VISIO SECUNDA, cap. XLIV
The Two Tongues of the Testaments
The vision's twin streams of cloud and tongue on either side of the image reveal how the two testaments — of flesh and spirit, of love of God and neighbor — flow from the blessed and the tempted alike, yet converge into one form, teaching the soul to return to its Creator and quell worldly concupiscence through righteous admonition.
And so the same clouds on the right side of the aforementioned image, like two tongues separated from each other, extending from themselves, direct themselves from there, as if like certain streams, into the above-mentioned wheel and toward the same image, because the minds of blessed people, for their prosperity, the two testaments — one indeed according to the flesh, but the other according to the spirit — show as distanced from themselves, yet directed toward themselves, so that those nevertheless agree into one, just as those tongues have one form, and by whose testimonies the world of the earth is filled, they teach a person to look back to his Creator. But in the left part of that image, from the marked clouds in the same place, just as also two tongues somewhat separated from themselves, they turn toward the same wheel and toward the very image, as if by certain streams flowing forth from themselves, signifying that when a person is assailed through diabolical temptations, he should gather into his mind how the two testaments — namely the love of God and of neighbor — which are somewhat distant from each other, since love directed toward God is greater than the love of neighbor, and so should extinguish the wheel of worldly cares and the concupiscence of carnal assaults with the irrigation of just admonition.
Following the Son of God
The faithful follower of the Son of God, strengthened by virtues amid temptations, is confirmed in this path by the words of Isaiah, pointing toward heavenly joys.
Everyone who is faithful, devoutly following in the footsteps of the Son of God, strengthened by the protection of virtues amid temptations so as to reach the heavenly joys — and the words of Isaiah, set forth fittingly to prove the same point.
Read the original Latin
Unde et eaedem nubes in dextra parte praedictae imaginis, tanquam duas linguas ab invicem separatas de se praeferentes, ab eis ut quosdam rivulos in supradictam rotam et versus eamdem imaginem dirigunt, quia mentes beatorum hominum ad prosperitatem suam duo testamenta, alterum quidem secundum carnem, alterum vero secundum spiritum a se distantia, a se directa ostendunt, ita ut tamen illa in unum consentiant, velut linguae istae formam unam habent, quorum testificationibus orbis terrarum repletus, hominem ad Creatorem suum respicere docent. In sinistra vero parte illius a signatis ibidem nubibus, velut etiam duae linguae a se aliquantum separatae, in eamdem rotam, et ad ipsam imaginem quasi quibusdam rivulis de se profluentibus se convertunt, significantes ut cum homo per diabolicas tentationes impugnatur, ad mentem suam quemadmodum duo testamenta, videlicet dilectionem Dei et proximi colligat, quae a se aliquantum distant, quoniam dilectio ad Deum tendens major dilectione proximi est, ac sic rotam saecularium curarum, nec non concupiscentiam carnalium impugnationum irrigatione justae admonitionis exstinguat.
Quod fidelis quisque vestigia Filii Dei devote sequens munimine virtutum inter tentationes roboratus ad gaudia superna perveniat, et verba Isaiae ad idem approbandum congruenter exposita.
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