Chapter LXI
"By the assay of this falling we shall have a high marvellous knowing of Love in God, without end. For strong and marvellous is that love which may not, nor will not, be broken for trespass"
AND in our spiritual forthbringing He uses more tenderness of keeping, without any likeness: by as much as our soul is of more price in His sight. He kindles our understanding, He directs our ways, He eases our conscience, He comforts our soul, He lightens our heart, and gives us, in part, knowing and believing in His blissful Godhead, with gracious mind in His sweet Manhood and His blessed Passion, with reverent marvelling in His high, overpassing Goodness; and makes us to love all that He loves, for His love, and to be well-pleased with Him and all His works. And when we fall, hastily He raises us by His lovely calling and gracious touching. And when we be thus strengthened by His sweet working, then we with all our will choose Him, by His sweet grace, to be His servants and His lovers lastingly without end.
And after this He suffers some of us to fall more hard and more grievously than ever we did before, as us thinks. And then ween we (who be not all wise) that all were nothing that we have begun. But this is not so. For it needs us to fall, and it needs us to see it. For if we never fell, we should not know how feeble and how wretched we are of our self, and also we should not fully know that marvellous love of our Maker. For we shall see truly in heaven, without end, that we have grievously sinned in this life, and despite this, we shall see that we were never hurt in His love, we were never the less of price in His sight. And by the assay of this falling we shall have a high, marvellous knowing of love in God, without end. For strong and marvellous is that love which may not, nor will not, be broken for trespass. And this is one understanding of our profit. Another is the lowness and meekness that we shall get by the sight of our falling: for thereby we shall highly be raised in heaven; to which raising we might never have come without that meekness. And for that it needs us to see it; and if we see it not, though we fell it should not profit us. And commonly, first we fall and later we see it: and both of the Mercy of God.
The mother may allow the child to fall sometimes, and to be hurt in diverse manners for its own profit, but she may never allow that any manner of peril come to the child, for love. And though our earthly mother may allow her child to perish, our heavenly Mother, Jesus, may not allow us that are His children to perish: for He is All-mighty, Allwisdom, and All-love; and so is none but He, - blessed may He be!
But often when our falling and our wretchedness is shewed us, we are so sore afraid, and so greatly ashamed of our self, that scarcely we find where we may hold us. But then wills not our courteous Mother that we flee away, for He wills that not at all. . But He wills then that we use the condition of a child: for when it is hurt, or afraid, it runs hastily to the mother for help, with all its might. So wills He that we do, as a meek child saying thus: My kind Mother, my Gracious Mother, my precious Mother, have mercy on me: I have made myself foul and unlike to You, and I nor may nor can amend it but with thine help and grace. And if we feel us not then eased forthwith, be we sure that He uses the condition of a wise mother. For if He see that it be more profit to us to mourn and to weep, He suffers it, with care and pity, to the best time, for love. And He wills then that we use the property of a child, that evermore of nature trusts to the love of the mother in wellbeing and in woe.
And He wills that we take us mightily to the Faith of Holy Church and find there our precious Mother, in solace of true Understanding, with all the blessed Common. For one single person may often be broken, as it seems to himself, but the whole Body of Holy Church was never broken, nor never shall be, without end. And for that a sure thing it is, a good and a gracious, to will meekly and mightily to be fastened and joined to our Mother, Holy Church. that is, Christ Jesus. For the food of mercy that is His precious blood and precious water is plenteous to make us fair and clean; the blessed wounds of our Saviour be open and enjoy to heal us; the sweet, gracious hands of our Mother be ready and diligently about us. For He in all this working uses the office of a kind nurse that has nothing else to do but to give heed about the salvation of her child.
It is His office to save us: it is His worship to do for us, and it is His will that we know it: for He wills that we love Him sweetly and trust in Him meekly and mightily. And this shewed He in these gracious words: I keep you surely.