Cap. 5, Vers. 1-24
by St. Bonaventure
Source text: Public Domain Mark 1.0. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://bonaventure.wrootpress.com/browse/16/d/5/q/bon-sap-c5
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### Chapter V.

#### *Secondly the state of the just is compared with the state of the unjust in the judgement itself, as to three things.*

*Then shall stand* etc. Here he compares the state of the just with the state of the unjust *in the judgement itself.* And first he touches on the constant *accusation* of the just; secondly, on the forced *confession* of the reprobate: *These seeing it shall be troubled;* thirdly, on the just *retribution* of both: *But the just shall live for evermore.*

#### First, of the accusation of the just.

(V. 1.). *Then shall stand* etc., as if thus: The impious shall come to the judgement fearful; *then;* the Gloss: « When the peoples shall be judged », namely on the last day; and he says *then* indeterminately, because « of that day no one knoweth », Matthew, the twenty-fourth; likewise Acts, the first: « It is not for you to know the times or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power ». *Shall stand,* namely those who in the present were seen to fall or to lie down; Luke, the sixteenth: « There was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate ». On the contrary the wicked, who now seem to stand, shall then lie down; Proverbs, the fourteenth: « The evil shall lie down before the good ». *Shall stand,* I say, *the just with great constancy,* that is, constantly and boldly on account of the confidence which they will have.

From seven things the confidence of the Saints in the judgement will arise. From the *justice* of their cause; Job, the thirteenth: « If I shall be judged, I know that I shall be found just »; likewise in the Psalm: « Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice ». — Secondly, from the *sufficiency* or abundance of proofs; for they will have proof ready through a *written instrument;* Job, the thirty-first: « Let him that judgeth write a book himself » etc.; likewise the Apocalypse, the twentieth: « The dead were judged by those things which were written in the books »; likewise through *witnesses;* Job, the sixteenth: « Behold, my witness is in heaven », namely God himself; whence Jeremias, the twenty-ninth: « I am the judge and the witness, saith the Lord ». — Thirdly, from the *faithfulness* of the advocates; the first of John, the second: « We have an advocate in heaven, *Jesus Christ* »; likewise *the Holy Spirit;* Romans, the eighth: « The Spirit asketh » etc.; likewise *the Blessed Virgin;* whence we cry: « Our Advocate » etc. — Fourthly, from the *powerlessness* of the adversaries, according to that of the Psalm: « The impious shall not rise again in judgement », namely to accuse the just; the Apocalypse, the twelfth: « The accuser is cast forth » etc. — Fifthly, from the *friendship* and kinship of their judge; Genesis, the thirty-seventh: « He is our flesh and our brother »; Bernard: « I think he will not be able to spurn me, bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh ». — Sixthly, from the *benevolence* of the assessors, that is, of the Apostles; Matthew, the nineteenth: « You also shall sit on twelve seats judging » etc.; likewise Job, the thirty-sixth: « He giveth judgement to the poor ». — Seventhly, from the *familiarity* of the officials of the judge, namely of the Angels; Matthew, the thirteenth: « The Angels shall go out and shall separate the wicked from among the just ».

*Against them;* the Gloss: « Their persecutors », *who have afflicted them;* the Gloss: « In martyrdom », afflicting them in their persons; Hebrews, the eleventh: « Distressed, afflicted » etc. *And who took away their labours, bodily ones,* namely despoiling them by violence, though the Saints bore these things joyfully; whence Hebrews, the tenth: « You took with joy the being stripped of your own goods ». Or: *labours, spiritual ones,* endeavouring to take away their fruit, namely by provoking them to sin; of this fruit above, in the third: « The fruit of good labours is glorious ». Or: *both together,* according to the Gloss: « Namely judging their bodily and spiritual labours vain and foolish ».

#### Secondly, of the confession of the reprobate, in three ways.

*These seeing it shall be troubled* etc. Here he touches on the forced [*sic*] *confession* of the reprobate; and first he touches on the *motive* for such a confession; secondly, on the *matter* of the confession: *These are they whom we had sometime;* thirdly, on the *approval* of their confession: *Such things they said* etc. —

The *motive* of the confession is touched on as twofold, namely *affliction* over the true happiness of the good, and *anxiety* over their own unhappiness· *Saying within themselves* etc.

(V. 2.). There follows therefore: *These seeing it;* the Gloss: « Themselves brought down from glory to punishment, and their adversaries carried over from punishment to the crown »; *shall be troubled with terrible fear;* Exodus, the fifteenth: « Then were the princes of Edom troubled »; likewise Ezechiel, the seventh: « Trouble shall come upon trouble », namely trouble over the affliction of the body taken up again upon the trouble had before over the affliction of the soul tormented before in the flames of Gehenna. *With terrible fear,* namely on account of the constancy of their *accusers,* of whom above in the same chapter. Secondly, on account of the severity of the divine *judgements,* according to that of Hebrews, the tenth: « It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God »; likewise below in the sixth: « Horribly and speedily will he appear to you ». Thirdly, on account of the presence of the terrible *torturers;* Job, the twentieth: « The terrible ones shall go and come upon him ». Or thus: *They shall be troubled,* on account of a gnawing conscience; *with fear,* on account of the irrevocable sentence of the judge; *terrible,* on account of the seen presence of the penalties prepared and of the terrible torturers. *And they shall be amazed at the suddenness,* that is, the sudden attainment, *of the salvation,* namely of the just, *not looked for,* that is, not reckoned on by the impious themselves, yet hoped for by the just, according to that of the Psalm: « In thee have our fathers hoped » etc. *Groaning,* inwardly, *for anguish of spirit,* from the consideration of that glory and salvation which they have lost; the first of Kings, the fourth: « The Philistines groaned, saying: Woe to us » etc.

(V. 3.). *Saying within themselves,* by an inward utterance, and they are not free for the outward one, perhaps on account of the vehemence of their grief. *Repenting,* of the evil which they did; *repenting,* but late, as the repentance of the rich man, of whom Luke, the sixteenth: « Father Abraham, have mercy on me » etc.; *doing* penance, nay rather suffering it. This is the repentance of despair, as the repentance of Judas, of whom it is read in Matthew, the twenty-seventh, that « repenting himself, he brought back the thirty pieces of silver ». *And groaning for anguish of spirit,* over the evil of punishment which they have incurred; Isaias, the sixty-fifth: « You shall howl for grief of spirit » etc.

*These are they whom we had sometime* etc. Here he sets down the *matter* of the confession of the impious confessing their own error, first concerning *the life of the just;* secondly, concerning *their own life: We wearied ourselves* etc.

In the first they confess first their past *contempt* and derision of the Saints; secondly, the *reprobation* of their state: *We fools* etc.; thirdly, their then *present exaltation:* Behold, *how they are numbered;* fourthly, *their own error: Therefore we have erred.*

(V. 3.). *These,* namely worthy of a derisive pointing out according to the judgement of the impious, *are they whom we had sometime in derision,* by deeds and by signs; Job, the twelfth: « The simplicity of the just man is laughed to scorn »; likewise in the Psalm: « All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn » etc. *And for a parable of reproach,* reproaching them with words; in the Psalm: « The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me ». But when a good work is cast up against a man as a reproach, which is rather the matter of praise, it is not a true reproach, but the likeness of a reproach; on account of which it is said here: *for a parable* (*in similitudinem*) *of reproach;* the second to the Corinthians, the sixth: « By evil report and good report » etc.; Acts, the fifth: « The Apostles went rejoicing » etc.

(V. 4.). *We fools* etc., living in the manner of senseless infants; *fools* (*insensati*), I say, because we did not perceive things as they were; Ecclesiasticus, the sixteenth: « In all these things the heart is senseless »; the first to the Corinthians, the fourteenth: « Do not become children in sense ». *Their life,* that is, their way of living, which was in poverty, labour, lowliness, fastings etc.; *we esteemed madness.* So David was reputed mad by Achis, the first of Kings, the twenty-first; so too Christ; John, the eighth: « Do not we say well that thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil »? likewise John, the tenth: « He hath a devil and is mad »; so the messenger of Eliseus, the fourth of Kings, the ninth: « Wherefore came this madman to thee »? Osee, the ninth: « Know ye, O Israel, that the prophet is foolish, the spiritual man mad »; *foolish,* namely in temporal things, and *mad,* according to the judgement of worldly men. *And their end,* that is, death, *without honour,* namely of any remuneration; against which it is said in the Psalm: « Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honourable »; likewise John, the twelfth: « If any man minister to me, him will my Father honour », who is in heaven.

(V. 5.). *How* then *are they numbered among the children of God?* through grace; Romans, the eighth: « For

you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons » etc.; likewise John, the first: « He gave them power to be made the sons of God » etc. *And their lot is among the Saints,* that is, the portion of glory, of which in the Psalm: « My portion, O Lord, be in the land of the living »; likewise Colossians, the first: « Who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the Saints in light ». And these things are against the two which they had said; for they had said that the life of the Saints was senseless and their end ignominious.

(V. 6.). *Therefore we have erred* etc. They conclude against themselves; whence that of the Psalm is verified: « Their tongues against them are made weak ». *We have erred,* they say; for they approved false things for true; but Augustine says that « to approve false things for true is the property of error »; Isaias, the nineteenth: « They have caused Egypt to err in all its works, as a drunken man staggereth and vomiteth ». *From the way of truth;* the Gloss: « Of the Gospel of the divine law », for *believing;* Isaias, the fifty-third: « All we like sheep have gone astray; every one hath turned aside into his own way ». *And the lumen* *of justice,* for *working; the lumen of justice,* intransitively, that is, justice, which is light, according to that of the Psalm: « Light is risen to the just »; likewise Proverbs, the fourth: « The path of the just as a shining light » etc. *Hath not shone unto us;* Isaias, the fifty-ninth: « We looked for light, and behold darkness »! This was the cause of their error, as a lack of lumen is the cause of going astray. *And the sun of intelligence,* namely for *inflaming;* the Gloss: « Christ, the sun of justice, who riseth to them that fear God », as is had in Malachias, the last; *hath not risen upon us.* It is to be noted that the lack is not on the part of the sun, but on the part of those themselves lying in darkness and neither willing to rise nor seeking to open their eyes; the Psalm: « Fire hath fallen on them », of envy, « and they shall not see the sun », of justice. The material sun indeed rises upon the good and the wicked, as is clear from Matthew, the fifth: « Who maketh his sun to rise upon the good and bad », but the sun of intelligence rises for the good alone, as is clear here.

Now Christ is called *the sun,* because sun (*sol*) is said as if alone (*solus*) shining; and Christ *shines singularly,* that is, before all others, as the light *of the world* and its eye; John, the first: « That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world », even by the illumination of *natural knowledge.* « For he is the teacher who, having his chair in heaven, teaches the hearts of men on earth », as Augustine says. Likewise John, the eighth: « I am the light of the world ». — Likewise, because by the illumination of *the moon,* that is, of the Church; Ecclesiasticus, the fiftieth: « As the moon at the full shineth in her days », namely from the irradiation of the sun. — Likewise, because he is *the fountain of all heat,* that is, of spiritual love; the Psalm: « He hath set his tabernacle in the sun »; and after: « There is no one that can hide himself from his heat »; the second of Machabees, the first: « The time came that the sun shone out, which before was in a cloud; and there was a great fire kindled » etc.; likewise Luke, the twelfth: « I am come to cast fire on the earth », that is, heat. — Likewise, because he is *the father of spiritual plants,* that is, of all spiritual sprouting; John, the fifteenth: « He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing ». — And he is called the *sun of intelligence,* because his light is apprehended by the eye of intelligence alone, since by his ray, namely by the spirit of understanding, the intelligence is illumined.

*We wearied ourselves* etc. Here he touches on the confession of the error of the impious concerning *their own life;* and first they confess the *laboriousness* of their own life; secondly, its *blindness: But the way of the Lord;* thirdly, its *uselessness: What hath it profited us* etc.; fourthly, its *instability: They have passed away.*

(V. 7.). *We wearied ourselves* then, in our strength, *in the way of iniquity,* as to *guilt* in the present; Jeremias, the ninth: « They have laboured to commit iniquity »; *and of destruction,* as to *punishment* in the future; Proverbs, the second: « The impious shall be cut off from the earth, and they that do wickedly shall be taken away from it ». Nor is it a wonder if we wearied ourselves in our strength, for *we have walked through hard ways,* hard of their own nature, namely the ways of sins, which greatly afflict the soul in the present through the remorse of conscience. For the order of divine justice does not suffer that there be guilt without punishment even for a moment.

Whence Augustine: « Thou hast commanded, O Lord, and so it is, that the disordered mind should be its own punishment »; Ecclesiasticus, the twenty-first: « The way of sinners is made plain with stones ».

**But on the contrary:** Matthew, the seventh: « Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction ».

It must be said that it is easy *in the going in,* as if strewn with flowers, namely with the sweetness of present delight and temporal pleasantness; but hard *in the going on,* on account of the remorse of conscience; harder *in the going out,* on account of the separation from present pleasure; but hardest *after the going out,* on account of the torment of Gehenna.

*But the way of the Lord,* namely that by which the Lord came to us, by which we go to him, namely charity, according to that of the Apostle, the first to the Corinthians, the twelfth: « I shew unto you yet a more excellent way »; *we have not known,* namely with a gross and affected ignorance; whence Job, the twenty-first: « Who say to God: Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways ». One ignorant with such ignorance « shall be not known », as the Apostle says, the first to the Corinthians, the fourteenth.

(V. 8.). *What hath pride profited us?* namely in the eminence of honours, as if he were saying: nothing; nay rather it has harmed us, because it is said in the Psalm: « He will repay them abundantly that act proudly »; Proverbs, the sixteenth: « Pride goeth before destruction »; Luke, the first: « He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart ». *Or the boasting of riches,* namely over the abundance of outward goods, *what hath it brought us?* as if he were saying: nothing; Ecclesiastes, the fifth: « He that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them »; likewise Luke, the sixth: « Woe! to you that are rich » etc.

*They have passed away* etc. Here he touches on the confession of the *instability* of the state of the reprobate under a manifold metaphor: first under the metaphor of a *shadow;* secondly, of a *messenger: As a post;* thirdly, of a *ship: And as a ship;* fourthly, of a *bird: Or a bird;* fifthly, of an *arrow: Or as an arrow.*

(V. 9. 10.). *All those things have passed away,* namely riches, delights and the honours of worldly power; whence the first of John, the second: « All that is in the world » etc., and in the same place below: « The world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof »; that is, the things to be desired that are in it, namely as to their outward figure, not as to their substance; whence the first to the Corinthians, the seventh: « The figure of this world passeth away ». *Like a shadow,* namely by darkening the mind; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-fourth: « As one that catcheth at a shadow and followeth after the wind, so also he that regardeth lying visions », because the soul, by turning itself to earthly things, is darkened and eclipsed through the interposition of the earth between it and the true sun. — *And as a post that runneth on,* removing the mind by its passing; Job, the ninth: « My days have been swifter than a post ». — *And as a ship that passeth through the waves,* sustaining many tribulations; Luke, the tenth: « Thou art troubled about many things ». *Whereof when it is gone by, the trace cannot be found,* namely in the water; Proverbs, the thirtieth: « Three things are hard to me etc., the way of a ship in the midst of the sea ». *Nor the path of its keel in the waves,* that is, of the small boat which is wont to accompany a larger ship for escape from danger. Or: *the keel* can be called the middle part or the middle place of the ship, according to these verses:

> The prow is the ship's fore part, the hindmost part the poop.
> Say the side is the raft, say the belly is the keel.

(V. 11. 12.). *Or a bird,* namely by lifting the heart up into pride and wantonness; Proverbs, the tenth: « He that trusteth to lies feedeth the winds; and the same runneth after birds that fly away ». *That flieth through the air,* namely swiftly, *of whose passage no proof* (*argumentum*) *is found,* namely no certain sign; *but only the sound* is heard, *the sound,* I say, *of the wings beating the light wind,* that is, the air in motion, according to that of Damascene: « Wind is air in motion »; *and parting,* that is, dividing, *the air by the force of her flight,* namely the still air. So the sound of a slight fame accompanies the impious, according to that of the Psalm: « They have called their names in their lands »; Isaias, the eighteenth: « Woe! to the land, the winged cymbal » etc. *And having moved her wings she hath flown through,* namely to another place; Osee, the ninth: « Ephraim hath flown away like a bird ». *And after this no sign,* that is, no certain indication, *is found of her way;* Proverbs, the thirtieth: « Three things are hard to me etc., the way of an eagle in the air »; likewise Job, the twenty-eighth: « The bird hath not known the path, neither hath the eye of the vulture beheld it ». — *Or as an arrow,* namely

by wounding the heart mortally; *shot at the place appointed,* by the archer; Proverbs, the seventh: « Till the arrow pierce his liver ». *The divided air,* namely by the motion of the arrow, *presently cometh together again, so that the passage thereof is not known;* the Gloss: « Because it has left no traces of itself ».

(V. 13.). *So we also being born, forthwith ceased to be,* that is, soon after birth; or: *we ceased* at once, that is, we begin to cease, according to that saying of Augustine: « What is our life but a continual running to death »? The Gloss: « So too the course of this life is uncertain and unstable »; Job, the fourteenth: « Man born of a woman etc., and fleeth as a shadow ». Or: *we cease to be forthwith,* through the hastening of sinning. *And have been able to shew no mark of virtue,* namely in our life through a good way of living; Mark, the last: « These signs shall follow them that believe »; Galatians, the last: « I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body ». For *we are consumed in our wickedness,* through final impenitence; Job, the thirteenth: « Who am to be consumed as rottenness »; John, the eighth: « You shall die in your sin ».

*Such things they said* etc. Behold, the *confirmation of* their *confession* through fitting examples, first through the example of *down;* secondly, of *froth: And as froth;* thirdly, of *smoke: And as smoke;* fourthly, of *a guest: And as the remembrance of a guest.*

(V. 14.). *Such things* then *they said in hell, these who sinned; they said,* I say, by an inward utterance through the remorse of conscience, though perhaps not by an outward utterance, since they are in hell without bodies until the day of judgement and without bodily organs, though not without the powers of the organs; Luke, the sixteenth: « Lifting up his eyes », that is, the power of sight, which had used the organs of the eyes in the present.

*In hell* etc. How did this author know that *they said* thus *in hell?* since he had never been there, nor had another come from there who might have reported it to him; whence above in the second chapter: « There hath been no man known to have returned from hell ».

It can be said that he knew this through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, because, according to Ambrose, every truth, by whomever it be said, is uttered at the dictation of the Holy Spirit; likewise the second of Peter, the first: « The holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Spirit ». Or: *They said,* that is, they could have said.

(V. 15.). *For* etc., as if he were saying: and they *said* truly, *for the hope of the impious,* that is, temporal prosperity, in which the impious place their hope; Isaias, the twenty-eighth: « We have placed our hope in lies »; *is as down,* that is, the flower of the thistle, as to *the frailty of the flesh; which is blown away by the wind,* that is, by a slight breath; the Gloss: « Down expresses the frailty of the flesh, which is quickly taken away by the wind of sickness or by trouble »; Isaias, the fortieth: « All flesh is grass ». And the frailty of the flesh is well compared to the flower of the thistle, because the flesh brings forth the thorns and thistles of temptations; whence Genesis, the third: « Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ». *And as a thin froth,* generated from the agitation of the waters, *which is dispersed by the storm. As froth* etc., he says as to *the vanity of boasting;* whence the Gloss: « This is the appetite for human favour and for vulgar boasting, which is dispersed by the storm of some tribulation and adversity, present or eternal »; Osee, the tenth: « Samaria hath made her king to pass, as froth passeth upon the face of the water »; likewise Jeremias, the twenty-third: « Behold the whirlwind of the Lord's indignation shall come forth, and a tempest shall break out and come upon the head of the impious ». *And as smoke which is scattered abroad by the wind,* as to *the shortness of life;* James, the fourth: « What is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while »; *is scattered abroad by the wind;* for because it is lifted on high, it is forced to vanish, according to that of the Psalm: « Presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, they shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke »; the Gloss: « As smoke is dissolved by the wind, so human life by the change of the times ». *And as the remembrance of a guest of one day that passeth by,* as to *the slight duration of fame;* Job, the thirteenth: « Your remembrance shall be compared to ashes ».

He compares man existing in this life to *a guest,* because we are pilgrims and guests as in another's house, according to that of the Psalm: « I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were »; likewise Hebrews, the eleventh: « Confessing that they are pilgrims » etc. *That passeth by,* because we pass over from life to death; Lamentations, the first: « O all ye that pass by the way » etc.; likewise Ecclesiastes, the first: « One generation passeth away » etc. *Of one day,* because we stay here but a little; whence Hebrews, the thirteenth: « We have not here a lasting city » etc.

#### Thirdly, of the retribution of the just and of the reprobate, in two ways.

*But the just for evermore.* Here he sets down the condign *retribution* of the just and of the reprobate, and first, *the reward of the just;* secondly, *the penalty of the reprobate: And he will take armour.* — He touches on a twofold reward of the just: first, for the *doing of good;* and secondly, for the *victory over evil: Therefore shall they receive* etc.

(V. 16.). *But the just* etc., as if he were saying: such is the life and death of the impious; *but* (*autem*), for *sed. The just,* on the contrary, *shall live for evermore;* the Gloss: « They shall live with eternal life », of which John, the seventeenth: « This is eternal life » etc. *And with the Lord,* that is, in the Lord himself through *hope,* according to the Gloss; in the Psalm: « But it is good for me to adhere to my God », namely through *charity,* « to put my hope in the Lord God »; *is their reward;* the Gloss: « The prize of their labour »; for he himself is the reward of the Saints; Genesis, the fifteenth: « I am thy protector and thy reward exceeding great »; likewise Numbers, the eighteenth: « I am thy portion and inheritance in the midst of the children of Israel ». *And the thought of them* etc., as if he were saying: and deservedly is their reward with the Lord, because *their thought,* that is, all their solicitude and intention through faith, is *with the most High,* according to that of the Psalm: « Cast thy thought upon the Lord » etc. Or: *the thought,* that is, the knowing of their understanding, is *with the most High,* alone; for the just think only of God, or of the things that help towards having him, according to that of the first to the Corinthians, the seventh: « The woman that is without a husband thinketh on the things of the Lord ».

(V. 17.). And because they are such in the present; *therefore shall they receive a kingdom of comeliness,* that is, a comely kingdom, as to *the aurea,* or the essential reward; Matthew, the fifth: « Blessed are the poor » etc. *And a diadem of beauty,* that is, a beautiful one; the Gloss: « The enemy being overcome »; and this as to *the aureola,* or as to the accidental reward; the second to Timothy, the fourth: « There is laid up for me a crown of justice ». Of both, Exodus, the twenty-fifth. *At the hand of God,* or *of the Lord;* the Gloss: « That is, from Christ, who is called the *hand* and the *arm* and the *right hand* of God the Father ». For he is the *hand* by working: « For all things were made by him », John, the first; the *arm* by protecting, according to that of the Psalm: « My arm shall strengthen him »; the *right hand* by rewarding; Matthew, the twenty-fifth: « He shall set the sheep on his right hand ». *For with his right hand he will cover them;* the Gloss: « Here and in the future », from the wrath of the supreme judge; Isaias, the forty-ninth: « In the shadow of his hand he hath protected me »; Ecclesiasticus, the thirty-fourth: « A covert from the heat, and a shade from the noonday ». *And with his holy arm,* that is, with his holy power, *he will defend them,* namely from every assault of the adversary, according to that of the Psalm: « The Lord is the defender of my life, of whom shall I be afraid »?

*And he will take armour* etc. Here he touches on *the penalty of the reprobate* under the metaphor of a king taking up arms against his adversaries. And first he describes the king's *purpose;* secondly, his *equipment: He will put on* etc.; thirdly, the *war: They shall go directly;* fourthly, the *effect of the war: And shall bring to a desert;* fifthly, the *remedy of the war: Wisdom is better.*

(V. 18.). *And he will take armour,* namely against the adversaries, *his zeal;* Proverbs, the sixth: « The jealousy and rage of the man will not spare in the day of revenge ». « And his arms are truth, justice and judgement », according to the Gloss. *And he will arm the creature,* namely as his army, according to that of below in the sixteenth: « The creature serving thee the Maker is made fierce against the unjust »; *for the revenge of his enemies;* the Psalm: « The Lord is the God to whom revenge belongeth » etc.

(V. 19. 20. 21.). *He will put on justice as a breastplate;* justice is compared to a coat of mail or a breastplate because, as the coat of mail protects the whole body, so justice protects the soul on every side; whence the second to the Corinthians, the sixth: « By the armour of justice on the right hand and on the left »; Isaias, the fifty-ninth: « He put on justice as a coat of mail ». *And will take right judgement instead of a helmet,* or *certain; right judgement,* that is, discretion, and it is compared to *a helmet,* which is the defence of the head, that is,

of reason; Proverbs, the sixteenth: « Divination is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not err in judgement ». — *He will take equity for an invincible shield;* equity is compared to the shield, which defends the coat of mail, because it makes justice irreprehensible; Isaias, the eleventh: « He shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth ». — *And he will sharpen his severe wrath;* he says *severe* to distinguish it from the light wrath with which he is now angry; *for a spear;* the wrath of God is compared to a spear because it will reach even all things however remote and will pierce them; Ezechiel, the twenty-first: « A sword is sharpened » etc.; likewise Exodus, the fifteenth: « Thou sentest thy wrath, which devoured them like stubble ». *And the whole world shall fight with him against the senseless;* Gregory: « When the Creator is offended, every creature is offended »; the Gloss: « The Creator through the creature subject to him chastises the delinquent ». Terrible will that war be, of which Job, the fortieth: « Remember the battle, and speak no more ».

*They shall go directly* etc. Here he describes the last *war* according to the different battle-lines of creatures. And first he brings in *fire* warring down and storming the impious; secondly, *air: And from the stony;* thirdly, *water: And shall glow*; fourthly, *wind,* or a whirlwind proceeding from the earth: *A mighty wind shall stand against them.*

(V. 22.). *They shall go* then, namely against them, *directly, the shafts of lightning;* the Gloss: « At pleasure, that is, at the will of the leader »; Ecclesiasticus, the forty-third: « He maketh haste to send forth the lightnings of his judgement »; likewise in the Psalm: « Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them ». *And as from a well-bent bow of the clouds,* that is, as the lines of the rainbow pressed down, the sun coming upon them, *the impious shall be exterminated;* as if he were saying: as the heavenly bow is dissolved quickly and easily, so the impious shall be exterminated quickly and easily, that is, they shall be put outside the bounds (*extra terminos*) of the present and of eternal life; Baruch, the third: « They are cut off, and are gone down to hell »; in the Psalm: « He hath bent his bow » etc. *And they shall leap to a certain place,* namely upon the wicked only, so that they shall not touch the good; above in the third: « The torment of death shall not touch them ». *To a certain place;* the Gloss: « Wherever it be needful; for what has been ordered by the divine wisdom cannot be confused »; whence Exodus, the ninth: « In Egypt the land of Gessen suffered no evil from the plagues inflicted on Egypt ».

(V. 23.). *And from the stony wrath;* that wrath is called *stony* on account of its effect, because it will show itself in stones, or because it is unbreakable and hard as a stone, or because it will be brought on by Christ, who is called *the rock* (*petra*) in the first to the Corinthians, the tenth: « And the rock was Christ ». *Full hailstones shall be cast,* that is, thick and great; or: *fully,* that is, plenteously or abundantly; the Psalm: « Fire, hail, snow, ice » etc.; Job, the thirty-eighth: « Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow »? the Apocalypse, the sixteenth: « Great hail like a talent came down from heaven upon men ». But the Greeks have it thus: *And as from a well-bent bow of the clouds they shall leap to a certain place, and from a stone lying, full of wrath.* This text is plainer and seems truer, since this book seems to have been compiled in Greek. *And shall glow,* that is, shall boil, *against them,* that is, contrary to them, *the water of the sea;* for it will become boiling, turbid and foaming; Luke, the twenty-first: « Upon the earth distress of nations by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves ». For it will be one of the fifteen signs, according to Jerome, that the sea will raise itself above the height of the mountains. *And the rivers,* that is, of fresh waters, *shall run together harshly,* that is, mightily; Exodus, the fifteenth: « They sunk as lead in the mighty waters ». Or: *The water of the sea,* that is, the bitterness of hell, *shall glow against them,* that is, shall hiss and boil as water by the plunging in of hot iron; Isaias, the fourteenth: « Hell below was in an uproar ». *And the rivers,* namely of anguishes, *shall run together harshly,* because there will be *grief* over the goods lost, *shame* over the evils committed, *fear* over the present penalties.

(V. 24.). *A mighty wind* (*spiritus virtutis*) *shall stand against them,* that is, a strong wind, according to that of Exodus, the fifteenth: « Thy wind blew » etc., proceeding from the caverns of the earth, according to that of the Psalm: « Who

bringeth forth winds out of his stores »; likewise in the Psalm: « With a vehement wind thou shalt break in pieces the ships of Tharsis »; likewise Job, the first: « A violent wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert ». This is the « wind of storms », of which in the Psalm. *And as;* the *as* expresses *truth,* not a mark of likeness; *a whirlwind,* that is, an impulse composed of contrary winds mixed with dust, *shall divide them* etc. Or: *the wind* (*spiritus*) can be called the sentence of the judge, according to that of Isaias, the eleventh: « With the breath (*spiritu*) of his mouth he shall slay the impious ». And then the *as* (*ly tanquam*) is a mark of *likeness,* not an expression of truth, when it is said: *And as a whirlwind shall divide them,* namely from the good; Job, the twenty-seventh: « A burning wind shall take him up, and as a whirlwind shall snatch him from his place »; Isaias, the last: « Behold the Lord will come with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind ». *And to a desert,* that is, a place horrible and barren and lacking every good; of such a place Deuteronomy, the thirty-second: « In a place of horror and of vast wilderness ». *All the earth,* that is, earthly men, *shall their iniquity bring,* that is, their own iniquity, not another's, will be the cause why they are brought there, according to that of Isaias, the fiftieth: « Walk in the flames which you have kindled ». Or according to another reading: *The land of their iniquity* he says, because according to the Psalm: « A fire shall go before the judge himself », which will burn up the surface of the earth, on which their iniquities were done, and make it dry. *And wickedness,* which they practised, which has the sense of the worse; *shall overthrow,* that is, shall be the cause of overthrowing, *the thrones of the mighty,* that is, kingdoms, cities and castles, towers and tribunals; Ecclesiasticus, the tenth: « God hath overturned the thrones of proud princes ».

The Gloss expounds what goes before otherwise, namely of the present storming of the impious, unbelievers and heretics, by Christ and the Church: by the flash of *miracles,* by the hail of *rebukes,* by the cleansing of *tribulations,* by the whirlwind of *persecutions,* by the overthrow and taking away of *the possessors,* by the casting down of *the mighty.*

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