But taking the scripture of God for a
ground for this matter, you know very well yourself that you shall
go somewhat a shorter way to work if you ask this question of him:
Since God hath forbidden once the thing himself, though he may
dispense with it if he will, yet since the devil may feign himself
God and with a marvellous vision delude one, and make as though
God did it; and since the devil is also more likely to speak
against God's commandment than God against his own; you shall have
good cause, I say, to demand of the man himself whereby he knoweth
that his vision is God's true revelation and not the devil's false
delusion.
VINCENT: Indeed, uncle, I think that would be a hard question to
him. Can a man, uncle, have in such a thing even a very sure
knowledge of his own mind?
ANTHONY: Yea, cousin, God may cast into the mind of a man, I
suppose, such an inward light of understanding that he cannot fail
but be sure thereof. And yet he who is deluded by the devil may
think himself as sure and yet be deceived indeed. And such a
difference is there in a manner between them, as between the sight
of a thing while we are awake and look thereon, and the sight with
which we see a thing in our sleep while we dream thereof.
VINCENT: This is a pretty similitude, uncle, in this thing! And
then is it easy for the monk that we speak of to declare that he
knoweth his vision for a true revelation and not a false delusion,
if there be so great a difference between them.
Pages:
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180