—— in order to know himself should know all that is in relation to him, 24

—— the two natures of, bodily and spiritual, excludes us from the knowledge of nature, 24

—— stamps with his complex being all simple things, 25

—— twofold manner of considering the nature of, 26

—— nature has placed, in the centre of things, 26

—— all is fatal to, even those things made to serve him, 31

—— whence comes his happiness, 33

—— is surrounded with all that may divert him, 37

—— cannot think of two things at once, 38

—— seeks diversion as a remedy for his evils, 39

—— knows not in what rank to place himself, 43

—— cannot bear to be despised, 42

—— vileness of, in that he submits himself to the brutes, 44

—— neither angel nor brute, 45

—— should know his greatness and his vileness, but not one without the other yet is contrary to God, 45

—— is only a reed, but a reed which thinks, 46

—— has fallen from a better nature, 47

—— whole dignity of, lies in thought, 48

—— what he should desire, 48

—— is ignorant of true justice, 61

—— is incapable of truth and of goodness, 66

—— is full of wants, and cares only for those who can satisfy them, 75

—— the honourable, 75

—— is not a necessary being, 76

—— automatic as well as intellectual, 77

—— only disguise, falsehood, and hypocrisy, 87

—— his defects and his incapacity, 106

—— that he has fallen from his former state, 108

—— is full of matters which take him out of self, 113

—— ordinary life of, like that of the saints, 161

—— can be happy only in loving God and in union with him, 179

—— moral diseases of, 181

—— isolation, blindness, and misery of, 183

—— double nature of, 185

—— should know his defects, and esteem that religion which promises precious remedies, 185

—— should conform his sentiments to religion, 186

—— his two states of grace and corruption proved from Scripture, 191

—— his dignity while innocent and now, 194

—— without Jesus Christ is in vice and misery, 226

—— before Jesus Christ knew nothing of himself, 226

—— is not worthy of God, but not incapable of being rendered worthy, 227

—— often mistakes his imagination for his heart, 308

—— cannot understand certain effects of nature,313

Martial, 81

Marton, 192

Martyrs, why the example of their deaths touches us, 238

Masorah, the, 123

Mathematics and the practical mind, 310

Matter cannot know itself, 24

Mediator, God cannot be known without a, 92

—— without a, there can be no communion between God and man, 245

Mediocrity, nothing good but, 76

Mem, discussion on the subject, 166

Members, relation of the, to the body, 237

—— the body formed of thinking, 237

—— must have the same will as the body, 239

Memory is necessary for every operation of the reason, 309

Men, naturally hate each other, 70

—— epigram upon one-eyed, 81

Mercy of God, its greatness, 208

—— calls to repentance, 241

—— why we implore, 241

Merit, man's judgment of, 192

—— an ambiguous word, 297

Messiah, that the, should mould a new people by his spirit, 122

—— effect and tokens of the coming of the, 135

—— that the, would convert the Gentiles and cast down all idols, 136

—— what the rabbis expected of him, 157

—— that, would deliver his people from their enemies, what this means, 170

—— the carnal Jews' understanding as to the, 172

—— actual state of the Jews proves Jesus Christ the true, 191

Mexico, the historians of, 118

Millenarians, their extravagances, 166

Mind and body, union of, a mystery to man, 25

Mind, infinite distance between body and, 227

Mine, thine, 68

Miracles, in general, 257

—— all belief rests on, 171

—— strengthen faith, 210

—— not needed to prove that we must love God, 241

—— the importance of, rules to recognise them, 257

—— are the test of doctrine, 257

—— unbelief in, foretold, 258

—— that the existence of false, proves that there are true, 259

—— Jesus Christ verified that he was the Messiah by his, 262

—— of Jesus Christ and the apostles prove that the prophecies are accomplished, 262

—— never wrought in favour of error, 263

—— when we are justified in excluding certain, 265

—— are the test in doubtful matters, 266

—— against miracle, 266

—— of Port Royal prove the innocency of that house, 279

—— not much to be feared among schismatics, 286

Misery of man without God, 15

—— man is only happy in not thinking of his, 38

—— diversion is our greatest, 38

Mites, taken as an example, 20

Miton, 12, 84

Molina, 276, 291

Monks, their position in the world foolish, 282

Monster, man is an incomprehensible, 46

Montaigne, his defects and qualities, 17

—— his opinion on custom, 64

—— for and against miracles, 258

Morality, in what it consists, 193

—— of the judgment and of the intellect, 307

Morals, science of, 82

—— Jesuits judge of their faith by their, 290

—— a special but universal science, 292

Moses commanded every one to read his books, 115

—— a man of genius, 125

—— the proof of the truth of, 125

—— foretold the calling of the Gentiles and the reprobation of the Jews, 140

—— his teaching, 140

—— his declarations against the Jews, 173

—— his mystical sense of the Creation, 174

—— compared with Jesus Christ, 229

—— his rules for judging miracles, 257

Motion, our nature exists by, 73


Natural principles are but principles of custom, 64

Nature offers nothing but matter for doubt and disquiet, 104

—— comparison between Scriptures and, 128

—— is an image of grace, 161

—— perfections and defects of, 192

—— canonical writers have never employed, to prove God, 205

—— law, and grace, 250

—— use of bad reasons for proving effects of, 309

—— the feelings and language of atheists contrary to, 6

—— man should consider, seriously and at leisure, 19

—— majesty and greatness of, 19

—— greatness in the infinitely little, 20

—— has her double infinity from author of, 21

—— immobility of, compared to us, 24

—— reasons why man cannot know, 25

—— of man a continual change, 63

—— is not always subject to her own rules, 83

—— imitates herself, 83

Nebuchadnezzar, dream of, 141

Nicodemus recognised Jesus Christ by his miracles, 262

—— the answer of, to the Pharisees, 270

Ninevites, repentance of, 241

Noah, witness of the Messiah, 169


Office of Jesus Christ, 214

Offices, why men seek them, 33, 34

Old Testament, a cipher, 117

Opinion, queen of the world, 54

Opinions of the people sound, 70

Organs, men compared to, 26

Order, against the objection that the Scripture has no, 128

—— of charity and the intellect, 128

Outward marks, men distinguished by them, 70


Pain, not shameful to man to yield to, 30

Painting, foolishness of, 314

Parrot, as an example, 31

Parties, we should hear both, 283

Passions, their influence on man, 31

—— the pleasure of, in seeing the shock of two contraries, 39

—— of the soul trouble the senses, 51

—— internecine war between reason and the, 55

—— the enemies of man, 169

—— how they become vices, 224

Pattern, good and bad, 302

Paul, Saint, used the order of charity, not of the intellect, 128

—— taught that all things had happened in figures, 169

—— explanation of Old Testament types by, 176

—— his opinions on marriage, 176

Paulus Emilius, an example, 47

Peace, the sovereign good, result of coalescence of justice and power, 67

—— should not be observed to the prejudice of truth, 279

—— in the Church, when pernicious and unjust, 281

Pelagians and Catholics will always exist, 296

Penances, exterior and interior, 134

—— exterior, dispose to interior, 134

People, most, follow custom because they think it just, 64

—— dangerous to say to, that laws are not just, 65

—— have very sound opinions, 70

Perpetuity of the worship of the Messiah, 213

—— of the Jewish law preserved by Jesus Christ, 213

Perseus, King of Macedon, 47

Persians, the, 61

Persons, three kinds of, in religion, 101

Pharaoh, magicians of, 267

Philosophers, they speak of material things in spiritual phrase and vice versâ, 25

—— do not know our nature when they blame the search after diversion, 34

—— falsity of those, who do not discuss the immortality of the soul, 111

—— against those, who believe in God without Jesus Christ, 111

—— their weakness, 179, 180

—— have consecrated vices, 189

Philosophy, human, incapable of explaining man, 106

Pictures, rules for perspective, 27

Piety, differs from superstition, 251

Plato, 254

Play, why sought after, 33

—— remarks on, 35

Pleasure, shameful to man to yield to, 30

Poet, the trade of a, 79

Poland, the king of, 75

Portentum, meaning of the word, 270

Pompey, 147

Pope, whence he has his light, 276

—— his power in the Church to be considered in two ways, 288

—— may easily be taken unawares by the Jesuits, 288

Porphyry, 116

Port Royal, children of, 58

—— bad policy to dissolve the community of, 284

Power, tyrant of the world, 55

—— creates opinion, 56

—— without justice is tyrannical, 66

—— why above justice, 67

—— result of, 69

Practical and mathematical mind, difference between, 310

Prayer, why God has established, 297

Preacher, the, 104

Preadamites, their extravagances, 166

Present, we care nothing for the, 73

President, first, 69

Presumption of man, 59

—— joined to insignificance, 67

Pride, a counterpoise to all miseries, 60

—— makes us wish to be esteemed, 60

—— knowledge of God without that of our wretchedness creates, 92

—— finds its proper place in wisdom, 242

Primogeniture, 63

—— absurdity of, 254

Principles, all, may pass for false impressions, 54

—— our natural, are but principles of custom, 64

—— first, are known by the heart, 102

—— arguments of the sceptics in truth of some, 105

—— all the, of sceptics, stoics, atheists, are true, but their conclusions are false, 111

Prison, why so horrible a punishment, 34

Probability of the Jesuits, influence of the doctrine of, 283

—— incapable of assuring the conscience, 290

—— corruptness of the doctrine, 290

Progress, all that is brought to perfection by, perishes also by it, 57

—— nature works by, 84

Promises of God in the Old Testament, each finds in them what he most desires, 162

Proofs, metaphysical, of God, 92

—— of our religion not absolutely convincing, but reasonable enough for those who wish to believe, 208

Prophecies, the strongest proof of Jesus Christ, 131

—— dispersed with the Jews throughout the world, 131

—— their preservation and agreement, 131

—— concerning Messiah, 132

—— unintelligible to the wicked, 133

—— understood only when the events occur, 133

—— accomplished, 140

—— a proof of divinity, 150

—— two senses of, 157

—— confirmed by miracles, 171

—— special, of Jesus Christ, 217

Prophecy is not called miracle, 262

Prophets, their part among the Jews, 123

—— their words had a double sense, 132

—— prophesied by figures, 158

—— their discourses were contradictory, 158

—— foretold the Christians, 201

—— what they say of Jesus Christ, 209

—— declared the advent of Messiah, 213

—— foretold, and were not foretold, 215

Propositions, the five, 268

Provence, 57

Provincial Letters, censures of the, not founded on tradition, 284

Pyrenees, 61

Pyrrhus, 35


Rabbinism, chronology of, cited from the Pugio Fidei, 195

Rabbis, proofs given to the Scriptures as to Jesus Christ by the, 157

—— figures they employ, 170

—— their doctrines on original sin, 194

—— their objections against Jesus Christ, 219

Reason, is the essence of man, 43

—— the senses deceive the, 51

—— yields to imagination, 53

—— internecine war between the passions and, 55

—— not a guide to first principles, 102

—— is weak, but would judge of all things, 103

—— civil war between passion and, 113

—— its corruption, 185

—— can truly know ourselves by submission of our, 210

—— acts slowly, 307

—— its power over us, 309

Reasoning, all our, reduced to yielding to feeling, 309

Redeemer, a, only for Christians, 242

—— Christian religion consists in the mystery of the, 204

Redemption, proofs of the, drawn from the wicked and the Jews, 193

—— not right that all should see, 255

Red Sea, an image of the Redemption, 161

Reed, a thinking, 46

Religion, the true, and its characteristics, 179

—— explains the contradictions in man, 179

—— must show knowledge of our nature, 182

—— the note of true, 182

—— false proves that there is a true, 260

—— need to learn the Christian, before assailing it, 3

—— makes us know deeply the greatness and the baseness of man, 43

—— what it is, 97

—— is not certain, 102

—— more enforced by feeling than by reason, 103

—— founded on the Jewish religion, 119

—— divine or ridiculous, 172

—— excellence of the Christian, 183

—— others but the Christian, false, 183

—— wise and foolish, 187

—— other than Christian, equal man sometimes to God and sometimes to the brutes, 188

—— perpetuity of the Christian, 197

—— which has always existed is that which is contrary to nature, 198

—— we should look to the details of, 312

—— two ways of urging the truth of our, 251

—— at once venerable and loveable, 254

—— miracle the foundation of, 258

—— the three notes of, 275

—— Jewish, to be differently regarded in tradition of its sacred books and in the tradition of the people, 115

—— is the figure of the Messiah, 176

—— Mahomedan, its foundation, 115

—— heathen, no foundation, 115

Religions, pagan, have no marks of truth, 119

Religions, that there are some lax, this proves nothing against religion, 277

Repose, men think they seek, but only seek agitation, 34

Reprobate, all things work for evil for the, 129

Republic, Christian and Jewish, have only had God for master, 122

—— —— its laws, 241

Respect of men for each other, 55

—— what it is for, 72

Rest, secret instinct which leads men to seek, 35

—— complete, is insupportable, why, 40

Righteous man, the two natures in the, 273

Rivers are moving roads, 315

Roannez, M. de, 309

Roman legislators, 121

Romans, religion of the, 119

Rome began to fear Cromwell, 76

—— chief church of Christ, 136

—— must not stifle speech, 284

Royalty, without diversion, is unhappy, 33

Rule, to judge a work we need a, 305

—— special and particular, 308

—— man must have a, of faith, 309

Ruth, book of, 220


Sabbath, only a sign, 175

Sacrifices, exterior, not essential, 138

—— of the Jews and Gentiles, 140

—— uselessness of the, 75

Saints, foretold, but not foretellers, 215

—— their greatness and their empire, 227

—— their union, 279

Salomon de Tultie, pseudonym of Pascal, utility of his manner of writing, 312

Salvation, Jesus Christ has wrought the, of the just, while they slept, 232

Savages, 70

Scaramouch, as an example, 31

Sceptic, never has been a perfect finished, 106

Sceptical cabal, 111

Scepticism, its reasonings, 108

—— aids religion, 113

—— remedy for vanity, 206

—— is true, for men before Jesus Christ knew nothing, 226

Sceptics, indifference of the, 112

—— labour in vain, 103

—— principal arguments of the, drawn from the uncertainty of our natural principles, 105

—— lesser arguments of the, 106

Schism, a mark of error, 268

Science, infinite in its research and its premisses, 21

—— abstract, not fit for man, 82

Scripture, knows God better than we, 91

—— compared to the Koran, difference between the books, 116

—— has provided passages for all conditions of life, 128

—— why contrary sentences are found in,