Revelations of Divine Love — Julian of Norwich

Axp thus Christ is our way, us surely leading in his laws. And Christ in his body mightily beareth us up into heaven. For I saw that Christ, us all having in hin that shall be saved by him, worshipfully presenteth his Father in heaven with us; which present full thankfully his Father receiveth, and courteously giveth it unto his Son Jesu Christ. Which gift and working is joy to the Father, and bliss to the Son, and liking to the Holy Ghost. And of all thing that to us longeth, it is most liking to our Lord that we enjoy in this joy, which is in the blessed Trinity, of our salvation, And this was seen in the ninth shew... where it speaketh more of this matter. 147 |

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THE FOURTEENTH REVELATION.

And notwithstanding all our feeling, woe or weal, God will we understand and believe, that we be more verily m heaven, than in earth. Our faith cometh of the kind love of our soul, and of the clear light of our reason, and of the stedfast mind which we have of God in our first making. And what time our soul is inspired in our body, in which we be made sensual, as soon mercy and grace begin to work ; having of us cure and keeping with pity and love. In which working the Holy Ghost formeth in our faith hope, that we shall come again up above to our substance into the vertue of Christ, encreased and fulfilled through the Holy Ghost. Thus I understood that the sensuality is grounded in kind, in mercy and in grace: which ground ableth us to receive gifts that lead us to endless life; for I saw full surely that our substance is in God. And also I saw that in our sensuality God is; for in the same point that our soul is made sensual, in the same point is the city of God ordained to him from without beginning. In which city he cometh, and never shall remove it; for God is never out of the soul, in which he shall dwell blessedly without end. And this was said in the xvith. shewing, where it saith, * The place that Jesu taketh in our soul, he shall never remove it." And all the gifts that God may give to the creature, he hath given to his Son Jesu for us. Which gifts he onning in us hath 148

THE FIFTY-FIFTH CHAPTER,

beclosed in him, into the time that we be waxen and grown, our soul with our body, and our body with our soul, Hither of them take help of other till we be brought up into stature, as kind worketh, And then in the ground of kind, with working of mercy, the Holy Ghost graciously enspireth into us gifts leading to endless life. And thus was my understanding led of God to see in him, and to wit, to understand, and to know, that our soul is a made Trinity, like to the unmade blessed Trinity, known and loved from without beginning; and in the making oned to the Maker, as it is before said. This sight was full sweet and marvellous to behold, peaceable and restful, sure and delectable. And for the worshipful oning that was thus made of God, between the soul and the body, it behooved needs to be, that mankind should be restored fro double death: which restoring might never be into the time that the second Person in the Trinity had taken the lower party of mankind; to whom that highest was oned in the first making, And these two parties were in Christ, the higher and the lower, which is but one soul: the higher party was ever in peace with God in full joy and bliss: the lower party, which is sensuality, suffered for the salvation of mankind. And these two parties were seen and felt in the viiith, shewing; in which my body was fulfilled of weling and mind of Christs passion, and 113

THE FOURTEENTH REVELATION,