Chapter 48

But our good Lord the Holy Ghost, which is endless life dwelling in our soul, full securely keepeth us; and worketh therein a peace and bringeth it to ease by grace, and accordeth it to God and maketh it pliant.¹ And this is the mercy and the way that our Lord continually leadeth us in as long as we be here in this life which is changeable.

But our good Lord, the Holy Spirit, is endless life dwelling in our soul, and he keeps us completely safe. He brings peace to our soul and, by grace, gives it rest. He brings it into harmony with God and makes it willing to yield.¹ This is the mercy and the way in which our Lord continually leads us, as long as we remain here in this changing life.

For I saw no wrath but on man's part; and that forgiveth He in us. For wrath is not else but a forwardness and a contrariness to peace and love; and either it cometh of failing of might, or of failing of wisdom, or of failing of goodness: which failing is not in God, but is on our part. For we by sin and wretchedness have in us a wretched and continuant contrariness to peace and to love. And that shewed He full often in His lovely Regard of Ruth and Pity.² For the ground of mercy is love, and the working of mercy is our keeping in love. And this was shewed in such manner that I could³ not have perceived of the part of mercy but as it were alone in love; that is to say, as to my sight.

For I saw no anger except in human beings, and he forgives us for it. For anger is nothing but stubborn resistance to peace and love. It comes from a lack of power, wisdom, or goodness. These failings are not in God, but in us. Through sin and misery, we have a miserable and lasting resistance to peace and love. And he showed this very often in his loving gaze of compassion and pity.² For mercy is rooted in love, and mercy works to keep us in love. This was shown in such a way that I could³ perceive mercy only as if it were entirely within love. That is how it appeared to me.

Mercy is a sweet gracious working in love, mingled with plenteous pity: for mercy worketh in keeping us, and mercy worketh turning to us all things to good. Mercy, by love, suffereth us to fail in measure and in as much as we fail, in so much we fall; and in as much as we fall, in so much we die: for it needs must be that we die in so much as we fail of the sight and feeling of God that is our life. Our failing is dreadful, our falling is shameful, and our dying is sorrowful: but in all this the sweet eye of pity and love is lifted never off us, nor the working of mercy ceaseth.⁴

Mercy is a sweet and gracious work of love, filled with compassion. Mercy works to keep us safe, and it turns all things to good for us. In love, mercy allows us to fail to a certain extent. As much as we fail, we fall, and as much as we fall, we die. For we must die to the extent that we lose sight and awareness of God, who is our life. Our failure is dreadful, our falling is shameful, and our dying is sorrowful. But through all this, the loving, compassionate eye never turns away from us, and the work of mercy never ceases.⁴

For I beheld the property of mercy, and I beheld the property of grace: which have two manners of working in one love. Mercy is a pitiful property which belongeth to the Motherhood in tender love; and grace is a worshipful property which belongeth to the royal Lordship in the same love. Mercy worketh: keeping, suffering, quickening, and healing; and all is tenderness of love. And grace worketh: raising, rewarding, endlessly overpassing that which our longing and our travail deserveth, spreading abroad and shewing the high plenteous largess⁵ of God's royal Lordship in His marvellous courtesy; and this is of the abundance of love. For grace worketh our dreadful failing into plenteous, endless solace; and grace worketh our shameful falling into high, worshipful rising; and grace worketh our sorrowful dying into holy, blissful life.

I saw the nature of mercy, and I saw the nature of grace. They work in two ways within one love. Mercy is a compassionate quality that belongs to motherhood in its tender love. Grace is a majestic quality that belongs to royal lordship in that same love. Mercy works by keeping, sustaining, giving life, and healing. All this is the tenderness of love. Grace works by raising us and rewarding us far beyond what our longing and labor deserve. It spreads and reveals the great abundance of gifts⁵ from God's royal lordship in his wonderful courtesy. This comes from the abundance of love. For grace turns our dreadful failure into abundant, endless comfort. Grace turns our shameful fall into a glorious and honorable rising. And grace turns our sorrowful dying into holy, joyful life.

For I saw full surely that ever as our contrariness worketh to us here in earth pain, shame, and sorrow, right so, on the contrary wise, grace worketh to us in heaven solace, worship, and bliss; and overpassing. And so far forth, that when we come up and receive the sweet reward which grace hath wrought for us, then we shall thank and bless our Lord, endlessly rejoicing that ever we suffered woe. And that shall be for a property of blessed love that we shall know in God which we could never have known without woe going before.

I saw very clearly that our resistance brings us pain, shame, and sorrow here on earth. Just as surely, grace brings us comfort, honor, and bliss in heaven, and even more. So when we reach heaven and receive the sweet reward that grace has prepared for us, we shall thank and bless our Lord. We shall rejoice endlessly that we ever suffered sorrow. This will be because we shall know a quality of blessed love in God that we could never have known without first suffering sorrow.

And when I saw all this, it behoved me needs to grant that the mercy of God and the forgiveness is to slacken and waste our wrath.

When I saw all this, I had to acknowledge that God’s mercy and forgiveness lessen and dispel our anger.