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64
The creatur seyd unto hir Lord Crist Jhesu, "A, blisful Lord,
I wolde I knew wherin
I myth best love the and plesyn the and that my love wer as swet
to the as me thynkyth
that thy love is unto me." Than owr swete Lord Jhesus, answeryng
hys creatur, seyd,
"Dowtyr, yyf thu knew how swet thy love is unto me, thu schuldist
nevyr do other
thyng but lovyn me wyth al thyn hert. And therfor beleve wel,
dowtyr, that my lofe is
not so swet to the as thy lofe is to me. Dowtyr, thu knowist
not how meche I lofe the,
for it may not be knowyn in this werld how meche it is, ne be
felt as it is, for thu
schuldist faylyn and brestyn and nevyr enduryn it for the joye
that thu schuldist fele.
And therfor I mesur it as I wil to thi most ese and comfort.
But, dowtyr, thu schalt wel
knowyn in an other worlde how meche I lovyd the in erde, for
ther thu schalt han gret
cawse to thankyn me. Ther thu schalt se wythowtyn ende every
good day that evyr I
gaf the in erth of contemplacyon, of devocyon, and of al the
gret charité that I have
govyn to the to the profyte of thyn evyn cristen. For this schal
be thy mete whan thu
comyst hom into hevyn. Ther is no clerk in al this world that
can, dowtyr, leryn the
bettyr than I can do, and, yyf thu wilt be buxom to my wyl, I
schal be buxom to thy
wil. Wher is a bettyr charité than to wepyn for thi Lordys
lofe? Thu wost wel, dowtyr,
that the devyl hath no charité, for he is ful wroth wyth
the and he myth owt hurtyn the,
but he schal not deryn the saf a lityl in this world for to makyn
the afeerd sumtyme,
that thu schuldist preyn the myghtilier to me for grace and steryn
thy charité the mor
to meward. Ther is no clerk can spekyn agens the lyfe whech I
teche the, and, yyf he
do, he is not Goddys clerk; he is the develys clerk. I telle
the ryth forsothe that ther is
no man in this world, yyf he wolde suffyr as meche despite for
my lofe wilfully as thu
hast don and clevyn as sor unto me, not willyng for anythyng
that may be do er seyd
agen hym forsakyn me, but I schal far ryth fayr wyth hym and
be ryth gracyowse unto
hym, bothyn in this worlde and in the other." Than seyd the creatur,
"A, my derworthy
Lord, this lyfe schuldist thu schewyn to religiows men and to
preistys." Owr Lord seyd
agen to hir, "Nay, nay, dowtyr, for that thyng that I lofe best
thei lofe not, and that is
schamys, despitys, scornys, and reprevys of the pepil, and therfor
schal thei not have
this grace. For, dowtyr, I telle the, he that dredith the schamys
of the world may not
parfytely lovyn God. And, dowtyr, undyr the abyte of holynes
is curyd meche
wykkydnes. Dowtyr, yyf thu sey the wikkydnes that is wrowt in
the werld as I do, thu
schuldist have gret wondyr that I take not uttyr venjawns on
hem. But, dowtyr, I spar
for thy lofe. Thu wepist so every day for mercy that I must nedys
grawnt it the, and wil
not the pepil belevyn the goodnes that I werke in the for hem.
Nevyrthelesse, dowtyr,
ther schal come a tyme whan thei schal be ryth fayn to belevyn
the grace that I have
govyn the for hem. And I schal sey to hem whan thei arn passyd
owt of this world,
`Lo, I ordeynd hir to wepyn for hir synnes, and ye had hir in
gret despite, but hir
charité wolde nevyr sesen for yow.' And therfor, dowtyr,
thei that arn good sowlys
schal hyly thank me for the grace and goodnes that I have gove
the, and thei that arn
wikkyd schal grutchyn and han gret peyn to suffyr the grace that
I schewe to the. And
therfor I schal chastisyn hem as it wer for myself." Sche preyd,
"Nay, derworthy Lord
Jhesu, chastise no creatur for me. Thu wost wel, Lord, that I
desyr no venjawns, but I
aske mercy and grace for alle men yyf it be thy wille to grawnt
it. Nevyrthelesse,
Lord, rathyr than thei schulde ben departyd fro the wythowtyn
ende, chastise hem as thu
wilt thiselfe. It semyth, Lord, in my sowle that thu art ful
of charité, for thu seyst thu
wilt not the deth of a synful man. And thu seyst also thu wilt
alle men ben savyd.
Than, Lord, syn thu woldist alle men schulde ben savyd, I must
wyl the same, and thu
seyst thyself that I must lovyn myn evyn cristen as myn owyn
self. And, Lord, thu
knowist that I have wept and sorwyd many yerys for I wolde be
savyd, and so must I
do for myn evyn cristen." |