Speculum amatorum mundi

In the Lives of the Fathers, a certain holy woman named Syncletica said: Just as it is impossible for the same thing to be herb and seed at the same time, so it is impossible for those having worldly glory and living in the delights and pleasures of the world to produce heavenly fruit. And therefore, for such people, the Lord exchanges temporal consolation for eternal punishment, saying in Luke 6: Woe to you who have your consolation here. Hence blessed Bernard says: The austerity of the conversion of the blessed John the Baptist is a harsh messenger of eternal death to delicious sinners. For why do we, irrational animals, reptiles of the earth, flame up, when he, than whom no greater has arisen among those born of women, afflicted his most innocent body, and we hasten in precious garments to feast splendidly, lavishly, and delicately? Not so the impious, not so is the way to the stars. Because blessed Augustine says: Christ despised earthly goods so that he might show that all earthly things are to be despised; and he endured the evils of the world so that he might teach that evils are to be endured, so that neither should happiness be sought in the former, nor adversity feared in the latter. This he says. Hence listen to blessed Bernard, saying thus: Recognize, O man, that your soul is noble, and that its wounds were grave, for which it was necessary for Christ the Lord to be wounded. If these were not to death, and to eternal death, the Son of God would never die for their remedy. Do not, therefore, vilify the passion of your soul, for which you see such compassion exhibited by such great majesty. Do not attend to what the flesh wants, but what the spirit demands. If, however, you say: This saying is hard, I cannot despise the world and hate my own flesh, tell me where are the lovers of the world who were with us a short time ago? Nothing remains of them except ashes and worms. Attend to what they are,