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152 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
Semper vdvendo: seque ipsum inculcat et offert
Ut bene cognosci possit, aoceatqiie videndo
Qualis eat, doceatque suas attendere leges. 1
God to the world doth not heav'ns face envie,
But by still moving it doth notifie
His face and essence, doth himselfe applie,
That he may well be knowen, and teach by seeing,
How he goes, how we should marke his decreeing.
Now our reason and humane discourse is as the
lumpish and barren matter, and the grace of God is the
form thereof. Tis that which giveth both fashion and
worth unto it. Even as the vertuous actions of Socrates
and Cato are but frivolous and unprofitable because
they had not their end, and regarded not the love and
obedience of the true creator of all things, and namely,
because they were ignorant of the true knowledge of
God : So is it of our imaginations and discourse ; they
have a kind of body, but a shapelesse masse, without
light or fashion, unlesse faith and the grace of God be
joyned thereunto. Faith, giving as it were a tincture
and lustre unto Sebonds arguments, make them the
more firme and solid : They may well serve for a
direction and guide to a young learner, to lead and set
him in the right way of this knowledge. They in some
sort fashion and make him capable of the grace of God,
by meanes whereof our beliefe is afterwards achieved
and made perfect. I know a man of authority, brought
up in letters, who confessed unto me that he was
reclaimed from out the errours of mis-beleevmg by the
arguments of Sebond. And if it happen they be
dispoyled of this ornament, and of the helpe and
approbation of faith, and taken but for meere humane
fantazies, yet to combat those that headlong are fallen
into the dreadfull error and horrible darkenesse of
irreligion, even then shall they be found as firme and
forcible as any other of that condition that may be
opposed against them. So that we shall stand upon
terms to say unto our parties,
¹ MANIL. 1. iv. 840