John Tauler · 57 of 121

Secondly, of the work and knowledge of grace. · 111.

The question might now be put, If it were not possible that the fire of divine love should burn in man and destroy all temporals only inwardly, while the outward man might preserve what is necessary? I answer, If a man keep himself pure, always watcheth his interior, exercise himself with holy contemplations, especially with the contemplation of the Passion of our Lord—for this maketh a man pure—then in his purity cometh up a light which burneth, and this internal burning showeth itself outwardly. If it be great, it consumeth in man all things, outwardly and inwardly; but if it be weak, man doth indeed despise internally these thing, but outwardly he retaineth his necessary possessions. But it is of necessity, in order to reach heaven, that a man be empty of all things internally. Now, these people who do this are indeed good men, but not perfect like those in whom the fire of divine love hath consumed all things inwardly and outwardly; these alone stand on the degree of all perfection, of whom the Gospel also speaketh “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. v. 3). Some one might here object at my speaking of the fire of love, and giving it strength and weakness, and say it is neither great nor small, for it cannot be divided; and what hath no parts hath also not these qualities, but is a simple being in. itself. The divine fire of love is neither great nor little, hot nor cold, in itself, but it is so in its working, for it worketh in every man according to his power of receiving, according to his earnestness and desire for God. If this earnestness and desire be great, this flame ia also greater; but if his earnestness and desire are small, then the flame also is small. If, now, a man hath a will free from all temporal things, the divine fire cometh and consumeth in him all things, outwardly and inwardly. Speaking of this, St. Paul said, “God is a Fire that consumeth all things” (Heb. xii. 29); this fire springeth up in him who willeth to and resign and deny all things. So with him who will not do this, in him nothing is consumed. In fact, if a soul be empty and poor through love, its body must also outwardly be empty and poor, as far as he can strip away from it all save the barest necessity. And even this he must only retain in the mode most despised by the world, namely, in a truly poor life, according to the teaching of Jesus Christ. For the soul commandeth the body, and not the body the soul. To whom orders are given, it behoveth him to be obedient and do the will of his bidder. As a. lord commandeth his servants, and his servants do what he commandeth, and if they do not this he dismisseth them, so also is the body the servant of the soul, and what the soul commandeth, that the body ought to do. It now the soul be completely sundered from all temporal things, this same condition she giveth to the body. When a lord getteth into a dispute, his servant must stand by him and help him in the strife. Thus also is it with the soul; while she is in the body she must contend and fight against her foes, and the body must help her, for without the body she could not conquer; and hence she giveth to the body the same weapons that she hath. If she be detached from temporal things, the same thing happens with the body. For if the body wisheth to have reward, it must also work with her, to help her to overcome all things that are not God. Soul and body are only one person, and what the soul receiveth from God she giveth directly to the body; and the same sweetness that the soul feeleth from God the body feeleth from the soul. If, now, the body wisheth to enjoy this blessedness, it must also work with her. If this be the case, and the spirit is emptied in the most perfect manner, the body must also strip itself as far as it is possible.