Pensées — Blaise Pascal
SAPIR 861
Pensées
Blaise Pascal · License: Public domain · Source
- Et ingemiscens ait: Quid generatio ista signum quærit?_ (Mark viii, 12.) They asked a sign with an evil intention. SECTION XIII · ¶2710
- _Et non poterat facere._[340] And yet he promises them the sign of Jonah, the great and wonderful miracle of his resurrection. SECTION XIII · ¶2711
- _Nisi videritis, non creditis._[341] He does not blame them for not believing unless there are miracles, but for not believing unless they are themselves spectators of them. SECTION XIII · ¶2712
- Antichrist _in signis mendacibus_, says Saint Paul, 2 Thess. ii. SECTION XIII · ¶2713
- _Secundum operationem Satanæ, in seductione iis qui pereunt eo quod charitatem veritatis non receperunt ut salvi fierent, ideo mittet illis Deus optationes erroris ut credant mendacio._ SECTION XIII · ¶2714
- As in the passage of Moses: _Tentat enim vos Deus, utrum diligatis eum.[342] SECTION XIII · ¶2715
- Ecce prædixi vobis: vos ergo videte._[343] SECTION XIII · ¶2716
- Jesus Christ cured the man born blind, and performed a number of miracles on the Sabbath day. In this way He blinded the Pharisees, who said that miracles must be judged by doctrine. SECTION XIII · ¶2719
- "We have Moses: but, as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is."[344] It is wonderful that you know not whence He is, and yet He does such miracles. SECTION XIII · ¶2720
- Jesus Christ spoke neither against God, nor against Moses. SECTION XIII · ¶2721
- Antichrist and the false prophets, foretold by both Testaments, will speak openly against God and against Jesus Christ. Who is not hidden ... God would not allow him, who would be a secret enemy, to do miracles openly. SECTION XIII · ¶2722
- In a public dispute where the two parties profess to be for God, for Jesus Christ, for the Church, miracles have never been on the side of the false Christians, and the other side has never been without a miracle. SECTION XIII · ¶2723
- "He hath a devil." John x, 21. And others said, "Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" SECTION XIII · ¶2724
- There is a mutual duty between God and men. We must pardon Him this saying: Quid debui?[345] "Accuse me," said God in Isaiah. SECTION XIII · ¶2726
- "God must fulfil His promises," etc. SECTION XIII · ¶2727
- Thus, if there were divisions in the Church, and the Arians, for example, who declared themselves founded on Scripture just as the Catholics, had done miracles, and not the Catholics, men should have been led into error. SECTION XIII · ¶2729
- When, therefore, we see miracles and a doctrine not suspicious, both on one side, there is no difficulty. But when we see miracles and suspicious doctrine on the same side, we must then see which is the clearest. Jesus Christ was suspected. SECTION XIII · ¶2731
- Bar-jesus blinded.[346] The power of God surpasses that of His enemies. SECTION XIII · ¶2732
- The Jewish exorcists[347] beaten by the devils, saying, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" SECTION XIII · ¶2733
- Miracles are for doctrine, and not doctrine for miracles. SECTION XIII · ¶2734
- If the miracles are true, shall we be able to persuade men of all doctrine? No; for this will not come to pass. _Si angelus_.[348] ... SECTION XIII · ¶2735
- Rule: we must judge of doctrine by miracles; we must judge of miracles by doctrine. All this is true, but contains no contradiction. SECTION XIII · ¶2736
- For we must distinguish the times. SECTION XIII · ¶2737
- How glad you are to know the general rules, thinking thereby to set up dissension, and render all useless! We shall prevent you, my father; truth is one and constant. SECTION XIII · ¶2738
- It is impossible, from the duty of God to men, that a man, hiding his evil teaching, and only showing the good, saying that he conforms to God and the Church, should do miracles so as to instil insensibly a false and subtle doctrine. This cannot happen. SECTION XIII · ¶2739
- And still less, that God, who knows the heart, should perform miracles in favour of such a one. SECTION XIII · ¶2740
- The three marks of religion: perpetuity, a good life, miracles. They destroy perpetuity by their doctrine of probability; a good life by their morals; miracles by destroying either their truth or the conclusions to be drawn from them. SECTION XIII · ¶2742
- Nobody has ever suffered martyrdom for the miracles which he says he has seen; for the folly of men goes perhaps to the length of martyrdom, for those which the Turks believe by tradition, but not for those which they have seen. SECTION XIII · ¶2744
- The heretics have always attacked these three marks, which they have not. SECTION XIII · ¶2746
- _First objection_: "An angel from heaven.[349] We must not judge of truth by miracles, but of miracles by truth. Therefore the miracles are useless." SECTION XIII · ¶2748
- 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...." SECTION XIII · ¶2749
- When there shall be a controversy in the same Church, miracle will decide. SECTION XIII · ¶2750
- _Second objection_: "But Antichrist will do miracles." SECTION XIII · ¶2751
- 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. SECTION XIII · ¶2752
- 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. SECTION XIII · ¶2754
- But apart from schism, error is not so obvious as a miracle is obvious. Therefore a miracle could lead into error. SECTION XIII · ¶2755
- _Ubi est Deus tuus?_[351] Miracles show Him, and are a light. SECTION XIII · ¶2756
- One of the anthems for Vespers at Christmas: _Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis corde._[352] SECTION XIII · ¶2758
- 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? SECTION XIII · ¶2760
- Will _Est et non est_ be received in faith itself as well as in miracles? And if it is inseparable in the others ... SECTION XIII · ¶2762
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