Caput 7
The Vanity of Worldly Values
A seeker questions the nature of worldly beauty and vileness, prompting the Judge to explain that worldly prosperity is a deceptive sweetness while adversity serves as a bitter but healing medicine.
Then the religious man mentioned earlier appeared in his place and said, "O Judge, I ask you: why are things called 'vile' and 'beautiful' in this world?" Also, why should I hate the beauty of the world, when I am beautiful myself and come from noble stock? “Also, why shouldn’t I exalt myself above others, since I’m wealthy?” Also, why shouldn't I consider myself better than others, since I'm more honorable than they are? Also, since I am good and worthy of praise, why shouldn't I seek my own praise? "Also, if I do favors for others, why shouldn't I demand a reward?" The judge replied, "My friend, the world's vileness and its beauty are like bitterness and sweetness." For the world's vileness—which is the contempt of the world and its adversity—is like a bitterness that is profitable to the righteous for their healing. The world's beauty is its prosperity, and it's a kind of flattering sweetness—false and seductive. Therefore, whoever flees the world's beauty and rejects its sweetness will not come to the vileness of hell, nor will they taste its bitterness, but will ascend to my joy. Therefore, to escape the wretchedness of hell and to gain heavenly sweetness, it's necessary to pursue the world's wretchedness more than its beauty. For although everything I have created is good and very good, you must be especially wary of those things which, when used unreasonably, could provide an occasion for the ruin of your soul.
The Illusion of Nobility and Wealth
The Judge corrects the seeker's pride in ancestry and riches, emphasizing that all are born in equal filth and that wealth is a stewardship to be shared with charity rather than hoarded.
As for why you shouldn't boast about your ancestry, I answer: from your father you received only the vilest corruption and filth, and in your mother's womb you were like a dead thing, entirely unclean. It wasn't in your power to be born noble or common; it was my mercy and goodness that brought you into this light. So, if you are called noble, humble yourself before me, your God, for I am the one who arranged for you to be born of noble parents. Align yourself with your neighbor, for he is made of the same material, even though, by my providence, you have come from a lineage that is high in the eyes of the world, while he has come from a humble one. You, too, must fear more than the average person; the more noble and wealthy you are, the more strictly you'll be held to account, and the greater your judgment will be, since you've received more. As for why you shouldn't be proud of your wealth, I answer: the riches of the world aren't yours, except for what you need for food and clothing. The world was made for this: so that man, having the means to sustain his body through labor and humility, might return to Me, his God—the One he despised when he became disobedient, and for whom he showed no concern, choosing instead to live in pride. If, however, you claim that worldly goods are yours, I tell you for certain that you're essentially seizing by force everything you have beyond what you actually need. For all worldly goods ought to be held in common, and shared out of charity with those in need. You, however, hoard for your own excess what should be given to others out of compassion, even though it's reasonable for some to have more than others, provided they hold it reasonably and distribute it with discretion. Therefore, so that you aren't judged more severely at the judgment because you received more than others, it's best for you not to set yourself above others through pride and hoarding. For just as it's delightful in this world to have more temporal things than others and to have them in abundance, so it's terrifying in the judgment—and beyond measure grave—to have failed to manage even lawful things reasonably.
The Source of True Praise and Reward
The Judge explains that all goodness originates from God, and therefore seeking human praise or temporary rewards for good works is a grave error that forfeits eternal life.
As for why you shouldn't seek your own praise, I answer: No one is good in themselves except for Me alone, God; and whoever is good, is good because of Me. So, if you seek your own praise—you who are nothing—rather than my praise, from whom every perfect gift comes, your praise is false, and you do an injury to me, your Creator. So, just as all the good things you have come from me, all praise must be given to me. And just as I, your God, grant you all temporal things—strength and health, conscience, and the discernment to think of what is most useful to you, as well as time and life itself—I am to be honored for everything, provided you manage what has been granted to you well and reasonably. If, however, you manage them poorly, the fault is yours, and so is your ingratitude. As for why you shouldn't seek a temporary reward in this life for your good works, I answer you: Whoever does good to others with the intention of not seeking a reward from people, but rather whatever I, God, choose to give them, will receive the greatest for the least, and the eternal for the temporal. But whoever seeks worldly things in exchange for what is temporary will get what they're after, but they'll lose what is eternal. Therefore, so that you might gain the eternal in place of the temporary, it's more useful not to seek your reward from people, but from me.
Read the original Latin
Item apparuit religiosus qui supra in gradu suo dicens: "O iudex, quero a te: Cur vile et pulchrum dicuntur in mundo?"
"Item cur debeo odire mundi pulchritudinem, cum sim pulcher et de nobili progenie?"
"Item quare non extollam me super alios, cum sim diues?"
"Item cur non debeam preferre me aliis, cum sim honorabilior aliis?"
"Item, cum sim bonus et laudabilis, quare non quero laudem propriam?"
"Item, si aliis facio commoda, quare non exigam remuneracionem?"
Respondit iudex: "Amice, vile et pulchrum mundi est quasi amarum et dulce. Nam vilitas mundi, que est contemptus mundi et eius aduersitas, est quasi quedam amaritudo proficua iustis ad sanitatem.
Pulchrum vero mundi est prosperitas eius et ipsa est quasi quedam suauitas blandiens, falsa et seducens.
Ergo, qui mundi fugit pulchritudinem respuens eius suauitatem, non veniet ad vilitatem inferni nec gustabit eius amaritudinem sed ascendet ad gaudium meum.
Ideo, vt fugiatur inferni vilitas et vt acquiratur celestis suauitas, necessarium est ire magis post mundi vilitatem quam post eius pulchritudinem.
Etenim licet omnia a me bene creata sint et omnia bona valde, illa tamen maxime cauenda sunt, que irracionabiliter vtentibus donis meis occasionem dampni anime prestare possent."
"Item, cur de progenie non est gloriandum, respondeo: Tu quidem habuisti de patre vilissimam putredinem et immundiciam, in visceribus vero matris fuisti quasi mortuus et totus immundus.
Nec in potestate tua fuit nasci de nobilibus vel de ignobilibus, sed pietas et bonitas mea produxit te in hanc lucem.
Ergo tu, qui diceris nobilis, humilia te sub me Deo tuo, qui disposui te nasci de nobilibus, et conforma te proximo tuo, quia de eadem materia est, licet ex mea prouidencia tu de excelsa secundum mundum processisti progenie, ille vero de humili.
Tu quoque nobilis time plus quam ignobilis, quia, quanto tu nobilior et dicior, tanto de te districcior queritur racio et maius iudicium, quia plus accepisti."
"Item, de diuiciis cur non est superbiendum, respondeo: Diuicie enim mundi non sunt tue nisi quantum ad necessitatem victus tui et vestitus.
Mundus enim ad hoc factus est, vt homo habens sustentacionem corporis sui per laborem et humilitatem redeat ad me Deum suum, quem inobediens factus despexit et de me superbiendo non curauit.
Si autem temporalia bona tua esse dicis, dico tibi pro certissimo, quod tu quasi violenter vsurpas tibi omnia illa, que vltra necessitatem tuam habes. Nam omnia temporalia bona communia esse debent et ex caritate indigentibus equalia.
Tu vero vsurpas tibi ad superfluitatem, quod aliis ex compassione esset tribuendum, quamuis et racionabiliter multi multa habeant pre aliis racionabiliter habentes et discrete distribuentes.
Ergo, ne grauius arguaris in iudicio eo, quod maiora aliis receperis, consultum est tibi, ne superbiendo et congregando preferas te aliis.
Sicut enim delectabile est in mundo habere temporalia pre aliis et superhabundare, sic in iudicio terribile est et vltra modum graue eciam licita non racionabiliter disposuisse."
"Item, cur laus propria non est querenda, respondeo: Nullus ex se bonus est nisi solus ego Deus, et omnis, quicumque bonus est, ex me bonus est.
Ergo, si tu laudem tuam queris, qui nichil es, et non laudem meam, cuius est omne donum perfectum, falsa est laus tua et iniuriam facis michi creatori tuo.
Ideo, sicut ex me sunt omnia bona, que habes, sic et omnis laus michi est attribuenda, et sicut ego Deus tuus tribuo tibi omnia temporalia, vires et sanitatem, conscienciam et discrecionem cogitandi tibi vtiliora et tempora et vitam, sic de omnibus, si bene et racionabiliter disponis tibi concessa, honorandus sum ego.
Si autem male disponis, vicium est tuum et ingratitudo tua."
"Item, cur pro bonis operibus in presenti non est querenda temporalis remuneracio, respondeo tibi:
Quicumque benefacit aliis ea intencione, quod non curat retribucionem hominis sed qualem voluero ei dare ego Deus, iste habebit maximum pro paruo, eternum pro temporali.
Qui vero pro temporali querit terrenum, habebit, quod appetit, et amittet sempiternum. Ideo, vt eternum optineatur pro transitorio, vtilius est non querere retribucionem ab homine sed a me."
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