Select Revelations of S. Mechtild, Virgin

npHE graciousness and humanity of •*• God our Saviour, Who was manifested so mercifully unto the human race by His Incarnation, shining forth day by day more and more, are still through His condescension abundantly shown forth even to us, and in us, upon whom the ends of the world have fallen. Therefore, how many marvels God hath worked in His elect, no word of man can explain; how many gifts He hath poured forth upon the soul that loveth Him faithfully, no tongue can tell; how graciously and with what honeyed sweetness He showeth Himself unto her, she alone meriteth happily to experience.

But in a special manner, how many gifts He hath poured forth on a certain soul that hath loved Him with her whole heart. It is now our desire to relate, so far as our littleness prevaileth, by the help of God.

Now these innumerable heavenly secrets she looked at indeed with the eyes of the soul, but by reason of the littleness, for which she thought herself very vile, she would not tell, save only so far as those who were familiar with her compelled her; and even those things which she told, partly she subtracted from, partly to God’s praise, although hardly compelled even by obedience, she told. These things then, which we learnt from her own narration, we will now write according to our measure, in the name of Jesus, to the glory of the Most High and Worshipful Trinity. Wherefore, most dearly beloved we beg in Christ of every one who shall read this little book, to give thanks to our Lord for all the grace and good that have flowed forth upon this soul, or at any time upon any soul, from Him Who is the well-spring of all good things. If however he find anything set down with not enough of clearness or of literary skill, this in charity let him pardon as to those who have no experience in writing, because as Blessed Augustine saith, it is the nature of a good disposition to love the truth in words, and not the words themselves.