Visio Quarta
The Column of Divine Justice
The visionary sees a terrifying, three-edged steel column representing the mystery of the Word of God and the unfolding of divine justice.
Then, beyond the aforementioned tower of the movement of God’s will, but one cubit below the corner facing north, I saw what looked like a column the color of steel, set outside against the bright part of the wall of that same building; it was terrifying to look at, and of such great size and height that I couldn't discern its measurements in any way. That column had three edges, sharp as a sword from bottom to top. The first faced east, the second north, and the third south, and it was attached slightly to the outside of the building. From the edge facing east, branches extended from the root to the top. Near the root, I saw Abraham sitting on the first branch, Moses on the second, and Joshua on the third, and then the rest of the patriarchs and prophets sitting in order, each on his own branch, according to the time they had succeeded one another in this world. They all turned toward the edge of that same column that faced north, marveling at the things they saw in the Spirit that were yet to come. But between these two edges—the one facing east and the one facing north—the column stood before the faces of those patriarchs and prophets, from bottom to top, looking like it was turned on a lathe, round, and full of ridges, just as a sprout is accustomed to bud from the bark of a tree. From the second edge, which faced north, a wondrously bright splendor poured forth, extending and reflecting toward the edge that faced south. And in that splendor, which spread out to such a great width, I saw apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins, along with many other saints, walking in great joy. The third edge, facing south, was wide and extended in the middle, but thinner and more constricted at the top and bottom, shaped like a bow used for shooting arrows. At the top of the column, I saw a brightness of light that human language cannot describe. Within it appeared a dove holding a golden ray in its beak, illuminating the column with great radiance.
The Image of Divine Knowledge
A voice from heaven identifies the vision as divine, while an image of brilliance appears, representing the Word of God who illuminates the world.
As I looked there, I heard a voice from heaven that rebuked me with great terror, saying, "What you see is divine." I trembled so much at that voice that I didn't dare look there any longer. I also saw then, inside the aforementioned building, something like an image standing on the floor before this same column; it was looking sometimes at the column itself, and sometimes at the people moving about in the building. That image was of such brilliance and clarity that, because of the intense splendor shining from it, I couldn't make out its face or the clothes it was wearing, except that it appeared in human form, just like the other virtues. Around it, I saw a very beautiful multitude, having an angelic form and wings, standing in such reverence that they both feared and loved it. But before its face, I saw another multitude in human form, appearing in dark clothing and standing in great constriction of fear. The image looked at those who, coming from the world, were putting on new clothes in that building, saying to each of them, "Consider the garment you have put on, and don't forget your Creator who made you." As I marveled at this, the one who sat on the throne said to me again, "The Word of God, through whom all things were made, was born from the heart of the Father before time began. Later, at the end of time, as the ancient saints foretold, he was incarnate of a virgin. Although he assumed humanity, he did not abandon his divinity; rather, existing as one and true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, he sweetened the world with his sweetness and illuminated it with the splendor of his clarity." Therefore, this column that you see beyond the aforementioned tower, representing the forward movement of God's will, signifies the ineffable mystery of the Word of God. For in the true Word—that is, in the Son of God—all the justice of the New and Old Testaments is fulfilled, which was revealed to faithful believers through divine inspiration for their salvation, when the same Son of the heavenly Father deigned to be incarnate of the most sweet Virgin. For after the powerful virtues showed themselves at the beginning of the circumcision through the forward movement of God's will, the mystery of the Word of God was then also declared in strict justice, signified by the sound of the patriarchs and prophets who foretold that he would be manifested with all justice, and with all administrations subject to God, and with the greatest severity that touched upon the justice of God, which leaves no injustice unpunished, but cuts it away through the precepts of the law.
The Meaning of the Column's Edges
The vision explains the significance of the column's three edges, the branches of the patriarchs, and the light of the Holy Spirit.
A cubit below the north-facing corner stands a preeminent neighborhood in the human and singular course—the one belonging to the patriarchs who spoke of the strict justice of the Word of God through their own signs, right up to the Law, as if standing in the north, resisting the devil. It is also steel-colored, placed on the outside of that bright section of the building's wall, because the strength of the Word of God is invincible and insuperable; no one can resist it through empty rebellion or vile pride. Thus, even those of speculative knowledge—the ancient fathers—were joined to it as if from the outside through the fortifications and actions of justice; they weren't yet fixed to the fiery and perfect work that rises up in the Son of God, which they only foreshadowed in the outward sound of their words. It is also terrifying to behold, because the justice found in the Word of God is something to be feared by human knowledge when it is used in the wicked judgments of unjust judges who judge only by their own standards. It is also so vast and high that you cannot measure it in any way, because the Word Himself—the Son of God—surpasses all creatures in the magnitude of His glory and the height of His divinity within the Father’s majesty, so that no human being in this corruptible flesh can fully grasp it. The fact that this same column has three edges, sharp as a sword from bottom to top, signifies that the strength of the Word of God—which moves and turns in grace—was foreshadowed in the Old Testament and revealed in the New through the Holy Spirit. These three sharp edges represent the Old Law, the New grace, and the clear teaching of the faithful doctors, through whom the Word made flesh works what is just, from the very beginning of its inception. Just as it begins with good at the bottom, it reaches upward toward perfection, as if toward the summit, when it brings that good to completion; for everything that is just has been, is, and remains forever in the most simple Godhead, which penetrates all things, so that no power can stand in its own malice, which the glory of His mercy seeks to overcome. The first corner faces east, which is the first dawn of the beginning of knowing God in divine law, before the perfect day of all justice. The second faces north, because after the beginning of good and established action, the Gospel of my Son and other precepts in me, the Father, rose up against the side of the north, where all injustice was born. The third faces south, joined somewhat to the building itself on the outside; it consists of the works of justice strengthened by the profound and exquisite wisdom of the principal teachers through the heat of the Holy Spirit, who appeared in the obscure parts of the law and the prophets, and who in the Gospels showed the seed which they made fruitful for understanding, both for the nations the outer matter of the Scriptures in the work of the Father's goodness, and for those sweetly ruminating on the mystical meaning within it. As for the branches that grow from the corner facing east, from the root all the way to the top: this means that at the dawn of the knowledge of God through the law of justice, branches appeared—as if in an eastern corner—during the time of the patriarchs and prophets. For that sharp column of divinity extends all these things from the beginning of the root (that is, the good beginning in the minds of His chosen ones) up to its top, which is the manifestation of the Son of Man, who is all justice. This is why, near the root, you see Abraham sitting on the first branch; for because he submitted himself to the divinity in all things, this time—which first arose in Abraham when he left his homeland with a quiet mind, obedient to God—was breathed forth. In the second branch, you see Moses, because the planting then arose by the inspiration of God at the beginning of the law given through Moses himself, in prefiguration of the Son of the Most High; and in the third, Joshua, because he later received this spirit from God to confirm the custom of God’s law more robustly through divine command. Then you see the remaining patriarchs and prophets sitting in order, each on their own branch, according to the time they succeeded one another in this world. For in every age of the succeeding patriarchs and prophets, God breathed from above into the singular seed of each one, toward the height of His commandments, as they rested in their own days in the justice shown to them, faithfully subject to the divine majesty as they came in their own times. All of them turn toward the corner of the column that faces north, marveling at the things they see in the spirit as future events, because they were all warned by the Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, they turned and looked toward the evangelical doctrine of the strength of the Son of God, who resists the devil, speaking of His incarnation and marveling that He, coming from the heart of the Father and from the womb of the Virgin, showed Himself in great wonders through His work and through those who follow Him—who, imitating Him miraculously in new grace, will trample down what is fleeting and will strive bravely for the joys of eternity. The fact that between these two corners—one leaning toward the east and the other toward the north—stands that column before the patriarchs and prophets, reaching from bottom to top, rounded as if turned on a lathe and wrinkled like a sprout growing from tree bark, means that between the two summits (my manifest knowledge and the subsequent teaching of my Son), the unique Word who is my Son lay hidden through prefiguration in the souls of the ancient fathers who lived under my laws, from the first chosen one to the last saint. He is adorned with a mystical crown because He composed and polished all His instruments well, showing Himself merciful to all through noble grace, just as it was prefigured in the wrinkles of circumcision—a shadow of things to come in the meanings applied through the austerity of the law, which held within itself the most upright sprout hidden: that of the highest and most holy incarnation. However, the fact that a splendor of wondrous clarity emerges from the second corner facing north, extending and reflecting toward the corner facing south, means that from the other—the New Testament, which opposes the devil—the words of my Son go forth, coming from me and returning to me. For just as the sun shines in the flesh, who is my Son, the light of the holy Gospel shines in the preaching of Him, spreading from Him and His disciples into the fruit of blessing and turning back into the fountain of salvation. It thus reaches the leaders—the profound searchers of the words of the Old and New Testaments—showing that wisdom is erected in that very sun illuminating the world, which burns intensely in its side, like the midday sun in His elect. In that same radiance, as it spreads out so broadly, you see the apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and many other saints walking about in great joy. For in that clear light—while my Son was preaching and spreading the light of truth—the apostles became ministers of the true light, the martyrs became strong soldiers faithfully pouring out their blood, the confessors became diligent followers of my Son, and the virgins followed the heavenly seed. Meanwhile, my other chosen ones rejoiced in the fountain of joy and the fountain of salvation, as the Holy Spirit poured over them, so that they might be burning and flowing from virtue to virtue. But the fact that the third corner, which faces south, is broad and extended in the middle, yet a little thinner and tighter at the bottom and the top—like a bow stretched for shooting arrows—means that with the Gospel spread abroad and burning in the fervor of the Holy Spirit, that wisdom of the saints which they sought in the depths, so that they might find through it the symbolic seed of the depths (that is, what they were to understand in the Word of God), was itself immediate and broad; for, strengthened and fortified by faith in the Christian people, the meaning was broad, as it were, in the middle, coming forth from the souls of the holy doctors who, by searching the deep harshness of the Scriptures, brought it into the knowledge of the many who learned from them, so that they expanded their understanding in the extension of the wisdom and knowledge of the divine Scripture, which at the beginning, as it were at the bottom of ecclesiastical institution, was still of thinner and lesser study, because the people did not yet embrace it with such love as they did afterward, when even at the end of the age, as at its top, the studies of many will grow cold, so that divine knowledge will not be lovable to them in the love of work, but they will hide their conscience from themselves, as if they did not have to change the good in their work, knowing it only outwardly as if in a dream. And that is why this corner is widest in the middle of its harshness, because the harsh works of the worship of God, stripped of the shadow of the Old Testament, were extending themselves from their more constrained beginning, as if toward their own middle—which are the strongest virtues in higher study, when the people were swifter against iniquity, that is, the devil, in the words that are God's, and to cast out and trample all his vices with the great austerity of God's justice; yet it itself descends at last, in forgetfulness of self, and exists more constrained in the fervor of the Holy Spirit toward the end of the world; it is extended in such a way that, just as a bow is stretched with a string for battle, because a person must lift themselves up in soul and body against vices, more constrained on either side of themselves and wider in the middle, so that in their first and last work they might be circumspect with great fear and humility, and in the middle, strong and constant in shooting the arrows of good works through the gift of the Holy Spirit against the snares of the devil. For at the beginning of a good work, a person has a more constrained virtue, but in the pursuit of their operation when they are doing good, they have a more robust fortitude, because the Holy Spirit has passed through them with His infusion, in which, however, while that virtue is at work, one cannot be frequent. Therefore, because of the fragility of the flesh, the virtue will again become more constrained, as if at the end of the work. Thus, the bow of one who defends themselves against diabolical vices must always be kept stretched. The fact that you see such a great brightness of light at the top of that column—a brightness that no human tongue can describe—means that the heavenly Father, in his most high and most profound secret, has brought forth the mysteries of his Son, who shines in the same Father with a most brilliant radiance; in this radiance, all justice is brought forth, both in the legal proclamation and in the New Testament, which is the greatest brightness of shining wisdom, such that it is not possible for any earthly human to express this in any language while still in corruptible flesh. And the dove appearing in that same brightness, holding in its beak a ray of golden color that illuminates that column with great brilliance, is the fiery Holy Spirit in the radiance of the light of the Son of God, who shines in the heart of the Father; through this Spirit, the mysteries of that most high Son of God, who comes from the highest altitude for the redemption of the people seduced by the ancient serpent, have been declared. Hence, the same Holy Spirit, inspiring all the legal precepts and new testimonies, giving the law of the brightness of his mystery before the incarnation of the Lord, and showing his power in that same brightness at the incarnation of the same Son of God, has in his most profound inspiration a golden splendor—that is, the exceptional and most excellent illumination of his anointing, with a great and abundant mystical outpouring—revealing the secrets of the only-begotten Son of God to the ancient prophets, as has been said, who typologically showed the Son of God; and he marveled greatly at him ineffably going forth from the Father and miraculously rising in the dawn of the perpetual Virgin, also powerfully burning the text of the Old Testament and the Gospel into a spiritual seed, in which all justice is established. Therefore, because of the immense power of the divinity, it is not possible for you to gaze upon the divine brightness, which can be seen by no mortal human, except as I show it in the shadow, to whom I will. For this reason, you must be careful not to presume to gaze rashly upon that which is divine, just as the trembling that seizes you demonstrates.
The Image and the Compelled Sheep
The vision of the image is interpreted as God's providence, and the 'compelled sheep' are revealed as those whom God corrects through suffering to lead them to salvation.
But as for what you see inside the aforementioned building—standing on the floor of that building, before this column, like some kind of image—this is how this power reveals itself within the work of God the Father, declaring the mystery of the Word of God; for it has opened up all justice in the city of the Almighty among the people, namely the Old and New Testaments, standing upon the floor, that is, upon all earthly things in the work of that same loving Father, since all earthly and heavenly things are in his providence. The fact that it sometimes looks at the column itself, and sometimes at those people who are moving about in that building, means that it considers both its own secret, which the power of the divinity brought forth to the Word of God, and also looks upon the people who are working in the goodness of the Father, seeing who is touching or not touching themselves in the work, because it knows the quality of each one according to their own pursuit. This same image declares the knowledge of God; it foresees all people and all things in heaven and on earth, existing with such brilliance and clarity that, because of the excessive splendor shining within it, you cannot look upon its face or the garments it wears. It is terrible in its dread, like the lightning of one who threatens, and gentle in its goodness, like the brightness of the sun. In its dread and its gentleness, it is incomprehensible to humans through its terrible brilliance—the divinity as if through its face—and through the clarity it has in itself—as if the garments of its own beauty—just as the sun itself cannot be looked upon in its burning face or in the beautiful attire of its rays. It is present among all things and in all things, and is of such beauty in its secret that no human can know with what gentleness it tolerates people, and how it spares them in its clear mercy, until the hardest stone can no longer be pierced in its impenetrable hardness—that is, the hard and incorrigible person who in no way wants to turn from his evil. Yet, just as other virtues do, it appears in the form of a human; for God, in the power of his goodness, made man, most profoundly adorned with rationality, knowledge, and intellect, so that by loving him with intimate love and honoring him with the greatest devotion, he might spurn the fabrications of demons—loving him especially, who gave him such great and such a kind of honor. As for the beautiful multitude you see around that same image—the one with an angelic form and wings, standing in such reverence that they both fear and love it—this means that the blessed and excellent spirits, in their angelic ministry, honor the knowledge of God everywhere through an inexplicable and purest praise. This is something a human being cannot fulfill as worthily while still in a mortal body. They themselves embrace God in their own ardor, for they are living light, and they are exalted—not that they have wings like other winged creatures, but that they burn in their spheres through the power of God, as if they were feathered. From this, they venerate Me, the true God, persisting in right fear and true subjection, knowing My judgments and burning with love for Me, because they always look upon My face, desiring and willing nothing else but what they see pleases My discerning eyes. But as for that other crowd you see before his face, appearing in human form and dark clothing, standing in a state of great fear and constraint—these are people who exist in the knowledge of God. How is that? In God's sight, a person is held in great honor—someone whom He foresees as belonging to Him—even when that person is cast aside by the one who would rather persist in ruin than exist in God. But those people you see in that crowd are called 'compelled sheep.' They bear a human appearance, yet because of their human works and their shadowy clothing—which represents the uncertainty found in the works of sinners—they stand in the strictness of fear, dreading the judgment of God. They are called 'compelled sheep' because I force them in many ways so they might reach life, snatched from death through the blood of my Son. These 'compelled sheep' are those who, through many tribulations and hardships, are forced by me against their own will to abandon the iniquity they would have so gladly fulfilled as long as they clung to the world—following the desires of their own flesh and the bloom of their youth, wishing to remain in the heat of lust until the fire of the flesh left them through the coldness of old age. Yet I constrain them all in different ways, according to what I see in them, so that they might cease from their sins. I don't use a harsh whip on those whose hearts aren't burning with such intense desire, but rather a milder one. I don't see as much bitterness in them as in others; when they feel my correction, they quickly and eagerly abandon their own will, renounce worldly displays, and come to me. Others, however, I correct with a stronger lash because they are so ardent and stubborn in the sins born of their fleshly vices that, unless I constrained them firmly, they wouldn't be fit for my kingdom. My knowledge foresees and understands them, and I constrain them according to the excesses of their own bodies. And again, I overcome some in the greatest and most intense hardship and misery of their mind and body; because they are so rebellious and so excessive in the work of carnal pleasure that, if they weren't constrained by the most serious calamity, they wouldn't cease from crimes through the petulance of their flesh, because while they were in the prosperity of their own will, they wouldn't turn themselves to God, since from where one falls entirely into despair through the faint-heartedness of his mind, another plays through the stupidity of his pride, and through the fact that he is entirely trampled in despair; through this, the former is barely constrained in the fullness of his own spirit. In this way I coerce those who belong to me when they resist me in their works; so that because I know them, they might be compelled to come to me at least through the calamities of both body and spirit that they suffer, so that they themselves might be saved, just as Pharaoh, terrified, was finally compelled to let the Israelite people depart from his land, as it is written: 'And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron by night and said: Arise, go out from my people, both you and the children of Israel.' 'Go and sacrifice to the Lord, as you say.' 'Take your flocks and your herds, as you have asked, and go, and bless me.' This is what it means: The burdensome and most serious crimes that cling to this world in many hardships and miseries weigh down many people excessively, as they say in their hearts: 'Alas, alas!' Where can we run? Then those same hardships, through their constant clashing, drive people away, so that they hurry to leave them behind. They wither within their own bodies under the heavy weight of God’s hand, unable to find joy in worldly pleasures, because God is seeking them out—which is the way He calls the righteous through various calamities in the dark night of sin. So the Pharaoh—that is, the vices, specifically the diabolical ones—calls out in the clamor of hardships and miseries for Moses (meaning those people whom God constrains with the most powerful pains, whether spiritual or physical) and for Aaron (those whom He corrects with lighter adversities, gathered in the night-time of evil works), while the vices themselves, in the oppression of human pleasure, say: 'Rise up from your carnal habits and leave the old dwelling place you had with us, separating yourselves from the common people whom we possess when they worship us; and withdraw from the worldly business to which we gladly cling, you who were terrified in us when you were in our trap, and you children of God who are with them, who see Him in the knowledge of Him.' Go, then, by another way, leaving us behind, and offer yourselves to God with the unassailable reasons by which you have overcome us (as you say) in your desires; and take your gentleness, which you have in the fold of meekness—with which it is hard for you to labor with us, because you want to endure a different kind of pain by following the Lamb and the most victorious weapons in the strength of the herds, with which you have overcome us and which we cannot resist—and take it up in the newness of your mind, which you now wish to have; and separate yourselves from us, as you long wanted to do when you bitterly fought against us; and as you go toward the homeland for which you grieve in your heart, grasp another life that leads you away from us, and bless in the praise of God that struggle in which you have departed from worldly causes and business.
The Weigher of Spirits
God explains how He weighs the spirits of all people, disciplining them according to their needs and calling them to put on the new man in baptism.
I, too, the almighty God, just as I compel the aforementioned sheep to come to me, so also do I strengthen my pillars—that is, the stronger heavenly heirs—on the foundation of my discipline, according to the wickedness of the entanglement of sin in the invasion of Adam's transgression by which they are attacked, because they could not stand if I did not confirm them with my grace. Some of them, indeed, whom the heavy weight of vices does not burden, I discipline with a lighter correction, because if I were to constrain them with a sharper lash, they would fall into despair as their spirit completely failed, since they are not chained by the breath of the greater whirlwind of diabolical suggestion. Others, however, who are burdened by a heavier weight of savage habits and excessive desires from diabolical conflict, I hold under the constraint of severe pains. I do this so they don't depart from my covenant, which they attend to with their whole heart's desire, wishing to grasp it and observe my precepts. If I were to discipline these gently as I did the others, they would count my corrections as nothing, since they are attacked by the most severe struggle of the ancient serpent. There are also some exiles of the heavenly homeland whom I do not know, because they abandon me entirely through the greed of their own minds. They seduce themselves with rapacious rage, neither seeking me nor wishing to know me, but suffocating the good desire within themselves. Consequently, they don't ask for any help from me, greedily delighting only in their own affairs, just as they find pleasure in carnal desires. Some of these work in excess and in the delight of the flesh whatever they wish; yet they don't exist in hatred and envy, but wallow in pleasant luxuries, having the delights and sweetness of their own flesh. I allow these people the fruits of the earth in prosperity so they don't fail in poverty; because they were created by me, and because they don't absorb others through their malice, it will be given to them according to their desires. Others, however, are of such ferocity and excessive bitterness of gall, hatred, and envy—returning evil for evil and not wishing to suffer any injury—that if they had the honor and riches of the world, they would shatter heavenly virtues in men so that they wouldn't be honored in them. Hence, I withdraw fruits and riches from them, casting them down into great miseries so they cannot raise themselves to such evil as is in their will, because they would perpetrate diabolical works if they had the opportunity. Thus I oppose the ways of men, both good and evil, weighing their ascents with a right measure according to what my eye sees of their desires, just as wisdom also testifies through Solomon, saying: 'All the ways of men are open to his eyes; the Lord is the weigher of spirits.' This means that all the journeys that the living soul of men breathes in the presence of its own knowledge—in that man has a circuit of the intellect of utility, namely, of fruitfulness and of the uselessness of weakness—are open to the sight of almighty God. God sees through all things, and nothing at all is hidden from the sight of His divinity, because He knows everything; He looks upon the whole of creation in such a way that He rightly manages every single thing. How so? For He is the weigher of spirits, soothing them with the sweetness of comforts and tranquility, and chastising them in the tribulation of sorrows and miseries, so that they may be shaken into the right measure—a measure they cannot exceed by running or fleeing from Him, except to the extent that He Himself tests them according to their merits; for their weighing is what is revealed in the sifting of their reward, whether in this life or in the next, according to how they have worshipped God. Hence, even the spirits themselves are justly weighed, specifically so that the human capacity for reason is not lifted up into higher things nor cast down into lower things beyond what God rewards by His just judgment; for He resists it in such a way that no soul has enough power in the excess of any thing to be able to oppose God, because He judges all things most rightly, standing against them with His justice, which they cannot resist, so that they might have more power than what His promise allows. For just as lead justly weighs money, so God, with an even scale, places such an obstacle before the good and the bad that they can in no way escape the most equitable standard of His judgment, as they receive—some, for their merits, the glory and joy of life, and others, the punishment and sorrow of death—according to what God most acutely foresees in them. The image I mentioned looks upon those who come from the world and are clothed in new garments within this building. This means that the knowledge of God recognizes those who, leaving behind the treachery of their own infidelity, put on the new man in baptism through the power of God’s work for the sake of eternal life. It moves them so they don't turn back to walk toward the devil, or if they have wandered into that, so they may return to God their Creator, just as He says to each of them in the words of His admonition, as mentioned above. But whoever has the sharp ears of an interior intellect, let him pant for these words in the burning love of my mirror, and let him write them down in the conscience of his own soul.
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Et deinde ultra praedictam turrim praecursus voluntatis Dei, sed cubito uno infra angulum qui respicit ad septentrionem vidi quasi columnam calybei coloris praefatae lucidae parti muri ejusdem aedificii exterius appositam, valde terribilem aspectu, tantaeque magnitudinis ac altitudinis ut mensuram ejus nullo modo discernere possem. Et illa columna tres angulos habebat ab imo usque ad summum quasi gladium acutos, quorum primus respiciebat ad orientem, secundus autem ad septentrionem, et tertius ad meridiem, exterius ipsi aedificio aliquantulum conjunctus. Ex angulo autem qui respiciebat ad orientem procedebant rami a radice usque ad cacumen ejus, juxta cujus radicem vidi in primo ramo Abraham sedentem, in secundo vero Moysen, in tertio Josue, ac deinde reliquos patriarchas et prophetas ita sursum singulos in singulis ramis ordinate sedentes: secundum tempus quo in hoc saeculo sibi invicem successerant, qui se omnes convertebant ad angulum ejusdem columnae qui respiciebat ad septentrionem, admirantes ea quae in spiritu futura viderunt in ipsa. Sed inter hos duos angulos unum scilicet vergentem ad orientem et alterum ad septentrionem, erat ante facies ipsorum patriarcharum et prophetarum illa columna ab imo usque ad summum quasi tornatilis et rotunda, plenaque rugarum, ut de arboris cortice solet germen pullulare. A secundo vero angulo respiciente ad septentrionem exivit splendor mirae claritudinis se extendens et reflectens ad angulum qui respiciebat ad meridiem. Et in illo splendore in tam magnam latitudinem se diffundente, conspexi apostolos, martyres, confessores et virgines, atque alios plurimos sanctos, in magno gaudio ambulantes. Tertius vero angulus qui respiciebat ad meridiem, erat in medio latus et extentus; in imo autem et in summitate aliquantulum gracilior et constrictus, secundum modum arcus qui extenditur ad sagittas jaciendas. In cacumine autem ipsius columnae vidi tantam claritatem luminis ut humana lingua effari non possit; in qua apparuit columba habens in ore suo radium aurei coloris, multo fulgore columnam illam irradiantem.
Cumque illuc aspicerem audivi vocem de coelo, magno terrore me redarguentem et dicentem: Quod vides, divinum est. Ex qua voce ita contremui, ut amplius illuc aspicere non auderem. Vidi etiam tunc intra praedictum aedificium velut quamdam imaginem coram hac eadem columna super pavimentum illius aedificii stantem, et aliquando ipsam columnam, aliquando etiam homines illos qui in ipso aedificio discurrebant inspicientem; illa autem imago tanti fulgoris et claritatis erat, ut prae nimio splendore qui in ipsa lucebat, nec faciem ejus, nec vestimenta quibus induebatur considerare valerem, excepto quod tantum ut caeterae virtutes in forma hominis apparuit. Et circa eam conspexi pulcherrimam multitudinem, angelicam formam et alas habentem et in tanta veneratione stantem, ut et eam timerent ac diligerent. Sed ante faciem ejus vidi aliam multitudinem in humana forma, tenebrosa veste apparentem, atque in multa constrictione timoris stantem. Et praedicta imago inspexit homines illos qui de mundo venientes in eodem aedificio nova veste induebantur, dicens unicuique eorum: Considera indumentum quod induisti, et noli oblivisci Creatoris tui qui te creavit. Cumque haec admirarer, ille qui sedebat in throno, iterum mihi dicebat: Verbum Dei per quod omnia facta sunt, ipsum ante tempora ex corde Patris genitum, sed post in fine temporum ut veteres sancti praedixerunt ex virgine incarnatum, quamvis humanitatem assumpserit, divinitatem tamen non deseruit, sed cum Patre et Spiritu sancto unus et verus Deus existens, mundum sua dulcedine dulcoravit, ac cum suae claritatis fulgore illustravit. Quapropter et haec columna quam ultra praedictam turrim praecursus voluntatis Dei vides, designat ineffabile mysterium Verbi Dei, quia in vero Verbo, id est in Filio Dei, impleta est omnis justitia Novi et Veteris Testamenti, quae fideliter credentibus hominibus enucleata sunt per divinam inspirationem ad salutem ipsorum, cum idem Filius superni Patris ex suavissima Virgine incarnari dignatus est, quia postquam per praecursum voluntatis Dei in initio circumcisionis se potentes virtutes ostenderunt; tunc etiam declaratum est in stricta justitia mysterium Verbi Dei, insinuatum videlicet per sonum patriarcharum et prophetarum, qui praedixerunt ipsum cum omni justitia manifestandum, et cum omnibus administrationibus, Deo subjectis, atque cum maxima austeritate quae tetigit incidentem justitiam Dei, nullam injustitiam dimittentem illaesam, quin abscindat eam in legalibus praeceptis.
Sed cubito uno infra angulum qui respicit ad septentrionem stantem, quod est in humano et singulari cursu praecellens vicinitas, quae fuit de patriarchis loquentibus strictam justitiam ejusdem Verbi Dei in significationibus suis usque ad legem quasi in septentrionali parte diabolo repugnantem. Unde et calybaei coloris est praefatae lucidae parti muri illius aedificii exterius apposita, quia invicta ac insuperabilis est fortitudo verbi Dei, cui nullus resistere valet per inanem rebellionem aut per vilem superbiam, ita quod etiam speculativae scientiae per munitiones et actiones justitiae, id est antiqui patres quasi exterius conjuncti erant: nondum infixi ignito et perfecto operi se in Filio Dei erigenti, quod ipsi tantum in exteriore sono verborum suorum praemonstrabant.
Est quoque valde terribilis aspectu, quoniam justitia in verbo Dei metuenda est humanae scientiae in impio judicio injustorum judicum secundum se ipsos solummodo judicantium. Tantae est etiam magnitudinis ac altitudinis, ut mensuram ejus nullo modo discernere possis, quia ipsum Verbum Filius scilicet Dei in magnitudine gloriae suae, et in altitudine divinitatis suae omnes creaturas superexcellit in paterna majestate, ita ut hoc nullus hominum in corruptibili carne id ad perfectum possit considerare.
Quod autem eadem columna tres angulos habet ab imo usque ad summum instar gladii acutos, hoc est quod circuiens et volubilis in gratia fortitudo Verbi Dei quam Vetus Testamentum praesignavit in Novo declarandam manifestavit per Spiritum sanctum, tria incidentia acumina, id est antiquam legem et novam gratiam atque enucleationem fidelium doctorum in quibus factus homo quod justum est operatur, ab initio videlicet inceptionis suae ut in imo cum bonum incipit, ita sursum tendens ad perfectum quasi ad summum cum hoc consumat; quia omne quod justum est, fuit et est, et permanet in aeternum in simplicissima deitate quae omnia penetrat, ita quod nulla potestas potest constare in malitia sua, quam vult devincere pietatis ejus gloria.
Et primus angulus respicit ad orientem, qui est primus ortus inceptionis cognoscere Deum in divina lege, ante perfectum diem omnis justitiae. Secundus autem ad septentrionem, quoniam post inceptionem bonae et institutae operationis, Evangelium Filii mei et alia praecepta in me Patre surrexerunt contra partem aquilonis, ubi omnis injustitia orta est. Tertius vero ad meridiem exterius ipsi aedificio aliquantulum conjunctus, qui est roboratis operibus justitiae profunda et exquisita sapientia principalium magistrorum per calorem Spiritus sancti qui obscura in lege et prophetis apparuerunt, et qui in Evangeliis ostenderunt germen quod fructuosum fecerunt ad intelligendum, tam gentes exteriorem materiam Scripturarum in opere bonitatis Patris, et suaviter ruminantes in ea mysticam significationem.
Quod autem ex angulo qui respicit ad orientem, procedunt rami a radice usque ad cacumen ejus: hoc est quod in ortu cognitionis Dei per legem justitiae, quasi in angulo orientali apparuerunt rami, tempore scilicet patriarcharum et prophetarum, quia illa acuta columna divinitatis, haec omnia extendit ab initio radicis, id est bonae inceptionis in mentibus electorum suorum usque ad cacumen ejus: quod est usque ad manifestationem Filii hominis, qui omnis justitia est. Unde etiam juxta radicem ejus vides in primo ramo Abraham sedentem, quia per omnia subeuntem divinitatem exspirabatur hoc tempus quod primitus ortum est in Abraham, cum quieta mente reliquit patriam suam obediens Deo. In secundo vero Mosen, quoniam deinde plantatio surrexit inspiratione Dei in initio datae legis per ipsum Mosen in praefiguratione Filii Altissimi, et in tertio Josue, quia ipse postmodum habuit spiritum hunc a Deo, ut consuetudinem legis Dei confirmaret robustiorem in praecepto divino. Ac deinde vides reliquos patriarchas et prophetas ita sursum singulos in singulis ramis ordinate sedentes, secundum tempus quo in hoc saeculo sibi invicem successerunt, quoniam in unoquoque tempore subsequentium patriarcharum et prophetarum inspiravit Deus desuper ad altitudinem praeceptorum suorum uniuscujusque singulare germen, cum ipsi in diebus suis disposite et ordinate in ostensa sibi justitia quiescebant, divinae majestati fideliter subjecti, ut in temporibus suis venientes erant.
Et hi omnes convertunt se ad angulum columnae qui respicit ad septentrionem, admirantes ea quae in spiritu futura vident in ipsa quia omnes admoniti spiritu, per Spiritum sanctum se verterunt et viderunt ad evangelicam doctrinam fortitudinis Filii Dei diabolo repugnantis, de incarnatione ejus loquentes, et admirantes quod ipse veniens ex corde Patris et de utero Virginis in magnis mirabilibus se ostendit in suo opere et sequentium qui ipsum in nova gratia mirabiliter imitantes caduca conculcabunt, et ad aeternorum gaudia fortiter anhelabunt. Sed quod inter hos duos angulos (unum scilicet vergentem ad orientem et alterum ad septentrionem) ante faciem ipsorum patriarcharum et prophetarum est columna illa ab imo usque ad summum quasi tornatilis et rotunda, plenaque rugarum ut de arboris cortice solet germen pullulare: hoc est quod inter binas summitates, videlicet inter manifestam cognitionem meam et subsequentem doctrinam Filii mei, latuit per typum praefigurationis in animabus antiquorum patrum in legibus meis commorantium, unicum Verbum qui est Filius meus a primo electo usque ad ultimum sanctum; in mystica coronatura circumornatus, quia ipse omnia instrumenta sua bene composuit ac limavit, scilicet per nobilem gratiam omnibus se pium manifestans, ut praefigurabatur in rugis circumcisionis, quae fuit umbra futurorum in appositis significationibus per austeritatem legis in se habentis rectissimum germen latens, summae et sanctissimae incarnationis. Quod vero a secundo angulo respiciente ad septentrionem exit splendor mirae claritatis se extendens ac reflectens ad angulum qui respicit ad meridiem, hoc est quod ab altero, Novo scilicet Testamento diabolo opposito, exeunt verba Filii mei quae egrediuntur de me et revertuntur ad me; quia micante sole in carne, qui est Filius meus, fulget lumen sancti Evangelii in praedicatione ejus, ab ipso et a discipulis ejus se diffundens in fructum benedictionis, et se retorquens in fontem salvationis, sic perveniens usque ad rectores, videlicet ad profundos scrutatores verborum Veteris et Novi Testamenti, ostendentes quod sapientia erecta est in ipso sole mundum illustrante, qui in suo latere valde ardet, velut meridies in electis suis.
Et in eodem splendore in tam magnam latitudinem se diffundente, conspicis apostolos, martyres, confessores, virgines atque alios plurimos sanctos in magno gaudio deambulantes; quia in perspicuo lumine, dum Filius meus fuit praedicans et dilatans lumen veritatis, facti sunt apostoli administratores veri luminis, et martyres robusti milites sanguinem suum fideliter fundentes et confessores officiosi post Filium meum, ac virgines supernum germen sequentes, atque alii electi mei laetantes in fonte laetitiae et in fonte salutis, dum Spiritus sanctus eos perfundit, ita ut sint flagrantes et manantes de virtute in virtutem. Sed quod tertius angulus qui respicit ad meridiem est in medio latus et extentus, in imo autem et in summitate aliquantulum gracilior et constrictus secundum modum arcus qui extenditur ad sagittas jaciendas, hoc est diffuso Evangelio ardens in fervore Spiritus sancti, illa sapientia sanctorum, quam in profunditate quaerebant, ut per eam reperirent typicum germen profunditatis, scilicet quod eis esset intelligendum in verbo Dei; ipsa immediata, videlicet lata, quia confortata et roborata fide in populo Christiano, quasi in medio erat latus sensus exiens de animabus sanctorum doctorum, qui profundam asperitatem Scripturarum scrutantes, protulerunt eam in scientiam multorum qui ab eis discebant, ita quod dilatabant sensum suum in extensione sapientiae et scientiae divinae Scripturae, quae in initio quasi in imo ecclesiasticae institutionis erat adhuc gracilioris et minoris studii, quia populi nondum eam amplectebantur tali amore, ut postmodum fecerunt, cum etiam in fine saeculi ut in summitate ejus, refrigescent studia multorum, ita quod eis divina scientia non erit amabilis in amore operis, sed abscondent sibi ipsis conscientiam suam, quasi non sit eis mutandum bonum in opere, illud tantum exterius ut in somno cognoscentes.
Et ideo est iste angulus in medio sui latissimus in asperitate, quoniam aspera opera cultus Dei denudata ab obumbratione Veteris Testamenti, erant a constrictiore initio suo se protendentes, quasi ad medium sui, quae sunt fortissimae virtutes in altiori studio, cum populus velocior fuit, contra iniquitatem diabolum scilicet in verbis quae Dei sunt, et ejicere atque conculcare omnia vitia ejus cum magna austeritate justitiae Dei, ipse tamen sic tandem descendens, in oblivione sui, et constrictior existens in fervore Spiritus sancti circa finem mundi; ita videlicet extensus ut cum nervo lignum extenditur ad bellum, quia in anima et corpore se homo debet erigere contra vitia, ex utraque parte sui constrictior et in medio largior, ut in primo et in ultimo opere suo circumspectus sit magno timore et humilitate et in medio fortis ac constans emittere jacula bonorum operum per donum Spiritus sancti adversus insidias diaboli. Nam in inceptione boni est homo gracilioris virtutis, in prosecutione autem operationis suae cum bonum operatur, est robustioris fortitudinis, quoniam Spiritus sanctus eum pertransivit infusione sua, in qua tamen operante virtute frequens esse non potest. Unde iterum constrictioris erit virtutis, quasi in fine operis per fragilitatem carnis suae. Sic semper extendi debet arcus se munientis contra vitia diabolica.
Quod autem in cacumine ejusdem columnae vides tantam claritatem luminis ut humana lingua effari non possit, hoc est quod coelestis Pater in altissimo et in profundissimo secreto suo edidit mysteria Filii sui, qui in eodem Patre suo fulget clarissima coruscatione, in qua prolata est omnis justitia, et in legali propositione et in Novo Testamento quod est maxima claritas lucentis sapientiae, ita ut non sit possibile ulli terreno homini hoc aliquo sermone proferre, dum est in corruptibili carne. Et in eadem claritate apparens columba habens in ore suo radium aurei coloris multo fulgore columnam illam irradiantem, est in coruscatione luminis Filii Dei in corde Patris fulgentis, igneus Spiritus sanctus, per quem declarata sunt mysteria ipsius altissimi Filii Dei ex summa altitudine venientis pro redemptione populi, ab antiquo serpente seducti. Unde et idem Spiritus sanctus inspirans omnia legalia praecepta et nova testimonia, dans videlicet legem claritatis mysterii sui ante incarnationem Domini, atque in eadem claritate virtutem suam ostendens in incarnationem ejusdem Filii Dei; habet in profundissima inspiratione sua aureum splendorem, scilicet eximiam et excellentissimam illuminationem unctionis suae multa et magna perfusione mystica, secreta ipsius Unigeniti Dei antiquis praeconibus, ut dictum est, aperiens, qui Dei Filium typice ostendebant, et valde mirabatur ineffabiliter exeuntem a Patre, et mirabiliter surgentem in aurora perpetuae Virginis, fortiter etiam exurens textum Veteris Testamenti et Evangelii in spirituale germen, in quo omnis justitia erecta est. Ideoque propter immensam vim divinitatis, non est tibi possibile intueri divinam claritatem, quae a nullo mortali homine poterit videri, nisi ut eam ostendo in obumbratione, cui volo. Quapropter et tu cave ne praesumas temere intendere in id quod divinum est, sicut etiam tremor qui te apprehendit tibi demonstrat.
Sed quod vides intra praedictum aedificium veluti quamdam imaginem coram hac columna super pavimentum ipsius aedificii stantem, hoc est quod intra opus Dei Patris, se virtus haec ostendit declarans mysterium Verbi Dei, quia ipsa aperuit omnem justitiam in civitate Omnipotentis in populo, scilicet Veteris et Novi Testamenti, super pavimentum, id est super cuncta terrena in opere ejusdem pii Patris stans, quoniam omnia terrestria sicut et coelestia in ejus sunt providentia. Quod autem aliquando ipsam columnam aliquando etiam homines illos qui in ipso aedificio discurrunt inspicit, hoc est quod et secretum suum quod protulit vis divinitatis Verbo Dei considerat, et etiam homines qui in bonitate Patris operantur perspiciens, qui se tangunt vel non tangunt in opere, quia novit qualitatem uniuscujusque secundum studium ejus. Eadem autem imago declarat scientiam Dei; quia illa praevidet omnes homines et omnia quae in coelo et in terra sunt, tanti fulgoris et claritatis existens ut prae nimio splendore qui in ipsa lucet, nec faciem ejus nec vestimenta quibus induitur considerare valeas; quoniam ipsa terribilis est in terrore ut fulgur minantis, et lenis in bonitate ut splendor solis: ita quod in terrore et in lenitate sua incomprehensibilis est hominibus, per terribilem fulgorem, divinitatem quasi per faciem ejus, et per claritatem quam habet in se ipsa quasi vestimenta decoris sui, quomodo etiam nec sol considerari potest in ardente facie sua nec in decoro vestitu radiorum suorum. Ipsa est enim apud omnia et in omnibus, ac tantae pulchritudinis in secreto suo; ut a nullo homine sciri possit quanta suavitate toleret homines, et quomodo parcat eis in perspicabili misericordia; quousque durissimus lapis amplius perforari non possit in imperforabili duritia sua, qui est durus et incorrigibilis homo, qui nullatenus vult declinare a malo suo. Sed tamen ut caeterae virtutes, in forma apparet hominis; quia Deus in virtute bonitatis suae fecit hominem, rationalitate et scientia ac intellectu profundissime adornatum, ut eum intima dilectione diligens et maxima devotione colens spernat figmenta daemoniorum; eum praecipue amans, qui illi tantum et talem dedit honorem.
Quod vero circa eamdem imaginem conspicis pulcherrimam multitudinem, angelicam formam et alas habentem, et in tanta veneratione stantem ut et eam timeant ac diligant: hoc est quod ubique scientiam Dei beati et excellentes spiritus in angelica ministratione, per inexplicabilem et purissimam laudem colunt, quod tam digne non potest homo adimplere, cum adhuc in mortali corpore est; ipsi Deum amplectentes in ardore suo, quia lux vivens sunt, et elati: non quod alas habeant ut alia volatilis creatura, sed quod flagrant in sphaeris suis per virtutem Dei, quasi pennati sint. Unde venerantur me Deum verum, persistentes in recto timore et in vera subjectione, scientes judicia mea, atque ardentes in amore meo, quia faciem meam semper aspiciunt, nihil aliud desiderantes neque volentes nisi quod vident placere perspicacibus oculis meis.
Sed quod ante faciem ejus vides aliam multitudinem in humana forma et tenebrosa veste apparentem, atque in multa constrictione timoris stantem, hi sunt in scientia Dei homines existentes. Quomodo? Homo est in conspectu Dei in magno honore, quem praevidet ad se pertinere, illo abjecto qui magis in perditione contendit perdurare quam in Deo esse. Sed homines illi, quos vides in hac multitudine, dicuntur compulsae oves, humanam speciem habentes, propter opera hominum, et umbrosum vestitum quod est dubitatio in operibus peccatorum; in districtione tamen timoris metuente, judicium Dei. Ideo autem compulsae oves nominantur quoniam multis modis compello eos ut ad vitam perveniant per sanguinem Filii mei ereptos a morte Unde et compulsae oves homines sunt illi, qui per multas tribulationes et aerumnas contra voluntatem suam compelluntur a me, ut relinquant iniquitatem suam quam per voluntatem propriae carnis, et per florem juventutis suae tandiu libentissime adimplerent quandiu saeculo adhaererent, sic volentes permanere in ardore libidinis usque dum eos desereret ignis carnis per frigus aetatis suae; quos tamen omnes diversis modis constringo, secundum quod in eis video, ut cessent a peccatis suis.
Nam quosdam eorum in quibus saeculum tam forti desiderio non ardet non constringo fortiori flagello sed leniori; quia non video in eis tantam amaritudinem quantam in aliis, quoniam cum sentiunt correptionem meam, mox relinquunt in festinatione voluntatem suam, et veniunt ad me, pompis saecularibus renuntiantes. Quosdam autem fortiori verbere corripio, quoniam tam ardentes et tam pervicaces sunt in peccatis ex vitio carnis suae, ut nisi fortiter per me coarctarentur, non essent apti regno meo. Scientia mea praevidet et cognoscit eos, ac constringit illos secundum superfluitatem corporis ipsorum. Et iterum quosdam in maxima et fortissima aerumna ac miseria mentis et corporis eorum supero; quia tam rebelles, tamque superflui in opere carnalis voluptatis sunt, ut si non constringerentur, gravissima calamitate, non cessarent a criminibus per petulantiam suae carnis, quia dum essent in prosperitate suae voluntatis, se non converterent ad Deum, quoniam unde unus per pusillanimitatem mentis suae omnino cadit in desperationem: inde alius jocatur per stoliditatem superbiae suae, atque per quod ipse omnino conculcatur in desperatione; per hoc ille vix constringitur in plenitudine animi sui. Hoc modo coerceo pertinentes ad me cum mihi repugnant in operibus suis; ut quia eos novi, saltem per calamitates tam corporis quam spiritus quas patiantur ad me pervenire compellantur, quatenus ipsi salventur, ut etiam Pharao Israeliticam plebem a terra sua perterritus, tandem discedere compulit, sicut scriptum est: Vocatisque Pharao Mose et Aaron nocte ait: Surgite, egredimini a populo meo, et vos et filii Israel. Ite et immolate Domino, sicut dicitis. Oves vestras et armenta assumite, ut petieratis, et abeuntes benedicite mihi . Hoc tale est: Onerosa et gravissima crimina quae adhaerent huic saeculo in multis aerumnis ac miseriis, gravant supermodum multos homines, in cordibus suis dicentibus: Heu, heu!
quo fugiemus? Et tunc eaedem aerumnae rixando illos expellunt a se: ita quod etiam ipsi homines festinant ab eis recedere, quia in seipsis arescunt in corpore suo de gravedine flagelli manus Dei, non valentes cum gaudio vivere in voluptate saeculi, quoniam Deus requirit eos: quod est vocatio justorum per diversas calamitates in tenebrosis operibus noctis peccatorum. Unde Pharao vitia, scilicet diabolica vocant in clamore aerumnarum et miseriarum Mosen, id est homines illos quos Deus constringit fortissimis doloribus sive spiritualibus sive corporalibus, et Aaron, eos videlicet quos coercet levioribus adversitatibus in nocturno tempore malorum operum convocatos, ipsis vitiis in oppressione voluptatis hominum dicentibus: Surgite de carnali consuetudine vestra et egredimini de veteri habitatione quam nobiscum habuistis separantes vos a communi populo quem possidemus, cum nos colit, et subtrahentes a saecularibus negotiis quibus libenter adhaeremus, vos qui exterriti estis in nobis cum in captura nostra fuistis, et filii Dei vobiscum qui vident ipsum in agnitione ejus. Ite itaque aliam viam relinquentes nos, et offerte vos ipsos Deo inexpugnabilibus causis quibus nos superastis (ut dicitis) in desideriis vestris, lenitatem quoque vestram in ovili mansuetudine, cum qua vobis est durum nobiscum laborare, quia vultis alium dolorem sustinere sequendo Agnum et victoriosissima arma in armentorum fortitudine cum quibus nos superastis, et quibus nos resistere non possumus, assumite in novitate mentis vestrae, quam modo habere vultis, et separamini a nobis ut dudum voluistis cum nos acriter impugnastis, et euntes ad patriam pro qua doletis in animo vestro comprehendite aliam vitam quae vos ducit a nobis, atque benedicite in laude Dei pugnam illam in qua abcessistis a saecularibus causis et negotiis.
Ego quoque omnipotens Deus, ut praedictas oves transire compello ad me, sic etiam columnas meas, id est fortiores coelestes haeredes in fundamento castigationis me consolido, secundum nequitiam implicationis peccati in invasione praevaricationis Adae qua impugnantur, quia stare non possent, si eos gratia mea non confirmarem. Quorum quidem alios quos tam grave pondus non gravat vitiorum, leniore castigatione castigo, quoniam si eos acriori verbere constringerem, omnino deficiente spiritu caderent in desperationem, quia afflatu majoris turbinis diabolicae suggestionis non catenantur. Alios autem graviore mole in varietate saevissimorum morum, et in superfluitate concupiscentiarum ex pugna diabolica oneratos, habeo in duritia constrictionis gravissimorum dolorum, ut non exeant a foedere meo, cui assistunt me toto desiderio volentes apprehendere, atque praecepta mea observare, quia si istos ut priores leniter castigarem, ipsas correptiones meas pro nihilo ducerent, quoniam gravissimo certamine antiqui serpentis impugnantur. Sunt etiam quidam exsules coelestis patriae quos nescio, quia me omnino relinquunt aviditate mentis suae seipsos rapaci rabie seducentes nec me quaerentes, nec scire volentes, sed in seipsis suffocantes bonum desiderium, ita quod non postulant a me ullum auxilium, avide tantum se oblectantes in propriis rebus suis, ut eos delectat in carnalibus desideriis. Quorum alii ex his operantur in superfluitate ac in delectatione carnis quidquid volunt; non tamen existentes in odio et in invidia, sed volutantur in blandis voluptatibus habentes delicias et suavitatem carnis suae, quibus dimitto fruges terrae in prosperitate, ut non deficiant in paupertate; quia et creati sunt per me, et quia etiam populum non absorbent per malitiam suam, atque idcirco dabitur eis secundum desideria ipsorum. Alii vero sunt tantae ferocitatis et nimietate amaritudinis fellis et odii ac invidiae, reddentes malum pro malo, nec volentes sufferre ullam injuriam sibi illatam, ita ut si haberent honorem et divitias saeculi, coelestes virtutes dirumperent in hominibus ne colerentur in eis; unde ipsis abstraho fruges atque divitias, in magnis miseriis eos dejiciens, quatenus se non possint ad tantum malum erigere quantum est in voluntate ipsorum, quia diabolica opera perpetrarent, si facultatem ad hoc haberent. Sic obsisto viis hominum bonorum scilicet et malorum recta mensura ponderans ascensus eorum, secundum quod oculus meus videt cupiditates ipsorum, sicut etiam sapientia testatur per Salomonem, dicens: Omnes viae hominum patent oculis ejus, spirituum ponderator est Dominus . Hoc tale est: Omnia itinera quae spirat vivens animus hominum in praesentia scientiae suae in hoc quod homo habet circuitionem intellectus utilitatis, scilicet fructuositatis atque imbecillitatis inutilitatis: haec sunt aperta conspectui omnipotentis Dei.
Sic per omnia videt Deus, et omnino non absconditur quidquid aspectui divinitatis ejus quia scit omnia, sic videlicet aspiciens universa ut unamquamque rem recte dispenset. Quomodo? Ipse est enim spirituum ponderator, mulcens eos in suavitate blandimentorum et tranquillitatum, castigansque eos in tribulatione dolorum et miseriarum, ut excutiantur ad rectam mensuram, quam contra eum nec currendo nec fugiendo transcendere valent, nisi quantum ipse probat juxta merita eorum, quoniam ponderatio ipsorum est quod in excussione retributionis eorum sive in hoc saeculo sive in futuro ostenditur quomodo Deum coluerunt. Unde etiam ipsi spiritus juste ponderantur, ita scilicet ut rationalitas hominis non plus elevetur in superiora nec deprimatur in inferiora quam justo judicio suo recompensat Deus, quoniam sic ipse resistit illi quod nulla anima est tantae potestatis in superfluitate ullius rei, ut possit Deo repugnare; quia ipse cuncta rectissime dijudicat, obsistens eis justitia sua, cui resistere non valent, ut plus possint quam sit promissionis ejus. Nam ut plumbum juste ponderat pecuniam, sic Deus aequa libra bonis et malis tale obstaculum opponit, quod nullo modo possunt effugere aequissimam normam judicii ejus, isti pro meritis suis gloriam et gaudium vitae, hi vero poenam et moerorem mortis recipientes, secundum quod Deus acutissime praevidet in eis.
Quae autem praedicta imago inspicit homines illos qui de mundo venientes, in eodem aedificio nova veste induuntur: hoc est quod scientia Dei novit eos, qui perfidiam infidelitatis suae relinquentes, in potestate operis Dei pro vita aeterna novum hominem in baptismo induunt, movens illos ne revertantur retro incedentes ad diabolum, vel si in illud deviaverunt ut redeant ad Deum Creatorem suum, secundum quod dicit unicuique eorum in verbis admonitionis suae, ut supra dictum est. Qui autem acutas aures interioris intellectus habet, hic in ardente amore speculi mei, ad verba haec anhelet, et ea in conscientia animi sui conscribat.
Scivias (Know the Ways of the Lord) companion
Keep Hildegard in your mornings
Get the free 14-day Scivias reading plan, then continue with daily historic devotionals in the Chosen Portion app.
Hildegard's visions were meant to be read and prayed over daily by her community; Chosen Portion continues that pattern with a curated historic devotional reading each morning.
- Read all three parts of Scivias in curated excerpts — about 15 minutes a day for 14 days
- One reflection question and one short prayer per day, so you never wonder what to do next
- A day-15 handoff into a daily prayer rhythm you can sustain in the free Chosen Portion app