| Quotation |
4. (IV) Cogita quoslibet cruciatus, extende animum in quaslibet poenas humanas; compara ad gehennam et leve est omne quod pateris; Hic temporalis, ibi aeternus est, et qui torquet et qui torquetur. Numquid adhuc patiuntur qui illo tempore passi sunt quo Roma vastata est? Dives autem ille adhuc apud inferos patitur. Arsit, ardet, ardebit; veniet ad iudicium, recipiet carnem, non ad beneficium, sed ad supplicium. Illas poenas timeamus, si Deum timemus. Quidquid hie passus fuerit homo, si corrigatur, emendatio est; si nee sic corrigatur, duplex damnatio est. Et hie enim luet temporales poenas et ibi experietur aeternas.
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5. (V) Fuerunt Romae quinquaginta iusti immo si modum human um consideres, milia iustorum; si regulam perfedionis inquiras, nemo iustorum existat Romae. Qui se iustum audeat dicere audiet a Veritate: Numquid tu sapientior Daniele? Audi ergo illum confitentem peccata sua. An forte cum confitebatur, mentiebatur? Hinc ergo habebat peccatum quia de suis peccatis Deo mentiebatur.
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Ergo, fratres mei, illam quaestionem aliquando terminem. Si iusti sic appellandi sunt-sicut modo quodam humano iusti appellantur, secundum quandam conversationem qua inter homines vivunt sine querela
multi tales Romae, et propter hos pepercit Deus; multi evaserunt sed et his qui mortui sunt pepercit Deus. Mortui enim in bona vita et vera iustitia et fide, nonne aerumnarum humanarum caruerunt casus et ad divinum refrigerium pervenerunt? Mortui sunt post tribulationes. Quomodo pauper ille ante ianuam divitis?
Sed passi sunt famem? Passus est et ille. Passi sunt vulnera? Passus est et ille, forte minus eos canes linxerunt. Mortui sunt? Mortuus est et ille, sed quo fine, audi: Contigit inovem illum mori et afferri ab angelis in sinum Abrahae.
6. (VI) Utinam videre possemus animas sanctorum qui in illo bello mortui sunt! Tune videretis quomodo Deus pepercerit civitati. Milia enim sanctorum in refrigerio sunt, laetantes et dicentes Deo: 'Gratias tibi, Domine, quia nos carnis molestiis et tormentis noxiis eruisti. Gratias tibi, quia iam nec barbaros nec diabolum formidamus, non timemus in terra famem, non timemus hostem, non timemus persecutorem, non timemus oppressorem. Sed sumus in terra mortui, apud te, Deus, non morituri, dona tuo non
merito nostro.' Qualis civitas est humilium quae ista dicit? An putatis, fratres, civitatem in parietibus et non in civibus deputandam? Denique si diceret Deus Sodomitis: 'Fugite quia incensurus sum locum istum,' nonne meritum magnum habuisse forsitan diceremus si fugerent et flamma de caelo descendens moenia
tan tum parietesque vastaret? Nonne Deus pepercerat civitati quia civitas migraverat et perniciem illius ignis evaserat? |
| Translation |
4. (IV) Think of whatever torments you will, let your mind imagine whatever human punishments it may, compare these with hell, and all that you suffer is trivial. Here the tormenter and his victim are temporal, there they are eternal. Do those men still suffer who suffered at the time that Rome was pillaged? But the rich man suffers still in hell. He has burned, he is burning, he will burn; he will come to the judgment, he will recover his flesh, not to his benefit , but to his punishment. Let us fear such punishments, if we fear God. Whatever a man has suffered here, if he is corrected, there is an amendment ; if he is not thus corrected, it here is a double punishment . For here he will pay temporal punishment and there he will experience eternal.
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5. (V) There were at Rome fifty just men - nay rather, if you consider the human standard of measurement, thousands of just men; if you-apply the rule of perfection, there would be no just
man at Rome. He who presumes to call himself just, will hear from Truth: Are you wiser than Daniel? Hear him, then, confessing his sins. Or, perchance when he was confessing, was he lying? In that case he had sin, because he was lying to God concerning his sins.
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And so, my brethren, let me finally settle the question under discussion. If the just are to be called thus as in a certain human fashion they are called just according to the manner of life in which they live among men without reproach - there were many such at Rome, and because of these God spared the city and many escaped. But even those who died, God spared. For, having died in a good life and
in true justice and faith, were they not freed from the vicissitudes of human misfortune and have they not entered upon divine refreshment? They died after tribulations, you say. How did that poor man before the gate of Dives die? But they suffered hunger. He also suffered it. They suffered wounds? So also did he. Perhaps the dogs did not lick them. They died? He also died, but note with what outcome: It happened that that poor man died and was carried by angels in to Abraham's bosom.
6. (VI) Would that we were able to see with our eyes the souls of the just who died in that war! Then you would see how God spared the city. For thousands of saints are at rest, rejoicing and saying to God: 'Thanks to Thee, 0 Lord, because Thou hast rescued us from the troubles and hurtful torments of the flesh. Thanks to Thee, because now we fear neither barbarians nor the devil, we do not fear hunger on earth, we do not fear the enemy, we do not fear the persecutor, we do not fear the oppressor. But
we died on earth, never in Thy sight to die, 0 God, and this by Thy gift, not by our merits.' Of what sort is the city of the humble which says these things? Or do you think, brethren, that city is to be thought of in terms of houses and not of citizens? Accordingly, if God had said to the people of Sodom, 'Flee, because I am about to burn this place,' might we not say that they received great favor, if they fled and the flame descending from heaven laid waste only the walls and houses of the city? Would not God have spared the city in that the city had departed and escaped the destruction of fire? |
