Philosophers have consecrated the vices by placing them in God Himself.
Christians have consecrated the virtues.
504. The just man acts by faith in the least things; when he reproves his
servants, he desires their conversion by the Spirit of God, and prays God to
correct them; and he expects as much from God as from his own reproofs, and
prays God to bless his corrections. And so in all his other actions he
proceeds with the Spirit of God; and his actions deceive us by reason of
the... or suspension of the Spirit of God in him; and he repents in his
affliction.
505. All things can be deadly to us, even the things made to serve us; as in
nature walls can kill us, and stairs can kill us, if we do not walk
circumspectly.
The least movement affects all nature; the entire sea changes because of a
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
.
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