How God doith al that is good and suffrith worshipfully al by His mercy, the which shal secyn whan synne is no longer suffrid. Thirty-fifth chapter.
Beholding God in All Things
Julian learns to set aside particular desires and instead behold God's goodness generally, trusting that He leads all things well.
And when God Almighty showed His goodness so abundantly and so fully, I wanted to know about a certain person I loved — whether that person would continue in the good living which I hoped, by the grace of God, had begun. And in this particular desire it seemed that I hindered myself, for I had not been taught about this at the time.1 And then I was answered in my reason, as if by a friendly intermediary: "Take it generally, and look at the courtesy of your Lord God as He shows it to you, for it is more honor to God to behold Him in all things than in any particular thing."2 I agreed, and with that I learned that it is more honor to God to know all things in general than to take pleasure in any one thing in particular.3 And if I were to follow this teaching wisely, I should neither rejoice over anything in particular nor be greatly distressed over any kind of thing, for all shall be well.4 For the fullness of joy is to behold God in all. For by the same blessed might, wisdom, and love with which He made all things, our good Lord continually leads them to that same end, and He Himself will bring them there. And when the time comes, we shall see it.
The Ground and the Distinction of God's Work
Julian recalls the earlier showing of 'God in a point' and unfolds that all God does is righteous and all He permits is honorable, leading to the sweet beholding of His blissful accord.
And the ground of this was shown in the first, and more openly in the third, where it says, "I saw God in a point."5 All that our Lord does is righteous, and what He permits is worthy of honor, and in these two, good and evil are contained.6 For all that is good, our Lord does; and what is evil, our Lord permits. I'm not saying that any evil is worthy of honor, but I am saying that our Lord God's permitting of it is worthy of honor, whereby His goodness will be known without end in His marvelous meekness and mildness by the working of mercy and grace.7 Righteousness is that which is so good that it cannot be better than it is.8 For God Himself is true righteousness, and all His works are done righteously as they are ordained from without beginning by His high might, His high wisdom, His high goodness. And just as He ordained it toward the best, just so He works continually and leads it to the same end. And He is always fully pleased with Himself and with all His works. And the beholding of this blissful accord is fully sweet to the soul that sees by grace.9
Righteousness and Mercy: How God Wants to Be Known
The saved souls are made righteous, and mercy works while sin is permitted, until all is brought into righteousness—and in these two, God desires to be known and loved forever.
All the souls who will be saved forever in Heaven are made righteous in God's sight, and by His own goodness, in which righteousness we are endlessly and marvelously kept, above all creatures. And mercy is a working that comes from the goodness of God, and it will keep working all along, as long as sin is allowed to pursue righteous souls. And when sin is no longer permitted to pursue, then the working of mercy will cease, and then all will be brought to righteousness and stand in it forever. And by His permission we fall, and in His blissful love, with His might and His wisdom, we are kept.10 And by mercy and grace we are raised to many more joys. And so in righteousness and in mercy He wants to be known and loved, now and forever.11 And the soul that wisely beholds this in grace is well pleased with both and takes endless joy in them.
Read the original Middle English
And whan God almyty had shewid so plenteuously and so fully of Hys godenes, I desired to wetyn a certeyn creature that I lovid, if it shuld continu in good lyvyng, which I hopid be the grace of God was begonne. And in this syngular desire it semyd that I lettyd myselfe, for I was not taught in this tyme. And than was I answerid in my reson, as it were be a freindful mene: "Take it generally and behold the curtesy of thi Lord God as He shewith to the, for it is mor worship to God to behold Hym in al than in any special thyng." I assentid, and therewith I leryd that it is more worship to God to knowen al things in general than to lyken in onythyng in special. And if I shuld do wysely after this techyng, I shuld not only be glad for nothyng in special, ne gretly disesid for no manner of thyng, for al shal be wele. For the fulhede of joy is to beholden God in al. For be the same blissid myte, wisdam, and love that He made al thyng, to the same end our good Lord ledyth it continually, and therto Hymselfe shal bryng it. And whan it is tyme we shal sen it.
And the grounde of this was shewid in the first and more openly in the third, wher it seyth I saw God in a peynte.
Al that our Lord doeth is rythful, and that He suffrith is worshipful, and in these two is comprehendid good and ille. For al that is good our Lord doith; and that is evil, our Lord suffrith. I sey not that ony evil is worshipful, but I sey the sufferance of our Lord God is worshipfull, wherby His goodnes shal be know withoute end in His mervelous mekeness and myldhede by the werkyng of mercy and grace. Rythfulhede is that thyng that is so goode that may not be better than it is. For God Hymselfe is very rythfulhede, and al His werkes arn don rythfully as they arn ordeynid from wythout begynnyng by His hey myte, His hey wisdom, His hey goodnes. And ryth as He ordeynid onto the best, ryth so He werkyth continualy and ledyth it to the same end. And He is ever ful plesid with Hymselfe and with al His werks. And the beholdyng of this blisful accord is ful swete to the soule that seith by grace.
Al the sowlys that shal be savid in Hevyn without ende be mad rythful in the syte of God, and be His owen goodnes, in which rythfulhede we arn endlesly kept and mervelously, aboven al creatures.
And mercy is a werkyng that comith of the goodnes of God, and it shal lestyn in werkyng al along, as synne is suffrid to pursue rythful souls. And whan synne hath no lenger leve to pursue, than shal the werkyng of mercy secyn, and than shal al be browte to rythfulhede and therein stondin withoute ende. And by His sufferaunce we fallyn, and in His blisful love, with His myte and His wisdom, we are kept. And be mercy and grace we arn reysid to manyfold more joyes. And thus in rythfulhede and in mercy He wil be knowen and lovid now without ende. And the soul that wisely beholdyth it in grace, it is wel plesyd with bothen and endlesly enjoyeth.
Notes
- 1 ↩ME lettyd (letten) = hindered / held back; not modern 'allowed'.
- 2 ↩Kept Julian's technical term courtesy (ME curtesy) for God's gracious kindness; worship rendered as honor (glory due to God), not liturgical worship.
- 3 ↩ME lyken in: taken as to like / take pleasure in (not 'liken/compare').
- 4 ↩Source not only...ne rendered as neither...nor; ME double negative for no manner of thyng = any kind of thing.
- 5 ↩enm 'peynte' rendered as 'point' (tiny point), matching Julian's vision language; not 'paint'.
- 6 ↩ENM 'suffrith' here means divine permission/allowance of evil, not Christ's suffering; 'worshipful' means worthy of honor/reverence.
- 7 ↩'Sufferance' rendered as 'permitting' to keep Julian's distinction: evil itself is not honorable; God's merciful allowance of it is.
- 8 ↩ENM 'rythfulhede' rendered as 'righteousness' (Julian's divine rightness/justice); 'rightfulness' is a closer calque if a technical Julian term is preferred.
- 9 ↩ENM 'seith' taken as 'sees' (from see), not 'says', given the 'beholdyng' frame.
- 10 ↩ME 'sufferaunce' rendered as 'permission' (God's allowing), not mere endurance; matches the chapter's sense of sin being 'suffrid'.
- 11 ↩ME 'wil' read as volitional ('wants'/'wills'), not merely future 'will be'; 'now without ende' rendered as 'now and forever'.
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