Theologia Germanica

i i j 1 j ! i i ^ i i i \ i J \ \ i i i i i -I .s I j i ®l)cologta ^crmanica. OTRONG Son of God, Immortal Love, ^ Whom we, that have not feen thy face, By faith, and faith alone embrace, Believing where we cannot prove. Thou feemeft human and divine. The higheft, holicft manhood Thou j Our wills are ours, we know not how. Our wills are ours to make them Thine. O Living Will that fhalt endure. When all that feems ftiall fufFer (hock. Rife in the fpiritual Rock, Flow through our deeds and make them pure. That we may lift from out the duft, A voice as unto him that hears, A cry above the conquered years. To one that with us works, and truft With faith that comes of self-control The truths that never can be proved. Until we clofe with all we loved And all we flow from, foul in foul. Tennyson. ^Ijcologia ©ertnamm: lUtjicl) fettcti) forti) man^ fair Ctneaments of irimne Srntl), anb faitl] ucrp loftg ani lords tljlngs tottcl)ing a perfect £ife. EDITED BY DR. PFEIFFER FROM THE ONLY COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT YET KNOWN. TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY SUSANNA WINKWORTH. With a PREFACE by the Rev. Charles Kingsley, Reflor of Everfley, and a LETTER to the Tranflator by the Chevalier Bunsen, D D., D.C.L., &c. And an Introduftion by Profeffor Calvin E. Stowe, D. D.

PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY W. F. DRAPER, at his Printing Houfe, Main Street.

JOHN P. JEWETT & CO MDCCCLX. / Entered, according to A€t of Congrefs, In the year 1855, BY Warren F. Draper, in the Clerk's Office of the Diftria Court of the Di&ii£i of Maffachufetts. W. F. Jy APER, Stereotyper and Printer, Andover. TO THE READER. For the evangelical Chriftian this little work needs no other recommen- dation than that which is given by Martin Luther, in his brief, terfe, and charadteriftic preface to it as originally publiflied by him. Amid the multi- tude of theological works then in ex- iftence, with which his mind had been wearied aftd bewildered, this met his eye as an oalis in the defert, as a pre- cious lump of pure gold in a flag of earth and flone. It fets forth the ef- fential principle of the gofpel in its naked fimplicity, juft as it is, and juft as it proves itfelf moft acceptable to every foul which feels its need of fal- b vi Preface. vation and finds that falvation in Chrift alone. A. fenfe of fin, a convidlion of deep depravity, a feeling of utter helplefl*- nefs, lies at the foundation of all ade- quate appreciation of the gofpel. In proportion as this convidlion and feel- ing is quick and frefli, the gofpel is life and power; in proportion as it is faded and indiftind:, the gofpel becomes pow- erlefs and lifelefs. As it has been juftly faid in nervous, idiomatic Eng- lifh, Well eiiough needs no help. Never does the Chriftian, taught by the Spirit, feel fo utterly fielplefs as when he labors in earneft to fecure his own falvation or the falvation of a fel- low creature. He here finds obftacles which God alone can remove, he here encounters a labor which God alone can accompliili; and no language can fully exprefs his own feeling of his own Preface. impotency, and of the unfpeakable worth of that Saviour who is able to fave to the uttermojl. The great value and intereft of the following treatife depends on the vivid- nefs and entirenefs with which it holds thefe ideas, and the fingular fimplicity, energy and clearnefs with which it expreffes them. Man never becomes fpiritually minded, he always continues wordly, until he has finally defpaired of himfelf, and thrown his foul wholly on God in Chrift. Then he can tajle the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, and fee that the Lord is gracious; and foon other objefts will have no glory by reafon of this glory that excelleth. By fuch a one this German Theology will be relifhed with keeneft zeft of appetite; and while to others it will appear dull, old-fafhioned, un- meaning and myftical. viii Preface. In this day of the outwardy when all that is phyfical and earthly is pufhing itfelf forward with fuch a deafening, dazzling rulh, it is to be hoped that the inwardy the true Chriftian Hfcy which is hid with Chrijl in Gody may be cher- ifhed and promoted by the republica- tion of a tradl which was in fome fenfe the harbinger of the Proteftant Refor- mation, and helped to create in the foul of Luther that mighty inner man, which in its outer developments fhook the world to its centre and fnapped afunder the chains that Satan had been more than a thoufand years in forging. C. E. STOWE. Ando'uery September ist, 1855. PREFACE. ^TpO thofe who really hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs ; and who therefore long to know what righteoufnefs is, that they may copy it : To thofe who long to be freed, not merely from the punifhment of lin after they die, but from fin itfelf while they live on earth; and who therefore wifh to know what fin is, that they may avoid it: To thofe who wifh to be really juftified by faith, by being made jufl: perfons by faith; and who cannot fatisfy either their confciences or reafons by fancying that God looks X Preface. on them as right, when they know themfelves to be wrong, or that the God of truth will ftoop to fid:ions (mif- called forenfic) which would be con- fidered falfe and unjufl: in any human court of law: To thofe who cannot help trufting that union with Chrift muft be fomething real and fubftantial, and not merely a metaphor, and a flower of rhetoric: To thofe, laftly, who can- not help feeing that the do6lrine of Chrift in every man, as the Indwelling Word of God, The Light who lights every one who comes into the world, is no peculiar tenet of the Quakers, but one which runs through the whole of the Old and New Teftaments, and without which they would both be un- intelligible, juft as the fame dodlrine runs through the whole hiftory of the Early Church for the firft two centu- ries, and is the only explanation of Preface. xi them; — To all thefe this noble little book will recommend itfelf; and may- God blefs the reading of it to them, and to all others no lefs. As for its orthodoxy; to evangeli- cal" Chriftians Martin Luther's own words ought to be sufficient warrant. For he has faid that he owed more to this than to any other book, faving the Bible and Saint Auguftine. Thofe on the other hand, to whom Luther's name does not feem a fufficient guarantee, muft recoiled:, that the Author of this book was a knight of the Teutonic order; one who confidered himfelf,and was confidered, as far as we know, by his contemporaries, an orthodox mem- ber of the Latin Church; that his friends and difciples were principally monks exercifing a great influence in the Catholic Church of their days; that one of their leaders was appointed by xii Preface. Pope John XXII. Nuncio, and over- feer of the Dominican order in Ger- many; and that during the hundred and feventy years which elapfed be- tween the writing of this book and the Reformation, it incurred no ecclefiafti- cal cenfure whatfoever, in generations which were but too fond of making men offenders for a word. Not that I agree with all which is to be found in this book. It is for its noble views of righteoufnefs and of fin that I honour it, and rejoice at feeing it publifhed in Englifh, now for the firft time from an edition bafed on the perfed: manufcript. But even in thofe points in which I fhould like to fee it altered, I am well aware that there are ftrong authorities againft me. The very expreffion, for injftance, which moft ftartles me, ^^vergottety" deified or made divine, is ufed, word for word. Preface, both by Saint Athanafe and Saint Au- guftine, the former of whom has faid: "He became man that we might be made God;"* and the latter, "He call- ed men Gods, as being deified by His grace, not as born of His fubftance/'-f- There are many paflages, moreover, in the Epiftles of the Apoftles, which, if we paraphrafe them at all, we can hard- ly paraphrafe in weaker words. Itfeems to me fafer and wifer to cling to the

I fhould wifh to make fuch a man as the Author of the Theologia Germa- nica an offender for a word! One point more may be worthy of remark. In many obfcure pafTages of this book, words are ufed, both by the * Ainhq lTCriv6q,ji7tri<jEv Iva 'fif*fXg deorroiijdwfisy. Athan. Orat. de Incarn Verbi. Tom. i page io8. f Homines dixit Decs, ex gratia fua deijicatos ^ non de fubftantia fua nates. Aug. in Pfalm xlix. (Ed. Bened. Tom. iv. page 414) xiv Preface. Author and by the tranflator, in their ftridt, original, and fcientific meaning, as they are ufed in the Creeds, and not in that meaning which has of late crept into our very pulpits, under the influ- ence of Locke's philofophy. When, for inftance, it is faid that God is the Subftance of all things; this expreflion, in the vulgar Lockite fenfe of fubftance, v^ould mean that God is the matter or ftuff of v^hich all things are made; which w^ould be the grofleft Pantheifm: but *'Subftance" in the true and an- cient meaning of the word, as it ap- pears in the Athanafian Creed, fignifies the very oppofite; namely, that which Jiands under the appearance and the matter; that by virtue of which a thing has its form, its life, its real exiftence, as far as it may have any; and thus in aflerting that God is the Subftance of all things, this book means that every Preface, XV thing (except lin, which is no thing, but the difeafe and fall of a thing) is a thought of God. So again with Eternity. It will be found in this book to mean not merely fome future endlefs duration, but that ever-prefent moral world, governed by ever-living and abfolutely neceffary laws, in which we and all fpirits are now; and in which we {hould be equally, whether time and fpace, extenfion and duration, and the whole material uni- verfe to which they belong, became nothing this moment, or laftcd endleffly. I think it necelTary to give thefe cau- tions, becaufe by the light of Locke's philofophy, little or nothing will be difcerned in this book, and what little is difcerned, will probably be utterly mifunderftood. If any man wifhes to fee clearly what is herein written, let him try to forget all popular modern xvi Preface. dogmas and fyftems, all popular philo- fophies (falfely fo called), and be true to the letter of his Bible, and to the inftind:s which the Indwelling Word of God was wont to awaken in his heart, while he was yet a little unfo- phifticated child ; and then let him be fure that he will find in this book germs of wider and deeper wifdom than its good Author ever dreamed of; and that thofe great fpiritual laws, which the Author only applies, and that often in- confiftently, to an afcetic and paflively contemplative life, will hold juft as good in the family, in the market, in the fenate, in the ftudy, ay, in the bat- tle-field itfelf; and teach him the way to lead, in whatfover ftation of life he may be placed, a truly manlike, becaufe a truly Chriftlike and Godlike life. Charles Kingsley. Torquay, Lent, 1854.. Hiftorical Introdudion. BY THE TRANSLATOR. ^T^HE Treatife before us was difcov- ered by Luther, who firll: brought it into notice by an Edition of it which he pubhfhed in 1 5 1 6. A Second Edi- tion, which came out two years later, he introduced with the following Pre- face : — "We read that St. Paul, though he was of a weak and contemptible pre- fence, yet wrote weighty and pov/erful letters, and he boafts of himfelf that his *fpeech is not with enticing words of man's device,' but ^full of the riches b xviii Hiftorical of all knowledge and wifdom.' And if we confider the wondrous ways of God, it is clear, that He hath never chofen mighty and eloquent preachers to fpeak His word, but as it is written: * Out of the mouths of babes and fuck- lings haft thou perfected praife,'Ps. viii. 2. And again, *For wifdom opened the mouth of the dumb, and made the tongues of them that cannot fpeak elo- quent,' Wifdom X. 21, Again, He blameth fuch as are high-minded and are offended at thefe fimple ones. Con- filium inopisy &c. *Ye have made a mock at the counfel of the poor, be- caufe he putteth his truft in the Lord,' Pf. xiv. 6. **This I fay becaufe I will have every one warned who readeth this lit- tle book, that he fhould not take of- fence, to his own hurt, at its bad Ger- man, or its crabbed and uncouth words. IntroduEiion. xix For this noble book, though it be poor and rude in words, is fo much the richer and more precious in knowledge and divine wifdom. And I will fay, though it be boafling of myfelf and ' I fpeak as a fool,' that next to the Bible and St. Auguftine,no book hath ever come into my hands, whence I have learnt, or would wifh to learn more of what God, and Chrift, and man and all things are; and now I firft find the truth of what certain of the learned have faid in fcorn of us theologians of Wittemberg, that we would be thought to put forward new things, as though there had never been men elfewhere and before our time. Yea, verily, there have been men, but God's wrath, provoked by our fins, hath not judged us worthy to fee and hear them; for it is well known that for a long time paft fuch things have not been treated of in our univer- XX Hijlorical fities; nay, it has gone fo far, that the Holy Word of God is not only laid on the Ihelf, but is almoft mouldered away with duft and moths. Let as many as will, read this little book, and then fay whether Theology is a new or an old thing among us: for this book is not new. But if they fay as before, that we are but German theologians, we will not deny it. I thank God that 1 have heard and found my God in the Ger- man tongue, as neither I nor they have I* yet found him in the Latin, Greek, or Hebrew tongue. God grant that this book may be fpread abroad, then we fhall find that the German theologians are without doubt the beft theologians. (Signed, without date,) Dr. Martin Luther, AuGUSTiNiAN of Wittemberg." IntroduBion. xxi Thefe words of Luther will proba- bly be confidered to form a fufficient juftification for an attempt to prefent the Theologia Germanica in an Englifli drefs. When Luther fent it forth, its effort to revive the confcioufnefs of fpiritual life was received with enthufi- afm by his fellow-countrymen, in whom that life was then breaking with vol- canic energy through the clouds of for- malifm and hypocrily, with which the Romifh Church had fought to ftifle its fires. No fewer than feventeen edi- tions of the work appeared during the lifetime of Luther. Up to the prefent day, it has continued to be a favourite handbook of devotion in Germany, where it has paffed through certainly as many as fixty Editions, and it has alfo been widely circulated in France and the Netherlands, by means of La- tin, French, and Flemifh tranflations. xxii Hijlorical To the queftion, who was the author of a book which has exerted fo great an influence, no anfwer can be given, all the various endeavours to difcover him having proved fruitlefs. Till within the lafl few years, Luther was our fole authority for the text of the work, but about 1850, a Manufcript of it was difcovered at Wurtzburg, by Profeffor Reufs, the librarian of the Univerfity there, which has fince been publifhed verbatim by Profeffor PfeifFer,of Prague. This Manufcript dates from 1497; confequently it is fomewhat older than Luther's time, and it alfo contains fome paffages not found in his editions. As upon careful comparifon, it feemed to the Tranflator indifputably fuperior to the beft modern editions bafed upon Luther's, it has been feledled as the groundwork of the prefent tranllation, merely correcting from the former, IntroduSlion. xxiii one or two paffages which appeared to contain errors of the prefs,ormore likely of the tranfcriber's pen. The paffages not found in Luther's edition are here enclofed between brackets. As has been ftated, the author of the Theologia Germanica is unknown; but it is evident from his whole caft of thought, as well as from a Preface at- tached to the Wurtzburg Manufcript, that he belonged to a clafs of men who fprang up in Southern Germany at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and who were diftinguifhed for their earneft piety and their prad:ical belief in the prefenceof the Spiritof God with all Chriftians, laity as well as clergy. Thefe men had fallen upon evil times. Their age was not indeed one of thofe periods in which the vigour of the nobler powers of the foul is enfee- bled by the abundance of material prof- xxiv Hijlorical perity and phyfical enjoyment, nor yet one of thofe in which they are utterly crufhed out under the hoof of oppref- fion and mifery; but it was an age in which confliding elements were wildly ftrugglingfor the maflery. Thehigheft fpiritual and temporal authorities were at deadly ftrife with each other and among themfelves; and in their con- tefts, there were few provinces or towns that did not repeatedly fuffer the hor- rors of war. The defolation caufed by its ravages, was however fpeedily re- paired during the intervals of peace, by the extraordinary energy which the German nation difplayed in that bloom of its manhood; fo that times of deep mifery and great profperity rapidly al- ternated with each other. But on the whole, during the firft half of this cen- tury, the fenfe of the calamities, which were continually recurring, predomin- IntroduEiion. xxv ated over the recolledlion of the calmer years which were barely sufficient to allow breathing time between the fuc- ceffive waves that threaten to over- whelm focial order and happinefs. The unqueflioning faith and honeft enthuliafm which had prompted the Crufades, no longer burnt with the fame fierce ardour, for the unhappy iffue of thofe facred enterprifes, and the fcandalous worldly ambition of the heads of the Church, had moderated its fer- vour and faddened the hearts of true be- lievers. Yet the one Catholic, Chriftian creed ftill held an undivided and very real fovereignty over men's minds, and the fupremacy of the Church in things fpiritual was never queftioned, though many were beginning to feel that it was needful for the State to have an in- dependent authority in things temporal, and the queftion was warmly agitated xxvi Hijlorkal how much of the fpiritual authority refided in the Pope and how much in the bifhops and doctors of the Church. But in whichever way the difpute be- tween thefe rival claims might be ad- jufled, the reverence for the office of the clergy remained unimpaired. The cafe was very different with the reverence for their perfons, which had fallen to a very low ebb, owing to the worldlinefs and immorality of their lives. This again was much encouraged by the con- dud: of the Popes, who, in their zeal to eftablifh worldly dominion, made ec- clefiaftical appointments rather with a view to gain political adherents, or to acquire wealth by the fale of benefices, than with a regard to the fitnefs of the men feledled,or the welfare of the peo- ple committed to their charge. On the whole, it was an age of faith, though by no means of a blind, unrea- IntroduSiion. xxvii foning taking things for granted. On the contrary, the evidences of extreme adlivity of mind meet us on every hand, in the monuments of its literature, ar- chitedlure, and invention. A few fad:s ftrikingly illuftrate the divergent ten- dencies of thought and public opinion. Thus we may remember, how it was currently reported that the profligate Pope Boniface VIII. was privately an unbeliever, even deriding the idea of the immortality of the foul, at the very time when he was maintaining againft Philip the Fair, the right of the Pope to fit, asChrift's reprefentative, in judg- ment on the living and the dead, and to take thefword of temporal power out of the hands of thofe who mifufed it.* Whetherthis accufationwas true ornot, * Neander's ^^KirckengefchichteJ''' Band 6, S. 15, 20. This work and Schmitz's " Johannes hauler ^oon Straf- burgf'' are the authorities for moft of the fafts here men- tioned. xxviii Hijlorical it is a remarkable fign of the times that it fhould have been widely believed. Some years later, and when the in- creafed corruptnefs of the clergy^, after the removal of the Papal Court to Avignon, provoked ftill louder com- plaints, we fee the religious and pa- triotic Emperor, Louis IV., accufing John XXII. of herefy, in a public al- fembly held in the fquare of St. Peter's at Rome, and fetting up another Pope " in order to pleafe the Roman people." But though the new Pope was every way fitted, by his unblemifhed charac- ter and afcetic manners, to gain a hold on public efteem, we fee that the Em- peror could not maintain him againft the legitimately eledled Pope, who from his feat at Avignon, had power to harafs the Emperor fo greatly with his interdidls, that the latter, finding all efforts at conciliation fruitlefs, would IntroduSlion. xxix have bought peace by unconditional fubmiflion, had not the Eftates of the Empire refufed to yield to fuch humi- liation. Yet we find this very Pope obliged to yield and retrad: his opinions on a point of dogmatic theology. He had in a certain treatife propounded the opinion that the fouls of the pious w^ould not be admitted to the immediate vifion of the Deity until after the day of Judg- ment. The King of France, in 1433, called an afi^embly of Prelates and theo- logians at his palace atVincennes, v^^here he invited them to difcufs before him the two queftions, w^hether the fouls of departed faints would be admitted to an immediate vifion of the Deity before the refurredtion; and whether, if fo, their vifion would be of the fame or of a different kind after the Judgment Day? The theological faculty having come to conclufions difi'ering in fome XXX Hijlorical refpedls from thofe of the Pope, the King threatened the latter with the ftake as a heretic, unlefs he retradled; and John XXII. iffued a bull, declaring that what he had faid or written, ought only to be received in fo far as it agreed with the Catholic Faith, the Church and Holy Scripture. No circurnftance, perhaps, offers a more remarkable fpec- tacle to us in its contraft with the fpirit of our own times. At the prefent mo- ment, when the Pope could not fit for a day in fafety on his temporal throne without the defence of French or Auf- trian bayonets, we can fcarcely conceive an Emperor of France or Auftria taking upon himfelf to convene an affembly of Catholic theologians, and the latter pro- nouncing a cenfure on the dogmas pro- pounded by the Plead of the Church! It would be hard to fay whether the Sovereigns of the prefent day would be IntroduEiion. xxxi more amufed by the abfurdity of de- voting their time to fuch difcuffions, or the confciences of good Cathohcs more fhocked at. the prefumption of fuch a verdid;. Still it muft not be forgotten that the importance of religious affairs in that age muft not be afcribed too ex- clufively to earneftnefs about religion itfelf, for the ecclefiaftical intereft pre- dominated over the purely religious. The Pope and the Emperor reprefent- ed the two great antagoniftic pov^ers, fpiritual and temporal, the rivalry be- tween which abforbed into itfelf all the political and focial queftions that could then be agitated. The queftion of allegiance to the Pope or the Emper- or was like the conteft between royal- ifm and republicanifm; the Ghibelline called himfelf a patriot, and was called by his adverfary, the Guelf, a worldly xxxii Hijlorical man or even an infidel, while he retort- ed by calling the Guelf a betrayer of his country, and an enemy of national liberties. We cannot help feeing, however, that in thofe days both princes and peo- ple, wicked as their lives often were, did really believe in the Chriflian reli- gion, and that while much of the my- thological, and much of the formaliftic element mingled in their zeal for out- ward obfervances, there was alfo much thoroughly fincere enthufiafm among them. But both the great powers op- prelTed the people, which looked alter- nately to the one fide or the other for emancipation from the particular griev- ances felt to be moft galling at any given moment or place. In the frightful moral and phyfical condition of fociety, it was no wonder that a defpair of Pro- vidence fhould have begun to attack IntroduEiion . xxxiii fome minds, which led to materialiftic fcepticifm, while others fought for help on the path of wild fpeculation. The latter appears to have been the cafe with the Beghards or Brothers and Sifters of the Free Spirit," who attempted to inftitute a reform by withdrawing the people altogether from the influence of the clergy, but whofe followers after a time too often fell into the vices of the priefts from whom they had feparated themfelves. In 13 17, we find the Bifhopof Ochfenftein complaining that Alface was filled with thefe Beghards, who appear to have been a kind of an- tinomian pantheifts, teaching that the Spirit is bound by no law, and annihi- lating the diftindion between the Cre- ator and the creature. Both in their excellencies and defe(fls they remind us of the modern ^'German Catholics," and of fome, too, of the recent Proteft- xxxiv Hijlorical ant fchools in Germany. There feems to have been no party of profeffed un- beUeverSjbut thatfome individuals were fuch in word as well as deed, appears from what Ruyfbroch of Bruffels,* ' (1300- 1 3 30) fays of thofe **who live in mortal fin, not troubling themfelves about God or his grace, but thinking virtue fheer nonfenfe, and the fpiritual life hypocrify or delufion; and hearing with difguft all mention of God or vir- tue, for they are perfuaded that there is no fuch thing as God, or Heaven, or Hell; for they acknowledge nothing but what is palpable to the fenfes." . The early part of the fourteenth cen- tury faw Germany divided for nine years between the rival claims of two Em- perors, Frederick of Auftria, fupported by Pope John XXII. and a fadlion in * As quoted by Neander. Kirchengefchichte^ B. 6, S. 769. IntroduSlion. xxxv Germany, and Louis of Bavaria, whofe j caufe was efpoufed by a majority of the | Princes of the Empire, as that of the defender of the dignity and indepen- | dence of the State, and the champion of reform within the Church. The death of Frederick in 1322, left Louis the undifputed Emperor, as far as nearly all his fubjedts were concerned, and he would fain have purchafed peace with the Pope on any reafonable terms, that he might apply himfelf to the internal improvement of his dominions; but John XXIL was implacable, and con- tinued to wage againft him and his ad- herents a deadly warfare, not clofed until his fucceflbr Charles IV, fubmit- ted to all the papal demands, and to every indignity impofed upon him. One of the moft fearful confequences of the enmity between John XXIL and Louis of Bavaria, to the unfortunate xxxvi Hijlorkal fuhjedls of the latter, was the Interdid: under which his dominions were laid in 1324, and from which fome places, diftinguifhed for their loyalty to the Emperor, were not relieved for fix and twenty years. Louis, indeed, defired his fubjeds to pay no regard to the bull of excommunication, and moft of the laity, efpecially of the larger towns, would gladly have obeyed him in fpite of the Pope; but the greater part of the bifhops and clergy held with their fpiritual head, and thus the inhabitants of Strafburg, Nuremberg, and other cities, where the civil authorities fided with the Emperor, and the clergy with the Pope, were left year after year with- out any religious privileges; for public worfhip ceafed, and all the bufinefs of life went on without the benedictions of the Church, no rite being allowed but baptifm and extreme undion. IntroduEiion. xxxvii After this had lafted lixteen years, the Emperor, wifhing to relieve the an- guifhed confciences of his people, iffued, in conjundlion with the Princes of the Empire, a great manifefto to all Chrif- tendom, refuting the Pope's accufations againft him, maintaining that he who had been legally chofen by the Eledlors was, in virtue thereof, the rightful Em- peror, and had received this dignity from God, and proclaiming that all who denied this were guilty of high treafon; and therefore none fhould be allowed any longer to obferve the Inter- dict, and all who fhould continue to do fo, whether communities or individuals, fhould be deprived of every civil and ecclefiaftical right and privilege. This courageous edi6l found a refponfe in the heart of the nation, and public opinion continually declared itfelf more ftrongly on the fide of the Emperor. Yet on xxxviii Hijlorical the whole it rather increafed the gen- eral anarchy; for in many places the priefts and monks were fteadfaft in their allegiance to the Pope, and, refufing to adminifter public fervice, were altogeth- er banifhed from the towns, and the churches and convents clofed. In Straf- burg, for inftance, where the regular clergy had long fmce ceafed to perform religious rites, the Dominicans and Francifcans had continued to preach and perform mafs; but now, they too, frightened by the Edidl, which placed them in dired; oppofition to the Pope, dared no longer to difregard the renewed fentence of excommunication hanging over them, and refufing to read mafs, were expelled by the Town Council. Many of thefe banifhed clergy wan- dered about in great diftrefs, with dif- ficulty finding refuge among the fcat- tered rural population, and the fuffer- IntroduEiion. xxxix ings they endured proved the fincerity of their confcientious fcruples. Some few, either from worldly motives, or out of pity for the people, rem.ained at their pofls. The former indeed throve by the miferiesof their fellow-creatures, driving a ufurious trade in the famine of fpiritual confolation; for it is upon record, that in time of peftilence, the price of fhrift has been as much as fixty florins! Thefpedtacleof fuchdifcord between the clergy and the laity, was fomething unfpeakably fhocking to the Chriflian world in that age, and the energetic proceedings of the magiftracy m.uft have utterly daggered the faith of many. Of all the events that were liirring up men's paffions and energies, none was more calculated to move their fouls to the very centre, than to find themfelves compelled to ftand up in arms againfl: xl Hijiorical thofe whom they had been wont to bow down before and to reverence as the fource of thofe fpiritual bleffings, for the fake of which they were now driven in defperation to take this awful ftep. To thefe political and religious dif- fenfions were added, in procefs of time, other miferies. After it had been pre- ceded by earthquakes, hurricanes and famine, the Black Death broke out, fpreading terror and defolation through Southern Europe. Men faw in thefe frightful calamities the judgments of God, but looked in vain for any to fhow them a way of deliverance and efcape. Some believed that the laft day was ap- proaching; feme, remembering an old prophecy, looked with hope for the re- turn of the Great Emperor Frederick II. to reftore juftice and peace in the world, to punifh the wicked clergy. IntroduElion. xli and help the poor and oppreffed flock to their rights. Others traverfed the country in proceffions, fcourging them- felves and praying with a loud voice, in order to atone for their fins and ap- peafe God's anger, and inveighing againft man's unbeHef, w^hich had call- ed dow^n God's wrath upon the earth; while fome thought to do God fervice, by wreaking vengeance on the people which had flain the Lord, and thouf- ands of wretched Jews perifhed in the flames kindled by frantic terror. *'A11 things worked together to deepen the fenfe of the corruptnefs of the Church, to lead men's thoughts onwards from their phyfical to their fpiritual wants, to awaken reflection on the judgments of God, and to fix their eyes on the in- dications of the future,"* fo that John of Winterthur was probably not alone, • Neander, Kirchengefchichte, B. 6, S. 728. xlii Hijlorkal in applying to his own times, what St. Paul fays of the perils of the latter days. In thefe chaotic times, and in the countries where the ftorms raged moft fiercely, there were fome who fought that peace which could not be found on earth, in intercourfe with a higher world. Deftitute of help and comfort and guidance from man, they took re- fuge in God, and finding that to them He had proved *'a prefent help in time of trouble," '*as the fhadow of a great rock in a weary land,'' they tried to bring their fellow-men to believe and partake in a life raifed above the trou- bles of this world. They defired to fhow them that that Eternal life and enduring peace, which Chrift had pro- mifed to His difciples, was, of a truth, to be found by the Way which he had pointed out, — by a living union with Him and the Fatherwho had fent Him. IntroduEiion. xliii With this aim, like-minded men and women joined themfelves together, that by communion of heart and mutual counfel they rnight ftrengthen each other in their common efforts to revive the fpiritual life of thofe around them. The AfTociation they founded was kept fecret, left through mifconception of their principles, they might fall under fufpicion of herefy, and the Inquifition fhould put a ftop to their labours; but they defired to keep themfelves aloof from everything that favoured of herefy or diforder. On the contrary, they carefully obferved all the precepts of the Church, and carried their obedience fo far that many of their number were among the priefts, who were banifhed for obeying the Pope, when the Em- peror ordered them to difregard the In- terdict. They affumed the appellation of Friends of God," ( Gottesfreiinde) xliv Hijlorical and in the courfe of a few years, their alTociations extended along the Rhine provinces from Bafle to Cologne, and eaftwards through Swabia, Bavaria, and Franconia. Strafburg, Conftance, Nu- remberg and Nordlingen were among their chief feats. Their diftinguifhing dodrines were felf-renunciation, — the complete giving up of self-will to the will of God; — the continuous activity of the Spirit of God in all believers, and the intimate union poffible between God and man; — the worthleffnefs of all religion bafed upon fear or the hope of reward; — and the effential equality of the laity and clergy, though for the fake of order and difcipline, the organi- zation of the Church was neceffary. They often appealed to the declaration of Chrift (John xv. 15), ''Henceforth I call you not fervants; for the fervant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but IntroduBion. xlv I have called you friends; for all things ~ that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you;" and from this they probably derived their name of "Friends of God." Their mode of t action was fimply perfonal, for they made no attempt to gain political and hierarchical power, but exerted all their influence by means of preaching, wri- ting and focial intercourfe. The Af- fociation counted among its members priefts, monks, and laity, without dif- tindion of rank or fex. Its leaders ftood likewife in clofe connexion with feveral convents, efpecially thofe of En- genthal and Maria-Medingen near Nu- remberg, prefided over by the fifters Chriftina and Margaret Ebner, much of whofe correfpondence is ftill extant. Agnes, the widow of King Andrew of Hungary, and various knights and bur- ghers are alfo named as belonging to it. xlvi Hijlorical Foremoft among the leaders of this party fhould be mentioned the celebrat- ed Tauler, a Dominican monk of Straf- burg, who fpent his life in preaching and teaching up and down the country from Strafburg to Cologne, and whofe influence is to this day ad:ive among his countrymen by means of his admir- able fermons, which are ftill widely read. At the time of the Interdict, he wrote a noble appeal to the clergy not to forfake their flocks, maintaining that if the Emperor had finned, the blame lay with him only, not with his wretch- ed fubje6ls,fo that it was a crying fliame to vifit his guilt upon the innocent peo- ple, but that their unjufl: oppreflion would be recompenfed to them by God hereafter. He adled up to his own principles, and when the Black Death was raging in Strafl)urg, where it car- ried off* 16,000 vi6lims, he was unwea- IntroduEiion. xlvii ried in his efforts to adminifler aid and confolation to the fick and dying. Much of Tauler's religious fervour and hght he himfelf attributed to the inftrudions of a layman, his friend. It is now known from contemporary records that this was Nicholas of Bafle, a citizen of that Free town and a fecret Waldenfian. Little is known of his life beyond the fad: that he was inti- mately conneded with many of the heads of this party, and was reforted to by them for guidance and help; for, being under fufpicion of herefy, he had to conceal all his movements from the Inquifition. He fucceeded, however, in carrying on his labours and eluding his enemies, until he reached an ad- vanced age; but at length, venturing alone and unproteded into France, he was taken, and burnt atVienne in 1382. Another friend of Tauler's, and like xlviii Hijlorkal him an eloquent and powerful preacher, whofe fermons are ftill read with de- light, was Henry Sufo, a Dominican monk, belonging to a knightly family in Swabia. One of the leaders of the "Friends of God," Nicholas of Strafburg, was in I 326 appointed by John XXII. nuncio, with the overfight of the Dominican order throughout Germany, and dedi- cated to that Pope an Effay of great learning and ability, refuting the pre- valent interpretations of Scripture, which referred the coming of Anti- chrift and the Judgment day to the immediate future. Thus we fee that the "Friends of God" were not con- fined to one political party, and this likewife appears from the hiftory of another celebrated member of this feet, Henry of Nordlingen, a prieft of Con- ftance, who, like Sufo, was banifhed IntroduSlion. xlix for his adherence to the Pope. One of the moft remarkable men of this feet was a layman and married, Rulman Merfwin, belonging to a high family at Stralburg. He appears to have been led to a religious life by the influence of Tauler, who was his confeffor. He is the author of feveral myftical works which, he fays, he wrote **to do good to his fellow creatures," but he con- tributed perhaps ftill more largely to their benefit by his activity in charitable works, for he eftablifhed one hofpital and feems to have had the overfighf of others alfo. He likewife gave largely to churches and convents, but is beft known by having founded a houfe for the Knights of St. John in Strafburg. The charadleriftic doctrines of the Friends of God have already been in- dicated. That they fhould not have fallen into fome exaggerations was d 1 Hijlorkal fcarcely poffible, but where they have done fo, it may generally be traced to the influence of the monaftic life to which moft of them were dedicated, and to the perplexities of their age. The book before us was probably written fomewhere about 1350, iince it refers to Tauler as already well known. It was the practice of the Friends of God," to conceal their names as much as poflible when they wrote, left a defire for fame fhould mingle with their en- deavours to be ufeful. This is proba- bljf the reafon why we have no indica- tion of its authorfhip beyond a preface, which the Wurtzburg Manufcript pof- feffes in common with that which was in Luther's hands, and from which it appears that the writer "was of the Teutonic order, a prieft and a warden in the houfe of the Teutonic order in Frankfort." A tranflation of this Pre- IntroduElion. li face is prefixed to the prefent volume. Till the difcovery of the Wurtzburg Manufcript, it was fuppofed that this Preface was from Luther's hand, who merely embodied in it the tradition which he had received fromfomefource unknown to us; and hence, fome, dif- regarding its authority, have afcribed the Theologia Germanica to Tauler, whofe ftyle it refembles fo much that it might be taken for his work, but for the reference to him already mentioned. Since however the antiquity of the Preface is now proved, we muft be con- tent with the information which it af- fords us, unlefs any further difcoveries among old manufcripts fhould throw frefh hght upon the fubjed. Should this attempt to introduce the writings of the Friends of God" in England, awaken an interefl in them and their works, the Tranflator propofes lii IntroduEiion. to follow up the prefent volume with an account of Tauler and feled:ions from his writings; believing that the ftudyof thefe German theologians, who were already called old in Luther's age, would furnilh the beft antidote to what of mifchief Englifli readers may have derived from German theology, falfely fo called. Manchefter, February , 1854. LETTER FROM CHEVALIER BUNSEN TO THE TRANSLATOR. 77 Marina, St. Leonard Von-Sea, iith May, 1854. My dear Friend, YC>UR Letter and the proof flieets of your Tranflation of the Theo- logia Germanica, with Kingfley*s Pre- face and your Introdudlion, were ide- livered to me yefterday, as I was leav- ing Carlton Terrace to breathe once more, for a few days, the refrefhing air of this quiet, lovely place. You told me, at the time, that you had been led to ftudy Tauler and the Theologia Germanica by fome converfations which liv Letter to the we had on their fubjeds in 1851, and you now wifh me to ftate to your rea- ders, in a few lines, what place I con- ceive this fchool of Germanic theology to hold in the general development of chriftian thought, and what appears to me to be the bearing of this work in particular upon the prefent dangers and profpedls of Chriflianity, as well as upon the eternal interefls of religion in the heart of every man and woman. In complying willingly with your requeft, I may begin by faying that, with Luther, I rank this fhort treatife Vit^t to the Bible, but unlike him, fliould place it before rather than after St. Auguftine. That fchool of pious, learned, and profound men pf which this book is, as it were, the popular catechifm, was the Germanic counter- . part of Romanic fcholafticifm, and more than the revival of that Latin theology TranJIator. Iv which produced fo many eminent thinkers, from Auguftine, its father, to Thomas Aquinas, its laft great genius, whofe death did not take place until after the birth of Dante, who again was the contemporary of the Socrates of the Rhenifh fchool, — Meifter Eckart, the Dominican. The theology of this fchool was the firft proteft of the Germanic mind againft the Judaifm and formalifm of the Byzantine and medieval Churches, — the hollownefs of fcience to which fcholafticifm had led, and the rotten- nefs of fociety which a pompous hier- archy ftrove in vain to conceal, but had not the power nor the will to corred:. Eckart and Tauler, his pupil, brought religion home from fruitlefs fpecula- tion, and reafonings upon imaginary or impoffible fuppofitions, to man's own heart and to the underftandin? of the v \ Ivi Letter to the common people, as Socrates did the Greek philofophy. There is both a remarkable analogy and a ftriking con- traft between the great Athenian and thofe Dominican friars. Socrates did full juftice to the deep ethical ideas embodied in the eftabliflied religion of his country and its venerated myfteries, which he far preferred to the fhallow philofophy of the fophifts; but he dif- fuaded his pupils from feeking an ini- tiation into the myfteries, or at leaft from refting their convidtions and hopes upon them, exhorting them to rely, not upon the oracles of Delphi, but upon the oracle in their own bofom. The " Friends of God," on the other hand, believing (like Dante) moft pro- foundly in the truth of the Chriftian re- ligion, on which the eftablifhed church of their age, notwithftanding its cor- ruptions, was effentially founded, re- Tranjlator. Ivii commended fubmiffion to the ordinan- ces of the church as a wholefome pre- paratory difcipline for many minds. Like the faint of Athens, however, they fpoke plain truth to the people. To their difciples, and thofe who came to them for inftruftion, they exhibited the whole depth of that real chriftian philofophy, which opens to the mind after all fcholaftic conventionalifm has been thrown away, and the foul liflens to the refponfe which Chrift's Gofpel and God's creation find in a fincere heart and a felf-facrificing life ; — a phi- lofophy which, confidered merely as a fpeculation, is far more profound than any fcholaftic fyftem. But, in a ftyle that was intelligible to all, they preach- ed that no fulfilment of rites and ceremonies, nor of fo-called religious duties, — in fadi, no outward works, however meritorious, can either give Iviii Letter to the peace to man's confcience, nor yet give him ftrength to bear up againft the temptations of profperity and the trials of adverfity. In following this courfe they brought the people back from hollow profeffion and real defpair, to the bleffings of gof- pel religion, while they opened to phi- lofophic minds a new career of thought. By teaching that man is juftified by faith, and by faith alone, they prepared the popular intelled:ual element of the Reformation; by teaching that this faith has its philofophy, as fully able to carry convid;ion to the underftand- ing, as faith is to give peace to the troubled confcience, they paved the way for that fpiritual philofophy of the mind, of which Kant laid the founda- tion. But they were not controverlial- ifts, as the Reformers of the fixteenth century were driven to be by their po- Tranjlator. lix fition, and not men of fcience exclu- lively, as the mafters of modern phi- lofophy in Germany were and are. Although moft of them friars, or lay- men conneded with the religious or- ders of the time, they were men of the people and men of adion. They preached the faving faith to the people in churches, in hofpitals, in the ftreets and public places. In the ftrength of this faith, Tauler, when he had been already for years the univerfal objecll of admiration as a theologian and preacher through all the free cities on the Rhine, from Bafle to Cologne, humbled himfelf, and remained filent for the fpace of two years, after the myfterious layman had fhown him the infufficiency of his fcholaftic learning and preaching. In the ftrength of this faith, he braved the Pope's Interdid:, and gave the confolations of religion Ix Letter to the to the people of Strafburg, during the dreadful plague which depopulated that flourifliing city. For this faith, Eckart fuffered with patience flander and per- fecution, as formerly he had borne with meeknefs, honours and praife. For this faith, Nicolaus of Bafle, who fat down as a humble ftranger at Tauler's feet to become the inftrument of his real enlightenment, died a martyr in the flames. In this fenfe, the " Friends of God'' were, like the Apoftles, men of the people and practical Chriftians, while as men of thought, their ideas contributed powerfully to the great eflx)rts of the European nations in the fixieenth century. Let me, therefore, my dear friend, lay afide all philofophical and theologi- cal terms, and ftate the principle of the golden book which you are juft prefent- ing to the Englifli public, in what I T^ranjlator. Ixi confider, with Luther, the beft Theo- logical exponent, in plain Teutonic, thus : — Sin is felfifhnefs: Godlinefs is unfelfifhnefs : A godly life is the fteadfaft work- ing out of inward freenefs from felf: To become thus godlike is the bringing back of man's firft na- ture. On this laft point, — man's divine dignity and deftiny, — Tauler fpeaks as ftrongly as our author, and almoft as ftrongly as the Bible. Man is indeed to him God's own image. "As a fculptor," he fays fomewhere, with a ftriking range of mind for a monk of the fourteenth century,*** is faid to have exclaimed indignantly on feeing a rude block of marble, *what a godlike beau- ty thou hideft!' thus God looks upon Ixii Letter to the man in whom God's own image is hid- den,'* '*We may begin," he fays in a kindred paffage, '*by loving God in hope of reward, we may exprefs our- felves concerning Him in fymbols {Bil- der)y but we muft throw them all away, and much more we muft fcorn all idea of reward, that we may love God only becaufe He is the Supreme Good, and contemplate His eternal nature as the real fubftance of our own foul." But let no one imagine that thefe men, although doomed to paffivenefs in many refpe(fls, thought a contem- plative or monkifti life a condition of fpiritual Chriftianity, and not rather a danger to it. "If a man truly loves God," fays Tauler, "and has no will but to do God"^ will, the whole force of the river Rhine may run at him and will not difturb him or break his peace; if we find outward things a danger and TranJJator. Ixiii difturbance, it comes from our appro- priating to ourfelves what is God's." But Tauler, as well as our Author, ufes the ftrongeft language to exprefs his horror of Sin, man's own creation, and their view on this fubjed; forms their great contrail: to the philofophers of the Spinoziflic fchool. Among the Re- formers, Luther ftands neareft to them, with refped: to the great fundamental points of theological teaching, but their intenfe dread of Sin as a rebellion againft God, is fhared both by Luther and Calvin. Among later theologians, Julius Muller, in his profound Eflay on Sin, and Richard Rothe, in his great work on Chriftian Ethics, come neareft to them in depth of thought and ethi- cal earneftnefs, and the firft of thefe eminent writers carries out, as it ap- pears to me, moft confiftently that fun- damental truth of the Theoloma Ger- Ixiv Letter to the manica that there is no fin but Selfifh- nels, and that all Selfiflinefs is fin. Such appear to me to be the char- adleriftics of our book and of Tauler. I may be allowed to add, that this fmall but golden Treatife has been now for almoft forty years, an unfpeakable com- fort to me and to many Chriftian friends (moft of whom have already departed in peace), to whom I had the happinefs of introducing it. May it in your ad- mirably faithful and lucid tranflation become a real "book for the million" in England, a privilege which it alrea- dy fhares in Germany with Tauler*s matchlefs Sermons, of which I rejoice to hear that you are making a feledlion for publication. May it become a bleffing to many a longing Chriftian heart in that dear country of yours, which I am on the point of leaving, after many happy years of refidence. Tranjlator. Ixv but on which I can never look as a ftrange land to me, any more than I fhall ever conlider myfelf as a ftranger in that home of old Teutonic liberty and energy, w^hich I have found to be alfo the home of Practical Chriftianity and of warm and faithful affedtion. BUNSEN. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Chap. I. — Of that which is perfeft and that which is in part, and how that which is in part is • done away, when that which is perfeft is come Chap. II. — Of what Sin is, and how we are not to take unto ourfelves any good Thing, feeing that it belongeth unto the true Good alone . Chap. III. — How Man's Fall and his going aftray muft be healed as Adam's Fall was healed Ch^p. IV. — How Man, when he claimeth any good Thing for his own, falleth, and toucheth God in his honour Chap. V. — How we are to take that Saying, that we muft come to be without Wifdom, Will, Love, Defire, Knowledge, and the like , . Chap. VI. — How that which is beft and nobleft fhould alfo be loved above all Things by us, merely becaufc it is the beft Chap. VII. — Of the Eyes of the Spirit, wherewith Man looketh into Eternity and into Time, and how the one is hindered of the other in its working Chap. VIII.— How the Soul of Man, while it is yet in the Body, may obtain a Foretafte of eternal Bleffednefs .... ^ ... . Contents. Ixvii Chap. IX. — How it is better and more profitable for a Man that he (hould perceive what God will do with him, and to what end He will make ufe of him, than if he knew all that God had ever wrought, or would ever work through all the Creatures ; and how Blelfednefs lieth alone in God, and not in the Creatures, or in any Works 24 Chap. X. — How the perfeft Men have no other Defire than that they may be to the Eternal Goodnefs what his Hand is to a Man : and how they have loft the Fear of Hell, and Hope of Heaven 28 Chap. XI. — How a righteous Man- in this prefent Time is brought into Hell, and there cannot be comforted, and how he is taken out of Hell and carried into Heaven, and ' there cannot be troubled 32 Chap. XII. — Touching that True, inward Peace, which Chrift left to his Difciples at the laft . 37 Chap. XIII. — How a man may caft afide images too foon Chap. XIV.— Of three Stages by which a Man is led upwards till he attaineth true Perfeaion . 42 Chap. XV.— How all Men are dead in Adam and made alive in Chrift, and of true Obedience and Difobedience . , , , 4^ Chap. XVI.— Telleth us what is the old Man, and what is the new Man 47 Chap. XVII. — How we are not to take unto our- felves what we have done well, but only what we have done amifs ♦ Ixviii Contents. Chap. XVIII.— How the Life of Chrift is the nobleft and beft Life that ever hath been or can be, and how a carelefs Life of falfe Freedom is the worft Life that can be 57 Chap. XIX. — How we cannot come to the true Light and Chrift's Life, by much Queftioning or Reading, or by high natural Skill and Rea- fon, but by truly renouncing ourfelves and all Things 60 Chap. XX. — How, feeing that the Life of Chrift is moft bitter to Nature and Self, Nature will have none of it, and choofeth a falfe carelefs Life, as is moft convenient to herfelf ... 62 Chap. XXI.— How a Friend of Chrift willingly fulfilleth by his outward Works, fuch Things as muft be and ought to be, and doth not*con- cern himfelf with'^he reft 64. Chap. XXII. — How fometimes the Spirit of God, and fometimes alfo the Evil Spirit may poflefs a Man and have the Maftery over him ... 66 Chap. XXIII — How he who will fubmit himfelf to God and be obedient to Him, muft be ready to bear with all Things j to wit, God, himfelf, and all Creatures, and muft be obedient to them all, whether he have to fuffer or to do . . . 70 Chap. XXIV. — How that four Things are needful before a Man can receive divine Truth and be poftefled with the Spirit of God 73 Chap. XXV. — Of two evil Fmits that do fpring up from the Seed of the Evil Spirit, and are two Siltei>, ,A'ho love to dwell together. The one is called fpiritual Pride and Ilighminded- nefs. and the other i<! ^alfe, lawlefs Freedom 76 4 Contents. Ixix Page Chap. XXVI. — Touching Poornefs of Spirit and true Humility, and whereby we may difcern the true and lawful free Men, whom the Truth hath made free 80 Chap. XXVII. — How we are to take Chrift's Words when he bade us forfake all Things ; and wherein the Union with the Divine Will ftandeth 89 Chap. XXVIII. — How, after a Union with the Divine Will, the inward Man ftandeth im- moveable, but the outward Man is moved hither and thither *. . , . 91 Chap. XXIX. — How a Man may not attain fo high before Death as not to be touched and moved by outward Things 93 Chap. XXX. — On what wife we may come to be beyond and above all Cuftom, Order, Law, Precepts, and the like 96 Chap. XXXI. — How we are not to caft off the Life of Chrift, but praftife it diligently, and walk in it until Death ' . . 99 Chap. XXXII. — How God is a true, fimple, per- fe6l Good, and how He is a Light and a Rea- fon and all Virtues, and how what is higheft and beft, that is, God, ought to be moft loved by us 102 Chap. XXXIII. — How when a Man is made truly godlike, his Love is pure and unmixed, and he loveth all Creatures, and doth his beft for them 107 Chap. XXXIV. — How that if a Man will attain unto that which is beft, he muft forfwear his own Will J and how he who helpeth a Man Ixx Contents. Page to his own "Will helpeth him to the "wofil Thing he can no Chap. XXXV. — How there is deep and true Hu- mility and Poomefs of Spirit in a Man who is made a Partaker of the Divine Nature . , . 113 Chap. XXXVI — How nothing is contrary to God but Sin only ; and what Sin is in Kind and Aft 116 Chap. XXXVII.— How in God, as God, there can neither be Grief, Sorrow, Difpleafurc, nor the like, but how it is otherwife with a Man who is made a Partaker of the Divine Nature 119 Chap. XXXVIIk — How we are to put on the Life of Chrift from Love, and not for the fake of Reward, and how we muft never grow carelefs concerning it, or caft it off \^% Chap. XXXIX.— How God will have Order, Cuf- tom, Meafure, and the like in the Creature, feeing that he cannot have them without the Creature, and of four forts of Men who are concerned with this Order, Law and Cuftom . 125 Chap. XL.— »-A good Account of the Falfe Light and its Kind 129 Chap. XLI. — How he that is to be called and is truly a Partaker of the Divine Nature, who is illuminated with the Divine Light, and inflam- ed with Eternal Love, and how Light and Knowledge are worth nothing without Love . 141 Chap. XLII. — A Queftion: whethei it be poflible to know God and not love Him j and how there are two kinds of Light and Love, a true and a falfe '45 Contents. Ixxi Page Chap. XLIII. — Whereby we may know a Man who is a Partaker of the Divine Nature, and what belongeth unto him ; and further, what is the token of a Falfe Light and a Falfe Free- Thinker 151 Chap. XLIV. — How nothing is contrary to God but Self-will, and how he who feeketh his own Good for his own fake findeth it not ; and how a Man of himfelf neither knoweth nor can do any good Thing 160 Chap. XLV. — How that where there is a Chriftian life, Chrift dwelleth, and how Chrift's Life is the beft and moft admirable Life that ever hath been or can be J 64 Chap. XLVI. — How entire Satisfa6lion and true Reft are to be found in God alone, and not in any Creature j and how he who will be obedient to God, muft be obedient to the Creatures with all Quietnefs, and he who would love God, muft love all Things in One 166 Chap. XLVII.— A Queftion: Whether if we ought to love all Things, we ought to love Sin alfo ? 169 Chap. XLVIII. — How we muft believe certain Things of God's Truth beforehand, ere we can come to a True Knowledge and Experience thereof 171 Chap. XLIX —Of Self-will, and how Lucifer and Adam fell away from God through Self-will . 172 Chap. L. — How this prefent Time is a Paradife and Outer Court of Heaven, and how therein Ixxii Contents. Page there Is only one Tree forbidden; that is, Self- will 173 Chap. LI. — Wherefore God hath created Self-will, feeing that it is fo contrary to Him . . . . 175 Chap. LII. — How we muft take that Saying of Chrift- : " No Man cometh unto the Father but by me" 187 Chap. LIII. — Confidereth that other Saying of Chrift: "No man can come unto me except the Father which hath fent me draw him " .191 Chap. LIV. — How a Man fhall not feek his own, cither in Things fpiritual or natural, but the Honour of God only ; and how he muft enter in by the right Door, to wit, by Chrift, into Eternity , 199 0 Theologia Germanica. CHAPTER I. Of that which is ferfe5l and that which is in part, and how that which is in part is done away^ when that which is perfect is come, OT. PAUL faith, "When that which *^is perfed; is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away/'* Now mark what is " that which is perfedt," and **that which is in part." "That which is perfedt" is a Being, who hath comprehended and included all things in Himfelf and His own Sub- ftance, and without whom, and befide whom, there is no true Subftance, and * I Cor. xiii. lo. 2 Theologia Germanica. in whom all things have their Subftance. For he is the Subftance of all things, and is in Himfelf unchangeable and immoveable, and changeth and moveth all things elfe. But that which is in part," or the imperfedt, is that which hath its fource in, or fpringeth from the Perfed:; juft as a brightnefs or a vifible appearance floweth out from the fun or a candle, and appeareth to be fomewhat this or that. And it is called a creature; and of all thefe things which are in part,"' none is the Perfed:. So alfo the Perfed: is none of the things which are in part. The things which are in part can be apprehended, known, and expreffed; but the Perfed: cannot be apprehended, known, or expreffed by any creature as creature. Therefore we do not give a name to the Perfed:, for it is none of thefe. The creature as creature cannot know nor apprehend it, name nor conceive it. " Now when that which is Perfed: Theologia Germanica. 3 is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away." But when doth it come? I fay, when as much as may be, it is known, felt and tafted of the foul. [For the lack lieth altogether in us, and not in it. In like manner the fun lighteth the whole world, and is as near to one as another, yet a blind man feeth it not ; but the fault thereof lieth in the blind man, not in the fun. And like as the fun may not hide its brightnefs, but muft give light unto the earth (for heaven indeed draweth its light and heat from another foun- tain), fo alfo God, who is the higheft Good, willeth not to hide Himfelf from any, wherefoever He findeth a devout foul, that is thoroughly purified from all creatures. For in what meaf- ure we put off the creature, in the fame meafure are we able to put on the Creator; neither more nor lefs. For if mine eye is to fee anything, it muft be fingle, or elfe be purified from all 4 Theologia Germanica. other things ; and where heat and light enter in, cold and darknefs muft needs depart; it cannot be otherwife.] But one might fay, "Now fince the Perfect cannot be known nor appre- hended of any creature, but the foul is a creature, how can it be known by the foul Anfwer : This is why we fay, " by the foul as a creature, " We mean it is impoflible to the creature in virtue of its creature-nature and quali- ties, that by which it faith " I " and myfelf." For in whatfoever creature the Perfect fhall be known, therein crea- ture-nature, qualities, the I, the Self and the like, muft all be loft and done away. This is the meaning of that faying of St. Paul : " When that which is perfect is come," (that is, when it is known,) then that which is in part " (to wit, creature-nature, qualities, the I, the Self, the Mine) will be defpifed and counted for nought. So long as we think much of thefe things, cleave to them with heologia Germanica. 5 love, joy, pleafure or defire, fo long re- maineth the Perfed: unknown to us. But it might further be faid, "Thou fayest, belide the Perfedt there is no Sub- ftance, yet fayeft again that fomewhat floweth out from it : now is not that which hath flowed out from it, fome- thing befide it?" Anfwer : This is why we fay, befide it, or without it, there is no true Subftance. That which hath flowed forth from it, is no true Sub- fiance, and hath no Subfl:ance except in the perfeft, but is an accident, or a brightnefs,or a vifible appearance, which is no Subftance, and hath no Subftance except in the fire whence thebrightnefs flowed forth, fuch as the fun or a candle. 6 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. II. Of what Sin iSy and how we muft not take unto ourf elves any good 'Things feeing that it helongeth unto the true Good alone, 'npHE Scripture and the Faith and the Truth fay, Sin is nought elfe, but that the creature turneth away from the unchangeable Good and betaketh itfelf to the changeable ; that is to fay, that it turneth away from the Perfedt, to "that which is in part" and imperfed:, and moft often to itfelf. Now mark : when the creature claim- eth for its own anything good, fuch as Subftance, Life, Knowledge, Power, and in fhort whatever we fhould call good, as if it were that, or pofTelTed that, or that were itfelf, or that pro- ceeded from it, — as often as this Com- eth to pafs, the creature goeth aftray. What did the devil do elfe, or what Theologia Germanica. 7 was his going aftray and his fall elfe, but that he claimed for himfelf to be alfo fomewhat, and would have it that fomewhat was his, and fomewhat was due to him? This fetting up of a claim and his I and Me and Mine, thefe were his going aftray, and his fall. And thus it is to this day. CHAP. III. ' How Man's Fall and going aftray muft he \ amended as Adam's Fail was, \ TX7hat elfe did Adam do but this fame thing? It is faid, it was becaufe Adam ate the apple that he was loft, or fell. I fay, it was becaufe of his claiming fomething for his own, I and becaufe of his I, Mine, Me, and I the like. Had he eaten feven apples, and yet never claimed anything for his own, he would not have fallen: but as foon as he called fomething his own, i ' 8 Theologia Germantca. he fell, and would have fallen if he had never touched an apple. Behold! I have fallen a hundred times more often and deeply, and gone a hundred times farther aftray than Adam; and not all mankind could amend his fall, or bring him back from going aftray. But how fhall my fall be amended ? It muft be healed as Adam's fall was healed, and on the felf-fame wife. By whom, and on what wife was that healing brought to pafs ? Mark this : man could not without God, and God fhould not without man. Wherefore God took human nature or manhood upon himfelf and was made man, and man was made divine. Thus the heal- ing was brought to pafs. So alfo muft my fall be healed. I cannot do the work without God, and God may not or will not without me ; for if it fhall be accomplifhed, in me, too, God muft be made man; in fuch fort that God muft take to himfelf all that is in me. "Theologia Germanica, 9 within and without, fo that there may be nothing in me which ftriveth againft God or hindereth his work. Now if God took to himfelf all men that are in the world, or ever were, and were made man in them, and they were made divine in him, and this work were not fulfilled in me, my fall and my wander- ing would never be amended except it were fulfilled in me alfo. And in this bringing back and healing, I can, or may, or fhall do nothing of myfelf, but juft simply yield to God, fo that He alone may do all things in me and work, and I may fufll'er him and all his work and his divine will. And becaufe I will not do fo, but I count myfelf to be my own, and fay, **mine," ''me'' and the like, God is hindered, fo that he cannot do his work in me alone and without hindrance ; for this caufe my fall and my going aftray remain un- healed. Behold ! this all cometh of my claiming fomewhat for my own. I o 'Theologia Germanica. CHAP. IV. How Man^ when he claimeth any good 'Thing for his own, falleth, and toucheth God in his Honour. /^OD faith, "I will not give my ^""^ glory to another."* This is as much as to fay, that praife and honour and glory belong to none but to God only. But now, if I call any good thing my own, as if I were it, or of myfelf had power or did or knew any- thing, or as if anything were mine or of me, or belonged to me, or were due ^ to me or the like, I take unto myfelf fomewhat of honour and glory, and do two evil things : Firft, I fall and go artray as aforefaid: Secondly, I touch God in his honour and take . unto myfelf what belongeth to God * Ifaiah, xlii. 8. Theologia Ger7nanka. 1 1 only. For all that muft be called good belongeth to none but to the true eter- nal Goodnefs which is God only, and whofo taketh it unto himfelf, com- mitteth unrighteoufnefs and is againft God. CHAP. V. How we are to take that Sayings that we muft come to be without Will, JVi/dom^ Love, Deftre, Knowledge, and the like, /CERTAIN men fay that we ought to be without will, wifdom, love, delire, knowledge, and the like. Here- by is not to be underftood that there is to be no knowledge in man, and that God is not to be loved by him, nor defired and longed for, nor praifed and honoured; for that were a great lofs, and man were like the beafls [and as the brutes that have no reafon.] But it meaneth that man's knowledge 12 Theolo^ia Germanica. fhould be fo clear and perfed: that he fhould acknowledge of a truth [that in himfelf he neither hath nor can do any good thing, and that none of his knowledge, wifdom and art, his will, love and good works do come from himfelf, nor are of man, nor of any creature, but] that all thefe are of the eternal God, from whom they all pro- ceed. [As Chrift himfelf faith, With- out me, ye can do nothing."* St. Paul faith alfo, ''What haft thou that thou haft not received ?'*'f' As much as to fay — nothing. *'Now if thou didft receive it, why doft thou glory as if thou hadft not received it?" Again he faith, ''Not that we are fufficient of ourfelves to think anything as of ourfelves, but our fufficiency is of God." X\ Now when a man duly per- ceiveth thefe things in himfelf, he and the creature fall behind, and he doth not call anything his own, and the lefs • John XV. 5. fx Cor. iv. 7. | 2 Cor. iii. 5. T'heologia Gerinanica, 13 he taketh this knowledge unto him- felf, the more perfect doth it become. So alfo is it with the will, and love and defire, and the hke. For the lefs we call thefe things our own, the more perfed; and noble and godlike do they become, and the more we think them our own, the bafer and lels pure and perfed: do they become. Behold on this fort muft we caft all things from us, and ftrip ourfelves of them; we muft refrain from claiming anything for our own. When we do this, we fhall have the beft, fulleft, cleareft and nobleft knowledge that a man can have, and alfo the nobleft and pureft love, will and defire; for then thefe will be all of God alone. It is much better that they fhould be God's than the creature's. Now that I afcribe anything good to myfelf, as if I were, or had done, or knew, or could perform any good thing, or that it were mine, this is all of fin and folly. For if the 14 Theologia Gerjnantca. truth were rightly known by me, I fhould alfo know that I am not that good thing and that it is not mine, nor of me, and that I do not know it, and cannot do it, and the Uke. If this came to pafs, I fhould needs ceafe to call anything my own. It is better that God, or his works, fhould be known, as far as it be pofii- ble to us, and loved, praifed and ho- noured, and the like, and even that man fhould but vainly imagine he loveth or praifeth God, than that God fhould be altogether unpraifed, unloved, un- honoured and unknown. For when the vain imagination and ignorance are turned into an underftanding and knowledge of the truth, the claiming anything for our own will ceafe of it- felf. Then the man fays: Behold! I, poor fool that I was, imagined it was I, but behold! it is, and was, of a truth, God!" Theologia Germanica. 15 CHAP. VI. How that which is heft and nohleft JJiould alfo he loved ahove all Things hy us^ merely he- cauje it is the heft, A MASTER called Boetius faith, " It is of fin that we do not love that which is beft. He hath fpoken the truth. That which is beft fhould be the deareft of all things to us; and in our love of it, neither helpfulnefs nor unhelpfulnefs, advantage nor inju- ry, gain nor lofs, honour nor dishonour, praife nor blame, nor anything of the kind fhould be regarded; but what is in truth the nobleft and beft of all things, fhould be alfo the deareft of all things, and that for no other caufe than that it is the nobleft and beft. Hereby may a man order his life within and without. His outward 1 6 TheoloQ-ia Germanica. life: for among the creatures one is better than another, according as the Eternal Good manifefteth itfelf and worketh more in one than in another. Now that creature in which the Eter- nal Good moft manifefteth itfelf, fhi- neth forth, worketh, is moft known and loved, is the beft, and that where- in the Eternal Good is leaft manifefted is the leaft Good of all creatures. Therefore when we have to do with the creatures, and hold converfe with them, and take note of their diverfe qualities, the beft creatures muft al- ways be the deareft to us, and we muft cleave to them, and unite ourfelves to them, above all to thofe which we attribute to God as belonging to him or divine, fuch as wifdom, truth, kind- nefs, peace, love, juftice, and the like. Hereby ftiall we order our outward man, and all that is contrary to thefe virtues we muft efchew and flee from. But if our inward man were to make Theologia Germanica. 17 a leap and fpring into the Perfed:, we fhould find and tafte how that the Per- fed: is without meafure, number or end, better and nobler than all which is imperfed: and in part, and the Eter- nal above the temporal or perifhable, and the fountain and fource above all that floweth or can ever flow from it. Thus that which is imperfedl and in part would become taftelefs and be as nothing to us. Be affured of this: All that we have faid muft come to pafs if we are to love that which is nobleft, higheft and beft. 1 8 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. VII. Of the Eyes of the Sprit wherewith Man looketh into Eternity and into Time, and how the one is hindered of the other in its Working, T ET us remember how it is written ^ and faid that the foul of Chrift had two eyes, a right and a left eye. In the beginning, when the foul of Chrift was created, fhe fixed her right eye upon eternity and the Godhead, and remained in the full intuition and en- joyment of the Divine EfTence and Eternal Perfed:ion; and continued thus unmoved and undifturbed by all the accidents and travail, fuffering, torment and pain that ever befell the outward man. But with the left eye fhe beheld the creature and perceived all things therein, and took note of the difference Theologia Germanica. 19 between the creatures, which were better or worfe, nobler or meaner; and thereafter was the outward man of Chrift ordered. Thus the inner man of Chrift, ac- cording to the right eye of his foul, ftood in the full exercife of his divine nature, in perfed: bleffednefs, joy and eternal peace. But the outward man and the left eye of Chrift's foul, ftood with him in perfedl fuffering, in all tribulation, affliction and travail ; and this in fuch fort that the inward and right eye remained unmoved, unhin- dered and untouched by all the travail, fuffering, grief and anguifh that ever befell the outward man. It hath been faid that when Chrift was bound to the pillar and fcourged, and when he hung upon the crofs, according to the out- ward man, yet his inner man, or foul according to the right eye, ftood in as full poffeffion of divine joy and bleffed- nefs as it did after his afcenlion, or as 20 Theolo^ia Germanica. it doth now. In like manner his out- ward man, or foul with the left eye, was never hindered, difturbed or trou- bled by the inward eye in its contem- plation of the outward things that belonged to it. Now the created foul of man hath alfo two eyes. The one is the power of feeing into eternity, the other of feeing into time and the creatures, of perceiving how they differ from each other as aforefaid, of giving life and needful things to the body, and order- ing and governing it for the beft. But thefe two eyes of the foul of man can- not both perform their work at once ; but if the foul fhall fee with the right eye into eternity, then the left eye muft clofe itfelf and refrain from working, and be as though it were dead. For if the left eye be fulfilling its office toward outward things; that is, hold- ing converfe with time and the crea- tures ; then muft the right eye be hin- "Theologta Germanica. 2 1 dered in its working; that is, in its contemplation. Therefore whofoever will have the one muft let the other go; for *'no man can ferve two maf- ters." CHAP. VIII. How the Soul of Marly while it is yet in the Body, may obtain a foretafte of eternal Blejfednefs, TT hath been afked whether it be poffible for the foul, while it is yet in the body, to reach fo high as to caft a glance into eternity, and receive a foretafte of eternal life and eternal bleifednefs. This is commonly denied ; and truly fo in a fenfe. For it indeed cannot be fo long as the foul is taking heed to the body, and the things which minifter and appertain thereto, and to time and the creature, and is difturbed and troubled and diftradted thereby. 22 Theolo^ia Germanica. For if the foul fliall rife to fuch a ftate, fhe muft be quite pure, wholly ftripped and bare of all images, and be entirely feparate from all creatures, and above all from herfelf. Now many think this is not to be done and is impoflible in this prefent time. But St. Dyony- fius maintains that it is poflible, as we find from his words in his Epiftle to Timothy, where he faith: '*For the beholding of the hidden things of God, fhalt thou forfake fenfe and the things of the flefh, and all that the fenfes can apprehend, and that reafon of her own powers can bring forth, and all things created and uncreated that reafon is able to comprehend and know, and fhalt take thy ftand upon an utter abandonment of thyfelf, and as know- ing none of the aforefaid things, and enter into union with him who is, and who is above all exiftence and all knowledge." Now if he did not hold this to be poflible in this prefent time. hgia Germanica. 23 why fhould he teach it and enjoin it on us in this prefent time? But it behoveth you to know that a mafter hath faid on this palTage of St. Dy- onyfius, that it is poffible, and may happen to a man often, till he become fo accuftomed to it, as to be able to look into eternity whenever he will. [For when a thing is at firft very hard to a man and ftrange, and feemingly quite impoffible, if he put all his ftrength and energy into it, and per- fevere therein, that will afterward grow quite light and eafy, which he at firft thought quite out of reach, feeing that it is of no ufe to begin any work, un- lefs it may be brought to a good end.] And a fingle one of thefe excellent glances is better, worthier, higher and more pleafing to God, than all that the creature can perform as a creature. [And as foon as a man turneth him- felf in fpirit, and with his whole heart and mind entereth into the mind of g 24 Theologia Germanica. God which is above time, all that ever he hath loft is reftored in a moment. And if a man were to do thus a thou- fand times in a day, each time a frefli and real union would take place ; and in this fweet and divine work ftandeth the trueft and fulleft union that may be in this prefent time. For he who hath attained thereto, afketh nothing further, for he hath found the Kingdom of Heaven and Eternal Life on earth.] CHAP. IX. How it is better and more "profitable for a Man that he Jhould -perceive what God will do with him, or to what end He will make life of him, than if he knew all that God had ever wrought, or would ever work through all the Creatures ; and how Blejf- ednefs lieth alone in God, and not in the Creatures, or in any IVorks, TXT'E fhould mark and know of a very truth that all manner of virtue and goodnefs, and even that Theologia Germanica. 25 Eternal Good which is God Himfelf, can never make a man virtuous, good, or happy, fo long as it is outfide the foul ; [that is, fo long as the man is holding converfe with outward things through his fenfes and reafon, and doth not withdraw into himfelf and learn to underftand his own life, who and what he is.] The like is true of fin and evil. [For all manner of fin and wick- ednefs can never make us evil, fo long as it is outfide of us ; that is, fo long as we do not commit it, or do not give confent to it.] Therefore although it be good and profitable that we fhould alk, and learn and know what good and holy men have wrought and fufi^ered, and how God hath dealt with them, and what he hath wrought in and through them, yet it were a thoufand times better that we fhould in ourfelves learn and per- ceive and underftand, who we are, how and what our own life is, what God is 26 Theologia Germantca. and is doing in us, what he will have from us, and to what ends he will or will not make ufe of us. [For, of a truth, thoroughly to know onefelf, is above all art, for it is the higheft art. If thou knowefl thyfelf well, thou art better and more praifeworthy before God, than if thou didft not know thy- felf, but didft underftand the courfe of the heavens and of all the planets and ftars, alfo the virtue of all herbs, and the ftrudlure and difpofitions of all mankind, alfo the nature of all beafts, and, in fuch matters, hadft all the fkill of all who are in heaven and on earth. For it is faid, there came a voice from heaven, faying, '^Man, know thyfelf. "J Thus that proverb is ftill true, going out were never fo good, but ftaying at home were much better." Further, ye fhould learn that eternal blelTednefs lieth in one thing alone, and in nought elfe. And if ever man or the foul is to be made bleffed, that one T'heologia Ger7?ianica, 27 thing alone muft be in the foul. Now fome might afk, **But what is that one thing?" I anfwer, it is Goodnefs, or that which hath been made good, and yet neither this good nor that, which we can name, or perceive or fhow; but it is all and above all good things. Moreover, it needeth not to enter into the foul, for it is there already, only it is unperceived. When we fay we fhould come unto it, we mean that we fhould feek it, feel it, and tafte it. And now fince it is One, unity and finglenefs is better than manifoldnefs. For blelTednefs lieth not in much and many, but in One and onenefs. In one word, bleifednefs lieth not in any crea- ture, or work of the creatures, but it lieth alone in God and in his works. Therefore I muft wait only on God and his work, and leave on one fide all creatures with their works, and firft of all myfelf. In like manner all the great 28 Theologia Germanica. works and wonders that God has ever wrought or fhall ever work in or through the creatures, or even God himfelf with all his goodness, fo far as thefe things exift or are done outfide of me, can never make me bleffed, but only in fo far as they exift and are done and loved, known, tafted and felt with- in me. CHAP. X. How the perfe^ Men have no other Defire than that they may he to the Eternal Good- nejs what his Hand is to a Man, and how they have loft the Fear of Hell, and Hop of Heaven, "^OW let us mark : Where men are enlightened with the true light, they perceive that all which they might defire or choofe, is nothing to that which all creatures, as crea- tures, ever defired or chofe or knew. Therefore they renounce all defire and ia Germanica. 29 choice, and commit and commend themfelves and all things to the Eter- nal Goodnefs. Neverthelefs, there remaineth in them a defire to go for- ward and get nearer to the Eternal Goodnefs; that is, to come to a clearer knowledge, and warmer love, and more comfortable affurance, and perfed: obe- dience and fubjecflion ; fo that every enlightened man could fay : I would fain be to the Eternal Goodnefs, what his own hand is to a man." And he feareth always that he is not enough fo, and longeth for the falvation of all men. And fuch men do not call this longing their own, nor take it unto themfelves, for they know well that this defire is not of man, but of the Eternal Goodnefs ; for whatfoever is good fhall no one take unto himfelf as his own, feeing that it belongeth to the Eternal Goodnefs only. Moreover, thefe men are in a ftate of freedom, becaufe they have loft the 30 Theologia Gernianka. fear of pain or hell, and the hope of reward or heaven, but are living in pure fubmiffion to the Eternal Good- nefs, in the perfe6l freedom of fervent love. This mind was in Chrift in perfedlion, and is alfo in his followers, in fome more and in fome lefs. But it is a forrow and fhame to think that the Eternal Goodnefs is ever moft gra- cioufly guiding and drawing us, and we will not yield to it. What is bet- ter and nobler than true poornefs in fpirit ? Yet when that is held up be- fore us, we will have none of it, but are always feeking ourfelves, and our own things. [We like to have our mouths always filled with good things,] that we may have in ourfelves a lively tafte of pleafure and fweetnefs. When this is fo, we are well pleafed, and think it ftandeth not amifs with us. [But we are yet a long way off from a perfedl life. For when God will draw us up to fomething higher, that is, to "Theoloo-ia Germanica. 31 an utter lofs and forfaking of our own things, fpiritual and natural, and with- draweth his comfort and fweetnefs from us, we faint and are troubled, and can in no wife bring our minds to it ; and we forget God and negled: holy exercifes, and fancy we are loft for ever.] This is a great error and a bad fign. For a true lover of God, loveth him or the Eternal Goodnefs alike, in having, and in not having, in fweetnefs and bitternefs, in good or evil report, and the like, for he feek- eth alone the honour of God, and not his own, either in fpiritual or natural things. And therefore he ftandeth alike unfhaken in all things, at all fea- fons. [Hereby let every man prove himfelf, how he ftandeth towards God, his Creator and Lord.] 32 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XI. How a righteous Man in this prefent time is brought into Hell, and there cannot he com- forted, and how he is taken out of Hell and carried into Heaven, and there cannot be troubled, /CHRIST'S foul muft needs defcend into hell, before it afcended into heaven. So muft alfo the foul of man. But mark ye in what manner this Com- eth to pafs. When a man truly per- ceiveth and confidereth himfelf, who and what he is, and findeth himfelf utterly vile and wicked, and unworthy of all the comfort and kindnefs that he hath ever received from God, or from the creatures, he falleth into fuch a deep abafement and defpiiing of him- felf, that he thinketh himfelf unwor- thy that the earth fhould bear him, and Theologia Germanica. 33 it feemeth to him reafonable that all creatures in heaven and earth fhould rife up againft him and avenge their Creator on him, and fhould punifh and torment him ; and that he were un- worthy even of that. And it feemeth to him that he fhall be eternally lofl and damned, and a footltool to all the devils in hell, and that this is right and juft, [and all too little compared to his fins which he fo often and in fo many ways hath committed againft God his Creator.] And therefore alfo he will not and dare not defire any confolation or releafe, either from God or from any creature that is in heaven or on earth ; but he is willing to be uncon- foled and unreleafed, and he doth not grieve over his condemnation and fuf- ferings; for they are right and juft, and not contrary to God, but accord- ing to the will of God. Therefore they are right in his eyes, and he hath nothing to fay againft them. Nothing 34 Theologia Germanica. grieveth him but his own guilt and wickednefs ; for that is not right and is contrary to God, and for that caufe he is grieved and troubled in fpirit. This is what is meant by true re- pentance for fin. And he who in this prefent time entereth into this hell, en- tereth afterward into the Kingdom of Heaven, and obtaineth a foretafte there- of which excelleth all the delight and joy which he ever hath had or could have in this prefent time from tempo- ral things. But whilft a man is thus in hell, none may confole him, neither God nor the creature, as it is written ''In hell there is no redemption."* Of this ftate hath one faid, *'Let me perifh, let me die ! I live without hope ; from within and from without I am condemned, let no one pray that I may be releafed." Now God hath not forfaken a man in this hell, but He is laying His hand * The writer is probably alluding to Pf. xlix. 8. Theologia Germanica. 35 upon him, that the man may not defire nor regard anything but the Eternal Good only, and may come to knov/ that that is fo noble and paffing good, that none can fearch out or exprefs its blifs, confolation and joy, peace, reft, and fatisfadtion. And then, when the man neither careth for, nor feeketh nor defireth, anything but the Eternal Good alone, and feeketh not himfelf, nor his own things, but the honour of God only, he is made a partaker of all manner of joy, blifs, peace, reft and confolation, and fo the man is hence- forth in the Kingdom of Heaven. This hell and this heaven are two good, fafe ways for a man in this pre- fent time, and happy is he who truly findeth them. For this hell ftiall pafs away, But Heaven ftiall endure for aye. Alfo let a man mark, when he is in this hell, nothing may confole him : and he cannot believe that he fhall ever 36 Theologia Germanka, be releafed or comforted. But when he is in heaven, nothing can trouble him ; he beHeveth alfo that none will ever be able to oiFend or trouble him, albeit it is indeed true, that after this hell he may be comforted and releafed, and after this heaven he may be trou- bled and left without confolation. Again : this hell and this heaven come about a man in fuch fort, that he knoweth not whence they come ; and whether they come to him, or depart from him, he can of himfelf do nothing towards it. Of thefe things he can neither give nor take away from him- felf, bring them nor banifli them, but as it is written, **The wind bloweth where it lifleth, and thou heareft the- found thereof," that is to fay, at this time prefent, **but thou knoweft not whence it cometh, nor whither it go- eth."* And when a man is in one of thefe two ftates, all is right with him, * John iii. 8. "Theologia Germanica. 37 and he is as fafe in hell as in heaven, and fo long as a man is on earth, it is poffible for him to pafs ofttimes from the one into the other ; nay even v^ith- in the fpace of a day and night, and all without his own doing. But when the man is in neither of thefe two ftates he holdeth converfe with the creature, and wavereth hither and thither, and knoweth not what man- ner of man he is. Therefore he fhall never forget either of them, but lay up the remembrance of them in his heart. CHAP. XII. touching that true inward Peace^ which Chrift left to his Dijciples at the laft, IV/FANY fay they have no peace nor reft, but fo many crofTes and tri- als, afflid:ions and forrows, that they know not how they fliall ever get through them. Now he who in truth 38 Theologia Germanica. will perceive and take note, perceiveth clearly, that true peace and reft lie not in outward things; for if it were fo, the Evil Spirit alfo would have peace when things go according to his will, [which is nowife the cafe; for the prophet declareth "There is no peace, faith my God, to the wicked." *] And therefore we muft confider and fee what is that peace which Chrift left to his difciples at the laft, when he faid : "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you/'-f- [We may per- ceive that in thefe words Chrift did not mean a bodily and outward peace ; for his beloved difciples, with all his friends and followers, have ever fuffer- ed, from the beginning, great affliction, perfecution, nay, often martyrdom, as Chrift himfelf faid: "In this world ye fhall have tribulation." X Chrift meant that true, inward peace of the * Ifaiah Ivli. 21. f John xlv. 27. J John xvi. 33. Theologia Germanka. 39 heart, which beginneth here and en- dureth for ever hereafter. Therefore he faid]: "not as the world giveth/' for the world is falfe, and deceiveth in her gifts; [fhe promifeth much, and performeth little. Moreover there liveth no man on earth who may al- ways have reft and peace without trou- bles and croiTes, with whom things always go according to his will ; there is always fome thing to be fuffered here, turn which way thou wilt. And as foon as thou art quit of one alTault, perhaps two come in its place. Where- fore yield thyfelf willingly to them, and feek only that true peace of the heart, which none can take away from thee, that thou mayeft overcome all affaults.] Thus then, Chrift meant that inward peace which can break through all aflaults and crofTes of oppreffion, fuf- fering, mifery, humiliation and what more there may be of the like, fo that h 40 T*heologia Germanka. a man may be joyful and patient there- in, like the beloved difciples and fol- lowers of Chrift. Now he who will in love give his whole diligence and might thereto, will verily come to know that true eternal peace which is God Himfelf, as far as it is poffible to a creature; [infomuch that what was bitter to him before, fhall become fweet, and his heart fhall remain un- moved under all changes, at all times, and after this life, he fhall attain unto everlafting peace.] CHAP. XIIL How a man may caft afide Images too Joon, 'T^AULER faith: there be fome ^ men at the prefent time, who take leave of types and fymbols too foon, before they have drawn out all the truth and inftrudion contained there- in." Hence they are fcarcely or per,- T'heologia Germanka, 41 haps never able to underfland the truth aright.* [For fuch men will follow no one, and lean unto their own un- derftandings, and delire to fly before they are fledged. They would fain mount up to heaven in one flight ; al- beit Chrifl: did not fo, for after his refurre6lion, he remained full forty days with his beloved difciples. No one can be made perfed: in a day. A man muft begin by denying himfelf, and willingly forfaking all things for God's fake, and muft give up his own will, and all his natural inclinations, and feparate and cleanfe himfelf thor- oughly from all fins and evil ways. After this, let him humbly take up the crofs and follow Chrift. Alfo let him take and receive example and inftruc- tion, reproof, counfel and teaching from * Here Luther's Edition has the following paflage in- ftead of the remainder of this chapter: therefore we fhould at all times give diligent heed to the works of God and his commandments, raovings and admonitions, and not to the works or commandments or admonitions of men." 42 Theologia Ger7nanica, devout and perfe6t fervants of God, and not follow his own guidance. Thus the work fhall be eftablifhed and come to a good end. And when a man hath thus broken loofe from and outleaped all temporal things and creatures, he may afterwards become perfect in a life of contemplation. For he who will have the one muft let the other go. There is no other way.] CHAP. XIV. Of three Stages by which a Man is led up- wards till he attaineth true Perfections '^['OW be affured that no one can be enlightened unlefs he be firft cleanfed or purified and ftripped. So alfo, no one can be united with God unlefs he be firft enlightened. Thus ther.e are three ftages : firft, the puri- fication; fecondly, the enlightening; thirdly, the union. [The purification Theologia Germantca. 43 concerneth thofe who are beginning or repenting, and is brought to pafs in a threefold wife; by contrition and forrow for fin, by full confeflion, by hearty amendment. The enlightening belongeth to fuch as are growing, and alfo taketh place in three ways: to wit, by the efchewal of fin, by the practice of virtue and good works, and by the willing endurance of all man- ner of temptation and trials. The union belongeth to fuch as are perfed:, and alfo is brought to pafs in three ways : to wit, by purenefs and fingle- nefs of heart, by love, and by the con- templation of God, the Creator of all things.] 44 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XV. How all Men are dead in Adam and are made alive again in Chrijly and of true Obedience and Di/obedience. A LL that in Adam fell and died, was raifed again and made alive in Chrift, and all that rofe up and was made alive in Adam, fell and died in Chrift. But what was that? I an- fwer, true obedience and difobedience. But what is true obedience ? I anfwer, that a man fhould fo ftand free, being quit of himfelf, that is, of his I, and Me, and Self, and Mine, and the like, that in all things, he fhould no more feek or regard himfelf, than if he did not exift, and fhould take as little ac- count of himfelf as if he were not, and another had done all his works. Likewife he fhould count all the crea- Theologia Ger?nanica. 45 tures for nothing. What is there then, which is, and which we may count for fomewhat? I anfwer, nothing but that which we may call God. Behold! this is very obedience in the truth, and thus it will be in a bleffed eternity. There nothing is fought nor thought of, nor loved, but the one thing only. Hereby we may m.ark what difobe- dience is : to wit, that a man maketh fome account of himfelf, and thinketh that he is, and knoweth, and can do fomewhat, and feeketh himfelf and his own ends in the things around him, and hath regard to and lovcth himfelf, and the like. Man is created for true obedience, and is bound of right to render it to God. And this obedience fell and died in Adam, and rofe again and lived in Chrift. Yea, ChrilVs human nature was fo utterly bereft of Self, and apart from all creatures, as no man's ever was, and was nothing elfe but *'a houfe and habitation of God." 4-6 TheoloQ-'ia Ger?nanica. Neither of that in him which belonged to God, nor of that which was a Hving human nature and a habitation of God, did he, as man, claim any thing for his own. His human nature did not even take unto himfelf the Godhead, whofe dwelling it was, nor any thing that this fame Godhead willed, or did or left undone in him, nor yet any thing of all that his human nature did or fuffered ; but in Chrift's human na- ture there was no claiming of any thing, nor feeking, nor defire, faving that what was due might be rendered to the Godhead, and he did not call this very defire his own. Of this mat- ter no more can be faid or written here, for it is unfpeakable, and was never yet and never will be fully uttered; for it can neither be fpoken nor written but by Him who is and knows its ground ; that is, God Himfelf, who can do all things well. heologta Germanka. 47 CHAP. XVI. Telleth us what is the old Man, and what is GAIN, when we read of the old man and the new man we muft mark what that meaneth. The old man is Adam and difobedience, the Self, the Me, and fo forth. But the new man is Chrifl: and true obedience, [a giving up and denying onefelf of all temporal things, and feeking the hon- our of God alone in all things.] And when dying and perifhing, and the like are fpoken of, it meaneth that the old man fhould be deftroyed, and not feek its own either in fpiritual or in natural things. For where this is brought about in a true divine light, there the new man is born again. In like manner, it hath been faid that man fhould die the new Man, 48 Theologia Germanica. unto himfelf, [that is, to earthly pleaf- ures, confolations, joys, appetites, the I, the Self, and all that is thereof in man, to which he clingeth and on which he is yet leaning with content, and thinketh much of. Whether it be the man himfelf, or any other crea- ture, whatever it be, it muft depart and die, if the man is to be brought aright to another mind, according to the truth.] Thereunto doth St. Paul exhort us, faying: **Put off concerning the for- mer converfation the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceitful lufts: .... and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holi- nefs." * Now he who liveth to him- felf after the old man, is called and is truly a child of Adam ; and though he may give diligence to the ordering of his life, he is ftill the child and brother * Ephefians iv. 22. 24. ia Germanica. 49 of the Evil Spirit. But he who liveth in humble obedience and in the new man which is Chrift, he is, in like manner, the brother of Chrift and the child of God. Behold ! where the old man dieth and the new man is born, there is that fecond birth of which Chrift faith. Except a man be born again, he can- not enter into the kingdom of God." * Likewife St. Paul faith; "As in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift ftiall all be ,made alive. "-f* That is to fay, all who follow Adam in pride, in luft of the flefli, and in difobedience, are dead in foul, and never will or can be made alive but in Chrift. And for this caufe, fo long as a man is an Adam or his child, he is without God. Chrift faith, "he who is not with me is againft me. "J Now he who is againft God, is dead before God. Whence it fol- John iii. 3. f i Cor. xv. 22, X Matt. xii. 30. 50 Theologia Germanica. loweth that all Adam's children are dead before God. But he who ftandeth with Chrift in perfed; obedience, he is with God and liveth. As it hath been faid already, fin lieth in the turning away of the creature from the Creator, which agreeth with what we have now faid. For he who is in difobedience is in fin, and fin can never be atoned for or healed but by returning to God, and this is brought to pafs by humble obe- dience. For fo long as a man conti- nueth in difobedience, his fin can never be blotted out ; let him do what he will, it availeth him nothing. Let us be afliired of this. For difobedience is itfelf fin. But when a man entereth into the obedience of the faith, all is healed, and blotted out and forgiven, and not elfe. Infomuch that if the Evil Spirit himfelf could come into true obedience, he would become an angel again, and all his fin and wicked- Theologia Germanka. 51 nefs would be healed and blotted out and forgiven at once. And could an angel fall into difobedience, he would ftraightway become an evil fpirit al- though he did nothing afrefh. If then it were poflible for a man to renounce himfelf and all things, and to live as wholly and purely in true obe- dience, as Chrift did in his human na- ture, fuch a man were quite without lin, and were one thing with Chrift, and the fame by grace which Chrift was by nature. But it is faid this can- not be. So alfo it is faid : "there is none without fin." But be that as it may, this much is certain ; that the nearer we are to perfedt obedience, the lefs we fin, and the farther from it we are, the more we fin. In brief : whe- ther a man be good, better, or beft of all ; bad, worfe, or worft of all ; finful or faved before God ; it all lieth in this matter of obedience. Therefore it hath been faid : the more of Self and Me, the 52 Theologia Germanica. more of fin and wickednefs. So like- wife it hath been faid: the more the Self, the I, the Me, the Mine, that is, felf-feeking and felfifhnefs abate in a man, the more doth God's I, that is, God Himfelf, increafe in him. Now, if all mankind abode in true obedience, there would be no grief nor forrow. For if it were fo, all men would be at one, and none would vex or harm another; fo alfo, none would lead a life or do any deed contrary to God's will. Whence then fhould grief or forrow arife? But now alas! all men, nay the whole world lieth in dif- obedience ! Now were a man fimply and wholly obedient as Chrift was, all difobedience were to him a fharp and bitter pain. But though all men were againft him, they could neither (hake nor trouble him, for while in this obe- dience a man were one with God, and God Himfelf were [one with] the man. Behold now all difobedience is con- T'heologia Germanica > 5 3 trary to God, and nothing elfe. In truth, no Thing is contrary to God; no creature nor creature's work, nor any thing that we can name or think of is contrary to God or difpleafmg to Him, but only difobedience and the difobe- dient man. In fhort, all that is, is well-pleafing and good in God's eyes, faving only the difobedient man. But he is fo difpleafing and hateful to God and grieveth him fo fore, that if it were poffible for human nature to die a hundred deaths, God would willingly fuffer them all for one difobedient man, that He might flay difobedience in him, and that obedience might be born again. Behold! albeit no man may be fo fingle and perfect in this obedience as Chrift was, yet it is poffible to every man to approach fo near thereunto as to be rightly called godlike, and partaker of the divine nature."* And * 2 Pet. i. 4. 54 'Theologia Germanica. the nearer a man cometh thereunto, and the more godHke and divine he becometh, the more he hateth all dif- obedience, fin, evil and unrighteoufnefs, and the worfe they grieve him. Dif- obedience and fin are the fame thing, for there is no fin but difobedience, and what is done of difobedience is all fin. Therefore all we have to do is to keep ourfelves from difobedience. CHAP. XVII. How we are not to take unto ourfelves what we have done well, hut only what we have done amifs, TlEHOLD! now it is reported there be fome who vainly think and fay that they are fo wholly dead to felf and quit of it, as to have reached and abide in a fl:ate where they fuffer nothing Theologia Germanica. 55 and are moved by nothing, juft as if all men were living in obedience, or as if there were no creatures. And thus they profefs to continue alw^ays in an even temper of mind, fo that noth- ing Cometh amifs to them, hov^foever things fall out, well or ill. Nay verily! the matter ftandeth not fo, but as we have faid. It might be thus, if all men were brought into obedience ; but until then, it cannot be. But it may be alked : Are not we to be feparate from all things, and neither to take unto ourfelves evil nor good ? I anfwer, no one fhall take goodnefs unto himfelf, for that belongeth to God and His goodnefs only; but thanks be unto the man, and everlafting reward and bleffings, who is lit and ready to be a dwelling and tabernacle of the Eternal Goodnefs and Godhead, wherein God may exert his power, and will and work without hindrance. But if any now will excufe himfelf for fin, by refufing 56 Theologia Germanica. to take what is evil unto himfelf, and laying the guilt thereof upon the Evil Spirit, and thus make himfelf out to be quite pure and innocent (as our firft parents Adam and Eve did w^hile they w^ere yet in paradife; whtn each laid the guilt upon the other,) he hath no right at all to do this ; for it is v^ritten, there is none without fin." There- fore I fay; reproach, fhame, lofs, woe, and eternal damnation be to the man who is fit and ready and willing that the Evil Spirit and falfehood, lies and all untruthfulnefs, wickednefs and other evil things fhould have their will and pleafure, word and work in him, and make him their houfe and habitation. Theologia Germanica. 57 CHAP. XVIII. How that the Life of Chriji is the nohlefi and befl Life that ever hath been or can he^ and how a carelefs Life of falfe Freedom is the worft Life that can be, /^F a truth we ought to know and beUeve that there is no life fo no- ble and good and well pleafing to God, as the life of Chrift, and yet it is to na- ture and felfifhnefs the bittereft life. A life of careleffnefs and freedom is to nature and the Self and the Me, the fweeteft and pleafanteft life, but it is not the beft ; and in fome men may become the worft. But though Chrift's life be the moft bitter of all, yet it is to be preferred above all. Hereby fhall ye mark this : There is an in- ward fight which hath power to per- 58 Theologia Germanica. ceive the One true Good, and that it is neither this nor that, but that of which St. Paul faith; **when that which is perfed: is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away."* By this he meaneth, that the Whole and Perfect excelleth all the fragments, and that all which is in part and imper- fedl, is as nought compared to the Per- fed:. Thus likewife all knowledge of the parts is fwallowed up when the Whole is known; and where that Good is known, it cannot but be longed for and loved fo greatly, that all other love wherewith the man hath loved himfelf and other things, fadeth away. And that inward fight likewife perceiveth what is befl: and nobleft in all things, and loveth it in the one true Good, and only for the fake of that true Good. Behold! where there is this inward fight, the man perceiveth of a truth, that Chrift's life is the beft and nobleft * I Cor. xlii. 10. heolo^ia German ica . life, and therefore the moft to be pre- ferred, and he willingly accepteth and endureth it, without a queftion or a complaint, whether it pleafe or offend nature or other men, whether he like or diflike it, find it fweet or bitter, and the like. And therefore wherever this perfedl and true Good is known, there alfo the life of Chrift muft be led, until the death of the body. And he who vainly thinketh otherwife is deceived, and he who faith otherwife, lieth, and in what man the life of Chrift is not, of him the true Good and eternal Truth will never more be known. 6o Theologia Germanica, CHAP. XIX. How we cannot come to the true Light and Chrifi's Life^ by much ^ejtioning or Read- ings or by high natural Skill and Reafon, hut by truly renouncing our/elves and all Things, T ET no one fuppofe that we may- attain to this true hght and perfedl knowledge, or Hfe of Chrift, by much queftioning, or by hearfay, or by read- ing and ftudy, nor yet by high fkill and great learning. Yea fo long as a man taketh account of anything which is this or that, whether it be himfelf, or any other creature; or doeth any- thing, or frameth a purpofe, for the fake of his own likings or defires, or opinions, or ends, he cometh not unto the life of Chrift. This hath Chrift himfelf declared, for he faith: "If Theologia Germanica. 6i any man will come after me, let him deny himfelf, and take up his crofs, and follow me." * He that taketh not his crofs, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me/'-f* And if he "hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and fifters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple/'J He meaneth it thus: **he who doth not forfake and part with every thing, can never know my eternal truth, nor attain unto my life." And though this had never been de- clared unto us, yet the truth herfelf fayeth it, for it is fo of a truth. But fo long as a man clingeth unto the elements and fragments of this world (and above all to himfelf,) and holdeth converfe with them, and maketh great account of them, he is deceived and blinded, and perceiveth what is good no further than as it is moft convenient • Matt. xvi. 24.. f Matt. x. 38. I Luke xi^. 26. 62 Theologia Germanica. and pleafant to himfelf and profitable to his own ends. Thefe he holdeth to be the higheft good, and loveth above all. [Thus he never cometh to the truth.] CHAP. XX. How, feeing that the Life of Chrift is moft hitter to Nature, and Self Nature will have none of it, and choofeth a falfe care- lefs Life, as is moft convenient to her, ^OW, fince the life of Chrift is every way moft bitter to nature and the Self and the Me (for in the true life of Chrift, the Self and the Me and nature muft be forfaken and loft, and die altogether,) therefore, in each of us, nature hath a horror of it, and thinketh it evil and unjuft and a folly, and grafpeth after fuch a life as fhall be moft comfortable and pleafant to ia Germanica. 63 herfelf, and faith, and believeth alfo in her bhndnefs, that fuch a life is the befl: pofTible. Now, nothing is fo comfortable and pleafant to nature, as a free, carelefs way of life, thereforth £he clingeth to that, and taketh enjoy- ment in herfelf and her own powers, and looketh only to her own peace and comfort and the like. And this hap- peneth moft of all, where there are high natural gifts of reafon, for that foareth upwards in its own light and by its own power, till at lafi; it cometh to think itfelf the true Eternal Light, and giveth itfelf out as fuch, and is thus deceived in itfelf, and deceiveth other people along with it, who know no better, and alfo are thereunto in- clined. 64 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XXI. How a Friend of Chrift willingly fulfilleth by his outward Works^ Juch Things as muft he and ought to he^ and doth not con- cern himjelf with the rejt, ^VjOW, it may be afked, what is ^ ^ the ftate of a man who followeth the true Light to the utmoft of his power? I anfwer truly, it will never be declared aright, for he who is not fuch a man, can neither underftand nor know it, and he who is, knoweth it indeed; but he cannot utter it, for it is unfpeakable. Therefore let him who would know it, give his whole diligence that he may enter therein ; then will he fee and find what hath never been uttered by man's lips. However, I believe that fuch a man hath liberty as to his outward walk and converfation, fo long as they confift Theologia Germanica. 65 with what muft be or ought to be ; but they may not confift with what he merely willeth to be. But oftentimes a man maketh to himfelf many muft-be's and ought- to-be's which are falfe. The which ye may fee hereby, that when a man is moved by his pride or covetoufnefs or other evil difpofitions, to do or leave undone anything, he oft- times faith, It muft needs be fo, and ought to be fo." Or if he is driven to, or held back from anything by the delire to find favour in men*s eyes, or by love, friendfhip, enmity, or the lufts and appetites of his body, he faith, *'It muft needs be fo, and ought to be fo." Yet behold, that is utterly falfe. Had we no muft-be's, nor ought-to-be*s, but fuch as God and the Truth fhow us, and conftrain us to, we fhould have lefs, forfooth, to order and do than now; [for we make to ourfelves much dif- quictude and difficulty which we might well be fpared and raifed above.] 66 T^heologria Germanica. CHAP. XXII. How Jometimes the Sprit of God, and Jome- times aljo the Evil Spirit may pojfej^ a Man and have the maftery over him. TT is written that fometimes the Devil and his fpirit do fo enter into and poffefs a man, that he knoweth not what he doeth and leaveth undone, and hath no. power over himfelf, but the Evil Spirit hath the maftery over him, and doeth and leaveth undone in, and with, and through, and by the man what he will. It is true in a fenfe that all the world is fubjed to and pof- fefled with the Evil Spirit, that is, with lies, falfehood, and other vices and evil ways; this alfo cometh of the Evil Spirit, but in a different fenfe. Now, a man who fhould be in like manner poffeffed by the Spirit of God, Theologia Germanica. 6j fo that he fhould not know what he doeth or leaveth undone, and have no power over himfelf, but the will and Spirit of God fhould have the mafliery over him, and work, and do, and leave undone with him and by him, what and as God would; fuch a man were one of thofe of whom St. Paul faith: **For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the fons of God,"* and they '*are not under the law but under grace,"'f* and to whom Chrifk faith: "For it is not ye that fpeak, but the Spirit of your Father which fpeak- eth in yonJ"X But I fear that for one who is truly poffefled with the Spirit of God, there are a hundred thoufand or an innume- rable multitude pofTefled with the Evil Spirit. This is becaufe men have more likenefs to the Evil Spirit than to God. For the Self, the I, the Me and the Romans viii. 14. f Romans vi. 14. J Matthew x. 20. 68 Theologia Germanica. like, all belong to the Evil Spirit, and therefore it is, that he is an evil Spirit. Behold one or tw^o w^ords can utter all that hath been faid by thefe many- words : " Be limply and w^holly bereft of Self." But by thefe many words, the matter hath been more fully fifted, proved, and fet forth. Now men fay, am in no wife prepared for this work, and therefore it cannot be wrought in me," and thus they find an excufe, fo that they nei- ther are ready nor in the way to be fo. And truly there is no one to blame for this but themfelves. For if a man were looking and ftriving after nothing but to find a preparation in all things, and diligently gave his whole mind to fee how he might become prepared ; verily God would well prepare him, for God giveth as much care and earneftnefs and love to the preparing of a man, as to the pouring in of His Spirit when the man is prepared. igia Germanica. 69 Yet there be certain means there- unto, as the faying is, "to learn an art which thou knoweft not, four things are needful.""* The firft and moft needful of all is, a great defire and diligence and conftant endeavour to learn the art. And where this is want- ing, the art will never be learned. The fecond is, a copy or enfample by which thou may eft learn. The third is to give earneft heed to the mafter, and watch how he worketh, and to be obedient to him in all things, and to truft him and follow him. The fourth is to put thy own hand to the work, and prad:ife it with all induftry. But where one of thefe four is wanting, the art will never be learned and maftered. So likewife is it with this preparation. For he who hath the firft, that is, thorough diligence and conftant, per- fevering defira towards his end, will alfo feek and find all that appertaineth See note, p. 73. 70 Theologia Germanka. thereunto, or is ferviceable and profit- able to it. But he who hath not that earneftnefs and dihgence, love and de- fire, feeketh not, and therefore findeth not, and therefore remaineth ever un- prepared. And therefore he never attaineth unto that end. CHAP. XXIII. He who will Juhmit him/elf to God and be obedient to Him^ muft be ready to bear with all Things; to wit, Gody him/elf, and all Creatures^ and muft be obedient to them all^ whether he hath to Juffer or to do, 'nr^HERE be fome w^ho talk of other ways and preparations to this end, and fay we muft lie ftill under God's hand, and be obedient and refigned and fubmit to Him. This is true ; for all this would be perfected in a man w^ho fhould attain to the uttermoft that Theologia Germanica. 7 1 can be reached in this prefent time. But if a man ought and is willing to lie ftill under God's hand, he muft and ought alfo to be ftill under all things, whether they come from God, himfelf, or the creatures, nothing excepted. And he who would be obedient, re- figned and fubmiffive to God, muft and ought to be alfo refigned, obedient and fubmiffive to all things, in a fpirit of yielding, and not of refiftance, and take them in filence, refting on the hidden foundations of his foul, and having a fecret inward patience, that enableth him to take all chances or croffes willingly, and whatever befall- eth, neither to call for nor defire any redrefs, or deliverance, or refiftance, or revenge, but always in a loving, fincere humility to cry, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" Behold! this were a good path to that which is Beft, and a noble and blefled preparation for the fartheft goal 1 72 Theologia Germanica. which a man may reach in this prefent time. This is the lovely life of Chrift, for he walketh in the aforefaid paths perfectly and wholly unto the end of his bodily life on earth. Therefore there is no other or better way or pre- paration to the joyful lifeofjefus Chrift, than this fame courfe, and to exercife onefelf therein, as much as may be. And of what belongeth thereunto we have already faid fomewhat; nay, all that we have here or elfewhere faid and written, is but a way or means to that end. But what the end is, knoweth no man to declare. But let him who would know it, follow my counfel and take the right path thereunto, which is the humble life of Jefus Chrift; [let him ftrive after that with unwearied perfeverance, and fo, without doubt, he ftiall come to that end which endureth for ever. **"For he that endureth to the end ftiall be faved."] * * Matt. X. 22. ia Germanica. 73 CHAP. XXIV. How that four Things are needful before a Man can receive divine 'Truth, and he poj- fejfed with the Spirit of GodJ^ lyrOREOVER there are yet other ways to the lovely life of Chrift, befides thofe we have fpoken of : to wit, that God and man fhould be wholly united, fo that it can be faid of a truth that God and man are one. This Cometh to pafs on this wife. Where the Truth always reigneth, fo that true perfed: God and true perfecft man are at one, and man fo giveth place to God, that God Himfelf is there and * The heading of this Chapter appears to have no re- lation to its contents, while it perfeftly fuits the latter half of Chap, xxii., (p. 69,) which has nothing correfponding to it in the heading of that chapter. As however the heading of Chap. xxiv. is common both to the Wurtzburg MS. and Luther's editions, the tranflator has no option but to retain it in its prefent pofition. 74 Theologia Germanica. yet the man too, and this fame unity worketh continually, and doeth and leaveth undone without any I, and Me, and Mine, and the like; behold, there is Chrift, and nowhere elfe. Now, feeing that here there - is true perfed: manhood, fo there is a perfed: per- ceiving and feeling of pleafure and pain, liking and difliking, fweetnefs and bit- ternefs, joy and forrow, and all that can be perceived and felt within and with- out. And feeing that God is here made man, he is alfo able to perceive and feel love and hatred, evil and good, and the like. As a man who is not God, feeleth and taketh note of all that giveth him pleafure and pain, and it pierceth him to the heart, efpecially what ofFendeth him ; fo is it alfo when God and man are one, and yet God is the man; there everything is perceived and felt that is contrary to God and man. And fince there man becometh nought, and God alone is everything. Theologta Germanica. 75 fo is it with that which is contrary to man, and a forrow to him. And this muft hold true of God fo long as a bodily and fubftantial life endureth. Furthermore, mark ye, that the one Being in whom God and man are united, ftandeth free of himfelf and of all things, and whatever is in him is there for God's fake and not for man's, or the creature's. For it is the property of God to be without this and that, and without Self and Me, and without equal or fellow; but it is the nature and property of the creature to feek itfelf and its own things, and this and that, here and there; and in all that it doeth and leaveth undone its defire is to its own advantage and profit. Now where a creature or a man forfaketh and Cometh out of himfelf and his own things, there God entereth in with His own, that is, with Himfelf. 76 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XXV. Of two evil Fruits that do fpring up from the Seed of the Evil Spirit, and are two Sifters who love to dwell together, Ihe one is called Jpiritual Pride and Highmindednejs, the other is faljey lawlefs Freedom, '^JOW, after that a man hath walked in all the ways that lead him unto the truth, and exercifed himfelf there- in, not fparing his labour ; now, as often and as long as he dreameth that his work is altogether finifhed, and he is by this time quite dead to the world, and come out from Self and given up to God alone, behold! the Devil com- eth and foweth his feed in the man's heart. From this feed fpring two fruits ; the one is fpiritual fulnefs or pride, the other is falfe, lawlefs free- dom. Thefe are two fifters who love 'ia Germanica. 77 to be together. Now, it beginneth on this wife: the Devil puffeth up the man, till he thinketh himfelf to have climbed the topmoft pinnacle, and to have come fo near to heaven, that he no longer needeth Scripture, nor teach- ing, nor this nor that, but is altogether raifed above any need. Whereupon there arifeth a falfe peace and fatisfac- tion with himfelf, and then it follow- eth that he faith or thinketh: '*Yea, now I am above all other men, and know and underfland more than any one in the world; therefore it is cer- tainly jufi: and reafonable that I fhould be the lord and commander of all creatures, and that all creatures, and efpecially all men, fhould ferve me and be fubjedl unto me." And then he feeketh and defireth the fame, and taketh it gladly from all creatures, ef- pecially men, and thinketh himfelf well worthy of all this, and that it is his due, and looketh on men as if they yS Theologia Germanica. were the beafts of the field, and think- eth himfelf worthy of all that minifter- eth to his body and life and nature, in profit, or joy, or pleafure, or even paf- time and amufement, and he feeketh and taketh it wherever he findeth op- portunity. And whatever is done or can be done for him, feemeth him all too little and too poor, for he thinketh himfelf worthy of fl:ill more and greater honour than can be rendered to him. And of all the men who ferve him and are fubjedt to him, even if they be downright thieves and murderers, he faith neverthelefs, that they have faith- ful, noble hearts, and have great love and faithfulnefs to the truth and to poor men. And fuch men are praifed by him, and he feeketh them and followeth after them wherever they be. But he who doth not order himfelf according to the will of thefe highminded men, nor is fubjed: unto them, is not fought after by them, nay, more fikely blamed and Theologia Germanica, 79 fpoken ill of, even though he were as holy as St. Peter himfelf. And feeing that this proud and puffed-up fpirit thinketh thatfhe needeth neither Scrip- ture, nor inftrudlion, nor anything of the kind, therefore fhe giveth no heed to the admonitions, order, laws and precepts of the holy Chriftian Church, nor to the Sacraments, but mocketh at them and at all men who walk accord- ing to thefe ordinances and hold them in reverence. Hereby we may plainly fee that thofe two lifters dwell together. Moreover fince this fheer pride think- eth to know and underftand more than all men befides, therefore fhe chdofeth to prate more than all other men, and would fain have her opinions and fpeeches to be alone regarded and lif- tened to, and counteth all that others think and fay to be wrong, and holdeth it in derifion as a folly. 8o Theologia Germanka. CHAP. XXVI. Touching Poornefs of Spirit and true Humil- ity^ and whereby we may dijcern the true and lawful free Men^ whom the Truth hath made free, T)UT it is quite otherwife where there is poornefs of fpirit, and true humiHty; and it is fo becaufe it is found and known of a truth that a man, of himfelf and his own power, is nothing, hath nothing, can do and is capable of nothing but only infirmi- ty and evil. Hence followeth that the man findeth himfelf altogether unwor- thy of all that hath been or ever will be done for him, by God or the crea- tures, and that he is a debtor to God and alfo to all the creatures in God's ftead, both to bear with, and to labour for, and to ferve them. And therefore Theologia Germanica. 8i he doeth not in any wife ftand up for his own rights, but from the humiHty of his heart he faith, "It is juft and reafonable that God and all creatures fhould be againft me, and have a right over me, and to me, and that I fhould not be againft any one, nor have a right to any thing." Hence it followeth that the man doth not and will not crave or beg for any thing, either from God or the creatures, beyond mere needful things, and for thofe only with fhame-facednefs, as a favour and not as a right. And he will not minifter unto or gratify his body or any of his natural defires, beyond what is needful, nor allow that any fhould help or ferve him except in cafe of neceffity, and then always in trembling; for he hath no right to any thing, and therefore he thinketh himfelf unworthy of any thing. So likewife all his own dif- courfe, ways, words and works feem to this man a thing of nought and a folly. 8 2 Theologia Germanica . Therefore he fpeaketh little, and doth not take upon himfelf to admonifh or rebuke any, unlefs he be conftrained thereto by love or faithfulnefs towards God, and even then he doth it in fear, and fo little as may be. Moreover, when a man hath this poor and humble fpirit, he cometh to fee and underftand aright, how that all men are bent upon themfelves, and in- clined to evil and fin, and that on this account it is needful and profitable that there be order, cuftoms, law and pre- cepts, to the end that the blindnefs and foolifhnefs of men may be corrected, and that vice and wickednefs may be kept under, and conftrained to feemli- nefs. For without ordinances, men would be much more mifchievous and ungovernable than dogs and cattle. And few have come to the knowledge of the truth, but what have begun with holy pradlices and ordinances, and ex- ercifed themfelves therein fo long as they knew nothing more nor better. Theologia Germanica. 83 Therefore one who is poor in fpirit and of a humble mind doth not defpife or make light of law, order, precepts and holy cuftoms, nor yet of thofe who obferve and cleave wholly to them, but with loving pity and gentle forrow, crieth: "Almighty Father, Thou Eter- nal Truth, I make my lament unto Thee, and it grieveth Thy Spirit too, that through man's blindnefs, infirmity, and fin, that is made needful and muft be, which in deed and truth were nei- ther needful nor right." [For thofe who are perfeft are under no law. So order, laws, precepts and the like are merely an admonition to men who underftand nothing better and know and perceive not wherefore all law and order is ordained.] And the perfect accept the law along with fuch ignorant men as underftand and know nothing better, and pradlife it with them, to the intent that they may be reftrained thereby, and kept from evil ways, or 84 Theologia Germanica. if it be poffible, brought to fomething higher. Behold! all that we have faid of poverty and humility is fo of a truth, and we have the proof and witnefs thereof in the pure life of Chrift, and in his words. For he both pradtifed and fulfilled every work of true hu- mility and all other virtues, as fhineth forth in his holy life, and he faith alfo expreffly: "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye fhall find reft unto your fouls."* More- over he did not defpife and fet at nought the law and the commandments, nor yet the men who are under the law. [He faith: "I am not come to deftroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil."] But he faith further, that to keep them is not enough, we muft prefs forward to what is higher and better, as is in- deed true. [He faith: "Except your righteoufnefs fhall exceed the right- * Matt. xi. 29. Theologia Germanica, 85 eoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye fhall in no cafe enter into the king- dom of Heaven."* For the law for- biddeth evil w^orks, but Chrift con- demneth alfo evil thoughts; the law^ allow^eth us to take vengeance on our enemies, but Chrift commandeth us to love them. The law forbiddeth not the good things of this world, but he counfelleth us to defpife them. And he hath fet his feal upon all he faid, with his own holy life; for he taught nothing that he did not fulfil in work, and he kept the law and was fubjed: unto it to the end of his mortal life.] Likewife St. Paul faith: Chrift was made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.^-f- That is, that he might bring them to fome- thing higher and nearer to himfelf. He faid again, ''The Son of man came not to be miniftered unto but to min- ifter."+ * Matt. V. 20. f Galat. iv. 4. % Matt. xx. 28. 86 Theologia Germanica. In a word : in Chrifl's life and words and works, we find nothing but true, pure humility and poverty fuch as we have fet forth. And therefore where God dwelleth in a man, and the man is a true follower of Chrifl:, it will be, and muft be, and ought to be the fame. But where there is pride, and a haughty fpirit, and a light care- lefs mind, Chrift is not, nor any true follower of his. Chrift faid: "my foul is troubled, even unto death." He meaneth his bodily death." [That is to fay: from the time that he was born of Mary, until his death on the crofs, he had not one joyful day, but only trouble, forrow and contradicflion.] Therefore it is juft and reafonable that his fervants fhould be even as their Mafter. Chrift faith alfo: "BlelTed are the poor in fpirit," (that is, thofe who are truly humble) "for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." And thus we find it of ia Germanica, 87 a truth, where God is made man. For in Chrift and in all his true fol- lowers, there muft needs be thorough humility and poornefs of fpirit, a lowly retiring difpofition, and a heart laden with a fecret forrow and mourning, fo long as this mortal life lafteth. And he who dreameth otherwife is deceiv- ed, and deceiveth others with him as aforefaid. Therefore nature and Self always avoid this life, and cling to a life of falfe freedom and eafe as we have fa id. Behold ! now cometh an Adam or an Evil Spirit, wifhing to juftify himfelf and make excufe, and faith; **Thou wilt almoft have it that Chrift was be- reft of felf and the like, yet he fpake often of himfelf, and glorified himfelf in this and that," Anfwer: when a man in whom the truth worketh, hath and ought to have a will towards any thing, his will and endeavour and works are for no end, but that the m 88 Theologia Germanka. truth may be feen and manifefted; and this will was in Chrift, and to this end, words and works are needful. And what Chrift did becaufe it was the moft profitable and beft means there- unto, he no more took unto himfelf than any thing elfe that happened. Doft thou fay now: ''Then there war a Wherefore in Chrift?" I anfwer, if thou wert to afk the fun, " why fhineft thou?" he would fay: muft fliine, and cannot do otherwife, for it is my nature and property; but this my pro- perty, and the light I give, is not of myfelf, and I do not call it mine." So likewife is it with God and Chrift and all who are godly and belong unto God. In them is no willing, nor work- ing nor defiring but has for its end, goodnefs, as goodnefs, for the fake of goodnefs, and they have no otii'^r Wherefore than this. ia Germanka, 89 CHAP. XXVII. How we are to take Chrijl*s Words when he hade us forjake all Things; and wherein the Union with the Divine Will ftandeth, '^TOW, according to what hath been faid, ye muft obferve that when we fay, as Chrift alfo faith, that we ought to refign and forfake all things, this is not to be taken in the fenfe that a man is neither to do nor to purpofe anything; for a man muft always have fomething to do and to order fo long as he liveth. But we are to underftand by it that the union with God ftandeth not in any man's powers, in his work- ing or abftaining, perceiving or know- ing, nor in that of all the creatures taken together. Now what is this union? It is that we fhould be of a truth purely, fimply, and wholly at one with the One Eter- 90 'Theologia Germanica, nal Will of God, or altogether without will, fo that the created will fhould flow out into the Eternal Will, and be fwallowed up and loft therein, fo that the Eternal Will alone fhould do and leave undone in us. Now mark what may help or further us towards this end. Behold, neither exercifes, nor words, nor works, nor any creature nor creature's work, can do this. In this wife therefore muft we renounce and forfake all things, that we muft not imagine or fuppofe that any words, works, or exercifes, any fkill or cun- ning or any created thing can help or ferve us thereto. Therefore we muft fufFer thefe things to be what they are, and enter into the union with God. Yet outward things muft be, and we muft do and refrain fo far as is neceffa- ry, efpecially we muft fleep and wake, walk and ftand ftill, fpeak and be filent, and much more of the like. Thefe muft go on fo long as we live. ia Germanica. o i CHAP. XXVIII. HoWy after a Union with the divine Will^ the inward Man (landeth immoveable^ the while the outward Man is moved hither and thither, '^[OW, when this union truly cometh to pafs and becometh eftabhfhed, the inward man ftandeth henceforward immoveable in this union; and God fuffereth the outward man to be moved hither and thither, from this to that, of fuch things as are neceffary and right. So that the outward man faith in lin- cerity, *'I have no will to be or not to be, to live or die, to know or not to know, to do or to leave undone and the like; but I am ready for all that is to be, or ought to be, and obedient there- unto, whether I have to do or to fuffer." And thus the outward man hath no Wherefore or purpofe, but only to do his part to further the Eternal Will. For it is perceived of a truth, that the 92 Theologia Germanka. ^ inward man fhall ftand immoveable, and \ that it is needful for the outward man to be moved. And if the inward man have any Wherefore in the actions of the outward man, he faith only that fuch things muft be and ought to be, as are ordained by the Eternal Will. And where God Himfelf dwelleth in theman, it is thus; as we plainly fee in Chrift. Moreover, where there is this union, which is the offspring of a Divine light and dwelleth in its beams, there is no fpiritual pride, or irreverent fpirit, but boundlefs humility, and a lowly broken heart; alfo an honeft blamelefs walk, juftice, peace, content and all that is of virtue muft needs be there. Where they are not, there is no right union, as we have faid. For juft as neither this thing nor that can bring about or fur- ther this union, fo there is nothing which hath power to fruftrate or hinder it, fave the man himfelf with his felf- will, that doeth him this great wrong. Of this be well affured. 'Theologia Germanka. 93 CHAP. XXIX. How a Man may not attain Jo high before Death as not to he moved or touched by outward Things* ^npHERE be fome who affirm, that a man, while in this prefent time, may and ought to be above being touched by outward things, and in all refpedls as Chrift was after his refur- redlion. . This they try to prove and eftablifh by Chrift's words, go be- fore you into Galilee, there fhall ye fee me."* And again, '*A fpirit hath not flefh and bones as ye fee me have."*f- Thefe fayings they interpret thus : *^As ye have feen me, and been followers of me, in my mortal body and life, fo alfo it behoveth you to fee me and fol- low me, as I go before you into Gali- * Matt. xxvi. 32 and xxviii. 7-10, + Luke xxlv. 39. 94 'Theologia Ger?nanica. lee ; that is to fay, into a ftate in which nothing hath power to move or grieve the foul; on which ftate ye fhall enter, and live and continue therein, before that ye have fuffered and gone through your bodily death. And as ye fee me having flefh and bones, and not liable to fuffer, fo fhall ye likewife, while yet in the body and having your mortal nature, ceafe to feel outward things, were it even the death of the body." Now, I anfwer, in the firft place, to this affirmation, that Chrift did not mean that a man fhould or could attain unto this ftate, unlefs he have firft gone through and fuffered all that Chrift did. Now, Chrift did not attain thereunto, before he had paffed through and fuffered his natural death, and what things appertain thereto. There- fore no man can or ought to come to it fo long as he is mortal and liable to fuffer. For if fuch a ftate were the nobleft and beft, and if it were poffible ia Germanica. 95 and right to attain to it, as aforefaid, in this prefent time, then it would have been attained by Chrift; for the Hfe of Chrift is the beft and nobleft, the worthieft and loveheft in God*s fight that ever was or will be. Therefore if it was not and could not be fo with Chrift, it will never be fo with any man. Therefore though fome may imagine and fay that fuch a life is the beft and nobleft life, yet it is not fo. g6 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XXX. On what wife we may come to he beyond and above all Cujlom^ Order y Law, Precepts^ and the like, COME fay further, that we can and ought to get beyond all virtue, all cuftom and order, all law, precepts and feemlinefs, fo that all thefe ihould be laid afide, thrown off and fet at nought. Herein there is fome truth, and fome falfehood. Behold and mark: Chrift was greater than his own life, and above , all virtue, cuftom, ordinances and the like, and fo alfo is the Evil Spirit above them, but with a difference. For Chrift was and is above them on this wife, that his words, and works, and ways, his doings and refrainings, his fpeech and filence, his fufferings, and whatfoever happened to him, were Theologia Germanica. 97 not forced upon him, neither did he need them, neither were they of any profit to himfelf. It was and is the fame with all manner of virtue, order, laws, decency, and the like; for all that may be reached by them is alrea- dy in Chrift to perfedlion. In this fenfe, that faying of St. Paul is true and receiveth its fulfilment, ''As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God,** "and are not under the law but under grace."* That meaneth, man need not teach them what they are to do or abftain from; for their Mafter, that is, the Spirit of God, fhall verily teach them what is needful for them to know. Likewife they do not need that men fhould give them precepts, or command them to do right and not to do wrong, and the like; for the fame admirable Mafter who teacheth them what is good or not good, what is higher and lower, and in fhort * Rom. viii. lo, and vi. 14. 98 Theologia Germantca. leadeth them into all truth, He reign- eth alfo within them, and biddeth them to hold faft that which is good, and to let the reft go, and to Him they give ear. Behold! in this fenfe they need not to wait upon any law, either to teach or to command them. In another fenfe alfo they need no law; namely, in order to feek or win fomething thereby, or get any advantage for them- felves. For whatever help toward eternal life, or furtherance in the way everlafting they might obtain from the aid, or counfel, or words, or works of any creature, they polTefs already be- forehand. Behold! in this fenfe alfo it is true, that we may rife above all law and virtue, and alfo above the works and knowledge and powers of any creature. la Germanica, 99 CHAP. XXXI. How we are not to caft off the Life cf Chrifty but pra5fife it diligently^ and walk in it until Death. T>UT that other thing which they affirm, how that we ought to throw off and caft alide the life oi Chrift, and all laws and command- ments, cuftoms and order and the like, and pay no heed to them, but defpife and make light of them, is altogether falfe and a lie. Now fome may fay; — "lince neither Chrift nor others can ever gain anything, either by a Chrif- tian life, or by all thefe exercifes and ordinances, and the like, nor turn them to any account, feeing that they pofTefs already all that can be had through them, what caufe is there why they fhould not henceforth efchew them loo Theolo^ia Germanica. altogether? Muft they ftill retain and prad:ice them?" Behold, ye muft look narrowly into this matter. There are two kinds of Light; the one is true and the other is falfe. The true light is that Eter- nal Light which is God; or elfe it is a created light, but yet divine, which is called grace. And thefe are both the true Light. So is the falfe light Nature •r of Nature. But why is the iirft true, and the fecond falfe? This we can better perceive than fay or write. To God, as Godhead, appertain neither will, nor knowledge, nor manifeftation, nor anything that we can name, or fay, or conceive. But to God as God,* it belongethtoexprefs Himfelf,and know and love Himfelf, and to reveal Him- felf to Himfelf; and all this without any creature. And all this refteth in God as a fubftance but not as a work- ing, fo long as there is no creature. * That is, as a Perfonj — "God" being ufed here as a proper name. — Tr. Theologia Germanica, i o i And out of this exprefling and reveal- ing of Himfelf unto Himfelf, arifeth the diftindlion of Perfons. But when God as God is made nian, or where God dwelleth in a godly man, or one who is *'made a partaker of the divine nature," in fuch a man fomewhat ap- pertaineth unto God which is His own, and belongeth to Him only and not to the creature. And without the crea- ture, this would lie in His own Self as a Subftance or well-fpring, but would not be manifefted or wrought out into deeds. Now God will have it to be exercifed and clothed in a form, for it is there only to Be wrought out and executed. What elfe is it for? Shall it lie idle? What then would it profit? As good were it that it had never been; nay better, for what is of no ufe exift- eth in vain, and that is abhorred by God and Nature. However God will have it wrought out, and this cannot come to pafs (which it ought to do,) 102 T'heologta Germanica. without the creature. Nay, if there ought not to be, and were not this and that — works, and a world full of real things, and the like, — what were God Himfelf, and what had He to do, and whofe God would he be? Here we muft turn and ftop, or we might follow this matter and grope along until we knew not where we were, nor how we fhould find our way out again. CHAP. XXXII. How God is a true^ fmplcy perfe^ Good^ and how He is a Light and a Reajon and all Virtues^ and how what is highejt and hefty that is J God, ought to he mojt loved hy us. TN fliort I would have you to under- ftand, that God (in fo far as He is good) is goodnefs as goodnefs, and not this or that good. But here mark one thing. Behold! what is fometimes here and fometimes there is not every- where, and above all things and places; Theologia Germanica. 103 fo alfo, what is to-day, or to-morrow, is not always, at all times, and above all time; and what is fome Thing, this or that, is not all things and above all things. Now, behold, if God were fomething, this or that, he would not be all in all, and above all, as he is; and fo alfo. He would not be true Per- fedlion. Therefore God is, and yet he is neither this nor that which the crea- ture, as creature, can perceive, name, conceive or exprefs. Therefore if God (in fo far as He is good) w^ere this or that good. He would not be all good, and therefore he would not be the One Perfeft Good, which He is. Now God is alfo a Light and a Reafon,* the property of which is to give light and fhine, and take knowledge; and inaf- much as God is Light and Reafon, He muft give light and perceive. And all this giving and perceiving of light * Cognition is the word which comes neareft to the original Erkenntnifs, but would not harmonize with the llyle of the tranflation. n 1 04 Theologia Germanica. exifteth in God without the creature; not as a work fulfilled, but as a fub- ftance or well-fpring. But for it to flow out into a work, fomething really done and accomplifhed,* there muft be creatures through whom this can come to pafs. Look ye: where this Reafon and Light is at w^ork in a creature, it perceiveth and knoweth and teacheth what itfelf is; how that it is good in itfelf and neither this thing nor that thing. This Light and Reafon know- eth and teacheth men, that it is a true, fimple, perfedl Good, which is neither this nor that fpecial good, but compre- hended every kind of good. Now, having declared that this Light teacheth the One Good, what doth it teach concerning it? Give heed to this. Behold! even as God is the one Good, and Light and Reafon, fo is He alfo Will and Love and Juftice and Truth, and in fliort all virtues. But * Or, be realized. 'Theologia Germanica. 105 all thefe are in God one Subftance, and none of them can be put in exercife and wrought out into deeds without the creature, for in God, without the crea- ture, they are only as a Subftance or well-fpring, not as a work. But where the One, who is yet all thefe, layeth hold of a creature, and taketh pofTeffion of it, and diredteth and maketh ufe of it, fo that he may perceive in it fome- what of His own, behold, in fo far as He is Will and Love, He is taught of Himfelf, feeing that He is alfo Light and Reafon, and He willeth nothing but that One thing which He is. Behold! in fuch a creature, there is no longer anything willed or loved but that which is good, becaufe it is good, and for no other reafon than that it is good, not becaufe it is this or that, or pleafeth or difpleafeth fuch a one, is pleafant or painful, bitter or fweet, or what not. All this is not alked about nor looked at. And fuch a creature io6 Theologria Gennanica. doth nothing for its own fake, or in its own name, for it hath quitted all Self, and Me, and Mine, and We and Ours, and the Hke, and thefe are de- parted. It no longer faith, "I love myfelf, or this or that, or what not." And if you were to alk Love, ''what loveft thou?" fhe would anfwer, ''I love Goodnefs." ''Wherefore?" "Be- caufe it is good, and for the fake of Goodnefs." So it is good and juft and right to deem that if there were aught better than God, that muft be loved better than God. And thus God loveth not Himfelf as Himfelf, but as Good- nefs. And if there were, and He knew, ought better than God, He would love that and not Himfelf. Thus the Self and the Me are wholly fundered from God, and belong to Him only in fo far as they are necelTary for Him to be a Perfon. Behold! all that we have faid muft indeed come to pafs in a godlike man, ''ia Gennanica. i or one who is truly ^'made a partaker of the divine nature;" for elfe he would not be truly fuch. CHAP. XXXIII. How when a Man is made truly godlike^ his Love is pure and unmixed ^ and he loveth all Creatures y and doth his beft for them, TTENCE it followeth, that in a truly godlike man, his love is pure and unmixed, and full of kindnefs, infomuch that he cannot but love in fmcerity all men and things, and wifh well, and do good to them, and rejoice in their wel- fare. Yea, let them do what they will to fuch a man, do him wrong or kind- nefs, bear him love or hatred or the like, yea, if one could kill fuch a man a hundred times over, and he always came to life again, he could not but love the very man who had fo often llain him, although he had been treated fo unjuft- ly, and wickedly, and cruelly by him. io8 Theologia Germanica. and could not but wifh well, and do well to him, and £how him the very greateft kindnefs in his power, if the other would but only receive and take it at his hands. The proof and witnefs whereof may be feen in Chrift; for he faid to Judas, when he betrayed him: Friend, wherefore art thou come?" Juft as if he had faid: "Thou hateft me, and art mine enemy, yet I love thee, and am thy friend. Thou de- fireft and rejoiceft in my afflidion, and doft the worft thou canft unto me ; yet I defire and wifh thee all good, and would fain give it thee, and do it for thee, if thou wouldft but take and re- ceive it.'' As though God in human nature were faying: "I am pure, Am- ple Goodnefs, and therefore I cannot will, or defire, or rejoice in, or do or give anything but goodnefs. If I am to reward thee for thy evil and wick- ednefs, I muft do it with goodnefs, for I am and have nothing elfe." Hence ia Ger77tanica. lo therefore God, in a man who is "made partaker of His nature," defireth and taketh no revenge for all the wrong that is or can be done unto him. This we fee in Chrift, when he faid: "Fa- ther, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Likewife it is God's property that He doth not conftrain any by force to do or not to do anything, but He al- loweth every man to do and leave un- done according to his will, whether it be good or bad, and refifteth none. This too we fee in Chrift, who would not refift or defend himfelf when his enemies laid hands on him. And when Peter would have defended him, he faid unto Peter: "Put up thy fword into the fheath: the cup which my Fa- ther hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Neither may a man who is made a partaker of the divine nature, opprefs or grieve any one. That is, it never entereth into his thoughts, or intents. no Theolop-ja Germantca. or wifl:ies, to caufe pain or diftrefs to any, either by deed or negled;, by fpeech or filence. CHAP. XXXIV. How that if a Man will attain to that which is heft^ he mujt for/wear his own Will; and he who helpeth a Man to his own Will helpeth him to the worjt Thing he can. COME may fay:' "Now fince God willeth and defireth and doth the beft that may be to every one. He ought fo to help each man and order things for him, that they fhould fall out ac- cording to his will and fulfil his defires, fo that one might be a Pope, another a Bifhop, and fo forth." Be affured, he who helpeth a man to his own will, helpeth him to the worft that he can. For the more a man followeth after his own felf-will, and self-will grow- eth in him, the farther off is he from God, the true Good, [for nothing 'Theologia Germanica. 1 1 1 burneth in hell but felf-will. There- fore it hath been faid, " Put off thine own will, and there will be no hell."] Now God is very willing to help a man and bring him to that which is beft in itfelf, and is of all things the beft for man. But to this end, all felf- will mufi: depart, as we have faid. And God would fain give man his help and counfel thereunto, for fo long as a man is feeking his own good, he doth not feek what is beft for him, and will never find it. For a man's higheft good would be and truly is, that he fhould not feek himfelf nor his own things, nor be his own end in any re- fpedt, either in things fpiritual or things natural, but fhould feek only the praife and glory of God and His holy will. This doth God teach and admonifh us. Let him therefore who wifheth that God fhould help him to what is beft, and beft for him, give diligent heed to God's counfels and teachings, and obey 1 1 2 Theolo^ia Germanica. His commandments; thus, and not elfe, will he have, and hath already, God's help. Now God teacheth and admon- ifheth man to forfake himfelf and all things, and to follow Him only. " For he who loveth his foul," * that is him- felf, and will guard it and keep it, *^he fhall lofe it;'* that is, he who feeketh himfelf and his own advantage in all things, in fo doing lofeth his foul. "But hewhohateth his foul for my fake fhall keep it unto life eternal;" that is, he who forfaketh himfelf and his own things, and giveth up his own will, and fulfilleth God's will, his foul will be kept and preferved unto Life Eternal. * Mark viii. 35. Our authorized verfion ufes the word "life," in this verfe, but as that would not quite bring out the force of the original, I have ventured to ufe the fame word for ^jvxh here, by which it is tranllated in the two fucceeding verfes. Except in this and another paflage, where in quoting John iii. 8. Trvtina is tranllated, as in Luther's verfion, Spirit inftead of Wind, our authorized verfion has been always adhered to. — ^Tr. Theologia Germanica. 113 CHAP. XXXV. How there is deep and true Humility and Poorne/s of Spirit in a Man who is made a Partaker of the Divine Nature" l\/rOREOVER, in a man who is "made a partaker of the divine nature/' there is a thorough and deep humility, and where this is not, the man hath not been '*made a partaker of the divine nature." So Chrift taught in words and fulfilled in works. And this humility fpringeth up in the man, becaufe in the true Light he feeth (as it alfo really is) that Subftance, Life, Perceiving, Knowledge, Power, and what is thereof, do all belong to the True Good, and not to the creature; but that the creature of itfelf is noth- ing and hath nothing, and that when it turneth itfelf afide from the True Good in will or in works, nothing is left to it but pure evil. And therefore 114 Theologia Germanica. it is true to the very letter, that the creature, as creature, hath no worthi- nefs in itfelf, and no right to anything,, and no claim over any one, either over God or over the creature, and that it ought to give itfelf up to God and fub- mit to Him becaufe this is juft. And this is the chiefeft and moft vv^eighty matter. Now, if we ought to be, and defire to be, obedient and fubmit unto God, we muft alfo fubmit to what we receive at the hands of any of his creatures, or our fubmiffion is all falfe. From this latter article floweth true humility, as indeed it doth alfo from the former.* And unlefs this verily ought to be, and were wholly agreeable to God's juf- tice, Chrift would not have taught it in words, and fulfilled it in his life. And herein there is a veritable mani- feftation of God ; and it is fo of a truth, that of God's truth and juftice this * Namely, God"'s having a right to our obedience. ia ^Germanica. 115 creature fhall be fubjedl to God and all creatures, and no thing or perfon fhall be fubjed: or obedient to her. God and all the creatures have a right over her and to her, but fhe hath a right to nothing: flie is a debtor to all, and nothing is owning to her, fo that fhe fhall be ready to bear all things from others, and alfo if needs be to do all things for others. And out of this groweth that poornefs of fpirit which Chrift faid: "BlefTed are the poor in fpirit" (that is to fay, the truly hum- ble) "for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." All this hath Chrifl taught in words and fulfilled with his life. ii6 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XXXVI. How nothing is contrary to God but Sin only ; and what Sin is in Kind and A51. PURTHER ye fhall mark: when it is faid that fuch a thing, or fuch a deed is contrary to God, or that fuch a thing is hateful to God and grieveth His Spirit, ye mufi: know that no crea- ture is contrary to God, or hateful or grievous unto Him, in fo far as it is, liveth, knoweth, hath power to do, or produce aught, and fo forth, for all this is not contrary to God. That an evil fpirit, or a man is, liveth, and the like, is altogether good and of God; for God is the Being of all that are, and the Life of all that live, and the Wif- dom of all the wife; for all things have their being more truly in God than in themfelves, and alfo their powers, knowledge, life, and the reft; for if it were not fo, God would not be all good. Theolo^ia Germanica. 1 1 And thus all creatures are good. Now what is good is agreeable to God and He will have it. Therefore it cannot But what then is there which is contrary to God and hateful to Him? Nothing but Sin. But what is Sin? Mark this : Sin is nothing elfe than that the creature willeth otherwife than God willeth, and contrary to Him. Each of us may fee this in himfelf; for he who willeth otherwife than I, or whofe will is contrary to mine, is my foe ; but he who willeth the fame as I, is my friend, and I love him. It is even fo with God: and that is fin, and is con- trary to God, and hateful and grievous to Him. And he who willeth, fpeak- eth, or is filent, doeth or leaveth un- done, otherwife than as I will, is con- trary to me, and an offence unto me. So it is alfo with God : when a man willeth otherwife than God, or con- trary to God, whatever he doeth or be contrary to Him. 1 1 8 Theologia Germanica^ leaveth undone, in fhort all that pro- ceedeth from him, is contrary to God, and is fin. And whatfoever Will will- eth otherwife than God, is againft God's will. As Chrift faid : he who is not with me is againft me.'* Here- by may each man fee plainly whether or not he be without fin, and whether or not he be committing fin, and what fin is, and how fin ought to be atoned for, and wherewith it may be healed. And this contradiction to God's will is what we call, and is, difobedience. And therefore Adam, the I, the Self, Self-will, Sin, or the Old Man, the turning afide or departing from God, do all mean one and the fame thing. Theologia Ger7nanica. 1 1 9 CHAP. XXXVII. How in God, as God, there can neither he Grief, Sorrow, Difpleajurey nor the like, but how it is otherwije in a Man who is " made a Far taker of the Divine Nature'^ TN God, as God, neither forrow nor grief nor difpleafure can have place, and yet God is grieved on account of men's fins. Now fince grief cannot befall God without the creature, this Cometh to pafs where He is made man, or when He dwelleth in a godlike man. And there, behold, fin is fo hateful to God, and grieveth Him fo fore, that He would willingly fuffer agony and death, if one man's fins might be there- by wafhed out. And if He were afi^ied whether He would rather live and that fin fhould remain, or die and defliroy fin by His death. He would anfwer that He would a thoufand times rather die. For to God one man's fin is more 120 "Theolo^ia Germanica. hateful, and grieveth Him worfe than His own agony and death. Now if one man's fm grieveth God fo fore, what muft the fins of all men do? Hereby ye may confider, how greatly man grieveth God with his fins. And therefore where God is made man, or when He dwelleth in a truly godlike man, nothing is complained of but fin, and nothing elfe is hateful; for all that is, and is done, without fin, is as God will have it, and is His. But the mourning and forrow of a truly god- like man on account of fm, mult and ought to lafl: until death, fhould he live till the day of judgment, or forever. From this caufe arofe that hidden an- guifh of Chrift, of which none can tell or knoweth aught fave himfelf alone, and therefore it is called a myftery. Moreover, this is an attribute of God, which He will have, and is well pleafed to fee in a man; and it is in- deed God's own, for it belongeth not ia Germanica. 121 unto the man, he cannot make fin to be fo hateful to himfelf. And where God findeth this grief for fin, he loveth and efi:eemeth it more than aught elfe; becaufe it is, of all things, the bittereft and faddefi: that man can endure. All that is here written touching this divine attribute, which God will have man to pofi^efs, that it may be brought into exercife in a living foul, is taught us by that true Light, which alfo teacheth the man in whom this god- like forrow worketh, not to take it unto himfelf, any more than if he were not there. For fuch a man feeleth in himfelf that he hath not made it to fpring up in his heart, and that it is none of his, but belongeth to God alone. 122 Theologia Germanica. CHAP. XXXVIII. How we are to put on the Life of Chrijl from Love J and not for the Jake of Reward^ and how we mujt never grow carelefs con- cerning ity or cajt it off, ^^[OW, wherever a man hath been made a partaker of the divine nature, in him is fulfilled the beft and nobleft life, and the worthieft in God's eyes, that hath been or can be. And of that eternal love which loveth Good- nefs as Goodnefs and for the fake of Goodnefs, a true, noble, Chrift-like life is fo greatly beloved, that it will never be forfaken or caft off. Where a man hath tafted this life, it is impof- fible for him ever to part with it, were he to live until the Judgment Day. And though he muft die a thoufand deaths, and though all the fufferings that ever befel all creatures could be heaped upon him, he would rather Theologia Germanica, 123 undergo them all, than fall away from this excellent life; and if he could ex- change it for an angel's life, he would not. This is our anfwer to the queftion, **if a man, by putting on Chrift's life, can get nothing more than he hath already, and ferve no end, what good will it do him?'' This life is not chofen in order to ferve any end, or to get anything by it, but for love of its noblenefs, and becaufe God loveth and efteemeth it fo greatly. And whoever faith that he hath had enough of it, and may now lay it afide, hath never tafted nor known it; for he who hath truly felt or tafted it, can never give it up again. And he who hath put on the life of Chrift with the intent to win or deferve aught thereby, hath taken it up as an hireling and not for love, and is altogether without it. For he who doth not take it up for love, hath none of it at all; he may dream indeed that he hath put it on, but he 1 24 Theologia Gennanica, is deceived. Chrift did not lead fuch a life as his for the fake of reward, but out of love; and love maketh fuch a life light and taketh away all its hard- fhips, fo that it becometh fweet and is gladly endured. But to him who hath not put it on from love, but hath done fo, as he dreameth, for the fake of re- ward, it is utterly bitter and a weari- nefs, and he would fain be quit of it. And it is a fure token of an hireling that he wifheth his work were at an end. But he who truly loveth it, is not of- fended at its toil nor fuffering, nor the length of time it lafteth. Therefore it is written, '*to ferve God and live to Him, is eafy to him who doeth it." Truly it is fo to him who doth it for love, but it is hard and wearifome to him who doth it for hire. It is the fame with all virtue and good works, and likewife with order, laws, obedience to precepts, and the like. But God re- joiceth more over one man who truly loveth, than over a thoufand hirelings. ia Germanica. 125 CHAP. XXXIX. How God will have Order ^ Cujtom^ Meafure^ and the like in the Creature^ feeing that he cannot have them without the Great ure, and of four forts of Men who are concerned with this Order^ Law^ and Guftom. TT is faid, and truly, God is above and without cuftom, meafure, and or- der, and yet giveth to all things their cuftom, order, meafure, fitnefs, and the like. The which is to be thus under- ftood. God will have all thefe to be, and they cannot have a being in Him- felf without the creature, for in God, apart from the creature, there is nei- ther order nor diforder, cuftom nor chance, and fo forth; therefore he will have things fo that thefe fhall be, and fhall be put in exercife. For wherever there is word, work, or change, thefe muft be either according to order, cuf- tom, meafure and fitnefs, or according 126 Theologia Germanica. to unfitnefs and diforder. Now fitnefs and order are better and nobler than their contraries. But ye mull: mark: There are four forts of men who are concerned with order, laws, and cuftoms. Some keep them neither for God's fake, nor to • ferve their own ends, but from con- ftraint; thefe have as little to do with them as may be, and find them a bur- den and heavy yoke. The fecond fort obey for the fake of reward: thefe are men who know nothing befide, or bet- ter than, laws and precepts, and imagine that by keeping them they may obtain the kingdom of Heaven and Eternal Life, and not otherwife; and him who pradlifeth many ordinances they think to be holy, and him who omitteth any tittle of them they think to be loft. Such men are very much in earneft and give great diligence to the work, and yet they find it a wearinefs. The third fort are wicked, falfe-hearted Theologia Germanica. 127 men, who dream and declare that they are perfect and need no ordinances, and make a mock of them. The fourth are thofe who are en- hghtened with the True Light, who do not prad:ife thefe things for reward, for they neither look nor defire to get anything thereby, but all that they do is from love alone. And thefe are not fo anxious and eager to accomplifli much and with all fpeed as the fecond fort, but rather feek to do things in peace and good leifure; and if fome not weighty matter be negledled, they do not therefore think themfelves loft, for they know very well that order and fitnefs are better than diforder, and therefore they choofe to walk orderly, yet know at the fame ^ime that their falvation hangeth not thereon. There- fore they are not in fo great anxiety as the others. Thefe men are judged and blamed by both the other parties, for the hirelings fay that they negledl 128 Theologia Germanica. their duties and accufe them of being unrighteous, and the like; and the others, (that is, the Free Spirits,*) hold them in derifion, and fay that they cleave unto weak and beggarly ele- ments, and the like. But thefe en- lightened men keep the middle path, which is alfo the beft; for a lover of God is better and dearer to him than a hundred thoufand hirelings. It is the fame with all their doings. Furthermore, ye muft mark, that to receive God's commands and his coun- fel and all his teaching, is the privi- lege of the inward man, after that he is united with God. And where there is fuch a union, the outward man is furely taught and ordered by the inward man, fo that* no outward command- ment or teaching is needed. But the commandments and laws of men belong to the outer man, and are needful for * This Is evidently an allufion to the " Brethren of the Free Spirit," mentioned in the Hiftorical Introduction. ia Germanica. 129 thofe men who know nothing better, for elfe they would not know what to do and what to refrain from, and would become like unto the dogs or other beafls. CHAP. XL. A good Account of the Falje Light and its Kind, "^[OW I have faid that there is a ^ Falfe Light; but I muft tell you more particularly what it is, and what belongeth thereunto. Behold, all that is contrary to the True Light belongeth unto the Falfe. To the True Light it belongeth of neceffity, that it feek- eth not to deceive, nor confenteth that any fhould be wronged or deceived, neither can it be deceived. But the falfe is deceived and a delufion, and deceiveth others along with itfelf. For God deceiveth no man, nor will- eth that any fhould be deceived, and fo it is with His True Light. Now 130 Theologia Germanica. mark, the True Light is God or divine, but the Falfe light is Nature or natural. Now it belongeth to God, that He is neither this nor that, neither willeth nor defireth, nor feeketh anything in the man whom he hath made a par- taker of the divine nature, fave good- nefs as Goodnefs, and for the fake of Goodnefs. This is the token of the True Light. But to the Creature and Nature it belongeth to be fomewhat, this or that, and to intend and feek fome thing, this or that, and not fimply what is good without any Wherefore. And as God and the True Light are without all felf-will, felfifhnefs, and felf-feeking, fo do the I, the Me, the Mine, and the like, belong unto the natural and falfe Light; for in all things it feeketh itfelf and its own ends, rather than Goodnefs for the fake of Good- nefs. This is its property, and the property of nature or the carnal man in each of us. 'Theologia Germanka. 1 3 1 Now mark how it firft cometh to be deceived. It doth not defire nor choofe Goodnefs as Goodnefs, and for the fake of Goodnefs, but defireth and choofeth itfelf and its own ends, rather than the Higheft Good ; and this is an error, and is the firft deception. Secondly, it dreameth itfelf to be that which it is not, for it dreameth itfelf to be God, and is truly nothing but nature. And becaufe it imagineth itfelf to be God, it taketh to itfelf what belongeth to God; and not that which is God's, when He is made man,, or dwelleth in a godlike man, but that which is God's, and belongeth unto Him, as He is in eternity, without the creature. For, as it is faid, God need- eth nothing, is free, not bound to work, apart by himfelf, above all things, and fo forth (which is all true;) and God is unchangeable, not to be moved by anything, and is without confcience, and what He doeth that is well done; 132 Theologia Germanica. "So will I be," faith the Falfe Light, **for the more like God one is, the better one is, and therefore I will be like God and will be God, and will fit and go and ftand at His right hand:" as Lucifer the Evil Spirit alfo faid.* Now God in Eternity is without con- tradiction, fuffering and grief, and no- thing can hurt or vex him of all that is or befalleth. But with God, when He is made Man, it is otherwife. In a word: all that can be deceived is deceived by this Falfe Light. Now lince all is deceived by this Falfe Light that can be deceived, and all that is creature and nature, and all that is not God nor of God, may be deceived, and fince this Falfe Light itfelf is nature, it is pofTible for it to be deceived. And therefore it becometh and is deceived by itfelf, in that it rifeth and climbeth to fuch a height that it dreameth itfelf to be above nature, and fancieth it to * Ifaiah xiv, 13, 14., Theologia Germanica. 133 be impoffible for nature or any creature to get fo high, and therefore it cometh to imagine itfelf God. And hence it taketh unto itfelf all that belongeth unto God, and fpecially what is His as He is in Eternity, and not as He is made man. Therefore it thinketh and declareth itfelf to be above all works, words, cuftoms, laws and order, and above that life which Chrift led in the body which he pofTefTed in his holy human nature. So likewife it profef- feth to remain unmoved by any of the creature's works; whether they be good or evil, againft God or not, is all alike to it; and it keepeth itfelf apart from all things, like God in Eternity, and all that belongeth to God and to no crea- ture it taketh unto itfelf, and vainly dreameth that this belongeth unto it; and deemeth itfelf well worthy of all this, and that it is jufi: and right that all creatures fhould ferve it, and do it homage. And thus no contradidlion. 134 Theologia Germanica. fufFering or grief is left unto it; indeed nothing but a mere bodily and carnal perceiving: this muft remain until the death of the body, and what fuffering may accrue therefrom. Furthermore, this Falfe Light imagineth, and faith, that it has got beyond Chrift's life in the flefh, and that outward things have loft all power to touch it or give it pain, as it was with Chrifl: after his re- furredtion, together with many other ftrange and falfe conceits which arife and grow up from thefe. And now lince this Falfe Light is nature, it pofTelTeth the property of na- ture, which is to intend and feek itfelf and its own in all things, and what may be moft expedient, eafy and plea- fant to nature and itfelf. And becaufe it is deceived, it imagineth and pro- claimeth it to be beft that each fhould feek and do what is beft for himfelf. It refufeth alfo to take knowledge of any Good but its own, that which Theologia Germanica. 135 it vainly fancieth to be Good. And if one fpeak to it of the One, true, ever- lafting Good, which is neither this nor that, it knoweth nothing thereof, and thinketh fcorn of it. And this is not unreafonable, for nature as nature can- not attain thereunto. Now this Falfe Light is merely nature, and therefore it cannot attain thereunto. Further, this Falfe Light faith that it hath got above confcience and the fenfe of fin, and that whatever it doeth is right. Yea, it was faid by fuch a falfe free fpirit, who was in this error, that if he had killed ten men he fhould have as little fenfe of guilt as if he had killed a dog. Briefly: this falfe and deceived Light fleeth all that is harfh and contrary to nature, for this belong- eth to it, feeing that it is nature. And feeing alfo that it is fo utterly deceived as to dream that it is God, it were rea- dy to fwear by all that is holy, that it knoweth truly what is beft, and that P 136 Theologia Germanica, t>oth in belief and pradice it hath reached the very lummit. For this caufe it cannot be converted or guided into the right path, even as it is with the Evil Spirit. Mark further: in fo far as this Light imagineth itfelf to be God and taketh his attributes unto itfelf, it is Lucifer, the Evil Spirit; but in fo far as it fet- teth at nought the life of Chrift, and other things belonging to the True Light, which have been taught and fulfilled by Chrifl, it is Antichrift, for it teacheth contrary to Chrift. And as this Light is deceived by its own cunning and difcernment, fo all that is not God, or of God, is deceived by it, that is, all men who are not enlighten- ed bv the True Light and its love. For all vrho are enlightened by the True Light can never more be de- ceived, but whofo hath it not and choofeth to walk by the Falfe Light, he is deceived. Theologia Germanica. 1 37 This Cometh herefrom, that all men In whom the True Light is not, are bent upon themfelves, and think much of themfelves, and feek and propofe their own ends in all things, and what- ever is moft pleafant and convenient to themfelves they hold to be beft. And whofo declareth the fame to be beft, and helpeth and teacheth them to attain it, him they follow after, and maintain to be the beft and wifeft of teachers. Now the Falfe Light teacheth them this very doctrine, and fhoweth them all the means to come by their defire; therefore all thofe follow after it, who know not the True Light. And thus they are together deceived. It is faid of Antichrift, that when he Cometh, he who hath not the feal of God in his forehead, followeth after him, but as many as have the feal fol- low not after him. This agreeth with what hath been faid. It is indeed true, that it is good for a m.an that he fhould 138 Theologia Germanica. defire, or come by his own good. But- this cannot come to pafs fo long as a man is feeking, or purpofing his own good; for if he is to find and come by his own higheft good, he mufi: lofe it that he may find it. [As Chrift faid: "He who loveth his life fhall lofe it." That is; he fhall forfake and die to the defires of the fle£h, and fhall not obey his own will nor the lufts of the body, but obey the commands of God and thofe who are in authority over him, and not feek his own, either in fpiritual or natural things, but only the praife and glory of God in all things. For he who thus lofeth his life fhall find it again in Eternal Life. That is : all the goodnefs, help, comfort, and joy which are in the creature, in heaven or on earth, a true lover of God findeth com- prehended in God Himfelf; yea, un- fpeakably more, and as much nobler and more perfedl as God the Creator is better, nobler, and more perfed than Theologia Germanica. 139 His creature. But by thefe excellen- cies in the creature the Falfe Light is deceived, and feeketh nothing but itfelf and its own in all things. Therefore it Cometh never to the right way.] Further, this Falfe Light faith, that we fhould be without confcience or fenfe of fin, and that it is a weaknefs and folly to have anything to do with them : and this it will prove by faying that Chrifl: was without confcience and fenfe of fin. We may anfwer and fay: Satan is alfo without them, and is none the better for that. Mark what a fenfe of fin is. It is that we perceive how man has turned away from God in his will (this is what we call fin,) and that this is man's fault, not God's, for God is guiltlefs of fin. Now, who is there that knoweth himfelf to be free from fin fave Chrifi: alone? Scarcely will any other affirm this. Now he who is without fenfe of fin is either Chrifi: or the Evil Spirit. 140 Theologia Germanka. Briefly : where this True Light is, there is a true, juft life fuch as God loveth and efteemeth. And if the man's Ufe is not perfed: as Chrift's was, yet it is framed and builded after his, and his hfc is loved, together with all that agreeth with decency, order, and all other vir- tues, and all Self-will, I, Mine, Me, and the like, is loft; nothing is purpofed or fought but Goodnefs, for the fake of Goodnefs, and as Goodnefs. But where that Falfe Light is, there men become heedlefs of Chrift's life and all virtue, and feek and intend whatever is conve- nient and pleafant to nature. From this arifeth a falfe, licentious freedom, fo that men growregardlefs and carelefs of everything. For the True Light is \ God's feed, and therefore it bringeth forth thefruitsof God. And fo likewife the Falfe Light is the feed of the Devil: and where that is fown, the fruits of the Devil fpring up — nay, the very De- vil himfelf. This ye may underftand by giving heed to what hath been faid. Theologia Germanica. 141 CHAP. XLI. How that he is to he called^ and is truly ^ a Partaker of the Divine Nature^ who is illuminated with the Divine Light, and inflamed with Eternal Love, and how Light and Knowledge are worth nothing without Love, COME may alk, *'What is it to be *a partaker of the divine nature/ or a godlike man?" Anfwer: he who is imbued with or illuminated by the Eternal or divine Light, and inflamed or confumed with Eternal or divine love, he is a godlike man and a parta- ker of the divine nature; and of the nature of this True Light we have faid fomewhat already. But ye muft know that this Light or knowledge is worth nothing without Love. This ye may fee if ye call to mind, that though a man may know very well what is virtue or wickednefs, yet if he doth not love virtue, he is not 142 Theologta Germanica. virtuous, for he obeyeth vice. But if he loveth virtue he followeth after it, and his love maketh him an enemy to w^ickednefs, fo that he will not do or pradlife it, and hateth it alfo in other men; and he loveth virtue fo that he would not leave a virtue unpra(5tifed even if he might, and this for no re- ward, but limply for the love of virtue. And to him virtue is its own reward, and he is content therewith, and would take no treafure or riches in exchange for it. Such an one is already a virtu- ous man, or he is in the way to be fo. And he who is a truly virtuous man would not ceafe to be fo, to gain the whole world, yea, he would rather die a miferable death. It is the fame with juftice. Many a man knoweth full well what is juft or unjuft, and yet neither is nor ever will become a juft man. For he loveth not juftice, and therefore he worketh wickednefs and injuftice. If he loved Theologia Ger^nanica. 143 juftice, he would not do an unjuft thing; for he would feel fuch hatred and in- dignation towards injuftice wherever he faw it, that he would do or fuffer anything that injuftice might be put an end to, and men might become juft. And he would rather die than do an injuftice, and all this for nothing but the love of juftice. And to him, juf- tice is her own reward, and rewardeth him with herfelf; and fo there liveth a juft man, and he would rather die a thoufand times over than live as an un- juft man. It is the fame with truth: a man may know full well what is true or a lie, but if he loveth not the truth he is not a true man; but if he loveth, it is with truth even as with juftice. Of juftice fpeaketh Ifaiah in the 5th chapter: *'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put dark- nefs for light, and light for darknefs; that put bitter for fweet, and fweet for bitter!" 144 Theologia Germanica. Thus may we perceive that knowl- edge and light profit nothing without Love. We fee this in the Evil Spirit; he perceiveth and knoweth good and evil, right and wrong, and the like; but fince he hath no love for the good that he feeth, he becometh not good, as he would if he had any love for the truth and other virtues which he feeth. It is indeed true that Love muft be guid- ed and taught of Knowledge, but if Knowledge be not followed by Love, it will avail nothing. It is the fame with God and divine things. Let a man know much about God and divine things, nay, dream that he feeth and underftandeth what God himfelf is, if he have not Love, he will never become like unto God, or a partaker of the divine nature." But if there be true Love along with his knowledge, he cannot but cleave to God, and forfake all that is not God or of Him, and hate it and fight againfl: it, and find it a crofs and a forrow. Theologia Germanica. 145 And this Love fo maketh a man one with God, that he can never more be feparated from Him. CHAP. XLII. A ^eflion: whether we can know God and not love Him^ and how there are two kinds of Light and Love — a true and a falje. TTERE is an honeft queftion; name- ly, it hath been faid that he w^ho knoweth God and loveth Him not, will never be faved by his knowledge; the which founds as if we might know God and not love Him. Yet we have faid elfewhere, that where God is known. He is alfo loved, and whofoever know- eth God mufl: love Him. How may thefe things agree? Here ye muft mark one thing. We have fpoken of two Lights — a True and a Falfe. So alfo there are two kinds of Love, a True and a Falfe. And each kind of Love is taught or guided by its own 146 Theologia Germanica. kind of Light or Reafon. Now, the True Light maketh True Love, and the Fahe Light maketh Falfe Love; for whatever Light deemeth to be beft, fhe deUvereth unto Love as the beft, and biddeth her love it, and Love obey- eth, and fulfiUeth her commands. Now, as we have faid, the Falfe Light is natural, and is nature herfelf. Therefore every property belongeth unto it which belongeth unto nature, fuch as the Me, the Mine, the Self, and the like; and therefore it muft needs be deceived in itfelf and be falfe; for no I, Me, or Mine, ever came to the True Light or knowledge unde- ceived, fave once only; to wit, in God made Man. And if we are to come to the knowledge of the fimple Truth, all thefe muft depart and perifh. And in particular it belongeth to the natural Light that it would fain know or learn much, if it were poffible, and hath great pleafure, delight and glorying in Theologia Germanka. 147 its difcernment and knowledge; and therefore it is always longing to know more and more, and never cometh to reft and fatisfaftion, and the more it learneth and knoweth, the more doth it delight and glory therein. And when it hath come fo high, that it thinketh to know all things and to be above all things, it ftandeth on its higheft pin- nacle of delight and glory, and then it holdeth Knowledge to be the beft and nobleft of all things, and therefore it teacheth Love to love knowledge and difcernment as the befl: and moft excel- lent of all things. Behold, then knowl- edge and difcernment come to be more loved than that which is difcerned, for the falfe natural Light loveth its knowl- edge and powers, which are itfelf, more than that which is known. And were it poffible that this falfe natural Light fliould underftand the limple Truth, as it is in God and in truth, it ftill would not lofe its own property, that is, it 148 Theologia Germanica. would not depart from itfelf and its own things. Behold, in this fenfe there is knowledge, without the love of that which is or may be known. Alfo this Light rifeth and climbeth fo high that it vainly thinketh that it knoweth God and the pure, fimple Truth, and thus it loveth itfelf in Him. And it is true that God can be known only by God. Wherefore as this Light vainly thinketh to underftand God, it imagineth itfelf to be God, and giveth itfelf out to be God, and wifheth to be accounted fo, and thinketh itfelf to be above all things, and well worthy of all things, and that it hath a right to all things, and hath got beyond all things, fuch as commandments, laws, and vir- tue, and even beyond Chrift and a Chrif- tian life, and fetteth all thefe at nought, for it doth not fet up to be Chrift, but the Eternal God. And this is becaufe Chrift's life is diftafteful and burden- fome to nature, therefore fhe will have Theohgia Germanica. 149 nothing to do with it; but to be God in eternity and not man, or to be Chrift as he was after his refurredlion, is all eafy, and pleafant, and comfortable to nature, and fo fhe holdeth it to be beft. Behold, with this falfe and deluded Love, fomething maybe known without being loved, for the feeing and knowing is more loved than that which is known. Further, there is a kind of learning which is called knowledge; to wit, when, through hearfay, or reading, or great acquaintance with Scripture, fome fancy themfelves to know much, and call it knowledge, and fay, "I know this or that/' And if you afk, ''How doft thou know it?" they an- fwer, '' I have read it in the Scriptures," and the like. Behold, this they call underftanding and knowing. Yet this is not knowledge, but belief, and many things are known and loved and feen only with this fort of perceiving and knowing. 150 Theologia Germanica. There is alfo yet another kind of Love, which is efpecially falfe, to wit, when fomething is loved for the fake of a reward, as when juftice is loved not for the fake of juftice, but to obtain fomething thereby, and fo on. And where a creature loveth other creatures for the fake of fomething that they have, or loveth God, for the fake of fomething of her own, it is all falfe Love; and this Love belongeth proper- ly to nature, for nature as nature can feel and know no other love than this; for if ye look narrowly into it, nature as nature loveth nothing befide herfelf. On this wife fomething may be feen to be good and not loved. But true Love is taught and guided by the true Light and Reafon, and this true, eternal and divine Light teacheth Love to love nothing but the one true and Perfed: Good, and that limply for its own fake, and not for the fake of a reward, or in the hope of obtaining any- Theologia Ger^nanica. 151 thing, but fimply for the love of Good- nefs, becaufe it is good and hath a right to be loved. And all that is thus feen by the help of the True Light muft alfo be loved of the True Love. Now, that Perfedl Good, which we call God, cannot be perceived but by the True Light; therefore He muft be loved wherever He is feen or made known. CHAP. XLIIL Whereby we may know a Man who is made a partaker of the divine Nature^ and what helongeth unto him; and further^ what is the token of a Falfe Lights and a Falfe Free-Thinker, PURTHER mark ye; that when the True Love and True Light are in a man, the Perfed Good is known and loved for itfelf and as itfelf; and yet not fo that it loveth itfelf of itfelf and as itfelf, but the one True and Perfeft Good can and will love nothing elfe, q 152 T'heologia Germanica, in fo far as it is in itfelf, fave the one, true Goodnefs. Now if this is itfelf, it muft love itfelf, yet not as itfelf nor as of itfelf, but in this wife: that the One true Good loveth the One Perfed: Goodnefs, and the One Perfed: Good- nefs is loved of the One, true and Per- fect Good. And in this fenfe that fay- ing is true, that " God loveth not Him- felf as Himfelf." For if there were aught better than God, God would love that, and not Himfelf. For in this True Light and True Love there neither is nor can. remain any I, Me, Mine, Thou, Thine, and the like, but that Light perceiveth and knoweththat there is a Good which is all Good and above all Good, and that all good things are of one Subftance in the one Good, and that without that One, there is no good thing. And therefore, where this Light is, the man's end and aim is not this or that. Me or Thee, or the like, but only the One, who is Theologia Germanica. 153 neither I nor Thou, this nor that, but is above all I and Thou, this and that; and in Him all Goodnefs is loved as One Good, according to that faying: '*A11 in One as One, and One in All as All, and One and all Good, is loved through the One in One, and for the fake of the One, for the love that man hath to the One." Behold, in fuch a man muft all thought of Self, all felf-feeking, felf- will, and what cometh thereof, be ut- terly loft and furrendered and given over to God, except in fo far as they are neceffary to make up a perfon. And whatever cometh to pafs in a man who is truly godlike, whether he do or fuffer, all is done in this Light and this Love, and from the fame, through the fame, unto the fame again. And in his heart there is a content and a quiet- nefs, fo that he doth not defire to know more or lefs, to have, to live, to die, to be, or not to be, or anything of the 1 54 Theologia Ger?nanica, kind; thefe become all one and alike to him, and he complaineth of nothing but of fin only. And what fin is, we have faid already, namely, to defire or will anything otherwife than the One Perfed: Good and the one Eternal Will, and apart from and contrary to them, or to wifh to have a will of one's own. And what is done of fin, fuch as lies, fraud, injuftice, treachery, and all iniqui- ty, in fhort, all that we call fin, cometh hence, that man hath another will than God and the True Good ; for were there no will but the One Will, no fin could ever be committed. Therefore we may well fay that all felf-will is fin, and there is no fin but what fpringeth therefrom. And this is the only thing which a truly godlike man complaineth of; but to him, this is fuch a fore pain and grief, that he would die a hundred deaths in agony and fhame, rather than endure it; and this his grief muft: laft until death, and where it is not, there ia Germanica. 155 be fure that the man is not truly god- like, or a partaker of the divine nature. Now, feeing that in this Light and Love, all Good is loved in One and as One, and the One in all things, and in all things as One and as All, therefore all thofe things mufi: be loved that rightly are of good report; fuch as vir- tue, order, feemlinefs,juflice, truth, and the like; and all that belongeth to God in the true Good and is His own, is lov- ed and praifed; and all that is without this Good, and contrary to it, is a for- row and a pain, and is hated as fin, for it is of a truth fin. And he who liveth in the true Light and true Love, hath the bell:, noblefl:, and worthieft life that ever was or will be, and therefore it cannot but be loved and praifed above any other life. This life was and is in Chrifl: to perfedion, elfe he were not the Chrift. And the love wherewith the man loveth this noble life and all goodnefs. 156 Theologia Germanica. maketh, that all which he is called up- on to do, or fuffer, or pafs through, and which muft needs be, he doeth or en- dureth willingly and worthily, however hard it may be to nature. Therefore faith Chrift: "My yoke is eafy, and my burden is light."* This cometh of the love which loveth this admirable life. This we may fee in the beloved Apoftles and Martyrs; they fuffered willingly and gladly all that was done unto them, and never afked of God that their fufFering and tortures might be made fhorter, or lighter or fewer, but only that they might remain fteadfaft and endure to the end. Of a truth all that is the fruit of divine Love in a truly godlike man is fo fimple, plain and ftraightforward, that he can never properly give an account of it by writ- ing or by fpeech, but only fay that fo it is. And he who hath it not doth not even believe in it; how then can he come to know it? * Matt. xl. 30. T'heologia Gennanica. 157 On the other hand, the hfe of the natural man, where he hath a lively, fubtle, cunning nature is fo manifold and complex, and feeketh and invent- eth fo many turnings and windings and falfehoods for its own ends, and that fo continually, that this alfo is neither to be uttered nor fet forth. Now, fince all falfehood is deceived, and all deception beginneth in felf- deception, fo is it alfo with this falfe Light and Life, for he who deceiveth is alfo deceived, as we have faid before. And in this falfe Light and Life is found every thing that belongeth to the Evil Spirit and is his, infomuch that they cannot be difcerned apart; for the falfe Light is the Evil Spirit, and the Evil Spirit is this falfe Light. Hereby we may know this. For even as the Evil Spirit thinketh himfelf to be God, or would fain be God, or be thought to be God, and in all this is fo utterly deceived that he doth not think him- 158 'Theologia Germanka. felf to be deceived, fo is it alfo with this falfe Light, and the Love and Life that is thereof. And as the Devil would fain deceive all men, and draw them to himfelf and his works, and make them like himfelf, and ufeth much art and cunning to this end, fo is it alfo with this falfe Light; and as no one may turn the Evil Spirit from his own way, fo no one can turn this deceived and deceitful Light from its errors. And the caufe thereof is, th?' both thefe two, the Devil and Nature, vainly think that they are not deceived, and that it ftandeth quite well with them. And this is the very worft and moft mifchievous delufion. Thus the Devil and Nature are one, and where nature is conquered the Devil is alfo conquered, and in like manner where nature is not conquered the Devil is not conquered. Whether as touching the outward life in the world, or the inward life of the fpirit, this falfe Light Theologia Germanica. 159 continueth in its ftate of blindnefs and falfehood, fo that it is both deceived itself and deceiveth others with it, wherefoever it may. From what hath here been faid, ye may underftand and perceive more than hath been exprefllly fet forth. For .whenever we fpeak of the Adam, and difobedience, and of the old man, of felf-feeking, felf-will, and felf- ferving, of the I, the Me, and the Mine, nature, falfehood, the Devil, fin; it is all one and the fame thing. Thefe are all contrary to God, and remain without God. i6o Theologia Germanka. CHAP. XLIV. How nothing is contrary to God hut Self -willy and how he who Jeeketh his own Good for his own fake^ findeth it not; and how a Man of himjelf neither knoweth nor can do any good thing, XJOW, it may be alked; is there ought which is contrary to God and the true Good? I fay. No. Like- wife there is nothing without God, ex- cept to will otherwife than is willed by the Eternal Will; that is, contrary to the Eternal Will. Now the Eternal Will willeth that nothing be willed or loved but the Eternal Goodnefs. And where it is otherwife, there is fomething con- trary to Him, and in this fenfe it is true that he who is without God is con- trary to God; but in truth there is no Being contrary to God or the true Good. We muft underftand it as though God faid: "he who willeth without Theologia Germanica. i6i Me, or willeth not what I will, or otherwife than as I will, he willeth contrary to Me, for My will is that no one fhould will otherwife than I, and that there fhould be no will without Me, and without My will; even as without me, there is neither Subllance, nor Life, nor this, nor that, fo alfo there fhould be no Will apart from Me, and without My will." And even as in truth all beings are one in fubftance in the Perfed; Being, and all good is one in the One Being, and fo forth, and cannot exift without that One, fo fhall all wills be one in the One Perfedt Will, and there fhall be no will apart from that One. And whatever is otherwife is wrong, and contrary to God and His will, and therefore it is fin. Therefore all will apart from God's will (that is, all self-will,) is fin, and fo is all that is done from felf-will. So long as a man feeketh his own will and his own high- eft Good, becaufe it is hisy and for his 1 62 Theologia Germanica. own fake, he will never find it; for fo long as he doeth this, he is not feeking his own higheft Good, and how then fhould he find it? For fo long as he doeth this, he feeketh himfelf, and dreameth that he is himfelf the highefi: Good; and feeing that he is not the highefi Good, he feeketh not the high- eft Good, fo long as he feeketh himfelf. But whofoever feeketh, loveth, and purfueth Goodnefs as Goodnefs and for the fake of Goodnefs, and maketh that his end, for nothing but the love of Goodnefs, not for love of the I, Me, Mine, Self, and the like, he will find the higheft Good, for he feeketh it aright, and they who feek it otherwife do err. And truly it is on this wife that the true and Perfedl Goodnefs feeketh and loveth and purfueth itfelf, and therefore it findeth itfelf. It is a great folly when a man, or any creature dreameth that he knoweth or can accomplifh aught of himfelf, and Theologia Germanica. 163 above all when he dreameth that he knoweth or can fulfil any good thing, whereby he may deferve much at God's hands, and prevail with Him. If he underftood rightly, he would fee that this is to put a great affront upon God. But the True and Perfedt Goodnefs hath compaffion on the foolifh fimple man who knoweth no better, and or- dereth things for the beft for him, and giveth him as much of the good things of God as he is able to receive. But as we have faid afore, he findeth and receiveth not the True Good fo long as he remaineth unchanged; for unlefs Self and Me depart, he will never find or receive it. 164 "Theologia Germanka. CHAP. XLV. How that where there is a Chriftian Life, Chrift dwellethy and how ChriJVs Life is the heft and m jt admirable Life that ever hath been or can he, TIE who knoweth and underflandeth Chrifl's life, knoweth and under- ftandeth Chrift himfelf; and in like manner, he who underftandeth not his life, doth not underftand Chrift himfelf. And he who believeth on Chrift be- lieveth that his life is the beft and no- bleft life that can be, and if a man be- lieve not this, neither doth he believe on Chrift himfelf. And in fo far as a man's life is according to Chrift, Chrift himfelf dwelleth in him, and if he hath not the one neither hath he the other. For where there is the life of Chrift, there is Chrift himfelf, and where his life is not, Chrift is not, and where a man hath his life, he may fay with St. Theologia Germanka. 165 Paul, live, yet not I, but Chrift liv- eth in me."* And this is the nobleft and beft life; for in him who hath it, God Himfelf dwelleth, with all good- nefs. So how could there be a better life ? When we fpeak of obedience, of the new man, of the True Light, the True Love, or the life of Chrift, it is all the fame thing, and where one of thefe is, there are they all, and where one is wanting, there is none of them, for they are all one in truth and fub- ftance. And w^hatever may bring about that new birth which maketh alive in Chrift, to that let us cleave with all our might and to nought elfe; and let us forfwear and flee all that may hinder it. And he who hath received this life in the Holy Sacrament, hath verily and indeed received Chrift, and the more of that life he hath received, the more he hath received of Chrift, and the lefs, the lefs of Chrift. * Galatians ii. ao. 1 66 Theolo^ia Germanica. CHAP. XLVI. How entire Satis fusion and true Reft are to he found in God alone y and not in any Crea- ture ; and how he who will he ohedient unto God, mujt aljo he ohedient. to the Creatures, with all Qjiietnejs, and he who would love God, muJt love all things in One. TT is faid, that he who is content to find all his fatisfadlion in God, hath enough; and this is true. And he who findeth fatisfadlion in aught which is this and that, findeth it not in God; and he who findeth it in God, findeth it in nothing elfe, but in that which is neither this nor that, but is All. For God is One and muft be One, and God is All and muft be All. And now what is, and is not One, is not God; and what is, and is not All and above All, is alfo not God, fi^r God is One and above One, and All and above All. Now he who findeth full ia Germanica. 167 fatisfadlion in God, receiveth all his fatisfadtion from One fource, and from One only, as One. And a man can- not find all fatisfadlion in God, unlefs all things are One to him, and One is All, and fomething and nothing are alike.* But where it fhould be thus, there would be true fatisfadtion, and not elfe. Therefore alfo, he who will wholly commit himfelf unto God and be obe- dient to Him, muft alfo reiign himfelf to all things, and be willing to fuffer them, without refifting or defending himfelf or calling for fuccor. And he who doth not thus refign or fubmit him- felf to all things in One as One, doth not refign or fubmit himfelf to God. Let us look at Chrift. And he who fhall and will lie ftill under God's hand, muft lie ftill under all things in One as One, and in no wife withftand any fuf- * Literally aught and nought, tcht und nicht j but aught means any thing, the idea of the original is emphatically fomt thing, a part, not the whole. — Tr. 1 68 Theolo^ia Ger7nanica. fering. Such an one were a Chrift. And he who fighteth againft afflidion and refufeth to endure it, is truly fight- ing againft God. That is to fay, we may not withftand any creature or thing by force or war, either in will or works. But we may indeed without fin prevent afflidlion, or avoid it, or flee from it. Now, he who fhall or will love God, loveth all things in One as One and All, and One in All as All in One; and he who loveth fomewhat, this or that, otherwife than in the One, and for the fake of the One, loveth not God, for he loveth fomewhat which is not God. Therefore he loveth it more than God. Now he who loveth fomewhat more than God or along with God, loveth not God, for He muft be and will be alone loved, and verily nothing ought to be loved but God alone. And when the true divine Light and Love dwell in a man, he loveth nothing elfe but God alone, for he loveth God as Good- "Theolo^ia Germanica* i nefs, and for the fake of Goodnefs, and all Goodnefs as One, and One as All; for, in truth, All is One and One is All in God. CHAP. XLVIi. A §ueftion ; Whether^ if we ought to love all 1 kings y we ought to love Sin alfo? COME may put a queftion here and fay: **If we are to love all things, muft we then love fin too?" I anfwer : No. When I fay "all things," I mean all Good; and all that is, is good, in fo far as it hath Being. The Devil is good in fo far as he hath Being. In this fenfe nothing is evil, or not good. But fin is to will, defire, or love otherwife than as God doth. And Willing is not Be- ing, therefore it is not good. Nothing is good except in fo far as it is in God and with God. Now all things have their Being in God, and more truly in God than in themfelves, and therefore all things are good in fo far as they have I JO T'heologia Germanica, a Being, and if there were aught that had not its Being in God, it would not be good. Now behold, the willing or defiring which is contrary to God is not in God; for God cannot will or defire anything contrary to Himfelf, or other- wife than Himfelf. Therefore it is evil or not good, and is merely nought. God loveth alfo works, but not all works. Which then? Such as are done from the teaching and guidance of the True Light and the True Love; and what is done from thefe and in thefe, is done in fpirit and in truth, and what is thereof, is God's, and pleafeth Him well. But what is done of the falfe Light and falfe Love, is all of the Wicked One; and efpecially what hap- peneth, is done or left undone, wrought or fuffered from any other will, or de- fire, or love, than God's will, or defire, or love. This is, and cometh to pafs, without God and contrary to God, and is utterly contrary to good works, and is altogether fin. Theologia Germanica. 171 CHAP. XLVIII. How we mujt believe certain Things of God*s Truth beforehand^ ere we can come to a true Knowledge and Experience thereof. r^HRIST faid, ^'He that believeth not," or will not or cannot believe, fhall be damned." It is fo of a truth ; for a man, while he is in this prefent time, hath not knowledge; and he can- not attain unto it,unlefs he first believe. And he who would know before he believeth, cometh never to true know- ledge. We fpeak not here of the arti- cles of the Chriftian faith, for every- one believeth them, and they are com- mon to every Chriftian man, whether he be finful or faved, good or wicked, and they muft be believed in the firft place, for without that, one cannotcome to know them. But we are fpeaking of a certain Truth which it is poffible to know by experience, but which ye 172 Theologia Germanica. muft believe in, before that ye know it by experience, elfe ye will never come to know it truly. This is the faith of which Chrift fpeaketh in that faying of His. CHAP. XLIX. Of Self- will ^ and how Lucifer and Adam fell away from God through Self-will, TT hath been faid, that there is of nothing fo much in hell as of felf- will. The which is true, for there is nothing elfe there than self-will, and if there were no felf-will there would be no Devil and no hell. When it is faid that Lucifer fell from Heaven, and turned away from God and the like, it meaneth nothing elfe than that he would have his own will, and would not be at one with the Eternal Will. So was it likewife with Adam in Para- dife. And when we fay Self-will, we mean, to will otherwife than as the One and Eternal Will of God willeth. Theologia Germanica. 173 CHAP. L. How this prejent Time is a Paradije and outer Court of Heaven, and how therein there is only one Tree forbidden, that is, Self-wilL ^HAT is Paradife? All things that are; for all are goodly and pleafant, and therefore may fitly be called a Paradife. It is faid alfo that Paradife is an outer court of Heaven. Even fo this world is verily an outer court of the Eternal, or of Eternity, and fpecially whatever in Time, or any temporal things or creatures, manfefi:- eth or remindeth us of God or Eter- nity; for the creatures are a guide and a path unto God and Eternity, Thus this world is an outer court of Eternity, and therefore it may well be called a Paradife, for it is fuch in truth. And in this Paradife, all things are lawful, fave one tree and the fruits thereof. 174 Theologia Germa?2ica. That is to fay: of all things that are, nothing is forbidden and nothing is contrary to God but one thing only: that is, Self-will, or to will otherwife than as the Eternal Will would have it. Remember this. For God faith to Adam, that is, to every man, What- ever thou art, or doeft, or leaveft un- done, or whatever cometh to pafs, is all lawful and not forbidden if it be not done from or according to thy will, but for the fake of and according to My will. But all that is done from thine own will is contrary to the Eternal Will." It is not that every work which is thus wrought is in itfelf contrary to the Eternal Will, but in fo far as it is wrought from a different will, or otherwife than from the Eternal and Divine Will. Theologia Germanica. 175 CHAP. LI. Wherefore God hath created Self-will^ f^^^^g that it is fo contrary to Him. '^TOW fome may afk: *^fince this tree, to wit. Self-will, is fo con- trary to God and the Eternal Will, wherefore hath God created it, and fet it in Paradife?" Anfwer: whatever man or creature defireth to dive into or underftand the fecret counfel and will of God, fo that he would fain know wherefore God doeth this, or doeth not that, and the like, defireth the fame as Adam and the Devil. For this defire is feldom from aught elfe than that the man taketh de- light in knowing, and glorieth therein, and this is fheer pride. And fo long as this defire lafieth, the truth will never be known, and the man is even as Adam or the Devil. A truly humble and enlightened man doth not defire of God 176 Theologia Germanka. that He fhould reveal His fecrets unto him, nqr alk wherefore God doeth this or that, or hindereth or alloweth fuch a thing, and fo forth; but he defireth only to know how he may pleafe God, and become as nought in himfelf, hav- ing no will, and that the Eternal Will may live in him, and have full poffeffion of him, undiflurbed by any other will, and how its due may be rendered to the Eternal Will, by him and through him. However, there is yet another an- fwer to this queflion, for we may fay: the moft noble and delightful gift that is beftowed on any creature is that of perceiving, or Reafon, and Will. And thefe two are fo bound together, that where the one is, there the other is alfo. And if it were not for thefe two gifts, there would be no reafonable creatures, but only brutes and brutifhnefs; and that were a great lofs, for God would never have His due, and behold Him- felf and his attributes manifefled in Theologia Germanica, 177 deeds and works; the which ought to be, and is neceflary to perfection. Now, behold, Perception and Reafon are created and beftowed along with will, to the intent that they may inftrudl the will and alfo themfelves, that neither perception nor will is of itfelf, nor is nor ought to be unto itfelf, nor ought to feek or obey itfelf. Neither fhall they turn themfelves to their own ad- vantage, nor make ufe of themfelves to their own ends and purpofes; for His they are from Whom they do proceed, and unto Him fhall they fubmit, and flow back into Him, and become nought in themfelves, that is, in theirfelfifhnefs. But here ye muft confider more par- ticularly, fomewhat touching the Will. There is an Eternal Will, which is in God a firft principle and fubftance, apart from all works and efl^ed:s,* and the fame will is in Man, or the creature, willing certain things, and bringing * Or realization, wirklichkeit. 178 Theologia Germanica. them to pafs. For it belongeth unto the Will and is its property that it fhall will fomething. What elfe is it for? For it were in vain, unlefs it had fome work to do, and this it cannot have without the creature. Therefore there muft be creatures, and God will have them, to the end that the Will may- be put in exercife by their means, and work, which in God is and muft be without work. Therefore the will in the creature, which we call a created will, is as truly God*s as the Eternal Will, and is not of the creature. And now, fince God cannot bring His will into exercife, working and caufing changes, without the creature, therefore it pleafeth Him to do fo in and with the creature. Therefore the will is not given to be exerted by the creature, but only by God, who hath a right to work out His own will by means of the will which is in man, and yet is God's. And in whatever man ia Germanic a, 179 or creature it fhould be purely and wholly thus, the will would be exerted not by the man but by God, and thus it would not be felf-will, and the man would not will otherwife than as God willeth; for God Himfelf would move the will and not man. And thus the will would be one with the Eternal Will, and flow out into it, though the man would fliill keep his fenfe of liking and difliking, pleafure and pain, and the like. For wherever the will is exerted, there muft be a fenfe of liking and difliking; for if things go accord- ing to his will, the man liketh it, and if they do not, he difliketh it, and this liking and difliking are not of the man's producing, but of God's. [For what- ever is the fource of the will, is the fource of thefe alfo.*] Now the will Cometh not of man but of God, there- fore liking and difliking come from Him * This fentence is found in Luther's edition, but not in that bafed on the Wurtzburg Manufcript. i8o Theologia Germanica. alfo. But nothing is complained of, fave only what is contrary to God. So alfo there is no joy but of God alone, and that which is His and belongeth unto Him. And as it is with the will, fo is it alfo with perception, reafon, gifts, love, and all the powers of man; they are all of God, and not of man. And wherever the will fhould be alto- gether furrendered to God, the reft would of a certainty be furrendered like- wife, and God would have His right, and the man's will would not be his own. Behold, therefore hath God created the will, but not that it fhould be felf-will. Now Cometh the Devil or Adam, that is to fay, falfe nature, and taketh this will unto itfelf and maketh the fame its own, and ufeth it for itfelf and its own ends. And this is the mifchief and wrong, and the bite that Adam made in the apple, which is forbidden, becaufe it is contrary to God, And therefore, fo long as there is any felf- 'Theoloo-ia Germantca. i8i will, there will never be true love, true peace, true reft. This we fee both in man and in the Devil. And there will never be true bleffednefs either in time or eternity, where this felf-will is work- ing, that is to fay, where man taketh the will unto himfelf and maketh it his own. And if it be not furrendered in this prefent time, but carried over into eternity, it may be forefeen that it will never be furrendered, and then of a truth there will never be content, nor reft, nor bleftednefs; as we may fee by the Devil. If there were no reafon or will in the creatures, God were, and muft remain for ever, unknown, un- loved, unpraifed and unhonored, and all the creatures would be worth nothing, and were of no avail to God. Behold thus the queftion which was put to us is anfwered.* And if there were any, who, by much writing (which yet is brief and profitable in God,) * Namely, why God had created the will. 1 82 Theologia Germanica. might be led to amend their ways, this were indeed well-pleafing unto God. That which is free, none may call his own, and he who maketh it his own, committeth a wrong. Now, in the whole realm of freedom, nothing is fo free as the will, and he who maketh it his own, and fuffereth it not to remain in its excellent freedom, and free no- bility, and in its free exercife, doth a grievous wrong. This is what is done by the Devil and Adam and all their followers. But he who leaveth the will in its noble freedom doeth right, and this doth Chrift with all his followers. And whofo robbeth the will of its no- ble freedom and maketh it his own, mufi: of neceffity as his reward, be laden with cares and troubles, with difcon- tent, difquiet, unreft, and all manner of wretchednefs, and this will remain and endure in time and in eternity. But he who leaveth the will in its free- dom, hath content, peace, reft and bleff- "Theologia Germanica. 183 ednefs in time and in eternity. But he who leaveth the will in its freedom, hath content, peace, reft and bleffed- nefs in time and in eternity. Where- ever there is a man in whom the will is not enflaved, but continueth noble and free, there is a true freeman not in bondage to any, one of thofe to whom Chrift faid: **the truth fhall make you free;" and immediately after, he faith: "if the Son fhall make you free, ye fhall be free indeed."* Furthermore, mark ye that where the will enjoyeth its freedom, it hath its proper work, that is, willing. And where it choofeth whatever it will unhindered, it always choofeth in all things what is noblefl and beft, and all that is not noble and good it hateth, and findeth to be a grief and offence unto it. And the more free and un- hindered the will is, the more is it pain- ed by evil, injuftice, iniquity, and in * John vili. 31-36. S 184 Theologia Germantca. fhort all manner of wickednefs and fin, and the more do they grieve and afflidt it. This we fee in Chrift, whofe will was the pureft and the leaft fettered, or brought into bondage of any man's that ever lived. So like wife was Chrift's human nature the moft free and fingle of all creatures, and yet felt the deepeft grief, pain, and indignation at fin that any creature ever felt. But when men claim freedom for their own, fo as to feel no forrow or indignation at fin and what is contrary to God, but fay that we muft heed nothing and care for nothing, but be, in this prefent time, as Chrift was after his refurredlion, and the like; — this is no true and divine freedom fpringing from the true divine Light, but a natural, unrighteous, falfe, and deceitful freedom, fpringing from a natural, falfe and deluded light Were there no felf-will, there would be alfo no ownerfhip. In heaven there is no ownerfiiip; hence there are found Theologia Germanica. 185 content, true peace and all bleffednefs. If any one there took upon him to call anything his own, he would ftraight- w^ay be thruft out into hell, and would become an evil fpirit. But in hell every one will have felf-will, therefore there is all manner of miferyandwretch- ednefs. So is it alfo here on earth. But if there were one in hell who fhould get quit of his felf-will and call nothing his own, he would come out of hell into heaven. Now, in this prefent time, man is fet between heaven and hell, and may turn himfelf towards which he will. For the more he hath of ownerfhip, the more he hath of hell and mifery; and the lefs of felf-will, the lefs of hell, and the nearer he is to the Kingdom of Heaven. And could a man, while on earth, be wholly quit of self-will and ownerfhip, and ftand up free and at large in God's true light, and continue therein, he would be fure of the Kingdom of Heaven. He who 1 86 Theolo^ia Germanica. hath fomething, or feeketh or longeth to have fomething of his own, is him- felf a flave, and he who hath nothing of his own, nor feeketh nor longeth thereafter, is free and at large, and in bondage to none. All that hath here been faid, Chrift , taught in words and fulfilled in works \ for three and thirty years, and he teach- 1 eth it to us very briefly when he faith : Follow me." But he who will fol- low him muft forfake all things, for he renounced all things fo utterly as no man elfe hath ever done. Moreover, he who will come after him muft take up the crofs, and the crofs is nothing elfe than Chrift's life, for that is a bit- ter crofs to nature. Therefore he faith: "And he that taketh not his crofs, and folio weth after me, is not worthy of me, and cannot be my difciple." * But na- ture in her falfe freedom, weeneth fhe hath forfaken all things, yet fhe w^ill * Matt. X. 38, and Luke xlv. 27. Theologia Gennanica. 187 have none of the crofs, and faith fhe hath had enough of it already, and needeth it no longer, and thus fhe is deceived. For had fhe ever tafted the crofs fhe w^ould never part with it again. He that believeth on Chrift mufl be- lieve all that is here v^ritten. CHAP. LIL How we muft take thqfe two Sayings of Chrift: ^^No man cometh unto the Father y hut by me,'' and ^^No man cometh unto me, except the Father which hath Jent me draw him'' /^HRIST faith: "no man cometh unto the Father but by me."* Now mark how we muft come unto the Father through Chrift. The man fhall fet a watch over himfelf and all that belongeth to him within and with- out, and fhall fo diredl, govern, and guard his heart, as far as in him lieth, that neither will nor defire, love nor longing, opinion nor thought, fliall * John xiv. 6. 1 88 Theologia Germanica. fpring up in his heart, or have any abiding place in him, fave fuch as are meet for God and would befeem Him well, if God Himfelf were made man. And whenever he becometh aware of any thought or intent rifing up within him that doth not belong to God and were not meet for Him, he mull: refift it and root it out as thoroughly and as fpeedily as he may. By this rule he muft order his out- ward behaviour, whether he work or refrain, fpeak or keep filence, wake or fleep, go or ftand ftill. In fhort: in all his ways and walks, whether as touching his own bufinefs, or his deal- ings with other men, he muft keep his heart with all diligence, left he do aught, or turn afide to aught, or fuffer aught to fpring up or dwell within him or about him, or left anything be done in him or through him, otherwife than were meet for God, and would be pof- fible and feemly if God Himfelf were verily made Man. ia Germanica. 189 Behold! he, in whom it fhould be thus, whatever he had within, or did without, would be all of God, and the man would be in his life a follower of Chrift, more truly than we can under- ftand or fet forth. And he who led \ fuch a life would go in and out through Chrift; for he would be a follower of Chrift: therefore alfo he would come with Chrift and through Chrift unto the Father. And he would be alfo a fervant of Chrift, for he who ccmeth after him is his fervant, as he himfelf alfo faith: *'If any man ferve me, let him follow me; and w^here I am, there fliall alfo my fervant be."* And he who is thus a fervant and follower of Chrift, Cometh to that place where Chrift himfelf is; that is, unto the Father. As Chrift himfelf faith : " Fa- ther, I will that they alfo, whom thou \ haft given me, be with me where I am."-f* Behold, he who walketh in • John xli. 26. -j- John xvii. 24. 190 Theologia Germanica, this path, **enteieth in by the door into the fl:ieep-fold/' that is, into eternal life ; and to him the porter openeth but he who entereth in by fome other way, or vainly thinketh that he would or can come to the Father or to eter- nal bleffednefs otherwife than through Chrift, is deceived; for he is not in the right Way, nor entereth in by the right Door. Therefore to him the porter openeth not, for he is a thief and a murderer, as Chrift faith. Now, behold and mark, whether one can be in the right Way, and enter in by the right Door, if one be living in lawlefs freedom or licenfe, or difre- gard of ordinances, virtue or vice, order or diforder, and the like. Such liberty we do not find in Chrift, neither is it in any of his true followers. * John X, I, 3. ' ia German tea . 191 CHAP. LIII. Confidereth that other faying of Chrifty ^^No Man can come unto me^ except the Father which hath fent me draw him,'' /^HRIST hath alfo faid: ''No man Cometh unto me, except the Fa- ther which hath fent me draw him."* Now mark: by the Father, I under- ftand the Perfedt, Simple Good, which is All and above All, and without which and befides which there is no true Subftance, nor true Good, and without which no good work ever was or will be done. And in that it is All, it muft be in All and above All. And it can- not be any one of thofe things which the creatures, as creatures, can com- prehend or underftand. For whatever the creature, as creature (that is, in her creature kind), can conceive of and un- derftand, is fomething, this or that, and * John vi. 44. 192 Theologia Germanica. therefore is fome fort of creature. And now if the Simple Perfecit Good were fomewhat, this or that, which the crea- ture underftandeth, it would not be the All, nor the Orriy One, and therefore not Perfed:. Therefore alfo it cannot be named, feeing that is none of all the, things which the creature as creature can comprehend, know, conceive, or name. Now behold, when this Per- fed: Good, which is unnameable, flow- eth into a Perfon able to bring forth, and bringeth forth the Only-begotten Son in that Perfon, and itfelf in Him, we call it the Father. Now mark how the Father draweth men unto Chrift. When fomewhat of this Perfect Good is difcovered and revealed within the foul of man, as it were in a glance or flafh, the foul conceiveth a longing to approach unto the Perfedl Goodnefs, and unite herfelf with the Father. And the flronger this yearning groweth, the more is re- Theologia Germanica. 193 vealed unto her; and the more is re- vealed unto her, the more is fhe drawn toward the Father, and her defire quickened. Thus is the foul drawn and quickened into a union with the Eternal Goodnefs. And this is the drawing of the Father, and thus the foul is taught of Him who draweth her unto Himfelf, that fhe cannot enter into a union with Him except fhe come unto Him by the life of Chrift. Behold! now fhe putteth on that life of which I have fpoken afore. Now fee the meaning of thefe two fayings of Chrift's. The one, no man Cometh unto the Father but by me;" that is, through my life, as hath been fet forth. The other faying, "no man Cometh unto me except the Father draw him;" that is, he doth not take my life upon him and come after me, except he be moved and drawn of my Father; that is, of the Simple and Per- fed: Good, of which St. Paul faith: 194 Theologia Germanica. when that which is perfedl is come, then that which is in part fhall be done away." That is to fay; in whatever foul this Perfect Good is known, felt and tafted, fo far as may be in this prefent time, to that foul all created things are as nought compared with this Perfed: One, as in truth they are; for befide or without the Perfed; One, is neither true Good nor true Subftance. Whofoever then hath, or knoweth, or loveth, the Perfeft One, hath and knoweth all goodnefs. What more then doth he want, or what is all that *'is in part" to him, feeing that all the parts are united in the Perfeft, in One Subftance. What hath here been faid, concern- eth the outward life, and is a good way or accefs unto the true inward life; but the inward life beginneth after this. When a man hath tailed that which is perfedl as far as is poffible in this pref- ent time, all created things and even Theologia Germanica. 195 himfelf become as nought to him. And when he perceiveth of a truth that the Perfect One is All and above All, he needs mufl follow after Him, and afcribe all that is good, fuch as Subftance, Life, Knowledge, Reafon, Power, and the like, unto Him alone and to no creature. And hence fol- loweth that the man claimeth for his own neither Subfliance, Life, Knowl- edge, nor power. Doing nor Refraining, nor any thing that we can call good. And thus the man becometh fo poor, that he is nought in himfelf, and fo are alfo all things unto him which are fomewhat, that is, all created things. And then there beginneth in him a true inward life, wherein from hencefor- ward, God Himfelf dwelleth in the man, fo that nothing is left in him but what is God's or of God, and nothing is left which taketh anything unto it- felf. And thus God Himfelf, that is, the One Eternal Perfedinefs alone is. 196 Theologia Germanica. liveth, knoweth, worketh, loveth,will- eth, doeth and refraineth in the man. And thus, of a truth, it fhould be, and where it is not fo, the man hath yet far to travel, and things are not alto- gether right with him. Furthermore, it is a good way and accefs unto this life, to feel always that what is beft is deareft, and always to prefer the beft, and to cleave to it, and unite onefelf to it. Firft: in the crea- tures. But what is beft in the Cica- tures? Be aflureu: that, in which the Eternal Perfed: Goodnefs and what is thereof, that is, all which belongeth thereunto, moft brightly fhineth and worketh, and is beft known and loved. But what is that which is of God, and belongeth unto Him? I anfwer : what- ever with juftice and truth we do, or might call good. When therefore among the creatures the man cleaveth to that which is the beft that he can perceive, and keepeth Theologia Germanica. 197 fteadfaftly to that, in finglenefs of heart, he Cometh afterward to what is better and better, until, at laft, he findeth and tafteth that the Eternal Good is a Per- fed: Good, without meafure and num- ber above all created good. Now if what is beft is to be deareft to us, and ^ we are to follow after it, the One Eter- nal Good muft be loved above all and alone, and we muft cleave to Him alone, and unite ourfelves with Him as clofely as we may. And now if we are to afcribe all goodnefs to the One Eternal Good, as of right and truth we ought, fo mufl we alfo of right and truth afcribe unto Him the beginning, middle, and end of our courfe, fo that nothing remain to man or the creature. So it (hould be of a truth, let men fay what they will. Now on this wife we fhould attain unto a true inward life. And what then further would happen to the foul, or would be revealed unto her, and 198 Theologia Germanica. what her Hfe would be henceforward, none can declare or guefs. For it is that which hath never been uttered by man's lips, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. In this our long difcourfe, are brief- ly comprehended thofe things which ought of right and truth to be fulfilled : to wit, that man fhould claim nothing"** for his own, nor crave, will, love, or intend anything but God alone, and what is like unto Him, that is to fay, the One, Eternal, Perfedt Goodnefs. But if it be not thus with a man, and he take, will, purpofe, or crave, fome- what for himfelf, this or that, whatever it maybe, befide or other than the Eter- nal and Perfedl Goodnefs which is God Himfelf, this is all too much and a great injury, [and hindereth the man from a perfedl life; wherefore he can never reach the Perfed: Good, unlefs he firft forfake all things and himfelf firft of all. For no man can ferve two mafters, who are T'heologia Germanica, 199 contrary the one to the other; he who will have the one, mufi: let the other go. Therefore if the Creator fhall enter in, the creature muft depart. Of this be affured.] CHAP. LIV. How a Man fJiall not feek his own^ either in Things /piritualor natural, but the Honour of God only ; and how he muft enter in by the right Door, to wit, by Chrift, into Eternal Life, TF a man may attain thereunto, to be unto God as his hand is to a man, let him be therewith content, and not feek further. [This is my faithful counfel, and here I take my fland. That is to fay, let him flrive and wreftle with all his might to obey God and His com- mandments fo thoroughly at all times and in all things, that in him there be nothing, fpiritual or natural, which oppofeth God; and that his whole foul and body with all their members may t 200 Theolo^ia Germanica. ftand ready and willing for that to which God hath created them; as ready and willing as his hand is to a man, which is fo wholly in his power, that in the twinkling of an eye, he movethand turn- eth it whither he will. And when we find it otherwife with us, we muft give our whole diligence to amend our ftate; and this from love and not from fear, and in all things whatfoever,feek and intend the glory and praife of God alone. We muft not feek our own, either in things fpiritual or in things natural.] It muft needs be thus, if it is to ftand well with us. And every creature oweth this of right and truth unto God, and efpeci- ally man [to whom, by the ordinance of God, all creatures are made fubjedl, and are fervants, that he may be fub- jedl to and ferve God only.] Further, when a man hath come fo far, and climbed fo high, that he think- eth and weeneth he ftandeth fure, let him beware left the Devil ftrew afhes Theologia Gennanica. 201 and his own bad feed on his heart, and nature feek and take her own comfort, reft, peace, and delight in the profperity of his foul, and he fall into afoolifh,law- lefs freedom and licentioufnefs, which is altogether alien to, and at war with a true life in God. And this will happen to that man who hath not entered, or refufeth to enter in by the right Way and the right Door (which is Chrift, as we have faid), and imagineth that he would or could come by any other way to the higheft truth. He may perhaps dream that he hath attained thereunto, but verily he is in error. And our witnefs is Chrift, who de- clareth : Verily, verily, I fay unto you, Hethatentereth not by the door into the fheepfold, but climbeth up fome other way, the fame is a thief and a robber.'' [A thief, for he robbeth God of His ho- nour and glory, which belong to God alone; he taketh them unto himfelf,and feeketh and purpofeth himfelf. A mur- derer, for he flayeth his own foul, and 2 02 Theologia Germanica. taketh away her life which is God. For as the body Kveth by the foul, even fo the foul liveth by God. Moreover, he murdereth all thofo who follow him, by his dodlrine and example. For Chrift faith: "I came down from- heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that fent me."* And again: "Why call ye me Lord, Lordl-f-" as if he would fay, it will avail you nothing to Eternal Life. And again: "Not every one that faith unto me. Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. "J But he faith alfo: "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. "§ And what are the commandments? "To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind; and to love thy neighbour as thyfelf ''|| * John vi. 38. -j" Luke vi. 46. J Matt. vii. 21. § Matt. xix. 17. II Luke oc. 27. ia Germanka. 203 And in thefe two commandments all others are briefly comprehended. There is nothing more precious to God, or more profitable to man, than humble obedience. In his eyes, one good work, wrought from true obe- dience, is of more value than a hundred thoufand wrought from self-will, con- trary to obedience. Therefore he who haththisobedience need notdread Him, for fuch a man is in the right way, and following after Chrift.] That we may thus deny ourfelves, and forfakeand renounceall thingsfor God's fake, and give up our own wills, and die unto ourfelves, and live unto God alone and to His will, may He help us, who gave up His will to His Heavenly Father — Jefus Chrift our Lord to whom be bleiTing for ever and ever. Amen. WARREN F. DRAPER, BOOKSELLER AND PUBLISHER, Andovcr, Mass., Publishes and offers for sale the follmoing: HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OP SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHY PR03I KANT TO HEGEL. From the German of Dr. H. M. Clialybaeus. With an Introduc tory Note by Sir William Hamilton. 1 vol. 12mo. $1,25. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. By Prof. M. Stuart. Fourth edition 1 Vol. 12mo. $1,50. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. By Prof. M. Stuart. Fourth edition 1 Vol. 12mo. in Press. OUTLINES OP SYSTEMATIC RHETORIC. From the German of Dr. Francis Theremin, by W. G. T. 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