Chapter XXXIV
"All that is speedful for us to learn and to know, courteously will our Lord shew us" OUR Lord God shewed two manner of secret things. One is this great Secret Counsel with all the hidden points that belong thereto: and these secret things He wills we should know as being, but as hid until the time that He will clearly shew them to us. The other are the secret things that He wills to make open and known to us; for He would have us understand that it is His will that we should know them. They are secrets to us not only for that He wills that they be secrets to us, but they are secrets to us for our blindness and our ignorance; and about it He has great care, and for that He will Himself make them more open to us, whereby we may know Him and love Him and cleave to Him. For all that is speedful for us to learn and to know, courteously will our Lord shew us: and of that is this Shewing, with all the preaching and teaching of Holy Church. God shewed great pleasure that He has in all men and women that mightily and meekly and with all their will take the preaching and teaching of Holy Church. For it is His Holy Church: He is the Ground, He is the Substance, He is the Teaching, He is the Teacher, He is the End, He is the reward for which every kind soul travails. And this of the Shewing is made known, and shall be known to every soul to which the Holy Spirit declareth it. And I hope truly that all those that seek this, He shall speed: for they seek God. All this that I have now told, and more that I shall tell after, is comforting against sin. For in the Third Shewing when I saw that God does all that is done, I saw no sin: and then I saw that all is well. But when God shewed me for sin, then said He: All SHALL be well.
CHAPTER XXXV
"I desired to learn assuredly as to a certain creature that I loved. . . . It is more worship to God to behold Him in all
AND when God Almighty had shewed so plenteously and joyfully of His Goodness, I desired to learn assuredly as to a certain creature that I loved, if it should continue in good living, which I hoped by the grace of God was begun. And in this desire for a singular Shewing, it seemed that I hindered myself: for I was not taught in this time. And then was I answered in my reason, as it were by a friendly intervenor : Take it GENERALLY, and behold the graciousness of the Lord God as He shews to you: for it is more worship to God to behold Him in all than in any special thing. And with it I learned that it is more worship to God to know everything in general, than to take pleasure in any special thing. And if I should do wisely according to this teaching, I should not only be glad for nothing in special, but I should not be greatly distressed for no manner of thing : for ALL shall be well. For the fulness of joy is to behold God in all: for by the same blessed Might, Wisdom, and Love, that He made everything, to the same end our good Lord leads it continually, and thereto Himself shall bring it; and when it is time we shall see it. And the ground of this was shewed in the First Revelation, and more openly in the Third, where it says: I saw God in a point.
All that our Lord does is rightful, and that which He suffers is worshipful: and in these two is comprehended good and ill: for all that is good our Lord does, and that which is evil our Lord suffers. I say not that any evil is worshipful, but I say the permission of our Lord God is worshipful: whereby His Goodness shall be known, without end, in His marvellous meekness and mildness, by the working of mercy and grace. Rightfulness is that thing that is so good that it may not be better than it is. For God Himself is very Rightfulness, and all His works are done rightfully as they are ordained from without beginning by His high Might, His high Wisdom, His high Goodness. And right as He ordained to the best, right so He works continually, and leads it to the same end; and He is ever -pleased with Himself and with all His works.
And the seeing of this blissful accord is sweet to the soul that sees by grace. All the souls that shall be saved in Heaven without end be made rightful in the sight of God, and by His own goodness: in which rightfulness we are endlessly kept, and marvellously, above all creatures.
And Mercy is a working that cometh of the goodness of God, and it shall last in working all along, as sin is suffered to pursue rightful souls. And when sin has no longer leave to pursue, then shall the working of mercy cease, and then shall all be brought to rightfulness and in it stand without end. And by His permission we fall; and in His blissful Love with His Might and His Wisdom we are kept; and by mercy and grace we are raised to manifold more joys.
Thus in Rightfulness and Mercy He wills to be known and loved, now and without end. And the soul that wisely beholds it in grace, it is well pleased with both, and endlessly enjoys.