hat they love, specially if their love be true and
loving. And this is the English of these two words: "I languish for
love." Separate men on earth have separate gifts and graces of GOD, but
the special gift of those who lead the solitary life, is for to love
JESUS Christ. Thou sayest to me, 'All men love Him who keep His
commandments.' That is Truth. But all men who keep His bidding keep not
also His Counsel. And all that do His Counsel are not all fulfilled by
the sweetness of His love, nor feel the fire of burning love of heart.
Therefore, the diversity of love makes the diversity of holiness and of
need. In heaven, the angels who are most burning in love, are nearest to
GOD. Also, men and women that have most of GOD'S love, whether they do
penance or none; they shall be in the highest degree in heaven: they who
love Him less, in the lower order. If thou lovest Him much, great joy
and sweetness and burning thou feelest in His love, that is thy comfort
and strength night and day. If thy love be not burning in Him: little is
thy delight. For Him may no man feel in joy and sweetness, unless they
be clean and filled with His love; and thereto shalt thou come with
great travail in prayer and thanking, having such meditations as are all
on the love and the praising of GOD. And when thou art at thy meal, ever
love GOD in thy thought, at each moment, and say thus in thine heart:
_Loved be Thou, King: and thanked be Thou, King, and blessed be Thou,
King, JESU all my joying, of all Thy good gifts: Who for me spilt Thy
blood, and died on the rood. Do Thou give me grace to sing the song of
Thy praise._ And think it not only whiles thou eatest, but both before
and after, and ever when thou prayest or speakest. Or if thou hast other
thoughts, that thou hast more sweetness in and devotion than in those
that I teach thee, thou may'st think them. For I hope that GOD will put
such thoughts in thine heart, as He is pleased with, and as thou art
ordained for. When thou prayest, look not how much thou sayest, but how
well: that the love of thine heart be aye upward, and thy thought on
what thou sayst as much as thou canst. If thou beest in prayers and
meditations all the day, I wot well that thou must wax greatly in the
love of JESUS Christ, and feel much of delight, and within short time.

CHAPTER VIII.

Three degrees of love I shall tell thee, for I would that thou mightest
win to the highest. The first degree is called _Insupe