Chapter 85
"Lord, blessed mayest Thou be, for it is thus: it is well"
"Lord, may you be blessed, for this is how it is: all is well."
And in this sight I marvelled highly. For notwithstanding our simple living and our blindness here, yet endlessly our courteous Lord beholdeth 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 verily as we shall be in the bliss of God without end, Him praising and thanking, so verily 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 keepeth us and never suffereth us to be hurt [in manner] by which our bliss might be lost. And therefore when the Doom 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 full well; but we shall say all with one voice: Lord, blessed mayst thou be, for it is thus: it is well; and now see we verily that all-thing is done as it was then ordained before that anything was made.
In this vision, I was filled with wonder. Despite our humble lives and our blindness here, our gracious Lord watches us always as he works, rejoicing. Above all, we can please him best by believing wisely and truly, and by rejoicing with him and in him. We shall surely live forever in the bliss of God, praising and thanking him. Just as surely, God has foreseen us, loved and known in his eternal purpose, from before any beginning. In that love, which had no beginning, he made us. In the same love he keeps us safe. He never allows us to be hurt in a way that could cost us our bliss. Therefore, when judgment is given and we are all brought up above, we shall clearly see in God the secrets now hidden from us. Then none of us will feel moved to say: Lord, if it had been this way, all would have been well. Instead, we shall all say with one voice: Lord, may you be blessed, for it is as it is, and all is well. Now we truly see that everything is done as it was ordained before anything was made.