Pyrobolia, seu de ignitis Sathanae telis, commonefactio theologica

With the intemperance and insolence of the Flesh suppressed, the victorious Spirit, with Job, sings a paean to the glory of God: Shall we accept that good from the Lord, and not accept this evil? Job 2:10.

XXIV. Colloquies with men.

When, however, there is a primary commerce between him who is attacked by the ignited darts of Satan and men who are very different, it matters greatly that, before he allows himself to be affected and moved by their words, he should learn to recognize them, and learn to judge what should be attributed to the judgment and speech of each one.

There are some pious men, but who, not yet having been led into temptation, pronounce concerning the ignited darts of Satan just as he who has never labored with hunger pronounces concerning hunger.

There are also some who are pious, and sufficiently exercised in temptations, but not sufficiently instructed by the knowledge of divine things and by the testimonies which the Holy Scripture, which is the iatreion infirmary/healing place of the soul, provides.

Finally, there are some pious men, exercised in temptations, and powerful in the Scriptures: but to whom it has not been given to assume another’s mind, affection, pain, or person.

What, therefore, should he do, who feels that a wound has been inflicted upon him by Satan? Let him learn from all of them what is of use. Let him esteem highly the piety of the first, the experience of the second, and the sympatheian compassion of the third (even if those are rarely joined together in the same people), and let him accommodate them to his own utility. Let him apply himself so that, through the grace of God, he may join together unanimity with piety, experience, this knowledge of Scripture, and all those things: and let him declare that he admires the gifts of the Holy Spirit with which he sees them to be instructed, and that he is vehemently delighted by their oration. For just as a sick person does with a physician; so he whose mind is sick should look upon a suitable Consoler.