Hamberger, Frankfurt, 1864. Miss Winkworth has translated a number of the sermons and a life of Tauler, and this material, with an introduction by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, has been recently published. See Vaughn, Hours with the Mystics; Preger, Geschichte der Deutschen Mystic im Mittelalter.

SERMON VI.

Tauler.

The following sermon gives a characteristic example of the style of Tauler. The fervent piety and admirable humanism of the discourse render it a model for preachers.

N all this world God covets and requires but

one thing only, and that He desires so exceeding greatly that He gives His whole might and energy thereto. This one thing is, that He may find that good ground which He has laid in the noble mind of man made fit and ready for Him to exercise His divine agency thereon. For God has all power in heaven and on earth, and the only thing that is lacking unto Him is that He is hindered from accomplishing the most glorious of all His works in man.

Now what must we do that God may shine in on this innermost ground of the soul, and work there? We must arise, says our text. Arise! this sounds as if we could do something towards this work. We must arise from all that is not God, from ourselves and from all creatures. And

by this act of arising, the ground of the soul is stirred, and a strong craving springs up in it; and the more this deepest ground of the soul is laid bare, and all that occupied and cumbered it is cleared away, the keener grows this craving after something higher than itself, so that ofttimes with God's lightest touch upon the naked soul the longing pierces through flesh and blood and

marrow.

But there are two sorts of overbold men who are driven by this stirring up of their souls into two rash courses. The first come with their natural quickness of parts, and with the conceptions of their own minds, and try therewith to touch the principle of their souls, and seek to still the craving within them by hearing and learning of lofty matters. And in this they find great delight, and ween that they are a Jerusalem, a city of peace, by the exercise of their intellect. There is another class who think to prepare the ground of their souls for God and to obtain peace by means of self-chosen good works, or by religious exercises, such as prayer, meditation, or whatever they see other people do for the same end; and then they fancy they are verily children of Zion, and their works of piety and charity do yield them great peace, and they delight in nothing so much as in religious exercises and the fulfilling of the tasks they have set themselves. But that their

peace is a false one may be perceived by this, that they do not cure themselves of their former faults, such as pride, sensuality, self-indulgence, love of the creature, proneness to suspect or judge others; and if any offend them, resentment forthwith flames up within them, and an angry word escapes them, or hatred smoulders in their heart; and such like faults they indulge in with their own consent. By this we may know that they wish to manage their souls after their own fashion, and work in them; while God cannot accomplish His work in such a foul and unswept chamber. Therefore, their peace is false, and they have not yet arisen in truth. Let not such claim to be children of Zion, nor dare to think they have found true peace; but let them seriously set themselves to work to conquer their faults, exercising themselves, after the pattern of our Lord, in humility and works of love, dying unto themselves in all things, and thus learn how to rise on high.

But those others, that is to say, those noble men who do truly arise and receive divine light, these allow God to prepare their souls for Himself, and renounce themselves in all things without any reserve, either as regards their words or their daily habits, or what they do or refrain from, or anything else, whether things go smoothly or crossly with them. Both in framing their purposes, and in meeting what arises, they refer all to God in

humble fear, and give themselves wholly up to Him, in utter poorness of spirit, in willing self-surrender, acquiescing in the divine will. They are content to say in all matters: "As God will," in quiet or in disquiet; for their sole delight is the holy and excellent will of God. To these we may apply what Christ said unto His disciples when they bade Him to go up unto the feast: "Go ye up; your time is alway ready, but My time is not yet come." These men's time is alway ready for them to endure and submit ; all time is fitting for them; but God's time is not alway ready, when He deigns or sees fit to work, or to send forth His light. This they submissively leave to His divine will, and are willing to wait as long as He pleases.

Now the distinguishing mark of this better sort of men is that they suffer God to order their souls' affairs, and do not hinder Him. Yet they are not raised above the shocks of temptation, nor even the liability to fall for a moment (for no one is entirely delivered from this danger), but afterwards, as soon as the first onset of passion is over, and their fault is held up before them, whether it be pride, or self-indulgence, or anger, or hatred, or whatever is their special temptation, they come to God in selfabasement, and submit themselves to Him, and bear without murmuring what He sees fit to appoint unto them. And such do in truth arise, for they rise above themselves in all things, and they