"The age of every man shall be acknowledged before him in Heaven, and
every man shall be rewarded for his willing service and for his time"
After this our good Lord said: _I thank thee for thy travail, and
especially for thy youth._
And in this [Shewing] mine understanding was lifted up into Heaven
where I saw our Lord as a lord in his own house, which hath called
all his dear worthy servants and friends to a stately[1] feast. Then
I saw the Lord take no place in His own house, but I saw Him royally
reign in His house, fulfilling it with joy and mirth, Himself endlessly
to gladden and to solace His dearworthy friends, full homely and
full courteously, with marvellous melody of endless love, in His own
fair blessed Countenance. Which glorious Countenance of the Godhead
fulfilleth the Heavens with joy and bliss.[2]
God shewed three degrees of bliss that every soul shall have in Heaven
that willingly hath served God in any degree in earth. The first is
the worshipful thanks of our Lord God that he shall receive when he is
delivered of pain. This thanking is so high and so worshipful that the
soul thinketh it filleth him though there were no more. For methought
that all the pain and travail that might be suffered by all living
men might not deserve the worshipful thanks that one man shall have
that willingly hath served God. The second is that all the blessed
creatures that are in Heaven shall see that worshipful thanking, and
He maketh his service known to all that are in Heaven. And here this
example was shewed:--A king, if he thank his servants, it is a great
worship to them, and if he maketh it known to all the realm, then
is the worship greatly increased.--The third is, that as new and as
gladdening as it is received in that time, right so shall it last
without end.
And I saw that homely and sweetly was this shewed, and that the age of
every man shall be [made] known in Heaven, and [he] shall be rewarded
for his willing service and for his time. And specially the age of them
that willingly and freely offer their youth unto God, passingly is
rewarded and wonderfully is thanked.
For I saw that whene'er what time a man or woman is truly turned to
God,--for one day's service and for his endless will he shall have all
these three decrees of bliss. And the more the loving soul seeth this
courtesy of God, the liefer he[3] is to serve him all the days of his
life.
[1] MS. "solemne"--ceremonial.
[2] See lxxii. and lxxv.
[3] Thoughout this MS. _the soul_ is referred to generally with the
masculine pronoun; the feminine pronoun is never used, in any of its
cases; the neuter sometimes occurs.
_THE SEVENTH REVELATION_