"For every man's sin that shall be saved He suffered, and every man's
sorrow and desolation He saw, and sorrowed for Kinship and Love"
And thus I saw our Lord Jesus languoring long time. For the oneing with
the Godhead gave strength to the manhood for love to suffer more than
all men might suffer: I mean not only more pain than all men might
suffer, but also that He suffered more pain than all men of salvation
that ever were from the first beginning unto the last day might tell or
fully think, having regard to the worthiness of the highest worshipful
King and the shameful, despised, painful death. For He that is highest
and worthiest was most fully made-nought and most utterly despised.
For the highest point that may be seen in the Passion is to think and
know what He is that suffered. And in this [Shewing] He brought in part
to mind the height and nobleness of the glorious Godhead, and therewith
the preciousness and the tenderness of the blessed Body, which be
together united; and also the lothness that is in our Kind to suffer
pain. For as much as He was most tender and pure, right so He was most
strong and mighty to suffer.
And for every man's sin that shall be saved He suffered: and every
man's sorrow and desolation He saw, and sorrowed for Blindness and
love. (For in as much as our Lady sorrowed for His pains, in so much He
suffered sorrow for her sorrow;--and more, in as greatly as the sweet
manhood of Him was worthier in Kind.) For as long as He was passible
He suffered for us and sorrowed _for_ us; and now He is uprisen and no
more passible, yet He suffereth _with_ us.
And I, beholding all this by His grace, saw that the Love of Him was so
strong which He hath to our soul that willingly He chose it with great
desire, and mildly He suffered it with well-pleasing.
For the soul that beholdeth it thus, when it is touched by grace, it
shall verily see that the pains of Christ's Passion pass all pains:
[all pains] that is to say, which shall be turned into everlasting,
o'erpassing joys by the virtue of Christ's Passion.