"Christ is present here unseen, receiving your confession," he

said, pointing to the crucifix. "Do you believe in all the

doctrines of the Holy Apostolic Church?" the priest went on,

turning his eyes away from Levin's face and folding his hands

under his stole.

"I have doubted, I doubt everything," said Levin in a voice that

jarred on himself, and he ceased speaking.

The priest waited a few seconds to see if he would not say more,

and closing his eyes he said quickly, with a broad, Vladimirsky

accent: "Doubt is natural to the weakness of mankind, but we must pray

that God in His mercy will strengthen us. What are your special

sins?" he added, without the slightest interval, as though

anxious not to waste time.

"My chief sin is doubt. I have doubts of everything, and for the

most part I am in doubt."

"Doubt is natural to the weakness of mankind," the priest

repeated the same words. "What do you doubt about principally?"

"I doubt of everything. I sometimes even have doubts of the

existence of God," Levin could not help saying, and he was

horrified at the impropriety of what he was saying. But Levin's

words did not, it seemed, make much impression on the priest.

"What sort of doubt can there be of the existence of God?" he

said hurriedly, with a just perceptible smile.

Levin did not speak.

"What doubt can you have of the Creator when you behold His

creation?" the priest went on in the rapid customary jargon.

"Who has decked the heavenly firmament with its lights? Who has

clothed the earth in its beauty? How explain it without the

Creator?" he said, looking inquiringly at Levin.

Levin felt that it would be improper to enter upon a metaphysical

discussion with the priest, and so he said in reply merely what

was a direct answer to the question.

"I don't know," he said.

"You don't know! Then how can you doubt that God created all?"

the priest said, with good-humored perplexity.

"I don't understand it at all," said Levin, blushing, and feeling

that his words were stupid, and that they could not be anything

but stupid in such a position.

"Pray to God and beseech Him. Even the holy fathers had doubts,

and prayed to God to strengthen their faith. The devil has great

power, and we must resist him. Pray to God, beseech Him. Pray

to God," he repeated hurriedly.




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