John Tauler · 39 of 121

Secondly, of the work and knowledge of grace. · 93.

People inquire further, if perhaps a poor man have too many natural images in himself. I maintain that a truly poor man is free from all natural images, for he is stationed in a perfect denial of himself and of all things, and therefore the images that are in a poor man proceed from the angel and not from nature, for he refers nothing to himself but all things to God. A poor man hath indeed also more knowledge than another; but he directeth his knowledge to virtue, and thus it is not hurtful but useful. They who have principally natural images in themselves are also mostly thoughtful of themselves and cleave too much to temporal things, for temporal things are to them a maintenance of their nature; now those who are most thoughtful about maintaining temporal things and their nature, are the most natural or immersed in nature, and have mostly natural images in themselves. They are too natural, because they cleave too much to bodily things, and wish thereby to attain to the best. They wish to have temporal and eternal things at the same time, which however is impossible, for two things, that are unequal, cannot subsist in the same being. They wish indeed to be poor in spirit, but yet to be rich in the body; they wish to eat the pure grain, before they have removed the husk; they wish to have God and the creature at the same time. And such men are natural and have the greatest number of natural images in themselves. Now these are not natural, spiritual images, but bodily, but for that reason they are more defective than if they were spiritual. But a truly poor man surrenders temporal and eternal things, outwardly and inwardly; therefore his images are not natural but angelic; and as the man with his image is only directed to the holiest will of God, his image is also like unto that of the angel, that is, it is angelic and not natural.