The Forty Questions of the Soul

26. They have a false conscience, which gnaweth them; their sins are set continually before them: they also see their works magically; they see all their unrighteousness and vanities, their unmeasurable pride and haughtiness; they see the oppression of the poor; their scorning and suppression of them.

27. Their false confidence flieth from them, their hypocrisy was only a deceitful glass; it reached not the Heart of God; it standeth visibly before them in the magic, viz. in their will; but when they search therein, they stir up the turba of the fire, which will always consume the glass, and then they are in fear and horror.

28. For they see and know that all must be tried at the last day, by the eternal fire of God's anger; and they feel very well that their works will stay in the fire.

29. The devils also exceedingly tremble when they consider their fall, which rests in God's judgment what he will do; of which the Holy Scripture telleth us plainly enough, especially the Judge Christ himself.

30. Thus know, that the totally miserable condition of the damned is, that when they should trim their lamps to meet the bridegroom at his coming, they tremble, and smother all their works, which the turba nevertheless sets before their eyes.

31. But now those souls that are damned in a high degree are very presumptuously bold, they reject God, and curse him, and are his l worst enemies.

32. They hold their cause to be just, they oppose God with daring impudency, and think, Is there fire? so are we fire: Is there 2 source? then we will climb up above God, and heaven, in the source of the fire; what care we for humility, we will have the strength and might of the fire, we will be above God, and do wonders by our power.

33. We have the root, God hath but the glance: let us be lords, God shall be servant; our 3 mother is his life, we will overthrow his strong tower at once.

34. They have the mind of soldiers that scale forts and walls, and think the city is theirs, though indeed they lose their lives and never get it.

35. You must understand that hell is against heaven, and the inhabitants thereof against the inhabitants of heaven; and this in God is also a great wonder; all maketh for his glory.

1 most malicious.

2 rising, boiling properties.

3 The wrath of the eternal nature.

THE TWENTY-THIRD QUESTION

Whether do the Souls of the Wicked, without difference (for so long a Time before the Day of Judgment), find any Mitigation, or refreshment?

1. A THING which goeth into an eternal entrance, is also in the eternal end: Who can put anything into his hand that is afar off, and not present where it is to be done? * He must give it only into his hand that is near to receive it; and that thing, which with its will is gone forth out of itself, can receive nothing within itself, because it desireth nothing within itself.

2. Thus it is with the wicked in this world; he is gone with his will out of himself into covetousness, pride and voluptuousness, into blasphemy, gluttony and drunkenness, whoredom and wantonness: his will is continually bent to despise the poor, and in scorn and disgrace to plague the righteous, and to tread him down by authority.

3. He hath corrupted judgment with lies and bribes, and continually swallowed down unrighteousness, as a cow drinketh water; all that hath come from him hath been 1 bitter anger, which he esteemed to be his might and power; his will hath been mere wilfulness, he hath done what he hsted; he hath danced after the devil's pipe, and hath wholly entered into covetousness; he hath accounted his money and goods his treasure, and his will hath continually entered into it.

1 Or cruel.

* "He must give it only," etc., lit., "that only will be given him which is where he is" [in the same place].

4. He hath never retired into himself, and sought after love, much less humility; he hath looked upon the needy as his footstool, he hath oppressed them without measure; he hath counted it his art and wit, when he hath been able to circumvent the simple, and deprive him of his labour.

5. He hath supposed that he had found out the finest policy, who l could contrive his business so sure that he might do what he hsted; then he thought himself very cunning, and that he had great wisdom.