John Tauler · 114 of 121

The third way of a poor, perfect life, when you contemplate God internally, is, that a man do not fly from what may kill him in spiritual things. · 101.

Fifthly, man is guarded from venial sins by voluntary poverty, inward and outward; for true poor men stand alway in suffering, and if such men fall with a fault or defect, their suffering removeth it directly. A teacher saith “Be careless about the defects of poor people, for what lacketh in them, is cancelled again by poverty.” Poverty also protecteth specially against faults, for if any one beggeth a poor man for a gift, he cannot give it, but doth not commit a fault in refusing the beggar; whereas they who have temporal goods, if they are begged and they refuse, these sin. They show a want of pity and a hardness, and this is a sin. Poverty is farther good against sins, for temporal possession giveth much occasion thereto; and since poor men are free from this property, they have no such motive for sin and can also exercise no sins, as a heathen teacher already said: “When the cause faileth, the work also faileth.” Nothing is without a cause, and nothing can lead astray him who hath not any cause. Lastly, poverty also guardeth against sins, for when a man hath parted with all things he hath a perfect will to all virtue, and whoso willeth all virtue he opposeth all and every vice; a perfect will hath the power to resist all vices, it exerciseth all virtues and denieth instantly all sins. If he yet faileth, it is not his will, therefore no sin, for sin taketh place with the will, as St. Austin saith: “If there were no will, there would be no sin.” Therefore he who hath not given up all things hath also not the power to will all virtues, for so long as man is hindered by outward things, he cannot bring forth virtue in acts. But whoso hath turned all to virtue, getteth the power of the will, to will all virtues and to abandon every vice. They who are tainted with temporal possession cannot do this.