15. But grace which lifts up is obtained through hope. The Psalm reads: For what have I in heaven? And besides Thee what do 1 desire upon earth? And elsewhere: I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living," so that a man be kept whole in view of this fatherland. Therefore our present light affliction which is for the moment, prepares for us an eternal weight of glory. For the Lord rejoices in the right The delights at your right hand forever. At the left are passing riches, glories and consolations. We must indeed adhere to the right. As the Psalm says, Your right hand upholds me, Lord. Hence the rewards dispose towards the third act of grace. Likewise, the fourth consideration, that of the torments of hell, provides disposing grace. : 15. Gratia autem sursum agens habetur per spem. Psalmus: Quid enim mihi est in caelo, et a te quid volui super terram? Deus cordis mei, et pars mea Deus in aeternum , et alibi: Dixi: tu es spes mea, portio mea in terra viventium , ut totum reservetur in illam patriam. Ideo quod momentaneum est et leve tribulationis nostrae aeternum gloriae pondus operatur . Dominus enim delectationes habet in dextera; Psalmus: Delectationes in dextera tua usque in finem ; in sinistra habet divitias et glorias et consolationes temporales. Debemus autem adhaerere dexterae; Psalmus: Me suscepit dextera tua , Domine. Ergo praemia disponunt ad tertium actum gratiae. -- Similiter gratiam inclinantem facit habere quarta consideratio, scilicet tormentorum infernalium.
16. In the same manner, there are four acts of justice: to do good, to flee evil, to beware of prosperity, and to withstand misfortune. Of the first two, the Psalm says: Turn from evil, and do good. . . . The Lord has eyes for the just. .. . The Lord confronts the evildoers. Of the third: Happy the man who is always on his guard when things go well with him. Hence the just is warned not to fall. If he does fall, he is advised to rise again. For the just man falls seven times and rises again. The fourth is referred to in Proverbs: The just man, like a lion, feels sure of himself. There is also this: Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake. And again: Strive for justice for thy soul, and even unto death fight for justice. 16. Similiter iustitiae quatuor actus sunt: facere bona, fugere mala, formidare prospera, ferre adversa. -- De primis duobus Psalmus: Declina a malo et fac bonum. Oculi Domini super iustos ; et: Vultus autem Domini super facientes mala . -- De tertio: Beatus homo, qui semper est pavidus in prosperitatibus. Unde iustus deprecatur, ne ruat, et si corruat, ut resurgat; quia septies cadet iustus et resurget *. -- De quarto in Proverbiis: Iustus quasi leo confidens absque terrore erit . Et: Beati, qui persecutionem patiuntur propter iustitiam . Et: Pro iustitia agonizare pro anima tua, et usque ad mortem certa pro iustitia .
17. These fruits arise from four manners of considering, a prior and a posterior, from the right and the left, in order that, according to Dionysius [the Pseudo-Areopagite], the soul be moved in a circular motion, in a straight line and in a roundabout way. And Richard [of Saint-Victor] says that some birds fly high, others low, some in a circle and others straight ahead. And so does the soul in these manners of thinking. 17. Isti fructus oriuntur ex quatuor mediis considerationibus, scilicet antrorsum, retrorsum, dextrorsum, sinistrorsum, ut, secundum Dionysium, anima moveatur circulariter, recte et circumflexe. Et dicit Richardus, quod quaedam aves sursum volant, quaedam deorsum, quaedam circulariter, quaedam ante etc. Sic anima per istas considerationes.
18. From the first consideration comes forth the first act, that is, doing good, under the guidance of the commandments. "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Indeed this consideration of God's commandments leads to good deeds. The command of the Lord is right in itself, for righteousness is nothing else than rectitude. Within the law, rectitude exists through itself; in the one observing the law, rectitude exists through participation. It is fitting, therefore, to consider, accept, and love God's commandments. If Adam and Eve had done it, they would not have fallen. In this way you will be transformed through love. 18. Ex prima consideratione habetur primus actus, scilicet facere bonum, per directionem praeceptorum; si vis ad vitam ingredi, serva mandata . Consideratio enim mandatorum Dei facit facere bonum. Praeceptum Domini rectum est in se; iustitia enim nihil aliud est, quam rectitudo; rectitudo autem per se est in lege, per participationem in servante. Oportet ergo praecepta divina considerare, acceptare, amare; si sic fecissent Adam et Eva, non cecidissent; et sic transformaris per amorem.
19. From the second consideration comes forth that fruit of justice which consists in fleeing evil, that is, by means of distinguishing judgments. As Ecclesiasticus says: Sow not in the furrows of injustice, lest you harvest it sevenfold. No one, indeed, wants to reap cockle or tares, for as it is said in Deuteronomy: According to the measure of the sin shall the measure also of the stripes he. Thus the consideration of the judgments will make one flee from evil. 19. Ex secunda consideratione oritur fructus iustitiae, scilicet fugere mala, scilicet per iudicia districta; Ecclesiasticus: Ne semines mala in sulcis iniustitiae, et non metes ea in septuplum . Nullus enim vult metere zizaniam vel lolium, quia, ut dicitur in Deuteronomio, iuxta modum culpae erit et plagarum modus . Consideratio igitur iudiciorum facit fugere mala.
20. From the third consideration, that is, through dangerous satisfactions, comes forth the fruit of righteousness which consists in being wary of prosperity. Once honors have been offered, a man flees because he fears to fall into sin, for in every grain there is a worm: in the grain of honor, pride; in the grain of wealth, avarice; in the grain of pleasure, concupiscence. There are indeed some kinds of fruits that immediately begin to have worms, as for instance cherries in Italy. Others seem excellent, and yet there is a worm inside. On the contrary, by means of sweet chastisements, the fourth fruit of righteousness is shown: the ability to bear misfortune with patience. See, for instance, Paul and Lawrence. 20. Ex tertia consideratione, scilicet per severa solatia, oritur fructus iustitiae, scilicet formidare prospera. Oblatis enim honoribus, fugit homo, quia timet in culpam incidere, quia in quolibet grano est vermis: in grano honoris, elatio; in grano divitiarum, avaritia; in grano deliciarum, concupiscentia. Fructus enim quidam sunt, qui statim incipiunt verminari, ut cerasa in Italia. Quidam sunt, qui apparent optimi, et tamen vermis est intus. -- Econtra, per dulcia flagella ostenditur fructus iustitiae quartus, scilicet patienter ferre adversa; vide Paulum, Laurentium.
21. Likewise, the fruit of wisdom is bora of the last four by contrast. Corresponding to this fruit, there are four acts, for wisdom is comforting, struggling, contemplating, and extolling. It comforts the good. Wisdom is a better defense for the wise man than would be ten princes in the city. It is also struggling, against evil: Better is wisdom than weapons of war. Again, [Wisdom] gave him a strong conflict, that he might overcome and know that wisdom is mightier than all. It is also contemplating the Supreme Good: For she is fairer than the sun. Wisdom makes the soul taste [the Supreme Good] and be united [to it]. It is also extolling God on account of all things. This fruit is united with glory: this is the work, this is the reward, this is the fruit, that we shall see, love, and praise. 21. Similiter sapientiae fructus ex quatuor ultimis antithetis nascitur. Huius sunt quatuor actus: sapientia enim est confortans, collatam, contemplans, collaudans. -- Confortans in bono; Ecclesiastes: Sapientia confortabit sapientem super decem principes civitatis . -- Est etiam colluctans contra malum; unde Ecclesiastes: Melior est sapientia quam arma bellica ; et in Sapientia: Certamen forte dedit illi, ut vinceret et sciret, quoniam omnium potentior est sapientia . -- Est etiam contemplans summum bonum; in Sapientia: Est enim haec speciosior sole . Facit enim animam gustare et uniri. -- Est etiam collaudans ex omnibus Deum. Hic fructus est coniunctus gloriae; hoc opus, hoc munus, hic fructus: videbimus, amabimus, laudabimus.
22. These four fruits come forth in an orderly manner. Consideration in a direct line through the help of the citizens [of heaven] disposes toward the first act of wisdom, [seen to be] as awe-inspiring as bannered troops and the companies of the camps. 22. Hi quatuor fructus per ordinem oriuntur. Consideratio e directo per civium praesidia disponit ad primum actum sapientiae, in acie terribili, ordinata et in choris castrorum .
23. Secondly, the second fruit comes forth in opposition:]; through contending with foes. It consists in the struggle against enemies. For when a man has enemies, he behaves wisely, and an imminent war makes him judicious, strong, and knowing. Likewise, prisoners find many avenues of escape. Therefore imminent temptation makes a man stronger in an indirect way, as a ray of light coming upon an opaque, dense, and solid body, and then reflected, gives forth increased light and heat, as is evident in a steel mirror. Likewise, a man becomes all the more chaste as his enemy attempts more strenuously to drag him into immorality. As [Francis] tells, there was a woman who had a devil who spoke within her and declared that Francis was doing much harm to them, and that there were gathered against him a good five thousand [devils], planning his downfall. And the friar who heard it told it to blessed Francis: and he got up and said that perhaps he had become stronger [because of it]. 23. Secundo, per hostium certamina ex adverso oritur secundus fructus, scilicet colluctari contra hostes; quia homo, quando habet hostes, tunc valde sagaciter se gerit, et imminens bellum facit hominem sagacem, fortem et sapientem; sicut inclusi multas inveniunt vias ad evadendum; unde tentatio imminens quasi ex obliquo fortiorem reddit, sicut radius veniens super corpus opacum, densum, solidum, postea reflexus, maius lumen et calorem generat, ut patet in speculo ferreo. Similiter magis castus quis efficitur, cum inimicus fortiter vult trahere ad luxuriam. -- Sicut enim dixit, mulier habebat daemonem, qui in illa loquebatur et dixit, quod Franciscus magnum malum eis faciebat, et quod bene erant contra ipsum congregati quinque millia ad ipsum deiiciendum; et frater, qui audivit, dixit beato Francisco; tunc ipse surrexit et dixit, quod modo fortior esset.
e. From Charity, There are the Twelve Charismatic Gifts
24. The third fruit of wisdom consists in contemplating the supreme good which arises from a close consideration of the gifts of grace. For grace can be so great that a man living in it would be existing as it were in paradise. He would have an insight into his inner self, like blessed Paul who says: Wisdom, however, we speak among those who are mature . And later: But to us God has revealed them through His Spirit. ... For who among men knows the things of a man save the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, the things of God we do not know, unless the Spirit of God goes into us. 24. Tertius fructus sapientiae est contemplari summum bonum, quod oritur ex consideratione e vicino per gratiarum dona. Tanta enim posset esse gratia, quod existens hic esset quasi in paradiso. Videret enim in intimis suis, sicut beatus Paulus, qui dicit: Sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos ; et post: Nobis autem revelavit Deus per Spiritum sanctum. Sicut enim nemo scit quae sunt hominis, nisi spiritus, qui in illo est; ita et quae Dei sunt nescimus, nisi Spiritus Dei intret in nos.
25. In the fourth place, that is, from afar, there is born in us the praise of God in all things. For all creatures declare God. What shall I do? I shall sing with them all. The thick cord in the zither does not give forth a pleasant sound if struck alone, but there is harmony in consonance with others. Symbolic figures are received by all creatures in the Scriptures for the sake of praising God, as is evident in the Psalms: Praise the Lord from the heavens, and Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, from above and below. So does the man who sees God in all things, who tastes God in them through his three powers. Pleasing to Him be my theme; I will be glad in the Lord. And elsewhere: For you make me glad, O Lord, by Your deeds. Again: I will glorify Him with thanksgiving. In all things there is taste and restoration for the intellective and the affective powers. Out of all these fruits there arises the fruit of love and charity which covers them all. For all of Scripture is ordained towards charity. These twelve fruits rise towards charity in an orderly manner. 25. Ex quarto, scilicet e longinquo, nobis innascitur collaudatio Dei in omnibus. Omnes enim creaturae effantur Deum. Quid ego faciam? Cantabo cum omnibus. Grossa chorda in cithara per se non bene sonat, sed cum aliis est consonantia. Figurarum signa ab omnibus creaturis accipiuntur in Scriptura ad laudandum Deum, ut patet in Psalmo: Laudate Dominum de caelis et in: Benedicite omnia opera Domini Domino , a summo usque deorsum; sic homo Deum videns in omnibus, Deum gustans in omnibus tribus viribus suis. Psalmus: Iucundum sit ei eloquium meum, ego vero delectabor in Domino ; et alibi: Delectasti me, Domine, in factura tua ; et: Magnificabo eum in laude . Sic in omnibus habet gustum et refectionem intellectus et affectus. -- Ex his omnibus fructibus surgunt fructus amoris et caritatis, quae intenditur in omnibus. Omnis enim Scriptura ordinatur ad caritatem. Hi duodecim fructus ordinate ascendunt ad caritatem.
26. Now, flowing down from charity, there are the twelve charismatic gifts, the fruits which the Apostle enumerates [in his Epistle] to the Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. For grace and righteousness and wisdom cannot exist without charity. Indeed, fruit comes from [the Latin] frui which means "to cleave to something because of its intrinsic value." Wherefore neither acts of justice nor miracles nor the understanding of mysteries are of any use without charity. And this is the opinion of all the doctors and saints. And so for instance, a little old woman who owns a small garden, if she has nothing but charity, will bring forth a better fruit than a great master who owns an enormous garden and knows the mysteries and natures of things. 26. Descendendo autem a caritate fluunt charismata duodecim, quae sunt fructus, quos ponit Apostolus ad Galatas quinto: Fructus autem spiritus est caritas, gaudium, pax, patientia, longanimitas, bonitas, benignitas, mansuetudo, fides, modestia, continentia, castitas . Gratia enim et iustitia et sapientia non possunt esse sine caritate . Nam fructus dicitur a frui; «frui autem est inhaerere alicui rei propter se ipsam». Unde nec iustitia nec miracula nec scire mysteria sine caritate prosunt. Et hoc sentiunt omnes doctores et Sancti. Sic ecce, quod una vetula, quae habet modicum hortum, quia solam caritatem habet, meliorem fructum habet quam unus magnus magister, qui habet maximum hortum et scit mysteria et naturas rerum.
27. That these twelve fruits are sufficient may be understood in this way. According to Augustine, the disciple of Paul, four things must be loved with charity, and to them "we must cleave because of their intrinsic value." They are God, myself in God, my neighbor in God, and my body in God. I cleave to God when I experience supreme repose, delight and union with God: repose through love, delight through joy, union through peace. And these three are set in order, for wherever there is peace, there must also be joy, and wherever there is joy, there must be repose. 27. Sufficientia autem horum duodecim fructuum surgitur per hunc modum. Secundum Augustinum, filium Pauli, quatuor sunt diligenda ex caritate, quibus fruimur: Deo, me ipso in Deo, proximo in Deo, corpore meo in Deo. -- Deo autem fruor, quando summe in Deo conquiesco, delector, unior: conquiesco per amoretti, delector per gaudium, unior per pacem. Et haec tria ordinata sunt; quia, ubi est pax, necesse est, ut sit gaudium; et ubi gaudium, necesse est, ut sit quies.
28. In the second place, I cleave to myself in God. But I cleave to my soul when I possess it: for if a thing passes to the possession of another, I do not have its fruit. Now, I possess [my soul] when I can face adversity with patience. By your patience you will win your souls. But the patient toleration of adversity must not be casual, nor result from mere chance: it must come from an inner vision of mercy4 And that consists in looking forward to mercy. Thirdly, it consists in forgiving the trespasser for his offense. And these three result from patience, longanimity and goodness. Patience consists in tolerating adversity; longanimity, in expecting the reward that will come from all tribulations; and goodness, in forgiving generously. Hence, if charity is patient, long-suffering and good, then it shall suck as milk the abundance of the sea. In this way did Lawrence rejoice over the glowing embers as if they had been flowers. These fruits are in the spirit, not in the flesh. Hence in James: Esteem it all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials. 28. Secundo fruor me ipso in Deo. Anima autem mea fruor, quando illam possideo; quia, si transit res in possessionem alterius, fructum non habeo. Tunc autem possideo, quando patienter possum ferre adversa; in patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras ; patienter autem ferre adversa non debet esse a casu, vel fortuna, sed intuitu mercedis; et hoc est expectare mercedem; tertium est condonare iniurianti offensam. Et haec tria sunt per patientiam, longanimitatem, bonitatem. Patientia est adversa tolerando; longanimitas, exspectando mercedem ex omnibus tribulationibus; bonitas, liberaliter condonando. Unde si caritas patiens, longanimis, bona; tunc inundationes maris quasi lac sugit , sicut Laurentius carbonibus quasi floribus laetabatur. Hi fructus sunt in spiritu, non in carne. Unde Iacobus: Omne gaudium existimate, fratres mei, cum in tentationes varias incideritis .
29. In the third place, we cleave to the neighbor in God when we practice charity towards him, and this in a threefold way: kindly, in heart or spirit; considerately, in fellowship; faithfully, in word or appearance. I have a kind heart when I see any good that befalls my neighbor as befalling myself. Likewise, considerateness is [the virtue] which makes man gregarious and sociable. Some men are actually quite good, and yet they appear to be so hard that no one dares approach them. But when a man makes himself easy to approach, then he is considerate. Likewise, faithfulness makes a man greatly lovable. And this procures greater confidence in a man's word than in his heart, for affections may change. 29. Tertio, proximo fruimur in Deo, quando habemus caritatem ad proximum; et hoc tripliciter: benigne in corde vel animo; mansuete in contubernio; fideliter in verbo vel signo. Cor benignum habeo, quando quidquid boni habet proximus in meum bonum refundo. Similiter mansuetudo est, quae hominem facit gregalem et socialem. Aliqui homines sunt valde boni, et tamen sunt ita duri in signis, quod homo non audet eis appropinquare; sed quando homo familiarem se reddit, tunc est mansuetus. Similiter fidelitas multum facit amabilem; et haec facit confidere de homine magis in verbo quam in corde, quia affectus est variabilis.
30. In the fourth place, I cleave to my body in God when I keep my body clean. This I do when I remain moderate in the use of taste, continent in the use of touch, and chaste in all the senses. Moderation is characteristic of taste. The bodies of the lustful, the greedy, the incontinent are not buried in peace. 30. Quarto, fruor corpore meo in Deo, quando mundum servo corpus meum, et hoc, quando servatur modestia in gustu, continentia in tactu, castitas in omnibus sensibus. In gustu principaliter notatur modestia. Corpora luxuriosorum, gulosorum, incontinentium non sunt in pace sepulta .
31. And so, in descending order, out of charity which is an ointment flowing from the head over the beard upon the the collar of the robe, there is the cleaving to God, to self, to the neighbor and to one's body. Hence, as there are twelve fruits in the twelve examples of ascent towards charity, so also there are twelve fruits in the descent. And this is what is said in the Apocalypse: On both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit according to each month. On the one side of the river, the intellectual fruits; on the other, the affective; or on the one side the ascending fruits, and on the other the descending. 31. Sic ergo descendendo, ex caritate, quae est unguentum fluens a capite ad barbam usque ad oram vestimenti , est fruitio Dei, mei, proximi, corporis. Sicut ergo sunt duodecim fructus ex duodecim illustrationibus ascendendo ad caritatem, sic sunt duodecim fructus descendendo. Et hoc est illud quod in Apocalypsi dicitur, ex utraque parte fluminis esse lignum vitae, afferens fructus duodecim per duodecim menses : ab una parte fluminis fructus intellectuales, ab altera affectuales; vel ab una parte fructus ascendentes, ab altera descendentes.
32. This indeed is the fruit of Scripture: charity. It is for its sake that there are mysteries, interpretations, and theories. Hence towards the end of the Apocalypse: Blessed are those who wash their robes that... by the gates they may enter into the city. And he said: I imagine those twelve first examples as going up which flow from God and end in God and run through all of Scripture. I imagine as it were twelve circles, so that whatever circle the soul enters, it finds a forest and the amenity of trees and an abundance of fruits. 32. Iste ergo est fructus Scripturarum, scilicet caritas. Propter hanc sunt mysteria, intelligentiae, theoriae. Unde in fine Apocalypsis: Beati, qui lavant vestimenta sua, ut intrent per portam civitatis . -- Et dicebat: Imaginor illas duodecim illustrationes primas sive ascendentes, quae fluunt a Deo et ad Deum terminantur et currunt per totam Scripturam; imaginor sicut duodecim circulos, ut in quemcumque anima intret, inveniat silvam et arborum amoenitatem ac fructuum ubertatem.