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Chapter 44ScalePerfB1.1.44

Hou everi man mai be saved bi the passioun of Crist, be he never so wrecchid, yif he

The Certainty of Salvation through the Passion

The author reassures the reader that regardless of past wretchedness, salvation is accessible to all who humbly trust in the Passion of Christ.

Ask for it. And therefore, if you think that I have spoken too high for you earlier here, because you cannot take it in or live it out as I have said or shall say, I will come down to you as low as you wish—for my own good as much as for yours. So I say this: no matter how great a wretch you may be, or how much sin you've committed, forsake yourself and all your works, both good and bad. Cry for mercy and ask only for salvation through the power of His precious Passion, meekly and trustingly, and without a doubt, you'll have it. For this original sin and all the others you've committed, you'll be saved as an enclosed anchoress. And not just you, but all Christian souls who trust in His Passion and humble themselves, acknowledging their wretchedness, asking for mercy and forgiveness solely through the fruit of His precious Passion, and submitting themselves to the sacraments of Holy Church.1 Even if they've been burdened with sin their whole lives and have never felt any spiritual savor, sweetness, or knowledge of God, they'll still be saved and reach the bliss of heaven through this faith and their good will, by the power of the precious Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know all this well, but I'm still glad to say it. See here the endless mercy of our Lord—how low He stoops to you, to me, and to all sinful wretches. Ask for mercy, and you'll have it. As the prophet said in the person of our Lord: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Joel 2:32). Anyone at all who calls on the name of Jesus—that is, who asks for salvation through Jesus and through His passion—will be saved. Some people receive this gracious courtesy of our Lord well and are saved by it; others, trusting in mercy and in this courtesy, stay in their sin and think they'll have it whenever they please.2 And then they cannot have it, because they are taken before they know it, and so they damn themselves.3

The Meaning of the Name Jesus

The author clarifies the apparent contradiction between the necessity of loving the name of Jesus and the hope for salvation for those who have not experienced spiritual sweetness.

But then you say, "If this is true, I wonder greatly, because of what I find written in the sayings of some holy men." Some say, as I understand them, that whoever cannot love this blessed name Jesus, nor find or feel in it spiritual joy and delight with wonderful sweetness in this life, will be shut out from the sovereign joy and spiritual sweetness in the bliss of heaven, and will never reach it.4 Truly, these words stun me and make me greatly afraid when I read them; for I hope, as you say, that many will be saved by the mercy of our Lord through keeping His commandments and through true repentance for the evil life they lived before—people who never felt spiritual sweetness or any inward savor in the name of Jesus or in the love of Jesus.5 And therefore I marvel all the more that they seem to say the opposite of this." I can say that, as it seems to me, this saying is true if it's rightly understood, and it doesn't contradict what I've said. For this name Jesus means nothing else in English but "healer" or "healing."6 Everyone living this wretched life is spiritually sick, for no one lives without sin—which is a spiritual sickness—as Saint John says of himself and other perfect people: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).✦ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us.✦ And so he can never feel or come to the joy of heaven until he is first made whole from this spiritual sickness. But no one with the use of reason can have this spiritual healing unless they desire it, love it, and take delight in it, as much as they hope to obtain it. Since the name of Jesus is nothing other than this spiritual healing, it is true that no one can be saved unless they love and delight in the name of Jesus; for no one can be made spiritually whole unless they love and desire spiritual health.7 For just as, if a man were bodily sick, no earthly thing would be so dear or so necessary to him, or so much to be desired by him, as bodily health—for even if you gave him all the riches and honors of this world and did not make him whole, though you could, you would not please him. It's the same for anyone who is spiritually sick and feels the pain of that sickness. Nothing is so precious to him, nor so necessary, nor so deeply desired, as spiritual health—and that is Jesus, without whom all the joys of heaven cannot please him.8 And this, I hope, is the reason why our Lord, when He took on human nature for our salvation, would not be called by any name that signified His eternal being, or His power, or His wisdom, or His righteousness, but only by the name that signified the cause of His coming and was the salvation of man's soul—which salvation was most precious and most necessary to man. And this salvation is what the name Jesus means. It follows, then, that no one will be saved unless he loves Jesus; for no one can be saved unless he loves salvation specifically to have it through that blessed person Jesus, by the humility of His humanity and the merit of His Passion—a love that even someone who lives and dies in the lowest degree of charity may possess.9 I can also put it another way: whoever cannot love this blessed name Jesus with spiritual joy, or rejoice in it here with heavenly melody, will never experience in heaven that fullness of supreme joy which the one who, in this life, through the abundance of perfect charity, could rejoice in Jesus will feel and have—and this is how the saying may be understood.

Many Mansions in the Father's House

The author explains that while all who love God are saved, there are different degrees of heavenly reward corresponding to different levels of charity and contemplation.

Nevertheless he shall be saved and have full reward in the sight of God, if in this life he is in the lowest degree of charity by keeping God's commandments; for our Lord Himself says this: In domo patris mei multe mansiones sunt (John 14:2).✦ In My Father's house, there are many different dwellings.✦10 Some are for perfect souls who, in this life, were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit and sang praise to God in contemplation of Him, with wonderful sweetness and heavenly delight.11 Because these souls possessed the greatest charity, they will have the highest reward in the bliss of heaven, for they are called God's darlings. Other souls, not disposed to the contemplation of God and lacking the fullness of charity that the apostles or martyrs had at the beginning of the Holy Church, will receive a lower reward in the bliss of heaven, for these are called God's friends. Thus, our Lord in Holy Scripture calls to chosen souls, saying: Comedite, amici, et inebriamini, carissimi.✦ My friends, eat; and my darlings, be drunk.✦12 It is as if our Lord were saying: You who are My friends, because you kept My commandments and set My love before the love of the world, and loved Me more than any earthly thing, you will be fed with the spiritual food of the bread of life.✦ But you who are My darlings—who not only kept My commandments but also, of your own free will, fulfilled My counsels, and beyond that loved Me alone and entirely with all the powers of your soul, and burned in My love with spiritual delight, as the apostles and martyrs chiefly did, and all other souls that by grace could come to the gift of perfection—you will be made drunk with the highest and freshest wine in My cellar: that is, the sovereign joy of love in the bliss of heaven.13

Read the original Latin

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And therfore yif thou thenke that y have heere bifore spoken over highe to thee, for thou mai not take it ne fulfille it as y have seid or schal seie, I wole fal doun to thee as lowe as thou wolt, as wel for my profight as for thyn. And than I seie thus, that be thou nevere so mykil a wrecche, have thou doon never so mykil synne, forsake thisilf and al thi werkes goode and badde, crie merci and aske oonli savacioun bi the vertu of His precious passion mekeli and trustili, and withoute doute thou schalt have it. And for this origynal synne and all othere that thou hast doon, thou schalt be saaf, as ankir incluse; and not oonli thou, but alle Cristene soulis whiche trusten upoun His passioun and meken hemself, knowelechynge her wrecchidnesse, askynge merci and forgyvenesse, by the fruit of His precious passioun oonli, lowynge hemsilf to the sacramentis of Holi Chirche. Though it be so that thei han ben encombrid with synne al here liyftyme and nevere hadden felynge of goostli savour or swetenesse or gostli knowynge of God, thei schullen in this feith and in here good wille, bi vertue of this precious passioun of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, be saf and come to the blisse of hevene. Al this knowist thou wel, but yit me liketh for to seie it. See here the endelees merci of oure Lord, how lowe He falleth to thee and to me and to alle synful caityves. Aske merci and have it. Thus seide the prophete in the persone of oure Lord: Omnis enim quicunque invocaverit nomen domini, salvus erit (Joel 2:32).

Everi man, whatevere he be, calle the name of Jhesu, that is to seie aske savacion bi Jhesu and bi His passioun, he schal be saaf. This curtesie of oure Lord summe men taken wel, and ben savyd therbi, and summe in truste of merci and of this curtesie liyn stille in here synne, and wenen for to have it whanne hem list. And thanne mowe thei not, for thei aren taken or thei witen, and so thei dampnen hemself.

But than seist thou: "Yif this be sooth, thanne wondre y greteli for that y fynde writen in summe hooli mennys sawes. Sume seyn, as I undirstonde, that he that cannot love this blissid name Jhesu, ne fynde ne fele in it goostli joie and delitableté with wondirful swettenesse in this lif here, fro the sovereyn joie and goostli swettenesse in the blisse of hevene he schal be aliene, and nevere schal he come therto. Sotheli thise wordes, whanne I hem rede, stoneth me and maketh me greteli aferd; for y hope, as thou seist, that many bi the merci of oure Lord schullen ben saaf bi kepynge of Hise comaundementis and by veri repentaunce for here yvel lif bifore doon, the whiche felid nevere goostli swetenesse ne inly savoure in the name of Jhesu or in the love of Jhesu. And forthi I mervaile me the more that thei seie contrarie hereto, as it semeth."

As unto this y mai seie as me thenketh, that there seiynge, yif it be wel undirstonde, is sooth, ne hit is not contrarie to that that y have seid. For this name Jhesu is not ellis for to seie upon Ynglisch but heelere or hele. Now every man that lyveth in this wrecchid lif is goostli sike, for there is no man that lyveth withoutin synne, the whiche is goostli sikenesse, as Seynt Johun seith of hymsilf and othere perfight men thus: Si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus, ipsi nos seducimus, et veritas in nobis non est (1 John 1:8). Yif we seyn that we have noo synne, we bigile ouresilf and there is noo soothfastnes in us. And forthi he mai nevere fele ne come to the joie of hevene unto he be first maad hool of this goostli sikenesse. But this gostli heele mai noo man have that hath use of resoun but yif he desire it and love it and have delite thereinne, in as michel as he hopith for to gete it. Now the name of Jhesu is nothyng ellis but this goostli hele; wherfore it is sooth that thei seyn, that ther mai no man be saaf but yif he love and like in the name of Jhesu, for there mai no man be goostli hool but yif he love and desire goosteli heele. For right as yif a man were bodili sike, there were noon ertheli thynge so dere ne so nedeful to hym, ne so mykil schulde be desired of him as bodili heele, for though thou woldest geve hym alle the rychessis and worschipis of this world and nought make hym hool, yif thou myghtest, thou plesist hym not.

Right soo it is to a man that is sike goostli and felith the peyne of goostli sikenesse. Nothinge is so dere, ne so nedeful, ne so mykil coveited of hym, as is goostli heele; and that is Jhesu, withouten which alle the joies of hevene mai not like hym.

And this is the skile, as I hope, whi oure Lord whanne He took mankynde for oure savacion, He nolde not be callid bi noon name that bitokenyd His endelees beynge, or His myght, or His wisdom, or His rightwisenesse, but oonli bi that that bitokened the cause of His comynge and was savacion of mannys soule, which savacion was most dere and most nedeful to man. And this savacion bitokeneth this name Jhesu. Thanne bi this it semeth sooth that there schal no man be saaf, but yif he love Jhesu; for there may no man be saaf but yif he love savacion oonli, for to have it thorugh that blissid persone Jhesu bi the mekenesse of His manhede and by the merite of His passioun, whiche love he may have that lyveth and dieth in the lowest degré of charité. Also y mai seie, on anothir manere, that he that cannot love this blissid name Jhesu with goostli mirthe, ne enjoie in it with heveneli melodie here, he schal nevere have ne fele in hevene that fulhed of sovereyne joie the whiche he that myght in this liyf bi habundaunce of perfight charité enjoie in Jhesu schal fele and have, and so mai here seiynge ben undirstande.

Neverthelees he schal be saaf and have ful mede in the sight of God, yif he in this liyf be in the lowest degré of charité bi kepinge of Goddis comaundementis; for oure Lord seith Hymsilf thus: In domo patris mei multe mansiones sunt (John 14:2). In My Fadris hous aren many sere dwellynges. Summe are for parfite soules, the which in this liyf were fulfilled of grace of the Holi Gost and songen loovynge to God in contemplacion of Hym, with wondirful swettenesse and heveneli savour. Thise soules, for thei hadden moost charité, schullen have highest mede in the blisse of hevene, for thise are callid Goddis derlyngges. Othere soulis that are not disposid to contemplacion of God, ne hadden not the fulhed of charité as aposteles or martyres hadden in the bigynnynge of Hooli Chirche, schullen have the lower meede in the blisse of hevene, for thise are callid Goddis frendes. Thus calleth oure Lord in Holi Writ chosen soules, seiynge thus: Comedite, amici, et inebriamini, carissimi (Canticle 5:1). Mi freendes, ete yee, and my derlynges, be yee dronken. As yif oure Lord seid thus: Yee that aren My frendes, for yee kepid My comaundementis and sette My love bifore the love of the world, and loved Me more thanne ony erthli thyng, yee schullen be feed with goostli foode of the breed of liyf.

But ye that aren My derlynges, that not oonli keped My comaundementis, but also of youre owen fre wil fulfilleden My conceils, and over that ye loveden Me oonli and entierli with alle the myghtis of youre soule, and brenneden in My love with goostli delite, as diden principali the aposteles and martires and alle othere soules that myghten bi grace come to the gifte of perfeccioun: yee schullen be maad dronken with the highest and freschest wyn in My celere, that is, the sovereyne joie of love in the blisse of hevene.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩1John.1.8 — If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
  2. ↩1John.1.8 — If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
  3. ↩John.14.2 — In my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you? I go to prepare a place for you.
  4. ↩John.14.2 — In my Father's house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you? I go to prepare a place for you.
  5. ↩Song.5.1 — I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; drink, and be drunk with love.
  6. ↩Song.5.1 — I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, friends; drink, and be drunk with love.
  7. ↩John.15.14 — You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩ME ankir incluse = enclosed anchorite/anchoress; the work addresses an anchoress, so the phrase marks her state of life, then widens the promise to all Christian souls.
  2. 2 ↩ME curtesie here means God's gracious generosity or condescension, not social etiquette; rendered as 'gracious courtesy' to keep Hilton's word while marking the sense.
  3. 3 ↩ME or here means 'before' (ere), not disjunctive 'or': aren taken or thei witen = are seized (by death) before they know.
  4. 4 ↩goostli joie / delitableté / wondirful swettenesse name interior consolations in devotion to the Holy Name, not mere emotion; aliene = estranged/excluded from heavenly joy.
  5. 5 ↩stoneth me = astonishes/stuns me (not stones/pelts); inly savoure = inward spiritual taste or relish.
  6. 6 ↩ME hele / heelere: health, healing, and healer (etymological gloss of the name Jesus).
  7. 7 ↩ME like in = take pleasure/delight in (not modern 'like' as mild preference).
  8. 8 ↩ME like hym means 'please him / delight him,' not modern 'resemble him'; rendered as 'please him' to keep the sense of the prior bodily analogy.
  9. 9 ↩ME 'love savacion oonli, for to have it' is read as loving salvation solely for the purpose of receiving it through Jesus; an alternate parse takes 'oonli' as 'salvation alone' (to the exclusion of other goods).
  10. 10 ↩ME 'sere' = various/diverse/several; rendered as 'different' to keep the sense of distinct heavenly places.
  11. 11 ↩ME 'savour' can mean taste, relish, or spiritual delight; rendered as 'delight' for modern readability while keeping the contemplative savor of God.
  12. 12 ↩Spiritual inebriation (ME 'dronken') is retained as 'be drunk' to match the Canticle image of being filled to overflowing with divine love, not literal drunkenness.
  13. 13 ↩Middle English “conceils” means counsels (evangelical counsels beyond the commandments), not mere advice in a casual sense.

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