"The place that Jesus taketh in our soul He shall never remove from,
without end:--for in us His homliest home and His endless dwelling."
"Our soul can never have rest in things that are beneath itself--yet
may it not abide in the beholding of its self"
And then our Lord opened my spiritual eye and shewed me my soul in
midst of my heart. I saw the Soul so large as it were an endless
world, and as it were a blissful kingdom. And by the conditions that
I saw therein I understood that it is a worshipful City. In the midst
of that City sitteth our Lord Jesus, God and Man, a fair Person of
large stature, highest Bishop, most majestic[1] King, most worshipful
Lord; and I saw Him clad majestically.[2] And worshipfully He sitteth
in the Soul, even-right[3] in peace and rest. And the Godhead ruleth
and sustaineth[4] heaven and earth and all that is,--sovereign Might,
sovereign Wisdom, and sovereign Goodness,--[but] the place that Jesus
taketh in _our Soul_ He shall never remove it, without end, as to my
sight: for in us is His _homliest_ home and His _endless_ dwelling.[5]
And in this [sight] He shewed the satisfying that He hath of the
making of Man's Soul. For as well as the Father might make a creature,
and as well as the Son could make a creature, so well would the Holy
Ghost that Man's Soul were made: and so it was done. And therefore the
blessed Trinity enjoyeth without end in the making of Man's Soul: for
He saw from without beginning what should please Him without end. All
thing that He hath made sheweth His Lordship,--as understanding was
given at the same time by example of a creature that is to see great
treasures and kingdoms belonging to a lord; and when it had seen all
the nobleness beneath, then, marvelling, it was moved to seek above to
the high place where the lord dwelleth, knowing, by reason, that his
dwelling is in the worthiest place. And thus I understood in verity
that our Soul may never have rest in things that are beneath itself.
And when it cometh above all creatures into the Self, yet may it not
abide in the beholding of its Self, but all the beholding is blissfully
set in God that is the Maker dwelling therein. For in Man's Soul is His
very dwelling; and the highest light and the brightest shining of the
City is the glorious love of our Lord, as to my sight.
And what may make us more to enjoy in God than to see in Him that He
enjoyeth in the highest of all His works? For I saw in the same Shewing
that if the blessed Trinity might have made Man's Soul any better,
any fairer, any nobler than it was made, He should not have been
full pleased with the making of Man's Soul. And He willeth that our
hearts be mightily raised above the deepness of the earth and all vain
sorrows, and rejoice[6] in Him.
[1] "solemnest."
[2] "solemnly" = in state.
[3] _i.e._ straight-set.
[4] "gemeth."
[5] "woning."
[6] "enjoyen."