The Imitation of Christ

glory thereof.”183 God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search after truth is to be allowed, when it is always ready to be taught, and striving to walk after the wholesome opinions of the fathers.

Blessed is the simplicity which leaveth alone the difficult paths of questionings, and followeth the plain and firm steps of God’s commandments. Many have lost devotion whilst they sought to search into deeper things. Faith is required of thee, and a sincere life, not loftiness of intellect, nor deepness in the mysteries of God. If thou understandest not nor comprehendest the things which are beneath thee, how shalt thou comprehend those which are above thee? Submit thyself unto God, and humble thy sense to faith, and the light of knowledge shall be given thee, as shall be profitable and necessary unto thee.

There are some who are grievously tempted concerning faith and the Sacrament; but this is not to be imputed to themselves but rather to the enemy. Care not then for this, dispute not with thine own thoughts, nor make answer to the doubts which are cast into thee by the devil; but believe the words of God, believe His Saints and Prophets, and the wicked enemy shall flee from thee. Often it profiteth much, that the servant of God endureth such things. For the enemy tempteth not unbelievers and sinners, because he already hath secure possession of them; but he tempteth and harasseth the faithful and devout by various means.

Go forward therefore with simple and undoubting faith, and draw nigh unto the Sacrament with supplicating reverence. And whatsoever thou art not enabled to understand, that commit without anxiety to Almighty God. God deceiveth thee not; he is deceived who believeth too much in himself. God walketh with the simple, revealeth Himself to the humble, giveth understanding to babes, openeth the sense to pure minds, and hideth grace from the curious and proud. Human reason is weak and may be deceived; but true faith cannot be deceived.

All reason and natural investigation ought to follow faith, not to precede, nor to break it. For faith and love do here especially take the highest place, and work in hidden ways in this most holy and exceeding excellent Sacrament. God who is eternal and incomprehensible, and of infinite power, doth great and inscrutable things in heaven and in earth, and His wonderful works are past finding out. If the works of God were of such sort that they might easily be comprehended by human reason, they should no longer be called wonderful or unspeakable.

Endnotes

1. See Essays on Universal Education; by a monk of St. Augustine’s, Ramsgate [Rev. D. A. Hamilton]. Washbourne, 1873. ↩

2. Ceridon, or Cerione, a village which since the fourteenth century belonged to the De Advocatis family. ↩

3. “Spirito” was not an unusual name in the Avogadro family. ↩

4. John 8:12. ↩

5. Revelation 2:17. ↩

6. Ecclesiastes 1:8. ↩

7. Psalm 94:12; Numbers 12:8. ↩

8. John 8:25 (Vulg.). ↩

9. Job 7:1 (Vulg.). ↩

10. 1 Corinthians 10:13. ↩

11. Jeremiah 10:23. ↩

12. Luke 12:43⁠–⁠44. ↩

13. Psalm 4:4. ↩

14. Psalm 80:5. ↩

15. Psalm 25:17. ↩

16. Matthew 24:44. ↩

17. Luke 16:9. ↩

18. Hebrews 13:14. ↩

19. Wisdom 5:1. ↩

20. Psalm 37:3. ↩

21. Luke 17:21. ↩

22. John 14:23. ↩

23. Hebrews 13:14. ↩

24. Isaiah 57:21. ↩

25. 1 Samuel 16:7. ↩

26. 2 Corinthians 10:18. ↩

27. Isaiah 40:6. ↩

28. John 11:28. ↩

29. Psalm 30:6. ↩

30. Job 7:18. ↩

31. Revelation 2:7. ↩

32. Matthew 22:21. ↩

33. Luke 14:10. ↩

34. Luke 17:10. ↩

35. Psalm 25:16. ↩

36. Matthew 16:24. ↩

37. Matthew 25:41. ↩

38. Luke 24:46. ↩

39. Romans 8:18. ↩

40. 2 Corinthians 12:2. ↩

41. Acts 9:16. ↩

42. Luke 9:23. ↩

43. Acts 14:22. ↩

44. Psalm 85:8. ↩

45. 1 Samuel 3:9. ↩

46. Psalm 119:125. ↩

47. Exodus 20:19. ↩

48. John 6:68. ↩

49. John 6:63. ↩

50. Psalm 94:13. ↩

51. Isaiah 23:4. ↩

52. 2 Corinthians 1:3. ↩

53. Psalms 27:1⁠–⁠3; 19:14. ↩

54. Jeremiah 10:23. ↩

55. Psalm 73:22. ↩

56. Luke 18:19. ↩

57. Psalm 31:19. ↩

58. Sirach 18:30. ↩

59. Psalm 37:4. ↩

60. Job 15:15. ↩

61. Isaiah 29:16. ↩

62. Psalm 117:2. ↩

63. Psalm 4:8. ↩

64. Philippians 3:20. ↩

65. Psalm 103:9. ↩

66. Hebrews 12:4. ↩

67. Psalm 32:5. ↩

68. Psalm 69:14. ↩

69. Job 30:7. ↩

70. Acts 5:41. ↩

71. Psalm 71:12. ↩

72. Isaiah 45:2. ↩

73. Psalm 122:7. ↩

74. Psalm 43:3. ↩

75. John 21:22. ↩

76. 1 Peter 4:7. ↩

77. John 14:27. ↩

78. Ecclesiastes 2:11. ↩

79. John 12:27. ↩

80. Psalm 40:13. ↩

81. Nahum 1:7. ↩

82. Matthew 6:34. ↩

83. John 14:27; Psalm 13:5. ↩

84. James 1:17. ↩

85. John