Revelations of Divine Love — Julian of Norwich

stood therein sithens. The third is, all the holy revelation from the beginning to the end, which our Lord God of his goodness bringeth ofttimes freely to the sight of my understanding. And these three be so oned as to my understanding, that I cannot, nor may depart them. And by these three as one, I have teaching whereby I owe to believe and trust in our Lord God, that of the same goodness that he shewed it, and for the same end, right so of the same goodness and of the same end he shall declare it to us when it is his will; for twenty years after the time of the shewing, save three months, I had teaching inwardly, as I shall say. It longeth to thee to take heed to all the properties and the conditions that were shewed in the example, though thee think that it be misty and indifferent to thy sight. I assented wilfully with great desire, seeing inwardly with avisement all the points and the properties that were shewed in the same time, as far forth as my wit and my understanding will serve ; beginning at my beholding at the lord and at the servant: at the manner of sitting of the lord, and the place he sat on; and the colour of his cloathing ; and the manner of shape; and his chear without, and his nobley, and his goodness within: and the manner of standing of the servant; and the place where, and how: and his manner of cloathing, the colour, and the shape; at hi" outward behaviour ;

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THE FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER,

and at his inward goodness, and his unlothfulness. The lord, that sat solemnly in rest and in peace, I understand that he is God. The servant that stood before him, I understood that he was shewed for Adam; that is to say, one man was shewed that time, and his falling, to make thereby to be understood how God beholdeth all man and his falling: for in the sight of God, all man is one man, and one man is all man. This man was hurt in his might, and made full feeble: and he was stonnyed in his understanding ; for he was turned from the beholding of his lord, but his will was kept in Gods sight: for his will [ saw our Lord commend and approve, but himself was letted and blinded of the knowing of this will: and this is to him great sorrow, and grievous disease; for neither he seeth clearly his loving lord, which is to him full meek and mild; nor he seeth truly what himself is in the sight of his loving lord. And well I wot, that when these two be wisely and truly seen, we shall get rest and peace here in party: and the fulsomness in the bliss in heaven by his plentuous grace: and this was a beginning of teaching which I saw in the same time, whereby I might come to knowing, in what manner he beholdeth us in our sin. And then I saw that only pain blameth and punisheth. And our courteous Lord comforteth and succoureth. And ever he is to the soul in glad chear. longing and

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THE FOURTEENTH REVELATION.

loving to bring us to his bliss. The place that the Lord sat on was simple, on the earth barren and desert, alone in wilderness; his cloathing was wide and side, and full seemly, as falleth to a lord: the colour of the cloathing was blew as azure, most sad and fair; his chear was merciful: the colour of his face was fair, brown, white, with full seemly countenance; his eyen were black, most fair and seemly, shewing full of lovely pity. And within him an heyward long and bread, all full of endless heavenliness: and the lovely looking that he looked on his servant continually, and namely, in his falling; methought it might melt our hearts for love, and burst them in two for joy. This fair looking shewed of a seemly medelur, which was marvellous to behold. That oxe was rewth and pity: that other Joy and bliss: The joy and bliss passeth as far the ruth and the pity, as heaven is above earth: the pity was earthly, and the bliss heavenly. The rewth and the pity of the Father was of the falling of Adam, which is his most loved creature: the joy and the bliss was of the falling of his dear worthy Son, which is even with the Father. The merciful beholding of his lovely chear, fulfilled all earth, and descended down with Adam into hell; with which continuant pity, Adam was kept fro endless death. And this mercy and pity dwelleth with mankind, into the time that we come up into heaven, But 128 imet Mh St ttt in

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THE FIFTY-FIRST CHAPTER.