The good God,^[1] showing his great and varied providence, not only ordained all of creation, unfolded the heavens,^[2] spread the seas, enkindled the sun, caused the moon to shine, gave the earth to be inhabited and offered all the resources of the earth for food and for the sustenance of our bodies, but he also gave us the relics of the holy martyrs. After taking their souls (The souls of the righteous, it says, are in the hand of God), he left us their bodies in the meantime as an exhortation and a comfort, so that, drawing near to the graves of these saints, we might be moved to zeal and to imitation and that seeing them we might keep the memory of their good works and of the rewards associated with them.

To say that God remembers^[1] is to say that he acts. Conversely, to say that he forgets is to say that he does not act: not because there is forgetfulness in God (given that he never changes) or remembrance (given that he never forgets). For those, then, who did not know what they were doing,^[2] I have become like a man without support, when I was free among the dead.^[3] And for those who did not know what they were doing, I have become like the slain who sleep in the grave. And they are cast away from your hand.^[4] That is, when they reduced me to such a condition, they were cast away from your hand. They thought I was a man without support; rather, it was they who were without the support of your hand. In fact, as it says in another psalm, they dug a ditch before me, but they fell in it themselves.^[5] I think that the words and I have been cast away from your hand are best interpreted in this way, rather than referring to those who sleep in the grave, whom God does not remember. In fact, there are some righteous people among these latter, of whom it is true that he has not remembered them yet, so as to raise them. Nevertheless, of these it is also said, The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God. That is, they enjoy the support of the Most High, and they dwell in the protection of the God of heaven.^[6] As for the others, however, they were cast away from the hand of God, since they thought that the Lord Jesus Christ was rejected by his hand, so much so that they could number him among the evildoers and kill him.^[7]

The Word of God, who out of mercy condescended to become her son, serves with his sovereign hands this most holy and most divine woman as is fitting toward a mother and receives her holy soul. What a good legislator! Not being subject to the law, he keeps the law that he decreed. It is he, in fact, who established the duty of children toward their parents. Honor, he says, your father and your mother.^[1] I believe this is a truth that is obvious to anyone who is at least a little familiar with the divine revelation of sacred Scripture. If, as sacred Scripture says, the souls of the righteous are in the hands of the Lord, how much more should she not entrust her soul to her Son and her God?

Where do we think these saints are? In a place where they are doing well. What more do you want? You do not know the place, but consider what it truly is. Wherever they are, they are with God. The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God; no torment will touch them. They passed through torments to reach the place without torment. Through narrowness and constriction they reached the place of freedom. Therefore, those who are heading toward such a homeland should not be dismayed if the way is difficult.

My life is always in your hands, but I do not forget your law.^[1] Because the soul of the righteous is persecuted by the wickedness of thieves, who want to seduce it with various traps, it very wisely says that it is placed in the hands of God. No violence of its adversaries can reach there, as it says, The souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and no fatal torment will touch them. And also, My sheep listen to my voice, and a little later, No one will steal them from my hand.^[2] He added ever, so that it would be understood that at no time is the soul left to the mercy of its foes. When it then says in the hands, it means that God acts with power, since he keeps safe those who show themselves to have acted according to his judgments. Why then does he say that his soul is placed in the hands of the Lord? Because his law is not taught to someone who forgets. Therefore, we are under his protection if we do not stray in anything from the saving precepts. This is what is asked of us at all times and what we are commanded in particular here: to return to the law, and not to stray from the law.

The sufferings of the present time cannot be compared with the future glory that will be revealed in us.^[1] But it remains hidden until it is revealed. And precisely because it is hidden, in the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died. But, by the fact that it is concealed, does it thus also remain hidden to God, before whom it is precious? Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints.^[2] Consequently, in the face of this hidden mystery we need eyes of faith, so as to believe what we do not see and to suffer courageously, resolutely accepting unjust evils.

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their end was thought to be a punishment. Malice, in Latin,^[1] does not ordinarily have the same meaning that it has in the language used in sacred Scripture. In fact, in Latin one usually calls malice that which makes human beings wicked. In the language of the Scripture, however, by malice is also meant the evil suffered by human beings. In this passage, therefore, the term should be understood in the sense of punishment.

The Lord abandoned the evil he intended to inflict on his people.^[1] God wanted it to be understood that this evil was a punishment, as is said, Their end was thought to be an evil. Similarly, it is said that good and evil come from God,^[2] but not according to the evil by which human beings are evil. God in fact is not evil, but he gives bad things to evil people, because he is just. ^[3] IN THE JUDGMENT. PELAGIUS (?) (VIA PSEUDO-AUGUSTINE): But someone will ask, Why do we see that the good die along with the bad? The former do not perish but escape, because they are freed from commerce with the wicked and from persecution, and they are brought to rest. The others die and truly perish, because what awaits them when they depart from this world is the torment and punishment of a terrible judgment. The good are called before their time, so that the perverse will torment them no more. The wicked and godless are taken away so that they would no longer persecute the good. The righteous are called from difficulties, tribulations and anguish into rest. The godless are dragged from luxury, abundance and pleasures to punishment. The former go to judge, the latter to be judged. The former, to receive their due, the latter to receive their punishment, as it is written, The righteous, even if he dies prematurely, will find rest.^[1] And also, Because he lived among sinners, he was taken away.^[2] And also, His soul was pleasing to the Lord. Therefore God took him quickly from the wickedness around him.^[3] And still, They go to death together with the godless, but they are in peace.^[4] You see therefore that this disintegration of the body is rest, not punishment, for the righteous and for those who worship God. In decay, rather than perishing, they are freed. Thus the faithful do not fear decay, nor are they overawed by it, but they desire and long for its coming. They understand that through it they will arrive at rest, not punishment. The perverse, the godless and those who are conscious of their crimes rightly fear decay, because of a natural disposition by which they cannot fail to judge themselves. Consequently, having received and understood this explanation, we must not sin at all, especially because we are not unaware that there is a judgment of sinners in this world, which remains in the future one. ^[5]

How great is the constancy of the martyrs! How excellent is the faith of the saints who willingly accepted many torments for the name of Christ and who, nevertheless, despising these torments, defeated the devil who was in their persecutors! Indeed, Solomon said of them, Even if to human eyes they suffer punishments, their hope is full of immortality. Therefore the saints had a great hope, because they believed that, enduring a temporary passion, they would receive in the resurrection what they hoped for. And what did they hope for in suffering these things? It is easier to speak of what they suffered, because who can speak of what they hoped for? Listen to the apostle Paul: The sufferings of the present moment cannot be compared with the future glory that will be revealed in us.^[1]

God removes evil from us in two ways, by wind and by fire.^[1] If we are good and obedient to his teachings and allow ourselves to be instructed by his Word, the wind sweeps away our evils, according to what is written, If by the Spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you will live.^[2] But if the Spirit has not taken away our evils, there is need of purification by fire. Observe closely, however, each combination of terms. The first is wind and cloud, the second fire and light, the third electrum and splendor.^[3] Each of these, as though it were sad, is paired with something more cheerful. Indeed, if the wind dies down, immediately a cloud appears. If fire appears, there is light. If one speaks of electrum, there is brightness all around. We must, like gold in the furnace and electrum, be fused by an extremely hot fire. You will find, in the prophet we are commenting on, the Lord who sits in the middle of Jerusalem, fanning those who are a heap of silver, tin, iron and lead.^[4] With laments, he reproaches those who bear within themselves the dross of more base material. He says, You have become the dross of silver, silver that is no longer pure like the grape.^[5] When we superimpose on God’s creature, which at the beginning is good, the vices and passions that come from our wrongs, then we mix iron, tin and lead with gold and silver. To be purified, fire is necessary. As early as possible, then, we must act in such a way so as, when we arrive at this fire, to pass through it peacefully, like gold and silver and precious stones, which have no blemish of adultery. Not that we would be defeated by the fire, but that we might emerge from it approved.

There are two kinds of persecutors: those who insult and those who flatter. The tongue of the flatterer does more damage than the hand of the murderer, and Scripture calls such a tongue a furnace. Speaking of persecution, it says, He tried them like gold in the crucible (referring to the martyrs who had been killed), and they pleased him like a sacrifice. Listen how the tongue of the flatterer is no different: Fire puts gold and silver to the test, and a person is tested by the mouth that praises him.^[1] Both the one and the other are fire. You must emerge unscathed from both. The one who insults you breaks you to pieces, and you are shattered in the furnace like a clay vase. The word of God formed you; then came the test of suffering. Indeed, it is necessary that what has been formed also be baked. If the vase was well formed, fire is welcome! It will serve to harden it.

The Father tests us, the Son tests us, the Holy Spirit tests us. He says of the Father to the Thessalonians, Thus we preach, not seeking to please human beings but God, who tests our hearts.^[1] Solomon says of the Son, He tried them like gold in the crucible and found them worthy of himself. Of the Holy Spirit, Solomon says, He who tests hearts is the Spirit of the Lord,^[2] and he will wipe out the wicked from the earth.^[3]

The nations did for their gods what is abominable to the Lord and what he detests. They even burned their sons and daughters in the fire, in homage to their gods.^[1] In what other way can it be more clearly shown than with these testimonies of sacred Scripture (and I have omitted others that are similar) that God, who gave these Scriptures to the human race, was not only not pleased but indeed detested sacrifices in which human beings were immolated? God loves and rewards fully those sacrifices in which a righteous person who suffers iniquity fights for the truth even to the point of death or is killed by enemies that he has offended for the sake of justice, repaying them good for evil, love for hatred. The Lord calls this righteous blood, from the blood of Abel until the blood of Zechariah.^[2] And especially, because he poured out his blood for us and offered himself in sacrifice to God. This surely was an offering, as much as it was also his being killed by his enemies for the sake of justice. Imitating him, the army of the martyrs fought until death for the truth and was immolated by ruthless enemies. Scripture says of the martyrs, He tried them like gold in the crucible, and he was pleased with them as with a holocaust. Thus the apostle says, Indeed, I am already being sacrificed.^[3]

God said earlier that those who sincerely repent will be saved^[1] and that after they have received the remedy of forgiveness, we must think of them as stars.^[2] Indeed, those who have merited to be numbered among the saints shine like the nighttime stars of this creation. But as much as it might seem to us that there are many, many of these in the church, God has counted every one of those who will have the joy of participating in his kingdom. The fact that we can think of the stars as holy people is attested to in the passage of Genesis that says, I will make your descendents as numerous as the stars of heaven.^[3] And Solomon says, The righteous will shine like the stars of heaven.

Like the moon, eternally perfect and a faithful witness in the sky.^[1] First he spoke of the sun,^[2] and we said that this referred to the soul of the righteous. Now he speaks of the moon, which is here appropriately compared with the human body, because it waxes and wanes with time. But he adds that it is perfect so that, by referring to that spiritual body,^[3] you would understand that he is not speaking of something temporal but only of that eternity that will never fail. Our very body, in fact, will be filled with light forever, like the perfect moon. And this moon, that is, the structure of our body, will be a faithful witness, because in it the promises will have been fulfilled. And see that he has placed it in the heavens, that is, in a holy person. The bodies of those whose souls shine with divine light will shine in the same way, as Solomon says, The righteous will shine forth and, like sparks in the stubble, run here and there.^[4]

Will it perhaps be that one who is cold must clothe himself, there where it will not even be necessary to cover the body, in the presence of that cold of which the prophet says, Who can withstand his cold?^[1] Or, where the one who has lost his wedding garment will be naked forever?^[2] Where the wicked person with a stained conscience will be clothed with darkness, and the good person with a mantle of immortality and blessedness. Where our merits will be our dress, as the Lord says, The right-eous will shine like the sun.^[3] And the prophet, Your priests are clothed with righteousness,^[4] or, The queen is at your right hand, in a gown of spun gold.^[5] Where an eternal light will shine that will replace the tunics of holy bodies. Where a garment that will never be removed will be changed into a body. Where the garment will be the prize and the angelic clothing will no longer be a covering or a garment but nature?

As fellow citizens of the saints and members of God’s family^[1] and as heirs of God and coheirs with Christ,^[2] let us examine, to the extent possible, the renowned happiness of our city. Let us say with the prophet, Oh, wonderful things are said of you, city of God,^[3] the home of all who rejoice in you!^[4] You are the sum of all the joys of earth. In you there is no old age or the misery of old age. In you there are no cripples, or lame, or hunchbacks or deformed,^[5] but all arrive at the stature of the perfect person, to the measure of the full maturity of Christ.^[6] What can be more beautiful than this life in which there is no fear of poverty or the sadness of disability; where no one is hurt or angry or envious; where no concupiscence flares up, nor is there desire for food, and where we are not agitated by ambition for honor or power? There is no fear of the devil there or of the snares of demons, and the fear of hell is long gone. There is death neither of the body nor of the soul but a life made joyous by the gift of immortality. There will be no more discord; rather, everything will be harmonious, of one heart, because there will be one unanimity among all the saints. Everything will be peaceful and joyful, calm and serene. There will be a perpetual splendor, not the one we see now but a greater brightness to match the greater happiness. Therefore, as we read, that city will have no need of the light of the sun, but the almighty Lord will enlighten it, and its lamp is the Lamb,^[7] where the saints will shine like stars forever, and those who teach many, like the splendor of the firmament.^[8] Thus, there will never be night or any darkness. Clouds will not gather, nor will there be cold or heat or bitterness. Rather, everything will be such that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man,^[9] except those found worthy to enjoy it, whose names are written in the book of life.^[10]

If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.^[1] But, when we have arrived at life, what need is there for me to add eternal? And why add happy? Life, plain and simple, because that which is both eternal and happy is life. When we have arrived at life, we will have the certainty that we will live in it forever. In fact, if we find ourselves there and do not have the certainty of remaining there forever, even there we would be in fear. And if there is fear, there would be suffering, not of the body but of the soul, which is worse. But what kind of happiness is it where there is suffering? Thus, we will have the assurance of always being in that life, unable to see its end, because we will be in the kingdom of him about whom it was said, And his kingdom will have no end.^[2] The book of Wisdom, making known to us the glory of God’s saints, whose death is precious in his sight,^[3] says, as you heard at the end of the reading, And the Lord will reign over them forever.^[4] We will therefore be in that great kingdom that endures forever, precisely because it is just, great and eternal.

Discipline is the guardian of hope, the bond of faith, the guide on the way of salvation, the stimulus and nourishment of a good nature, the teacher of virtue. It makes one remain always in Christ and live unceasingly in God, allowing one to attain the heavenly promises and the divine rewards.

What person, might I ask, who is living badly and hears the apostle say, If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him,^[1] if he is not converted in this life, could dare to assure himself of a hope of future pardon? Who would not fall trembling to the ground? Who would not hasten to penitence with a humble spirit, before the end of this present life? The apostle cries out, If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him, and the vain person seduces himself with an extremely perverse thought, saying, Even if I violate God’s temple and live badly until the end, I will be saved. Is not the apostle speaking of such people when he says, Let us do evil that good may result (and their condemnation is just)^[2]? It is not these that sacred Scripture calls unhappy and their hope completely vain when it says, The one who disdains wisdom and discipline is unhappy. Their hope is vain, and their labor without fruit. Salvation will not be given, therefore, to the wicked but to the righteous, that is, to those who have corrected themselves and converted before the end of this life. Salvation will be given to the good who, by conversion, have pursued friendship with God. It will not be given to the bad who, remaining friends of the world, rightly deserve to be called enemies of God, in the words of the apostle’s reproach. Blessed James in fact rebukes them, saying, Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with this world is enmity with God? If, therefore, one wants to be a friend of this world, he makes himself an enemy of God.^[3]

In Genesis [it says], “And God tested Abraham and said to him, ‘Take your only son whom you love, Isaac, and go to the high land and offer him there as a burnt offering . . .’ ” [Gn 22:1–2]. . . . Of this same thing in the Wisdom of Solomon [it says], “Although in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality . . .” [Wis 3:4]. Of this same thing in the Maccabees [it says], “Was not Abraham found faithful when tested, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness” [1 Mc 2:52; see Jas 2:21–23].

The prophet entreats the Lord and says, Give them, Lord. He responds, What shall I give them? And immediately he replies, Give them a barren womb and withered breasts,^[1] so that they would not have prideful thoughts and would be ashamed of what they are accustomed to glory in. It is clear that this can also be understood regarding teachers of heretical doctrines, who glory in the great numbers of children whom they have raised to perdition, drawing them out of the church and leading them on to homicide.^[2] Indeed, as many children as the heretics have generated in error, the devil has butchered. Of such a soul it is said, Blessed is the barren woman who is undefiled, who has not known a sinful bed. And, in fact, blessed is the person of the church who, as opposed to the heretic, has not generated children in error. And in another passage we read, Better is childlessness with virtue, for the offspring of an illegitimate union will come to nothing. Even if they live a long life, they will be held of no account, and finally, their old age will be without honor. Indeed, the fertile host of the godless is good for nothing.^[3]

If the soul, joined to the spirit and, so to speak, conjugally united with it, now turns to the pleasures of the body, bending its senses to carnal enjoyments, then seems to obey the salutary admonitions of the spirit, only to again yield to the vices of the flesh—such a soul, contaminated by the body’s adultery, cannot say that it would increase and multiply legitimately, because Scripture calls the children of adulterers imperfect. Such a soul, which sets aside its union with the Holy Spirit and entirely prostrates itself to the senses of the flesh and the desires of the body, shamelessly withdrawing from God, will hear the words, Your face has become that of a prostitute, entirely without shame.^[1] It will be punished like a prostitute, with the command that its children be readied for slaughter.

For this reason it is written, The children of adulterers will not reach maturity. Therefore, one who follows not the Father in heaven^[1] but the one who lives in earthly squalor becomes part of the progeny of the earthly father. As is the earthly person, so are those who are of the earth.^[2] His life is earthly, and he will not have rest after death. He will not see the light for eternity, because he sought what is temporary. The one, rather, who follows the glory of Christ, who desires that light that enlightens every person who comes into this world,^[3] will find and will see the eternal light, because Christ redeemed him from death.

Far be it from us to think or to say, according to the error of those without faith, that the young Christian stole the black day and overpowered bitter death.^[1] In fact, according to the words of the apostle John, the black day sweeps away those who are in darkness and walk in darkness, not knowing where they are going, because the darkness has blinded their eyes.^[2] The black day carried away those whom the true light himself^[3] judges severely. This is the judgment, he says, because the light came into the world, and people preferred darkness to the light: their works in fact were evil.^[4] Those who live in this way are in such a state that when they hear the voice of the Son of God, they will not be called to life but to judgment. The Lord says, The hour will come when all those who are in their graves will hear his voice. Those who did good will go to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.^[5] And because neither a brief nor a long life is of any use to them, the book of Wisdom says of such persons, Even if they have a long life, they will be held of no account, and in the end their old age will be without honor. If they die young, they will have neither hope nor comfort in the day of judgment.

What you have mentioned is found in the prophet Solomon, The children of adulterers will not reach maturity, and illegitimate plants cannot strike deep roots, can also be interpreted literally, because whatever you might mean figuratively is borne out by real adulterers. But let us suppose that this could also be understood figuratively. In this case, the passage must be referred to heretics, who make illicit unions of the sacraments and in whose beds is found iniquity. Among them the seeds of faith have been corrupted and now tend to destruction. When Valentinus^[1] wanted to assert that the Son of God appeared in the form of a ghost^[2] and not in real flesh, he corrupted his own faith and that of his followers. Thus the seed of their origin was destroyed, because they did not believe that the Son of God was born of the virgin Mary with a true body and suffered the passion in his real body.