Sermons of Friar Johannes Tauler
Dear children, in the Last Sermon on these Words, which were spoken (of the Virgin Mary) by the Eternal Wisdom, I told you that these
Words referred to Our Lady, whose Dignity and Honor can in no-wise be expressed by Man in words, for they Surpass all Knowledge in Value.
I described the Works and Ways which were necessary to the Man who, Rising up, desired to enter into the Way of Truth; then, what was
necessary to him during his Progress; and then, how the Perfect Man might arrive at
the Goal, and what his End would be.
I told you how Man must First put away all Crying Sins, such as Pride, Impurity, Covetousness, Anger, and all the Evil Growths of the
World, with all Foolish Desires; and, above all, everything that Pertaineth to the Flesh, whether of things Animate or Inanimate. In short,
the Man who does not turn Bravely to God with all his Heart and with all his Mind, who does not Love God from the Bottom of
his Heart, and intend above all things to serve Him, and to be found at his Death in Him, will never come to God; even though, as
Saint Paul says, he were to do so as many Good Works as all Men now Living, and were so Wise that he Spake with the Tongue of Angels, and
Allowed his Body to be Burned, and gave all his Goods, to Feed the Poor. Now, how have they turned to God with all their Love, and with all
their Minds, who give their Hearts, of their own Free-Will, to Created Beings, although they know that they are thus Occupying the Places
where God should Dwell, and of which they are Consciously Depriving Him? God careth not for Works, when He is Deprived of the Heart
and of Love. Of what use is the Chaff to Him, if another has the Wheat?
Now when these Grossest Sins are cut-off in the Growing Man, with a Diligence which is like unto a Sharp Steel, and of which I have
already spoken, he will be Sharpened like a Sharp Knife, and Whetted-by the Great Righteousness of God, Which lets no Word nor Deed,
however Small they may be, Pass-by Unpunished. He must remember the Secret and Terrible Judgments of God; for no-one Knows how it will be
with him; for no-one Knows whether he is the Subject of God's Anger, or of His Favor. Now, when this Man has begun by cutting-off all
Wicked Vices, he must then take heed of that which is left in the Bottom of his Heart, namely the Inclination thereto, which is the Result
of Old Habits. For these Old Habits make Excuses for themselves, and Strive to appear as though they were "Virtues"; and yet they are only
Counterfeits; when Pride, which a Man fondly Imagines he had overcome, Lies Hidden in his Heart. For instance, care about Dress and such-like
matters remains, and it is called Cleanliness; or Pleasure is found in things pertaining-to the Senses, such as Food or Drink; and it is
called Necessity. Then some Men are so Angry and Wrathful, Longing-to Inform against every Man and to Judge him; and they are so Suspicious
and Impatient, and then they call it Justice; while Pure Laziness is called Illness.
Children, if you insist on any of these things, and Glory in your own Kindness, and in your own Judgment, and in your own Lofty and Wise,
Works and Ways -- when the End comes, the Devil will come, and take away those with him, who fondly Imagine that all is Well with them.
This will be the case, especially, with those who Conceal their Pride beneath the Appearance of Humility, and who, Wise in their own Conceit,
should of Right, stand under Lucifer's Banner; for the Higher they stand in their own Esteem, the Deeper
will they Fall into the Abyss.
Children, look to yourselves. This is not a Question of small things. If ye were to be kept in a Hot Room, a Night and a Day, ye
would think it very Hard; I say nothing of Burning Heat for many a Year, or perhaps for all Eternity. Therefore, Commune with your own
selves, for the Kingdom of God is within you. See with whom ye Associate, with whom ye Readily Stay; and Examine the Reasons and the Tendency
to all Evil Habits. For if a Man gives way to a Fault, for a Year or Two, that Fault takes such Deep Root in his Heart, that he can Scarcely
Overcome it, with all his Might. Therefore, Young Men should Guard themselves Carefully, so that no Evil Tendencies may Take Root in them.
They must Root-out all Infirmities at the Beginning, when it is far-more Easy to do so, than Later. Now there are Four (4)
Things, especially, which Man must Guard against, Four (4) Powers which are so Injurious and Evil, that they are like Jagged Teeth.
The First is the "Love of Visible Things"; and in this, lies the Strength of Desire. It is scarcely possible to Imagine or Describe the
Harm, Men do to themselves thereby. Men who desire to be Good, begin with this or that, with one thing or another, and are so occupied
with the Seed-Sowing, that they do not keep to the Full-Truth. They do not look into their own Hearts, which are closed-up, like
some unknown thing a Thousand Miles off; there, Outward and Visible things are of more-Importance to them. Thus they go on Avoiding
themselves, so that they do not Know, where they are.
The Second Power is "Anger". This is used Inordinately; for it should never be used Outwardly, except in those things which are
Displeasing to God. In itself, it is a Noble Power; but in many Men, it Produces very Evil Growths. They Suddenly Fall with Vehemence,
on anything whatsoever; and in False Righteousness, desire to Censure it, to Judge of all Works and Ways; and thus they Deceive themselves
and other Men with their Violence, their Unrestrained and Bitter Anger, and their Loud, Harsh, Unkind and Angry Words.
The Third Evil is to be found in the "Power of the Light of Reason", to which many Men Trust to their own Heart. They Trust in their own
Reason, and Glory in it, and they Compare themselves with the All-Wise and Living and Essential Truth; for he, who says he Possesses
it, Possesses it not. Thus many a Man, Deceives himself and Imagines he Possesses all things, because he sees them in his own
Imagination, while they are Hundreds of Miles away; and thus he Misses that Noble Treasure, Deep Humility; and accepts the Counterfeit
before him, and also before other Men.
The Fourth Evil is the Secret Delight which is often taken in Talent. This Holds-sway in many Men; they are Deceived by its Good Appearance,
Pleasure attracts them more than Divine Love; they take Pleasure for God, and that which they Imagine God, is only Pleasure. Thus, if
their Pleasure were to Vanish, so also would their Diligence. Look well to yourselves; for many a thing which seems as though it came
from Divine Love, has so many Additions, that the Enjoyment, the Taste and the Circumstances excite us more than we Imagine. Sometimes
this arises from New Emotions, from Inclination, or from Fear of Hell, or from the Desire to be Blessed; and this is Man's Natural Desire.
Know, Children, that those who do not seek God from the Heart, God will neither be their End nor their Reward. All these
things of which ye have heard must be Diligently cut-off, as with a Sharp Knife, which must be Whetted on the Severe Judgments of God,
and on His Unchangeable Righteousness, which lets nothing escape.
Now, when these Outward Infirmities have been cut-off, there still remains beneath, the Tendency to Sin, the Likeness of Past Habits; and
this must be Driven-out by the "Likeness of Jesus Christ". As One Nail, must be driven out by another, so must Man, Imprint this Likeness,
Devoutly and Firmly, on the Ground of his Heart, so that all Inequalities in him, may be Done-away and Extinguished. Now, as God has given
Great Power to Minerals and Herbs, to Drive-out Disease, by what Power do ye Believe that the Son of God will Drive-out all the Diseases
of the Soul, but by His Holy Sufferings, His Death, and His Sacred Likeness.
Now, because Man can do Nothing by himself, he must Exercise himself in Holy Suffering by Means of Prayer; he must cast himself down,
Secretly at the Feet of the Heavenly Father, and Beseech Him for the Sake-of His Well-Beloved Son, and by all His Sufferings, to Help him;
for without Him, he cannot Attempt or Succeed in anything. He must Train himself, never to Allow the Sacred Sufferings, nor
the Likeness of his Lord, to Forsake his Heart; and he must allow no Strange Likeness to find a place there. In order to do this,
he must Lift-up his Heart and Mind to the Heights of the Glory of the Godhead, on which he must Gaze with Holy Fear and Longing Desire.
When he lays his Dark and Miserable Ignorance before God, he will Understand what Job said: "A Spirit went before
me". This Leading-of the Spirit causes a Great Disturbance in the Heart of the Man. The Clearer, the Truer, the Plainer this
Leading is, the Stronger, the Quicker, the Truer and the Plainer will be the Work, the Strength and the Conversion of the Man; and he will
more Plainly Recognize his Place of Abode. Then the Lord comes in a Quick Glance, and Lights up the Heart of the Man, and will be Lord of
all his Work. When the Man becomes Conscious-of the Lord's Presence, he must let his Work alone, and Worship Him; all his Powers must be
Still, and there must be Calm. Otherwise the Works of Man would be but a Hindrance, and his Good Works also; for he must do Nothing, but
Submit himself to God.
But when Man is again left to himself, and he is no longer Conscious that God is Working in him, in any way that he can Clearly Recognize,
then he must begin again to Work Diligently, and to Discipline himself in Holiness. Thus the Man will sometimes Work, and sometimes Rest,
as he is Moved-of God and Entreated; everyone must do as seems best to him, either Working or Resting, so that he may be Drawn to God. But
he who cannot Rest alone, must make use of Sacred Pictures, and of Discipline, so that he may be Rooted and Grounded in Holy Love, and may
Comprehend with all Saints the Height, the Length, the Depth and the Breadth.
To understand all this is impossible; but it is possible to Cling to it with Love and Pure Intentions. The Mind must Lift itself up
above all Visible Things, and above all the Lower Things of Sense, and Realize that God, Who can do all things, did not Choose to
make a Creature so Noble, that with the Help of his Natural Understanding, he could Attain to the Knowledge of the very Essence of the
Being of God. For the Depth of the Divine Abyss cannot be Fathomed by Deep Humility. Therefore Our Lady, taking no heed of all the
Great Blessings that God had Poured-out upon her, spake only of her Lowliness, for which all Generations should call her Blessed,
because God had regarded her only.
The Breadth of God must be Understood as the Universal Love which He Manifests in-all Places, in-all Lands, and in-all the Works and
Ways that are Good. There is nothing so-Broad or so-Universal as God, nor so-near to the Inmost Heart of Man; he who will seek Him there,
shall find Him. Thus every day we find Him in the Blessed Sacrament, in all the Friends of God, and in all Creatures. This Breadth must be
Sought, with an Earnest, Fervent Mind, that is, a Mind that is Empty and Untroubled by all other things, and that has Secretly Yielded
itself up with all its Powers in the Presence of God. To that Man will be given Freedom of Spirit and Supernatural Grace; he will be
Exalted in Mind, above all Forms and Fashions, and will Soar above all Created Things. Saint Gregory speaks of it thus:
"If we would come to the Knowledge of Invisible Things, we must look beyond all things that are Visible".
The Length is Eternity, where there is no 'Before' and no 'After'; but where all is Still and Unchanging, and in which
all things Exist, in a Steady, Unchanging Vision of Him, in Whom all things Exist. This Length must be sought by Man in a Steady, Unchanging
and Humble Spirit; Unchanging in God, and Renouncing all Love, all Sorrow and all Creatures, that he may be Satisfied in God, may Rest in
Peace, and may leave all things to God. Thus the Noble Word: Transite, will be Accomplished; for Man will overcome all things, and will
be filled with the Divine Birth of this Lovely, Noble Virgin, to whom all Men should Pay Great Honor. However Highly they may be Exalted,
they should give Time and Trouble to Honor and Serve her.
May we also follow her, that we may also come to that Birth by the Help of God.
Amen
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