CHAPTER XXVIII
THAT A TRUE LOVER DESPISES WORLDLY THINGS AND DESIRES
HEAVENLY: AND OF THE HATING OF PRIDE, AND HALSING OF
MEEKNESS
Behold, thou wretched little man, how in
the liking of fleshly lust the cruelty of endless damnation sleeps. Therefore
thou oughtest to gainstand them that are busy to destroy those things--that is
to say virtues--that Christ desires. Thy heart, truly, must empty out all
desire for all kinds of passing vanity before it can burn with Christ's love.
For the mind burning with Christ's spirit is fed only with the love of endless
things, and is gladdened in a joyful song.
Truly if the sweetness of endless love be now
biding in thy soul, withouten doubt it destroys all wantonness of fleshly
wickedness; and delighting thee in Christ, it suffers thee to feel nothing but
Christ; for neither thou fallest from Him, nor feelest anything sweet but Him.
Forsooth the perfect when they die are brought anon before God and set in the
seats of blissful rest, for they see that Christ is God and enjoy Him.
They that begin to love Christ, afterward in
great joy of love and honeysweet burning shall not cease to sing full lovely
songs to Jesu Christ. Truly no earthly thing pleases him that truly loves
Christ, for by the greatness of love all passing things seem foul. With the
bodily eyes fleshly things are seen, but the righteous behold heavenly things
with a clean and meek heart: the which, enlightened by the flame of heavenly
sight, feel themselves loosed from the burden of sin, and afterward they cease
to sin in will; whose heart turned into fire halses in desire nothing earthly
but always in busy to thirl high things.
They that are sickerly ordained to holiness, in
the beginning of their turning, for dread of God, forsake sins and worldly
vanities: and then they set their flesh under strait penance, afterward setting
Christ's love before all other, and feeling a delight in heavenly sweetness in
devotion of mind they profit mickle. And so they pass from degree to degree and
flourish with ghostly virtues; and so, made fair by grace, they come at last to
the perfection that stands in heart, and word, and deed. Christ's love certain
makes him that has swallowed it as it were dead to receive these outward
things: he savours what is upward, he seeks that which is above, and nought
that is on earth.
No marvel the mind, sighing in desire of the
heavenly kingdom, grows in love of the Spouse, and joying with gladness inshed
bares itself from desire of earthly things; and fulfilled with the longing for
true love tents with all his mind to see God in His fairness. Wherefore
lightened with the flame of His love, it is busy only in His desire and seeks
nothing but Him. Whiles a true soul, certain, desires burningly only the
presence of the spouse, it is perfectly cooled from all wantonness of
vainglory. For love therefore it longs, because it sets at nought all earthly
things whiles it thus hies to endless joys.
He that delights himself in Christ's love, and
desires to have His comfort continually, not only covets not the solace of man,
but also with great desire flees it, as if it were smoke that hurts his
eyes.
Like as the air is stricken by the sunbeam, and
by the shining of his light is altogether shining; so a devout mind, enflamed
with the fire of Christ's love and fulfilled with desire for the joys of
heaven, seems all love, because it is altogether turned into another likeness;
the substance abiding although it be wonderfully mirthed. For when the mind is
kindled by the fire of the Holy Ghost, it is bared from all idleness and
uncleanness, and it is made sweet with the spring of God's delight, alway
contemplating and never failing; seeing not earthly things until it be
glorified with the sight of the Lover.
Truly it behoves us to eschew all pride and
swelling of heart, for this it is that has cast sad men into great
wretchedness. What is more shameful? What more worthy to be punished? It is
great scorn truly, and plain abomination, that the foulest worm, the worst
sinner, the lowest of men, sets about to make himself great on earth, for whom
the highest King and Lord of Lords has liked so mickle to meek himself. It thou
wilt clearly behold Christ's meekness, of whatsoever degree thou mayest be, how
mickle soever the riches or virtues thou hast, thou shalt find in this no
matter of pride but of despising thyself, and a cause of meekness.
Thou therefore that despisest sinners, behold
thyself, for thou makest thyself much worse than others; for truly God is more
displeased with a proud righteous man than a meek sinner. When true meekness is
set in thy mind, whatsoever thou doest well is done to the praise of thy Maker,
so that despising thy virtue thou seekest His worship; that thou, being given
to vanity, lose not thy meed everlasting.
Think therefore on Jesu with thy heart's desire;
pass thy prayer to Him; be not weary ever to seek Him; care for nothing but Him
alone.
Happy are the rich that have such a possession;
and to have this forsake thou the vanities of the world; and He shall overcome
thine enemy and bring thee to His kingdom. The fiend that noys thee shall be
overcome; the flesh that grieves thee be made subject; the world that assays
thee for to beguile, shall be despised, if thy heart cease not to seek Christ's
love.
The man truly sits not idle the which in mind
cries to Christ although his tongue be still; for the body never rests in
fleshy rest whiles the mind stints not to desire heavenly things; nor is he
idle that is greedy ever to covet things everlasting. Truly the thoughts of
Christ's lovers are swift in going up and harmonious in course; they will not
be bound to passing things nor tied to fleshly contagion, but cease not to
ascend until they have come to the heavens. For whiles the body is weary in
Christ's service, ofttimes the spirit being uplifted is taken up to heavenly
refreshment and the contemplation of God. He truly that prays devoutly has not
his heart wavering among earthly things but raised to God in the heavens. He
that desires to have that he prays, busily takes heed what he prays, for whom
he prays and to what end he prays, and that he loves Him Whom he prays; lest a
wretch, asking reward from this life, be beguiled.
Saints forsooth have so great meekness that they
think they know nought, and think themselves as those who say they do nought;
they call themselves lowest of all and unworthiest, yea, like as them that they
chastise with reproving. These, after God's commandment, rest in the lowest
place, whose lowly sitting receives no reproof from God, but honour; not
unthank nor loss of meed, but great and worthy worship, to the which meekness
best disposes.
Truly this meekness gives praise to Christ, noy
to the fiend, and joy to God's people; it makes Christ's servant to love more
burningly, to serve more devoutly, to praise more worthily; and makes him
fuller of charity. The more that a man meeks himself the more he raises God's
worship on high. He that truly perseveres in the love of God and of his
neighbour, and yet thinks himself unworthier and lower than others, by meekness
and knowledge of himself overcomes enemies, and conquers the love of the High
Judge, and shall be received into endless joy by the angels when he passes from
this light.