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The knowledge of God is very far from the love of Him.

Heart, instinct, principles.

We know truth, not only by the reason, but also by the heart, and it is in this last way that we know first principles; and reason, which has no part in it, tries in vain to impugn them. The sceptics, who have only this for their object, labour to no purpose. We know that we do not dream, and however impossible it is for us to prove it by reason, this inability demonstrates only the weakness of our reason, but not, as they affirm, the uncertainty of all our knowledge. For the knowledge of first principles, as space, time, motion, number, is as sure as any of those which we get from reasoning. And reason must trust these intuitions of the heart, and must base on them every argument. (We have intuitive knowledge of the tri-dimensional nature of space, and of the infinity of number, and reason then shows that there are two square numbers one of which is double of the other. Principles are intuited, propositions are inferred, all with certainty, though in different ways.) And it is as useless and absurd for reason to demand from the heart proofs of her first principles, before admitting them, as it would be for the heart to demand from reason an intuition of all demonstrated propositions before accepting them.

This inability ought, then, to serve only to humble reason, which would judge all, but not to impugn our certainty, as if only reason were capable of instructing us. Would to God, on the contrary, that we had never need of it, and that we knew everything by instinct and intuition! But nature has refused us this boon. On the contrary, she has given us but very little knowledge of this kind; and all the rest can be acquired only by reasoning.

Therefore, those to whom God has imparted religion by intuition are very fortunate, and justly convinced. But to those who do not have it, we can give it only by reasoning, waiting for God to give them spiritual insight, without which faith is only human, and useless for salvation.

This holy path is not a theory. It is not a system of beliefs or dogmas. It is not even a religion, although it embraces all of the values of religion. It is an actual Way, a genuine road to be traveled, involving of course certain preparation and training as one goes along. In fact, the word 'path' is not altogether appropriate. It is more properly speaking 'el Camino Real' or the King's Highway. It belongs to the Royal Masters, and it leads the traveler from earth upwards through kingdom after kingdom, from country to country, each one more splendid than the other, in an advancing series until the upper terminus lands the traveler at the very feet of the Supreme Lord of all regions. And this is no allegory, no figure of speech, no flight of the imagination. It is a literal, actual highway, over which the Saints and their disciples travel, passing through numberless and vast regions, stopping at different stations en route. The passage is really a succession of triumphs, for the disciples of the Saints are enabled to master each region as they enter it, to absorb its knowledge and powers and become citizens of it. No Hannibal or Alexander or any Caesar ever made such a triumphal advance. The Saint is the Great Captain leading the soul from victory to victory. It is a long and difficult passage; but the Saint has been over it many times, and he is Master of it all. He is, in fact, Lord of all intervening regions through which this Highway leads, and before him numberless multitudes bow down as he passes.

As above, so below.