LXVI. De peccato desperationis.

LXVI. De peccato desperationis.

Despair indeed harms the body, kills the soul, scorns God, and disregards His judgments. It also admits that there is no help in anything. And within himself he says: What are the things that God has made? And where will I be, except in destruction? Thus, despair is destroyed by every good thing; it is cast away by faith and erased by the law of Scripture, because through these all good things are tested and known, just as everything is exchanged and compared with silver. It doesn't trust in God, nor does it believe in Him; it doesn't understand, and it doesn't know what it is. And since it is such, God destroys it in all things and above all things. For if a tree doesn't have vitality within itself, it wouldn't be a tree; and if a fruit-bearing tree doesn't bloom, it won't bear fruit. In the same way, a person without the vitality of faith is nothing, and without understanding of doctrine and Scripture, they bear no fruit. Therefore, the circuit of a person's heart, in which deadly things are formed through despair, is destroyed by divine power, because God casts away despair, and no creature rejoices in it. These things are said about the souls of the repentant, to be purified and saved, and they are faithful; let the faithful pay attention to these and keep them in mind as they reflect on good knowledge. I also saw other spirits of that multitude, and I heard them crying out: "Is there anything great that Lucifer has done?" And we feel one with him. These people are drawn to indulgence, and they encourage one another to satisfy the pleasures of their flesh.