O How great and manifold is Thy sweetness which Thou hast hidden up for them that fear Thee! It is a treasure that may not be unfolded, in the joy of fullest gladness. For to taste that Thy sweetness is by the touch of experience to lay hold on the sweetness of all delights at its source, *tis in Thy wisdom to attain unto the reason of all things desirable. To behold Absolute Reason, which is the reason of all things,? is naught else than in mind to taste Thee, O God, since Thou art very Sweetness, the Being of life, and intellect. What else, Lord, is Thy seeing, when Thou beholdest me with pitying eye, than that Thou art seen of me? In beholding me Thou givest Thyself to be seen of me, Thou who art a hidden God. None can see Thee save in so far as Thou
‘This heading is taken from the Cues MS. The printed editions repeat the heading of chap. iv. by mistake. (La Vision de Dieu, p. 18, note 1.)
Or, the absolute Why and Wheniore which is the Why and Wherefore of all things.”
grantest a sight of Thyself, nor is that sight aught else than Thy seeing him that seeth Thee.
I perceive, Lord, in this image of Thee how ready Thou art to show Thy face unto all that seek Thee, for never dost Thou close Thine eyes, never dost ‘hou turn them away. And albeit I turn me away from Thee when I turn me utterly to some other thing, yet for all this dost Thou never move Thine eyes nor Thy glance. If Thou beholdest me not with the eye of grace, the fault is mine, who have cut me off from Thee, by turning aside, and by turning round! to some other thing which I prefer before Thee; yet even so dost Thou not turn Thee utterly away, but Thy mercy followeth me, that, should I at any time be fain to turn unto Thee again, I may be capable of grace. If Thou regardest me not, *tis because I regard not Thee, but reject and despise ‘Thee.
O infinite Pity! how unhappy is every sinner who deserteth Thee, the channel of life, and seeketh Thee, not in Thyself, but in that which in itself is nothing, and would have remained
nothing hadst Thou not called it out of
nothingness! How demented is he who seeketh
1 Per aversionem et conversionem.
SS ee a
Thee, who art Goodness, and, while seeking
Thee, withdraweth from Thee, and turneth /
aside his eyes! All seekers seek only the good, and every seeker after the good who with-
draweth from Thee withdraweth from that —
he seeketh.
Every sinner, then, strayeth from Thee and departeth afar off. Yet so soon as he return unto Thee Thou dost hasten to meet him, and before he perceiveth Thee, Thou dost cast Thine eyes of mercy on him, with fatherly love. For with Thee ’tis one to behold and to
pity. Accordingly, Thy mercy followeth every ~
man so long as he liveth, whithersoever he goeth, even as Thy glance never quitteth any. So long as a man liveth, Thou ceasest not to follow him, and with sweet and inward warning to stir him up to depart from error and to turn unto Thee that he may live in bliss. Thou, Lord, art the companion of my pilgrimage; wheresoever I go Thine eyes are alway upon me. Now with Thee seeing is motion. Therefore Thou movest with me and never ceasest from motion so long as I move. If I am at rest, there Thou art with me also. If I ascend, Thou ascendest, if I descend, Thou descendest; whithersoever I turn me, there Thou art. Nor dost Thou desert me in
the day of trouble; as often as I call upon Thee, Thou art near. For to call upon Thee is to turn unto Thee, and Thou canst not fail him that turneth unto Thee, nor could any turn unto Thee wert not Thou already at hand. Thou art present before I turn unto Thee. For, unless Thou wert present and didst entreat
me, I should know naught at all of Thee, and
how could I turn unto Thee whom I knew not at all?
Thou, then, my God, art He who beholdeth all things. And with Thee to behold is to work. So Thou workest all things. Therefore not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy great Name, which is @eés, I will sing glory for ever. For I have naught save that Thou givest, nor could I keep that Thou hast given didst not Thou Thyself preserve it. Thus Thou ministerest all things unto me. Thou art the Lord, powerful and pitiful, who givest all; Thou art the Minister who administerest all; Thou art the Provider, and He that taketh thought for us, and our Preserver. And all these things Thou workest with one simplest glance of Thine, Thou who art blessed for evermore.
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