"The soul that beholdeth the fair nature of our Lord Jesus, it hateth
no hell but sin"
I speak but little of reverent dread, for I hope it may be seen in this
matter aforesaid. But well I wot our Lord shewed me no souls but those
that dread Him. For well I wot the soul that truly taketh the teaching
of the Holy Ghost, it hateth more sin for vileness and horribleness
than it doth all the pain that is in hell. For the soul that beholdeth
the fair nature[1] of our Lord Jesus, it hateth no hell but sin, as to
my sight. And therefore it is God's will that we know sin, and pray
busily and travail earnestly and seek teaching meekly that we fall not
blindly therein; and if we fall, that we rise readily. For it is the
most pain that the soul may have, to turn from God any time by sin.
The soul that willeth to be in rest when [an] other man's sin cometh
to mind, he shall flee it as the pain of hell, seeking unto God for
remedy, for help against it. For the beholding of other man's sins,
it maketh as it were a thick mist afore the eyes of the soul, and we
cannot, for the time, see the fairness of God, but if we may behold
them with contrition with him, with compassion on him, and with holy
desire to God for him. For without this it harmeth[2] and tempesteth
and hindereth the soul that beholdeth them. For this I understood in
the Shewing of Compassion.
In this blissful Shewing of our Lord I have understanding of two
contrary things: the one is the most wisdom that any creature may
do in this life, the other is the most folly. The most wisdom is
for a creature to do after the will and counsel of his highest
sovereign Friend. This blessed Friend is Jesus, and it is His will
and His counsel that we hold us with Him, and fasten us to Him
homely--evermore, in what state soever that we be; for whether-so that
we be foul or clean, we are all one in His loving. For weal nor for woe
He willeth never we flee from Him. But because of the changeability
that we are in, in our self, we fall often into sin. Then we have this
[doubting dread] by the stirring of our enemy and by our own folly and
blindness: for they say thus: _Thou seest well thou art a wretched
creature, a sinner, and also unfaithful. For thou keepest not the
Command[3]; thou dost promise oftentimes our Lord that thou shalt do
better, and anon after, thou fallest again into the same, especially
into sloth and losing of time._ (For that is the beginning of sin, as
to my sight,--and especially to the creatures that have given them to
serve our Lord with inward beholding of His blessed Goodness.) And this
maketh us adread to appear afore our courteous Lord. Thus is it our
enemy that would put us aback[4] with his false dread, [by reason] of
our wretchedness, through pain that he threateth us with. For it is his
meaning to make us so heavy and so weary in this, that we should let
out of mind the fair, Blissful Beholding of our Everlasting Friend.
[1] "kindness."
[2] "noyith."
[3] S. de Cressy--"thy Covenant."
[4] "on bakke."