Chapter 74
"There is no dread that fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread"
"The only fear in us that fully pleases God is reverent fear."
For I understand [that there be] four manner of dreads. One is the dread of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty. This dread doeth good, for it helpeth to purge man, as doeth bodily sickness or such other pain as is not sin. For all such pains help man if they be patiently taken. The second is dread of pain, whereby man is stirred and wakened from sleep of sin. He is not able for the time to perceive the soft comfort of the Holy Ghost, till he have understanding of this dread of pain, of bodily death, of spiritual enemies; and this dread stirreth us to seek comfort and mercy of God, and thus this dread helpeth us, and enableth us to have contrition by the blissful touching of the Holy Ghost. The third is doubtful dread. Doubtful dread in as much as it draweth to despair, God will have it turned in us into love by the knowing of love: that is to say, that the bitterness of doubt be turned into the sweetness of natural love by grace. For it may never please our Lord that His servants doubt in His Goodness. The fourth is reverent dread: for there is no dread that fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread. And that is full soft, for the more it is had, the less it is felt for sweetness of love.
I understand that there are four kinds of fear. One is the fear of a fright that comes suddenly to a person through human weakness. This fear does good, because it helps purify a person, as bodily sickness does, or any other pain that is not sin. For all such pains help a person if they are patiently endured. The second is fear of pain, which stirs and awakens a person from the sleep of sin. For a time, a person cannot feel the gentle comfort of the Holy Ghost. First, they must understand this fear of pain, bodily death, and spiritual enemies. This fear stirs us to seek comfort and mercy from God. In this way, fear helps us and enables us to feel contrition through the blessed touch of the Holy Ghost. The third is the fear that comes from doubt. When this fear leads toward despair, God wants it turned into love through knowing love. By grace, the bitterness of doubt is turned into the sweetness of natural love. For it can never please our Lord for his servants to doubt his goodness. The fourth is reverent fear. For no fear in us fully pleases God except reverent fear. It is very gentle, because the more we have it, the less we feel it, through the sweetness of love.
Here the transcriber of the B. Mus. MS. repeats "to seek," etc., no doubt by mistake. S. de Cressy: "helpeth us as an entry."
Love and Dread are brethren, and they are rooted in us by the Goodness of our Maker, and they shall never be taken from us without end. We have of nature to love and we have of grace to love: and we have of nature to dread and we have of grace to dread. It belongeth to the Lordship and to the Fatherhood to be dreaded, as it belongeth to the Goodness to be loved: and it belongeth to us that are His servants and His children to dread Him for Lordship and Fatherhood, as it belongeth to us to love Him for Goodness.
Love and reverence are like brothers. Our Maker’s goodness has rooted them in us, and they will never be taken from us. We love both by nature and by grace, and we feel reverence both by nature and by grace. God deserves reverence as our Lord and Father, just as he deserves love for his goodness. As his servants and children, we should revere him as our Lord and Father, just as we should love him for his goodness.
And though this reverent-dread and love be not parted asunder, yet they are not both one, but they are two in property and in working, and neither of them may be had without other. Therefore I am sure, he that loveth, he dreadeth, though that he feel it but a little.
Although reverent fear and love cannot be separated, they are not the same. They differ in nature and in how they work, and neither can exist without the other. Therefore, I am sure that whoever loves also feels reverent fear, though they may feel it only a little.
All dreads other than reverent dread that are proffered to us, though they come under the colour of holiness yet are not so true, and hereby may they be known asunder.—That dread that maketh us hastily to flee from all that is not good and fall into our Lord's breast, as the Child into the Mother's bosom, with all our intent and with all our mind, knowing our feebleness and our great need, knowing His everlasting goodness and His blissful love, only seeking to Him for salvation, cleaving to [Him] with sure trust: that dread that bringeth us into this working, it is natural, gracious, good and true. And all that is contrary to this, either it is wrong, or it is mingled with wrong. Then is this the remedy, to know them both and refuse the wrong.
All fears offered to us, other than reverent fear, are less true, even though they appear holy. We can tell them apart in this way. Reverent fear makes us quickly flee from all that is not good. It makes us fall into our Lord’s embrace, as a child into its mother’s arms, with all our intention and all our mind. We know our weakness and our great need. We know his everlasting goodness and his blissful love. We look only to him for salvation and cling to him with sure trust. The fear that brings us to do all this is natural, gracious, good, and true. And all fear contrary to this is either wrong or mixed with wrong. The remedy, then, is to recognize both kinds of fear and refuse the wrong.
S. de Cressy: "Mothers Arme," but the British Museum manuscript reads "Moder barme."
"kinde."
For the natural property of dread which we have in this life by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost, the same shall be in heaven afore God, gentle, courteous, and full delectable. And thus we shall in love be homely and near to God, and we shall in dread be gentle and courteous to God: and both alike equal.
For the reverence we feel in this life through the gracious work of the Holy Ghost will remain with us in heaven before God. It will be gentle, courteous, and full of delight. So, in love, we will be at home and close to God. In reverence, we will be gentle and courteous toward God. Both will be equally present.
Desire we of our Lord God to dread Him reverently, to love Him meekly, to trust in Him mightily; for when we dread Him reverently and love Him meekly our trust is never in vain. For the more that we trust, and the more mightily, the more we please and worship our Lord that we trust in. And if we fail in this reverent dread and meek love (as God forbid we should!), our trust shall soon be misruled for the time. And therefore it needeth us much to pray our Lord of grace that we may have this reverent dread and meek love, of His gift, in heart and in work. For without this, no man may please God.
Let us ask our Lord God to fear him with reverence, to love him humbly, and to trust him deeply. For when we fear him with reverence and love him humbly, our trust is never in vain. The more deeply we trust our Lord, the more we please and worship him. And if we fail in this reverent fear and humble love, our trust will soon go astray. God forbid that we should fail! So we need to pray earnestly to our Lord for grace. We need to ask him to give us this reverent fear and humble love, both in our hearts and in our actions. For without them, no one can please God.