Destiny Murphy

“O Soul touched of God, dissevered from sin, in the first estate of grace, ascend by divine grace into the seventh estate of grace, where the soul hath her fullhead of perfection by divine fruition in life of peace. And among you, actives and contemplatives, that to this life may come, hear now some crumbs[1] of the clean love, of the noble love, and of the high love of the free souls, and how the Holy Ghost hath his sail in his ship.”
― Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls

“These souls," saith love, "live of knowing of love and of hearing." This is [the] continual usage of these souls without departing them [therefrom]: for knowing and love and magnifying dwelleth in them. These souls, that be such, cannot find the good nor the evil, nor have knowing of themselves to make judgement whether they be converted or perverted.”
― Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls

“The second point is that this soul saveth her by faith without works. "Ah, Love," saith Reason, "what is this to say?" "That is," saith Love, "that such a soul that is naughted, hath so great inward knowing, by the virtue of faith, that she is thus called in her inwardness to sustain that which faith hath ministered to her of the might of the Father, of the wisdom of the Son, and of the goodness of the Holy Ghost. [So] that nothing wrought may dwell in her thought but passeth swiftly, for the other calling hath taken the house of this naughted soul. This soul can no more work. Oh soothly she hath enough of faith without work to believe that God is good, without comprehending. Thus she saveth her by faith without work, for faith surmounteth all works [by the] witness of Love herself. M. Holy Writ saith, Unde sapiens justus ex fide vivit.[34] Comprehend! This is to say, that righteous man liveth of faith and so do these souls. But this, "that they save themselves by faith without works," and "that they can no more work," it is not meant that they cease from all good works for evermore, and never do any work, but sit in sloth and idleness of soul and body; for those who take it so, they misunderstand it; but it is thus. God is enhabited in them[35] and worketh in them, and these souls suffer him [to] work his divine works in them. What this work is, and how it is, love showeth it in this book; and whatever the bodies of these souls do of outward[36] deeds, the souls that be thus high set, take not so great regard to these works that they save themselves thereby, but only trust to the goodness of God, and so they save them by faith, and believe not nor trust not in their own works, but in all, in God's goodness.[37] N.”
― Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls

“The sixth point is this, that none may her teach." "Now for God," saith Reason, "Lady Soul, say what this is!" "This is to say," saith Love, "that this soul is of such great knowledge that though she had all the knowing of all the creatures that ever had been and shall be, she would think it naught, as in regard of[39] that which she loveth, which was never known nor never shall be known. She loveth more that which is in God, which was never given nor never shall be given, than she doth that which she hath and which she shall have. For though she had all the knowing that all the creatures have that be and shall be, "It is naught," saith this soul, "as compared to that which is, which may not be said.”
― Marguerite Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls