oned him to death. This charity, Christ
counselled to all who would be His perfect followers, when He said thus:
"Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for those who
persecute and calumniate you." And therefore, if thou wilt follow
Christ, be like Him in power. Learn to love thine enemies, and sinful
men, for all those are thy fellow-Christians. Look and bethink thee how
Christ loved Judas, who was both His bodily enemy and a sinful caitiff:
how goodly Christ was to him; how benign; how courteous; how humble to
him whom He knew to be damnable; and nevertheless, He chose him for His
Apostle, and sent him to preach with the other Apostles; He gave him
power to work miracles: He shewed to him the same good cheer in word and
deed; also with His precious Body; and preached to him as He did to the
other Apostles: He condemned him not openly, nor abused, nor despised
him, nor ever spake evil of him: and yet even though He had done all
that, He would but have said the truth! And above all, when Judas took
Him, He kissed him and called him His friend. All this charity, Christ
shewed to Judas whom He knew to be damnable. In no manner of feigning or
flattering, but in soothfastness of good love and clean charity. For
though it were truth that Judas was unworthy to have any gift of GOD, or
any sign of love, because of his wickedness; nevertheless, it was worthy
and reasonable that our Lord should appear as He is.

He is love and goodness, and therefore it belongs to Him to shew love
and goodness to all His creatures, as He did to Judas. Follow after,
somewhat if thou canst; for though thou beest shut in a house with thy
body, nevertheless in thine heart, where the place of love is, thou
shalt be able to have part of such a love to thy fellow Christians as I
speak of. Whoso deems himself to be a perfect follower of JESUS Christ's
teaching and living, as some men deem that they be, inasmuch as one
teaches and preaches, and is poor in worldly goods as Christ was, and
cannot follow Christ in His love and charity, to love his
fellow-Christians, every man, good and ill, friends and foes, without
feigning, flattering, despising in heart, angriness and melancholious
reproving, soothly, he beguiles himself: the dearer he deems himself to
be, the further he is. For Christ said to those who would be His
followers, thus: "This is My commandment, that ye love mutually as I
have loved you."

"This is My bidding, that ye love to