Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

136 THE FORMATION OF CHRISTENDOMAbram pursue Chaldaic astronomy before as Abrahamhe reaches on to theology, yet so soon as the maidattempts to put herself in the place of the mistressshe is thrust out. When the sciences, which serveas an introduction, seek to be the highest and finalobject, they become perverted and ruinous. But itis no better with philosophy itself, if it does not seekits end in the knowledge of God and in moral self-knowledge. It is true, Philosophy is the highest giftof the Godhead. In it knowledge is matured andperfected. Other sciences are occupied with particularparts of the world: Philosophy searches out theessence of things itself. Everything actual is itssubject. Nevertheless its proper aim lies only in manand his salvation. The philosopher is a physicianwho is called in to heal the sicknesses of human life,to make the inward man sound. The self-knowledge,which is its chief task, goes beyond itself. The deeperwe penetrate into ourselves, the more shall we mistrustourselves, the plainer recognise our nothingness.We shall see that God alone is wise, but the humanmind far too weak to comprehend the nature of things.We shall remember how often our senses deceive us:how feelings and judgments change with persons andcircumstances: how relative are our notions; howuneven and dependent on their convictions even themoral conceptions of men are; how little we knoweven the essence of our soul; how even philosophersare at issue with each other on the weightiest questions; and we shall renounce all claims to knowledgeof our own. Thus only can we hope to attain totruth. He who will know God must give up himself: must turn away his sense from everythingperishable. He who gives up himself, knows Him