461. The three lusts have made three sects; and the philosophers have done
no other thing than follow one of the three lusts.
462. Search for the true good.--Ordinary men place the good in fortune and
external goods, or at least in amusement. Philosophers have shown the vanity
of all this and have placed it where they could.
463. Philosophers.--They believe that God alone is worthy to be loved and
admired; and they have desired to be loved and admired of men and do not
know their own corruption. If they feel full of feelings of love and
admiration and find therein their chief delight, very well, let them think
themselves good. But if they find themselves averse to Him, if they have no
inclination but the desire to establish themselves in the esteem of men, and
if their whole perfection consists only in making men--but without
constraint--find their happiness in loving them, I declare that this
perfection is horrible. What! they have known God and have not desired
solely that men should love Him, but that men should stop short at them!
They have wanted to be the object of the voluntary delight of men.
464. Philosophers.--We are full of things which take us out of ourselves.
Our instinct makes us feel that we must seek our happiness outside
ourselves. Our passions impel us outside, even when no objects present
themselves to excite them. External objects tempt us of themselves, and call
to us, even when we are not thinking of them. And thus philosophers have
said in vain: "Retire within yourselves, you will find your good there." We
do not believe them, and those who believe them are the most empty and the
most foolish.
465. The Stoics say, "
SECTION IX: PERPETUITY
589. On the fact that the Christian religion is not the only religion.--So
far is this from being a reason for believing that it is not the true one
that, on the contrary, it makes us see that it is so.
590. Men must be sincere in all religions; true heathens, true Jews, true
Christians.
591. J. C.
Heathens | Mahomet
\ . . . . . . . . . . . . . /
Ignorance of God
592. The falseness of other religions.--They have no witnesses. Jews have.
God defies other religions to produce such signs: Isaiah 43:9; 44:8.
593. History of China.--I believe only the histories, whose witnesses got
themselves killed.
Which is the more credible of the two, Moses or China?
It is not a question of seeing this summarily. I tell you there is in it
something to blind, and something to enlighten.
By this one word I destroy all your reasoning. "But China obscures," say
you; and I answer, "China obscures, but there is clearness to be found; seek
it."
Thus all that you say mak