The first man had been raised by God above the level of the rest of the universe, and even above the level that was proper to him. Besides human nature and all its powers, he received a further and higher endowment, viz. the state of integrity and original justice, a gratuitous gift superadded to what was natural. With this double endowment he was to work out his destiny. Original sin was the rejection of the supernatural endowments, and descent to the natural but now fallen level. The faculties of human nature remained substantially intact, but with a tendency towards evil. Man thenceforth was dead as regards the supernatural life and state; of his own strength he cannot regain it; he can do nothing of supernatural value deserving a supernatural reward; he can in no way place himself in communication with the Infinite; only the action of Jesus Christ, God and Man, can do this for him. This restitution or re-elevation to the higher state comes from Our Lord as a purely gratuitous gift, or as Grace. Consider how lowly, with all its excellence, is your natural state ; how valueless its great endowments, efficient only in this life and before the eyes of men, but worthless for any use in the kingdom of glory. You need a totally different set of qualities for the divine life. Seek these. If you attain them, all else is of but small account.
