It is esier to know God than our soule, for God is to us nerer than that, and therfore if we will have knowing of it, we must seke into God; and He will we desir to have knowledge of kynde, mercy, and grace. Fifty-sixth chapter.

And thuss I saw full sekirly that it is ridier to us to cum to the knowyng of God than to knowen our owne soule, for our soule is so deepe groundid in God and so endlesly tresurid that we may not cum to the knowing therof till we have first knowing of God which is the maker to whom it is onyd. But notwithstondyng, I saw that we have of fulhede to desiren wisely and treuly to knowen our owne soule, wherby we are lernid to sekyn it wher it is, and that is in God. And thus be gracious ledyng of the Holy Gost, we should knowen hem both in on. Whither and we be sterid to knowen God or our soule, they arn both good and trew. God is nerer to us than our owen soule, for He is ground in whom our soule stondith, and He is mene that kepith the substance and the sensualite to God so that thai shall never departyn.

For our soule sittith in God in very rest, and our soule stondith in God in very strength, and our soule is kindly rotid in God in endles love. And therfore if we wil have knowlidge of our soule and comenyng and daliance therwith, it behovith to sekyn into our Lord God in whom it is inclosid. And of this inclos I saw and understode more in the sixteenth shewing, as I shall sey. And anempts our substaunce and sensualite, it may rytely be clepid our soule, and that is be the onyng that it hath in God. The worshipfull cyte that our Lord Jesus sittith in, it is our sensualite, in which He is inclosid; and our kindly substance is beclosid in Jesus with the blissid soule of Criste sitting in rest in the Godhede.

And I saw full sekirly that it behovith neds to be that we shuld ben in longyng and in penance into the time that we be led so depe into God that we verily and trewly knowen our own soule. And sothly I saw that into this hey depenes, our good Lord Himselfe ledith us in the same love that He made us, and in the same love that He bowte us be mercy and grace throw vertue of His blissid passion. And notwithstondyng al this, we may never come to full knowyng of God till we know first clerely our owne soule. For into the tyme that it is in the full myts we may not be al ful holy, and that is that our sensualite be the vertue of Crists passion be browte up to the substance, with al the profitts of our tribulation that our Lord shall make us to gettyn be mercy and grace. I had in partie touching; and it is grounded in kynde. That is to sey, our reson is groundid in God which is substantial heyhede. Of this substantial kindhede mercy and grace springith and spredith into us, werking al things in fulfilling of our joy. These arn our grounds in which we have our incres and our fulfilling.

For in kind we have our life and our beyng; and in mercy and grace we have our incres and our fulfilling. These be three propertes in on goodnes, and wher on werkith, all werkyn in the things which be now longyng to us. God will we onderstond, desirand of al our hert and al our strength to have knowing of hem more and mor into the time that we ben fulfillid. For fully to knowen hem and clerely to sen hem is not ell but endless joy and bliss that we shall have in Hevyn, which God will they ben begun here in knowing of His love. For only be our reson we may not profitteyn, but if we have verily therwith mynd and love; ne only in our kindly ground that we have in God we may not be savid, but if we have connyng of the same ground, mercy, and grace. For of these three werkynges altogeder we receive all our goodnes, of the which the first arn goods of kynd. For in our first makyng God gaf us as ful goods and also greter godes as we myte receivin only in our spirite. But His forseing purpos in His endles wisdam wold that we wern duble.