Let us not be carried away

What is written by every holy writer is written from his spiritual level (attainment) and from his practice (experience), in conformity with his level and practice. We must pay special attention to this point. Let us not be carried away and enraptured by a book written as if with fire that tells of high states and activities for which we are unfit. The reading of such a book, by firing the imagination, can harm us by communicating a knowledge of and desire for labours that are untimely and impossible for us. Let us apply ourselves to the book of a Father nearer to our state in the matter of attainment.
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Spiritual guidance

The carnal and natural man, on hearing spiritual guidance, understands it in conformity with his state, twists and distorts it, and by following it in his distorted sense, takes a wrong course and holds to it stubbornly as a course given by holy guidance.
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

Sound reason

What you call sound reason we Christians take to be a reason so infirm, so darkened and so far gone astray, that there can be no healing for it except by cutting off, with the sword of faith, and renouncing all the learning that has gone into its formation. If we take it for a sound reason, basing ourselves on a foundation that is uncertain, tottering, indefinite, constantly changing -- then it, being sound, will renounce Christ too.
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)

You must know Christ!

You reason about salvation, yet you do not know what salvation is, why men are in need of it, and finally, you do not know Christ, the only means of our salvation. ... You must know Christ! You must realize that you do not know Him, that you deny Him if you acknowledge salvation possible without Him for any kind of good works! He who acknowledges salvation to be possible without Christ denies Christ and, perhaps without knowing it, falls into the grave sin of blasphemy. ... To be sure, you had a revelation from above on this subject, concerning what is contrary and what is not contrary to Divine mercy? -- No, it was sound reason that pointed it out. Ah, your sound reason! Still, where in your sound reason did you find out that it was possible to understand, with your own limited human mind, what is contrary and what is not contrary to the Divine mercy?
St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)