"There is no dread that fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread"
For I understand [that there be] four manner of dreads. One is the
dread of an affright that cometh to a man suddenly by frailty. This
dread doeth good, for it helpeth to purge man, as doeth bodily sickness
or such other pain as is not sin. For all such pains help man if
they be patiently taken. The second is dread of pain, whereby man is
stirred and wakened from sleep of sin. He is not able for the time to
perceive the soft comfort of the Holy Ghost, till he have understanding
of this dread of pain, of bodily death, of spiritual enemies; and
this dread stirreth us to seek comfort and mercy of God, and thus
this dread helpeth us,[1] and enableth us to have contrition by the
blissful touching of the Holy Ghost. The third is doubtful dread.
Doubtful dread in as much as it draweth to despair, God will have it
turned in us into love by the knowing of love: that is to say, that
the bitterness of doubt be turned into the sweetness of natural love
by grace. For it may never please our Lord that His servants doubt in
His Goodness. The fourth is reverent dread: for there is no dread that
fully pleaseth God in us but reverent dread. And that is full soft, for
the more it is had, the less it is felt for sweetness of love.
Love and Dread are brethren, and they are rooted in us by the Goodness
of our Maker, and they shall never be taken from us without end. We
have of nature to love and we have of grace to love: and we have of
nature to dread and we have of grace to dread. It belongeth to the
Lordship and to the Fatherhood to be dreaded, as it belongeth to the
Goodness to be loved: and it belongeth to us that are His servants and
His children to dread Him for Lordship and Fatherhood, as it belongeth
to us to love Him for Goodness.
And though this reverent-dread and love be not parted asunder, yet they
are not both one, but they are two in property and in working, and
neither of them may be had without other. Therefore I am sure, he that
loveth, he dreadeth, though that he feel it but a little.
All dreads other than reverent dread that are proffered to us, though
they come under the colour of holiness yet are not so true, and hereby
may they be known asunder.--That dread that maketh us hastily to flee
from all that is not good and fall into our Lord's breast, as the Child
into the Mother's bosom,[2] with all our intent and with all our mind,
knowing our feebleness and our great need, knowing His everlasting
goodness and His blissful love, only seeking to Him for salvation,
cleaving to [Him] with sure trust: that dread that bringeth us into
this working, it is natural,[3] gracious, good and true. And all that
is contrary to this, either it is wrong, or it is mingled with wrong.
Then is this the remedy, to know them both and refuse the wrong.
For the natural property of dread which we have in this life by the
gracious working of the Holy Ghost, the same shall be in heaven afore
God, gentle, courteous, and full delectable. And thus we shall in
love be homely and near to God, and we shall in dread be gentle and
courteous to God: and both alike equal.
Desire we of our Lord God to dread Him reverently, to love Him meekly,
to trust in Him mightily; for when we dread Him reverently and love
Him meekly our trust is never in vain. For the more that we trust, and
the more mightily, the more we please and worship our Lord that we
trust in. And if we fail in this reverent dread and meek love (as God
forbid we should!), our trust shall soon be misruled for the time. And
therefore it needeth us much to pray our Lord of grace that we may have
this reverent dread and meek love, of His gift, in heart and in work.
For without this, no man may please God.
[1] Here the transcriber of the B. Mus. MS. repeats (by mistake, no
doubt) "to seek," etc. S. de Cressy: "helpeth us as an entry."
[2] S. de Cressy: "Mothers Arme," but MS. (B.M.) "Moder barme."
[3] "kinde."