Mirror of Sinners on the Contempt of the World

"...will be the angry Judge. The horrible chaos of hell, on the right indeed sins accusing, on the left infinite demons dragging to punishment, again conscience burning. Externally the world burns. The sinner is thus fearful, so that he will flee; to hide will be impossible, to appear indeed intolerable." Whence John Chrysostom: "There will be no virtue to resist, nor faculty to flee, nor place for prayer, nor time for deeds. From the anguish of all things, there will be nothing but wailing." And he adds: "Neither children will intercede for parents, nor parents for children. Neither will angels plead for men as they are wont, because the nature of the judgment does not accept mercy, etc." If the Blessed Virgin and all the saints were to pray for one sinner dead in mortal sin, they would not be heard. Therefore, dearest brothers, in the examination of this strict judgment, at all times and hours, gather good works through which God may render Himself propitious to you. For Bernard says: "If God is not with you by grace, He is present to you by vengeance. But woe to you if He is present to you in that way. For God is angry at him whom He does not flagellate; for whom He does not correct by flagellating, He condemns eternally in the future." For the justice of God cannot judge otherwise than as deeds deserve. He who loves the world more than God, the century temporal age more than the cloister, gluttony more than abstinence, luxury more than chastity, is not of the number of the saved but of the damned. O, if now all, and especially the lovers of the world, would attend to and in their mind at all times revolve and remember the same bitterness and eternity of infernal pains, there is no doubt that many and infinite numbers would cease from sins, leaving the fallacious and deceitful world; they would not go thus after their concupiscences. Who, alas, notice the commandments of God very little, nay, they consider them as nothing, when yet without the observation of the commandments of God no one can be saved. As the Savior testifies in Matthew 19, saying: "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments of God." Also in Exodus, chapter 20: "I am a strong and jealous God, rendering the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons unto the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, not keeping my commandments and sinning, and doing mercy to thousands of those who love me, keeping my commandments." Whence the Psalm imprecates such a curse, saying: "Cursed are those who decline from your commandments." Let the lovers of the world listen to the image of Athanasius in his Creed, which says: "We must all render an account for all our deeds on the day of judgment. And those who did good will go into eternal life, those who did evil into eternal fire." Whence the Apostle says in 2 Corinthians 5: "We must all be manifested before the tribunal of Christ, so that each one may refer what he did in the body, whether good or evil," without any exception, without any excuse. Then, when the miserable damned who neglected penance are reproached...