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Sermon 64 — The river's flow gladdens the city of God; the Most High has made his dwelling holy

Pfeiffer Sermon 64Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)
English Translation
Fluminis impetus lætificat civitatem dei; sanctificavit tabernaculum suum altissimus (Psalm. XLV, 5.).

‘Der resche oder snelle fluz hât erfröuwet die stat gotes.’ Nû sullen wir merken driu dinc. Daz êrste: den snellen fluz; daz ander: die stat, dâ er hin fliuzet; daz dritte: den nutz, der dâ von kumet.

Der prophête enweiz niht, wie er den heiligen geist nemen sol von sînem snellen ûzfliezen. Wan der heilig geist fliuzet in die sêle reht alse vollekomelîche, als si ûz gebrochen ist an der dêmüetikeit und als verre si sich gewîtet hât. Er fliuzet in allez daz, dâ er stat vindet. Zem andern mâle sô sullen wir prüeven, welhez diu stat sî, dâ er hin fliuzet. Daz ist eigenlîch diu sêle. Ein stat bediutet alsô vil als ein dinc, daz beslozzen ist und in mir vereinet. Alsô sol diu sêle sîn, in die got fliezen sol. Si sol ûzen beslozzen sîn vor aller hindernüsse und innen vereinet an allen kreften. Dar umbe sprichet sant Johannes, daz die zwelfboten ze samen gesament wâren, dô sie den heiligen geist empfiengen. Alsô muoz diu sêle ze samen und in sich selben brâht sîn, diu den götlîchen fluz enpfâhen sol, der sî erfüllet und erfröuwet.

Fluminis impetus lætificat civitatem dei; sanctificavit tabernaculum suum altissimus (Psalm. XLV, 5.).

“The rushing or swift flow has gladdened the city of God.” Now we should take note of three things. The first: the swift flow; the second: the city into which it flows; the third: the benefit that comes from it.

The prophet does not know how to apprehend the Holy Spirit in his swift outflowing. For the Holy Spirit flows into the soul just as perfectly as she has broken forth in humility and as far as she has widened herself. He flows into everything in which he finds room. Secondly, we should consider what the city is into which he flows. This is properly the soul. A city signifies something that is enclosed and inwardly united. Thus the soul must be into which God is to flow. She must be enclosed outwardly against every hindrance and inwardly united in all her powers. Therefore Saint John says that the twelve apostles were gathered together when they received the Holy Spirit. Thus the soul that is to receive the divine flow which fills and gladdens her must be gathered together and brought into herself.

Ich hab ez etwenne gesprochen: die eines guoten lebens beginnen wellen, die süllen tuon als einer, der einen zirkel machet: als er den êrsten punct gesetzet, bestêt der alsô, sô wirt diu linie guot. Daz ist als vil gesprochen: der mensche lerne an dem êrsten, daz sîn herze stête belîbe an got und an tugenden und an tugentlîchen werken. Wan tuot der mensche grôziu werc und ist sîn herze unstête, ez hilfet wênec oder niht. Ez wâren zwêne meister, der sprach einer, der guote mensche möhte niht beweget werden. Der ander was dâ wider. Ich spriche: der guote mensche mac wol beweget werden: er wirt aber niht entworfen an untugenden. Ich spriche, daz ein guoter mensche niht lîhte gehindert mac werden. Ergert er sich aber von dekeinen dingen, sô enist er niht vollekomen.

Daz dritte ist der nutz, der dâ von kumet. Daz ist, daz der prophête sprichet ‘unser herre der wont mitten in ir, in ir dâ enwirt er niht verwandelt.’ Dâ meinet er die sêle. Diu sêle wil niht, daz got mit ir wirke daz gemenget sî mit crêatûre. Etlîch werc würket got mit helfe der crêatûre, etlîchez âne helfe. Möhte diu genâde, diu âne helfe ist, diu in mîn wort gewunden ist, âne mitel kumen in iuwer herze, als ob ez got sprêche, diu sêle würde alzehant bekêret unde würde heilig unde möhte sich dâ von niht enthalten. Swenne ich denne gotes wort spriche, sô bin ich ein mitwürker mit unserm herren unde diu genâde wirt in mir vermenget, wan ez got durch mich sprichet, unde wan ich gên iu daz mitel bin, sô enwirt si niht genzlîch enpfangen in der sêle. Aber diu gnâde, die der heilig geist selber sprichet, diu wirt enpfangen und ân underscheit gedrücket in die sêle und âne mitel, ob eht diu sêle gesament ist an die einveltigen kraft, diu got bekennet. Diu genâde entspringet in dem herzen des vater unde fliuzet in den sun und in der minne ir beider fliuzet si ûz der wîsheit des suns in die güete des heiligen geistes unde wirt gesant in dem heiligen geiste in die sêle unde diu genâde ist ein antlütze gotes unde wirt âne mitel und ân underscheit gedrücket in die sêle mit dem geiste gotes unde bildet die sêle nâch gote. Daz würket got selbe âne helfe der crêatûre.

I have sometimes said: those who wish to begin a good life should do as one who draws a circle. Once he has set the first point, if it remains fixed, the line will be good. That is to say: the human being should first learn that his heart remain steadfast in God and in virtues and in virtuous works. For if the human being performs great works but his heart is unsteady, they help little or not at all. There were two masters: one of them said that the good human being could not be moved. The other opposed him. I say: the good human being can indeed be moved, but he is not overthrown into vice. I say that a good human being cannot easily be hindered. But if he is angered by anything, then he is not perfect.

The third is the benefit that comes from this. This is what the prophet says: “Our Lord dwells in the midst of her; there in her he is not changed.” By this he means the soul. The soul does not wish God to work with her anything that is mingled with creature. Some works God works with the help of the creature, others without help. If the grace that is without help, which is bound up in my word, could come without means into your heart as though God himself spoke it, the soul would immediately be turned and would become holy and could not refrain from it. But when I speak God’s word, I am a co-worker with our Lord, and the grace becomes mingled in me, for God speaks it through me; and because I am the means toward you, it is not received wholly in the soul. But the grace that the Holy Spirit himself speaks is received and impressed into the soul without distinction and without means, provided that the soul is gathered into the simple power that knows God. Grace springs from the heart of the Father and flows into the Son, and in the love of them both it flows forth from the wisdom of the Son into the goodness of the Holy Spirit, and is sent in the Holy Spirit into the soul. And grace is a face of God, and without means and without distinction it is impressed into the soul with the Spirit of God and images the soul after God. God himself works this without the aid of any creature.

Ez enist kein crêatûre sô edel, diu zuo dem werke ein diener müge gesîn, wan got enhât die edelkeit ir nâtûre niht geben. Nochdanne vermöhte er ez wol an der edelkeit sîner nâtûre. Got möhte ez niht erlîden, daz im kein crêatûre dâ dienen solte, wan in der stunde hât er die sêle sô hôhe erhaben über ir nâtûrlîche wonstat, daz sî kein crêatûre erlangen mac. Nochdenne vermöhte ez der engel wol an der edelkeit sîner nâtûre, unde lieze ouch got wol den engel einen diener sîn. Sô versmâhet ez doch der sêle, wan sî versmâhet in der stunde allez daz, daz mit der crêatûre vermenget ist; nochdenne daz lieht unde die genâde, in der si vereinet wirt, daz versmâhete die sêle, enweste si niht, daz si ez niht über komen mac. Wan über ein, ez ist ir niht nâtûrlîch, ez ist ir allez über nâtûre, wan si versmâhet in der stunde allez, daz got niht enist, wan got leitet sîne brût ûz aller crêatûre wirdikeit in sich selber unde sprichet ir danne in ir herze, daz ist, er machet sî ime selber gelîch in der genâde. Zuo disem edeln werke sol sich diu sêle samenen.

Alsô werdent alle krefte der sêle erfüllet und erfröuwet von dem lûtern înfluzze der genâden. Wan diu genâde haltet sich ze gote als der schîn zuo der sunnen und ist ein mit im unde bringet die sêle in daz götlîche wesen unde machet si gote gar gelîch unde dâ smecket si götlîche edelkeit. Diu sêle, diu enpfangen hât unde gesmecket götlîche edelkeit, der wirt bitter und unmêre allez daz, daz got niht ist. Daz ander ist, daz diu sêle wil daz aller hœhste, daz si niht ob ir erlîden mac. Ich spriche daz unde tar ez wol gesprochen, daz si got ob ir niht erlîden mac, unde daz bewêre ich dâ mite. Wêre diu sêle alsô hôhe ûf gezogen über alliu dinc an ir hœhster frîheit, daz si got an ruorte an sîne blôze götlîche nâtûre, dannoch geruowete sie niemer, si brêhte in dar zuo, daz er sî versankte in sich selber unde sich selber versankte in sî alleine. Swie got in sîner edelkeit und an sîner nâtûre verre ob ir sî, sô enmac si doch niht geruowen, ê si joch got begrîfet, als verre ez mügelich ist einer crêatûre got begrîfen; doch wil diu sêle daz aller lustlîchste, daz got gewürken mac. Der grœste wollust in himel und in erde der lît in götlîchem glîchnüsse, daz götlîch nâtûre würket an dem hœhsten; daz ist gelîchnüsse sîn selbes. Unde dar nâch ist diu sêle kriegende, wan kein sêle enmac got genzlîchen gevolgen, si trage ein gelîchnüsse gotes in ir. Daz sol der mensche dar an merken, ob alliu diu genâde, die er enpfangen hât, götlîch sî und obe si smecke nâch götlîcher edelkeit und obe si gemeine ist und ûzflüzzic ist an sîner genâde in allez daz, des si enpfenclîch ist. Alsô sol der mensche ûzflüzzic sîn in allez daz, daz sîn enpfangen mac. Des helf uns got. Âmen.

There is no creature so noble that it could serve in this work, for God has not given the nobility to its nature. Yet God could indeed accomplish it through the nobility of his nature. God could not endure that any creature should serve him there, for at that moment he has raised the soul so high above her natural dwelling-place that no creature can reach her. And yet the angel could indeed accomplish it through the nobility of his nature, and God might well allow the angel to be a servant. Nevertheless, the soul would disdain this, for at that moment she disdains everything that is mingled with creature. Indeed, the soul would disdain even the light and the grace in which she is united, if she did not know that she cannot pass beyond it. For this is not natural to her; it is altogether above nature for her. At that moment she disdains everything that is not God, for God leads his bride out of all creaturely dignity into himself and then speaks to her in her heart—that is, he makes her like himself in grace. For this noble work the soul must gather herself together.

Thus all the powers of the soul are filled and gladdened by the pure inflow of grace. For grace stands in relation to God as the radiance to the sun and is one with him, and it brings the soul into divine being and makes her wholly like God, and there she savors divine nobility. For the soul that has received and savored divine nobility, everything that is not God becomes bitter and distasteful. The second is that the soul wills the very highest, so that she cannot endure anything above herself. I say this, and dare indeed to say it: she cannot endure God above herself, and I demonstrate it in this way. If the soul were drawn up so high above all things in her highest freedom that she touched God in his bare divine nature, she would never rest until she brought him to the point that he sank her into himself and sank himself into her alone. However far God may be above her in his nobility and in his nature, she still cannot rest until she even grasps God, insofar as it is possible for a creature to grasp God. Yet the soul wills the most delightful thing that God can work. The greatest delight in heaven and on earth lies in divine likeness, which the divine nature works at its highest: that is, likeness of itself. And toward this the soul strives, for no soul can follow God wholly unless she bears a likeness of God within herself. By this the human being should discern whether all the grace he has received is divine: whether it savors of divine nobility, and whether it is common to all and flows forth in its grace into everything capable of receiving it. Thus the human being too should be outflowing into everything that is capable of receiving him. May God help us to this. Amen.