XXVII.—O Fool, Thou Dost Not Die to God.

O fool, thou dost not absolutely die; nor, when dead, dost thou escape the lofty One.  Although thou shouldst arrange that when dead thou perceivest nothing, thou shalt foolishly be overcome.  God the Creator of the world liveth, whose laws cry out that the dead are in existence.  But thou, whilst recklessly thou seekest to live without God, judgest that in death is extinction, and thinkest that it is absolute.  God has not ordered it as thou thinkest, that the dead are forgetful of what they have previously done.  Now has the governor made for us receptacles of death, and after our ashes we shall behold them.  Thou art stripped, O foolish one, who thinkest that by death thou art not, and hast made thy Ruler and Lord to be able to do nothing.  But death is not a mere vacuity, if thou reconsiderest in thine heart.  Thou mayest know that He is to be desired, for late thou shalt perceive Him.  Thou wast the ruler of the flesh; certainly flesh ruled not thee.  Freed from it, the former is buried; thou art here.  Rightly is mortal man separated from the flesh.  Therefore mortal eyes will not be able to be equalled (to divine things).  Thus our depth keeps us from the secret of God.  Give thou now, whilst in weakness thou art dying, the honour to God, and believe that Christ will bring thee back living from the dead.  Thou oughtest to give praises in the church to the omnipotent One.

XXVII.---STULTE NON PERMORERIS DEO.

0222A Stulte, non permoreris, nec mortuus effugis Altum. Tu licet disponas nihil te sentire defunctum, Vinceris insipiens: vivit Deus conditor orbis, Legitima cujus clamant valere defunctos. Tu autem dum praeceps sine Deo vivere quaeris, Extinctum in fatis judicas, et fatale credis. Non ita disposuit, ut tu putas, Deus aeternus, Oblivitos esse mortuos de gesto priore. Nunc nobis imperitans fecit receptacula mortis; Post cineres autem nostros videbimus illa. Exuere stulte, qui putas per funera ut non sis; Rectorem dominumque tuum nil posse fecisti: Mors autem in vacuum non est, si corde retractes. Optandum noscas: nam sero senties illum. 0222B Rector eras carnis; non te certe caro regebat. Exemptus ab illa, reconditur illa, tu horsum: Recte mortalis homo separatur a carne: Idcirco non poterunt oculi mortales aequari. Sic habet abyssus noster de Dei secreto. Da nunc ergo Deo, fragilis dum moreris, honorem: Et crede quod Christus vivum te de mortuo reddet. Omnipotenti laudes in Ecclesia reddere debes.