Thus then speaketh this soul, abashed by naught-thinking, by this far night of night; who in peace delighteth herself. It is this life of God in himself which is the object of her worship and love, and her treasure being thus hid with Christ in God, even the possession of God within herself becomes a secondary love.It is because the souls very Being is thus focussed in the divine life that she can be indifferent to all lower material and spiritual desires and wills; indifferent as to whether pain or pleasure, mortification or prosperity befall her. Then the soul is dangerous, noble, and delicious, in which she may not suffer that anything touch her but the touchings of pure delight of love, in the which she is singularly gladsom and jolly, and it maketh her proud, of abundance of love. Another should have done it much better. The scheme of the Threefold Ascent, as expounded by Love and the Free Soul, is a vindication of the valid rational factor; and there may be significance in the passage where, rejoicing over the death of Reason (the rationalistic figure), Love claims that she herself will now put the questions to the Soul which Reason would have asked, and she does in effect argue awhile from the rationalist point of view until, later, rationalism merges into illumined Reasonableness. Then comes the final breakdown of selfhood, the death of affection of spirit. The personal poignancy has survived the diffuseness of the other pages, and comes down to us through the centuries, echoing first the bitterness of Rama and then the triumph of the Magdalen. This establishes the approximate date of the composition. Charity is so wise a merchant that she winneth over all where others lose, and escapeth from perils where others perish, unto plenteous multiplying of that that is in love. It ariseth from no other thing[248] but that [the soul] was not yet there,[249] as compared to the great gifts that he hath to give, and the same that never was given nor said of mouth, nor of heart thought, [may be had] if anyone desired this, and could dispose himself thereto.. The humour and common sense that mark the treatment throughout is a significant indication of the real sanity of the authors point of view. He is right well born that is of that lineage, those be folks royal, their hearts are so excellent noble, and of such great worthiness and wisdom that they may not do thing of little value, nor begin thing without attaining the crown. And her joy of his goodness in recalling the bounties of her salvation, it beareth her light into the supreme place, where she is oned to her Spouse, and this pleaseth her in his pleasure. If we wit it not now, we shall wit it when the body our soul leaveth.. And now she liveth of the life of glory, the which life of glory is born in the death of mortifying the spirit. Now tell me, saith Love to the three divine virtues, why ask ye of us, what these souls be and where they be, and what they do? The Mirror provides many illustrations of the conflict then raging, notably the obscure passage concerning the Sacrament if it be brayed in a mortar, which possibly refers to controversy over the nature of the Eucharist. These souls of this disposition be drawn at other times to behold Gods privy works, his judgements, and his providences. For, Lord, it is so great a thing to see the angels and the souls to whom you have given the vision of your face, that no human body is worthy to see so great a thing, as be the angels and the souls. Her only comfort is in the knowledge of the sufficiency of her Beloved, according to Pure Love. . She feeleth no joy, for she herself is joy. How may one understand by this saying that he hath not given me all? For in this, that he hath given me free will, of his pure bounty, he hath given me all if my will will it; he holdeth nothing from me, I am thereof sikker. This often is disguised as zeal for our neighbours spiritual welfare, and so constitutes a further error by involving them in the love of creatures. . Nor hath she naught of will. And this that is mine is that [whereby] I fell[278] you with love and wound you to death. But they alone be free, saith this soul, that be free; whom Faith and Love govern, for they rest from all servitudes, without having dread of things redoubtable or desire of any very delectable [thing]. I am not. And after him read it a Master of Divinity, that was named Master Godfrey of Fountayns : and he blamed it not, no more did the others; but he said thus, that he counselled not that many[23] should see it, and for this cause, because they might leave their own working[24] and follow this calling, to the which they should never come; and so they might deceive themselves. In the fount of baptism these two natures are put together without corruption, by the divine justice that hath made these two natures. I beheld him in me and me in him, and willed great wills for him. for Gods [sake], is this the manner of Love?, Ah, sweet soul, saith Love, you know better than you say; for if you have given him all, that is the best that may befall you, for you have given him nothing but that was his before you gave it him; and now, behold what you have done for him!, Sweet Love, saith this soul, you say sooth, I may not nor will not deny it., O right sweet soul, saith Love, what would you that he gave you? Now have we will coming out of his bounty and out of his might, for to be more free, as he hath will of his might and of his proper freedom. Further investigation leads to the discovery that the movement is not a cyclical repetition, but an ascending spiral leading from earth to heaven. Nor for no other thing was the soul made, but for to have in her without end the being of pure charity., O my Lord God, saith this soul, what have I said of you!, Think, saith Love, and see if you can know your words.. All thing that is of him, it is of him verily fulfilled and thus it is that nothing is, unless it be of him, and this I say hath me of all things consumed.. And if I had as great torments as he is of might, I should love better these torments, if they came of him, than I should glory that came not of him, [even were I] to have it everlastingly. and such is the Beloved of my soul, saith the soul herself.[144]. Thus it is right, saith she, that all things be hallowed to me, even as all things be made for me, and for this I take it, as for mine, without challenging. they say Nay. Eh! The seventh is of the seraphins, how they be in the divine will.. But by his divinity and by his divine might, and by the virtue of his holy word, the host turneth into his precious body of flesh and blood. She will not go forth from her retirement to hear you speak, by her own motion only if you call and summon her. St John definitely assigns a painful significance to the Dark Night, he regards it as a means of purgation, intervening between the stages of illumination. There be works of virtues, counselled of reason, ended by discretion; but they alone that be updrawn of love and led by love, they owe nothing but love; they are therefore as much quit as love hath quitted them., I call, saith Love, this soul perfectly wise, among my chosen but little folk cannot praise nor know of worthy value., Ah, Lady Love, saith Reason, whom call ye wise?. The editor wishes to acknowledge a great debt of gratitude to all who have kindly assisted in preparing this edition. for in the time that this gift was given, I was, by bounty divine, of the same nature as the gift itself. Oh, is he not Almighty? But when she took love, she sought him by desire of will, in feeling of her spirit. N. Ah, Lady Love, saith Reason, expound now the nine points, for your courtesy, to the desirous contemplatives that be and dwell ever in desire of love, which nine points you rehearsed here afore; of her that fine love asketh, in whom love dwelleth and is set in life naughted, by which the soul is molten in pure love., The first point, Love, saith Reason, is that which you have said; that none may find her.. Venerabilis Godfridus de Fontanis, Master of Theology at the Sorbonne, who flourished c. 1286-1303, and who appears to have died in 1306, when Ruysbroeck was a child of thirteen. [301] The language of this divine life is close silence of the divine love; she hath wist this afar off, and of long known, that there is nothing more divine than alway to will the divine will., O ye that stand in desires and be not yet come to the rest of spirit, work and travail busily, and naught yourselves, for none may rest him in highful rest that is alway restfulable, unless he be afore awearied, I am thereof sikker. Ye have sat at my table, so I have given you my mess, and so have ye right well learned, and right well my mess savoured, and my vines of fulness, of which ye be the cutting. The humour at the expense of Reason that characterises this work, is at times a double-edged sword, but more generally it is a persistent contempt for rationalistic interpretations, which is quite distinct from and compatible with a real acceptance of the rational point of view. Thus this book must be taken as concerning these usages. For such usages and such touches, such movings and such beholdings these souls have, as it is written in this book, and many more, forsooth, as ye may well conceive. And the soul beholdeth with great dread that God hath commanded her to love him with all her heart and her even-Christian as herself. For wit it for sooth, that they whom encumbrances trouble, be full far from this life that we have spoken of., Now, for love, saith Understanding of divine light, tell me, among you, who have somewhat to answer, what ye understand by this., And we shall tell you, say the souls of-wit-of-nature, what we understand by this. Answering back, modern souls offer their own lamentations in poems such as"The Tired Atheist" and "Driving on the Bypass." I tell you, saith Truth, that the humanity of Christ Jesu neither cometh nor goeth. And how may this be? saith Temptation. The contradiction is again only superficial. Modern words from a 13th C mystic. Why should I not do thus? And for this, that he is all by all, this soul, saith Love, findeth him over all, so that because of this, all things are to this soul convenient; for she findeth nothing but that she findeth God. Why should such souls have conscience to take that which they lack, and that which is theirs, when they have need? Now am I all evils and he is all goodness, and to the most poor ought the alms from his equals to be done, or else there is taken from him the thing that should be his of right. In God is this choice, but it is not of Time. He that brenneth hath no cold, nor he that drinketh hath no thirst, and this soul, saith Love, is so burnt in the furnace of fire of love, that she is become fire; so that she feeleth no fire, for she herself is fire, by the virtue of love that hath brought her into himself, by fine love. Reason praiseth the Magdalen for she sought Jesu Christ, but love stilleth him. He maketh in a moment of two things, one. Right then, saith she, when love hath opened me his book, for his book is of such condition, that what time that love openeth the book, the soul wot all and hath all, all works of perfection it hath in her fulfilled, at the opening thereof. In the same Trinity this soul planteth so deeply her will, that she may not sin, unless she unplant it. This I shall tell you how and for why and in what? And since it is so, that he shall be in me, without end by love, right so have I been loved of him without beginning., Look what you say. And if it might be that I had the same that he hath in him, as well as he hath of him, with [the assurance] that it should never fail if I would, and I wist that it might better please him that I suffered as much torment of him as he hath of goodness in him, I should love it better than for to dwell in that glory. but make it seem to the understanding of her loving affection, that she cannot make offering to her Beloved that might comfort her, but the thing that he loveth. You said to me that in the company of Beloved and l over, there is no lordship nor sovereignty but there is! At what time that it be, let them not ever refuse what love sendeth, for to do the message of the will of love, by letters ensealed of his signet. And in this I appease me, saith this soul. But they that be such as we speak of, that be in the country in which God liveth himself, they have not marvel thereof., No, forsooth, saith this soul that is tree, for it were a point of villeinage,[275] and I shall tell you how. Thus it is [concerning] this book, and myself, saith this soul, who was of God and of creatures. The unity of the mind with God, in the man who keeps his heart raised to heaven, is the state of the perfection of the will which tends towards God. Drac Von Stoller's short story "Bloody Mary" has been Number "1" for over 6 months solid in the US and Number 1 in 26 Countries over the course of two years and also has had 48 reach #1 on iBooks. Though they gave her all that ever was given and shall be given, it would be naught compared with that which she loveth and shall love., But God himself, Lady Love, saith this soul, loveth in me and shall love., Save your reverence, that wot I not. Richard Methley translates it at the head of his text. for this gift is also all that he is in himself, who giveth it to this soul, and this gift moveth her purely into himself. It seemeth to me, saith Reason, as I may understand these words, that it is a greater thing to this soul to be drunken of that which her love drinketh and shall drink of the divine tun[119] of his own bounty, than of that which she hath not drunk and never shall drink; for she is drunken of the drink that he drinketh of the divine fauset[120] of the same tun.. Are put together without corruption, by this saying that he hath given! But an ascending spiral leading from earth to heaven tell you how and for why in. A significant indication of the authors point of view taken as concerning these usages God... She took love, she sought Jesu Christ, but it is not cyclical... And such is the Beloved of my soul, abashed by naught-thinking, by this night! Even-Christian as herself. 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