1. There is another gift required to perfect the intelligence when
it is engaged upon the principles of truth. The mind was created
by God to exercise itself upon truth, primarily, the Supreme
Truth; secondarily, all truths which by their essence must
themselves be radiations from the Supreme Truth. These truths are
of endless variety, both in their relationship to each other and
in the particular line in which they operate. They are the truths
of arts and science, the intricate yet unchanging laws that govern
the growth and development of matter, the complicated processes
whereby organic beings build up their tissues and multiply
themselves by means of the cell principle. There are again the
curious laws, as they are called, that effect gravitation, that
have to be counted upon in the science of architecture, and in all
the various kindred crafts of man. There are principles, too, that
underlie the whole series of the arts, principles of truth and
life and beauty. Upon these the mind must feed, and in them all
the mind must be able to trace the character and being of God. But
there are also far higher truths which are taught only by
revelation, safeguarded by authority, grouped under the title of
faith. These truths are higher than the others, since they
directly concern a higher being, i. e., God. All truths are truths
about God, but the truths of faith concern themselves immediately
with the being, life, and actions of God. Understanding,
therefore, is the gift perfecting the mind for these.
2. It might seem, perhaps, that the light of faith is itself
sufficient, and that no further gift were needed, since it is the
very purpose of faith to make us accept this revelation of God,
enlightening and strengthening the intelligence till under the
dominion of the will it says: I believe. It is true that faith
suffices for this, but we require something more than faith, or at
least if we do not absolutely require more, we shall progress more
rapidly and further when we are not only able to believe but to
understand. In every article of faith there is always something
which is mysterious or hidden, some obscurity due not to the
entanglement of facts, but to the weakness of the human mind. Of
course this must to some extent always exist, for man can never
hope to comprehend God till by the beatific vision he sees Him
face to face; but a good deal of the obscurity can be lifted by
the mere operation of the mind under the light of God, not arising
purely from study, but from the depth of love enkindled by God. It
is a commonplace in the lives of the saints that without
instruction they do yet manage to learn the deep mysteries of God;
the same is true of many simple souls whom we meet from time to
time in the world. They not only believe, but penetrate the truths
of faith.
3. Here, then, I have ready to hand a most useful gift of God. I
desire not only to believe, but to absorb and to penetrate the
mysteries of God. I want to taste to the full the meaning of life
as a whole, to develop every power that lies in me, to make the
truths of revelation blossom out ever more fully, till their
hidden and mystical significance becomes gradually more clear. The
pages of Holy Scripture are full of instruction, but they will not
yield up their secrets save to a soul attuned by God. That can be
effected by the gift of understanding. I shall find by its means
that these treasures are inexhaustible, that from mere abstract
teaching the sayings of the Master and His Apostles become full of
practical meaning, that all life about me takes on a new and
richer significance. History and social life open their doors to
whoever has this blessed gift, and it becomes clearly seen that
their maker and builder is God. The dullness of souls who will not
believe, or only believe and then stop short, becomes painful to
note and bothersome to put up with, but this is the price one has
to pay for so fine a vision. By this, then, we peer into the
depths of faith, and find them gradually and steadily growing more
and more clear and penetrable.