A Sketch of Universal Wisdom

...just as that natural desire indicates to him, by which every Human being wishes to be well, and indeed without end. For he dreads death and destruction, but desires life to be as pleasant for himself as possible, and therefore flees from all adversity.

But because through the terrible fall into sin, and through depravity continued through the ages and always increasing, mortals have become so dull-witted original: "obrutuerunt," suggesting being overwhelmed or buried under a weight that they do not understand the divine plan original: "divinum consilium" regarding themselves as created beings, nor those desires of their own nature—much less the Ways to a blessed end—or even care to understand them; they must be awakened from their lethargy by all modes and methods that can ever be devised.

For we are all bound to be ministers of the Divine goodness, and however much light anyone has received from God, he ought to desire to pour back just as much into others: so that by the rays being multiplied, and variously reflected, refracted, and blended back and forth among themselves, the light in minds may be increased, for the purpose of seeing and finding the Father of lights A reference to James 1:17; God as the source of all intellectual and spiritual illumination, and walking in his light.