Chapter 10. More Considerations on Faith.

BUT lest we should seem, by too much severity, to drive men away from entering the gate, I will show (since in this book it

lias been our endeavour to inflame the minds of the faithful with a desire of our most delightful and happy country) that the "gate/' which on one side appears most narrow, on account of the perfection of virtue required; on the other is very wide and easy to enter, by reason of the omnipotence, truth, and mercy of God, if we be truly desirous of entering it.

Let us begin again with faith. Faith certainly proposes for our belief mysteries most difficult, far above our reason and understanding, and sublimely exalted even above the natural capacity of the angels themselves. But since the doctrine of faith admonishes us, that these mysteries are to be believed on the authority of God, who cannot deceive, and not on that of angels, or of men, then the bounds begin to be enlarged. If faith said, " Believe in one God, and three persons ; believe that the Son of God was born of the blessed Virgin; believe that Christ rose immortal from the dead on the third day by His own power : believe all these points most firmly because SS. Peter, Paul, and John, Isaias, Jeremias, and Ezekiel, have said so/' I should hesitate, not daring to believe men like myself on such difficult subjects. It is said, ''' Every man is a liar ;" and therefore it is that we require oaths and witnesses, before we put our trust in men. But since faith says, "All these things hath God revealed; and neither Peter, nor Paul, nor John, nor

the other apostles and prophets, taught them on their own authority, but learned them from God ; and since they preached His word, not their own, then my heart enlargeth itself, and is prepared to believe. And that it was God who spoke by the apostles and prophets, hath been manifest ed unto us by Him in so many signs and wonders, that it would be foolish and rash not to believe. Thus speaks the apostle to the Hebrews: " Which having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. God also bearing them witness by signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and distributions of the Holy Ghost according to His own will." (chap, ii.) What God says, who will gain say ? God cannot lie, for if He could, He would not be God.

But these mysteries, which are proposed to our belief, are above our reason. — They are : but they are not above the power and wisdom of God. Therefore, saith St. James, " God is greater than our heart;" because He can do what we cannot under stand, and His essence and existence are more elevated than our mind can comprehend. If an unlearned man easily believes the many incredible things philosophers and astronomers mention concerning the magni tude of the sun and of the planets, why should not man readily believe also whatever God hath deigned to reveal, since there is an infinite distance between the wisdom and

power of the one, and the small spark of reason with which the other is endowed ? They therefore, who consider these remarks, will find no difficulty in believing what the Church proposes.