To read Julian’s Revelations in order, which is far better, begin at the Introduction. She continues here a remarkably interwoven, almost triple-plaited, study of the nature and relationship between the soul and its Creator which she began in chapter 52 .

In our substance we aren full; in our sensualite we faylyn, which God will restore be mercy and grace. And how our kinde which is the heyer part is knitt to God in the makyng, and God, Jesus, is knitt to our kind in the lower part in our flesh takyng. And of feith spryngyn other vertues; and Mary is our Moder.

Chapter 57

In our substance, He made us noble,
so rich that all mankind that shall be saved
forever work His will and His worship.
For truly I saw, we are what He loves,
and do what He likes, lastingly with no stinting.
Of these great riches and high nobility,
virtues come to our soul by measure
when it is knitted to our body,
in which knitting we are made sensual.

So in our substance we are full
and in our sensuality we fail,
which failing God will restore and fulfil,
mercy and grace flowing plentifully,
from His own kindred godhead, into us.

The shared nature of His godhead
makes mercy and grace work in us.
His kindred godhead, shared in us,
lets us receive mercy and grace.

I saw our nature is wholly in God,
who makes diversity flow out of Him
working His will on those His kinship keeps,
and mercy and grace restore and fulfil,
and none of these shall perish.

For the higher part of our nature
is knitted to God in its making;
and God is knitted to the lower part,
taking our flesh,
so in Christ our two natures are made one.

For the Trinity is understood in Christ
in whom our higher part is grounded and rooted;
and our lower part was taken by the Second Person,
to whom that nature was first assigned.

For I saw with full certainty
that all the works that God has done,
or shall ever do, were fully known,
foreseen by Him outside all beginning.
For love He made mankind;
for that same love He became man Himself.

The next gift we receive is our faith,
beginning all our spiritual benefit,
from the high riches of our substance,
our kinship with Him, into our sensual soul.

It is planted in us, and we in it,
by the kindred goodness of God,
by the work of mercy and grace;
all other gifts by which we are lead and saved
come from it.

For God’s commandments come from it,
in which we must understand two things:
to know His commandments,
and love and keep them,
and to know all He forbids
and hate and turn from it.
All we must do is contained in these two.

Also the seven sacraments come in our faith,
each following the other in order
as God hath ordained them to us,
and all manner of virtues.

For those virtues we received in our substance,
given us in our nature by God’s goodness,
are given us in grace by the work of mercy,
renewed through the Holy Spirit,
virtues and gifts, our treasure in Jesus Christ.

For when God knitted Himself to our body
in the Maiden’s womb, He took our sensual soul,
and having enclosed us all in Him,
He made it one with our substance,
in which unity He was the perfect man.
For Christ, having united in Him
all that shall be saved,
is the perfect man.

Thus our Lady is our Mother, in whom
we are all enclosed, born of her in Christ,
for she that is mother of our Saviour,
is mother of all saved in our Saviour.
And our Saviour is our true mother
in whom we are endlessly born
and shall never come out of Him.

Plenteously and fully and swetely was this shewid.
And it is spoken of in the first wher he seith
we arn all in Him beclosid
and He is beclosid in us,
and that is spoken of in the sixteenth shewing
awher it seith He sittith in our soule.

This was shown plentifully, fully and sweetly,
as in the first showing
where he says we are all enclosed in Him
and He is enclosed in us,
and in the sixteenth shewing
where it says He sits in our soul.

For it is His desire to reign,
blissfully in our understanding,
restfully sitting in our soul ,
endlessly dwelling in our soul,
us all working in Him,
in which work He wishes us as His helpers,
giving all our intention to Him,
learning His words, keeping His laws,
desiring all to be done that He does,
truly trusting in Him.

For truly I saw or substance is in God.