§1Cum moneat Dominus et dicat: uos estis sal terrae cumque esse nos iubeat ad innocentiam simplices et tamen cum, simplicitate prudentes, quid aliud, fratres dilectissimi, quam prouidere nos conuenit et sollicito corde uigilantes subdoli hostis insidias intellegere pariter et cauere, ne qui Christum sapientiam Dei patris induimus minus sapere in tuenda salute uideamur? neque enim persecutio sola metuenda est et ea quae subruendis ac deiciendis semis Dei aperta inpugnatione grassantur, facilior cautio est ubi manifesta formido est, et ad certamen animus ante praestruitur, quando se aduersarius confitetur.
When the Lord warns us and says, “You are the salt of the earth,” and when He bids us to be simple as to innocence and yet prudent with simplicity, what else, beloved brethren, is fitting for us than to look ahead and, watching with a solicitous heart, both to understand and beware of the snares of the crafty enemy, lest we, who have put on Christ the wisdom of God the Father, should seem to be less wise in protecting our salvation? For it is not only persecution that is to be feared, and those things which rage in open assault to subvert and cast down the servants of God. Caution is easier where fear is manifest, and the mind is prepared beforehand for the contest when the adversary declares himself.
plus timendus est et cauendus inimicus, cum latenter obrepit, cum per pacis imaginem fallens occultis accessibus serpit, unde et nomen serpentis accepit.
The enemy is more to be feared and guarded against when he creeps in secretly, when, deceiving through the image of peace, he crawls by hidden approaches, from which also he received the name of serpent.
ea est eius semper astutia, ea est circumueniendi hominis caeca et latebrosa fallacia.
Such is always his craftiness, such is his blind and dark deceit of circumventing man.
sic ab initio statim mundi fefellit et uerbis mendacibus blandiens rudem animam incauta credulitate decepit: sic dominum ipsum temptare conatus, quasi obreperet rursus et falleret, latenter accessit: intellectus tamen est et retusus et ideo prostratus quia agnitus adque detectus. §2Ynde nobis exemplum datum est ueteris hominis uiam fugere, uestigiis Christi uincentis insistere, ne denuo incauti in mortis laqueum reuoluamur sed ad periculum prouidi accepta inmortalitate potiamur.
Thus at the very beginning of the world he deceived, and flattering with lying words, misled the simple soul with incautious credulity. Thus attempting to tempt the Lord Himself, as if he would creep in again and deceive, he approached secretly; yet he was understood and repulsed, and therefore cast down because he was recognized and detected. Hence an example has been given to us to flee the way of the old man, to insist upon the footsteps of the conquering Christ, lest we incautiously slide back again into the snare of death, but, foreseeing the danger, may possess the immortality we have received.
inmortalitatem autem potiri quomodo possumus, nisi ea quibus mors expugnatur et uincitur Christi mandata seruemus ipso monente et dicente: si uis ad uitam uenire, serua mandata, et iterum: si feceritis quod mando nobis, iam non dico uos seruos sed amicos.
But how can we possess immortality, unless we keep those commandments of Christ by which death is defeated and overcome, since He Himself warns us and says: “If you wish to come to life, keep the commandments,” and again: “If you do what I command you, I no longer call you servants but friends”?
hos denique fortes dicit et stabiles, hos super petram robusta mole fundatos, hos contra omnes tempestates et turbines saeculi inmobili et inconcussa firmitate solidatos. qui audit, inquit, uerba mea et facit ea, similabo eum uiro sapienti, qui aedificauit domum suam super petram.
These, finally, He calls strong and steadfast, these He describes as founded with robust mass upon a rock, these as established with immobile and unshaken firmness against all the tempests and whirlwinds of the world. “He who hears,” He says, “my words and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon a rock.
descendit pluuia, aduenerunt flumina, uenerunt uenti et inpegerunt in domum illam: et non cecidit.
The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it did not fall.
fundata enim fuit super petram. uerbis igitur eius insistere, quaecumque et docuit et fecit discere et facere debemus.
For it was founded upon a rock.” We ought therefore to stand fast by His words, and to learn and do whatever He both taught and did.
ceterum credere se in Christo quomodo dicit, qui non facit quod Christus facere praecepit? aut unde perueniet ad praemium fidei qui fidem non uult seruare mandati? nutet necesse est et uagetur et spiritu erroris abreptus uelut puluis quem uentus excutit uentiletur nec ambulando proficiet ad salutem qui salutaris uiae non tenet ueritatem.
But how does anyone say that he believes in Christ, who does not do what Christ commanded to do? Or from where shall he attain to the reward of faith, who does not want to keep the faith of the commandment? He must of necessity waver and wander, and, carried away by the spirit of error, be tossed about like dust which the wind blows away; nor will he progress toward salvation by walking, who does not hold the truth of the saving way.
§3Cauenda sunt autem non solum quae sunt aperta adque manifesta sed et astutae fraudis subtilitate fallentia.
But we must beware not only of those things which are open and manifest, but also of those which deceive by the subtlety of crafty fraud.
quid uero astutius quidue subtilius, quam ut Christi aduentu detectus ac prostratus inimicus, postquam lux gentibus uenit et sospitandis hominibus salutare lumen effulsit, ut surdi auditum gratiae spiritalis admitterent, aperirent ad Dominum oculos caeci, infirmi aeterna sanitate reualescerent, clodi ad ecclesiam currerent, muti claris uocibus et precibus orarent, uidens ille idola derelicta et per nimium credentium populum sedes suas et templa deserta excogitauerit nonam fraudem, ut sub ipso christiani nominis titulo fallat incautos? haereses inuenit et schismata, quibus subuerteret fidem, ueritatem corrumperet, scinderet unitatem.
And what indeed is more crafty, or what more subtle, than that the enemy, detected and prostrated by the coming of Christ, after the light came to the Gentiles and the saving light shone forth for the preservation of men, so that the deaf might admit the hearing of spiritual grace, the blind might open their eyes to the Lord, the sick might recover with eternal health, the lame might run to the church, the mute might pray with clear voices and prayers, seeing his idols abandoned and his seats and temples deserted through the exceeding multitude of believing people, should have devised a new fraud, so that under the very title of the Christian name he might deceive the incautious? He invented heresies and schisms, by which he might subvert faith, corrupt truth, and tear unity asunder.
quos detinere non potest in uiae ueteris caecitate circumscribit et decipit noui itineris errore.
Those whom he cannot keep in the blindness of the old way, he circumvents and deceives by the error of a new journey.
rapit de ipsa ecclesia homines et, dum sibi adpropinquasse iam lumini adque euasisse saeculi noctem uidentur, alias nescientibus tenebras rursus infundit, ut cum euangelio Christi et cum obseruatione eius et lege non stantes christianos se uocent et ambulantes in tenebris habere se lumen existiment blandiente aduersario adque fallente, qui secundum apostoli uocem transfigurat se uelut angelum lucis et ministros subornat suos uelut ministros iustitiae adserentes noctem pro die, interitum pro salute, desperationem sub obtentu spei, perfidiam sub praetexto fidei, antichristum sub uocabulo Christi, ut dum uerisimilia mentiuntur, ueritatem subtilitate frustrentur.
He snatches men from the church itself, and while they seem to themselves to have already approached the light and to have escaped the night of the world, he pours upon them, unawares, other darknesses once again; so that, not standing with the gospel of Christ and with His keeping and law, they call themselves Christians, and, walking in darkness, they think they have light, while the adversary flatters and deceives them, who, according to the apostle's word, transforms himself like an angel of light, and suborns his ministers as ministers of justice, asserting night for day, destruction for salvation, despair under the guise of hope, perfidiousness under the pretext of faith, antichrist under the name of Christ, so that while they lie with verisimilitude, they frustrate the truth by subtlety.
hoc eo fit, fratres dilectissimi, dum ad ueritatis originem non reditur nec caput quaeritur nec magisterii caelestis doctrina seruatur.
This happens, beloved brethren, as long as there is no return to the source of truth, nor is the head sought, nor is the doctrine of the heavenly mastership kept.