Of God and His Creatures
That there is no lightmindedness in assenting to
Truths of Faith, although they are above Reason
THE Divine Wisdom, that knows all things most fully, has deigned to
reveal these her secrets to men, and in proof of them has displayed
works beyond the competence of all natural powers, in the wonderful
cure of diseases, in the raising of the dead, and what is more
wonderful still, in such inspiration of human minds as that simple and
ignorant persons, filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost, have gained
in an instant the height of wisdom and eloquence.* By force of the aforesaid proof, without
violence of arms, without promise of pleasures, and, most wonderful
thing of all, in the midst of the violence of persecutors, a countless
multitude, not only of the uneducated but of the wisest men, flocked to
the Christian faith, wherein doctrines are preached that transcend all
human understanding, pleasures of sense are restrained, and a contempt
is taught of all worldly possessions. That mortal minds should assent
to such teaching is the greatest of miracles, and a manifest work of
divine inspiration leading men to despise the visible and desire only
invisible goods. Nor did this happen suddenly nor by chance, but by a
divine disposition, as is manifest from the fact that God foretold by
many oracles of His prophets that He intended to do this. The books of
those prophets are still venerated amongst us, as bearing testimony to
our faith. This argument is touched upon in the text: Which
(salvation) having begun to be uttered by the Lord, was confirmed by
them that heard him even unto us, God joining in the testimony by signs
and portents and various distributions of the Holy Spirit (Heb. ii,
3, 4). This so wonderful conversion of the world to the Christian
faith is so certain a sign of past miracles, that they need no further
reiteration, since they appear evidently in their effects. It would be
more wonderful than all other miracles, if without miraculous signs the
world had been induced by simple and low-born men to believe truths so
arduous, to do works so difficult, to hope for reward so high. And yet
even in our times God ceases not through His saints to work miracles
for the confirmation of the faith.*
1.5 : That it is an Advantage for things that cannot be searched out by Reason to be proposed as Tenets of Faith
1.7 : That the Truth of Reason is not contrary to the Truths of Christian Faith