affection, in earnest[82] of the sovereign joy and meed of the
kingdom of heaven. Jacob said of Issachar that he was "a strong ass
dwelling between the terms."[83] And so it is that a man in this
state, and that feeleth the earnest of everlasting joy in his
affection, is as "an ass, strong and dwelling between the terms";
because that, be he never so filled in soul of ghostly gladness and
joy in God, yet, for corruption of the flesh in this deadly life,
him behoveth bear the charge of the deadly body, as hunger, thirst,
and cold, sleep, and many other diseases; for the which he is
likened to an ass as in body; but as in soul he is strong for to
destroy all the passions and the lusts of the flesh by patience and
abstinence in the sensuality, and by abundance of ghostly joy and
sweetness in the affection. And also a soul in this state is
dwelling between the terms of deadly life and undeadly life. He that
dwelleth between the terms hath nearhand forsaken deadliness, but
not fully, and hath nearhand gotten undeadliness, but not fully; for
whiles that him needeth the goods of this world, as meat and drink
and clothing, as it falleth to each man that liveth, yet his one
foot is in this deadly life; and for great abundance of ghostly joy
and sweetness that he feeleth in God, not seldom but oft, he hath
his other foot in the undeadly life. Thus I trow that saint Paul
felt, when he said this word of great desire: "Who shall deliver me
from this deadly body?"[84] And when he said thus: "I covet to be
loosed and to be with Christ."[85] And thus doth the soul that
feeleth Issachar in his affection, that is to say, the joy of inward
sweetness, the which is understanden by Issachar. It enforceth it to
forsake this wretched life, but it may not; it coveteth to enter the
blessed life, but it may not; it doth that it may, and yet it
dwelleth between the terms.