"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"
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.
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][1] should sin, right so was the comfort shewed:
secureness and keeping for all mine even-Christians.
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?
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.
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.
[1] Perhaps the omitted word is "_all_"; but de Cressy has "I" as
above: "that I should sin."