John Tauler · 96 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. · 83.

When David saith, “The righteous will not be troubled,” that referreth to temporal things, which make him troubled and unclean; but this suffering of a clean soul is caused by all things that are not God, and it thereby causeth the soul to purify and retain purity. When anything sinful crosseth the spirit, it is of necessity that it should be met with bitterness; this bitterness (hostility) driveth away the unholy onslaught, and retaineth the soul in its cleanliness. If the soul is free from all sinful impressions, if it standeth in the form of divinity, then it findeth itself in the righteousness in which God had originally formed it. It has arrived there through grace, and it is not troubled, for it hath passed beyond where grief can reach, it hath united itself with that which is all rapture and joy, he revelleth, and no more sadness can approach him. Thus meaneth David when he saith, “The righteous cannot be troubled.” Secondly, nothing could trouble the righteous unless God were stolen away; thus only the tearing away of his righteousness could trouble him. But so long as man liveth in time so long will he be persecuted, therefore he feeleth trouble and bitterness. But this trouble doth not injure the righteous, but rather holdeth him in his righteousness. Thirdly, the righteous man will also not be troubled when he existeth in the complete enjoyment of his righteousness. But this cannot be completely the case in time, but only in eternity. So long, therefore, as man is here below, so long his soul must be troubled, because he hath no power to enjoy his righteousness; but this trouble is also not destructive, but driveth him towards this complete righteousness. When there is hunger and thirst there is also trouble. Fourthly, the righteous man will not be troubled when his soul is given up to God, when all worldliness hath disappeared, and divinity standeth alone before him, in which he findeth joy. But if the man throweth a glance on his neighbour of human kind and seeth his misery he must then suffer with him. But such trouble doth not hinder the righteous, for righteousness springeth from charity. In the Gospel it is written of Jesus, “Jesus shuddered in spirit, and was troubled.” This was sympathy which he had for us. Fifthly, the righteous soul is unable to be troubled when all created objects are set aside and it is wrapped in the uncreated, which is God, where it alone findeth peace and sufficiency. But when the interest of the man concentrateth itself in created objects, which lead the soul not to God, then the spirit is troubled, because its sanctity is not fashioned and formed in that shape, he is, therefore, not able to be quiet *of spirit; but even this disturbance of the spirit is not destructive, for it gradually driveth away all things that, are not God, until God finally alone abideth with him. But at the same lime when perchance a man hath for a time peace through the perception of reason, that is not complete rest but a natural one.