21. We know, however, that it survives the body, and that being set free from the bars of the body, it sees with clear gaze those things which before, dwelling in the body, it could not see. And we are able to judge of this by the instance of those who have visions of things absent and even heavenly in sleep (whose minds, when the body is as it were buried in sleep, rise to higher things and relate them to the body). So, then, if death frees us from the miseries of this world, it is certainly no evil, inasmuch as it restores liberty and excludes suffering.

22. At this point the right place occurs for arguing that death is not an evil, because it is the refuge from all miseries and all evils, a safe harbour of security, and a haven of rest. For what adversity is there which we do not experience in this life? What storms and tempests do we not suffer? by what discomforts are we not harassed? whose merits are spared?

23. The holy patriarch Israel fled from his country, was exiled from his father, relatives, and home,37    Gen. xxviii. 5. he mourned over the shame of his daughter38    Gen. xxxiv. 2. and the death of his son, he endured famine, when dead he lost his own grave, for he entreated that his bones should be translated,39    Gen. xlix. 29. lest even in death he should find rest.

24. Holy Joseph experienced the hatred of his brethren,40    Gen. xxxvii. 4 ff. the guile of those who envied him, the service of slavery, the mastership of merchantmen, the wantonness of his mistress, the ignorance of her husband, and the misery of prison.41    Gen. xxxix. 12 ff.

25. Holy David lost two sons; the one incestuous,42    2 Sam. xiii. 29. the other a parricide.43    2 Sam. xviii. 14. To have had them was a disgrace, to have lost them a grief. And he lost a third, the infant whom he loved. Him he wept for while still alive, but did not long for when dead. For so we read, that, while the child was sick, David entreated the Lord for him, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and when the elders came near to raise him from the earth, he would neither rise nor eat. But when he heard that the child was dead, he changed his clothes, worshipped God, and took food. When this seemed strange to his servants, he answered that he had rightly fasted and wept while the child was alive, because he justly thought that God might have mercy, and it could not be doubted that He could preserve the life of one alive Who could give life to the departed, but now, when death had taken place, why should he fast, for he could not now bring back him that was dead, and recall him who was lifeless. “I,” said he, “shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”44    2 Sam. xii. 18 ff.

26. O greatest consolation for him who mourns! O true judgment of a wise man! O wonderful wisdom of one who is a bond-man! that none should take it ill that anything adverse has happened to him, or complain that he is afflicted contrary to his deserts. For who art thou who beforehand proclaimest thy deserts? Why desirest thou to anticipate Him Who takes cognizance of all? Why dost thou snatch away the verdict from Him Who is going to judge? This is permitted not even to the saints, nor has it ever been done by the saints with impunity. David confesses that he was scourged for this in his psalm: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world, they have obtained riches. Therefore I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands among the innocent; and I was scourged all the day long, and my accusation45    St. Ambrose has index meus in matutinum; some mss.vindex; the Roman Psalter, judex; the Vulgate, nearer the Hebrew, Castigatio; LXX. ἔλεγχος. came every morning.”46    Ps. lxxiii. [lxxii.] 12 ff.

27. Peter also, though full of faith and devotion, yet because, not yet conscious of our common weakness, he had presumptuously said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Thy sake,”47    S. John xiii. 37. fell into the trial of his presumption before the cock crowed thrice.48    S. Luke xxii. 60, 61. Although, indeed, that trial was a lesson for our salvation, that we might learn not to think little of the weakness of the flesh, lest through thus thinking little of it we should be tempted. If Peter was tempted, who can presume? who can maintain that he cannot be tempted? And without doubt for our sakes was Peter tempted, so that, the proving of the temptation did not take place in a stronger than he,49    “Atque haud dubie pro nobis tentatus est Petrus, ut in fortiore non esset tentamenti periculum.” A difficult passage, and the meaning of it seems to be, that had a stronger than St. Peter been tried, and had overcome, we should not have had the warning against presumption, and the help of the example of one like ourselves. but that in him we should learn how, resisting in temptations, although tried even by care for our lives, we might yet overcome the sting of the temptation with tears of patience.

28. But that same David, that the difference of his actions may not perhaps disturb those who cling to the words of Scripture; that same David, I say, who had not wept for the innocent infant, wept for the parricide when dead. For at the last, when he was wailing and mourning, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son Absalom! Who will grant me to die for thee!”50    2 Sam. [2 Kings] xviii. 33 [LXX.]. But not only is Absalom the parricide wept over, Amnon is wept over; not only is the incestuous wept over, but is even avenged; the one by the scorn of the kingdom, the other by the exile of his brothers. The wicked is wept over, not the innocent. What is the cause? What is the reason? There is no little deliberation with the prudent and confirmation of results with the wise; for there is great consistency of prudence in so great a difference of actions, but the belief is one. He wept for those who were dead, but did not think that he ought to weep for the dead infant, for he thought that they were lost to him, but hoped that the latter would rise again.

29. But concerning the Resurrection more will be said later on; let us now return to our immediate subject. We have set forth that even holy men have without any consideration for their merits, suffered many and heavy things in this world, together with toil and misery. So David, entering into himself, says: “Remember; Lord, that we are dust; as for man, his days are but as grass;”51    Ps. ciii. [cii.] 15. and in another place: “Man is like to vanity, his days pass away as a shadow.”52    Ps. cxliv. [cxliii.] 4. For what is more wretched than we, who are sent into this life as it were plundered and naked, with frail bodies, deceitful hearts, weak minds, anxious in respect of cares, slothful as to labour, prone to pleasures.

30. Not to be born is then by far the best, according to Solomon’s sentence. For they also who have seemed to themselves to excel most in philosophy have followed him. For he, before these philosophers in time, but later than many of our writers, spoke thus in Ecclesiastes: “And I praised all the departed, which are already dead, more than the living, who are yet alive. And better than both they is he who hath not yet been born, and who hath not seen this evil work which hath been done under the sun. And I saw all travail, and all the good of this labour, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. And, indeed, this is vanity and vexation of spirit.”53    Eccles. iv. 2 ff.

21. Scimus tamen quod corpori supervivat, et ea, jam depositis proprii sensus repagulis expedita, libero cernat obtutu, quae ante sita in corpore non videbat. Quod exemplo dormientium possumus aestimare (quorum animi velut sepulto quieti corpore, ad altiora se subrigunt, et renuntiant corpori) rerum absentium, vel etiam coelestium visiones. Ergo si mors carnis ex saeculi nos absolvit aerummis, utique malum non est, quae libertatem restituit, excludit dolorem.

22. Hinc igitur nobis adoriendus disputandi locus mortem malum non esse; quia aerumnarum omnium 1320D malorumque perfugium est, et fida statio securitatis, ac portus quietis. Nam quid in hac vita non experimur adversi? Quas non procellas, tempestatesque perpetimur? quibus non exagitamur incommodis? cujus parcitur meritis?

23. Sanctus patriarcha Israel profugus patria, fratre, parentibus, domum mutavit exsilio (Gen. XXVIII, 1321A 5), stuprum filiae (Gen. XXXIV, 2), generi necem flevit (Gen. XLIX, 5), famen pertulit, sepulturam defunctus amisit; transferri enim ossa sua, ne vel mortuus requiesceret, obsecravit.

24. Sanctus Joseph odia fratrum, insidias invidorum, servulorum obsequia, mercatorum imperia (Genes. XXXVII, 4 et seq.), dominae petulantiam, mariti inscitiam, carceris quoque est expertus aerumnam (Gen. XXXIX, 12 et seq.).

25. Sanctus David filios amisit duos: unum incestum (II Reg. XIII, 29), alterum parricidam (II Reg. XVIII, 14). Hos habuisse pudoris est, doloris est perdidisse. Amisit et tertium, quem amabat, parvulum. Hunc viventem adhuc flevit, mortuum non desideravit. Sic enim legimus (II Reg. XII, 18) quod, aegrotante 1321B puero, deprecabatur David Dominum pro eo, et jejunavit, et in cilicio jacuit, et astantibus majoribus natu, ut excitarent eum de terra, nec surgendum sibi, nec coenandum putavit. Ubi vero defunctum puerum comperit surrexit de terra, lavit illico, unctus est, vestimenta mutavit, adoravit Dominum, cibum sumpsit (Ibid., 20). Cum haec miranda pueris suis viderentur, respondit eis recte se, infante vivente, jejunasse et plorasse; quia jure arbitrabatur Dominum posse misereri, nec dubitandum quod vitam posset servare viventis, qui posset vivificare defunctos: jam vero, obita morte, quid jejunaret, qui jam non posset reducere mortuum exanimemque revocare: Ego, inquit, ibo ad eum: ipse autem non revertetur ad me (Ib. 23).

1141 26. O maximum solatium desiderantis! O 1321C verum sapientis judicium! O miram sapientiam servientis! ut nemo sibi adversi aliquid accidisse indigne ferat, et contra meritum suum se queratur afflictum. Quis enim tu es, qui de tuo merito ante pronunties? Cur praevenire desideras cognitorem? Cur eripis sententiam judicaturo? Nec sanctis istud permissum est, nec a sanctis impune umquam est usurpatum. David se propterea flagellatum suo carmine confitetur: Ecce ipsi peccatores et abundantes in saeculo, obtinuerunt divitias. Ergo sine causa justificavi cor meum, et lavi inter innocentes manus meas: et fui flagellatus tota die, et index meus in matutinum (Ps. LXXII, 12 et seq.).

27. Petrus quoque quamvis plenus fide devotionis; tamen quia nondum conscius nostrae infirmitatis praesumptive 1321D dixerat Domino: Animam meam pro te ponam 1322A (Joan. XIII, 37); tentationem praesumptionis antequam tertio gallus cantaret incurrit (Joan. XVIII, 27). Licet illa tentatio documentum fuerit ad salutem; ut discamus non contemnere carnis infirmitatem, ne contemnendo tentemur. Si Petrus tentatus est, quis praesumat, quis astruat se non posse tentari? Atque haud dubie pro nobis tentatus est Petrus, ut in fortiore non esset tentamenti periculum: sed in illo disceremus quemadmodum in persecutionibus resistentes, etsi vitae studio tentaremur; tentationis tamen aculeum patientiae lacrymis vinceremus.

28. Idem tamen David, ne quem fortassis Scripturarum tenacem moveat factorum diversitas: idem, inquam, David parricidam mortuum flevit, qui non fleverat innocentem. Denique cum ploraret et lugeret, 1322B dixit: Filius meus Abessalon, filius meus Abessalon; quis dabit mihi mortem pro te (II Reg. XVIII, 33)? Non solus ergo fletur Abessalon, fletur parricida, fletur Ammon (II Reg. XIII, 36). Non solum fletur incestus, sed etiam vindicatur: alter contemptu regni, alter fratris exsilio. Fletur sceleratus, non fletur dilectus. Quae causa? quae ratio? Non mediocris igitur in prudentibus deliberatio, sapientibus confirmatio; magna enim prudentiae in tanta factorum diversitate constantia, una fides. Et illos mortuos flevit, et flendum infantem mortuum non putavit; illos enim sibi periisse credebat, hunc resurrecturum sperabat.

29. Sed de resurrectione posterius, nunc ad proposita revertamur. Praemisimus enim etiam sanctos 1322C viros gravia in hoc mundo et multa perpessos sine suffragatione meritorum, cum aerumna laborum. Unde regressus ad se David, in posterioribus dicit: Memento, Domine, quia pulvis sumus, homo tamquam foenum, dies ejus (Ps. CII, 15); et alibi: Homo vanitati similis factus est, dies ejus sicut umbra praetereunt (Ps. CXLIII, 4). Quid enim nobis 1142 miserius, qui tamquam spoliati et nudi projicimur in hanc vitam, corpore fragili, corde lubrico, imbecillo animo, anxii ad sollicitudines, desidiosi ad labores, proni ad voluptates?

30. Non nasci igitur longe optimum, secundum sancti Salomonis sententiam. Ipsum enim etiam ii qui sibi visi sunt in philosophia excellere secuti sunt. Nam ipse illis anterior, nostris posterior, ita 1322D in Ecclesiaste locutus est: Et laudavi ego omnes defunctos 1323A qui jam mortui sunt, magis quam viventes, quicumque vivunt usque adhuc. Et optimus super hos duos, qui nondum natus est, et qui non vidit hoc opus malum, quod factum est sub sole. Et vidi ego universum laborem, et omnem virtutem operis hujus; quia aemulatio viro ab altero ejus. Et quidem hoc vanitas, et praesumptio spiritus (Eccles. IV, 2 et seq.).