The greatest of these is Charity." Faith here expresses the religion of
Thought, Hope the religion of the Imagination, and Charity the
religion of the Affections, which is greatest of all because it is the
vitalization of the other two.

Every act that we voluntarily perform, whether good or evil, first
entered the mind as an abstract Thought; it was then shaped by the
Imagination until it became a definite idea; next, it was claimed as a
child by the Affections; and lastly, it was by the Affections made to
come out into a use of love or an abuse of hate.

Many thoughts die in the mind without passing through all these stages.
We sometimes hear a sermon that fills our Thoughts as we listen, and yet
we forget it all as we turn away from the church door; for it went no
deeper than our Thoughts. At another time, what we hear goes with us to
our homes, haunts us through the week, and perhaps is made a standard
whereby to measure the virtues or the vices of our neighbors; possibly
even, we try ourselves by its rule, and our consciences are roused to
pierce us with the sharp pang of remorse. All this, however, brings no
change over our lives. Here Thought has passed into Imagination, has
become a reality to the mind; but as yet the Affections do not warm
towards it, and so it dies in the second stage of existence. Yet, again,
we listen to the voice of the preacher, and his words abide in the soul
until they quicken our Affections, and as we muse the fire burns. Then
are our eyes lightened to perceive how all that we have heard may become
realized in life; and warmed by the heavenly flame that has descended
upon our altar, our souls kindle with charity, and we go forth to
realize the hope that is within us in works of angelic use.

This process of the mind is not confined to the religious part of our