| OUR Lord God showed two manner of secret things. One is this great Secret [Counsel] with all the privy points that belong thereto: and these secret things He wills we should know [as being, but as] hid until the time that He will clearly show them to us. The other are the secret things that He wills to make open and known to us; for He would have us understand that it is His will that we should know them. They are secrets to us not only for that He wills that they be secrets to us, but they are secrets to us for our blindness and our ignorance; and thereof He has great ruth, and therefore He will Himself make them more open to us, whereby we may know Him and love Him and cleave to Him. For all that is speedful for us to learn and to know, full courteously will our Lord show us: and [of] that is this [Showing], with all the preaching and teaching of Holy Church. | |