Revelations of Divine Love by of Norwich Julian
CHAPTER I
628 words | Chapter 8
"A Revelation of Love--in Sixteen Shewings"
This is a Revelation of Love that Jesus Christ, our endless bliss, made
in Sixteen Shewings, or Revelations particular.
Of the which the First is of His precious crowning with thorns;
and therewith was comprehended and specified the Trinity, with the
Incarnation, and unity betwixt God and man's soul; with many fair
shewings of endless wisdom and teachings of love: in which all the
Shewings that follow be grounded and oned.[1]
The Second is the changing of colour of His fair face in token of His
dearworthy[2] Passion.
The Third is that our Lord God, Allmighty Wisdom, All-Love, right as
verily as He hath made everything that is, all-so verily He doeth and
worketh all-thing that is done.
The Fourth is the scourging of His tender body, with plenteous shedding
of His blood.
The Fifth is that the Fiend is overcome by the precious Passion of
Christ.
The Sixth is the worshipful[3] thanking by our Lord God in which He
rewardeth His blessed servants in Heaven.
The Seventh is [our] often feeling of weal and woe; (the feeling
of weal is gracious touching and lightening, with true assuredness
of endless joy; the feeling of woe is temptation by heaviness and
irksomeness of our fleshly living;) with ghostly understanding that we
are kept all as securely in Love in woe as in weal, by the Goodness of
God.
The Eighth is of the last pains of Christ, and His cruel dying.
The Ninth is of the pleasing which is in the Blissful Trinity by the
hard Passion of Christ and His rueful dying: in which joy and pleasing
He willeth that we be solaced and mirthed[4] with Him, till when we
come to the fulness in Heaven.
The Tenth is, our Lord Jesus sheweth in love His blissful heart even
cloven in two, rejoicing.
The Eleventh is an high ghostly Shewing of His dearworthy Mother.
The Twelfth is that our Lord is most worthy Being.
The Thirteenth is that our Lord God willeth we have great regard to
all the deeds that He hath done: in the great nobleness of the making
of all things; and the excellency of man's making, which is above all
his works; and the precious Amends[5] that He hath made for man's sin,
turning all our blame into endless worship.[6] In which Shewing also
our Lord saith: _Behold and see! For by the same Might, Wisdom, and
Goodness that I have done all this, by the same Might, Wisdom, and
Goodness I shall make well all that is not well; and thou shalt see
it._ And in this He willeth that we keep us in the Faith and truth of
Holy Church, not desiring to see into His secret things now, save as it
belongeth to us in this life.
The Fourteenth is that our Lord is the Ground of our Prayer. Herein
were seen two properties: the one is rightful prayer, the other is
steadfast trust; which He willeth should both be alike large; and thus
our prayer pleaseth Him and He of His Goodness fulfilleth it.
The Fifteenth is that we shall suddenly be taken from all our pain and
from all our woe, and of His Goodness we shall come up above, where we
shall have our Lord Jesus for our meed and be fulfilled with joy and
bliss in Heaven.
The Sixteenth is that the Blissful Trinity, our Maker, in Christ Jesus
our Saviour endlessly dwelleth in our soul, worshipfully ruling and
protecting all things, us mightily and wisely saving and keeping, for
love; and we shall not be overcome of our Enemy.
[1] made one, united.
[2] precious, honoured.
[3] honour-bestowing.
[4] made glad.
[5] MS. "Asseth" = Satisfaction, making-enough.
[6] honour, glory.
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