VIII. Responsum Consiantiae

VIII. Responsum Consiantiae

And again, from the troubled cloud, I heard a voice speaking to this image, saying: 'You are foolish and vain, and you have been abandoned in the great powers of God's gifts.' Therefore, consider. The devil did what he could, and he fell into hell. Adam also did what he could; he tasted, and in every way he was earthly. Even Goliath, though he was mighty, was defeated by a boy who overcame him. But even Nebuchadnezzar, your son, received what he could from you, and what was his end? And how did your other sons come to their end, having received what they could from you? For God, who has given humanity the ability to choose, also grants the knowledge to discern what is honorable and what is dishonorable. God has given both a sword of good knowledge and a rod of bad knowledge. When the flesh thrives and the mind consents to a cause that is useless, by pursuing good, knowledge wields a sword against bad knowledge, while bad knowledge extends its clubs against it; therefore, a person should take care to provide what is beneficial for themselves. God places the location of bad knowledge, and the ladder of good knowledge leads to heaven. For it is the virtue of God. The worst is like death, and since you choose one thing, you despise another. For you descend into the pit, but you reject the ladder of ascent to heaven. * 13. But I saw a fifth image, the form of a man with pale hair, standing naked in the darkness as if in a jar.