Re: plenty of growing lovely sectors will frequently match the gatherings
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same time. This is lucky for us according to the world, not according to
God.
146. Man is obviously made to think. It is his whole dignity and his whole
merit; and his whole duty is to think as he ought. Now, the order of thought
is to begin with self, and with its Author and its end.
Now, of what does the world think? Never of this, but of dancing, playing
the lute, singing, making verses, running at the ring, etc., fighting,
making oneself king, without thinking what it is to be a king and what to be
a man.
147. We do not content ourselves with the life we have in ourselves and in
our own being; we desire to live an imaginary life in the mind of others,
and for this purpose we endeavour to shine. We labour unceasingly to adorn
and preserve this imaginary existence and neglect the real. And if we
possess calmness, or generosity, or truthfulness, we are eager to make it
known, so as to attach these virtues to that imaginary existence. We would
rather separate them from ourselves to join them to it; and we would
willingly be cowards in order to acquire the reputation of being brave. A
great proof of the nothingness of our being, not to be satisfied with the
one without the other, and to renounce
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innocence of that house.
855. 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.
856. 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
857. 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.
858. The history of the Church ought properly to be called the history of
truth.
859. 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.
860. In addition to so many other signs of piety, they are also persecuted,
which is the best sign of piety.
861. The Church is in an excellent state when it is sustained by God only.
862. 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 time to weep, etc. Responde