Part 2 (2/2)

And these words she expoundeth more expressly, and saith thus:

”Such a soul seeth herself, that she is very nought of herself, and knoweth perfectly that all the goodness, with all the mights of the soul, is her Maker's. She forsaketh utterly herself and all creatures, and hideth herself fully in her Maker, our Lord Jesu; in so much that she sendeth fully and princ.i.p.ally all her ghostly and bodily workings in to Him; in whom she perceiveth that she may find all goodness, and all perfection of blessedness. And, therefore, she shall have no will to go out from such inward knowledge of Him for nothing.[120] And of this unity of love, that is increased every day in such a soul, she is transformed in a manner in to our Lord, that she may neither think, nor understand, nor love, nor have no mind but G.o.d, or else in G.o.d. For she may not see herself, nor none other creature, but only in G.o.d; nor she may not love herself, nor none other, but only in G.o.d; nor she may have no mind of herself nor of none other, but only in G.o.d, nor she may have no mind but only of her Maker. And therefore,” she said, ”we shall have none other business but only to think how we may please Him, unto whom we have committed all our governance both in body and soul.”

The third doctrine of our Lord is this; in obtaining of virtue and ghostly strength:

”Daughter, if thou wilt get unto thee virtue and also ghostly strength,[121] thou must follow Me. Albeit that I might by My G.o.dly virtue have overcome all the power of the fiends by many manner ways of overcoming, yet, for to give you ensample by My manhood, I would not overcome him but only by taking of death upon the Cross, that ye might be taught thereby, if ye will overcome your ghostly enemies, for to take the Cross as I did; the which Cross shall be to you a great refres.h.i.+ng in all your temptations, if ye have mind of the pains that I suffered thereon.[122] And certainly the pains of the Cross may well be called refres.h.i.+ng of temptations, for the more pain ye suffer for My love, the more like ye be to Me. And if ye be so like to Me in pa.s.sion, needs ye must be like to Me in joy.[123]

Therefore for My love, daughter, suffer patiently bitter things, and not sweet things; and doubt in no wise, for thou shalt be strong enough for to suffer all things patiently.”

The first doctrine of this glorious virgin is this:

”A soul which is verily mete[124] to G.o.d, as much as it hath of the love of G.o.d, so much it hath of the hate of her own sensuality. For of the love of G.o.d naturally cometh hate of sin, the which is done against G.o.d. The soul, therefore, considering that the root and beginning of sin reigneth in the sensuality, and there princ.i.p.ally is rooted, she is moved and stirred highly and holily with all her mights against her own sensuality; not utterly to destroy the root, for that may not be, as long as the soul dwelleth in the body living in this life, but ever there shall be left a root, namely of small venial sins. And because she may not utterly destroy the root of sin thus in her sensuality, she conceiveth a great displeasaunce against her sensuality, of the which displeasaunce springeth an holy hate and a despising of the sensuality, by the which the soul is ever well kept from her ghostly enemies. There is nothing that keepeth the soul so strong and so sure as doth such an holy hate. And that felt well the Apostle, when he said: c.u.m infirmor, tonc fortior sum et potens;[125] that is: When I am sick and feeble in my sensuality by hate of sin, then am I stronger and mightier in my soul. Lo, of such hate cometh virtue, of such feebleness cometh strength, and of such displeasaunce cometh pleasaunce. This holy hate maketh a man meek, and to feel meek things of himself. It maketh him patient in adversity, temperate in prosperity, and setteth him in all honesty of virtue, and maketh him to be loved both of G.o.d and man. And where this holy hate is not, there is inordinate love, which is the stinking ca.n.a.l of all sin, and root[126] of all evil concupiscence.

Do therefore,” she saith, ”your business to put away such inordinate love of your own self, out of your hearts, and plant therein holy hate of sin. For certain that is the right way to perfection, and amendment of all sin.”

Here is a common answer which she used to say to the fiends:

”I trust in my Lord Jesu Christ, and not in myself.”

Here is a rule how we shall behave us in time of temptation:

”When temptation,” she saith, ”ariseth in us, we should never dispute nor make questions; for that is,” she saith, ”that the fiend most seeketh of us for to fall in questions with him. He trusteth so highly in the great subtlety of his malice, that he should overcome us with his sophistical reasons. Therefore a soul should never make questions, nor answer to the questions of the fiend, but rather turn her to devout prayer, and commend her to our Lord that she consent not to his subtle demands; for by virtue of devout prayer, and steadfast faith, we may overcome all the subtle temptations of the fiend.”

Here is a good conceit of this holy maid to eschew the temptations of the fiend:

”It happeneth,” she said, ”that otherwhile[127] the devout fervour of a soul loving our Lord Jesu, either by some certain sin, or else by some new subtle temptations of the fiend, waxeth dull and slow, and otherwhile it is brought to very coldness;[128] in so much that some unwitty folks, considering that they be dest.i.tute from the ghostly comfort the which they were wont to have, leave[129]

therefore the ghostly exercise that they were wont to use of prayer, of meditations, of reading, of holy communications, and of penance doing; whereby they be made more ready to be overcome of the fiend.

For he desireth nothing else of Christ's knights, but that they should put away their armour by the which they were wont to overcome their enemies. A wise knight of our Lord Jesu should not do so. But thus, the more he feeleth[130] himself dull and slow, or cold in devotion, the rather he should continue in his ghostly exercise, and not for to make them less, but rather increase them.”

Here is another doctrine of this holy maid, the which she used to say to herself in edifying of others:

”Thou vile and wretched creature, art thou worthy any manner of comfort in this life? Why hast thou not mind of thy sins? What supposest thou of thyself, wretched sinner? Is it not enough to thee, trowest thou not, that thou art escaped by the mercy of our Lord from everlasting d.a.m.nation? Therefore thou shouldest be well apaid,[131] wretch, though thou suffer all the pains and darkness of thy soul all the days of thy life. Why art thou, then, heavy and sorrowful to suffer such pains, sith by G.o.d's grace thou shalt escape endless pains with Christ Jesu without any doubt, and be comforted endlessly, if thou bear these pains patiently. Whether hast thou chosen to serve our Lord only for the comfort that thou mayst have of Him in this life? Nay, but for the comfort that thou shalt have of Him in the bliss of heaven. Therefore arise up now, and cease never of thy ghostly exercise that thou hast used, but rather increase to them more.”

Here is an answer by the which she had a final victory of the fiend, after long threats of intolerable pains:

”I have chosen pain for my refres.h.i.+ng, and therefore it is not hard to me to suffer them, but rather delectable for the love of my Saviour, as long as it pleaseth His Majesty that I shall suffer them.”

Here is a doctrine of the said virgin, how we should use the grace of our Lord:

”Who so could use the grace of our Lord, he should ever have the victory of all things that falleth to him. For as often,” she said, ”as any new thing falleth to a man, be it of prosperity or adversity, he should think in himself thus: Of this will I win somewhat. For he that can do so, shall soon be rich in virtue.”

<script>