Bonaventure

Capitulum V.

Secundo comparatur status iustorum statui iniustorum in ipso iudicio quoad tria.

Tunc stabunt etc. Hic comparat statum iustorum statui iniustorum in ipso iudicio. Et primo tangit iustorum constantem accusationem; secundo, reproborum coactam confessionem: Videntes turbabuntur; tertio, utrorumque iustam retributionem: Iusti autem in perpetuum vivent.

Primo, de iustorum accusatione.

(Vers. 1.). Tunc stabunt etc., quasi sic: Venient impii ad iudicium timidi; tunc; Glossa¹: « Cum iudicabuntur populi », scilicet in die novissimo; et dicit tunc, indeterminate, quia « de die illa nemo scit », Matthaei vigesimo quarto; item Actuum primo: « Non est vestrum nosse tempora vel momenta, quae Pater posuit in sua potestate ». Stabunt, scilicet qui in praesenti visi fuerant cadere vel iacere; Lucae decimo sexto: « Erat quidam mendicus nomine Lazarus, qui iacebat ad ianuam eius ». Econtra mali, qui nunc videntur stare, tunc iacebunt; Proverbiorum decimo quarto: « Iacebunt mali ante bonos ». Stabunt, inquam, iusti in magna constantia, id est constanter et audacter propter confidentiam, quam habebunt.

Ex septem confidentia Sanctorum in iudicio surget. Ex iustitia causae suae; Iob decimo tertio²: « Si fuero iudicatus, scio, quod iustus inveniar »; item in Psalmo: « Iudica me, Domine, secundum iustitiam meam ». — Secundo, ex sufficientia seu copia probationum; habebunt enim paratam probationem per scriptum instrumentum; Iob trigesimo primo³: « Librum scribat ipse, qui iudicat » etc.; item Apocalypsis vigesimo: « Iudicati sunt mortui ex his quae scripta erant in libris »; item per testes; Iob decimo sexto: « Ecce, testis meus in caelo », scilicet ipse Deus; unde Ieremiae vigesimo nono: « Ego sum iudex et testis, dicit Dominus ». — Tertio, ex fidelitate advocatorum; primae Ioannis secundo⁴: « Advocatum habemus in caelo Iesum Christum »; item Spiritum sanctum; ad Romanos octavo: « Spiritus postulat » etc.; item beatam Virginem; unde clamamus: « Advocata nostra » etc. — Quarto, ex impotentia adversariorum, secundum illud Psalmi⁵: « Non resurgent impii in iudicio », scilicet ad accusandos iustos; Apocalypsis duodecimo: « Proiectus est accusator » etc. — Quinto, ex amicitia et affinitate iudicis ipsorum; Genesis trigesimo septimo⁶: « Caro nostra et frater noster est »; Bernardus: « Puto, spernere me non poterit, os ex ossibus meis et caro de carne mea ». — Sexto, ex benevolentia assessorum, id est Apostolorum; Matthaei decimo nono⁷: « Sedebitis et vos super sedes duodecim iudicantes » etc.; item Iob trigesimo sexto: « Pauperibus iudicium tribuit ». — Septimo, ex familiaritate officialium iudicis, scilicet Angelorum; Matthaei decimo tertio: « Exibunt Angeli et separabunt malos de medio iustorum ».

Adversus eos; Glossa⁸: « Persecutores suos », qui se angustiaverunt; Glossa: « In martyrio », eos personaliter affligendo; ad Hebraeos undecimo: « Angustiati, afflicti » etc. Et qui abstulerunt labores illorum, corporales, scilicet eos per violentiam spoliando, cum tamen Sancti gaudenter haec sustinuerint; unde ad Hebraeos decimo: « Rapinam bonorum vestrorum cum gaudio suscepistis ». Vel: labores, spirituales, eorum fructum auferre conando, scilicet provocando eos ad peccatum; de hoc fructu supra tertio⁹: « Bonorum laborum gloriosus est fructus ». Vel: utrosque simul, secundum Glossam: « Eorum scilicet labores corporales et spirituales vanos et stultos iudicando ».

Secundo, de reproborum confessione tripliciter.

Videntes turbabuntur etc. Hic tangit reproborum coa tam confessionem; et primo tangit motivum ad confessionem talem; secundo, confessionis materiam: Hi sunt, quos aliquando; tertio, confessionis suae approbationem: Talia dixerunt etc. — p. 138 Motivum confessionis tangitur duplex, scilicet afflictio de vera bonorum felicitate, et anxietas de propria infelicitate· Dicentes intra se etc.

(Vers. 2.). Sequitur igitur: Videntes; Glossa¹: « Se de gloria ad poenam perductos, et adversarios suos de poena ad coronam translatos »; turbabuntur timore horribili; Exodi decimo quinto: « Tunc conturbati sunt principes Edom »; item Ezechielis septimo: « Conturbatio super conturbationem veniet », scilicet conturbatio de afflictione reassumti corporis super conturbationem prius habitam de afflictione animae prius cruciatae in gehennalibus flammis. Timore horribili, scilicet propter constantiam suorum accusatorum, de quibus supra eodem². Secundo, propter severitatem divinorum iudiciorum, iuxta illud ad Hebraeos decimo: « Horrendum est incidere in manus Dei viventis »; item infra sexto: « Horrende et cito apparebit vobis ». Tertio, propter praesentiam horribilium tortorum; Iob vigesimo: « Vadent et venient super eum horribiles ». Vel sic: Turbabuntur, propter remordentem conscientiam; timore, propter iudicis irrevocabilem sententiam; horribili, propter suppliciorum praeparatorum et tortorum horribilium visam praesentiam. Et mirabuntur in subitatione, id est subita adeptione, salutis, scilicet iustorum, insperatae, id est non aestimatae ab ipsis impiis, speratae tamen a iustis, secundum illud Psalmi³: « In te speraverunt patres nostri » etc. Gementes, interius, prae angustia spiritus, ex consideratione gloriae et salutis illius, quam perdiderunt; primi Regum quarto: « Ingemuerunt Philisthiim, dicentes: Vae nobis » etc.

(Vers. 3.). Dicentes intra se, dictione interiori, et non vacant exteriori⁴ forte propter vehementiam doloris. Poenitentiam agentes, de malo, quod fecerunt; poenitentiam, sed tardam, sicut poenitentia divitis, de quo Lucae decimo sexto: « Pater Abraham, miserere mei » etc.; agentes, immo potius patientes. Haec est poenitentia desperationis, sicut poenitentia Iudae, de quo Matthaei vigesimo septimo⁵ legitur, quod « poenitentia ductus retulit triginta argenteos ». Et prae angustia spiritus gementes, de malo poenae, quam incurrerunt; Isaiae sexagesimo quinto: « Prae contritione spiritus ululabitis » etc.

Hi sunt, quos aliquando etc. Hic ponit materiam confessionis impiorum confitentium errorem proprium, primo circa iustorum vitam; secundo, circa vitam propriam: Lassati etc.

In prima primo confitentur Sanctorum contemptum praeteritum et irrisionem; secundo, status illorum reprobationem: Nos insensati etc.; tertio, eorum tunc praesentem exaltationem: Ecce, quomodo computati sunt; quarto, suum errorem: Ergo erravimus.

(Vers. 3.). Hi, scilicet irrisoria demonstratione digni secundum iudicium impiorum, sunt, quos aliquando habuimus in derisum, factis et signis; Iob duodecimo⁶: « Deridetur iusti simplicitas »; item in Psalmo: « Omnes videntes me deriserunt me » etc. Et in similitudinem improperii, improperando verbis; in Psalmo: « Improperia exprobrantium tibi ceciderunt super me ». Sed cum improperatur homini opus bonum, quod potius est materia laudis, non est verum improperium, sed similitudo improperii; propter quod dicitur hic: in similitudinem improperii; secundae ad Corinthios sexto⁷: « Per infamiam et bonam famam » etc.; Actuum quinto: « Ibant Apostoli gaudentes » etc.

(Vers. 4.). Nos insensati etc., insensatorum infantium more viventes; insensati, inquam, quia non sentiebamus de rebus, sicut erant; Ecclesiastici decimo sexto⁸: « In his omnibus insensatum est cor »; primae ad Corinthios decimo quarto: « Nolite esse pueri sensibus ». Vitam illorum, id est conversationem, quae erat in paupertate, labore, vilitate, ieiuniis etc.; aestimabamus insaniam. Sic David ab Achis reputatus est insanus, primi Regum vigesimo primo⁹; sic et Christus; Ioannis octavo: « Nonne bene dicimus nos, quia Samaritanus es tu et daemonium habes »? item Ioannis decimo: « Daemonium habet et insanit »; sic nuntius Elisei, quarti Regum nono: « Quid venit insanus iste ad te »? Osee nono: « Scitote, Israel, stultum prophetam et insanum virum spiritualem »; stultum, scilicet in temporalibus, et insanum, secundum iudicium mundanorum. Et finem illorum, id est mortem, sine honore, alicuius scilicet remunerationis; contra quod dicitur in Psalmo¹⁰: « Nimis honorati sunt amici tui, Deus »; item Ioannis duodecimo¹¹: « Si quis mihi ministraverit, honorificabit eum Pater meus », qui in caelis est.

(Vers. 5.). Quomodo ergo computati sunt inter filios Dei? per gratiam; ad Romanos octavo¹²: « Non p. 139 accepistis iterum spiritum servitutis in timore, sed accepistis spiritum adoptionis filiorum » etc.; item Ioannis primo: « Dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri » etc. Et inter Sanctos sors illorum est, id est portio gloriae, de qua in Psalmo¹: « Portio mea, Domine, sit in terra viventium »; item ad Colossenses primo: « Qui dignos nos fecit in partem sortis Sanctorum in lumine ». Et haec sunt contra duo, quae dixerant; dixerant enim vitam Sanctorum insensatam et finem contumeliosum.

(Vers. 6.). Ergo erravimus etc. Concludunt sibi ipsis; unde verificatum est illud Psalmi²: « Infirmatae sunt contra eos linguae eorum ». Erravimus, inquiunt; falsa enim pro veris approbaverunt; Augustinus³ autem dicit, quod « falsa pro veris approbare erroris proprium est »; Isaiae decimo nono: « Errare fecerunt Aegyptum in omni opere suo, sicut errat ebrius et vomens ». A via veritatis; Glossa: « Evangelii divinae legis », ad credendum; Isaiae quinquagesimo tertio: « Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus; unusquisque in viam suam declinavit ». Et iustitiae lumen, ad operandum; iustitiae lumen, intransitive, id est iustitia, quae lux est, secundum illud Psalmi⁴: « Lux orta est iusto »; item Proverbiorum quarto: « Iustorum semita quasi lux splendens » etc. Non luxit nobis; Isaiae quinquagesimo nono: « Exspectavimus lucem, et ecce tenebrae »! Haec fuit causa erroris eorum, sicut defectus luminis est causa deviationis. Et sol intelligentiae, scilicet ad inflammandum; Glossa⁵: « Christus, sol iustitiae, qui oritur timentibus Deum », ut habetur Malachiae ultimo; non est ortus nobis. Notandum, quod non est defectus ex parte solis, sed ex parte ipsorum in tenebris iacentium nec surgere volentium nec oculos aperire quaerentium; Psalmus⁶: « Supercecidit ignis », invidiae, « et non viderunt solem », iustitiae. Sol quidem materialis oritur bonis et malis, ut patet Matthaei quinto: « Qui solem suum oriri facit super bonos et malos », sed sol intelligentiae solis bonis oritur, ut patet hic.

Christus autem dicitur sol, quia sol dicitur quasi solus lucens⁷; Christus autem singulariter lucet, id est prae omnibus aliis tanquam lux mundi et oculus; Ioannis primo: « Erat lux vera, quae illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum », etiam illuminatione cognitionis naturalis. « Ipse enim est magister, qui cathedram habens in caelis, corda hominum docet in terris », ut dicit Augustinus⁸. Item Ioannis octavo: « Ego sum lux mundi ». — Item, quia illuminatione lunae, id est Ecclesiae; Ecclesiastici quinquagesimo: « Sicut luna plena in diebus suis lucet », scilicet ex irradiatione solis. — Item, quia est fons totius caloris, id est amoris spiritualis; Psalmus⁹: « In sole posuit tabernaculum suum »; et post: « Non est qui se abscondat a calore eius »; secundo Machabaeorum primo: « Tempus affuit, quo sol refulsit, qui prius erat in nubilo; et accensus est ignis magnus » etc.; item Lucae duodecimo: « Ignem veni mittere in terram », id est calorem. — Item, quia ipse est pater plantarum spiritualium, id est totius pullulationis spiritualis; Ioannis decimo quinto: « Qui manet in me, et ego in eo, hic fert fructum multum, quia sine me nihil potestis facere ». — Sol autem intelligentiae dicitur, quia solo oculo intelligentiae lux eius apprehenditur, quia per eius radium, scilicet per spiritum intellectus, intelligentia illuminatur¹⁰.

Lassati sumus etc. Hic tangit confessionem erroris impiorum circa propriam vitam; et primo confitentur propriae vitae laboriositatem; secundo, caecitatem: Viam autem Domini; tertio, inutilitatem: Quid profuit nobis etc.; quarto, instabilitatem: Transierunt.

(Vers. 7.). Lassati igitur sumus, virtute nostra, in via iniquitatis, quoad culpam in praesenti; Ieremiae nono¹¹: « Ut inique agerent, laboraverunt »; et perditionis, quoad poenam in futuro; Proverbiorum secundo: « Impii de terra perdentur, et qui inique agunt auferentur ex ea ». Nec mirum, si lassati sumus virtute nostra, quia ambulavimus vias difficiles, de sui natura, scilicet vias peccatorum, quae multum affligunt animam in praesenti per conscientiae remorsum. Non enim patitur ordo divinae iustitiae, ut vel ad momentum sit culpa sine poena. p. 140 Unde Augustinus¹: « Iussisti, Domine, et sic est, ut poena sibi sit inordinatus animus »; Ecclesiastici vigesimo primo: « Via peccantium complanata lapidibus ».

Sed contra: Matthaei septimo²: « Lata porta et spatiosa est via, quae ducit ad perditionem ».

Dicendum, quod facilis est in ingressu, quasi strata floribus, scilicet praesentis delectationis dulcore et temporali iucunditate; sed difficilis in progressu propter remorsum conscientiae; difficilior in egressu propter separationem a praesenti voluptate; sed difficillima post egressum propter tormentum gehennae.

Viam autem Domini, scilicet qua Dominus venit ad nos, qua nos imus ad eum, scilicet caritatem, secundum illud Apostoli primae ad Corinthios duodecimo³: « Adhuc excellentiorem viam vobis demonstro »; ignoravimus, scilicet ignorantia crassa et affectata; unde Iob vigesimo primo: « Qui dicunt Deo: Recede a nobis, scientiam viarum tuarum nolumus ». Ignorans tali ignorantia « ignorabitur », ut dicit Apostolus primae ad Corinthios decimo quarto.

(Vers. 8.). Quid nobis profuit superbia? scilicet in honorum excellentia, quasi dicat: nihil; immo potius nocuit, quia dicitur in Psalmo⁴: « Retribuet abundanter facientibus superbiam »; Proverbiorum decimo sexto: « Contritionem praecedit superbia »; Lucae primo: « Dispersit superbos mente cordis sui ». Aut divitiarum iactantia, scilicet de exteriorum bonorum abundantia, quid contulit nobis? quasi dicat: nihil; Ecclesiastae quinto: « Qui amat divitias fructum non capiet ex eis »; item Lucae sexto: « Vae! vobis divitibus » etc.

Transierunt etc. Hic tangit confessionem instabilitatis status reproborum sub multiplici metaphora⁵: primo sub metaphora umbrae; secundo, nuntii: Tanquam nuntius; tertio, navis: Et tanquam navis; quarto, avis: Aut avis; quinto, sagittae: Aut tanquam sagitta.

(Vers. 9. 10.). Transierunt omnia illa, scilicet divitiae, deliciae et honores saecularis potentiae; unde primae Ioannis secundo⁶: « Omne, quod est in mundo » etc., et ibidem infra: « Transit mundus et concupiscentia eius »; id est concupiscibilia, quae in eo sunt, scilicet quantum ad exteriorem figuram, non quoad substantiam; unde primae ad Corinthios septimo: « Praeterit figura huius mundi ». Velut umbra, scilicet mentem obscurando; Ecclesiastici trigesimo quarto: « Quasi qui apprehendit umbram et persequitur ventum, sic qui attendit ad visa mendacia », quia anima ex conversione sui ad terrena obscuratur et eclipsatur per interpositionem terrae inter eam et verum solem⁷. — Et tanquam nuntius praecurrens, suo transitu mentem amovendo; Iob nono⁸: « Dies mei velociores fuerunt cursore ». — Et tanquam navis, quae pertransit fluctuantem aquam, tribulationes multas sustinendo; Lucae decimo⁹: « Turbaris erga plurima ». Cuius cum praeterierit, non est vestigium invenire, scilicet in aqua; Proverbiorum trigesimo: « Tria sunt mihi difficilia etc., via navis in medio mari ». Neque semitam carinae illius in fluctibus, id est parvae navis, quae maiorem navem solet comitari ad evasionem periculi. Vel: carina potest dici media pars vel medius locus navis, secundum illos versus:

Prora prior pars est navis, pars ultima puppis. Dic latus esse ratem, ventrem dic esse carinam.

(Vers. 11. 12.). Aut avis, scilicet cor in superbiam et lasciviam exaltando; Proverbiorum decimo¹⁰: « Qui innititur mendaciis, hic pascit ventos; idem autem sequitur aves volantes ». Quae transvolat in aëre, scilicet velociter, cuius nullum invenitur argumentum, scilicet certum signum, itineris illius; sed tantum sonitus, auditur, sonitus, inquam, alarum verberans levem ventum, id est aërem motum, secundum illud Damasceni¹¹: « Ventus est aër motus »; et scindens, id est dividens, per vim itineris aërem, scilicet quietum. Sic sonus levis famae impios comitatur, secundum illud Psalmi¹²: « Vocaverunt nomina sua in terris suis »; Isaiae decimo octavo: « Vae! terrae cymbalo alarum » etc. Commotisque alis transvolavit, scilicet ad locum alterum; Osee nono: « Ephraim quasi avis avolavit ». Et post hoc nullum signum, id est certum indicium, invenitur itineris illius; Proverbiorum trigesimo: « Tria mihi sunt difficilia etc., via aquilae in caelo »; item Iob vigesimo octavo: « Semitam ignoravit avis, nec intuitus est eam oculus vulturis ». — Aut tanquam sagitta, scilicet cor letaliter p. 141 vulnerando; emissa in locum destinatum, a sagittario; Proverbiorum septimo¹: « Donec transfigat sagitta iecur ». Divisus aër, scilicet per motum sagittae, continuo in se reclusus est, ut ignoretur transitus illius; Glossa: « Quia nulla sui reliquit vestigia ».

(Vers. 13.). Sic et nos nati continuo desivimus esse, id est cito post nativitatem; vel: statim desivimus, id est desinere incipimus, secundum illud Augustini²: « Quid est vita nostra nisi continuus cursus ad mortem »? Glossa: « Sic etiam vitae huius incertus et instabilis est cursus »; Iob decimo quarto: « Homo natus de muliere etc., et fugit velut umbra ». Vel: desinimus esse continuo, per peccandi accelerationem³. Et virtutis quidem nullum signum valuimus ostendere, scilicet in vita nostra per bonam conversationem; Marci ultimo⁴: « Signa eos qui crediderint, haec sequentur »; ad Galatas ultimo: « Stigmata Domini Iesu in corpore meo porto ». In malignitate enim nostra consumti sumus, per impoenitentiam finalem; Iob decimo tertio: « Qui quasi putredo consumendus sum »; Ioannis octavo: « In peccato vestro moriemini ».

Talia dixerunt etc. Ecce, confirmatio confessionis eorum per exempla convenientia, primo per exemplum lanuginis; secundo, spumae: Et tanquam spuma; tertio, fumi: Et tanquam fumus; quarto, hospitis: Et tanquam memoria hospitis.

(Vers. 14.). Talia ergo dixerunt in inferno hi qui peccaverunt; dixerunt, inquam, dictione interiori per conscientiae remorsum, etsi non forte dictione exteriori, cum sint in inferno sine corporibus usque in diem iudicii et sine organis corporeis, licet non sine potentiis organorum; Lucae decimo sexto⁵: « Elevans oculos », id est potentiam visivam, quae organis oculorum usa fuerat in praesenti.

In inferno etc. Quomodo sciebat auctor iste, quod ita dixerunt in inferno? cum nunquam ibi fuisset, nec alius inde venisset, qui ei retulisset; unde supra capitulo secundo⁶: « Non est agnitus qui reversus sit ab inferis ».

Potest dici, quod hoc sciebat per revelationem Spiritus sancti, quia, secundum Ambrosium⁷, omne verum, a quocumque dicatur, Spiritu sancto dictante, profertur; item secundae Petri primo: « Spiritu sancto inspirati, locuti sunt sancti Dei homines ». Vel: Dixerunt, id est, dicere potuerunt.

(Vers. 15.). Quoniam etc., quasi dicat: et verum dixerunt, quoniam spes impii, id est, temporalis prosperitas, in qua spem ponunt impii; Isaiae vigesimo octavo⁸: « Posuimus mendacium spem nostram »; tanquam lanugo, id est flos cardui, quoad carnis fragilitatem; quae a vento tollitur, id est modico flatu; Glossa: « Lanugo carnis fragilitatem exprimit, quae a vento aegritudinis vel molestia cito tollitur »; Isaiae quadragesimo: « Omnis caro foenum ». Et bene comparatur carnis fragilitas flori cardui, quia caro spinas et tribulos tentationum generat; unde Genesis tertio⁹: « Spinas et tribulos germinabit tibi ». Et tanquam spuma gracilis, ex agitatione aquarum generata, quae a procella dispergitur. Tanquam spuma etc., dicit quantum ad iactantiae vanitatem; unde Glossa¹⁰: « Hic est appetitus humani favoris et iactantiae vulgaris, quae a procella dispergitur tribulationis et adversitatis alicuius praesentis, vel aeternae »; Osee decimo: « Transire fecit Samaria regem suum, sicut transit spuma super faciem aquae »; item Ieremiae vigesimo tertio: « Ecce, turbo dominicae indignationis egredietur, et tempestas erumpens super caput impiorum veniet ». Et tanquam fumus, qui a vento diffusus est, quantum ad vitae brevitatem; Iacobi quarto¹¹: « Quae est vita vestra? Vapor est ad modicum parens »; a vento diffusus est; quia enim in altum tollitur, evanescere cogitur, iuxta illud Psalmi: « Mox ut honorificati fuerint et exaltati, deficientes quemadmodum fumus deficient »; Glossa: « Sicut fumus vento dissolvitur, sic humana vita temporum mutatione ». Et tanquam memoria hospitis unius diei praetereuntis, quantum ad famae modicam durationem; Iob decimo tertio¹²: « Memoria vestra comparabitur cineri ». p. 142 Hospiti comparat hominem in hac vita existentem, quia peregrini et hospites quasi in aliena domo sumus, secundum illud Psalmi: « Advena sum ego apud te et peregrinus, sicut omnes patres mei »; item ad Hebraeos undecimo: « Confitentes, quia peregrini » etc. Praetereunti, quia de vita ad mortem transimus; Threnorum primo¹: « O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam » etc.; item, Ecclesiastae primo: « Generatio praeterit » etc. Unius diei, quia parum hic stamus; unde ad Hebraeos decimo tertio: « Non habemus hic manentem civitatem » etc.

Tertio, de iustorum et reproborum retributione dupliciter.

Iusti autem in perpetuum. Hic ponit iustorum et reproborum condignam retributionem, et primo, praemium iustorum; secundo, supplicium reproborum: Et accipiet armaturam. — Iustorum praemium duplex tangit: primo, pro operatione boni; et secundo, pro victoria mali: Ideo accipient etc.

(Vers. 16.). Iusti autem etc., quasi dicat: talis est vita et mors impiorum; autem, pro sed. Iusti, e contrario, in perpetuum vivent; Glossa²: « Vivent vita aeterna », de qua Ioannis decimo septimo: « Haec est vita aeterna » etc. Et apud Dominum, id est in ipso Domino per spem, secundum Glossam; in Psalmo: « Mihi autem adhaerere Deo », scilicet per caritatem, « bonum est, ponere in Domino Deo spem meam »; est merces eorum; Glossa³: « Laboris praemium »; ipse enim est merces Sanctorum; Genesis decimo quinto: « Ego protector tuus sum et merces tua magna nimis »; item Numerorum decimo octavo: « Ego pars et hereditas tua in medio filiorum Israel ». Et cogitatio eorum etc., quasi dicat: et merito apud Dominum est merces eorum, quia cogitatio eorum, id est tota sollicitudo et intentio eorum per fidem, apud Altissimum, secundum illud Psalmi⁴: « Iacta cogitatum tuum in Domino » etc. Vel: cogitatio, id est agnitio intellectus eorum, apud Altissimum, solum; iusti enim solum de Deo, vel de iis quae ad ipsum habendum conferunt, cogitant, iuxta illud primae ad Corinthios septimo: « Quae sine viro est mulier cogitat quae Domini sunt ».

(Vers. 17.). Et quia tales sunt in praesenti; ideo accipient regnum decoris, id est regnum decorum quantum ad auream sive essentiale praemium; Matthaei quinto⁵: « Beati pauperes » etc. Et diadema speciei, id est speciosum; Glossa: « Devicto hoste »; et hoc quantum ad aureolam sive quantum ad praemium accidentale; secundae ad Timotheum quarto: « Reposita est mihi corona iustitiae ». De utroque Exodi vigesimo quinto. De manu Dei, vel Domini; Glossa⁶: « Id est a Christo, qui dicitur manus et brachium et dextera Dei Patris ». Est enim manus operando: « Omnia namque per ipsum facta sunt », Ioannis primo; brachium protegendo, secundum illud Psalmi: « Brachium meum confortabit eum »; dextera praemiando; Matthaei vigesimo quinto: « Statuet oves a dextris ». Quoniam dextera sua teget eos; Glossa⁷: « Hic et in futuro », ab ira superni iudicis; Isaiae quadragesimo nono: « In umbra manus suae protexit me »; Ecclesiastici trigesimo quarto: « Tegimen ardoris et umbraculum meridiani ». Et brachio sancto suo, id est suae sanctae potentiae, defendet illos, scilicet ab omni impugnatione adversarii, secundum illud Psalmi: « Dominus defensor vitae meae, a quo trepidabo »?

Et accipiet armaturam etc. Hic tangit supplicium reproborum sub metaphora regis arma moventis contra suos adversarios. Et primo describit regis propositum; secundo, eius apparatum: Induet etc.; tertio, bellum: Ibunt directe; quarto, belli effectum: Et ad eremum perducet; quinto, belli remedium: Melior est sapientia.

(Vers. 18.). Et accipiet armaturam, scilicet contra adversarios, zelus illius; Proverbiorum sexto⁸: « Zelus et furor viri non parcet in die vindictae ». « Arma autem eius sunt veritas, iustitia et iudicium », secundum Glossam. Et armabit creaturam, scilicet tanquam exercitum suum, secundum illud infra decimo sexto: « Creatura tibi Factori deserviens exardescit adversus iniustos »; ad ultionem inimicorum; Psalmus: « Deus ultionum » etc.

(Vers. 19. 20. 21.). Induet pro thorace iustitiam; loricae comparatur iustitia sive thoraci, quia, sicut lorica totum corpus protegit, sic iustitia undique animam; unde secundae ad Corinthios sexto⁹: « Per arma iustitiae a dextris et a sinistris »; Isaiae quinquagesimo nono: « Iustitia indutus est pro lorica ». Et accipiet pro galea iudicium rectum, vel certum; iudicium rectum, id est discretio, et comparatur galeae, quae munimentum est capitis, id est p. 143 rationis; Proverbiorum decimo sexto: « Divinatio in labiis regis, in iudicio non errabit os suum ». — Sumet scutum inexpugnabile aequitatem; scuto, quod defendit loricam, comparatur aequitas, quia iustitiam facit irreprehensibilem; Isaiae undecimo¹: « Arguet in aequitate pro mansuetis terrae ». — Acuet autem diram iram; diram dicit ad differentiam irae levis, qua modo irascitur; in lanceam; ira Dei lanceae comparatur, quia attinget etiam quaecumque remota et penetrabit; Ezechielis vigesimo primo: « Gladius exacutus » etc.; item Exodi decimo quinto: « Misisti iram tuam, quae devoravit eos sicut stipulam ». Et pugnabit cum illo orbis terrarum contra insensatos; Gregorius²: « Offenso Creatore, omnis creatura offenditur »; Glossa: « Creator per creaturam sibi subiectam corripit delinquentes ». Horribile bellum erit illud, de quo Iob quadragesimo: « Memento belli, nec ultra addas loqui ».

Ibunt directe etc. Hic describit bellum novissimum secundum diversas acies creaturarum. Et primo introducit ignem impios debellantem et expugnantem; secundo, aërem: Et a petrosa; tertio, aquam: Et candescet³; quarto, ventum seu turbinem de terra procedentem: Contra illos stabit spiritus virtutis.

(Vers. 22.). Ibunt ergo, scilicet contra illos, directe emissiones fulgurum; Glossa⁴: « Pro voto, id est pro voluntate ductoris »; Ecclesiastici quadragesimo tertio: « Accelerat coruscationes emittere iudicii sui »; item in Psalmo: « Fulgura coruscationem, et dissipabis eos ». Et tanquam a bene curvato arcu nubium, id est tanquam iridis lineae depressae, sole superveniente, exterminabuntur impii; quasi dicat: sicut cito et faciliter dissolvitur arcus caelestis, sic impii cito et faciliter exterminabuntur, id est, extra terminos vitae praesentis et aeternae ponentur; Baruch tertio⁵: « Exterminati sunt et ad inferos descenderunt »; in Psalmo: « Arcum suum tetendit » etc. Et ad certum locum insilient, scilicet ad malos tantum, ita quod bonos non tangent; supra tertio⁶: « Non tanget eos tormentum mortis ». Ad certum locum; Glossa: « Quocumque necesse sit; non enim potest esse confusum quod divina sapientia est ordinatum »; unde Exodi nono: « In Aegypto terra Gessen nihil mali patiebatur a plagis Aegypto inflictis ».

(Vers. 23.). Et a petrosa ira; petrosa dicitur ira illa propter effectum, quia petris se manifestabit, vel quia infrangibilis et dura sicut petra, vel quia inferetur a Christo, qui petra dicitur primae ad Corinthios decimo⁷: « Petra autem erat Christus ». Plenae mittentur grandines, id est grossae et magnae; vel: plene, id est plenarie sive abundanter; Psalmus: « Ignis, grando, nix, glacies » etc.; Iob trigesimo octavo: « Nunquid ingressus es thesauros nivis »? Apocalypsis decimo sexto: « Grando magna sicut talentum descendit de caelo in homines ». Graeci⁸ autem sic habent: Et tanquam a bene curvato arcu nubium ad certum locum insilient, et a petra iacente ira plenae. Haec littera planior est et videtur verior, cum in Graeco videatur compilatus fuisse liber iste. Et candescet, id est fervebit, in illos, id est contra illos, aqua maris; fiet enim fervidum, turbidum et spumosum; Lucae vigesimo primo⁹: « In terris pressura gentium prae confusione sonitus maris et fluctuum ». Erit enim unum de quindecim signis, secundum Hieronymum, quod mare se eriget super altitudinem montium. Et flumina, id est aquarum dulcium, concurrent duriter, id est fortiter; Exodi decimo quinto¹⁰: « Submersi sunt quasi plumbum in aquis vehementibus ». Vel: Aqua maris, id est amaritudo infernalis, candescet in illos, id est, stridebit et fervescet sicut aqua per iniectionem ferri calidi; Isaiae decimo quarto: « Infernus subter conturbatus est ». Et flumina, scilicet angustiarum, concurrent duriter, quia ibi erit dolor de bonis amissis, pudor de malis commissis, timor de praesentibus suppliciis¹¹.

(Vers. 24.). Contra illos stabit spiritus virtutis, id est fortis ventus, secundum illud Exodi decimo quinto¹²: « Flavit spiritus tuus » etc., procedens de cavernis terrae, secundum illud Psalmi: « Qui p. 144 producit ventos de thesauris suis »; item in Psalmo: « In spiritu vehementi conteres naves Tharsis »; item Iob primo: « Ventus vehemens irruit a regione deserti ». Hic est « spiritus procellarum », de quo in Psalmo. Et tanquam; tanquam est expressivum veritatis, non nota similitudinis; turbo venti, id est impulsus compositus ex contrariis ventis pulvere mixtis, dividet eos etc. Vel: spiritus potest dici sententia iudicis, secundum illud Isaiae undecimo¹: « Spiritu oris sui interficiet impium ». Et tunc ly tanquam nota est similitudinis, non expressivum veritatis, cum dicitur: Et tanquam turbo venti dividet eos, scilicet a bonis; Iob vigesimo septimo: « Tollet eum ventus urens, et velut turbo rapiet de loco suo »; Isaiae ultimo: « Ecce, Dominus in igne veniet, et quasi turbo quadrigae eius ». Et ad eremum, id est locum horribilem et sterilem et omni bono carentem; de tali loco Deuteronomii trigesimo secundo²: « In loco horroris et vastae solitudinis ». Omnem terram, id est terrenos, perducet iniquitas illorum, id est, propria iniquitas, non aliena erit causa, quare illuc perducentur, secundum illud Isaiae quinquagesimo: « Ambulate in flammis, quas succendistis vobis ». Vel secundum aliam litteram³: Terram iniquitatis eorum dicit, quia secundum Psalmum: « Ignis ante ipsum iudicem praecedet », qui superficiem terrae, in qua factae sunt iniquitates eorum, exuret et aridam reddet. Et malignitas, quam exercuerunt, quae sonat in deterius; evertet, id est, causa erit evertendi, sedes potentium, id est regna, civitates et castra, turres et tribunalia; Ecclesiastici decimo⁴: « Sedes ducum superborum destruxit Deus ».

Aliter exponit Glossa⁵ praecedentia, scilicet de praesenti expugnatione impiorum infidelium et haereticorum per Christum et Ecclesiam: coruscatione miraculorum, grandine increpationum, mundatione tribulationum, turbine persecutionum, subversione et ablatione possessorum, depressione potentium.

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Chapter V.

Secondly the state of the just is compared with the state of the unjust in the judgement itself, as to three things.

Then shall stand etc. Here he compares the state of the just with the state of the unjust in the judgement itself. And first he touches on the constant accusation of the just; secondly, on the forced confession of the reprobate: These seeing it shall be troubled; thirdly, on the just retribution of both: But the just shall live for evermore.

First, of the accusation of the just.

(V. 1.). Then shall stand etc., as if thus: The impious shall come to the judgement fearful; then; the Gloss¹: « When the peoples shall be judged », namely on the last day; and he says then indeterminately, because « of that day no one knoweth », Matthew, the twenty-fourth; likewise Acts, the first: « It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power ». Shall stand, namely those who in the present were seen to fall or to lie down; Luke, the sixteenth: « There was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate ». On the contrary the wicked, who now seem to stand, shall then lie down; Proverbs, the fourteenth: « The evil shall lie down before the good ». Shall stand, I say, the just with great constancy, that is, constantly and boldly on account of the confidence which they will have.

From seven things the confidence of the Saints in the judgement will arise. From the justice of their cause; Job, the thirteenth²: « If I shall be judged, I know that I shall be found just »; likewise in the Psalm: « Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice ». — Secondly, from the sufficiency or abundance of proofs; for they will have proof ready through a written instrument; Job, the thirty-first³: « Let him that judgeth write a book himself » etc.; likewise the Apocalypse, the twentieth: « The dead were judged by those things which were written in the books »; likewise through witnesses; Job, the sixteenth: « Behold, my witness is in heaven », namely God himself; whence Jeremias, the twenty-ninth: « I am the judge and the witness, saith the Lord ». — Thirdly, from the faithfulness of the advocates; the first of John, the second⁴: « We have an advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ »; likewise the Holy Spirit; Romans, the eighth: « The Spirit asketh » etc.; likewise the Blessed Virgin; whence we cry: « Our Advocate » etc. — Fourthly, from the powerlessness of the adversaries, according to that of the Psalm⁵: « The impious shall not rise again in judgement », namely to accuse the just; the Apocalypse, the twelfth: « The accuser is cast forth » etc. — Fifthly, from the friendship and kinship of their judge; Genesis, the thirty-seventh⁶: « He is our flesh and our brother »; Bernard: « I think he will not be able to spurn me, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh ». — Sixthly, from the benevolence of the assessors, that is, of the Apostles; Matthew, the nineteenth⁷: « You also shall sit on twelve seats judging » etc.; likewise Job, the thirty-sixth: « He giveth judgement to the poor ». — Seventhly, from the familiarity of the officials of the judge, namely of the Angels; Matthew, the thirteenth: « The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just ».

Against them; the Gloss⁸: « Their persecutors », who have afflicted them; the Gloss: « In martyrdom », afflicting them in their persons; Hebrews, the eleventh: « Distressed, afflicted » etc. And who took away their labours, bodily ones, namely despoiling them by violence, though the Saints bore these things joyfully; whence Hebrews, the tenth: « You took with joy the being stripped of your own goods ». Or: labours, spiritual ones, endeavouring to take away their fruit, namely by provoking them to sin; of this fruit above, in the third⁹: « The fruit of good labours is glorious ». Or: both together, according to the Gloss: « Namely judging their bodily and spiritual labours vain and foolish ».

Secondly, of the confession of the reprobate, in three ways.

These seeing it shall be troubled etc. Here he touches on the forced [sic] confession of the reprobate; and first he touches on the motive for such a confession; secondly, on the matter of the confession: These are they whom we had sometime; thirdly, on the approval of their confession: Such things they said etc. — p. 138 The motive of the confession is touched on as twofold, namely affliction over the true happiness of the good, and anxiety over their own unhappiness· Saying within themselves etc.

(V. 2.). There follows therefore: These seeing it; the Gloss¹: « Themselves brought down from glory to punishment, and their adversaries carried over from punishment to the crown »; shall be troubled with terrible fear; Exodus, the fifteenth: « Then were the princes of Edom troubled »; likewise Ezechiel, the seventh: « Trouble shall come upon trouble », namely trouble over the affliction of the body taken up again upon the trouble had before over the affliction of the soul tormented before in the flames of Gehenna. With terrible fear, namely on account of the constancy of their accusers, of whom above in the same chapter². Secondly, on account of the severity of the divine judgements, according to that of Hebrews, the tenth: « It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God »; likewise below in the sixth: « Horribly and speedily will he appear to you ». Thirdly, on account of the presence of the terrible torturers; Job, the twentieth: « The terrible ones shall go and come upon him ». Or thus: They shall be troubled, on account of a gnawing conscience; with fear, on account of the irrevocable sentence of the judge; terrible, on account of the seen presence of the penalties prepared and of the terrible torturers. And they shall be amazed at the suddenness, that is, the sudden attainment, of the salvation, namely of the just, not looked for, that is, not reckoned on by the impious themselves, yet hoped for by the just, according to that of the Psalm³: « In thee have our fathers hoped » etc. Groaning, inwardly, for anguish of spirit, from the consideration of that glory and salvation which they have lost; the first of Kings, the fourth: « The Philistines groaned, saying: Woe to us » etc.

(V. 3.). Saying within themselves, by an inward utterance, and they are not free for^tr. the outward one⁴, perhaps on account of the vehemence of their grief. Repenting, of the evil which they did; repenting, but late, as the repentance of the rich man, of whom Luke, the sixteenth: « Father Abraham, have mercy on me » etc.; doing penance, nay rather suffering it. This is the repentance of despair, as the repentance of Judas, of whom it is read in Matthew, the twenty-seventh⁵, that « repenting himself, he brought back the thirty pieces of silver ». And groaning for anguish of spirit, over the evil of punishment which they have incurred; Isaias, the sixty-fifth: « You shall howl for grief of spirit » etc.

These are they whom we had sometime etc. Here he sets down the matter of the confession of the impious confessing their own error, first concerning the life of the just; secondly, concerning their own life: We wearied ourselves etc.

In the first they confess first their past contempt and derision of the Saints; secondly, the reprobation of their state: We fools etc.; thirdly, their then present exaltation: Behold, how they are numbered; fourthly, their own error: Therefore we have erred.

(V. 3.). These, namely worthy of a derisive pointing out according to the judgement of the impious, are they whom we had sometime in derision, by deeds and by signs; Job, the twelfth⁶: « The simplicity of the just man is laughed to scorn »; likewise in the Psalm: « All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn » etc. And for a parable of reproach, reproaching them with words; in the Psalm: « The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me ». But when a good work is cast up against a man as a reproach, which is rather the matter of praise, it is not a true reproach, but the likeness of a reproach; on account of which it is said here: for a parable (in similitudinem) of reproach; the second to the Corinthians, the sixth⁷: « By evil report and good report » etc.; Acts, the fifth: « The Apostles went rejoicing » etc.

(V. 4.). We fools etc., living in the manner of senseless infants; fools (insensati), I say, because we did not perceive things as they were; Ecclesiasticus, the sixteenth⁸: « In all these things the heart is senseless »; the first to the Corinthians, the fourteenth: « Do not become children in sense ». Their life, that is, their way of living, which was in poverty, labour, lowliness, fastings etc.; we esteemed madness. So David was reputed mad by Achis, the first of Kings, the twenty-first⁹; so too Christ; John, the eighth: « Do not we say well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil »? likewise John, the tenth: « He hath a devil and is mad »; so the messenger of Eliseus, the fourth of Kings, the ninth: « Wherefore came this madman to thee »? Osee, the ninth: « Know ye, O Israel, that the prophet is foolish, the spiritual man mad »; foolish, namely in temporal things, and mad, according to the judgement of worldly men. And their end, that is, death, without honour, namely of any remuneration; against which it is said in the Psalm¹⁰: « Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable »; likewise John, the twelfth¹¹: « If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour », who is in heaven.

(V. 5.). How then are they numbered among the children of God? through grace; Romans, the eighth¹²: « For p. 139 you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons » etc.; likewise John, the first: « He gave them power to be made the sons of God » etc. And their lot is among the Saints, that is, the portion of glory, of which in the Psalm¹: « My portion, O Lord, be in the land of the living »; likewise Colossians, the first: « Who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the Saints in light ». And these things are against the two which they had said; for they had said that the life of the Saints was senseless and their end ignominious.

(V. 6.). Therefore we have erred etc. They conclude against themselves; whence that of the Psalm² is verified: « Their tongues against them are made weak ». We have erred, they say; for they approved false things for true; but Augustine³ says that « to approve false things for true is the property of error »; Isaias, the nineteenth: « They have caused Egypt to err in all its works, as a drunken man staggereth and vomiteth ». From the way of truth; the Gloss: « Of the Gospel of the divine law », for believing; Isaias, the fifty-third: « All we like sheep have gone astray; every one hath turned aside into his own way ». And the lumen^tr. of justice, for working; the lumen of justice, intransitively, that is, justice, which is light, according to that of the Psalm⁴: « Light is risen to the just »; likewise Proverbs, the fourth: « The path of the just as a shining light » etc. Hath not shone unto us; Isaias, the fifty-ninth: « We looked for light, and behold darkness »! This was the cause of their error, as a lack of lumen is the cause of going astray. And the sun of intelligence, namely for inflaming; the Gloss⁵: « Christ, the sun of justice, who riseth to them that fear God », as is had in Malachias, the last; hath not risen upon us. It is to be noted that the lack is not on the part of the sun, but on the part of those themselves lying in darkness and neither willing to rise nor seeking to open their eyes; the Psalm⁶: « Fire hath fallen on them », of envy, « and they shall not see the sun », of justice. The material sun indeed rises upon the good and the wicked, as is clear from Matthew, the fifth: « Who maketh his sun to rise upon the good and bad », but the sun of intelligence rises for the good alone, as is clear here.

Now Christ is called the sun, because sun (sol) is said as if alone (solus) shining⁷; and Christ shines singularly, that is, before all others, as the light of the world and its eye; John, the first: « That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world », even by the illumination of natural knowledge. « For he is the teacher who, having his chair in heaven, teaches the hearts of men on earth », as Augustine says⁸. Likewise John, the eighth: « I am the light of the world ». — Likewise, because by the illumination of the moon, that is, of the Church; Ecclesiasticus, the fiftieth: « As the moon at the full shineth in her days », namely from the irradiation of the sun. — Likewise, because he is the fountain of all heat, that is, of spiritual love; the Psalm⁹: « He hath set his tabernacle in the sun »; and after: « There is no one that can hide himself from his heat »; the second of Machabees, the first: « The time came that the sun shone out, which before was in a cloud; and there was a great fire kindled » etc.; likewise Luke, the twelfth: « I am come to cast fire on the earth », that is, heat. — Likewise, because he is the father of spiritual plants, that is, of all spiritual sprouting; John, the fifteenth: « He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing ». — And he is called the sun of intelligence, because his light is apprehended by the eye of intelligence alone, since by his ray, namely by the spirit of understanding, the intelligence is illumined¹⁰.

We wearied ourselves etc. Here he touches on the confession of the error of the impious concerning their own life; and first they confess the laboriousness of their own life; secondly, its blindness: But the way of the Lord; thirdly, its uselessness: What hath it profited us etc.; fourthly, its instability: They have passed away.

(V. 7.). We wearied ourselves then, in our strength, in the way of iniquity, as to guilt in the present; Jeremias, the ninth¹¹: « They have laboured to commit iniquity »; and of destruction, as to punishment in the future; Proverbs, the second: « The impious shall be cut off from the earth, and they that do wickedly shall be taken away from it ». Nor is it a wonder if we wearied ourselves in our strength, for we have walked through hard ways, hard of their own nature, namely the ways of sins, which greatly afflict the soul in the present through the remorse of conscience. For the order of divine justice does not suffer that there be guilt without punishment even for a moment. p. 140 Whence Augustine¹: « Thou hast commanded, O Lord, and so it is, that the disordered mind should be its own punishment »; Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-first: « The way of sinners is made plain with stones ».

But on the contrary: Matthew, the seventh²: « Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction ».

It must be said that it is easy in the going in, as if strewn with flowers, namely with the sweetness of present delight and temporal pleasantness; but hard in the going on, on account of the remorse of conscience; harder in the going out, on account of the separation from present pleasure; but hardest after the going out, on account of the torment of Gehenna.

But the way of the Lord, namely that by which the Lord came to us, by which we go to him, namely charity, according to that of the Apostle, the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth³: « I shew unto you yet a more excellent way »; we have not known, namely with a gross and affected ignorance; whence Job, the twenty-first: « Who say to God: Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways ». One ignorant with such ignorance « shall be not known », as the Apostle says, the first to the Corinthians, the fourteenth.

(V. 8.). What hath pride profited us? namely in the eminence of honours, as if he were saying: nothing; nay rather it has harmed us, because it is said in the Psalm⁴: « He will repay them abundantly that act proudly »; Proverbs, the sixteenth: « Pride goeth before destruction »; Luke, the first: « He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart ». Or the boasting of riches, namely over the abundance of outward goods, what hath it brought us? as if he were saying: nothing; Ecclesiastes, the fifth: « He that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them »; likewise Luke, the sixth: « Woe! to you that are rich » etc.

They have passed away etc. Here he touches on the confession of the instability of the state of the reprobate under a manifold metaphor⁵: first under the metaphor of a shadow; secondly, of a messenger: As a post; thirdly, of a ship: And as a ship; fourthly, of a bird: Or a bird; fifthly, of an arrow: Or as an arrow.

(V. 9. 10.). All those things have passed away, namely riches, delights and the honours of worldly power; whence the first of John, the second⁶: « All that is in the world » etc., and in the same place below: « The world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof »; that is, the things to be desired that are in it, namely as to their outward figure, not as to their substance; whence the first to the Corinthians, the seventh: « The figure of this world passeth away ». Like a shadow, namely by darkening the mind; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-fourth: « As one that catcheth at a shadow and followeth after the wind, so also he that regardeth lying visions », because the soul, by turning itself to earthly things, is darkened and eclipsed through the interposition of the earth between it and the true sun⁷. — And as a post that runneth on, removing the mind by its passing; Job, the ninth⁸: « My days have been swifter than a post ». — And as a ship that passeth through the waves, sustaining many tribulations; Luke, the tenth⁹: « Thou art troubled about many things ». Whereof when it is gone by, the trace cannot be found, namely in the water; Proverbs, the thirtieth: « Three things are hard to me etc., the way of a ship in the midst of the sea ». Nor the path of its keel in the waves, that is, of the small boat which is wont to accompany a larger ship for escape from danger. Or: the keel can be called the middle part or the middle place of the ship, according to these verses:

The prow is the ship's fore part, the hindmost part the poop. Say the side is the raft, say the belly is the keel.

(V. 11. 12.). Or a bird, namely by lifting the heart up into pride and wantonness; Proverbs, the tenth¹⁰: « He that trusteth to lies feedeth the winds; and the same runneth after birds that fly away ». That flieth through the air, namely swiftly, of whose passage no proof (argumentum) is found, namely no certain sign; but only the sound is heard, the sound, I say, of the wings beating the light wind, that is, the air in motion, according to that of Damascene¹¹: « Wind is air in motion »; and parting, that is, dividing, the air by the force of her flight, namely the still air. So the sound of a slight fame accompanies the impious, according to that of the Psalm¹²: « They have called their names in their lands »; Isaias, the eighteenth: « Woe! to the land, the winged cymbal » etc. And having moved her wings she hath flown through, namely to another place; Osee, the ninth: « Ephraim hath flown away like a bird ». And after this no sign, that is, no certain indication, is found of her way; Proverbs, the thirtieth: « Three things are hard to me etc., the way of an eagle in the air »; likewise Job, the twenty-eighth: « The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it ». — Or as an arrow, namely p. 141 by wounding the heart mortally; shot at the place appointed, by the archer; Proverbs, the seventh¹: « Till the arrow pierce his liver ». The divided air, namely by the motion of the arrow, presently cometh together again, so that the passage thereof is not known; the Gloss: « Because it has left no traces of itself ».

(V. 13.). So we also being born, forthwith ceased to be, that is, soon after birth; or: we ceased at once, that is, we begin to cease, according to that saying of Augustine²: « What is our life but a continual running to death »? The Gloss: « So too the course of this life is uncertain and unstable »; Job, the fourteenth: « Man born of a woman etc., and fleeth as a shadow ». Or: we cease to be forthwith, through the hastening of sinning³. And have been able to shew no mark of virtue, namely in our life through a good way of living; Mark, the last⁴: « These signs shall follow them that believe »; Galatians, the last: « I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body ». For we are consumed in our wickedness, through final impenitence; Job, the thirteenth: « Who am to be consumed as rottenness »; John, the eighth: « You shall die in your sin ».

Such things they said etc. Behold, the confirmation of their confession through fitting examples, first through the example of down; secondly, of froth: And as froth; thirdly, of smoke: And as smoke; fourthly, of a guest: And as the remembrance of a guest.

(V. 14.). Such things then they said in hell, these who sinned; they said, I say, by an inward utterance through the remorse of conscience, though perhaps not by an outward utterance, since they are in hell without bodies until the day of judgement and without bodily organs, though not without the powers of the organs; Luke, the sixteenth⁵: « Lifting up his eyes », that is, the power of sight, which had used the organs of the eyes in the present.

In hell etc. How did this author know that they said thus in hell? since he had never been there, nor had another come from there who might have reported it to him; whence above in the second chapter⁶: « There hath been no man known to have returned from hell ».

It can be said that he knew this through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, because, according to Ambrose⁷, every truth, by whomever it be said, is uttered at the dictation of the Holy Spirit; likewise the second of Peter, the first: « The holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit ». Or: They said, that is, they could have said.

(V. 15.). For etc., as if he were saying: and they said truly, for the hope of the impious, that is, temporal prosperity, in which the impious place their hope; Isaias, the twenty-eighth⁸: « We have placed our hope in lies »; is as down, that is, the flower of the thistle, as to the frailty of the flesh; which is blown away by the wind, that is, by a slight breath; the Gloss: « Down expresses the frailty of the flesh, which is quickly taken away by the wind of sickness or by trouble »; Isaias, the fortieth: « All flesh is grass ». And the frailty of the flesh is well compared to the flower of the thistle, because the flesh brings forth the thorns and thistles of temptations; whence Genesis, the third⁹: « Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ». And as a thin froth, generated from the agitation of the waters, which is dispersed by the storm. As froth etc., he says as to the vanity of boasting; whence the Gloss¹⁰: « This is the appetite for human favour and for vulgar boasting, which is dispersed by the storm of some tribulation and adversity, present or eternal »; Osee, the tenth: « Samaria hath made her king to pass, as froth passeth upon the face of the water »; likewise Jeremias, the twenty-third: « Behold the whirlwind of the Lord's indignation shall come forth, and a tempest shall break out and come upon the head of the impious ». And as smoke which is scattered abroad by the wind, as to the shortness of life; James, the fourth¹¹: « What is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while »; is scattered abroad by the wind; for because it is lifted on high, it is forced to vanish, according to that of the Psalm: « Presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, they shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke »; the Gloss: « As smoke is dissolved by the wind, so human life by the change of the times ». And as the remembrance of a guest of one day that passeth by, as to the slight duration of fame; Job, the thirteenth¹²: « Your remembrance shall be compared to ashes ». p. 142 He compares man existing in this life to a guest, because we are pilgrims and guests as in another's house, according to that of the Psalm: « I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were »; likewise Hebrews, the eleventh: « Confessing that they are pilgrims » etc. That passeth by, because we pass over from life to death; Lamentations, the first¹: « O all ye that pass by the way » etc.; likewise Ecclesiastes, the first: « One generation passeth away » etc. Of one day, because we stay here but a little; whence Hebrews, the thirteenth: « We have not here a lasting city » etc.

Thirdly, of the retribution of the just and of the reprobate, in two ways.

But the just for evermore. Here he sets down the condign retribution of the just and of the reprobate, and first, the reward of the just; secondly, the penalty of the reprobate: And he will take armour. — He touches on a twofold reward of the just: first, for the doing of good; and secondly, for the victory over evil: Therefore shall they receive etc.

(V. 16.). But the just etc., as if he were saying: such is the life and death of the impious; but (autem), for sed. The just, on the contrary, shall live for evermore; the Gloss²: « They shall live with eternal life », of which John, the seventeenth: « This is eternal life » etc. And with the Lord, that is, in the Lord himself through hope, according to the Gloss; in the Psalm: « But it is good for me to adhere to my God », namely through charity, « to put my hope in the Lord God »; is their reward; the Gloss³: « The prize of their labour »; for he himself is the reward of the Saints; Genesis, the fifteenth: « I am thy protector and thy reward exceeding great »; likewise Numbers, the eighteenth: « I am thy portion and inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel ». And the thought of them etc., as if he were saying: and deservedly is their reward with the Lord, because their thought, that is, all their solicitude and intention through faith, is with the most High, according to that of the Psalm⁴: « Cast thy thought upon the Lord » etc. Or: the thought, that is, the knowing of their understanding, is with the most High, alone; for the just think only of God, or of the things that help towards having him, according to that of the first to the Corinthians, the seventh: « The woman that is without a husband thinketh on the things of the Lord ».

(V. 17.). And because they are such in the present; therefore shall they receive a kingdom of comeliness, that is, a comely kingdom, as to the aurea, or the essential reward; Matthew, the fifth⁵: « Blessed are the poor » etc. And a diadem of beauty, that is, a beautiful one; the Gloss: « The enemy being overcome »; and this as to the aureola, or as to the accidental reward; the second to Timothy, the fourth: « There is laid up for me a crown of justice ». Of both, Exodus, the twenty-fifth. At the hand of God, or of the Lord; the Gloss⁶: « That is, from Christ, who is called the hand and the arm and the right hand of God the Father ». For he is the hand by working: « For all things were made by him », John, the first; the arm by protecting, according to that of the Psalm: « My arm shall strengthen him »; the right hand by rewarding; Matthew, the twenty-fifth: « He shall set the sheep on his right hand ». For with his right hand he will cover them; the Gloss⁷: « Here and in the future », from the wrath of the supreme judge; Isaias, the forty-ninth: « In the shadow of his hand he hath protected me »; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-fourth: « A covert from the heat, and a shade from the noonday ». And with his holy arm, that is, with his holy power, he will defend them, namely from every assault of the adversary, according to that of the Psalm: « The Lord is the defender of my life, of whom shall I be afraid »?

And he will take armour etc. Here he touches on the penalty of the reprobate under the metaphor of a king taking up arms against his adversaries. And first he describes the king's purpose; secondly, his equipment: He will put on etc.; thirdly, the war: They shall go directly; fourthly, the effect of the war: And shall bring to a desert; fifthly, the remedy of the war: Wisdom is better.

(V. 18.). And he will take armour, namely against the adversaries, his zeal; Proverbs, the sixth⁸: « The jealousy and rage of the man will not spare in the day of revenge ». « And his arms are truth, justice and judgement », according to the Gloss. And he will arm the creature, namely as his army, according to that of below in the sixteenth: « The creature serving thee the Maker is made fierce against the unjust »; for the revenge of his enemies; the Psalm: « The Lord is the God to whom revenge belongeth » etc.

(V. 19. 20. 21.). He will put on justice as a breastplate; justice is compared to a coat of mail or a breastplate because, as the coat of mail protects the whole body, so justice protects the soul on every side; whence the second to the Corinthians, the sixth⁹: « By the armour of justice on the right hand and on the left »; Isaias, the fifty-ninth: « He put on justice as a coat of mail ». And will take right judgement instead of a helmet, or certain; right judgement, that is, discretion, and it is compared to a helmet, which is the defence of the head, that is, p. 143 of reason; Proverbs, the sixteenth: « Divination is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgement ». — He will take equity for an invincible shield; equity is compared to the shield, which defends the coat of mail, because it makes justice irreprehensible; Isaias, the eleventh¹: « He shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth ». — And he will sharpen his severe wrath; he says severe to distinguish it from the light wrath with which he is now angry; for a spear; the wrath of God is compared to a spear because it will reach even all things however remote and will pierce them; Ezechiel, the twenty-first: « A sword is sharpened » etc.; likewise Exodus, the fifteenth: « Thou sentest thy wrath, which devoured them like stubble ». And the whole world shall fight with him against the senseless; Gregory²: « When the Creator is offended, every creature is offended »; the Gloss: « The Creator through the creature subject to him chastises the delinquent ». Terrible will that war be, of which Job, the fortieth: « Remember the battle, and speak no more ».

They shall go directly etc. Here he describes the last war according to the different battle-lines of creatures. And first he brings in fire warring down and storming the impious; secondly, air: And from the stony; thirdly, water: And shall glow³; fourthly, wind, or a whirlwind proceeding from the earth: A mighty wind shall stand against them.

(V. 22.). They shall go then, namely against them, directly, the shafts of lightning; the Gloss⁴: « At pleasure, that is, at the will of the leader »; Ecclesiasticus, the forty-third: « He maketh haste to send forth the lightnings of his judgement »; likewise in the Psalm: « Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them ». And as from a well-bent bow of the clouds, that is, as the lines of the rainbow pressed down, the sun coming upon them, the impious shall be exterminated; as if he were saying: as the heavenly bow is dissolved quickly and easily, so the impious shall be exterminated quickly and easily, that is, they shall be put outside the bounds (extra terminos) of the present and of eternal life; Baruch, the third⁵: « They are cut off, and are gone down to hell »; in the Psalm: « He hath bent his bow » etc. And they shall leap to a certain place, namely upon the wicked only, so that they shall not touch the good; above in the third⁶: « The torment of death shall not touch them ». To a certain place; the Gloss: « Wherever it be needful; for what has been ordered by the divine wisdom cannot be confused »; whence Exodus, the ninth: « In Egypt the land of Gessen suffered no evil from the plagues inflicted on Egypt ».

(V. 23.). And from the stony wrath; that wrath is called stony on account of its effect, because it will show itself in stones, or because it is unbreakable and hard as a stone, or because it will be brought on by Christ, who is called the rock (petra) in the first to the Corinthians, the tenth⁷: « And the rock was Christ ». Full hailstones shall be cast, that is, thick and great; or: fully, that is, plenteously or abundantly; the Psalm: « Fire, hail, snow, ice » etc.; Job, the thirty-eighth: « Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow »? the Apocalypse, the sixteenth: « Great hail like a talent came down from heaven upon men ». But the Greeks⁸ have it thus: And as from a well-bent bow of the clouds they shall leap to a certain place, and from a stone lying, full of wrath. This text is plainer and seems truer, since this book seems to have been compiled in Greek. And shall glow, that is, shall boil, against them, that is, contrary to them, the water of the sea; for it will become boiling, turbid and foaming; Luke, the twenty-first⁹: « Upon the earth distress of nations by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves ». For it will be one of the fifteen signs, according to Jerome, that the sea will raise itself above the height of the mountains. And the rivers, that is, of fresh waters, shall run together harshly, that is, mightily; Exodus, the fifteenth¹⁰: « They sunk as lead in the mighty waters ». Or: The water of the sea, that is, the bitterness of hell, shall glow against them, that is, shall hiss and boil as water by the plunging in of hot iron; Isaias, the fourteenth: « Hell below was in an uproar ». And the rivers, namely of anguishes, shall run together harshly, because there will be grief over the goods lost, shame over the evils committed, fear over the present penalties¹¹.

(V. 24.). A mighty wind (spiritus virtutis) shall stand against them, that is, a strong wind, according to that of Exodus, the fifteenth¹²: « Thy wind blew » etc., proceeding from the caverns of the earth, according to that of the Psalm: « Who p. 144 bringeth forth winds out of his stores »; likewise in the Psalm: « With a vehement wind thou shalt break in pieces the ships of Tharsis »; likewise Job, the first: « A violent wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert ». This is the « wind of storms », of which in the Psalm. And as; the as expresses truth, not a mark of likeness; a whirlwind, that is, an impulse composed of contrary winds mixed with dust, shall divide them etc. Or: the wind (spiritus) can be called the sentence of the judge, according to that of Isaias, the eleventh¹: « With the breath (spiritu) of his mouth he shall slay the impious ». And then the as (ly tanquam) is a mark of likeness, not an expression of truth, when it is said: And as a whirlwind shall divide them, namely from the good; Job, the twenty-seventh: « A burning wind shall take him up, and as a whirlwind shall snatch him from his place »; Isaias, the last: « Behold the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind ». And to a desert, that is, a place horrible and barren and lacking every good; of such a place Deuteronomy, the thirty-second²: « In a place of horror and of vast wilderness ». All the earth, that is, earthly men, shall their iniquity bring, that is, their own iniquity, not another's, will be the cause why they are brought there, according to that of Isaias, the fiftieth: « Walk in the flames which you have kindled ». Or according to another reading³: The land of their iniquity he says, because according to the Psalm: « A fire shall go before the judge himself », which will burn up the surface of the earth, on which their iniquities were done, and make it dry. And wickedness, which they practised, which has the sense of the worse; shall overthrow, that is, shall be the cause of overthrowing, the thrones of the mighty, that is, kingdoms, cities and castles, towers and tribunals; Ecclesiasticus, the tenth⁴: « God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes ».

The Gloss⁵ expounds what goes before otherwise, namely of the present storming of the impious, unbelievers and heretics, by Christ and the Church: by the flash of miracles, by the hail of rebukes, by the cleansing of tribulations, by the whirlwind of persecutions, by the overthrow and taking away of the possessors, by the casting down of the mighty.

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