He that chesith God for love with reverent mekeness is sekir to be savid, which reverent mekenes seith the Lord mervelous grete and the selfe mervelous litil. And it is God will we drede nothing but Him, for the power of our enemy is taken in our freinds hand. And therfore al that God doith shall be gret likyng to us. Sixty-fifth chapter.
Assurance in Love and Reverent Fear
God assures the soul that chooses Him for love, leading to reverent fear of Him alone and peace in all His doings.
And so I understood that any man or woman who willingly chooses God in this life out of love can be sure of being loved without end, and that this endless love works that grace in him. For He wills that we keep this trust: that we all be sure in hope—in hope of the bliss of Heaven while we are here—just as we will be in certainty when we are there.1 And the more delight and joy we take in this security, with reverence and meekness, the better it pleases Him, as it was shown. This reverence I'm speaking of is a holy, courteous fear of our Lord, and meekness is knit to it. And that means a creature sees the Lord as marvelously great, and itself as marvelously little. For these virtues belong endlessly to those God loves, and they may now be seen and felt in measure through our Lord's gracious presence when it is given; and that presence is, in everything, what is most desired, for it works a marvelous assurance in true faith and sure hope by the greatness of charity, in a fear that is sweet and delightful.2 It is God's will that I see myself as deeply bound to Him in love as if He had done for me all that He has done. And this is how every soul should think regarding its Lover.3 That is to say, God's love makes such a unity in us that when it is truly seen, no one can separate himself from another. And so our soul ought to think that God has done for it all that He has done; and He shows this to make us love Him and fear nothing but Him. For it is His will that we know that all our enemy's power is taken into our Friend's hand, and therefore the soul that knows this securely will fear nothing but Him whom he loves.✦✦4 He sets all our fears among passions and bodily sickness and imaginings; and therefore, though we are in so much pain, woe, and distress that it seems we can think of nothing at all except what we are in or what we feel, as soon as we can, let us pass lightly over it and count it as nothing.5 And why? For God wills that we know this: if we know Him, and love Him, and reverently fear Him, we will have peace and be in great rest, and all that He does will be a great delight to us.6 And our Lord showed this in these words: "What then should it grieve you to suffer a while, since it is my will and my glory?"✦7
The Fifteen Revelations
Julian recounts the fifteen showings, noting their beginning early in the morning and their unfolding until noon.
Now I've told you of fifteen Revelations, as God was pleased to bring them to my mind, renewed by lightings and touchings — I hope it's from the same Spirit that showed them all. Of these fifteen showings, the first began early in the morning around four o'clock, and it lasted — unfolding in due course, very fair and sure, each following the other — until noon had passed.8
Read the original Middle English
And thus I understode that what man or woman wilfully chesith God in this life for love, he may be sekir that he is lovid without end, which endless love werkith in him that grace. For He will that we kepe this trosty, that we be all sekir in hope, in hope of the bliss of Hevyn whil we arn here, as we shall be in sekirnes whan we arn there. And ever the more likyng and joy that we taken in this sekirness with reverens and mekenes, the better likyth Him, as it was shewid.
This reverens that I mene is a holy, curtes drede of our Lord, to which mekeness is knitt. And that is, that a creture seith the Lord mervelous grete, and the selfe mervelous litil. For these vertues arn had endlesly to the lovid of God, and it mon now ben sen and felt in mesure be the gracious presence of our Lord whan it is; which presens in althing is most desirid, for it werkith mervelous sekirness in trew feith and sekir hope be gretness of charite, in drede that is swete and delectable. It is God will that I se myselfe as mekil bounden to Him in love, as if He had don for me al that He hath don. And thus should every soule thinkyn in reward of his lover. That is to seyn, the charite of God makyth in us such a unite that whan it is trewly seen, no man can parten himselfe fro other. And thus oweth our soule to thinken that God hath don for him al that He hath don; and this shewith He to maken us to loven Him and nowte drede but Him.
For it is His will that we wetyn that al the myte of our enemy is token into our frends hand, and therfore the soule that wott sekirly this, he shall not dredyn but Him that he lovith. All our dreds He setteth among passions and bodely sekenes and imaginations; and therfore thow we be in so mech payne, wo, and disese that us thinkith we can thynke ryte nowte but that we arn in or that we felyn, as sone as we may, pass we lytely over and sett we it at nowte. And why? For God will we knowen; if we knowen Him, and loven Him, and reverently dredyn Him, we shall have peas and ben in great rest, and it shall be great lykyng to us, all that He doith. And this shewid our Lord in these words: What shuld it than agrevyn the to suffre a while, sith it is my will and my worshippe?
Now have I told you of fifteen Revelations, as God vouchsafe to ministren hem to mynd, renewid by lyghtings and tuchyngs, I hope of the same spirite that shewid hem all. Of which fifteen shewings, the first beganne erly on the morne aboute the howre of fowre, and it lestid, shewing be process ful faire and sekirly ich folowand other, till it was none of the day overpassid.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Luke.10.19;Col.2.15 — Look, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing at all will harm you. Col.2.15 — He disarmed the rulers and the authorities, made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
- ↩Matt.10.28 — And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
- ↩2Cor.4.17;1Pet.5.10 — For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 1Pet.5.10 — But the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore, strengthen, establish, and ground you.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME 'trosty' rendered as 'trust' (the confident reliance to be kept); 'sekirnes' as 'certainty' (fulfilled assurance in heaven), parallel to 'sekir in hope' while still here.
- 2 ↩ME 'drede that is swete and delectable' rendered as sweet, delightful fear: Julian's reverent dread, not terror.
- 3 ↩ME 'in reward of' taken as 'with regard to / regarding,' not as recompense.
- 4 ↩enm 'frends hand' keeps Julian's image of God/Christ as the soul's Friend, into whose hand the enemy's power has been delivered.
- 5 ↩enm 'setteth among' means God ranks or classifies these fears with passions, sickness, and phantasms—not as truths to trust, but as passing afflictions.
- 6 ↩enm 'lykyng' is rendered 'delight' to keep Julian's sense of deep glad consent to all God does, not mere preference.
- 7 ↩enm 'worshippe' here means God's honor/glory, not liturgical worship alone.
- 8 ↩ME "none" here means noon/midday, not negation.
Revelations of Divine Love (Showings) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent