How we shuld joye and trusten in our Savior Jesus not presumyng to know His privy counsell. Thirtieth chapter.
The Two Parts of God's Will
Julian describes two parts of God's will: the open and clear part of our salvation, and the hidden part of His secret counsel which we should not seek to know.
He gave me an understanding of two parts. The one part is our Savior and our salvation. This blessed part is open, clear, fair, light, and plentiful, for all of humanity that is of good will—and will be—is encompassed in this part.✦12 We are bound to this by God, drawn, counseled, and taught inwardly by the Holy Spirit and outwardly by Holy Church, all in the same grace.3 In this, our Lord wants us to be occupied, rejoicing in Him, for He rejoices in us, and the more abundantly we receive this with reverence and meekness, the more thanks we deserve from Him and the more benefit to ourselves, and thus we may say, rejoicing: our part is our Lord.45 The other part is hidden and shut away from us, that is, everything other than our salvation.6 For it is our Lord's secret counsel, and it belongs to the royal lordship of God to keep His secret counsel in peace, and it belongs to His servant, out of obedience and reverence, not to know His counsel thoroughly.78
Trusting Only in Our Savior
Julian advises us to avoid preoccupation with God's secret counsel, instead following the saints' example of desiring only God's will, and trusting and rejoicing solely in Jesus.
Our Lord has pity and compassion on us, because some creatures make themselves so busy with that. And I'm sure that if we knew how much we would please Him and ease ourselves by leaving it alone, we would. The saints who are in Heaven want to know nothing except what our Lord will show them, and their love and their desire are also ruled by the will of our Lord, and so we ought to will as they do. Then we shall will and desire nothing but the will of our Lord, just as they do. For we are all one in God's meaning.9 And here I was taught that we should trust and rejoice only in our Savior, blessed Jesus, for everything.
Read the original Middle English
He gave me understondyng of two parties. That one party is our Savior and our salvation. This blissid parte is hopyn and clere and faire and lite and plentiuous, for al mankynde that is of good wille, and shal be, is comprehendid in this parte. Herto arn we bounden of God and drawen and councellid and lerid inwardly be the Holy Gost and outwardly be Holy Church in the same grace. In this will our Lord we be occupyed, joyeng in Him, for He onjoyeth in us, and the more plentiuously that we take of this with reverens and mekenes the more thanke we deserven of Hym and the more spede to ourselfe, and thus, may we sey, enjoying our part is our Lord. That other is hid and sperid from us, that is to sey, al that is besiden our salvation. For it is our Lords privy councell, and it longyth to the ryal lordship of God to have His privy councell in pece, and it longyth to His servant for obedience and reverens not to wel wetyn His conselye.
Our Lord hath pety and compassion on us, for that sum creatures make them so besy therin. And I am sekir if we wisten how mekil we shuld plese Hym and ese our selfe to leven it, we wolden. The seynts that be in Hevyn, thei wil nothyng wetyn but that our Lord will shewen hem, and also their charite and their desire is rulid after the wil of our Lord, and thus owen we to willen like to hem. Than shal we nothyng willen ne desiren but the wille of our Lord, like as thei do. For we arn al on in Goddis menyng. And here was I lerynyd that we shal trosten and enjoyen only in our Savior, blisful Jesus, for althynge.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Luke.2.14 — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'and shal be' is elliptical; understood as 'and [that] shall be [of good will]', parallel to the preceding relative clause.
- 2 ↩ME hopyn = open (not 'hoping'); lite = light/luminous in this open-clear-fair series, not 'little'.
- 3 ↩ME 'be' = by (agent); 'lerid' = taught; 'Holy Gost' rendered Holy Spirit per run register.
- 4 ↩ME 'In this will our Lord we be occupyed' parsed as 'In this our Lord wills that we be occupied' (Julian's inverted will + subject pattern).
- 5 ↩ME onjoyeth/enjoying = rejoices/rejoicing (Julian's joy-vocabulary), not casual modern 'enjoy'. 'spede' = benefit/help/advantage; rendered 'benefit'.
- 6 ↩ME sperid = sparred/barred/shut; rendered 'shut away'. 'besiden' kept as 'beside' = apart from / outside the sphere of our salvation.
- 7 ↩ME 'privy councell'/'conselye' = hidden divine secret counsel (not a governmental privy council); rendered 'secret counsel', matching the run's treatment of Julian's privity language.
- 8 ↩ME 'longyth' = belongs/pertains; 'not to wel wetyn' = not to know well/thoroughly (not a silent emendation to 'will to know').
- 9 ↩Julian's menyng kept as 'meaning': God's intended purpose or mind, not mere semantic sense.
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