Chapter 49

For this was an high marvel to the soul which was continually shewed in all the Revelations, and was with great diligence beholden, that our Lord God, anent Himself may not forgive, for He may not be wroth: it were impossible. For this was shewed: that our life is all grounded and rooted in love, and without love we may not live; and therefore to the soul that of His special grace seeth so far into the high, marvellous Goodness of God, and seeth that we are endlessly oned to Him in love, it is the most impossible that may be, that God should be wroth. For wrath and friendship be two contraries. For He that wasteth and destroyeth our wrath and maketh us meek and mild,—it behoveth needs to be that He [Himself] be ever one in love, meek and mild: which is contrary to wrath.

A great wonder was shown to the soul throughout all the Revelations, and I considered it with great care. Our Lord God, as he is in himself, cannot forgive, because he cannot be angry. That would be impossible. For it was shown that our life is entirely grounded and rooted in love, and we cannot live without love. By his special grace, a soul may see so deeply into the great and marvelous goodness of God. Such a soul also sees that we are endlessly united with him in love. For that soul, it is utterly impossible that God should be angry. For anger and friendship are opposites. God takes away and destroys our anger and makes us gentle and mild. Therefore, he himself must always be constant in love, gentle and mild, the opposite of angry.

For I saw full surely that where our Lord appeareth, peace is taken and wrath hath no place. For I saw no manner of wrath in God, neither for short time nor for long;—for in sooth, as to my sight, if God might be wroth for an instant,¹ we should never have life nor place nor being. For as verily as we have our being of the endless Might of God and of the endless Wisdom and of the endless Goodness, so verily we have our keeping in the endless Might of God, in the endless Wisdom, and in the endless Goodness. For though we feel in ourselves, [frail] wretches, debates and strifes, yet are we all-mannerful enclosed in the mildness of God and in His meekness, in His benignity and in His graciousness.² For I saw full surely that all our endless friendship, our place, our life and our being, is in God.

For I saw clearly that where our Lord appears, there is peace and no place for anger. For I saw no anger in God, either for a short time or a long time. In truth, as I saw it, if God could be angry for an instant,¹ we would never have life, place, or being. For just as surely as we owe our being to God’s endless power, wisdom, and goodness, we are kept safe by them. For though we feel conflict and strife within ourselves, frail wretches that we are, we are completely surrounded by God’s gentleness, humility, kindness, and grace.² For I saw clearly that all our eternal friendship, our place, our life, and our being are in God.

For that same endless Goodness that keepeth us when we sin, that we perish not, the same endless Goodness continually treateth in us a peace against our wrath and our contrarious falling, and maketh us to see our need with a true dread, and mightily to seek unto God to have forgiveness, with a gracious desire of our salvation. And though we, by the wrath and the contrariness that is in us, be now in tribulation, distress, and woe, as falleth to our blindness and frailty, yet are we securely safe by the merciful keeping of God, that we perish not. But we are not blissfully safe, in having of our endless joy, till we be all in peace and in love: that is to say, full pleased with God and with all His works, and with all His judgments, and loving and peaceable with our self and with our even-Christians and with all that God loveth, as love beseemeth.³ And this doeth God's Goodness in us.

The same endless Goodness that keeps us from perishing when we sin also continually works to make peace within us. It works against our anger and our tendency to fall away. It makes us see our need with a true fear. It also moves us to seek God earnestly for forgiveness, with a gracious desire for our salvation. Though our anger and resistance now cause us suffering, distress, and sorrow, as happens in our blindness and weakness, we are still securely safe. God mercifully watches over us, so that we do not perish. But we are not blissfully safe, enjoying our endless joy, until we are all at peace and in love. That means being fully pleased with God, with all his works, and with all his judgments. It means being loving and at peace with ourselves, with our fellow Christians, and with all that God loves, as love requires.³ And God’s Goodness brings this about in us.

Thus saw I that God is our very Peace, and He is our sure Keeper when we are ourselves in unpeace, and He continually worketh to bring us into endless peace. And thus when we, by the working of mercy and grace, be made meek and mild, we are fully safe; suddenly is the soul oned to God when it is truly peaced in itself: for in Him is found no wrath. And thus I saw when we are all in peace and in love, we find no contrariness, nor no manner of letting through that contrariness which is now in us; [nay], our Lord of His Goodness maketh it to us full profitable. For that contrariness is cause of our tribulations and all our woe, and our Lord Jesus taketh them and sendeth them up to Heaven, and there are they made more sweet and delectable than heart may think or tongue may tell. And when we come thither we shall find them ready, all turned into very fair and endless worships. Thus is God our steadfast Ground: and He shall be our full bliss and make us unchangeable, as He is, when we are there.

Thus I saw that God is our true peace. He is our faithful protector when we are not at peace, and he continually works to bring us into endless peace. When mercy and grace make us humble and gentle, we are completely safe. The soul is instantly united with God when it is truly at peace within itself, for there is no anger in him. And so I saw that when we are completely at peace and filled with love, we find no resistance. Nor do we find any hindrance from the resistance that is now within us. Rather, our Lord in his goodness makes that resistance greatly beneficial to us. For this resistance causes our troubles and all our sorrow. Our Lord Jesus takes those troubles and sorrows and sends them up to heaven. There they are made sweeter and more delightful than the heart can imagine or the tongue can tell. When we come to heaven, we shall find them waiting for us, all turned into truly beautiful and everlasting honors. So God is our steadfast foundation. When we are there, he shall be our complete joy and make us unchanging, as he is.