John Tauler · 56 of 121

Secondly, of the work and knowledge of grace. · 110.

From temporal things we should also depart, if divine love demands it; as St. John saith, “Whoso hath temporal things and seeth his brother suffering necessity, and closeth his heart against him, how can divine love be in such a one?” (1 John iii. 17). Where divine love is, it expresseth itself outwardly; as St. Gregory saith, “Where great love is, it worketh great works, and if it doth not work these, it is no divine love at all.” A heart full of love and a bag full of gold cannot subsist with one another; for love is a fire by which all that is temporal is consumed; but where true love ruleth, there can only be a free heart, or it maketh it free. Whoso is burthened with temporal things, he showeth that the fire of divine love doth not burn properly in his heart. It is the nature of fire that it destroyeth all that it seizeth with its flame. Even so the divine fire destroyeth all things. This fire burnt in St. Paul when he said, “I have reckoned all things as dung.”1