§28Denique quanto et fide maiore et timore meliore sunt qui quamuis nullo sacrificii aut libelli facinore constricti, quoniam tamen de hoc uel cogitauerunt, hoc ipsum aput sacerdotes Dei dolenter et simpliciter confitentes exomologesim conscientiae faciant, animi sui pondus exponant, salutarem medellam paruis licet et modicis uulneribus exquirant scientes scriptum esse: Dens non deridetur. derideri et circumueniri Deus non potest nec astutia aliqua fallente deludi.
Finally, how much greater in faith and better in fear are those who, although bound by no crime of sacrifice or certificate, yet because they have even thought of this, confessing this very thing before the priests of God with pain and simplicity, make an open confession of their conscience, lay bare the weight of their soul, and seek a salutary medicine for their wounds, though they be small and modest, knowing that it is written: "God is not mocked." God cannot be mocked or circumvented, nor deluded by any deceiving craftiness.
plus immo delinquit qui secundum hominem Deum cogitans euadere se poenam criminis credit, si non palam crimen admisit.
Rather, he sins the more who, thinking of God according to man, believes that he escapes the punishment of his crime if he has not committed the crime openly.
Christus in praeceptis suis dicit: qui confusus me fuerit, confundet eum filius hominis: et Christianum se putat qui Christianus esse aut confunditur aut ueretur? quomodo potest esse cum Christo qui ad Christum pertinere aut erubescit aut metuit? minus plane peccauerit non uidendo idola nec sub oculis circumstantis adque insultantis populi sanctitatem fidei profanando, non polluendo manus suas funestis sacrificiis nec sceleratis cibis ora maculando.
Christ says in His precepts: "He who shall be ashamed of me, the Son of man shall be ashamed of him." And does he think himself a Christian who is either ashamed or afraid to be a Christian? How can he be with Christ who either blushes or fears to belong to Christ? Clearly, he will have sinned less by not seeing the idols, nor profaning the holiness of faith under the eyes of the surrounding and insulting crowd, nor defiling his hands with fatal sacrifices, nor staining his mouth with wicked foods.
hoc eo proficit ut sit minor culpa, non ut innocens conscientia.
This avails to make the fault less, not to make the conscience innocent.
facilius potest ad ueniam criminis peruenire, non est tamen inmunis a crimine: nec cesset in agenda paenitentia adque in Domini misericordia deprecanda, ne quod minus esse in qualitate delicti uidetur in neglecta satisfactione cumuletur.
He can more easily arrive at the pardon of his crime, yet he is not free from crime; nor should he cease from performing repentance and imploring the mercy of the Lord, lest what seems to be less in the quality of the transgression should be accumulated in the neglect of satisfaction.
§29Confiteantur singuli quaeso uos, fratres, delictum suum, dum adhuc qui deliquit in saeculo est, dum admitti confessio eius potest, dum satisfactio et remissio [facta] per sacerdotes aput Dominum grata est.
Let each one, I beseech you, brethren, confess his transgression, while he who has transgressed is still in the world, while his confession can be admitted, while the satisfaction and remission [made] through the priests is acceptable before the Lord.
conuertamur ad Dominum mente tota et paenitentiam criminis ueris doloribus exprimentes Dei misericordiam deprecemur.
Let us turn to the Lord with all our mind, and, expressing repentance for our crime with true sorrows, let us implore the mercy of God.
illi se anima prosternat, illi maestitia satisfaciat, illi spes omnis incumbat.
Let the soul prostrate itself before Him, let our sadness make satisfaction to Him, let all our hope lean upon Him.
rogare qualiter debeamus dicit ipse.
He Himself says how we ought to ask.
reuertimini, inquit, ad me ex toto corde uestro simulque et ieiunio et fletu et planctu et discindite corda uestra et non uestimenta uestra. ad Dominum toto corde redeamus, iram et offensam eius ieiuniis, fletibus, planctibus sicut monet ipse placemus.
"Return," He says, "to me with your whole heart, and at the same time with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts, and not your garments." Let us return to the Lord with our whole heart; let us appease His wrath and offense with fastings, weepings, and mournings, just as He Himself admonishes.
§30Lamentari eum putamus ex toto corda, ieiuniis, fletibus, planctibus Dominum deprecari qui ex primo criminis die lauacra cottidie celebrat, qui epulis afluentibus pastus et sagina largiore distentus cruditates suas postridie ructat nec cibos et potus suos cum pauperum necessitate communicat? qui hilaris ac laetus procedit quomodo mortem suam deflet, cumque scriptum sit: non corrumpetis effigiem barbae uestrae, barbam uellit et faciem suam comit? et placere nunc cuiquam studet qui Deo displicet? an illa ingemescit et plangit cui uacat cultum pretiosae uestis induere nec indumentum Christi quod perdidit cogitare, accipere pretiosa ornamenta et monilia laborata, nec diuini et caelestis ornatus damna deflere? tu licet indumenta peregrina et uestes sericas induas, nuda es: auro te licet et margaritis gemmisque condecores, sine Christi decore deformis es.
Do we think that he laments with his whole heart, and deprecates the Lord with fastings, weepings, and mournings, who from the first day of his crime celebrates baths daily, who, fed on overflowing banquets and distended with larger fattening, belches his indigestions the next day, and does not share his food and drink with the necessity of the poor? How does he bewail his own death who goes forth cheerful and joyful, and when it is written: "You shall not mar the appearance of your beard," plucks out his beard and adorns his face? And does he now study to please anyone who displeases God? Or does she groan and lament, who has leisure to put on the attire of a costly dress, and not to think of the garment of Christ which she has lost, to receive costly ornaments and elaborate necklaces, and not to bewail the loss of divine and heavenly adornment? Though you should put on foreign garments and silk dresses, you are naked; though you should adorn yourself with gold and pearls and gems, without the beauty of Christ you are deformed.
et quae capillos tuos inficis uel nunc in doloribus desine, et quae nigri pulueris ductu oculorum liniamenta depingis uel nunc lacrimis oculos tuos ablue.
And you who dye your hair, cease at least now in your sorrows; and you who paint the outlines of your eyes with the stroke of black powder, wash your eyes at least now with tears.
si quem de tuis carum mortalitatis exitu perdidisses, ingemesceres dolenter et fleres, facie inculta, ueste mutata, neclecto capillo, uulto nubilo, ore deiecto indicia maeroris ostenderes.
If you had lost any dear one of your own by the departure of mortality, you would groan grievously and weep; with face unadorned, with changed garment, with neglected hair, with cloudy countenance, with dejected mouth, you would show the signs of grief.
animam tuam, misera, perdidisti, spiritaliter mortua superuiuere hic tibi et ipsa ambulans funus tuum portare coepisti: et non acriter plangis, non iugiter ingemescis, non te uel pudore criminis uel continuatione lamentationis abscondis? ecce peiora adhuc peccandi uulnera, ecce maiora delicta peccasse nec satisfacere, deliquisse nec delicta deflere.
You have lost your soul, miserable woman! Spiritually dead, you have begun to survive yourself here, and, a walking corpse, to carry your own funeral; and do you not weep bitterly, do you not groan continually, do you not hide yourself either for the shame of your crime or for the continuation of your lamentation? Behold wounds of sinning still worse; behold greater transgressions: to have sinned and not to make satisfaction, to have transgressed and not to bewail the transgressions!