and Love him meekly and to trust in him mightily For when we dread him reverently and love him meekly our trust is never in vain for the more that we trust and the mightilier that we trust the more we please and worship our Lord that we trust in And if us fail this reverent dread and meek Love as God forbid we should our trust shall soon be mis-ruled for that time And therefore us needeth much to pray our Lord of grace that we may have this reverent dread and make Love of his Gift in Heart and in Work for without this no man may please God The Lxxjv. Chapter I Saw that God may do all that us deedeth And these three that I shall say Need Love Longing Pitty and Love keepeth us in the time of our need And Longing in the some Love draweth us into Heaven for the thirst of God is to have the general man into him In which thirst he hath drawn his Holy Souls that be now in bliss And so * i e. taâ—â—ng getting his lively Members ever he draweth and drinketh and yet him Thirsteth and Longeth I saw three manner of Longings in God and all to one end The first is for that he Longeth to learn us to know him and to Love him ever more and more as it is convenient and speedful to us The second is that he longeth to have us up into bliss as Souls are when they be taken out of pain into Heaven The third is to fulfill us of bliss and that shall be on the last day fulfilled ever to last For I saw as it is known in our Faith that then pain and sorrow shall be ended to all that shall be saved And not only we shall receive the same bliss that Souls afore have had in Heaven but also we shall receive a new which plentuously shall flie out of God into us and fulfill us And those be the goods which he hath ordained to give us from without beginning These goods are treasured and hid in himself for into that time Creature is not mighty ne worthy to receive them In this we should see verily the cause of all the Deeds that God hath done And over-more we should see the cause of all thing that he hath suffered And the bliss and the fulfilling shall be so deep and so high that for Wonder and Marvel all Creatures should have to God so great reverent and dread over-passing that hath been seen and felt before that the Pillars of Heaven shall travel and quake But this manner of trembling and dread shall have no manner of pain but it longeth to the worthy majesty of God thus to be beholden of his Creatures dreadfully trembling and quaking For much more of joy endlesly marvelling of the greatness of God the Maker and of the least part of all that is made For the beholding of this maketh Creature marvellous meek and mild Wherefore God will and also it longeth to us both in kind and in grace to will to have knowing of this desiring the sight and the working For it leadeth us in right way and keepeth us in true Life and oneth us to God And as good as God is as great he is And as much as it longeth to his God-head to be Loved so much it longeth to his great highness to be dread For this reverent dread is the fairer courtesie that is in Heaven before Gods face And as much as he shall be known and Loved over-passing that he is now In so much he shall be dread over-passing that he is now Wherefore it behooveth needs to be that all Heaven all Earth shall tremble and quake when the Pillars shall tremble and quake The Lxxv. Chapter I Speak but little of this reverent dread For I hope it may be seen in this matter aforesaid But well I wote that our Lord shewed me no Souls but those that dread him for well I wote the Soul that truly taketh the teaching of the Holy Ghost it hateth more sin for the vileness and the horribility than it doth all the pain that is in Hell For the Soul that beholdeth the kindness of our Lord Jesu it hateth no Hell but Hell is sin as to my sight And therefore it is Gods will that we know sin and pray busily and travel wilfully and seek teaching meekly that we fall not blindly therein and if we fall that we rise readily for it is the most pain that the Soul may have to turn from God any time by sin The Soul that will be in rest when other mens sins come to mind he should flee it as the pain of Hell