Verba Christi ad sponsam de cuiusdam militis retrocessione a vera milicia, idest ab humilitate, obediencia, paciencia, fide etcetera ad falsam, idest ad superbiam et per contrarium, et de sue dampnacionis experiencia et de dampnacionis incursu propter malam voluntatem sicut propter opus.
The Two Masters
Christ contrasts the true call to spiritual warfare with the deceptive, worldly promises of the enemy.
"I am the true Lord." For no lord is greater than I; there was none before me, and there will be none after me, but all lordship comes from me and through me. Therefore, I am the true Lord, and no one can truly be called lord except me alone, because all power comes from me. I told you before that I had two servants, one of whom took up a praiseworthy life with courage and finished it with even greater courage. Countless others followed him afterward in that same life and service. Now I will tell you who it was that first turned away from the profession of the religious life established by my friend. I won't tell you his name, because you don't know him by name, but I will show you what his intentions and his heart's desire were like. A man who wanted to become a soldier came to my temple; as he entered, he heard a voice: 'If you want to become a soldier, you must possess these three things: First, you must believe that the bread you see on the altar is the true God and man, the Creator of heaven and earth. Second, now that you've taken up this spiritual warfare, you must practice greater self-denial regarding your own will than you were accustomed to before. Third, don't concern yourself with the honor of the world, and I will give you divine delight and eternal honor. As he heard these things and pondered the three points within himself, he heard another, most wicked voice in his mind, sounding three things contrary to the first three: 'If,' it said, 'you'll serve me, I'll give you three other things.' I will give you possession of what you see, hearing of what delights you, and attainment of what you crave. Hearing this, he thought to himself: 'That first Lord commands me to believe what I don't see, promises what I don't know, tells me to abstain from the pleasures I see and desire, and commands me to hope for things that are uncertain.' But the other promises me worldly honor, which I can see, and the pleasure I crave, and he doesn't forbid me from hearing or seeing delightful things. It’s certainly better for me to follow him and have what I can see, and to use the things I’m sure of, rather than to hope for things that are uncertain. Thinking this way, the man first began to turn away from the true warfare. He denied his true profession and broke his promise. He cast the shield of patience before my feet, threw aside the sword of the defense of faith from his hands, and in this way left my temple.
The Path of Pride
The soul is instructed in the ways of worldly vanity, leading to a total rejection of the true spiritual life.
That wicked voice said to him, 'If, as I said, you want to be mine, then you must go out into the fields and public squares with all pride, so that just as that Lord commanded His own to have humility in all things, there won't be any kind of ostentation or pride that escapes you.' And just as he entered with obedience and submitted himself entirely to obedience, so you must not allow yourself to be superior to anyone. Do not bow your neck to anyone out of humility. Take up the sword in your hands, so that you might shed the blood of your neighbor and your brother to gain his property! Pick up your shield and arm yourself, so that you might willingly give your life to gain honor! Because of the faith that he has, you must cherish the temple of your own body, so that you don't abstain from any pleasure that delights you! As that man was therefore hardening his will and intention in such things, his prince laid his hand upon his neck in the place appointed for this. No place, whatever it may be, harms anyone if their will is good, nor does it help if their intention is corrupt. But once those words confirming his service were spoken, he walked away, practicing his own kind of service for the sake of every worldly pride, the poor wretch failing to realize that he had been bound to something greater and a more austere life than before. Countless others have followed and still follow this soldier in his pride, and because of their profession as soldiers, they descend even deeper into the abyss.
The Judgment of Intent
Christ explains that the evil will is judged equally, regardless of whether one succeeds in achieving their worldly desires.
But you might ask: since many people want to be exalted in the world and called great, yet don't succeed, will they be punished just as severely for their evil will as those who were able to carry out their every desire? To this I answer you: whoever has a fully formed will to be exalted in the world and to be called by worldly honors and empty titles, and does everything they can to achieve it, yet is prevented from seeing that will realized by my hidden judgment—I tell you for certain that they will be punished for that evil will just as if they had carried it out in action, unless that will is corrected through penance. Look, I'll give you an example of two people, both of whom are well known to many: One of them prospered just as he wanted and got almost everything he desired. The other had the same will, but he didn't have the power to achieve it. The first man gained worldly honor, loved the temple of his own body in every pleasure, ruled as he wished, and succeeded in everything he set his hand to. Another of them, with a similar will, held less honor. He would have gladly shed his neighbor's blood a hundred times over, if only he could have satisfied his own greed. He did what he could, and he fulfilled his own will according to his own desire. These two are equal in their horrific punishment; and although they didn't die at the same time or in the same hour, I speak of the soul of one just as I do of both, because their damnation is one and the same, and the cry of both was one at the separation of body and soul.
The Woe of the Deceived
The soul realizes its eternal ruin upon death, leading to a final warning and a call to gratitude for the bride.
Once the soul had left the body, it spoke to the body like this: 'Tell me, where is that delightful vision of the eyes you promised me now? Where is the pleasure you showed me? Where are the delightful words you commanded me to use?' A demon was soon there and replied: 'The vision you were promised is nothing but dust, the words are nothing but air, and the pleasure is nothing but mud and rot.' These things are worth nothing to you.' Then the soul cried out, "Alas, alas, how miserably I've been deceived!" I see three things. For I see Him who was promised to me in the likeness of bread. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. I see what He has promised, and it’s beyond words and beyond imagining. I hear now that the abstinence he urged was most beneficial. Then, crying out even more loudly with three woes, she said: 'Woe, that I was ever born!' 'Woe, that my life on earth was so long!' 'Woe, that I am to live in eternal death, which can never end!' Look at the misery those poor souls will face for their contempt of their God and for their fleeting happiness! Therefore, my bride, give thanks to me, because I’ve called you out of such great misery! Obey my Spirit and my chosen ones.
Read the original Latin
"Ego sum verus Dominus. Nullus enim dominus est me excellencior, nec ante me fuit nec post me erit, sed omne dominium est a me et per me.
Ideo ego verus sum Dominus, nec aliquis vere est dominus dicendus nisi ego solus, quia a me est omnis potestas.
Dixi tibi prius, quod duos habui famulos, quorum alter vitam laudabilem viriliter assumpsit et virilius consumauit. Quem innumerabiles postea in eadem vita et milicia sequebantur.
Nunc dicam tibi, quis de professione milicie, institute ab amico meo, primo recessit. Nomen eius non dico tibi, quia non cognoscis eum ex nomine, sed intenciones eius et affectum tibi ostendam, qualis erat.
Quidam volens fieri miles venit ad templum meum, qui ingrediens audiuit vocem: 'Si tu vis fieri miles, oportet te habere ista tria:
Primo debes credere panem, qui videtur in altari, esse Deum verum et hominem, celi et terre creatorem.
Secundo debes habere maiorem abstinenciam a voluntate tua post assumptam miliciam quam antea consueuisti.
Tercio non debes curare de honore mundi, et dabo tibi delectacionem diuinam et honorem sempiternum.'
Quibus auditis et ipso secum hec tria deliberante, audiuit in mente sua vocem aliam pessimam, tribus primis tria contraria sonantem: 'Si', inquit, 'volueris michi seruire, dabo tibi alia tria.
Dabo tibi possidere, que vides, audire, que delectant, optinere, que appetis.'
Qui audiens ista cogitauit apud se: 'Ille dominus primus iubet me credere, que non video, promittit, que nescio, iubet abstinere a delectacionibus, quas desidero et video, iubet sperare incerta.
Alter autem promittit michi mundi honorem, quem video, delectacionem, quam appeto, auditum delectabilium et visum non prohibet.
Certe melius est michi sequi eum et habere, que video, uti hiis, de quibus certus sum, quam sperare incerta.'
Iste homo sic cogitans cepit primo de vera milicia retrocedere. Ipse abnegauit professionem veram et promissionem irritauit.
Clipeum paciencie proiecit ante pedes meos, gladium defensionis fidei reiecit de manibus suis et sic exiuit de templo meo.
Cui dixit vox illa pessima: 'Si, sicut dixi, volueris esse meus, tunc debes procedere cum omni superbia in campum et in plateas, ut, sicut ille Dominus precepit suis habere humilitatem in omnibus, sic nullum sit genus ostentacionis et superbie, quod te fugiat.
Et sicut ille intrauit cum obediencia et omni se subdidit obediencie, sic nullum tu patere te esse superiorem! Nulli curues per humilitatem ceruicem tuam.
Gladium assume in manibus ad hoc, ut effundas sanguinem proximi tui et fratris tui propter acquisicionem possessionis eius!
Clipeum pone in brachio ad hoc, ut libenter des vitam tuam pro acquisicione honoris!
Pro fide, quam ille habet, tu dilige templum corporis tui, ut a nulla voluptate, que te delectat, abstineas!'
In talibus ergo homine illo firmante voluntatem suam et intencionem, princeps suus imposuit collo eius manum suam in loco ad hoc constituto.
Locus enim qualiscumque non obest alicui, si voluntas fuerit bona, nec prodest, si intencio fuerit praua.
Dictis autem verbis confirmacionis milicie sue, recessit ille, miliciam suam exercens ad omnem mundi superbiam, paruipendens miser, quod ad maiora quam prius et austeriorem vitam fuerat obligatus.
Hunc militem infinite milicie sequebantur et sequuntur in superbia, et profundius propter milicie professionem descendunt in abyssum.
Sed potes querere, quod multi volunt exaltari in mundo et vocari magni sed tamen non preualent: 'Numquid isti propter voluntatem malam eque punientur sicut hii, qui omnem processum iuxta desiderium habebant?'
Ad hoc ego respondeo tibi: Quicumque completam habet voluntatem et facit, quantum potest, ut exaltari possit in mundo et in mundi honore et nomine vano vocari nec tamen propter occultum iudicium meum permittitur effectus voluntati, pro certo dico tibi, quod secundum voluntatem illam malam ita punietur sicut ille, qui compleuit opere, nisi penitencia voluntas corrigatur.
Ecce de duobus, satis notis pluribus, dico tibi exemplum:
Quorum unus iuxta voluntatem suam prosperabatur et fere omnia, que concupiuit, optinuit. Alter eandem voluntatem habuit sed non optinuit posse.
Primus optinuit honorem mundi, dilexit templum corporis sui in omni voluptate, dominabatur, ut voluit, ad omnia, quo misit manum, proficiebat.
Alter eorum, voluntate consimilis, minorem habuit honorem. Qui gaudenter cencies fudisset sanguinem proximi sui, ut cupiditatem suam perficere potuisset.
Qui et fecit, quod potuit, et voluntatem suam iuxta desiderium suum adimpleuit.
Isti duo pares sunt in supplicio horrendo; qui licet non uno tempore et una hora fuerunt mortui ambo, tamen sic loquor de anima unius sicut de duabus, quia ambarum una est dampnacio, una et vox ambarum erat in separacione corporis animeque egressu.
Egressa ergo anima de corpore, ipsa loquebatur ad corpus sic: 'Dic michi, ubi est nunc visio oculorum delectabilis, quam michi promisisti, ubi voluptas, quam michi ostendisti, ubi verba delectabilia, quibus me uti precepisti?'
Affuit mox demon et respondit: 'Visio promissa non est nisi puluis, verba non sunt nisi aer, voluptas non est nisi lutum et putredo. Hec ad nichilum tibi valent.'
Tunc clamabat anima: 'Heu, heu, quam miserabiliter decepta sum! Ego video tria. Video enim illum, qui in similitudine panis michi promittebatur.
Ipse est rex regum et dominus dominorum. Ego video, quod promisit, et hoc est indicibile et inexcogitabile.
Audio iam abstinenciam, quam suasit, fuisse utilissimam.'
Deinde alcius clamabat cum tribus ve: 'Ve', inquit, 'quia nata sum! Ve, quia tam longa fuit vita mea super terram! Ve, quia victura sum in morte perpetua, que numquam potest terminari!'
Ecce quantam miseriam miseri habebunt pro contemptu Dei sui et pro transitoria felicitate! Ideo, sponsa mea, regraciare michi, quia vocaui te de tanta miseria!
Obedi Spiritui meo et electis meis!"
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