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Wherein is treated the proximate means of ascending to union
with God, which is faith; and wherein therefore is described the
second part of this night, which, as we said, belongs to the
spirit, and is contained in the second stanza, which is as
follows.
STANZA THE SECOND
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In order to treat in detail of the profit and the
harm which may come to the soul, with respect to this
means to Divine union which we have described --
namely, faith -- through the ideas and apprehensions
of the understanding, it is necessary here to make a
distinction between all the apprehensions, whether
natural or supernatural, that the soul may receive,
so that then, with regard to each of them in order,
we may direct the understanding with greater
clearness into the night and obscurity of faith. This
will be done with all possible brevity.2. It must
be known, then, that the understanding can receive
knowledge and intelligence by two channels: the one
natural and the other supernatural. By the natural
channel is meant all that the understanding can
understand, whether by means of the bodily senses or
by its own power.[277] The supernatural channel is
all that is given to the understanding over and above
its natural ability and capacity.
3. Of these kinds of supernatural knowledge, some
are corporeal and some are spiritual. The corporeal
are two in number: some are received by means of the
outward bodily senses; others, by means of the inward
bodily senses, wherein is comprehended all that the
imagination can comprehend, form and conceive.
4. The spiritual supernatural knowledge is
likewise of two kinds: that which is distinct and
special in its nature, and that which is confused,
general and dark. Of the distinct and special kind
there are four manners of apprehension which are
communicated to the spirit without the aid of any
bodily sense: these are visions, revelations,
locutions and spiritual feelings. The obscure and
general type of knowledge is of one kind alone, which
is contemplation that is given in faith. To this we
have to lead the soul by bringing it thereto through
all these other means, beginning with the first and
detaching it from them. |