How God is to us everything that is gode, tenderly wrappand us; and all thing that is made, in regard to Almighty it is nothing; and how man hath no rest till he nowteth himselfe and all thing for the love of God. The fifth chapter.
God's Tender Enclosure and the Vision of All Creation
Julian sees God's intimate love wrapping her like a garment, and then a tiny hazelnut-sized thing representing all creation, which continues to exist only because God loves it.
At this same time our Lord showed me a spiritual sight of His intimate love. I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comforting for us. He is our clothing, who for love wraps us, embraces us, and completely encloses us out of tender love, so that He may never leave us, being to us everything that is good, as I understand it. Also in this He showed a little thing the size of a hazelnut in the palm of my hand, and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and thought, What can this be? And it was answered in a general way like this: It is all that is made. I marveled how it could last, for it seemed to me it might suddenly have fallen to nothing because it was so little. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and always will, for God loves it; and so everything has its being by the love of God.
Three Properties and the Need to Empty Creation
From the hazelnut she learns three properties (made, loved, kept) and realizes that the soul cannot rest until it sets aside all created things and clings to God alone.
In this little thing I saw three properties: the first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third that God keeps it. But what the Maker, the Keeper, and the Lover truly is to me, I can't tell — for until I am substantially united to Him, I can never have full rest or true bliss; that is to say, until I am so fastened to Him that there is absolutely nothing made between my God and me.1 We need to know how little creatures are, and to set at nothing everything that is made, so that we may love and have God who is unmade.2 For this is why we are not wholly at ease in heart and soul: we seek rest here in things that are so little — where there is no rest — and do not know our God, who is almighty, all-wise, and all-good; for He is the true rest.✦3 God wants to be known, and it pleases Him that we rest in Him. For nothing beneath Him is enough for us. And this is why no soul is at rest until it is emptied of all things that are made.✦4 When someone is willingly emptied for love, so as to have Him who is all, then that person is able to receive spiritual rest.5
The Soul's Naked Intimacy and the All-Sufficiency of God's Goodness
God delights in a simple soul coming to Him with homely intimacy, praying 'Give me Yourself, for You are enough', and His goodness surpasses all creation, including our making and redemption.
Also our Lord God showed that it is a very great pleasure to Him when a simple soul comes to Him nakedly and plainly and with familiar intimacy.67 For this is the natural yearning of the soul by the touch of the Holy Spirit, according to the understanding I have in this showing: "God of Your goodness, give me Yourself, for You are enough for me, and I may ask for nothing less that can be full worship to You.8 And if I ask for anything that is less, I am always left wanting; but only in You do I have all. And these words are very dear to the soul, and very close; they touch the will of God and His goodness. For His goodness embraces all His creatures and all His blessed works, and surpasses them without end.9 For He is endlessness itself, and He has made us for Himself alone and restored us by His blessed Passion, and keeps us in His blessed love; and all this is of His goodness.10
Read the original Middle English
In this same time our Lord shewed to me a ghostly sight of His homely loveing. I saw that He is to us everything that is good and comfortable for us. He is oure clotheing, that for love wrappeth us, halsyth us, and all becloseth us for tender love, that He may never leeve us, being to us althing that is gode as to myne understondyng. Also in this He shewed a littil thing the quantitye of an hesil nutt in the palme of my hand, and it was as round as a balle. I lokid there upon with eye of my understondyng and thowte, What may this be? And it was generally answered thus: It is all that is made. I mervellid how it might lesten, for methowte it might suddenly have fallen to nowte for littil. And I was answered in my understondyng, It lesteth and ever shall, for God loveth it; and so all thing hath the being be the love of God.
In this littil thing I saw three properties: the first is that God made it, the second is that God loveth it, the third, that God kepith it. But what is to me sothly the maker, the keper, and the lover I canot tell, for till I am substantially onyd to Him I may never have full rest ne very blisse; that is to sey, that I be so festined to Him, that there is right nowte that is made betwix my God and me. It needyth us to have knoweing of the littlehede of creatures and to nowtyn allthing that is made for to love and howe God that is unmade. For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of herete and soule, for we sekyn here rest in those things that is so littil, wherin is no rest, and know not our God that is al mighty, al wise, all gode; for He is the very rest. God will be knowen, and Him liketh that we rest in Him. For all that is beneth Him sufficeth not us. And this is the cause why that no soule is restid till it is nowted of all things that is made. Whan he is willfully nowtid for love, to have Him that is all, then is he abyl to receive ghostly rest.
Also our Lord God shewed that it is full gret plesance to Him that a sily soule come to Him nakidly and pleynly and homely. For this is the kinde yernings of the soule by the touching of the Holy Ghost, as be the understondyng that I have in this sheweing: "God of Thy goodnesse, give me Thyselfe, for Thou art enow to me, and I may nothing aske that is less that may be full worshippe to Thee. And if I aske anything that is lesse, ever me wantith; but only in Thee I have all." And these words arn full lovesome to the soule, and full nere, touchen the will of God and His goodness. For His goodness comprehendith all His creatures and all His blissid works and overpassith without end. For He is the endleshede, and He hath made us only to Himselfe and restorid us be His blissid passion, and kepith us in His blissid love; and all this is of His goodness.
Scripture echoes
Notes
- 1 ↩Middle English 'onyd' (made one) rendered as 'united'; Julian's 'substantially' marks mystical union in being, not a casual closeness.
- 2 ↩'nowtyn' is Julian's technical verb: to regard as nought / empty of claim. 'howe' taken as 'have' (standard witness sense: love and have the unmade God).
- 3 ↩Source 'herete' treated as 'herte' (heart).
- 4 ↩'nowted of' rendered as 'emptied of' to carry Julian's noughting: releasing claim on creatures so God alone remains.
- 5 ↩'ghostly rest' = spiritual rest (not spectral). 'willfully nowtid' = voluntarily noughted / emptied for love.
- 6 ↩ME sily/sely means simple, innocent, or humble rather than foolish; rendered as "simple soul."
- 7 ↩Julian's homely names familiar, at-home intimacy with God, not plainness or ugliness; rendered as "with familiar intimacy."
- 8 ↩kinde here means natural (of created nature), not merely kind; rendered as "natural yearning."
- 9 ↩ME comprehendith means encompass/contain, not merely understand; rendered as "embraces."
- 10 ↩Julian's endleshede is the abstract noun "endlessness"; rendered as "endlessness itself" to keep the ontological force without archaic diction.
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