| 70. "Above the Faith is no goodness kept in this life" | ||||
IN all this blessed Showing our good Lord gave understanding that the Sight should pass: which blessed Showing the Faith keeps, with His own good will and His grace. For He left with me neither sign nor token whereby I might know it, but He left with me His own blessed word in true understanding, bidding me full mightily that I should believe it. And so I do, Blessed may He be! I believe that He is our Saviour that showed it, and that it is the Faith that He showed: and therefore I believe it, rejoicing. And thereto I am bounden by all His own meaning, with the next words that follow: Keep you therein, and comfort you therewith, and trust you thereto. | ||||
Thus I am bounden to keep it in my faith. For on the same day that it was shown, what time that the Sight was passed, as a wretch I forsook it, and openly I said that I had raved. Then our Lord Jesus of His mercy would not let it perish, but He showed it all again within in my soul with more fulness, with the blessed light of His precious love: saying these words full mightily and full meekly: Wit it now well: it was no raving that you sawest this day. As if He had said: For that the Sight was passed from you, you losedst it and hadst not skill to keep it. But wit it now; that is to say, now that you see it. This was said not only for that same time, but also to set thereupon the ground of my faith when He says anon following: But take it, believe it, and keep you therein and comfort you therewith and trust you thereto; and You will not be overcome. | ||||
In these six words that follow (Take it [etc.] His meaning is to fasten it faithfully in our heart: for He wills that it dwell with us in faith to our life's end, and after in fulness of joy, desiring that we have ever steadfast trust in His blissful behest knowing His Goodness. | ||||
For our faith is contraried in diverse manners by our own blindness, and our spiritual enemy, within and without; and therefore our precious Lover helps us with spiritual sight and true teaching in sundry manners within and without, whereby that we may know Him. And therefore in whatsoever manner He teaches us, He wills that we perceive Him wisely, receive Him sweetly, and keep us in Him faithfully. For above the Faith is no goodness kept in this life, as to my sight, and beneath the Faith is no help of soul; but in the Faith, there wills the Lord that we keep us. For we have by His goodness and His own working to keep us in the Faith; and by His sufferance through ghostly enmity we are assayed in the Faith and made mighty. For if our faith had none enmity, it should deserve no meed, according to the understanding that I have in all our Lord's teaching. | ||||