od would not allow him, who would be a secret enemy, to do miracles
openly.

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.

"He hath a devil." John x, 21. And others said, "Can a devil open the
eyes of the blind?"

The proofs which Jesus Christ and the apostles draw from Scripture are
not conclusive; for they say only that Moses foretold that a prophet
should come. But they do not thereby prove that this is He; and that is
the whole question. These passages therefore serve only to show that
they are not contrary to Scripture, and that there appears no
inconsistency, but not that there is agreement. Now this is enough,
namely, exclusion of inconsistency, along with miracles.

There is a mutual duty between God and men. We must pardon Him this
saying: Quid debui?[345] "Accuse me," said God in Isaiah.

"God must fulfil His promises," etc.

Men owe it to God to accept the religion which He sends. God owes it to
men not to lead them into error. Now, they would be led into error, if
the workers of miracles announced a doctrine which should not appear
evidently false to the light of common sense, and if a greater worker of
miracles had not already warned men not to believe them.

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.

For, as a man, who announces to us the secrets of God, is not worthy to
be believed on his private authority, and that is why the ungodly doubt
him; so when a man, as a token of the communion which he has with God,
raises the dead, foretells the future, removes the seas, heals the sick,
there is none so wicked as not to bow to him, and the incredulity of
Pharaoh and the Pharisees is the effect of a supernatural obduracy.

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.

Bar-jesus blinded.[346] The power of God surpasses that of His enemies.

The Jewish exorcists[347] beaten by the devils, saying, "Jesus I know,
and Paul I know; but who are ye?"

Miracles are for do