Pascal's Pensées
The shortest way, therefore, to prevent heresies is to instruct in all
truths; and the surest way to refute them is to declare them all. For
what will the heretics say?
In order to know whether an opinion is a Father's ...
862
All err the more dangerously, as they each follow a truth. Their fault
is not in following a falsehood, but in not following another truth.
863
Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.
864
If there is ever a time in which we must make profession of two opposite
truths, it is when we are reproached for omitting one. Therefore the
Jesuits and Jansenists are wrong in concealing them, but the Jansenists
more so, for the Jesuits have better made profession of the two.
865
Two kinds of people make things equal to one another, as feasts to
working days, Christians to priests, all things among them, etc. And
hence the one party conclude that what is then bad for priests is also
so for Christians, and the other that what is not bad for Christians is
lawful for priests.
866
If the ancient Church was in error, the Church is fallen. If she should
be in error to-day, it is not the same thing; for she has always the
superior maxim of tradition from the hand of the ancient Church; and so
this submission and this conformity to the ancient Church prevail and
correct all. But the ancient Church did not assume the future Church,
and did not consider her, as we assume and consider the ancient.
867
That which hinders us in comparing what formerly occurred in the Church
with what we see there now, is that we generally look upon Saint
Athanasius,[362] Saint Theresa, and the rest, as crowned with glory, and
acting towards us as gods. Now that time has cleared up things, it does
so appear. But at the time when he was persecuted, this great saint was
a man called Athanasius; and Saint Theresa was a nun. "Elias was a man
subject to like passions as we are," says Saint James, to disabuse
Christians of that false idea which makes us reject the example of the
saints, as disproportioned to our state. "They were saints," say we,
"they are not like us." What then actually happened? Saint Athanasius
was a man called Athanasius, accused of many crimes, condemned by such
and such a council for such and such a crime. All the bishops assented
to it, and finally the Pope. What said they to those who opposed this?
That they disturbed the peace, that they created schism, etc.
Zeal, light. Four kinds of persons: zeal without knowledge; knowledge
without zeal; neither knowledge nor zeal; both zeal and knowledge. The
first three condemned him. The last acquitted him, were excommunicated
by the Church, and yet saved the Church.
868
If Saint Augustine came at the present time, and was as little
authorised as his defenders, he would accomplish nothing. God directs
His Church well, by having sent him before with authority.
869
God has not wanted to absolve without the Church. As she has part in the
offence, He desires her to have part in the pardon. He associates her
with this power, as kings their parliaments. But if she absolves or
binds without God, she is no longer the Church. For, as in the case of
parliament, even if the king have pardoned a man, it must be ratified;
but if parliament ratifies without the king, or refuses to ratify on the
order of the king, it is no longer the parliament of the king, but a
rebellious assembly.
870
_The Church, the Pope. Unity, plurality._--Considering the Church as a
unity, the Pope, who is its head, is as the whole. Considering it as a
plurality, the Pope is only a part of it. The Fathers have considered
the Church now in the one way, now in the other. And thus they have
spoken differently of the Pope. (Saint Cyprian: _Sacerdos Dei._) But in
establishing one of these truths, they have not excluded the other.
Plurality which is not reduced to unity is confusion; unity which does
not depend on plurality is tyranny. There is scarcely any other country
than France in which it is permissible to say that the Council is above
the Pope.
871
The Pope is head. Who else is known of all? Who else is recognised by
all, having power to insinuate himself into all the body, because he
holds the principal shoot, which insinuates itself everywhere? How easy
it was to make this degenerate into tyranny! That is why Christ has laid
down for them this precept: _Vos autem non sic._[363]
872
The Pope hates and fears the learned, who do not submit to him at will.
873
We must not judge of what the Pope is by some words of the Fathers--as
the Greeks said in a council, important rules--but by the acts of the
Church and the Fathers, and by the canons.
_Duo aut tres in unum._[364] Unity and plurality. It is an error to
exclude one of the two, as the papists do who exclude plurality, or the
Huguenots who exclude unity.
874
Would the Pope be dishonoured by having his knowledge from God and
tradition; and is it not dishonouring him to separate him from this holy
union?
875
God does not perform miracles in the ordinary conduct of His Church. It
would be a strange miracle if infallibility existed in one man. But it
appears so natural for it to reside in a multitude, since the conduct
of God is hidden under nature, as in all His other works.
876
Kings dispose of their own power; but the Popes cannot dispose of
theirs.
877
_Summum jus, summa injuria._
The majority is the best way, because it is visible, and has strength to
make itself obeyed. Yet it is the opinion of the least able.
If men could have done it, they would have placed might in the hands of
justice. But as might does not allow itself to be managed as men want,
because it is a palpable quality, whereas justice is a spiritual quality
of which men dispose as they please, they have placed justice in the
hands of might. And thus that is called just which men are forced to
obey.
Hence comes the right of the sword, for the sword gives a true right.
Otherwise we should see violence on one side and justice on the other
(end of the twelfth _Provincial_). Hence comes the injustice of the
Fronde,[365] which raises its alleged justice against power. It is not
the same in the Church, for there is a true justice and no violence.
878
_Injustice._--Jurisdiction is not given for the sake of the judge, but
for that of the litigant. It is dangerous to tell this to the people.
But the people have too much faith in you; it will not harm them, and
may serve you. It should therefore be made known. _Pasce oves
meas_,[366] non _tuas_. You owe me pasturage.
879
Men like certainty. They like the Pope to be infallible in faith, and
grave doctors to be infallible in morals, so as to have certainty.
880
The Church teaches, and God inspires, both infallibly. The work of the
Church is of use only as a preparation for grace or condemnation. What
it does is enough for condemnation, not for inspiration.
881
Every time the Jesuits may impose upon the Pope, they will make all
Christendom perjured.
The Pope is very easily imposed upon, because of his occupations, and
the confidence which he has in the Jesuits; and the Jesuits are very
capable of imposing upon him by means of calumny.
882
The wretches who have obliged me to speak of the basis of religion.
883
Sinners purified without penitence; the righteous justified without
love; all Christians without the grace of Jesus Christ; God without
power over the will of men; a predestination without mystery; a
redemption without certitude!
884
Any one is made a priest, who wants to be so, as under Jeroboam.[367]
It is a horrible thing that they propound to us the discipline of the
Church of to-day as so good, that it is made a crime to desire to change
it. Formerly it was infallibly good, and it was thought that it could be
changed without sin; and now, such as it is, we cannot wish it changed!
It has indeed been permitted to change the custom of not making priests
without such great circumspection, that there were hardly any who were
worthy; and it is not allowed to complain of the custom which makes so
many who are unworthy!
885
_Heretics._--Ezekiel. All the heathen, and also the Prophet, spoke evil
of Israel. But the Israelites were so far from having the right to say
to him, "You speak like the heathen," that he is most forcible upon
this, that the heathen say the same as he.
886
The Jansenists are like the heretics in the reformation of morality; but
you are like them in evil.
887
You are ignorant of the prophecies, if you do not know that all this
must happen; princes, prophets, Pope, and even the priests. And yet the
Church is to abide. By the grace of God we have not come to that. Woe to
these priests! But we hope that God will bestow His mercy upon us that
we shall not be of them.
Saint Peter, ii: false prophets in the past, the image of future ones.
888
... So that if it is true, on the one hand, that some lax monks, and
some corrupt casuists, who are not members of the hierarchy, are steeped
in these corruptions, it is, on the other hand, certain that the true
pastors of the Church, who are the true guardians of the Divine Word,
have preserved it unchangeably against the efforts of those who have
attempted to destroy it.
And thus true believers have no pretext to follow that laxity, which is
only offered to them by the strange hands of these casuists, instead of
the sound doctrine which is presented to them by the fatherly hands of
their own pastors. And the ungodly and heretics have no ground for
publishing these abuses as evidence of imperfection in the providence of
God over His Church; since, the Church consisting properly in the body
of the hierarchy, we are so far from being able to conclude from the
present state of matters that God has abandoned her to corruption, that
it has never been more apparent than at the present time that God
visibly protects her from corruption.
For if some of these men, who, by an extraordinary vocation, have made
profession of withdrawing from the world and adopting the monks' dress,
in order to live in a more perfect state than ordinary Christians, have
fallen into excesses which horrify ordinary Christians, and have become
to us what the false prophets were among the Jews; this is a private and
personal misfortune, which must indeed be deplored, but from which
nothing can be inferred against the care which God takes of His Church;
since all these things are so clearly foretold, and it has been so long
since announced that these temptations would arise from people of this
kind; so that when we are well instructed, we see in this rather
evidence of the care of God than of His forgetfulness in regard to us.
889
Tertullian: _Nunquam Ecclesia reformabitur._
890
Heretics, who take advantage of the doctrine of the Jesuits, must be
made to know that it is not that of the Church [_the doctrine of the
Church_], and that our divisions do not separate us from the altar.
891
If in differing we condemned, you would be right. Uniformity without
diversity is useless to others; diversity without uniformity is ruinous
for us. The one is harmful outwardly; the other inwardly.
892
By showing the truth, we cause it to be believed; but by showing the
injustice of ministers, we do not correct it. Our mind is assured by a
proof of falsehood; our purse is not made secure by proof of injustice.
893
Those who love the Church lament to see the corruption of morals; but
laws at least exist. But these corrupt the laws. The model is damaged.
894