Revelations of Divine Love — Julian of Norwich

prayer and good will that we have of his gift, he will reward us, and give us endless meed. And this was shewed in this word, ‘ And thou beseekest it? In this word God shewed so great pleasance, and so great liking, as he were much beholding to us for each good deed that we do; and yet it is he that doth it: and for that we beseech him mightily, to do that thing that him liketh; as if he said, * Whai might thou please mee more than to beseech mightily, wisely, and wilfully, to do that thing that I null have done. And thus the soul by prayer is accorded with God. But when our courteous Lord of his special grace sheweth himself to our soul, we have that we desire: and then we see not for the time what we should more pray; but all our intent, with all our mights, is set whole into the beholding of him. And this is an high unperceiveable prayer, as to my sight; for all the cause wherefore we prayer [pray |, is to be oned in to the sight and beholding of him, to whom we pray marvellously, enjoying with reverent dreed, and so great sweetness, and delight in him, that we can pray right naught, but as he stirreth us for the time. And well I wot, the more the soul seeth of God, the more she desireth him by grace; but when we see him not so, then feel we need and cause to pray, for failing, and for unableness of our self, to Jesu. For when a soul is tempted, troubled, and left to herself by her unrest, then it is time to 105

TB CROONER EGRE ATTI REVELATION.

pray, to make her self supple and buxom to God ; but she by no manner of prayer maketh God supple to her, for he is ever one like in love. And thus I saw, that what time we see need wherefore we pray; then our Lord God followeth us, helping our desire: and when we of his special grace plainly behold him, seeing none of other needs, then we follow him. And he draweth us to him by love; for I saw, and felt that his marvellous, and his fulsome goodness fulfilleth all our mights. And therewith I saw that his continual working in all manner of things, is done so godly, so wisely, and so mightily, that it over-passeth all our imagining, and all that we can mean or think. And then we can do no more but behold him, and enjoy with a high mighty desire to be all oned into him, and entend to his motion, and enjoy in his loving, and delight in his goodness. And thus shall we, with his sweet grace, in our own meek continual prayer, come into him; now in this life, by many privy touchings of sweet ghostly sights and feelings, measured to us as our simplehead may bare it—and this is wrought, and shall be by the grace of the Holy Ghost, so long till we shall die in longing for love—and then, shall we all come into our Lord, our self clearly knowing, and God fulsomely having : and we endlesly be all hid in God, verily seeing, and fulsomely feeling; him ghostly 100 s

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THE FORTY-FOURTH CHAPTER,

hearing; and him delectably smelling ; (tasting, ze.

1, seeing ; 2, feeling ; 3, hearing ; 4, tasting ; 5, smell-

| | ing] and him sweetly smelling: and there shall we "| see God face to face homely, and fulsomely. The creature which is made, shall see, and endlesly behold God which is the Maker; for thus may no man see God and live after; that is to say, in this deadly life: but when he of his special grace will shew him here, he strengtheneth the creature above himself, and he measureth the shewing after his own will, and it is profitable for the time.

The Forty-fourth Chapter

Gop shewed in all the Revelations ofttimes that man worketh evermore his will and his worship, duringly, without stinting: and what this working is, was shewed in the frst, and that in a marvellous ground: for it was shewed in the working of the blissedful soul of our Lady Saint Mary by truth and wisdom. And how, I hope by the grace of the Holy Ghost, I shall say as I saw. Truth seeth God, and wisdom beholdeth God; and of these two, cometh the third; and that is, a marvellous delight in God which is love: where truth and wisdom is verily, there is love verily coming of them both, and all of Gods making: for God is endless sovereign truth, endless sovereign wisdom, Lino

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