Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 166

142 ety,

And

§ 46.

FAITH

[Div. II

and conversation or intercourse is no longer possible. so firmly and almost ineradicably is this confidence

rooted in us, that even the constant experience of deception

away this universal foundation of Experience makes us guarded and more careful but as long as there is no reason for distrust, confidence remains This is accounted for by the fact that the rule of society. no one is able to disclose the inner life of a man except does not impair or take

life.

;

What you call your observation is never that man himself. anything else with man than the observation of his lifeSince he has nine-tenths of these life-expressions expressions. entirely under his control, and is able to withhold or to falsify them, the knowledge of man obtained by observation Not is always extremely limited, and in itself uncertain. observation, but revelation, of the

is

the means

human person must come

to you.

next to nothing of those individuals

And

by which knowledge Hence, you know

who

are

deaf-mute.

even the revelation which a person makes to you of himself is by itself of no use, unless you have in your person There the allied data by which to interpret his revelation. is certainly some verification by which one can judge of the self -revelation of another but in the first place this verification is often of little use, and, again, it can only be applied in special cases. Hence in most cases the judge must depend upon the confessions of the accused and the explanations of witnesses, both of which obtain their force of evidence almost exclusively from faith. If such is the case in the acquisition of knowledge of your nearest surroundings, faith is still more strongly appealed to where it concerns persons who live at a distance from you, or who You only know what happens in lived in former times. Japan by what other people say and though you may be entirely unable to verify these communications, you believe them grosso modo, and doubt not for a moment but that on reaching Japan you would find the conditions as stated. Your representation of many a part of Africa rests on the This, however, does not make a information of one man. Yes, though time and again you may be sceptic of you. ;

;

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