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Jennifer Crosby
rock. Thus, in grace, the least action affects everything by its
consequences; therefore everything is important.
In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and
future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all
those things. And then we shall be very cautious.
506. Let God not impute to us our sins, that is to say, all the consequences
and results of our sins, which are dreadful, even those of the smallest
faults, if we wish to follow them out mercilessly!
507. The spirit of grace; the hardness of the heart; external circumstances.
508. Grace is indeed needed to turn a man into a saint; and he who doubts it
does not know what a saint or a man is.
509. Philosophers.--A fine thing to cry to a man who does not know himself,
that he should come of himself to God! And a fine thing to say so to a man
who does know himself!
510. Man is not worthy of God, but he is not incapable of being made worthy.
It is unworthy of God to unite Himself to wretched man; but it is not
unworthy of God to pull him out of his misery.
511. If we would say that man is too insignificant to deserve communion with
God, we must indeed be very great to judge of it.
512. It is, in peculiar phraseology, wholly the body of Jesus Christ, but it
cannot be said to be the whole body of Jesus Christ. The union of two things
wi
Jennifer Crosby
gods. Now that time has cleared up things, it does so appear. But at the
time when he was persecuted, this great saint was a man called Athanasius;
and Saint Theresa was a nun. "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we
are," says Saint James, to disabuse Christians of that false idea which
makes us reject the example of the saints as disproportioned to our state.
"They were saints," say we, "they are not like us." What then actually
happened? Saint Athanasius was a man called Athanasius, accused of many
crimes, condemned by such and such a council for such and such a crime. All
the bishops assented to it, and finally the Pope. What said they to those
who opposed this? That they disturbed the peace, that they created schism,
etc.
Zeal, light. Four kinds of persons: zeal without knowledge; knowledge
without zeal; neither knowledge nor zeal; both zeal and knowledge. The first
three condemned him. The last acquitted him, were excommunicated by the
Church and yet saved the Church.
869. If Saint Augustine came at the present time and was as little
authorised as his defenders, he would accomplish nothing. God directs His
Church well, by having sent him before with authority.
870. God has not wanted to absolve without the Church. As she has part in
the offence, He desires her to have part in the pardon. He associates her
with this power, as kings their parliaments. But if she absolves or binds
without God, she is no longer the Church. For, as in the case of parliament,
even if the king have pardoned a man, it must be ratified; but if parliament
ratifies without the king, or refuses to ratify on the order of the king, it
is no longer the parliament of the king, but a