Chapter 37
"In every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall."—"For failing of Love on our part, therefore is all our travail"
"In every soul that will be saved, there is a godly will that has never agreed to sin and never will." "All our suffering comes from our lack of love."
God brought to my mind that I should sin. And for pleasance that I had in beholding of Him, I attended not readily to that shewing; and our Lord full mercifully abode, and gave me grace to attend. And this shewing I took singularly to myself; but by all the gracious comfort that followeth, as ye shall see, I was learned to take it for all mine even-Christians: all in general and nothing in special: though our Lord shewed me that I should sin, by me alone is understood all.
God brought to mind that I would sin. But I was so delighted to gaze upon him that I did not immediately attend to this revelation. Our Lord mercifully waited and gave me the grace to attend to it. I took this revelation as meant for me alone. But through all the gracious comfort that followed, as you will see, I learned to take it as meant for all my fellow Christians: all in general and no one in particular. Though our Lord showed me that I would sin, he meant everyone by me alone.
And therein I conceived a soft dread. And to this our Lord answered: I keep thee full surely. This word was said with more love and secureness and spiritual keeping than I can or may tell. For as it was shewed that [I] should sin, right so was the comfort shewed: secureness and keeping for all mine even-Christians.
And in this I felt a gentle fear. Our Lord answered: I keep you completely safe. These words were spoken with more love, reassurance, and spiritual protection than I can or may describe. For just as it was shown that [I] would sin, so too was comfort shown: assurance and protection for all my fellow Christians.
Perhaps the omitted word is "all". But de Cressy has "I" as above: "that I should sin."
What may make me more to love mine even-Christians than to see in God that He loveth all that shall be saved as it were all one soul?
What could make me love my fellow Christians more than seeing in God that he loves all who will be saved as if they were one soul?
For in every soul that shall be saved is a Godly Will that never assented to sin, nor ever shall. Right as there is a beastly will in the lower part that may will no good, right so there is a Godly Will in the higher part, which will is so good that it may never will evil, but ever good. And therefore we are that which He loveth and endlessly we do that which Him pleaseth.
For in every soul that will be saved, there is a divine will that has never consented to sin and never will. Just as there is a beastly will in the lower part of the soul that cannot desire good, there is a divine will in the higher part. This divine will is so good that it can never desire evil, but always desires good. Therefore, we are what he loves, and we endlessly do what pleases him.
This shewed our Lord in [shewing] the wholeness of love that we stand in, in His sight: yea, that He loveth us now as well while we are here, as He shall do while we are there afore His blessed face. But for failing of love on our part, therefore is all our travail.
Our Lord showed us the fullness of the love in which we stand in his sight. He loves us just as much now, while we are here, as he will when we are there before his blessed face. But all our suffering comes from a lack of love on our part.