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The operation of the intelligence is the first step in all human responsible action. Supernatural action must therefore begin with supernatural consciousness, and the knowledge of that higher order; and faith becomes the necessary foundation of the divine life in us. That which we can work out for ourselves by natural methods is not sufficient; it can never be more than is contained in the inferior and worldly order of things, and will never admit us into the higher universe where God is unveiled in new ways to the soul's perceptions. Faith is a necessary condition of every act of supernatural virtue. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. xi. 6). We must have this infused gift in order to grasp divine truths, to nurture aspirations that rise beyond this world, to make the invisible a present reality to us, to feel actual love for God. We need the influence of a higher knowledge and higher hopes, to help us to resist the passions of sense, to avoid sin, to bear the troubles of life, to meet death with tranquillity and joy. What an immense field of new action faith opens to us! What value it gives to our actions! It is not a yoke laid upon us, not a restraint and servitude of our natural faculties, but happiness, glory and new life.
