'The Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden'; ~ ‘The Son's instruction to the bride about the devil;…'; Book II; Chapter 1; part I
[Saint Bridget of Sweden/ Heliga Birgitta; XIV Century AD: aged 69-70; born: Uppland, Sweden/died: Rome, Papal States; Widow, Mystic; Spiritual Writer; Founder; Patroness of Europe]
Chapter 1 ~ The Son's instruction to the bride about the devil; the Son's answer to the bride about why he does not remove evildoers before they fall into sin; and about how the kingdom of heaven is given to baptized persons who die before reaching the age of discretion.
The Son spoke to the bride, saying: ”When the devil tempts you, tell him these three things:
'The words of God cannot be anything but true.'
Second: 'Nothing is impossible for God, because he can do all things.'
Third: 'You, devil, could not give me so great a fervor of love as that which God gives me.' ”
Again the Lord spoke to the bride, saying: ”I look at people in three ways: first, their outer body and what …More
"Moreover, these things do not occur because of the course and position of the heavenly elements, but due to some hidden principle of justice in the constitution and conservation of nature. For sin and natural disorder bring about the deformity of the body in many ways. This does not happen because I will it directly, but because I permit it to happen for the sake of justice. Even though I can do all things, still I do not obstruct justice. Accordingly, the length or brevity of a person's life is related to the weakness or strength of his physical constitution such as it was in my foreknowledge that no one can contravene."
"Therefore, because I see and know all things, you might ask me why I do not take evildoers away before they fall into the depths of sin. I myself asked the question and I myself will answer it for you: I am the Creator of all things, and all things are foreknown to me. I know and see all that has been and all that will be. But, although I know and can do all things, still, for reasons of justice, I no more interfere with the natural constitution of the body than I do with the inclination of the soul. Each human being continues in existence according to the natural constitution of the body such as it is and was from all eternity in my foreknowledge. The fact that one person has a longer life and another a shorter has to do with natural strength or weakness and is related to a person's physical constitution. It is not due to my foreknowledge that one person loses his sight or another becomes lame or something like that, since my foreknowledge of all things is such that no one is the worse for it, nor is it harmful to anyone."
2 more comments from In Principio
"Again the Lord spoke to the bride, saying: ”I look at people in three ways: first, their outer body and what condition it is in; second, their inner conscience, what it tends toward and in what way; third, their heart and what it desires."
The Son spoke to the bride, saying: ”When the devil tempts you, tell him these three things:
'The words of God cannot be anything but true.'
Second: 'Nothing is impossible for God, because he can do all things.'
Third: 'You, devil, could not give me so great a fervor of love as that which God gives me.' ”