Page:Tolstoy - Pamphlets.djvu/169

28 Man is the son of God, and knows his Father, and his Will. To do the will of the Father, one must know Him, be conscious of Him ; and the man who knows the Father always knows His will.

Ignorance of His will is produced not by the impossibility of knowing it, but by the non-fulfilment of the two first requirements of Christ ; from the non-acknowledgment of the insignificance of the personal life; and from not denying it.

It is not that I altogether agree with what you say about the understanding and about God, but my thoughts are not in conformity with yours. I do not say that I agree, because in speaking about these matters it is often difficult to express accurately what one thinks, and words may say too much or too little, and therefore it is never possible to admit that a certain way of formulating completely corresponds to one's conception. But I see that we think and feel in the same direction, and this gives me great pleasure. It is impossible not to think about these matters, but each of us involuntarily thinks in his own way. To formulate one's thoughts, in the way it has been done in various creeds, is not only useless, but may be dangerous. It is possible and necessary to