the Holy Ghost
lighted then on Him in the likeness of a Dove, the Father there with
voice recorded that He was His Son. Think how He hallowed wedlock in
the house of the Ruler of the Feast, and there, to show that He was
Almighty GOD changed water into wine. In the wilderness, how he fasted
40 days without meat; how He overcame the fiend that tempted Him with
three: with gluttony, and covetousness, and vain-glory, and of the
wonder men had of His preaching, for all the words He spake to them were
full of grace. How He healed the sick, raised the dead, gave sight to
the blind, speech to the dumb, health to the leper, with touching of His
hands: and many other sicknesses that were in their nature incurable, He
healed through the might of His words, for He could do more than Nature.
How He was weary of much going; rested Him at the well; and then He bade
give Him water to drink for He thirsted sore. Then, open thine heart
with sore sighings, and think on the passion and pains that JESUS
Christ suffered, as they are written before on the xviii leaf.[7]

He may ask grace of GOD, and certainly trust to speed, who here stirs
himself up with good works, and with devotion and likings: flavours them
so that they may be savoury to his dear Lord. Works of penance, as
fasting, waking, hard fighting, forbearing of fleshly lusts, prayers,
alms-deed, and other things that we do with devotion and likings in GOD,
it behoves that so they be done with a glad heart, and with a freedom of
spirit. Devotion is a worthy affection that GOD sends to the heart to
gladden it with: but unworthy is he to have this gift, that will make no
dwelling-place in his heart for it. We seek with our belief what is
above us, but it savours us not, for we are so full of earth that we
have lost our taste. Why do so many men feel the stirrings that the
fiend forges, and suffer his enemy so often to overthrow him? I see
nothing that does this, save lack of grace. Among all other (things) I
trow we grieve GOD most, because we will not labour to win this grace of
GOD: and GOD promises His grace to all that will to receive, if that
their vessel be clean and empty to receive it in. But S. Bernard says:
"The heart that is loaded with covetousness of the world, it can have
neither devotion nor liking in GOD; for soothfastness and vanity, a
lasting and a failing thing, a ghostly thing and a bodily cannot be
brought together at any time." So worthy a thing is the comfort of