"God willeth to be seen and to be sought: to be abided and to be
trusted"
And after this I saw with bodily sight in the face of the crucifix
that hung before me, on the which I gazed continually, a part of His
Passion: despite, spitting and sullying, and buffetting, and many
languoring pains, more than I can tell, and often changing of colour.
And one time I saw half the face, beginning at the ear, over-gone with
dry blood till it covered to the mid-face. And after that the other
half [was] covered on the same wise, the whiles in this [first] part
[it vanished] even as it came.
This saw I bodily, troublously and darkly; and I desired more bodily
sight, to have seen more clearly. And I was answered in my reason: _If
God will shew thee more, He shall be thy light: thee needeth none but
Him._ For I saw Him sought.[1]
For we are now so blind and unwise that we never seek God till He
of His goodness shew Himself to us. And when we aught see of Him
graciously, then are we stirred by the same grace to seek with great
desire to see Him more blissfully.
And thus I saw Him, and sought Him; and I had Him, I wanted Him. And
this is, and should be, our common working in this [life], as to my
sight.
One time mine understanding was led down into the sea-ground, and there
I saw hills and dales green, seeming as it were moss-be-grown, with
wrack and gravel. Then I understood thus: that if a man or woman were
under the broad water, if he might have sight of God so as God is with
a man continually, he should be safe in body and soul, and take no
harm: and overpassing, he should have more solace and comfort than all
this world can tell. For He willeth we should believe that we see Him
continually though that to us it seemeth but little [of sight]; and in
this belief He maketh us evermore to gain grace. For He will be seen
and He will be sought: He will be abided and he will be trusted.
This Second Shewing was so low and so little and so simple, that my
spirits were in great travail in the beholding,--mourning, full of
dread, and longing: for I was some time in doubt whether it was a
Shewing. And then diverse times our good Lord gave me more sight,
whereby I understood truly that it was a Shewing. It was a figure and
likeness of our foul deeds' shame that our fair, bright, blessed Lord
bare for our sins: it made me to think of the Holy Vernacle[2] at
Rome, which He hath portrayed with His own blessed face when He was in
His hard Passion, with steadfast will going to His death, and often
changing of colour. Of the brownness and blackness, the ruefulness
and wastedness of this Image many marvel how it might be, since that
He portrayed it with His blessed Face who is the fairness of heaven,
flower of earth, and the fruit of the Maiden's womb. Then how might
this Image be so darkening in colour[3] and so far from fair?--I desire
to tell like as I have understood by the grace of God:--
We know in our Faith, and believe by the teaching and preaching of Holy
Church, that the blessed Trinity made Mankind to[4] His image and to
His likeness. In the same manner-wise we know that when man fell so
deep and so wretchedly by sin, there was none other help to restore
man but through Him that made man. And He that made man for love, by
the same love He would restore man to the same bliss, and overpassing;
and like as we were like-made to the Trinity in our first making, our
Maker would that we should be like Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, in heaven
without end, by the virtue of our again-making.
Then atwix these two, He would for love and worship of man make
Himself as like to man in this deadly life, in our foulness and our
wretchedness, as man might be without guilt. This is that which is
meant where it is said afore: it was the image and likeness of our foul
black deeds' shame wherein our fair, bright, blessed Lord God was hid.
But full certainly I dare say, and we ought to trow it, that so fair a
man was never none but He, till what time His fair colour was changed
with travail and sorrow and Passion and dying. Of this it is spoken in
the Eighth Revelation, where it treateth more of the same likeness. And
where it speaketh of the Vernacle of Rome, it meaneth by [reason of]
diverse changing of colour and countenance, sometime more comfortably
and life-like, sometime more ruefully and death-like, as it may be seen
in the Eighth Revelation.
And this [dim] vision was a learning, to mine understanding, that the
continual seeking of the soul pleaseth God full greatly: for it may
do no more than seek, suffer and trust. And this is wrought in the
soul that hath it, by the Holy Ghost; and the clearness of finding,
_it_ is of His special grace, when it is His will. The seeking, with
faith, hope, and charity, pleaseth our Lord, and the finding pleaseth
the soul and fulfilleth it with joy. And thus was I learned, to mine
understanding, that seeking is as good as beholding, for the time that
He will suffer the soul to be in travail. It is God's will that _we
seek Him_, to the beholding of Him, for by _that_[5] He shall shew us
Himself of His special grace when He will. And how a soul shall have
Him in its beholding, He shall teach Himself: and that is most worship
to Him and profit to thyself, and [the soul thus] most receiveth of
meekness and virtues with the grace and leading of the Holy Ghost. For
a soul that only fasteneth it[self] on to God with very trust, either
by seeking or in beholding, it is the most worship that it may do to
Him, as to my sight.
These are two workings that may be seen in this Vision: the one is
seeking, the other is beholding. The seeking is common,--that every
soul may have with His grace,--and ought to have that discretion and
teaching of the Holy Church. It is God's will that we have three
things in our seeking:--The first is that we seek earnestly and
diligently, without sloth, and, as it may be through His grace, without
unreasonable[6] heaviness and vain sorrow. The second is, that we abide
Him steadfastly for His love, without murmuring and striving against
Him, to our life's end: for it shall last but awhile. The third is that
we trust in Him mightily of full assured faith. For it is His will that
we know that He shall appear suddenly and blissfully to all that love
Him.
For His working is privy, and He willeth to be perceived; and His
appearing shall be swiftly sudden; and He willeth to be trusted. For He
is full gracious[7] and homely: Blessed may He be!
[1] In de Cressy's version: "I saw Him and sought Him."
[2] The Handkerchief of S. Veronica.
[3] "so discolouring."
[4] _i.e. according to_.
[5] "for be that" = _for by [means of] that_; or possibly the Old
English and Scottish 'forbye that' = _besides that_.
[6] "onskilful" = without discernment or ability; unpractical. S. de
Cressy, "unreasonable."
[7] "hend" = at hand; (handy, dexterous;) courteous, gentle, urbane.
_THE THIRD REVELATION_