Chapter 19.—Sins of Ignorance; To Whom Wisdom is Given by God on Their Requesting It.

He further treats of sins of ignorance, and says that “a man ought to be very careful to avoid ignorance; and that ignorance is blameworthy for this reason, because it is through his own neglect that a man is ignorant of that which he certainly must have known if he had only applied diligence;” whereas he prefers disputing all things rather than to pray, and say: “Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments.”51    Ps. cxix. 73. It is, indeed, one thing to have taken no pains to know what sins of negligence were apparently expiated even through divers sacrifices of the law; it is another thing to wish to understand, to be unable, and then to act contrary to the law, through not understanding what it would have done. We are accordingly enjoined to ask of God wisdom, “who giveth to all men liberally;”52    Jas. i. 5. that is, of course, to all men who ask in such a manner, and to such an extent, as so great a matter requires in earnestness of petition.

19. Tractat etiam iste de peccatis ignorantiae, et dicit, «hominem praevigilare debere ne ignoret; ideoque esse culpandam ignorantiam, quia id homo nescit negligentia sua, quod adhibita diligentia scire debuisset:» dum tamen omnia potius disputet, quam ut oret et dicat, Da mihi intellectum ut discam mandata tua (Psal. CXVIII, 73). Aliud est enim, non curasse scire, quae negligentiae peccata etiam per sacrificia quaedam legis videbantur expiari: aliud, intelligere velle, nec posse, et facere contra legem, non intelligendo quid fieri velit. Unde admonemur a Deo petere sapientiam, qui dat omnibus affluenter, utique 0256 his omnibus qui sic petunt et tantum petunt, quomodo et quantum res tanta petenda est.