Us nedyth to longyn in love with Jesus, eschewyng synne for love; the vyleness of synne passith al peynes; and God lovith wol tenderly us while we be in synne, and so us nedyth to doe our neybor. Fortieth chapter.

This is a severayn frendshyp of our curtes Lord, that He kepyth us so tenderly whil we be in synne. And furthermore He touchyth us ful privily and shewyth us our synne be the swete lyte of mercy and grace. But whan we seen ourselfe so foule, than wene we that God were wroth with us for our synne, and than aren we steryd of the Holy Gost be contrition into prayers and desire to amendyng of our life with al our mytes, to slakyn the wreth of God, on to the tyme we fynd a rest in soule and softnes in consciens, and than hope we that God hath forgoven us our synnes. And it is soth. And than shewith our curtes Lord Hymselfe to the soul wol merily and with glad cher with frendful welcummyng as if He had ben in peyn and in prison, sayand swetely thus: "My derlyng, I am glad thou art comen to me; in al thi wo I have ever be with the, and now seist thou my lovyng, and we be onyd in bliss." Thus arn synnes forgoven be mercy and grace, and our soule worshipfully receivid in joye, like as it shal be whan it comyth to Hevyn, as oftentymes as it comys be the gracious werkyng of the Holy Gost and the vertue of Crists passion.

Here understond I sothly that al manner thyng is made redy to us be the grete goodnes of God so ferforth that what tyme we ben our selfe in peas and charite we be verily save. But for we may not have this in fulhede whil we arn here, therefore it befallyth us evermore to leven in swete prayor and in lovely longyng with our Lord Jesus. For He longyth ever to bryng us to the fulhede of joy, as it is afornseid where He shewith the gostly threst. But now because of al this gostly comfort that is afornseyd, if ony man or woman be sterid be foly to seyn or to thinken, "If this be soth, than were it good to synne to have the more mede," or ell to chargyn the less to synne - beware of this steryng. For sothly if it come it is ontrew, and of the enemy of the same trew love that techith us all this comforte. The same blissid love techith us that we should haten synne only for love. And I am sekir, by myn owen felyng, the more that every kinde soul seith this in the curtes love of our Lord God, the lother is hym to synne, and the more he is ashamid.

For if afor us were layd al the peynes in Helle and in Purgatory and in erth - deth and other - and synne, we should rather chose al that peyne than synne. For synne is so vile and so mekyl to haten, that it may be liken to no payne, which peyne is not synne. And to me was shewid no herder helle than synne. For a kynde soule hath non helle but synne. And we gevyn our intent to love and mekenes, be the werkyng of mercy and grace we arn mad al fair and clene. And as mygty and as wyse as God is to save man, as wyllyng He is, for Criste Hymselfe is ground of all the lawis of Cristen men; and He tawth us to doe good ageyn ille. Here may we se that He is Hymselfe this charite, and doith to us as He techith us to don. For He will we be like Hym in holehede of endless love to ourselfe and to our even Cristen.

No more than His love is broken to us for our synne, no more will He that our love be broken to ourselfe and to our evyn Cristen. But nakidly hate synne and endlesly loven the soule as God lovith it; than shal we haten synne lyke as God hatith it, and love the soule as God lovyth it. For this word that God seid is an endless comfort: I kepe the sekirly.