Chapter 40

This is a sovereign friendship of our courteous Lord that He keepeth us so tenderly while we be in sin; and furthermore He toucheth us full privily and sheweth us our sin by the sweet light of mercy and grace. But when we see our self so foul, then ween we that God were wroth with us for our sin, and then are we stirred of the Holy Ghost by contrition unto prayer and desire for the amending of our life with all our mights, to slacken the wrath of God, unto the time we find a rest in soul and a softness in conscience. Then hope we that God hath forgiven us our sins: and it is truth. And then sheweth our courteous Lord Himself to the soul—well-merrily and with glad cheer—with friendly welcoming as if it¹ had been in pain and in prison, saying sweetly thus: My darling I am glad thou art come to me: in all thy wo I have ever been with thee; and now seest thou my loving and we be oned in bliss. Thus are sins forgiven by mercy and grace, and our soul is worshipfully received in joy like as it shall be when it cometh to Heaven, as oftentimes as it cometh by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost and the virtue of Christ's Passion.

It is a great sign of our gracious Lord’s friendship that he cares for us so tenderly while we are in sin. He also touches us very quietly and shows us our sin by the sweet light of mercy and grace. But when we see how sinful we are, we think that God is angry with us because of our sin. Then the Holy Ghost moves us through sorrow for our sins to pray and desire to amend our lives. We seek with all our strength to ease God’s anger, until our souls find rest and our consciences are at peace. Then we hope that God has forgiven our sins, and he truly has. Then our gracious Lord shows himself to the soul, joyfully and with a glad face. He welcomes the soul as a friend, as if it¹ had been in pain and in prison. He says sweetly: My darling, I am glad you have come to me. In all your suffering I have always been with you. Now you see my love, and we are united in bliss. In this way, sins are forgiven through mercy and grace. And the soul is received with honor and joy, just as it will be when it comes to Heaven. This happens whenever the soul comes to God through the gracious work of the Holy Ghost and the power of Christ’s Passion.

Here understand I in truth that all manner of things are made ready for us by the great goodness of God, so far forth that what time we be ourselves in peace and charity, we be verily saved. But because we may not have this in fulness while we are here, therefore it falleth to us evermore to live in sweet prayer and lovely longing with our Lord Jesus. For He longeth ever to bring us to the fulness of joy; as it is aforesaid, where He sheweth the Spiritual Thirst.

Here I truly understand that God, in his great goodness, has made all things ready for us. Whenever we are at peace and live in love, we are truly saved. But we cannot have peace and love fully while we are here. So we must always live in sweet prayer and loving longing with our Lord Jesus. For he always longs to bring us to the fullness of joy, as I said earlier, where he shows the Spiritual Thirst.

But now if any man or woman because of all this spiritual comfort that is aforesaid, be stirred by folly to say or to think: If this be true, then were it good to sin [so as] to have the more meed,—or else to charge the less [guilt] to sin,—beware of this stirring: for verily if it come it is untrue, and of the enemy of the same true love that teacheth us that we should hate sin only for love. I am sure by mine own feeling, the more that any kind² soul seeth this in the courteous love of our Lord God, the lother he is to sin and the more he is ashamed. For if afore us were laid [together] all the pains in Hell and in Purgatory and in Earth—death and other—, and [by itself] sin, we should rather choose all that pain than sin. For sin is so vile and so greatly to be hated that it may be likened to no pain which is not sin. And to me was shewed no harder hell than sin. For a kind³ soul hath no hell but sin.

But now, suppose any man or woman is foolishly led by all the spiritual comfort described above to say or think: If this is true, then it would be good to sin in order to receive a greater reward. Or suppose they are led to think that sin is less blameworthy. Beware of this impulse. For if it comes, it is false. It comes from the enemy of that same true love which teaches us to hate sin for love alone. I know from my own experience that the more any loving² soul sees this in the gracious love of our Lord God, the more reluctant that soul is to sin and the more ashamed it is. For suppose all the pains of Hell, Purgatory, and Earth, including death and other pains, were laid before us together, and sin were laid separately before us. We should choose all those pains rather than sin. For sin is so vile and so greatly to be hated that no pain that is not sin can be compared with it. And I was shown no hell worse than sin. For a loving³ soul has no hell but sin.

And [when] we give our intent to love and meekness, by the working of mercy and grace we are made all fair and clean. As mighty and as wise as God is to save men, so willing He is. For Christ Himself is [the] ground of all the laws of Christian men, and He taught us to do good against ill: here may we see that He is Himself this charity, and doeth to us as He teacheth us to do. For He willeth that we be like Him in wholeness of endless love to ourself and to our even-Christians: no more than His love is broken to us for our sin, no more willeth He that our love be broken to ourself and to our even-Christians: but [that we] endlessly hate the sin and endlessly love the soul, as God loveth it. Then shall we hate sin like as God hateth it, and love the soul as God loveth it. And this word that He said is an endless comfort: I keep thee securely.

When we set our minds on love and humility, mercy and grace make us wholly beautiful and clean. God is as willing to save people as he is powerful and wise enough to do so. Christ himself is the foundation of all Christian laws, and he taught us to respond to evil with good. Here we can see that he is himself this love, and that he treats us as he teaches us to treat others. He wants us to be like him in the fullness of our endless love for ourselves and our fellow Christians. His love for us is not broken by our sin. Likewise, he does not want our love for ourselves and our fellow Christians to be broken. Instead, he wants us to hate sin endlessly and love the soul endlessly, as God loves it. Then we will hate sin as God hates it and love the soul as God loves it. And these words he spoke are an endless comfort: I keep you safe.