Chapter LXXXV
"Lord, blessed may You be, for it is thus: it is well"
AND in this sight I marvelled highly. For despite our simple living and our blindness here, yet endlessly our courteous Lord beholds us in this working, rejoicing; and of all things, we may please Him best wisely and truly to believe, and to enjoy with Him and in Him. For as truly as we shall be in the bliss of God without end, Him praising and thanking, so truly we have been in the foresight of God, loved and known in His endless purpose from without beginning. In which
unbegun love He made us; and in the same love He keeps us and never suffers us to be hurt in manner by which our bliss might be lost. And for that when the Judgement is given and we be all brought up above, then shall we clearly see in God the secret things which be now hid to us. Then shall none of us be stirred to say in any wise: Lord, if it had been thus, then it had been well; but we shall say all with one voice: Lord, blessed may you be, for it is thus: it is well; and now see we truly that everything is done as it was then ordained before that anything was made.
CHAPTER LXXXVI
"Love was our Lord's Meaning"
THIS book is begun by God's gift and His grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight.
For Charity pray we all; together with God's working, thanking, trusting, enjoying. For thus will our good Lord be prayed to, as by the understanding that I took of all His own meaning and of the sweet words where He says merrily: I am the Ground of your beseeching. For truly I saw and understood in our Lord's meaning that He shewed it for that He wills to have it known more than it is: in which knowing He will give us grace to love Him and cleave to Him. For He beholds His heavenly treasure with so great love on earth that He wills to give us more light and solace in heavenly joy, in drawing to Him of our hearts, for sorrow and darkness which we are in.
And from that time that it was shewed I desired often to learn what was our Lord's meaning. And fifteen years after, and more, I was answered in spiritual understanding, saying thus: Would you learn your Lord's meaning in this thing? Learn it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it you? Love. What shewed He you? Love. Wherefore shewed it He? For Love. Hold you in it and you shall learn and know more in the same. But you shall never know nor learn in it other thing without end Thus was I learned that Love was our Lord's meaning.
And I saw surely that before God made us He loved us; which love was never slacked, nor ever shall be. And in this love He has done all His works; and in this love He has made all things profitable to us; and in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had beginning; but the love wherein He made us was in Him from without beginning: in which love we have our beginning. And all this shall we see in God, without end.
POSTSCRIPT BY A SCRIBE
And to him also may be assigned this conclusion: - Thus ends the Revelation of Love of the e shewid by our Savior Christ Jesu for our endles comfort and solace and also to enjoyen in him in this passand journey of this life.
Amen Jesu amen
I pray Almyty God that this booke com not but to the hands of them that will be his faithfull lovers, and to those that will submitt them to the faith of holy Church, and obey the holesom understondying and teching of the men that be of vertuous life, sadde Age and sound lering: ffor this Revelation is hey Divinitye and hey wisdom, wherfore it may not dwelle with him that is thrall to synne and to the Devill.
And beware you take not on thing after your affection and liking, and leve another: for that is the condition of an heretique. But take every thing with other. And, trewly understonden, All is according to holy Scripture and groundid in the same. And that Jesus, our very love, light and truth, shall shew to all clen soulis that with mekeness aske profe reverently this wisdom of hym.
And you to whom this boke shall come, thank heyley and hertily our Saviour Christ Jesu that he made these shewings and revelations, for the, and to the, of his endles love, mercy and goodnes for thine and our save guide, to conduct to everlastying bliss: the which Jesus mot grant us. AMEN.