Слово 84. О том, как велика бывает мера ведения и мера веры

There is knowledge that precedes faith, and there is knowledge generated by faith. The knowledge that precedes faith is natural knowledge, and the knowledge generated by faith is spiritual knowledge. There is natural knowledge, distinguishing good from evil, and it is called natural prudence, by which we naturally, without teaching, recognize good and evil. God put this (prudence) into rational nature, and with the help of teaching it receives growth and replenishment. There is no person who does not have it. This is the power of natural knowledge in the rational soul; this is the difference between good and evil, which is constantly brought into action in the soul. Those deprived of this power are below the rational nature, but in those who have it, the spiritual nature is in its proper state, and in them nothing that God has given to nature has been destroyed to the honor of His rational creatures. The prophet reproaches those who have lost this cognitive power, distinguishing good from evil, saying: “a man of honor has no understanding” (Ps. 49:13). The honor of rational nature is prudence, distinguishing good from evil, and the prophet rightly likened those who have lost it to senseless cattle, lacking reason and prudence. By this (prudence) we can find the way of God. This is natural knowledge: it precedes faith and is the path to God. Through it (prudence) we learn to distinguish good from evil and accept faith. And the power of nature testifies that it is fitting for a person to believe in the One who created all this, to believe the words of His commandments and to fulfill them. From faith the fear of God is born; and when it accompanies deeds and gradually ascends to doing, then it gives birth to spiritual knowledge, about which we said that it is born from faith 639. Natural knowledge, that is, the distinction between good and evil, put into our nature by God, itself convinces us that we must believe in God, who brought everything into being; but faith produces fear in us; fear compels us to repentance and action. This is how spiritual knowledge is given to a person, that is, a sense of mysteries, which gives rise to the faith of true contemplation. Thus, it is not just from faith alone that spiritual knowledge is born, but faith also gives birth to the fear of God, and when we begin to act in the fear of God 640, from the action of the fear of God spiritual knowledge is born, as St. John Chrysostom said: “When someone acquires the will that follows the fear of God and the right way of thinking, then he will soon receive the revelation of the hidden.” He calls spiritual knowledge the revelation of the hidden. It is not the fear of God that gives birth to this spiritual knowledge (for what is not in nature cannot be born), but this knowledge is given as a gift to the practice of the fear of God. When you carefully examine the practice of the fear of God, then you will find that it is repentance. And the spiritual knowledge that follows it is the same thing that we said, that we received the guarantee of it 641 in baptism, and the gift of it we accept through repentance. And this gift, about which we said that we accept it through repentance, is spiritual knowledge, given as a gift to the practice of fear. Spiritual knowledge is the feeling of the unseen. And when someone senses this invisible and in many ways most excellent, then it receives from this the name of spiritual knowledge, and in its sensation another faith is born, not contrary to the first faith, but confirming that faith. They call it contemplative faith. Hitherto there was hearing 642, and now contemplation; contemplation is more certain than hearing. All this is born from this natural knowledge, distinguishing between good and evil. It is the good seed of virtue, and it has already been spoken about. And when we darken this natural knowledge with our voluptuous will, then we are deprived of all these benefits. This natural knowledge in a person will be followed by an ever-present wounding of conscience 643, a constant remembrance of death and a certain painful concern, until its very end, and after it - sadness, despondency, fear of God, natural shame, sadness about one’s previous sins, due diligence 644, remembrance of the common path 645, concern for guiding oneself towards it, tearful entreaty God has a good entrance into this gate, through which every nature must pass, contempt for the world and a strong struggle for virtue. All this is acquired through natural knowledge. Therefore, let everyone compare his deeds with this. For when it turns out that a person has acquired this, then it means that he is following the natural path; and when he surpasses this and achieves love, then he becomes higher than nature and struggle, fear, labor and fatigue in everything recede from him. These are the consequences of doing what is natural. And we find this in ourselves when we do not darken this knowledge with our own voluptuous will. And we remain at this level until we reach love, which frees us from all this. Let everyone, on the basis of what we have said, compare and test himself where his progress is: in what is unnatural, or in what is natural, or in what is supernatural. Based on these indicated ways of living, anyone can clearly and quickly determine the direction of his entire life 646: when he does not find himself in the state we called natural, as we have defined, and he is also not in the supernatural, then it is clear that he has fallen into the unnatural 647. But to our God be glory forever! Amen. In the Syriac text: “When a person then begins to do it (fear) and makes some progress in doing it, then from this arises spiritual knowledge, which we said earlier that it is generated by faith.” In the Syriac text: “when we begin to make it.” That is, knowledge (according to the Syriac text) or fear of God (according to the Greek text). That is, faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17). In the Syriac text: “striving for what is due.” In the Syriac text: "on the basis of the definitions clearly stated above, a person can easily judge his entire life's progress." In the Syriac text: “that which is lower than nature.” You might be interested in: