Us nedith love, longing, and pite; and of three manner of longing in God which arn in us; and how in the day of dome the joy of the blissid shal ben incresid, seing verily the cause of all thyng that God hath don, dredfully tremeland, and thankand for joye, mervelyng the gretnes of God and littlenes of all that is made. Seventy-fifth chapter.
Love, Longing, and Pity
God can do all we need, and the three things we need are love, longing, and pity, which reflect God's own thirst to draw all humankind into Himself.
I saw that God can do everything we need. And these three that I will speak of are what we need: love, longing, and pity.1 Pity in love keeps us in the time of our need, and longing in the same love draws us into Heaven. For God’s thirst is to draw all humankind into Himself—a thirst that has already drawn His holy ones who are now in bliss. As He gathers His living members, He is always drawing and drinking, and yet He still thirsts and longs.2
Three Longings in God
Julian describes three kinds of longing in God—to teach us, to bring us into bliss, and to fill us full on the last day—and assures that pain will end and new bliss will flow from God.
I saw three kinds of longing in God, all directed toward one end; we have these same longings in us, with the same power, and for the same purpose. The first is that He longs to teach us to know Him and love Him forever, as is fitting and helpful for us. The second is that He longs to bring us up into His bliss, just as souls are when they are taken out of pain and into Heaven. The third is to fill us completely with bliss, which will be fulfilled on the last day and will last forever. For I saw, as it is known in our faith, that pain and sorrow will be ended for all who will be saved. And we won't just receive the same bliss the soul has already had in Heaven; we will also receive a new bliss, which will flow abundantly out of God into us and fill us completely. And these are the goods He has ordained to give us from without beginning.
The Last Day and Reverent Dread
The hidden goods will be revealed on the last day, causing such reverent dread that heaven trembles, yet this dread is joyful and leads to meekness, uniting us to God.
These goods are treasured and hidden in Himself. Because until that time, the creature is neither mighty nor worthy to receive them.3 In this we'll truly see the cause of all that He has done.4 And forever we'll see the cause of all that He has suffered.5 And the bliss and the fulfillment will be so deep and so high that, from wonder and marvel, all creatures will have toward God such great reverent dread—surpassing anything that has been seen and felt before—that the pillars of Heaven will tremble and quake; but this kind of trembling and dread will have no pain. But it belongs to the worthy power of God to be seen this way by His creatures: trembling and quaking in dread, from the meekness of joy, marveling at the greatness of God the Maker and at the littleness of all that is made. For seeing this makes the creature wonderfully meek and mild. Therefore God wills — and it also belongs to us, both in nature and in grace — to understand and know this, desiring this sight and this working. For it leads us in the right way, and keeps us in true life, and unites us to God. And as good as God is, so great He is; and as much as it belongs to His Godhead to be loved, so much it belongs to His greatness to be dreaded. For this reverent dread is the beautiful courtesy that exists in Heaven before God's face. And as much as He will then be known and loved more than He is now, so much will He be dreaded more than He is now. Therefore it must necessarily be that all Heaven and earth will tremble and quake when the pillars tremble and quake.✦6
Read the original Middle English
I saw that God may done all that us nedith. And these three that I shall seyen, neden: love, longing, pite. Pite in love kepith us in the time of our nede, and longing in the same love drawith us into Hevyn. For the threist of God is to have the general man into Him, in which thrist He hath drawyn His holy that be now in bliss; and gettand His lively members, ever He drawith and drinkith, and yet He thristith and longith.
I saw three manner of longing in God, and al to one end; of which we have the same in us, and of the same vertue, and for the same end. The first is for that He longyth to learn us to knowen Him and loven Him evermore, as it is convenient and spedefull to us. The second is that He longith to have us up to His bliss as soules arn whan thei arn taken out of peyne into Hevyn. The third is to fulfillen us in bliss, and that shall be on the last day fulfillid, ever to lesten. For I saw, as it is knowne in our feith, that the peyne and sorow shall be endid to all that shall be savid. And not only we shall recevyn the same bliss the soule aforne have had in Hevyn, but also we shall receive a new, which plenteously shall be flowing out of God into us, and fullfillen us. And this be the goods which He hath ordeynid to geve us from without begynnyng.
These goods are tresurid and hidde in Hymselfe. For into that time, creature is not myty ne worthy to receivin them. In this we shall seen verily the cause of all thyng He hat don. And evermore we shall seen the cause of all things that He hath suffrid. And the bliss and the fulfilling shall be so deepe and so hey that, for wonder and mervell, all creatures shall have to God so gret reverent drede, overpassing that hath been seen and felt beforn, that the pillers of Hevyn shall tremelyn and quakyn, but this manner of tremelyng and drede shall have no peyne.
But it longith to the worthy myte of God thus to be beholden of His creatures, dredfully tremeland and quakand for mekehede of joye, mervelyng at the greatnes of God the maker, and of the litilhede of all that is made. For the beholdyng of this makith the creature mervelous meke and mylde. Wherfore God will, and also it longith to us both in kynde and grace, to witten and knowen of this, desirand this syte and this werking. For it ledith us in ryte wey, and kepith us in true life, and onyth us to God. And as good as God is, as gret He is, and as mekil as it longith to His Godhede to be lovid, so mekill it longyth to His grethede to be dredid. For this reverent drede is the faire curtesie that is in Hevyn aforn Gods face. And as mekil as He shall than be knowen and lovid overpassing that He is now, in so mekill He shall be dredid overpassing that He is now. Wherfore it behovith needs to ben that all Hevyn and erth shall tremelyn and quaken when the pillars shall tremelyn and quaken.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Job.26.11 — The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his rebuke.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME pite here means compassionate mercy or tender pity, not condescension; kept as pity to preserve Julian’s triad with love and longing.
- 2 ↩general man rendered as all humankind (the whole of humanity, not one individual). lively members rendered as living members, i.e. living members of Christ’s body.
- 3 ↩ME 'into that time' rendered as 'until that time' (until the last-day fulfillment named in the preceding section). 'myty' kept as 'mighty' (capacity/power), coordinated with 'ne' as 'nor'.
- 4 ↩Source 'hat' read as 'hath'/'has'; parallel to 'hath' in the next sentence.
- 5 ↩ME 'suffrid' rendered as 'suffered' (endured), in parallel with 'don'/'done' and Julian's Passion focus; the alternate ME sense 'allowed/permitted' is less likely here but possible.
- 6 ↩'the pillars' continues the previous section's 'pillars of Heaven'; Job 26:11 is a likely background echo.
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