By three thyngs God is worshippid and we savid; and how our knowing now is but as an ABC. And swete Jhesus doith all, abyding and monyng with us, but whan we arn in synne, Christ monyth alone. Than it longith to us for kindness and reverens hastily to turne agen to Him. Eightieth chapter.
The Three Gifts of God
God gives us natural reason, the teaching of Holy Church, and the inward working of the Holy Spirit, all of which are one God and lead us to heavenly fullness.
A person stands in this life by three things; through these three God is worshipped, and we are helped, kept, and saved.1 The first is the use of a person's natural reason. The second is the common teaching of Holy Church. The third is the inward, gracious working of the Holy Spirit. These three all come from one God: God is the ground of our natural reason, God is the teaching of Holy Church, and God is the Holy Spirit.23 These are all distinct gifts, and He wants us to pay close attention to them and apply ourselves to them. They work in us continually, all directed toward God, and they are great things. He wants us to have knowledge of these great things here as if in an ABC—meaning that we have a little knowledge, of which we will have the fullness in Heaven—and that is to help us grow.4
Christ Alone Works and Waits for Us
Christ alone accomplishes our salvation, dwells with us, and abides in sorrow and mourning until He brings us to bliss, and all our contrition is Christ in us.
We know in our faith that God alone took our nature, and no one but Him; and furthermore, that Christ alone did all the works that belong to our salvation, and no one but Him; and in the same way, He alone does now, at the last end.5 That is to say, He dwells here with us and rules us and governs us in this life and brings us to His bliss.6 And so He will do as long as any soul is on earth that will come to Heaven; and to such an extent that if there were only one such soul, He would be altogether alone until He had brought it up to His bliss.7 I believe and understand the ministry of angels, as the learned teach, but it was not shown to me. For He Himself is nearest and meekest, highest and lowest, and does everything. And not only everything we need, but He also does everything that is for our joyful honor in Heaven. And where I say He abides in sorrow and mourning, it means all the true feeling we have in ourselves in contrition and compassion, and all the grief and mourning that we are not one with our Lord. And all such that is profitable for us is Christ in us. And though some of us feel it seldom, it never leaves Christ until the time He has brought us out of all our woe. For love never allows itself to be without pity.
Turning Back to Christ When We Fall
When we fall into sin, Christ bears the charge alone and mourns, so we should quickly turn back to Him out of reverence and kindness, knowing He never leaves us alone.
And when we fall into sin and leave the thought of Him and the keeping of our own soul, then Christ alone bears the whole charge of us, and so He stands in sorrow and mourning.8 Then it's up to us, out of reverence and kindness, to turn quickly back to our Lord and not leave Him alone.9 He is here alone with us all—that is, He is here only for us. And when I am estranged from Him by sin, despair, or sloth, then I let my Lord stand alone as much as it lies in me. And so it goes with all of us who are sinners. But though we do this often, His goodness never lets us be alone; rather, He is with us continually, and He tenderly excuses us, and always shields us from blame in His sight.10
Read the original Middle English
Be three things man stondith in this life, be which three God is worshippid and we be spedid, kept, and savid. The first is use of manys reason naturall. The second is commen teching of Holy Church. The thred is inward, gracious werking of the Holy Gost. And these three ben all of one God: God is the ground of our kindly reason, and God, the teaching of Holy Church, and God is the Holy Gost. And all ben sundry gifts to which He will we have gret regard and attenden us therto. For these werkyn in us continualy all to God, and these ben grete thyngs, of which gret things He will we have knowing here as it were in one ABC; that is to seyn, that we have a litill knoweing, whereof we shall have fullhede in Hevyn; and that is for to spede us.
We knowen in our feith that God alone toke our kinde, and non but He; and ferthermore that Criste allone did all the werks that longin to our salvation, and none but He; and ryte so He alone doith now in the last end. That is to sey, He wonnyth here with us and rulith us and governith us in this lifing and bringith us to His bliss. And thus shall He doe as long as ony soule is in erth that shall come to Hevyn; and so ferforth that if ther were no suich soule but one, He shuld be, with all, alone, till He had brought it up to His bliss.
I leve and understond the ministration of angells, as clerks tellen, but it was not shewid me. For Himselfe is nerest and mekest, heyest and lowest, and doith all. And not only all that us neds, but also He doith all that is worshipfull to our joy in Hevyn. And wher I sey he abidith swemefully and monyng, it menyth all the trew felyng that we have in ourselfe in contrition and compassion, and all sweming and monyng that we are not onyd with our Lord. And all swich that is spedfull, it is Christ in us. And thow some of us fele it seldam, it passith never fro Criste till what tyme He hath browte us out of all our wo. For love suffrith never to be without pite.
And what tyme that we fallen into synne and leve the mynd of Him and the keping of our own soule, than kepith Criste alone al the charge of us, and thus stondith He swemely and monyng. Than longith it to us for reverence and kindeness to turne us hastely to our Lord and levyen Him not alone. He is here alone with us all; that is to sey, only for us, He is here. And what tyme I am strange to Him be synne, dispeir, or slawth, than I let my Lord stonden alone in as mekill as it is in me. And thus it farith with us all which ben synners. But thow it be so that we do thus oftentimes, His goodnes suffrith us never to be alone, but lestingly He is with us, and tenderly He excusith us, and ever sheildith us fro blame in His syte.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME speden: prosper/further/help along. Rendered as furthered to match Julian's later for to spede us (help us on our way).
- 2 ↩kindly = of our created nature/kind; rendered natural reason to match reason naturall in s2.
- 3 ↩Source is elliptical (no is). Parallel structure supplied: God is the teaching of Holy Church.
- 4 ↩ABC = alphabet primer: elementary beginnings of knowledge, not the acronym sense.
- 5 ↩ME 'kinde' rendered as 'nature' (human nature assumed in the Incarnation). 'in the last end' keeps Julian's eschatological/consummation phrase rather than paraphrasing to 'final purpose' or 'end of time.'
- 6 ↩ME 'wonnyth' (from wonen) rendered 'dwells'; 'lifing' as 'life'; 'bliss' kept as Julian's term for heavenly blessedness.
- 7 ↩ME 'with all' taken as 'altogether' (entirely), yielding 'altogether alone' for Christ's exclusive sole agency even toward a single soul; 'so ferforth that' rendered 'so far that'.
- 8 ↩ME 'swemely' (cf. 'swemefully' in the prior section) names Christ's grieving sorrow; rendered as 'in sorrow' to keep Julian's sense without archaism.
- 9 ↩ME 'kindeness' here is the owed courtesy and grateful affection toward Christ, paired with reverence; not mere niceness.
- 10 ↩ME 'lestingly' read as 'lastingly/continually' (enduring presence).
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