"Three manners of looking seen in our Lord's Countenance"
Glad and joyous and sweet is the Blissful lovely Cheer[1] of our Lord
to our souls. For He [be]holdeth[2] us ever, living in love-longing:
and He willeth that _our_ soul be in glad cheer to Him, to give Him His
meed. And thus, I hope, with His grace He hath [drawn], and more shall
draw, the Outer Cheer to the Inner Cheer, and make us all one with Him,
and each of us with other, in true lasting joy that is Jesus.
I have signifying of Three manners of Cheer of our Lord. The first is
Cheer of Passion, as He shewed while He was here in this life, dying.
Though this [manner of] Beholding be mournful and troubled, yet it is
glad and joyous: for He is God.--The second manner of Cheer is [of]
Ruth and Compassion: and this sheweth He, with sureness of Keeping,
to all His lovers that betake them[3] to His mercy. The third is the
Blissful Cheer, as it shall be without end: and this was [shewed]
oftenest and longest-continued.
And thus in the time of our pain and our woe He sheweth us Cheer of
His Passion and His Cross, helping us to bear it by His own blessed
virtue. And in the time of our sinning He sheweth to us Cheer of Ruth
and Pity, mightily keeping us and defending us against all our enemies.
And these be the common Cheer which He sheweth to us in this life;
therewith mingling the third: and that is His Blissful Cheer, like,
in part, as it shall be in Heaven. And that [shewing is] by gracious
touching and sweet lighting of the spiritual life, whereby that we are
kept in sure faith, hope, and charity, with contrition and devotion,
and also with contemplation and all manner of true solace and sweet
comforts.
[1] "Cher," in earlier chapters rendered by _manner of Countenance_ or
_Regard_.
[2] The word of the MS. might be: "he havith" (possibly "draweth"), or
"behadith" or "behavith." There is a verb "bi-hawen" _to behold_--in
other forms bihabben, bi-halden--; and "behave" had the meaning of to
_manage, govern_. Elsewhere in the MS. to _regard_, if not _to fix the
eyes upon_, is expressed (_e.g._ in xxxix.) simply by _to "holden"_
without the prefix. S. de Cressy has here "he beheld."
[3] "that have to"; S. de Cressy, "have need to."