§4Ceterum quid aliud in mundo quam pugna aduersus diabolum cotidie geritur, quam aduersus iacula eius et tela conflictationibus adsiduis dimicatur? cum auaritia nobis, cum inpudicitia, cum ira, cum ambitione congressio est, cum carnalibus uitiis, cum inlecebris saecularibus adsidua et molesta luctatio.
Furthermore, what else is waged daily in the world than a battle against the devil, what else is fought in continuous conflicts against his darts and weapons? When we have a clash with avarice, with immodesty, with anger, with ambition; when we have a continuous and troublesome struggle with carnal vices and worldly allurements.
obsessa mens hominis et undique diaboli infestatione uallata uix occurrit singulis, uix resistit: si auaritia prostrata est, exsurgit libido: si libido conpressa est, succedit ambitio: si ambitio contempta est, ira exasperat, inflat superbia, uinolentia inuitat, inuidia concordiam rumpit, amicitiam zelus abscidit.
The besieged mind of man, walled in on all sides by the assault of the devil, with difficulty copes with individual threats, with difficulty resists them: if avarice is cast down, lust rises up; if lust is suppressed, ambition succeeds; if ambition is disdained, anger exasperates, pride inflates, drunkenness invites, envy breaks harmony, jealousy cuts off friendship.
cogeris maledicere quod diuina lex prohibet, conpelleris iurare quod non licet.
You are compelled to curse, which the divine law prohibits; you are forced to swear, which is not permitted.
§5Tot persecutiones cotidie animus patitur, tot periculis pectus; urgetur: et delectat hic inter diaboli gladios diu stare? cum magis concupiscendum sit et optandum ad Christum subueniente uelocius morte properare ipso instruente nos et dicente: amen amen dico uobis quoniam uos plorabitis et plangetis, saeculum autem gaudebit: uos tristes eritis, sed tristitia uestra in laetitiam ueniet.
The soul suffers so many persecutions daily, the breast is urged by so many dangers; and does it please us to stand here long among the swords of the devil? When rather it should be desired and wished to hasten to Christ by a swifter death coming to our aid, He Himself instructing us and saying: 'Truly, truly I say to you, that you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall turn into joy.' Who would not wish to be free from sorrow?
quis non tristitia carere optet, quis non ad laetitiam uenire festinet? quando autem in laetitiam ueniat nostra tristitia Dominus denuo ipse declarat dicens: iterum uidebo uos, et gaudebit cor uestrum et gaudium uestrum nemo auferet a uobis. cum ergo Christum uidere gaudere sit nec possit esse gaudium nostrum nisi quis uiderit Christum, quae caecitas animi quaeue dementia est amare pressuras et poenas et lacrimas mundi et non festinare potius ad gaudium quod numquam possit auferri.
Who would not hasten to attain joy? But when our sorrow shall turn into joy, the Lord Himself declares again, saying: 'I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one shall take from you.' Since, therefore, to see Christ is to rejoice, and our joy cannot exist unless one has seen Christ, what blindness of mind or what madness is it to love the pressures, punishments, and tears of the world, and not rather to hasten to the joy which can never be taken away?
§6Hoc autem fit, fratres dilectissimi, quia fides deest, quia nemo credit esse uera quae promittit Deus qui uerax est, cuius sermo credentibus aeternus et firmus est.
This, however, happens, beloved brethren, because faith is lacking, because no one believes those things to be true which God promises, who is truthful, whose word is eternal and firm to those who believe.
si tibi uir grauis et laudabilis aliquid polliceretur, haberes pollicenti fidem nec te falli aut decipi ab eo crederes quem stare in sermonibus adque in actibus suis scires.
If a grave and praiseworthy man promised you something, you would have faith in the promiser, nor would you believe yourself to be deceived or cheated by him whom you knew to stand by his words and deeds.
Deus tecum loquitur, et tu mente incredula perfidus fluctuaris? Deus de hoc mundo recedenti inmortalitatem adque aeternitatem pollicetur, et dubitas? hoc est Deum omnino non nosse, hoc est Christum credendi magistrum peccato incredulitatis offendere, hoc est in ecclesia constitutum fidem in domo fidei non habere.
God speaks with you, and do you, with an unbelieving mind, faithlessly waver? God promises immortality and eternity to the one departing from this world, and do you doubt? This is to be entirely ignorant of God; this is to offend Christ, the teacher of believing, by the sin of incredulity; this is, while established in the church, not to have faith in the house of faith.
§7Quantum prosit exire de saeculo Christus ipse salutis adque utilitatis nostrae magister ostendit: qui cum discipuli eius contristarentur, quod se iam diceret recessurum, locutus est ad eos dicens: si me dilexissetis, gauderetis quoniam uado ad patrem, docens et ostendens, cum cari quos diligimus de saeculo exeunt, gaudendum potius quam dolendum.
How profitable it is to depart from the world, Christ Himself, the teacher of our salvation and utility, shows: when His disciples were saddened because He said He was already about to depart, He spoke to them, saying: 'If you loved me, you would rejoice because I go to the Father,' teaching and showing that when the dear ones whom we love depart from the world, we should rather rejoice than grieve.
cuius rei memor beatus apostolus Paulus in epistula sua ponit et dicit: mihi uiuere Christus est et mori lucrum, lucrum maximum computans iam saeculi laqueis non teneri, iam nullis peccatis et uitiis carnis obnoxium fieri, exemptum pressuris angentibus et uenenatis diaboli faucibus liberatum ad laetitiam salutis aeternae Christo uocante proficisci.
Mindful of this, the blessed apostle Paul sets down in his epistle and says: 'To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,' reckoning it the greatest gain to be no longer held by the snares of the world, to be no longer subject to any sins and vices of the flesh, but, exempted from choking pressures and delivered from the poisonous jaws of the devil, to set out at Christ's calling for the joy of eternal salvation.