The tenth consideration

THe tenth consideration is this: it were wel done and much it shuld farther this cause if you truly esteme of how little value your loue is, how vaine, how light, & howe triflelous a thing it is, & how few ther be yt would much regarde it, or set muche pryce thereby, for fewe there be or none to whom it may doe any profit or auail. Contrariwise you should consider the loue of your spouse ye swéet Iesu, how excelēt it is, how sure, how fast, howe constantly abiding, how many haue much specially regarded it, Martirs innumerable both men and women for his loue haue shead theyr bloud, and haue endured euery kind of martirdom were it neuer so cruell, were it neuer so terrible. No paine, no tormentrie, might compell them to forsake his loue: so desirous were they of his loue, yt rather then they would forgo it, they gaue no force of ye losse of all this world beside, & theyr owne life also. So deare and precious was that loue to them, that all ye honors, pleasures, and possessions of this life, they recompted as verie trifles in comparisō of that. And what be you in comparison of thē, but naughty, wretched, and miserable? where then they which be now glorious saincts aboue in heauen, so much haue valued and so greatly estéemed this most excelēt loue, and you may haue the same loue for yours, that is so naughtie and so little worth, what should you doe of your parte? howe muche should you enfore your selfe not onely to obtayn this loue, but studiouslie to kéepe it, sithens that you haue it once, and for nothing to departe therefro. He of his goodnesse doeth not repell any creature from hys loue, but permitteth them assuredly that if any draw nigh vnto him by loue, he will loue them agayne, and giue his most precyous loue for theirs, he sayeth, Ego diligentes me diligo: That is to say, I loue them that loue mée. And in an other place. En qui venit ad me nō equam foras: That is to say, what person so euer commeth vnto me, I wil not cast him away. Sister if you consider this déeply, it should moue you to fall downe vpon your knées, & with all your hart and mynde say vnto your Spouse in this maner. O my blessed Sauiour Lord Iesu thou askest my loue, thou desirest to haue my harte, and for my loue thou wilt giue me thy loue agayne. O my swéete Lorde, what is this for thée to desire, which arte so excelent, if my poore harte were of so much value as all the hartes of men and weomen that euer were, if they were put togither in one, & if it were as precious & noble as there is price and noblenesse in all ye orders of Angels, if furthermore it did contayne in it all bodelie and spirituall treasure that is within the compasse of heauen or without, yet it were but a little gift to giue vnto so great a lord, for his most delicate & precious loue to be had of him againe: much rather my loue and hart as it is now naughtie, wretched, and miserable, so is it but a small gift and of little value. Neuerthelesse such as it is, sithens it is thy pleasure to haue it, & thy goodnesse doeth aske it of mée saying, Prebe mihi cor tuum, That is to say, giue me thy harte, I fréely gyue it vnto thée, and I most humbly beséech thy goodnesse and mercy to accept it, and so to order me by thy grace, that I may receiue into it the loue of nothing contrarie to thy pleasure, but that I alwayes may kéepe the fyre of thy loue auoyding from it all other contrarie loue that may in anie wyse displease thée.