Chapter IX — On the ninth precept of the art of dying well, when death is now near, which concerns the first temptation of the Devil, that is, heresy

As death draws near, the Devil, our adversary, like a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5), is not wanting to himself, but runs swiftly as though to his prey, and with all his strength attacks the dying man in that final struggle. His first combat he usually begins with a temptation concerning the faith. For the things we believe rise not only above sense, but even above natural reason; and this same faith is the foundation of our justification, and once that foundation is overturned, the whole edifice of good works collapses. Now this temptation is easily the most grievous of all, because our battle is with an adversary who is not only most learned and most keen, but has also been practiced in such combats since the beginning of the world. He it is who seduced all the leaders of the heretics, of whom not a few were most excellent and most wise men. Rightly therefore does the Apostle warn us, saying: Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, that is, against men, but against the spirits of wickedness in the high places (Eph. 6), that is, against demons, who are spirits — and most wicked spirits at that — and who behold us all from the airy heavens. Our weapons in this combat are not disputations, but the simple faith of the truth. For so the Princes of the Apostles teach us: the Apostle Peter says, Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith (1 Pet. 5); and the Apostle Paul says, In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one (Eph. 6). And so, according to the teaching of the Apostles, we must not dispute with the devil, but with the shield of faith catch and hurl back all his darts, however fiery and burning — that is, however effective and subtle — they may appear. We have a very terrifying example from one who wrote three books on the method of dying well. In the second book he speaks thus: « There were once, as I have heard, two most learned men, easily the foremost in disputation of all who belonged to the same school, and likewise of good character and deeply religious. When one of them had departed this life, he appeared all in flames to the survivor, who happened to be in his library intent upon the study of Sacred Scripture; and when the terrified man asked him what was the cause of so great a punishment, groaning and grieving he answered: 'When I was about to depart from life, the ancient enemy came to me; and since he knew me to be exceptionally learned, he began to inquire about the faith, what I believed. I answered that I believed what is contained in the Apostles' Creed. He asked me to explain to him certain things that seemed less clear. I explained them as I had read in the Athanasian Creed, for I did not think they could be explained more clearly or more truly. Then he said: It is not as you think; but of what pertains to the Father, part is open and true, part obscure and false. For He is indeed eternal, yet not as He is always God, so is He always Father: rather He was God first, and Father afterwards. When at this I cried out that it was a heretical teaching and a doctrine of demons, he said: We must not dispute with shouting but with reasons, if we are said to be devoted to the investigation of truth. I can easily state what my view is; if you can explain yours, you will free me from a great error. Wretch that I was, who trusted in my talent and learning more than was right, I began to dispute with him as though with any other man; and at length, by the many arguments he kept heaping against me, and — what I marvel at even more — by the testimonies of Sacred Scripture, he little by little drove me into so nefarious an error that I no longer held either the Son or the Holy Spirit to be God. Meanwhile death snatched away my soul and presented it to the Judge just as it found it. By Him I was commanded to depart into this fire; which, though it is exceedingly great, I would yet somehow deem tolerable if it had to be ended after a thousand thousands of years. But it is eternal, and at the same time so great as no age among us has seen, so that almost every single hour I repent of the knowledge I acquired, which cast me down into so immense an abyss.' And saying this, he vanished. But the other, moved both by the strangeness of the event and by the loss of his friend, as soon as he had come back to himself, conferred with those who were dearest to him about what he had seen, asking what they thought best to do. It was resolved in common that each should hold himself to that faith which the Catholic Church keeps. A little afterward he fell into the illness of which he died. And behold, the ancient enemy likewise came to him, made bolder by the success of the earlier disputation, and asked about the faith, what he believed. He answered that he believed what Mother Church believes. Again the ancient enemy asked what Mother Church believes. And he said: What I believe; and in this manner, in the hearing of those who stood by, as though questioned by someone, he did not cease to say, I believe what the Church believes, and the Church believes what I believe, until he gave up his soul. Thus it came to pass that, the enemy's cunning having been eluded, he departed to heaven; and a few days later he appeared to the friends whom he had consulted about what would be best to do in such a matter, in a far different state of body, and thanked them because by their counsel he had ascended to the heavenly kingdom. I thought it worthwhile to describe these things as they occurred, so that from another's misfortune or success each one might learn that one must not dispute with the devil about the faith, but that it is enough if each one holds himself to that faith which the Catholic Church keeps. » Thus far Barocius, to whose account we have nothing to add.