Christus loquens sponse declarat ei, que et qualia sunt arma iniquorum; qui, si gloriauerint se in peccato cum voluntate in eo perseuerandi, gladio seueritatis diuine iusticie terribiliter consumentur.
The Standoff of Wills
Christ contrasts His unwavering commitment to justice with the devil's pride, describing the current state of spiritual warfare.
The Son says: "I stand like a king provoked to battle." The devil, however, stands against me with his army. But my intention and the stability of my purpose are such that, before I would depart from justice by even a single point, heaven and earth and everything in them would fall away first. The devil’s intention is such that, before he would humble himself, he would rather there be as many hells as there are atoms in the sun. And so, some enemies are already nearing judgment, and the distance between us is no more than two feet. Their banner is raised, the shield is on their arm, and their hand is at the sword, but they haven't drawn it yet. My patience is so great that I won't strike unless they strike first.
The Armor of the Wicked
The Lord describes the banner, helmet, shield, and sword of those who persist in sin, revealing the internal state of the unrepentant.
The enemy's banner displays three things: gluttony, greed, and lust. Their helmet is the hardness of their hearts, because they don't consider the punishment of hell, nor do they consider how abominable sin is to me. The openings in their helmet are the pleasures of the flesh and the desire to please the world. For they wander everywhere through such things, and they see what they ought not to see. Their shield, however, is the dishonesty with which they excuse their sin and blame it on the frailty of the flesh. That is why they think nothing of asking for forgiveness for their sins. Their sword is the desire to keep on sinning; it hasn't been drawn yet because their malice isn't yet complete. The sword is drawn, however, when they intend to keep on sinning for as long as they might live. They strike then, when they boast of their sin and desire to remain in that state of sin.
The Sword of Divine Severity
When malice reaches its full measure, Christ’s patience gives way to the sword of justice, leading to the final judgment of the soul.
When their malice has reached its full measure, a voice in my army will cry out, 'Strike now!' Then the sword of my severity will consume them, and each one will endure whatever they have armed themselves with. Demons will seize their souls—demons who, like birds of prey, aren't looking for worldly goods, but for souls, which they will tear apart without ceasing.
Read the original Latin
Filius loquitur: "Ego sto quasi rex prouocatus ad pugnam. Dyabolus autem stat contra me cum exercitu suo. Verum intencio et stabilitas propositi mei est talis, quod antequam a iusticia discederem ad unum punctum, prius celum et terra et omnia, que in eis sunt, caderent.
Dyaboli vero intencio est talis, quod priusquam se humiliaret, prius vellet esse tot infernos, quot sunt athomi in sole. Itaque inimici aliqui appropinquant iam ad iudicium, et non est distancia inter nos plus quam ad duos pedes.
Vexillum eorum erectum est, clipeus est in brachio, manus ad gladium sed nondum extractus est. Tantaque est paciencia mea, quod, nisi ipsi prius percusserint, non percuciam ego.
In vexillo autem inimici tria sunt: gula, cupiditas et luxuria. Quorum galea est duricia cordis eorum, quia non attendunt penam inferni nec attendunt, quam abhominabile est michi peccatum.
Foramina galee sunt voluptas carnis et voluntas placere mundo. Per talia enim discurrunt circumquaque et vident non videnda. Clipeus vero eorum est perfidia, qua excusant peccatum et imputant fragilitati carnis.
Ideo pro nichilo ducunt petere veniam pro peccatis. Gladius eorum est voluntas perseuerandi in peccato; qui nondum extractus est, quia nondum completa est malicia eorum.
Tunc vero extrahitur gladius, quando volunt tam diu peccare, quanto tempore viuere possent. Tunc vero percuciunt, quando gloriantur de peccato et optant in statu peccati permanere.
Cum igitur sic completa fuerit eorum malicia, tunc vox in exercitu meo clamabit dicens: 'Percute nunc!' Et tunc gladius seueritatis mee consumet eos, et quilibet, sicut armatus est, sustinebit.
Quorum animas rapient demones, qui sicut rapaces aues non querunt bonum temporale sed animas, quas sine cessacione laniabunt."
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