Pascal's Pensées
truth by miracles, but of miracles by truth. Therefore the miracles are
useless."
Now they are of use, and they must not be in opposition to the truth.
Therefore what Father Lingende[350] has said, that "God will not permit
that a miracle may lead into error...."
When there shall be a controversy in the same Church, miracle will
decide.
_Second objection_: "But Antichrist will do miracles."
The magicians of Pharaoh did not entice to error. Thus we cannot say to
Jesus respecting Antichrist, "You have led me into error." For
Antichrist will do them against Jesus Christ, and so they cannot lead
into error. Either God will not permit false miracles, or He will
procure greater.
[Jesus Christ has existed since the beginning of the world: this is more
impressive than all the miracles of Antichrist.]
If in the same Church there should happen a miracle on the side of those
in error, men would be led into error. Schism is visible; a miracle is
visible. But schism is more a sign of error than a miracle is a sign of
truth. Therefore a miracle cannot lead into error.
But apart from schism, error is not so obvious as a miracle is obvious.
Therefore a miracle could lead into error.
_Ubi est Deus tuus?_[351] Miracles show Him, and are a light.
846
One of the anthems for Vespers at Christmas: _Exortum est in tenebris
lumen rectis corde._[352]
847
If the compassion of God is so great that He instructs us to our
benefit, even when He hides Himself, what light ought we not to expect
from Him when He reveals Himself?
848
Will _Est et non est_ be received in faith itself as well as in
miracles? And if it is inseparable in the others ...
When Saint Xavier[353] works miracles.--[Saint Hilary. "Ye wretches, who
oblige us to speak of miracles."]
Unjust judges, make not your own laws on the moment; judge by those
which are established, and by yourselves. _Væ qui conditis leges
iniquas._[354]
Miracles endless, false.
In order to weaken your adversaries, you disarm the whole Church.
If they say that our salvation depends upon God, they are "heretics." If
they say that they are obedient to the Pope, that is "hypocrisy." If
they are ready to subscribe to all the articles, that is not enough. If
they say that a man must not be killed for an apple, "they attack the
morality of Catholics." If miracles are done among them, it is not a
sign of holiness, and is, on the contrary, a symptom of heresy.
This way in which the Church has existed is that truth has been without
dispute, or, if it has been contested, there has been the Pope, or,
failing him, there has been the Church.
849
The five propositions[355] condemned, but no miracle; for the truth was
not attacked. But the Sorbonne ... but the bull....
It is impossible that those who love God with all their heart should
fail to recognise the Church; so evident is she.--It is impossible that
those who do not love God should be convinced of the Church.
Miracles have such influence that it was necessary that God should warn
men not to believe in them in opposition to Him, all clear as it is that
there is a God. Without this they would have been able to disturb men.
And thus so far from these passages, Deut. xiii, making against the
authority of the miracles, nothing more indicates their influence. And
the same in respect of Antichrist. "To seduce, if it were possible, even
the elect."[356]
850
The history of the man born blind.
What says Saint Paul? Does he continually speak of the evidence of the
prophecies? No, but of his own miracle. What says Jesus Christ? Does He
speak of the evidence of the prophecies? No; His death had not fulfilled
them. But He says, _Si non fecissem_.[357] Believe the works.
Two supernatural foundations of our wholly supernatural religion; one
visible, the other invisible; miracles with grace, miracles without
grace.
The synagogue, which had been treated with love as a type of the Church,
and with hatred, because it was only the type, has been restored, being
on the point of falling when it was well with God, and thus a type.
Miracles prove the power which God has over hearts, by that which He
exercises over bodies.
The Church has never approved a miracle among heretics.
Miracles a support of religion: they have been the test of Jews; they
have been the test of Christians, saints, innocents, and true believers.
A miracle among schismatics is not so much to be feared; for schism,
which is more obvious than a miracle, visibly indicates their error. But
when there is no schism, and error is in question, miracle decides.
_Si non fecissem quæ alius non fecit._ The wretches who have obliged us
to speak of miracles.
Abraham and Gideon confirm faith by miracles.
Judith. God speaks at last in their greatest oppression.
If the cooling of love leaves the Church almost without believers,
miracles will rouse them. This is one of the last effects of grace.
If one miracle were wrought among the Jesuits!
When a miracle disappoints the expectation of those in whose presence it
happens, and there is a disproportion between the state of their faith
and the instrument of the miracle, it ought then to induce them to
change. But with you it is otherwise. There would be as much reason in
saying that, if the Eucharist raised a dead man, it would be necessary
for one to turn a Calvinist rather than remain a Catholic. But when it
crowns the expectation, and those, who hoped that God would bless the
remedies, see themselves healed without remedies ...
_The ungodly._--No sign has ever happened on the part of the devil
without a stronger sign on the part of God, or even without it having
been foretold that such would happen.
851
Unjust persecutors of those whom God visibly protects. If they reproach
you with your excesses, "they speak as the heretics." If they say that
the grace of Jesus Christ distinguishes us, "they are heretics." If they
do miracles, "it is the mark of their heresy."
Ezekiel.--They say: These are the people of God who speak thus.
It is said, "Believe in the Church";[358] but it is not said, "Believe
in miracles"; because the last is natural, and not the first. The one
had need of a precept, not the other. Hezekiah.
The synagogue was only a type, and thus it did not perish; and it was
only a type, and so it is decayed. It was a type which contained the
truth, and thus it has lasted until it no longer contained the truth.
My reverend father, all this happened in types. Other religions perish;
this one perishes not.
Miracles are more important than you think. They have served for the
foundation, and will serve for the continuation of the Church till
Antichrist, till the end.
The two witnesses.
In the Old Testament and the New, miracles are performed in connection
with types. Salvation, or a useless thing, if not to show that we must
submit to the Scriptures: type of the sacrament.
852
[We must judge soberly of divine ordinances, my father.
Saint Paul in the isle of Malta.]
853
The hardness of the Jesuits, then, surpasses that of the Jews, since
those refused to believe Jesus Christ innocent only because they doubted
if His miracles were of God. Whereas the Jesuits, though unable to doubt
that the miracles of Port-Royal are of God, do not cease to doubt still
the innocence of that house.
854
I suppose that men believe miracles. You corrupt religion either in
favour of your friends, or against your enemies. You arrange it at your
will.
855
_On the miracle._--As God has made no family more happy, let it also be
the case that He find none more thankful.
SECTION XIV
APPENDIX: POLEMICAL FRAGMENTS
856
_Clearness, obscurity._--There would be too great darkness, if truth had
not visible signs. This is a wonderful one, that it has always been
preserved in one Church and one visible assembly [of men]. There would
be too great clearness, if there were only one opinion in this Church.
But in order to recognise what is true, one has only to look at what has
always existed; for it is certain that truth has always existed, and
that nothing false has always existed.
857
The history of the Church ought properly to be called the history of
truth.
858
There is a pleasure in being in a ship beaten about by a storm, when we
are sure that it will not founder. The persecutions which harass the
Church are of this nature.
859
In addition to so many other signs of piety, they[359] are also
persecuted, which is the best sign of piety.
860
The Church is in an excellent state, when it is sustained by God only.
861
The Church has always been attacked by opposite errors, but perhaps
never at the same time, as now. And if she suffer more because of the
multiplicity of errors, she derives this advantage from it, that they
destroy each other.
She complains of both, but far more of the Calvinists, because of the
schism.
It is certain that many of the two opposite sects are deceived. They
must be disillusioned.
Faith embraces many truths which seem to contradict each other. _There
is a time to laugh, and a time to weep_,[360] etc. _Responde. Ne
respondeas_,[361] etc.
The source of this is the union of the two natures in Jesus Christ; and
also the two worlds (the creation of a new heaven and a new earth; a new
life and a new death; all things double, and the same names remaining);
and finally the two natures that are in the righteous, (for they are the
two worlds, and a member and image of Jesus Christ. And thus all the
names suit them: righteous, yet sinners; dead, yet living; living, yet
dead; elect, yet outcast, etc.).
There are then a great number of truths, both of faith and of morality,
which seem contradictory, and which all hold good together in a
wonderful system. The source of all heresies is the exclusion of some of
these truths; and the source of all the objections which the heretics
make against us is the ignorance of some of our truths. And it generally
happens that, unable to conceive the connection of two opposite truths,
and believing that the admission of one involves the exclusion of the
other, they adhere to the one, exclude the other, and think of us as
opposed to them. Now exclusion is the cause of their heresy; and
ignorance that we hold the other truth causes their objections.
1st example: Jesus Christ is God and man. The Arians, unable to
reconcile these things, which they believe incompatible, say that He is
man; in this they are Catholics. But they deny that He is God; in this
they are heretics. They allege that we deny His humanity; in this they
are ignorant.
2nd example: On the subject of the Holy Sacrament. We believe that, the
substance of the bread being changed, and being consubstantial with that
of the body of our Lord, Jesus Christ is therein really present. That is
one truth. Another is that this Sacrament is also a type of the cross
and of glory, and a commemoration of the two. That is the Catholic
faith, which comprehends these two truths which seem opposed.
The heresy of to-day, not conceiving that this Sacrament contains at the
same time both the presence of Jesus Christ and a type of Him, and that
it is a sacrifice and a commemoration of a sacrifice, believes that
neither of these truths can be admitted without excluding the other for
this reason.
They fasten to this point alone, that this Sacrament is typical; and in
this they are not heretics. They think that we exclude this truth; hence
it comes that they raise so many objections to us out of the passages of
the Fathers which assert it. Finally, they deny the presence; and in
this they are heretics.
3rd example: Indulgences.