John Tauler · 58 of 121

Secondly, of the work and knowledge of grace. · 112.

But St. Paul saith, “The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh” (Gal. v. 17). People will say, Where there are unlike desires, there are unlike results. How can man come to this, that the flesh be subject to the spirit? Man is created for time and for eternity for time in his body, for eternity according to his spirit. Everything strives towards its origin; as now the body is made of earth and for time, it inclineth to earthly and temporal things, and seeketh its delight in them; but the spirit has sprung from God and is created for eternity, therefore it inclineth to God and eternity. This contradicting inclination of both formeth this opposite lusting or desire. Soul and body are one; those which are united have mutual faithfulness; thus the soul is devoted to the body and the body to the soul. If now the soul, from blindness of its knowledge, chooseth a sham good for a real good, she turneth to sensuality and the senses turn to this good, which can be seized by them, and choose it, and the soul followeth them. But this arises from ignorance. Yet she findeth no rest in it; she desireth something else but cannot grasp it, as the body hindereth and her knowledge is blinded. Thus the soul followeth and taketh the likeness of the body—that is, mortality—for the body is mortal; she therefore becometh also spiritually dead; she ought to live, but she dieth, as already St. John said, “Thou hast the name that thou livest, but art dead” (Rev. iii. 1). But if the soul cometh to the knowledge of the truth, seeth the true distinction of everything, recognises that all bodily things are passing and faulty, but also recognises in the light of faith that she herself is eternal, she is then frightened at all mortality, she turneth from the body to God, from the temporal to the eternal. In this longing for God, the soul draweth the sensual desires up into herself and unites them with herself, so that the senses can desire nothing save what the soul willeth. Now, the body must follow the soul and be subject to it. Whither the soul turneth itself, the body followeth her. What God hath lent her that she imparts to the body, and this is a greater comfort to the body than all that is bodily; this comfort maketh it then so strong that it suffereth all things for the sake of God. When the soul has resigned all bodily things, she desires this also of the body, which, no doubt, according to its nature giveth it woe, and this woe is the striving against the spirit; yet now the body followeth the spirit. Just as the soul followeth the body when she inclineth to it, so also the body followeth the spirit when the spirit inclineth to God. And just as it was contrary to the spirit to incline to the body, and yet she did so in her blindness, so it is also burdensome to the body which yieldeth to the spirit, but yet it doeth it. Lastly, when man’s mind is united with his spirit and the spirit with God, no more combat taketh place, but a pure peace, a single will, as two spouses mutually follow one another, and what one wills the other willeth. This is the holiest will of God, and this they wish both to fulfil, and each doeth what it can that the will of God may be fulfilled. This union bringeth to complete resignation, so that each standeth in denial and abandonment, so that the body abandons itself to the spirit and the spirit cleaveth to God. If the body do not abandon all temporals as far as is possible, a real union of body and spirit can never take place, nor of the spirit with God; a real peace could never be, but a perpetual contest and fight. Whoso now wisheth to be a friend that he may be one spirit with God, he must leave all things out of love, and unite his love with God alone; in this manner giving maketh friendship and union.