^Ibv 3V' CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Date Due ■ ^ ^ , ^^r ■ - -. ^W^^^ff^^^^^^^ ^^^ODfi ! 1 1 Cornell University Library BV5095.J33 S43 1911 Mediaeval mystic : a short account of th Clin 3 1924 029 356 429 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://archive.org/details/cu31924029356429 A MEDIAEVAL MYSTIC NIHIL OBSTAT F. Osmund Cooney, O.F.M. Provincial Censor Deputa'us, IMPRIMATUR Edmundus Canonicus Sukmont Vicarius Generalise Westmonasterii Die 17 OcTOBRis 1910 A MEDIEVAL MYSTIC A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF BLESSED JOHN RUYSBROECK, CANON REGULAR OF GROENENDAEL A.D. 1293-1 381 DOM VINCENT SCULLY, C.R.L. {Permissu Superiorum) NEW YORK BENZIGER BROTHERS 1911 /^ ,^3/-^^-^-5" PRINTED BV HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEV, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY, FOR THOMAS BAKER, 72, NEWMAN STREET, LONDON, W. TO THE RIGHT REV. AUGUSTIN H. WHITE, C.R.L. LORD ABBOT OF WALTHAM CONTENTS PiGJJ INTRODUCTION ix I. EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION , I II. AS A SECULAR PRIEST IN BRUSSELS 6 III. FALSE MYSTICS . . . .10 IV. THE HERMITAGE OF GROENENDAEL I7 V. THE CANONS REGULAR OF GROEN- ENDAEL 25 VI. PRIOR OF GROENENDAEL . 33 VII. RUYSBROECK's TREE ... 43 VIII. A DIRECTOR OF SOULS . . 47 IX. RUYSBROECK AND GERARD GROOTE 50 X. RUYSBROECK AND WINDESHEIM 58 XI. THE WRITINGS OF RUYSBROECK . 6/ vii viii Contents PAGE XII. THE TEACHING OF RUYSBROECK . 93 XIII. SOME APPRECIATIONS . . . I05 XIV. LAST DAYS It8 XV. THE CULTUS OF BLESSED JOHN RUYSBROECK . . . .124 INTRODUCTION The object of the following unpretentious little volume is to give a simple and readable account in English of the life and writings of a remarkable Flemish Mystic of the four- teenth century, a contemporary of our own Walter Hilton. Though his memory and honour have never faded in his own native Belgium, and though France and Germany have vied with each other in spreading his teaching and singing his praises, the very name of Blessed John Ruysbroeck is prac- tically unknown this side of the water. W^e are acquainted with only one small work in English dealing directly with the Saint or his work at all, viz. Reflections from the Mirror 3ntvobuction of Mystic* giving the briefest sketch of his life and some short extracts from his writings as translated from the French rendering of Ernest Hello. The original authorities for the history of Ruysbroeck are practically reduced to one, the biography by Henry Pomerius, a Canon Regular of Groenendael, entitled De Origine monasterii Viridisvallis una cum vitis B. Joannis Rusbrochii primi prions hujus monasterii et aliqtiot coaetaneorum ejus, re- edited by the BoUandists, Brussels, 1885. It is certain that a disciple of John Ruysbroeck, John of Scoenhoven, also of Groenendael, who undertook the defence of Blessed John's writings against Gerson, composed a short biography, but this was embodied in the work of Pomerius, and thereby as a separate volume fell out of use and memory. Pomerius * By Earle Bailie. London : Thomas Baker. 1905. 3ntrobuction xi had Scoenhoven's MS. to work upon, and some of Ruysbroeck's contemporaries were still living at Groenendael when he com- posed his biography there. The brief refer- ences by the Venerable Thomas a Kempis in. his Vita Gerardi Magni are likewise of great interest and intrinsic worth. For the purposes of this brief biography,, which lays no claim whatever to original research, the compiler has made very great use of the labours of Dr. Auger, De Doctrina et Mentis Joannis van Ruysbroeck, Louvain, and Willem de Vreese, Jean de Ruysbroeck, an extract from the Biographie Nationale, published by I'Academie royale des sciences,, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique,. Brussels, igog. This indebtedness is especially true of the summarised analysis of the various works of Ruysbroeck. Later it may be possible to give a com- plete and faithful English rendering of all xii 3ntvo&uction Ruysbroeck's Works from the critical edition which is at present preparing in Louvain, where there is an active revival of interest in this great and holy Mystic of the Nether- lands. For the judgment of competent witnesses as to the permanent value and extraordinary sublimity of B. John's writings the reader is referred to the body of this work under the heading, Some Appreciations. The usual protest is made according to the Decrees of Urban VIII. concerning alleged miracles, etc., recorded in these pages. St. Ives, Cornwall, Feast of Our Lady's Nativity, 1910. I Early Years and Education Blessed John Ruysbroeck, surnamed the Admirable and the Divine Doctor, by common consent the greatest Mystic the Low Coun- tries have ever produced, was born, a.d. 1293, at Ruysbroeck, a village some miles south of Brussels, lying between that city and Hal. According to the fashion of those days, es- pecially with Religious, he was named after his birthplace, John van Ruysbroeck, or John Ruysbroeck. The Venerable a Kempis, the Latinised form of van Kempen, is a case in point ; Thomas was so named after his native town, Kempen, though his patro- U fiDebi^val nbi^Btie nymic was Haemerken. Of Ruysbroeck, however, we know of no other surname ; neither do his biographers so much as mention his father. But like many another great servant of God, John was blessed with a good mother, a devout woman who trained her child from the cradle to walk in the paths of Christian piety and perfection. She is charged with only one fault, that she loved her son too tenderly ! Perhaps we are to understand by this that the poor woman opposed the boy's early aspirations after a more retired life than could be found even in the peaceful shelter of his own pious home. This would also explain John's first recorded act. At the age of eleven years he ran away from home ! How many a lad before and since has torn himself away from a loving mother's too fond embrace to quell the ardour of a rest- less spirit in the quest of adventure ! John £siv\^ l^eara anb £bucation 3 also was eager and dissatisfied ; but the larger sphere for which he sighed was to be sought along the unaccustomed ways which lead to the sublime heights and the rarified atmo- sphere of mystic contemplation. The pious truant made his way to Brussels, there to call upon an uncle of his, one John Hinckaert, a major Canon of St. Gudule's. The son and heir of a wealthy magistrate of the city, and possessed, moreover, of a rich benefice, for many years John Hinckaert had been somewhat worldly in his ways ; but one day Divine grace found him out as he was listening to a sermon, and drew him sweetly and strongly to a life of extreme simplicity and mortification. His example was soon followed by a fellow Canon, by name Francis van Coudenberg, a Master of Arts, possessed of considerable means, and a man of great repute with the people. These two agreed, for their mutual edification and support, to H riDeMaeval HD^stic live together in common. Their material requirements were reduced to the barest necessaries ; and the surplus of their revenue was distributed among the poor. In this devout household the lad John met with a kindly welcome ; and there he found at once a home after his own heart in an atmo- sphere saturated with " other-worldliness " and prayer. His good uncle also took charge of his education. For four years Ruysbroeck followed the ordinary course of Humanities in the public schools of Brussels, and then, with a view to the priesthood, he devoted himself to the more congenial study of the sacred sciences. Meanwhile the bereaved mother had dis- covered the place of John's retreat and had quitted her village of Ruysbroeck to reside with him at Brussels. As, however, she was not permitted to dwell in the Presbytery, she made her abode in a Beguinage hard by. lEarl^ ll)ears anb lEbucation 5 Thus she had at least the consolation of seeing her son from time to time. She must have been much comforted also for the depriva- tion of his company by the constant evidence of his growing sanctity. And, further, we are assured that she set herself to make profit of her sacrifice by emulating in her own person the holy life of her son John, and his saintly masters, Hinckaert and van Coudenberg. II As A Secular Priest in Brussels In due course Canon Hinckaert procured for his nephew one of the lesser prebends of St. Gudule's, and John was ordained priest in the year 1317, at the age of twenty-four. His good mother did not survive to witness this happy event in the flesh, nevertheless even beyond the grave she had good cause to rejoice therein. After her departure from this world she had often appeared to her son, lamenting her pains, beseeching his prayers, and sighing for the day when he would be able to offer for her the holy Sacrifice. And John was unceasing in his supplications. But immediately after the celebration of his first Mass, as he related to his Religious 6 Us a Secular pdcst in Brussels 7 Brethren later, God granted him a vision full of consolation : when the sacred oblation was accomplished, his mother came to visit and thank him for her deliverance from Purgatory. The touching incident is well worth recording, if only to show that it was through no lack of natural affection that the child John had so unceremoniously forsaken home and mother. Moreover, of these two holy souls it was singularly true that having loved each other in life, in death they were not farted, for they were privi- leged often to converse together, and finally it was from his mother that Ruysbroeck learned the date of his own approaching departure. For twenty-six years in all Blessed John lived as a secular priest in Brussels. Con- tent with his modest chaplaincy in the Church of St. Gudule, and with his holy companions Hinckaert and van Coudenberg 8 a riDebi^val flD^stic continuing happily in apostolic simplicity and poverty the Common Life on which he had entered a mere child, Ruysbroeck passed his days in peaceful retirement and almost uninterrupted prayer and contem- plation. A characteristic episode of this period reveals to us the man as in a flash, his mean garb, his emaciated figure, his ab- sorbed demeanour, his utter abandonment in God. He was passing through a square of Brussels one day, silent and recollected, as was his wont, when two laymen remarked him. " My God," exclaimed one, " would I were as holy as that priest ! " " Nay, for my part," returned the other, " I would not be in his shoes for all the wealth of the world. I should never know a day's pleasure on earth." " Then you know nothing of the delights Bs a Secular piicst in JBvussels 9 which God bestows, or of the delicious savour of the Holy Ghost," thought Ruysbroeck to himself, for he happened to overhear the words, and he proceeded tranquilly on his way. Ill False Mystics But with all his love of peace and retire- ment, when it was a question of guarding the integrity of the Faith and of warding off peril from immortal souls, Ruysbroeck hesitated not to stand in the breach ; even though others of much higher position in the Church and of much higher repute for theological learning than the obscure chaplain of St. Gudule's should raise not a finger nor so much as utter a warning word. The student of history is well aware of the many and startling contrasts and contra- dictions presented by the Middle Ages. It was an epoch of magnificent virtues and of IQ false flD^stics n gross vices, of splendid heroism and of un- speakable cruelty, of superb generosity and of disgusting meanness, and, which is more to our point at present, of intense devotion and of the most revolting vagaries in doctrine and morals. While also on the one hand there was much genuine zeal, much earnest endeavour to reform crying abuses in Church and State ; on the other hand hypocrites and fanatics abounded, who aimed at the destruction of the principle of authority on the plea of amending those in power, or who, the while they inveighed against the futility of a merely exterior religion and insisted on the supreme need of purity of heart, themselves fell into the excess of neglecting all external form, and at times all outward decency and observance of morality. In varying degrees these latter errors are to be encountered under one shape or another 12 a ADeMj^val (ID^stic in every age ; but at the period of which we treat they were especially intense and ex- treme. The Beghards and the Bcguines (when and where these broke loose from ecclesiastical control), the Flagellants, the Brethren of the Free Spirit were chief of a group of extravagant sects which afflicted the Church in Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands ; while England at the same time was disturbed by the fanaticism of the Lollards. In general their peculiar tenets were a strange admixture of pantheism, false mysticism, apparent austerity, and very real immorality. The following is one of their characteristic propositions, condemned by Clement V. in the Council of Vienna, a.d. 1311-1312 ; " That those who are in the aforesaid grade of perfection and in the spirit of liberty (contemplatives) are not subject to human authority and are not obliged to obey any precepts of the Church, because (as they 3fal0e flD^stlcs 13 say) where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." It so happened that contemporary with our Saint in Brussels was a prominent leader of the heretics of the Free Spirit, a woman whose name is given as Bloemardinne, a good type, to judge by the description of Ruys- broeck's biographer, of the whole genus of such teachers in those days and in our own.* So great was this creature's reputation for sanctity that it was commonly reported that two Seraphim accompanied her to the altar when she approached to receive Holy Com- munion. She always delivered her teach- ings, whether by word or in writing, seated on a throne of silver. At her demise this chair was presented to the reigning Duchess of Brabant. After Bloemardinne's death * Cf. the Polish sect of Mariavites, or Mystic Priests, under the misguidance of the woman Mary Frances, whose extravagances were condemned by Rome, September 1904, and again April 1906. 14 a nn>ebi«v)al ^^5tic also cripples came to touch her body in the persuasion that they would be miraculously healed thereby. Her teaching was of the kind indicated above, concerned chiefly with the so-called liberty of the spirit ; the passion of lust she had the impudence to call sera- phic love. She issued numerous pamphlets remarkable for their subtlety ; and by one means and another she managed to win and retain a very considerable number of disciples. Moved by zeal and compassion on witness- ing the ruin and loss of souls thus effected, John Ruysbroeck set himself to confute this heretic's various publications point by point as they appeared. In consequence, he in- curred not a little hostility and persecution. Possibly it was this opposition which finally decided Ruysbroeck and his holy companions to quit Brussels for the more peaceful re- tirement of the neighbouring forest of Soignes. But meanwhile he never for a moment desisted from his efforts in defence of the Faith, and in the propagation of the doctrines of sane mysticism. Of the treatises pub- lished professedly against Bloemardinne there is nothing extant. But in all his works Ruysbroeck keeps an eye on the errors of the day. He returns to them again and again, analysing their sources, describing their characteristics, indicating the mischief they work, and offering a reasoned and solid confutation. At the same time, with wondrous sureness and perspicacity, from the rich stores of his own intimate ex- perience, he points out the safe and sure paths which lead the soul to loving union with God. Some thirty years after Ruysbroeck's death, in 1410, the Archbishop of Cambrai called his disciples, the Canons Regular of Groen- endael, to come and aid him in preaching 1 6 a flDebia^val (^^etic against the successors of the notorious Bloemardinne — a fact eloquent both of the obstinacy of this particular heresy and of Blessed John's reputation as its most vigorous opponent. IV The Hermitage of Groenendael It appears that it was on the suggestion of Francis van Coudenberg that the three holy priests resolved to abandon Brussels to seek elsewhere for themselves a refuge of greater security and retirement. It was through the influence also of van Coudenberg with John III., Duke of Brabant, that they ob- tained the cession of an ideal property for their purpose, the hermitage, namely, of Groenendael, with its lands and lake. The spot had already been sanctified by the prayers and penances of holy recluses for nigh forty years. The first to retire thither had been one John Busch, of the ducal house of Brabant, who, weary of the 17 2 i8 a flDeM^val flDi^stic strife, frivolities, and perils of court life, obtained from his kinsman, John II., leave to retire into the forest of Soignes, to build himself a hut and enclose a space of land there to be cultivated with his own hands for his support. The deed of gift was dated the Friday after the Assumption of Mary, 1304, and it stipulated that on the death or departure of the grantee, another hermit should take his place, and so on for ever. In effect, the noble John Busch was succeeded by one Arnold of Diest, who, on entering, made a vow never to sally forth save on festivals for the purpose of hearing Mass and receiving Holy Communion in the Parish Church of St. Clement at Hoolaert. God rewarded this generous sacrifice by a singular favour : Arnold was passionately devoted to the memory of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs of Rome, and he was transported in spirit so frequently thither that the shrines trbc Ibermitage of (Broenenbael 19 and sanctuaries of the Eternal City became as familiar to him as to a native. When in a green old age he came to die, Arnold surprised the bystanders with the request that he should be laid to rest in the hermitage grounds. They objected that the enclosure was not consecrated : he responded that one day it would be the site of a monastery, the home of saintly Religious, and the Mother-house of a holy congregation. However, he was buried in the Parish Church of Hoolaert before the altar of St. Nicholas. His successor, Lambert, the last of the Groenendael her- mits, was so poor in spirit as not to be attached even to his cell. He cheerfully yielded place to John Hinckaert, van Couden- berg, and Ruysbroeck, and retired to a cell which they had procured for him at Hoeten- dael, the modern Uccle. Groenendael was handed over to the three companions by the Duke of Brabant on Easter Wednesday, 1343, 20 a fin>ebiftval fin>^0tic on the condition that they should forthwith erect a hotise to accommodate a community of at least five, two of whom should be priests viventes religiose. The taking of possession is recorded in the Groenendael Chronicle thus : "In 1344 the aforesaid, with the bishop's consent, began to build a chapel in Groenendael. And the Vicars of Lord Guy, then Bishop of Cambrai, inspected the building on March 13, 1344, and decreed that it should be consecrated, together with a cemetery adjacent, two altars, and other necessary appurtenances. On the same day of the same year the said Vicars conferred on Dom Francis the cure of the brethren, the household, and the servants, appointing him their Father and Parish Priest. Then the same year, on March 17, the Venerable Lord Brother Matthias, Bishop of the Church of Trebizond (Coadjutor of Cam- brai), by faculty and licence of the said ^be Iberniitage of (Sroenenbael 21 Vicars of the Lord Bishop Guy, consecrated the aforesaid first church in the honour of St. James, and erected it into a Parochial Church for the same Dom Francis, his brethren and household." For five years Dom Francis van Couden- bcrg and his companions continued to live thus in community, bound by no other rule than their own profound spirit of prayer and intense desire of perfection. Nor were they long left to enjoy alone the solitude of their retreat. Many sought admission into their company ; still larger numbers flocked from Brussels and elsewhere to seek spiritual aid and consolation. If he had consulted his own inclination and bent, Ruysbroeck would have denied himself to all ; but van Coudenberg represented that they should not in charity refuse assistance to souls in need. And Blessed John yielded the more easily, remarks one of his biographers, be- 22 a riDe&ifeval flDptic cause for his part he was assured of being able to repose in God amid the most distracting calls and absorbing occupations. One of their earliest associates, John van Leeixwen, attained a high reputation for sanctity. A poor and ignorant layman of Aflflighem, he had offered his services as their domestic gratis. Before long he was known far and wide as the " Good Cook of Groenen- dael." The multitude of visitors upon whom he was called to attend left him but little leisure, yet he found time not only to be absorbed in prayer and contemplation, but even to compose treatises of an exalted spirituality. Like his master Ruysbroeck, whom he venerated profoundly, he was deeply recollected amid the most exacting duties, and frequently he was favoured with heavenly visions. It was while in a state of ecstasy that the sublime gifts and heroic holiness of Blessed John were revealed to him ; ever .after tlbe Ibermitaoc of (Broenenbael 23 no terms seemed to him too exalted in which to describe the worth of the servant of God. The general esteem in which van Leeuwen himself was held is sufficiently attested by the inscription on his tomb : " Reliquiae Fratris Joannis de Leeuwis vulgo Boni Coci viri a Deo illuminati et scriptis mysticis clari obiit anno MCCCLXXVII. V. Februarii." The Remains of Brother John van Leeuwen, commonly called the Good Cook, a man en- lightened by God and renowned for his mystic writings. He died February 5, 1377. Much more distracting to the recluses than the frequent visits of pilgrim penitents or the arrival of fresh neophytes was the constant coming and going of huntsmen from the household of the Duke of Brabant. The forest of Soignes, in which Groenendael is situate, was a favourite resort for the 'chase, and the position of the hermitage itself, within ^ few miles of the capital, niad§ 24 a flDeMjeval flDi^stic it a very convenient place of rest and re- freshment for the hunters and their hounds. But the noise and bustle attendant on such company were scarcely conducive to the spirit of prayer, and the demands thus made on the hospitality of the young Community were a heavy drain on its resources. Never- theless the solitaries were naturally fearful of giving offence to the followers of their Patron the Duke . Moreover, since they were not established as a regular Religious Com- munity, they could not claim the privileges of the cloister. V The Canons Regular of Groenendael The inconveniences just noted, together with the continual increase in their numbers, gave point and force to a strong remon- strance addressed to Francis van Couden- berg and his Brethren by Pierre de Saulx, Prior of the Canons Regular of St. Victor, Paris, concerning the irregularity of their unaccustomed manner of life. Herein the good Prior was in effect only voicing the opinion of many zealous and prudent leaders among both clergy and laity. The times were so rife in sects and societies of false mystics, and so much mischief was wrought under the guise of piety, that any form of community life outside the cloister and the 25 26 a flDcMfeval flD^stic three regular vows was regarded with strong suspicion and dislike. A few years later Gerard Groote, a disciple of Ruysbroeck, and Florence Radewyn, the first spiritual Director of the Venerable Thomas a Kempis, founded a lay association of Devout Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life, and this society also was subjected to a fierce oppo- sition arising from the same sentiment of distrust for all religious movement outside the beaten track. Happily, the Brothers were able to weather the storm by producing irrefragable proofs of their orthodoxy, and of their entire submission to the ecclesiastical authorities. But also, by the advice and according to the desires of Gerard Groote himself, they placed themselves under the protection and guidance of a Religious Order springing from their own body, namely the Canons Regular of Windesheim, of which congregation the Venerable a Kempis wa§ ^be Canons IReanlar of (Broenenbael 27 one of the earliest members as well as the brightest ornament. Prior Pierre dc Saulx urged on van Coudenberg and his associates to regularise their status, silence suspicion, and escape the many inconveniences to which at present they were exposed by embracing the Rule and adopting the habit of some already established Religious Order. With edifying humility the Commtmity of Gro- enendael accepted the reproof and its ac- companying counsel ; and applied at once to Peter Andrew, Bishop of Cambrai, for the necessary authorisation to adopt the Institute of the Canons Regular under the Rule of St. Augustin of Hippo. This per- mission the Ordinary granted most readily. With his own hands he clothed Francis van Coudenberg, John Ruysbroeck and their companions in the canonical habit, March 10, 1349, ^^d ^^^ following day 28 H riDebia^val flDi^stic he appointed Dom Francis Provost,* and John Ruysbroeck he made Prior of the new Canonry. To van Coudenberg the other members of the Community, with one exception, professed canonical obedience, according to St. Augustin's Rule. The Bishop bestowed upon them many privileges and exemptions ; while the Duke took them under his special protection and endowed them with sufficient revenues for the upkeep of a large establishment. The one exception noted above was Ruys- broeck's uncle and van Coudenberg's old friend and master, John Hinckaert. At this date John Ruysbroeck was fifty-six years of age, and Francis van Coudenberg was several years his senior. They must certainly have been men of great zeal and courage to * Provost is the equivalent in a College of Clergy of the Abbot in a Monastery ; though many Congregations of Canons Regular have borrowed the title and style of Abbot from the monastic institute. tEbe Canons IRcouIar of (Broenenbae! 29 undertake the full rigour and discipline of the Canonical Life, as they understood it, at so advanced an age. Hinckaert, again, was much older than either. And for fear lest out of consideration for his failing powers the others should be induced to temper in any degree the austerity of their observance, the good old man resolved to forgo for himself the happiness of joining them in the profession of the vows. We can picture what a source of regret this separation must have been to all three. However, Hinckaert remained as near his friends as possible until the end. A little cell was built just outside the cloister, and there after a few years he peacefully passed away, their predecessor to eternal glory as he had been their forerunner in the way of perfection. The Canon Regular, Prior Pierre de Saulx, had reason to be well content with the issue 30 U fiDeM^evat fibi^stic of his intervention in the affairs of Groenen- dael. Seventeen years later we find him addressing to the Community another char- acteristic rebuke. This time he complained of the formula of their profession, which ran as follows : " I, N. , offer and deliver myself with these gifts to the service of this Church of St. James, Apostle. And I promise God in the presence of clergy and people that I will abide here henceforth to the end of my days without proprietorship, according to the rule of the Canons and Blessed Augustin, to the best of my know- ledge and power. I also promise stability to this place as long as in any way I can obtain what is needful for my soul and body, nor shall I for any motion of fickleness or under any pretext of a more strict Order change this habit or quit this cloister. I also promise obedience to all the prelates of the aforesaid Church whom the better part tlbe Canons IReouIar of (BroenenbacI 31 of the Community shall canonically elect, in order that I may receive a hundredfold and life everlasting." As a matter of fact, this form of pro- fession was quite adequate. Implicitly it contained the vow of chastity, since chas- tity is an integral part of the Canonical Rule. However, the Prior of St. Victor resided in Paris, the metropolis of scholas- ticism, and he strenuously argued and maintained that, whereas chastity is one of the three essential vows of Religion, and the formula made no mention thereof, the said formula was incomplete, erroneous, contrary to the decretals and canonical sanctions. And again he urges the Provost and the Brethren to conform themselves in this, as in all else, to some fully authorised branch of the institute of the Canons Regular. Once more the good men humbly ac- 33 a flDebia^vat flDi^Btic quiesced ; and it seems that they modelled their religious family upon the famous Con- gregation of St. Victor, of which their zealous counsellor was then the chief Superior. VI Prior of Groenendael Meanwhile the Community of Groenendael grew and flourished, The holy Prior con- tinued to make progress in the practice of heroic virtue, his gifts of contemplation became ever more sublime, and still his reputation for sanctity increased. His con- temporary biographers, after the fashion of their day, catalogue the Christian virtues, and one by one show how they excelled in him. Let it suffice here to remark that those virtues which he the most earnestly com- mends and the most highly exalts in his writings, he the most constantly exercised in his own person. Chief of these was humility, which he terms everywhere the foundation 33 3 34 H fll>et)i«v)al flD^stic of perfection ; then obedience to men and resignation to the will of God, a most tender devotion towards Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and, in fine, an ardent love of God and the neighbour. A few instances may be given in illustration. On one occasion Blessed John was seriously ill ; consumed by fever and tortured by an intense thirst, he begged the Brother In- firmarian for a drink of water. The Provost, who happened to be present, forbade the draught, fearing it might do him harm. He was literally dying of thirst, and his lips were cracking, they were so parched, yet Ruys- broeck humbly acquiesced. But later, re- flecting how great would be the grief and remorse of his friend and superior if he actually died of his agony, he quietly re- marked : " Father Provost, if I have not a drink of water now I shall certainly not prior of (5roenent>aeI 35 recover from this malady." Thereupon, in great alarm, Dom Francis immediately bade him drink. And from that moment the holy man began to regain his strength. Another and a continual proof of his humility was the willingness with which he took part in the heavy manual labour of the Community. His dignity, his advanced age, his inexperience in such work, the many other calls upon his time and strength — all this and the like the brethren urged as motives wherefore he should be exempt ; but he refused to listen. Truth to tell, the material advantage from his toil was but little : his frame was enfeebled by years and austerities, and in his ignorance he was liable, for instance, to root up seedlings in the garden instead of weeds ! But the spiritual gain to the Brethren was incalculable ; there was not only the example of his humility, but of his unfailing recollection too. In the midst of 36 H fIDeDiaeval flDi^stlc his labour he never lost his sense of the nearness of God's presence. Indeed he was wont to say that it was easier for him to raise his soul to God than to lift his hand to his forehead. His humility also and his zeal for the regular observance prevented him ever seeking dispensation from the customary exercises of the community life, or exemption from any of the monastic austerities, vigils, or fasts. His love for the neighbour was shown by the readiness and affability with which he received and welcomed innumerable claimants on his sympathy, help, and counsel. No soul ever left his presence dissatisfied ; every one went back from a visit to Groenendael greatly edified and inwardly refreshed. On one occasion the Brethren were distressed for the moment by an apparent exception. Two Parisian clerics had visited the holy old man prior of (Broenenbacl 37 and had demanded some word or motto for their guidance and encouragement. Ruysbroeck merely observed : " You are as holy as you wish to be." Suspecting him of sarcasm, the strangers retired deeply mortified, and they complained to the Canons that they were much disappointed in the Prior, who evidently was not so saintly a man as rumour had led them to believe. Learning the cause of their chagrin, some of the Brethren led the clerics back to Blessed John and begged him to explain his meaning. " But is it not simple ? " he cried. " Is it not quite true ? You are as holy as you wish. Your good- will is the measure of your sanctity. Look into yourselves and see what good-will you have, and you will behold also the standard of your holiness." And then the visitors retired appeased and edified. . Naturally his own Brethren were the first 38 a flDcM^eval flD^stic and chief to benefit by the holy Prior's charity and zeal. He denied himself to none, he made himself all to all. Sometimes he gave a spiritual conference after Compline, and then perhaps he would be so carried away as he enlarged upon the goodness of God and the bliss of heaven, for instance, that neither he nor his listeners would note the passage of time. The midnight Office bell would surprise them still hanging upon his words. But such was the fervour infused by his burning eloquence that not one felt the loss of the three or four hours' accus- tomed sleep. Ruysbroeck always spoke without any immediate preparation ; but it was charac- teristic of the man that when requested by the Canons or by strangers for a Con- ference, he would sometimes confess in all simplicity that inspiration was lacking, that he had nothing to say. It was the prior of (Broenenbael 39 same with his written treatises : at the close of his life he was able to declare that he had never committed anything to writing save under the immediate motion of the Holy Spirit. As so often happens with the Saints, Blessed John's love for the neighbour over- flowed in tenderness for his brothers and sisters of the lower creation also. Knowing this trait, the Canons would remark to him on the approach of winter : " See, Father Prior, it is snowing already. What will the poor little birds do now? " And with ex- pressions of heartfelt compassion this sublime mystic, who was habitually lost in dizziest heights of contemplation, would give instruc- tions that the feathered choristers outside the cloister should not be abandoned to perish of hunger. Very frequently in his works Blessed Ruys- broeck takes occasion to treat of the Holy 40 a flDeMa^val flD^stic Sacrament of the Altar, and ever he speaks of this sacred mystery in terms of the most vivid faith and intense devotion, discussing it as a supreme proof of God's love for men, on a par with the gifts of Creation, the In- carnation, and Redemption. His biographers tell us of his personal love for the Blessed Eucharist, and especially of his ecstatic devo- tion in offering the great Sacrifice. To the close of his long life, even when his failing sight could no longer distinguish the figure of the Crucified stamped upon the Host, nothing but grave sickness could hold him back from daily celebration. Sometimes he swooned from the excess of the sweetness with which his soul was inundated during the canon of the Mass. On one such occasion not only did he faint, but he seemed on the point of expiring, so that the terrified server reported the matter to the Provost. Attributing the faintnes§ prior of 0roenen^ael 41 to advancing age and weakness, the Superior was about to forbid the holy old man to celebrate any more, when Blessed John humbly besought him to forbear, assuring him that the swoon was due not to the failing of years but to the overpowering of divine grace, non propter senium sed divinae gratiae collatum xenium. " Even to-day," he added, " Jesus Christ appeared to me, and filling my soul with a deliciousness all divine, He said to my heart. Thou art Mine and I am thine." Such heavenly favours seem to have been by no means rare with our Saint. He was frequently ravished with a vision of Our Divine Lord in His sacred Humanity. Christ appeared to him, accompanied by His Blessed Mother and a numerous retinue of Saints, and conversed familiarly with him. On one such occasion, penetrating his whole being with a sense of wondrous sweetness, He 42 a riDebiasval riDi^stic greeted him with ineffable condescension thus : "Thou art My dear son, in whom I am well pleased." Then Jesus Christ embraced him and presented him to Our Lady and the attendant Saints with the words : " Behold My chosen servant ! " VII Ruysbroeck's Tree Whenever Blessed John felt the Spirit of God full upon him, even the solitude of the cloister was not sufficiently retired for the intimacy of the divine union. He would wander away into the depths of the forest surrounding the monastery, there to abandon himself to the action of the Holy Ghost un- disturbed. On these occasions also he was wont to take with him a stylus and a wax tablet, in order to jot down such thoughts and lights as he was moved to preserve in writing. Of these notes a fair copy was made on his return to the Priory. Towards the end of his days, when his sight was failing and otherwise the effort of making these notes was 43 44 H flDebi^val HD^stic too much for him, one of the Canons always accompanied him into the forest to write down at his dictation whatever he was moved to communicate. Sometimes days or whole weeks would pass, and for want of inspiration not a line nor a word would be added to the treatise in hand. But when again the Spirit breathed, he continued from the very sentence or phrase where he had paused, just as if there had been no interval between. One day the Saint had retired as usual into the forest, and the Brethren, knowing his occupation, respected his privacy. But when hours passed and there was no sign of his return, they became alarmed and set out to scour the woods in search of him. One of the Canons was especially intimate with the Prior and loved him most tenderly. Perhaps his anxiety urged him ahead of the rest. In a glade of the forest his eye lighted upon a wondrous scene. He perceived a tree as IRu^sbroeck's (Tree 45 it were in flames. On nearer approach he discovered that it was in fact encircled with fire. And under the tree, in the midst of the mysterious conflagration, John Ruysbroeck was seated, manifestly rapt in ecstasy. The memory of this miracle was never lost in the Community. For generations the tree was known and venerated as Ruysbroeck' s Tree. At the close of the fifteenth century the Prior, James van Dynter, planted a lime- tree in the same place, which received the respect shown hitherto to the original, which presumably had died down. When in 1577 the Canons were obliged to abandon Groenen- dael on account of the vexations of the religious wars, it is said that this tree withered away until only its bark was left ; but when the Community returned in 1607, it revived and flourished again. This episode also has fixed the traditional representation of Blessed John Ruysbroeck. 46 a flDeM^val dC^^etic He is usually pictured seated under a tree, a stylus in his hand and a wax tablet rest- ing on his knee, while Saint and tree alike are encircled in brilliant rays of celestial light. VIII A Director of Souls It is no wonder that as the fame of these and similar marvels spread abroad, multi- tudes of the faithful, young and old, clergy and laity, flocked to see and hear the holy Prior of Groenendael. They came to him from Flanders, Brabant, Holland, Germany, and France. Ruysbroeck received all with unvarying simple courtesy, and his unpre- meditated words were ever found to meet exactly the needs of each. Many placed themselves unreservedly in his hands, and frequently sought his direction by corre- spondence, or came long distances to consult him in person. One of these penitents was the Baroness 47 48 H fll>eM£evaI flDi^stic van Marke, of Rhode-St. -Agatha, which lies midway between Groenendael and Louvain. This lady conceived such a veneration for the holy Prior that when she went to visit him, she walked the journey, pilgrimwise, barefoot. Finally, his exhortations to flee and despise the passing vanities of the world prevailed so much with her that she entered a Convent of Poor Clares in Cologne, and her son Ingel- bert joined the Community of Groenendael. We are told of another disciple, who once fell into a grievous sickness and at the same time into a still more grievous affliction of spirit. She sent for Blessed John, begging him to visit her. She told him of her distress ; behold, she was abandoned by God, on the one hand no health or strength was left her to perform her accustomed works of mercy, and on the other hand physical suffering took away all taste for prayer ! What was she to do ? " You can do nothing more pleasing a IXrectoi* of Souls 49 to God, my dear child," responded the Saint, " than simply and utterly to submit to His holy will. Strive to forsake your own desires and to give Him thanks for all things." Such unction accompanied these simple and characteristic words that the good lady felt deeply consoled, and she repined no more. Among the more famous to frequent Groe- nendael, there to sit and learn at the feet of Ruysbroeck, is mentioned the well-known German mystic Tauler. But authorities are divided at present as to whether or no these visits to Groenendael can be fitted in with other ascertained facts of Tauler's life. How- ever, it is certain that Tauler was well ac- quainted with the writings of our Saint ; to a great extent he followed his method, and at times, in the free-and-easy style of those days, he did not hesitate to transfer bodily from Ruysbroeck's volumes into his own. IX RUYSBROECK AND GeRARD GrOOTE A GREATER than Tauler, and one whose in- fluence was eventually far more widespread, undoubtedly owed much to the recluse of Groenendael and freely acknowledged Blessed John his master. This was the famous Gerard Groote, the founder, as already noted, of the Devout Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life, and through them of the Windesheira Congregation of Canons Regular. The occa- sion and circumstances of Groote's first visit to Groenendael are narrated by the Venerable Thomas a Kempis in his Vita Gerardi Magni. The passage is so graphic and characteristic that it is well worth transcribing.* * Translation by J. P. Arthur. The Founders of the New Devotion. Kegan Paul. 1905. 50 IRu^sbroech anb (Beratb (Broote 5^^ " The pious and humble Master Gerard, hearing of the great and widespread fame of John Ruysbroeck, a monk and Prior of the Monastery of Griinthal, near Brussels, went to the parts about Brabant, although the journey was long, in order to see in bodily presence this holy and most devout Father ; for he longed to see face to face, and with his own eyes, one whom he had known hitherto only by common report and by his books ; and to hear with his own ears that voice utter its words from a living human mouth — a voice as gracious as if it were the very mouthpiece of the Holy Ghost. He took with him therefore that revered man, Master John Cele, the director of the School of ZwoUe, a devout and faithful lover of Jesus Christ ; for their mind and heart were one in the Lord, and the fellowship of each was pleasant to the other, and this resolve was kindled within them that their journey, which 52 a flDcbi^val flD^stic was undertaken for the sake of spiritual edification, should redound in the case of each to the Glory of God. " There went also with them a faithful and devout layman, named Gerard the shoe- maker, as their guide upon the narrow way, and their inseparable companion in this happy undertaking. " When they came to the place called Griin- thal, they saw no lofty or elaborate buildings therein, but rather all the signs of simplicity of life and poverty, such as marked the first footsteps of our Heavenly King, when He, the Lord of Heaven, came upon this earth as a Virgin's Son, and in exceeding poverty. As they entered the gate of the monastery, that holy Father, the devout Prior, met them, being a man of great age, of kindly serenity, and one to be revered for his honourable character. He it was whom they had come to see, and saluting them with the greatest IRu^sbroecR an& (Beiarb (Broote 53 benignity as they advanced, and being taught by a revelation from God, he called upon Gerard by his very name and knew him, though he had never seen him before. After this salutation he took them with him into the inner parts of the cloister, as his most honoured guests, and with a cheerful counten- ance and a heart yet more joyful showed them all due courtesy and kindness, as if he were entertaining Jesus Christ Himself. " Gerard abode there for a few days con- ferring with this man of God about the Holy Scriptures ; and from him he heard many heavenly secrets which, as he confessed, were past his understanding, so that in amaze- ment he said with the Queen of Sheba, ' O excellent Father, thy wisdom and thy know- ledge exceedeth the fame which I heard in mine own land ; for by thy virtues thou hast surpassed thy fame.' After this he returned with his companions to his own city, 54 H HDcDifeval flD^stic greatly edified ; and being as it were a puri- fied creature, he pondered over what he had heard in liis mind and often dwelt thereon in his heart ; also he committed some of Ruysbroeck's sayings to writing, that they might not be forgotten. " This sojourn on his visit to the Prior was not a time of idleness, nor was the discourse of so holy a father barren ; but the instruction of his living voice gave nurture to a fuller love and an increase of fresh zeal, as he testifies in a letter which he sent to these same brethren in the Griinthal, saying : ' I earnestly desire to be commended to your director and Prior, the footstool of whose feet I would fain be both in this life and in the life to come ; for my heart is welded to him beyond all other men by love and reverence. I do still burn and sigh for your presence, to be renewed and inspired by your spirit and to be a par- taker thereof.' " IRu^sbroecF^ anb 6erarb (Broote 55 other details of this interesting visit are supplied by the biographers of Ruysbroeck. Speaking in the fullness of the intimacy that had sprung up between them, Gerard Groote ventured to express surprise that, in dealing with the sublime matters which usually formed the subject of his discourse, the holy Prior should employ words and phrases which laid him open to the charge of those very errors, especially pantheism, against which his writings were commonly directed. - It was then that Ruysbroeck declared that he had never. set down aught in his books save by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost and in the presence of the Ever Blessed Trinity. This solemn assurance the holy man repeated to his brother Canons on his deathbed. On another point also, like the trained and exact theologian he was, Gerard Groote wished to correct his friend. He insisted that the boundless confidence which Ruysbroeck ex- 56 a flDeM^val nOi^stic .pressed in the mercy of God seemed to savour somewhat of presumption, and he proceeded to quote the most terrifying passages from Scripture anent the penalties of the wicked. Blessed John quietly replied : " Master Gerard, I assure you that you have quite failed to inspire me with fear. I am ready to bear with unruffled soul whatever the Lord shall destine for me in life or in death. I can conceive of nothing better, nothing safer, nothing more sweet. All my desires are re- stricted to this, that our Lord may ever find me prepared to accomplish His holy will." This first visit was the beginning of most cordial relations between Ruysbroeck and Gerard Groote. The latter returned several times to Groenendael and resided there for months together. He also corresponded fre- quently with the holy Prior and the Canons and translated some of our Saint's works into Latin, He read over his MSS. before IRu^sbroech an& (Bcvarb (Brootc 57 publication, and begged him at times to change or modify expressions which might give a handle to the hostile or scandal to the weak. The writings of Ruysbroeck were likewise among those which were the most frequently transcribed and multiplied by the copyists of the Devout Brothers of the Common Life. A few years later one of the most diligent and skilled of these scribes was the future author of the Imitation of Christ. X RUYSBROECK AND WiNDESHEIM In fact, widespread as was the influence of Blessed John Ruysbroeck on . his contem- poraries and incalculable as was the fruit of his writings in the many cloisters, through which they were rapidly diffused, the means by which Divine Providence chose chiefly to preserve and propagate his power was precisely this friendship with Gerard Groote. Gerard continually strove to imbue his own disciples with the spirit which he had im- bibed from the Prior of Groenendael. For himself and for his followers he took as a rule of life the motto of Ruysbroeck, to make it a chief study to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ. "Let the fountain-head of thy 58 IRu^sbroecl? an^ Min^e6beim 59 study and thy mirror of life be first the Gospel of Christ, for there is the life of Christ." The Scriptures should be read rather than the Fathers, and the New Testament more than the Old, for there is the life of Christ. And herein again what is profitable for a devout and spiritual life is to be sought rather than the subtleties of theology and the schools. When a friend of Gerard's, Reinalt Minnen- vosch, pro] ected the founding of a monastery, Groote advised him to establish a Priory of Canons Regular on the model of Groenendael. The Canonry of St. Saviour's at Emstein was the result. At Groote's request, a professed priest came from Groenendael to initiate the new Religious into the Canonical Life ; and later it was at Emstein that the first members of Gerard's own Congregation of Windesheim made their noviciate prepara- tory to Profession. 6o U flDeM^eval flD^stic This was after Gerard Groote's death, but it was in accord with his express desire. Wishful to estabUsh a Rehgious Institute in connection with his Devout Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life, who, whether lay or cleric, were dwelling together without the binding force of the vows, Gerard fixed upon the Order of Canons Regular for this purpose, principally, so Thomas a Kempis assures us, because of his profound venera- tion for the Prior and Brethren of Groen- endael. " He was moved to institute this Ordei' of Regulars chiefly by his singular reverence and love for the venerable Dom John Ruysbroeck, the first Prior of Gro- enendael, and of the other most exemplary Brethren living there religiously in the Regular Order." For further information concerning the Devout Brothers and the Windesheim Canons the reader is referred to the various works IRu^sbioeck anb Min^esbeim 6i which have been pubhshed of late years on the Venerable a Kempis.* Both Brothers and Canons were living examples of the mystic teachings of Ruysbroeck put to the test of daily practice. Flight from the pleasures and vanities of the world, un- bounded humility, constant meditation on the life and especially the Passion of Jesus Christ, the most complete and absolute abandonment to the Divine Will, an intense devotion full of the personal love of God — these were the salient points of Blessed John's example and doctrine, perpetuated and pro- pagated by the works, words, and writings of the Windesheim Canons Regular and their * Especially : Outlines of the Life of Thomas a Kempis. By Sir Francis Cruise. C.T.S. of Ireland. Thomas d Kempis. By the same. London : Kegan Paul. Life of the Venerable Thomas A Kempis. By Dom Scully. London : Washbourne. Thomas A Kempis and the Brothers of the Common Life. By Kettlewell. London : Kegan Paul. Thomas A Kempis, His Age and His Book. By De Montmorency, London : Methuen. 62 a nl^ebi^\)a^ no^stic secular associates, the Brothers of the Common Life. It is scarcely needful to remark also that these are the chief features of the teaching of the Imitation of Christ, that golden little treatise, which, embodying the whole spirit of the School of Windesheim and Groenendael, has carried and still carries light, healing, and consolation to thousands upon thousands who have never so much as heard of either Windesheim or John Ruysbroeck.* * Father Sharpe, in his recent admirable volume, Mysti- cism : Its True Nature and Value, writes thus of the mystic teaching, properly so called, of a Kempis's world-famous masterpiece: " The Imitation of Christ . . . probably owes much of its vast popularity to its constant recurrence to the elementary duties of religion and morality, and its insistence on the necessity of their performance as the prerequisite of the more exalted spiritual states. The ' purgative,' ' illuminative,' and ' unitive ' ways are seen, so to speak, together, and are dealt with as aspects or constituents of the Christian life as a whole, to the completeness of which all three are necessary and, in differ- ent ways, of equal importance. The purely mystical passages are comparatively few and short ; and the abun- IRupsDroecF^ an& Min^e6be(m 63 It may be mentioned here that in 1409 the Priory of Groenendael was instituted the Mother-house of a congregation of that name. But a few years later this congrega- tion, with its dependent Priories, was affihated to the more numerous Windesheim Canons. Thus the twin institutes were merged into one, and the Windesheim Congregation be- dance of practical directions the book contains has some- times caused its mystical character to be entirely over- looked. This disproportion, however, is quite sufficiently to be accounted for by the character of the work, which is that of a directory of spiritual life in general, and not a scientific treatise on any particular department of it. In such a book attempts at describing the indescribable phenomena of mysticism would obviously have been out of place, whereas the practical details of the lower and preliminary states admit of and require minute explana- tion. But the tone of the whole book is mystical, and the most commonplace duties and the most humiliating striv- ings with temptation are in a manner illuminated and glorified by the brilliancy of the result to which they tend. Thus, in point of fact, the higher and lower elements, the mystical and the non-mystical, the purgative, the illumi- native and the unitive, are blended in actual human ex- perience " (pp. 188, 189). 64 a nOebi^val ilD^stic came the direct heir of the virtues and teaching of Blessed John Ruysbroeck. But finally Windesheim was aggregated to the Lateran Congregation of Canons Regular ; and thus it is that to-day the Canons Regular of the Lateran are privileged, with the clergy of Mechlin, to keep with proper Office and Mass the Feast of Blessed John Ruysbroeck. Connected thus intimately with Gerard Groote and Tauler, it is not surprising that Ruysbroeck shares with these, as with a Kempis, Suso, and others, the doubtful honour of being proclaimed in certain quarters as a precursor of the sixteenth- century " Reformation." In support of this position it is easy enough to gather together expressions of the most poignant sorrow and of the most bitter invective for the lax morality of clergy and laity, mendicant friars, and highly placed pre- IRu^ebroecR anb Minbesbeim 65 lates. But the same argument would convict several Popes of being heralds of Luther ! Not to labour the point at un- necessary length in a non-controversial work of this kind, let it suffice to mention the touchstone which never fails to distinguish the genuine reformer from the mere sect- arian : while boldly attacking the vices of those in office. Blessed John Ruysbroeck never assails the office itself. He always speaks in the mqst submissive and reverent terms of the authority of the Church and of the dignity of the priesthood. His writings without exception treat in the orthodox sense on the subject of grace, the sacraments, etc. We have already re- marked his ardent devotion towards the Blessed Eucharist. To this may be added a most tender love for the Virgin Mother of God. Note, finally, his frequent and fervent exhortations to the perfect observ- 5 66 a riDeMfeval flDi^stic ance of the three vows of religion, and one can imagine how comfortable he would feel in the company, say, of Luther and his renegade nun ! XI The Writings of Ruysbroeck Blessed John's writings cannot be called voluminous, and yet for a purely contempla- tive author they are comparatively con- siderable. The list of his works authenti- cated up to the present — for earnest students are at work, and other MSS. may yet be discovered — comprises the following, giving an English equivalent for the Old Flemish or Latin titles : (i) The Kingdom of the Lovers of God ; (2) The Splendour of the Spiritual Espousals ; (3) The Brilliant ; (4) Of Four Subtle Temptations ; (5) Of the Christian Faith ; (6) Of the Spiritual Taber- nacle ; (7) Of the Seven Cloisters ; (8) The Mirror of Eternal Life, or, a Treatise on the 67 68 H fiDcbi^eval flDi^stic Blessed Sacrament ; (9) The Seven Degrees of Spiritual Love ; (10) Of the Supreme Truth ; (11) The Twelve Beguines. And these others are less certainly proved to be his : (12) Of the Twelve Virtues ; (13) Seven Letters ; (14) A Summary of the Spiritual Life ; (15) Two Canticles ; (16) A Short Prayer. Pending a complete and faithful English rendering of all these works, the following descriptive analysis of the principal of them may not prove unacceptable. The Kingdom of the Lovers of God This treatise is a detailed interpretation and a mystic application of the text adapted from Wisdom x. 10 : Justum deduxit Dominus per vias rectas et ostendit illi regnunt Dei in the Breviary Office of a Confessor. Upon these words Ruysbroeck bases a division of his work into five books. The first book ^be MvitiiiQS of IRu^sbroecl^ 69 treats of God, Dominus, His power and sovereignty. In the second Blessed John explains how Christ conducted, deduxit, man into the liberty of the children of God, chiefly by redemption and by the institution of the seven Sacraments. In the third he treats of the just man, justum, and works out eight items which render a man just, both in the active and in the contemplative life. The fourth book expounds the right ways, vias rectus, which lead to the Kingdom of God : the exterior way, namely, the material universe of three heavens and four elements, the con- templation of which should excite man to the praise of the Creator ; the way of natural light, the acquisition of the seven virtues ; finally, the supernatural and divine way, the infusion of the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost. In the last book we have a disquisition on the kingdom of God, ostendit illi regnum Dei, of which we 70 a flDeMa^val HOpstic are told there are five aspects or divisions : the sensible kingdom, exterior to God, in which the author finds scope for a descrip- tion of the last judgment and the qualities of risen bodies, the kingdom of nature, the kingdom of the Scriptures, the kingdom of grace and of glory, and finally the Divine Kingdom itself, which is God. This treatise is full of reflections and considerations of the most elevated order, and there is much therein that is by no means easy to grasp or understand. The Splendour of the Spiritual Espousals For his text Ruysbroeck takes Matt. xxv. 6, Ecce, sponsus venit, exile obviam ei. He makes a division into three books, treating respectively of the active, the interior, and the contemplative life. Each book is further subdivided into four parts, corresponding to ^be Mritings of IRui^sDroecK 71 the four divisions of the text in each stage of perfection as follows. Ruysbroeck ex- pounds and illustrates (i) the role of the vision, ecce ; man must turn his eyes to God ; (2) the divers comings of the Bridegroom, sponsus venit, the manner, namely, in which God approaches the soul ; (3) the going forth of the soul on the path of the virtues, exite ; (4) and finally, the embrace of the soul and the heavenly spouse. In no one work does Blessed Ruysbroeck give a complete account of his mystic teaching ; but if his system were to be examined and explained by any one book, it would certainly be this of the Spiritual Espousals. It has always been considered as his chief work, and in this light also Ruysbroeck himself seems to have regarded it. He sent a copy of it himself to his friends in Germany, and expressed the desire that it might be multi- plied and ma,de known even to the foot 72 a flDeMa^val HD^stic of the mountains. In the four last chapters of the second book the author confutes some current errors of the day, apparently the teachings of Bloemardinne and almost certainly of Eckart. The Brilliant Gerard Naghcl tells us the story of the origin of this treatise. One day Ruysbroeck had been conversing with a certain hermit on matters spiritual, when on parting the latter begged the holy Prior to commit the matter of his discourse to writing for the edification of himself and others. To satisfy his desire, says Naghel, Ruysbroeck com- posed this work, which contains instruction sufficient to lead a man to perfection. The treatise seems a supplement, and in some sense a corrective of the Spiritual Espousals. After a brief description of the means by ^be Mritings of IRu^sbroecf^ 73 which the just man acquires the interior hfe and rises thence to the contemplative, the holy man shows how the precious stone, or white counter, calculus candidus, of Rev. ii. 17, is no other than Christ Himself, Who gives Himself without reserve to contempla- tive souls. God calls all men to intimate union with Himself. But not all men respond to His appeal. Sinners utterly despise the invitation ; while the just respond, though these again in varying degrees. Some keep the commandments chiefly from fear of the penalties attached to transgression ; they are as mercenaries. Others sincerely en- deavour to conquer nature and unruly desires, they have true faith in God, and God is the only motive of their actions ; these are the faithful servants. However, these still suffer many impediments from the exterior life which they lead, and a more intimate union is attained by the intimate friends, whp 74 a flDeM^val HDi^stic observe the counsels as well as the precepts. Finally, the highest degree of union and contemplation is attained by the hidden sons, who are utterly divested of all self-love and self-seeking, and whose life is hidden with Christ in God. Of Four Subtle Temptations In this tract Ruysbroeck inveighs against the chief errors and abuses of his own times. The first, says Ruysbroeck, is love of ease and comfort, indolence, the source of sensu- ality, and luxury, an abuse very prevalent in monasteries and among the clergy. The second is hypocrisy, which, under the cloak of a seeming austerity, claiming even visions and ecstasies, conceals a corrupt interior and depraved morals. The third is the desire to understand everything, to attain to the con- templation of the divine nature by the sheer ^be Mritinos of IRui^ebroecft 75 force of the intellect, without the assistance of God's grace. The fourth and the most formidable is the so-called liberty of spirit, the error and heresy of those who, casting aside all interior effort, pretend to acquire contemplation by ludicrous mortifications, by extravagant bodily posturing, and by a senseless quietism. The third error is that of Eckart, and the fourth was proper to the Brothers and Sisters of the Free Spirit. Ruys- broeck concludes his tract with a discussion of the ways and means of avoiding these snares, viz. by holiness of life, the practice of all the virtues, obedience to superiors and the authority of the Church, and imitation of Jesus Christ. Of the Christian Faith A dogmatic commentary on the Athana- sian Creed. Starting with the principle that 76 a flDebifeval HD^stic the true Christian Faith is indispensable for the union of the soul with God, Ruysbroeck proceeds to explain the chief tenets of our belief, and to show their bearing on the interior life. His explanations are brief, his speculations sublime. The more forcibly to exhort to the practice of virtue, he dwells at considerable length on the last judgment, on the rewards of the just, and on the penalties decreed to each particular class of sinner. His picture here of the happiness of heaven and the sufferings of hell is most apt and striking. Of the Spiritual Tabernacle The most lengthy this of all Ruysbroeck's works. It consists of a mystic interpreta- tion, a long-drawn-out allegory, in which the Tabernacle of the Old Testament is considered as a type of the course of love. ^be iKHrittnas of IRui^sbroecFi n The outer and the inner courts, the altar of sacrifice, the hangings, the pillars and their sockets, the rings, the names of the workmen, the seven-branch candlestick, the brazen laver, the priestly ornaments, the ephod and the twelve stones, the holy oils and the incense, the table of the loaves of proposition, the different sacrifices with the distinction between the clean and the unclean animals, the holy of holies, the ark and its appurtenances, — all are applied with a wealth of detail, which, however, never lacks dignity, and with a wondrous skill to Ruysbroeck's usual three divisions of the exterior moral life, the interior, and the purely contemplative. The Taber- nacle was a subject which naturally lent itself to allegory and to mystic interpreta- tion, and Hugh of St. Victor had already preceded our author, as