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.