Mysticism teaches the true wisdom, he there says, warmly praising this knowledge as “experimental, not doctrinal” (“_sapientia experimentalis et non doctrinalis_”). Dimly the error breaks in upon his mind, that man can have no wish, no will of his own with respect to God; true religion (_vera fides_) is the complete renunciation of the will, the most absolute passivity; only thus is the empty vessel of the heart filled by God, the cause of all; the work of salvation is a “_negotium absconditum_,” entirely the work of God, and He commences it by the destruction of our self (“_quod nos et nostra destruat_”); He empties us not only of our good works and desires, but even of our knowledge, for “He can only work in us while we are ignorant and do not comprehend what He is doing.” Any active striving after virtue on our part (“_operatio virtutum_”) only hinders the birth of the word in our soul.[418] His new ideal of virtue necessarily involves our not striving after any particular virtues; we are not to imitate this or that special virtue of some saint lest this prove to be the result of our own planning, and not God’s direction, and thus be contrary to passivity.[419] Not only will he grant nothing to sexual desire, or allow it anywhere, but even the enjoyment of the five senses (he calls it simply _luxuria_) must be struggled against, and the “sweets of the spirit” be kept at a distance, namely, “_devotiones_,” “_affectiones_,” “_consolationes et hominum bonorum societates_.”[420] In his recommendation of passivity two tendencies unite, the negative influence of the school of Occam, viz. the opposition to human works, and the influence of certain dimly apprehended mystical thoughts. While Luther twists Tauler’s expressions to suit the errors which were germinating in his mind in opposition to Scholasticism, or, rather, to Occamism, he proceeds, according to his manuscript notes in Tauler’s book, seriously to jeopardise free will without, however, as yet actually attacking it. He finds the origin of all evil in man’s setting up against God his own will, and cherishing his own individual intentions and hopes. He thinks he is summing up the whole of Tauler’s doctrine with the words “God does everything in us” (“_omnia in nobis operatur Deus_”).[421] Where Tauler in one of his sermons, obviously speaking of other matters, says: “When God is in all things,” Luther immediately follows up the author’s words with: “_Hoc, quæso, nota_”;[422] the exclusiveness of the Divine being and working appears to him of the utmost moment.