--- title: "Revelations of Divine Love" author: "Julian of Norwich" translator: "Grace Warrack" languages: [en] shelf: "Mystics" section: 34 of 34 url: https://scriptura.si/works/julian-of-norwich-revelations-of-divine-love/34/ cite: "Julian of Norwich, tr. Grace Warrack, Revelations of Divine Love, section 34. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/julian-of-norwich-revelations-of-divine-love/34/" --- # Revelations of Divine Love *Julian of Norwich, tr. Grace Warrack* All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. ## 34. CHAPTER LXXXIV Source: https://scriptura.si/works/julian-of-norwich-revelations-of-divine-love/34/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/julian-of-norwich-revelations-of-divine-love/34/#p-N [¶0] “Charity” [¶1] THE light is Charity, and the measuring of this light is done to us profitably by the wisdom of God. For neither is the light so large that we may see our blissful Day, nor is it shut from us; but it is such a light in which we may live meedfully, with travail deserving the endless worship of God. And this was seen in the Sixth Shewing where He said: I thank thee of thy service and of thy travail. Thus-Charity keepeth us in Faith and Hope, and Hope leadeth us in Charity. And in the end all shall be Charity. [¶2] I had three manners of understanding of this light, Charity. The first is Charity unmade; the second is Charity made; the third is Charity given. Charity unmade is God; Charity made is our soul in God; Charity given is virtue. And that is a precious gift of working in which we love God, for Himself; and ourselves, in God; and that which God loveth, for God. ### CHAPTER LXXXV [¶4] “Lord, blessed mayest Thou be, for it is thus: it is well” [¶5] 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. ### CHAPTER LXXXVI [¶7] “Love was our Lord’s Meaning” [¶8] THIS book is begun by God’s gift and His grace, but it is not yet performed, as to my sight. [¶9] 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 saith full merrily: I am the Ground of thy beseeching. For truly I saw and understood in our Lord’s meaning that He shewed it for that He willeth 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 beholdeth His heavenly treasure with so great love on earth that He willeth 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. [¶10] And from that time that it was shewed I desired oftentimes to learn what was our Lord’s meaning. And fifteen years after, and more, I was answered in ghostly understanding, saying thus: Wouldst thou learn thy Lord’s meaning in this thing? Learn it well: Love was His meaning. Who shewed it thee? Love. What shewed He thee? Love. Wherefore shewed it He? For Love. Hold thee therein and thou shalt learn and know more in the same. But thou shalt never know nor learn therein other thing without end Thus was I learned that Love was our Lord’s meaning. [¶11] And I saw full surely that ere God made us He loved us; which love was never slacked, nor ever shall be. And in this love He hath done all His works; and in this love He hath 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 [¶13] [The Sloane MS. is entitled “Revelations to one who could not read a Letter, Anno Dom. 1373,” and each chapter is headed by a few lines denoting its contents. These titles are in language similar to that of the text, and are probably the work of an early scribe. No doubt it is the same scribe who after the last sentence of the book adds the aspiration :] Which Jesus mot grant us Amen. [¶14] [And to him also may be assigned this conclusion:—]Thus endeth the Revelation of Love of the blissid Trinite 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. [¶15] Amen Jesu amen [¶16] 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. [¶17] And beware thou take not on thing after thy 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. [¶18] And thou 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. [¶19] Transcribed by John Ockerbloom (spok@cs.cmu.edu)