Revelations of Divine Love — Julian of Norwich

his dying. And furthermore, with this was a subtile feeling and a privy inward sight of the high parts. And that was shewed in the same time; where I might not, for the mean profer, look up into heaven [cf. c. xix]: and that was for that each [the] mighty beholding of the inward life: which inward life is that high substance, that precious soul, which is endless enjoying in the God-head.

Lhe Fifty-siath Chapter

AND thus I saw full surely that it is ready to us, and more easie, to come to the knowing of God, than to know our own soul. For our soul is so deep grounded in God, and so endlesly treasured, that we may not come to the knowing thereof, till we have first knowing of God; which is the Maker to whom it is oned, But notwithstanding, I saw that we have kindly of fulhead to desire wisely and truly to know our own soul, whereby we be learned to seek it there it is, and that is into God. And thus by the gracious leading of the Holy Ghost we shall know them both in one. Whether we be stirred to know God or our soul, it is both good and true. God is more nearer to us than our own soul; for he is ground in whom our soul standeth, and he is mean that keepeth the substance and the sensuality together, so that it shall aever depart: 150 i i Í j i f i | t i f | f tinpano

THE FIFTY-SIXTH CHAPTER,

| for our soul sitteth in God in very rest, and our soul i standeth in God in sure strength: and our soul is | kindly rooted in God in endless love. And there- : fore if we will have knowing of our soul,.and com- , moning, and daliance therewith, it behooveth to seek into our Lord God, in whom it is inclosed. | And of this enclosing, I saw and understood more in the xvith shewing, as I shall say. And as aneinst our substance, it may rightly be called our soul: and | aneinst our sensuality, it may rightly be called our | soul; and that is by the oning that it hath in God. .| That worshipful city that our Lord Jesu sitteth in .] it is our sensuality in which he is enclosed. And j | our kindly substance is beclosed in Jesu, with the .| blessed soul of Christ sitting in rest in the God- ] head. And I saw full surely that it behooveth . | needs to be, that we should be in longing, and in penance, into the time that we be led so deep into

| | God that we verily and truly know our own soul, | And surely 1 saw, that into this high deepness our i | good Lord himself leadeth us in the same love that ; | he made us, and in the same love he bought us by mercy and grace, through vertue of his blessed passion; and notwithstanding all this, we may never come to the full knowing of God, til we know first clearly our own soul; for into the time that it is in the full mights, we may not be all holy ; and that is, that our sensuality by the vertue of 151

THE FOURTEENTH REVELATION.

Christs passion, be brought up into the substance, with all the profits of our tribulation that our Lord shall make us to get by mercy and grace. I had in party touching [teaching], and it is grounded in kind ; that is to say, our reason is grounded in God, which is substancially kindness. Of this substancial kindness, mercy and grace springeth, and spreadeth into us, working all things in fulfilling of our joy. These be our grounds in which we have our being, our encrease, and our fulfilling; for in kind, we have our life and our being; and in mercy and grace, we have our encrease and our fulfilling. It be three properties in one goodness: and where that one worketh, all worken in the thing that belongen to us. God willeth we understand, desiring with all our heart, and with all our strength, to have knowing of them ever more and more, into the time that we be fulfilled. For fully to know them, and clearly to see them is not else but endless joy and bliss that we shall have in heaven, which God will we begin here in knowing of his love; for only by our reason we may not profit but if [unless] we have evenly therewith mind and love: ne only in our kindly ground that we have in God, we may not be saved, but if [unless] we have, coming of the same ground, mercy and grace. For of these three workings, altogether we receive all our goods; of which, the first be goods of kind. For in our first making, 102

THE FIFTY-SEVENTH CHAPTER,

God gave us as much good, and as great good, as we | might receive only in our spirit: but his fore-seeing " purpose in his endless wisdom, would that we were | | double. i The Fifty-seventh Chapter

Anp against our substance, he made us so noble,

>| and so rich, that evermore we work his will and