For the first time in one volume in English are the spiritual writings of this outstanding intellectual figure (1401-1464) whose work anticipated modern problems of ecumenicity and pluralism, empowerment and reconciliation, and tolerance and individuality.

Here is the first volume in English which enables the reader to form a vivid impression of the great twelfth-century Paris master, Hugh of Saint-Victor. Among the classical authorities on the contemplative life in the Western world, no one has been accorded higher honor than Hugh. An extraordinary productive writer and teacher, Hugh's influence was felt throughout Europe during his own lifetime. He was the first great writer of dogmatics in the West. The greater part of this volume is devoted to substantial selections from Hugh's great works on the symbolism of Noah's Ark. In these works his aims as one skilled in critical explanation and as a theologian are constantly implicit. The charming later group of works on charity is represented by the first English version of a short piece, On the Nature of Love. From Hugh's unfinished commentary on Ecclesiastes, there is a short passage, The Soul's Three Ways of Seeing. In his full and concise introduction Aelred Squire discusses the more recent studies of the many biographical and literary problems of Hugh's career. He shows the close unity of Hugh's thought by examining his spiritual teaching in its wider theological context.

Volume II contains Anne Dutton's once well-known and widely circulated A Discourse upon Waling with God (1735). Once read and referred to by George Whitefield, it contains spiritual insights for practical daily living. Dutton's hymns and poetry are also included in this volume. Dutton's poetry, A Narration of the Wonders of Grace (1734), was a prominent publication in her day. It contained 1,504 lines of poetry in six parts based on themes of salvation. Her biographer, J.C. Whitebrook, referred to it as her chief literary production. Sixty-one of Dutton's hymns composed on several subjects are also included in that volume. Her biographer, J.A. Jones, noted that these were written for plain and homely folk in the midland countries. Dutton's contribution to evangelical spirituality, poetry, and hymnody in the Baptist tradition is significant.

Simplicity in forms of worship, opposition to violence, concern for social injustice, and, above all, a faith in the personal and corporate guidance of the Holy Spirit are characteristics of the spirituality of the people called Quakers. The author has assembled a comprehensive collection of Quaker writings.

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Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), a Jesuit as well as a leading theologian of the Counter-Reformation, had an enormous effect on the religious life of his age. Here are two of his most influential ascetical works: The Mind's Ascent to God, written in the tradition of Bonaventure and John Climacus, and The Art of Dying Well.

Bernard of Clairvaux, the twelfth-century monk who wrote that "Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, a cry of joy in the heart," was both a mystic and a reformer. His writings reveal a mystical theology that Thomas Merton, a monastic heir to Bernard’s Cistercian reform, says "explains what it means to be united to God in Christ but (also) shows the meaning of the whole economy of our redemption in Christ." Critical of the monastic opulence of his times, Bernard exhorted his monks to consider that "Salt with hunger is seasoning enough for a man living soberly and wisely." Martin Luther believed that Bernard was "the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together." Bernard's zeal and charisma led to the reform of Christian life in medieval Europe. Today it is reported that Pope Benedict XVI keeps Bernard's treatise Advice to a Pope close at hand for spiritual support. Honey and Salt is an original selection for the general reader of Bernard’s sermons, treatises, and letters.

Selected spiritual writings by men and women whose experience and doctrine have helped shape Christianity. Ample introductions give biographical sketches plus historical background.

Scottish naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) helped spark the modern environmental movement. Living for months and even years in the wilderness, he experienced a deep communion with the sacred and his contemplations on the natural world are filled with mystical intuitions of God's reality. This volume contributes to a strain of spirituality that finds an echo in today's environmental movements.