ctrine, and not doctrine for miracles.

If the miracles are true, shall we be able to persuade men of all
doctrine? No; for this will not come to pass. _Si angelus_[348]....

Rule: we must judge of doctrine by miracles; we must judge of miracles
by doctrine. All this is true, but contains no contradiction.

For we must distinguish the times.

How glad you are to know the general rules, thinking thereby to set up
dissension, and render all useless! We shall prevent you, my father;
truth is one and constant.

It is impossible, from the duty of God to men, that a man, hiding his
evil teaching, and only showing the good, saying that he conforms to God
and the Church, should do miracles so as to instil insensibly a false
and subtle doctrine. This cannot happen.

And still less, that God, who knows the heart, should perform miracles
in favour of such a one.

843

The three marks of religion: perpetuity, a good life, miracles. They
destroy perpetuity by their doctrine of probability; a good life by
their morals; miracles by destroying either their truth or the
conclusions to be drawn from them.

If we believe them, the Church will have nothing to do with perpetuity,
holiness, and miracles. The heretics deny them, or deny the conclusions
to be drawn from them; they do the same. But one would need to have no
sincerity in order to deny them, or again to lose one's senses in order
to deny the conclusions to be drawn from them.

Nobody has ever suffered martyrdom for the miracles which he says he has
seen; for the folly of men goes perhaps to the length of martyrdom, for
those which the Turks believe by tradition, but not for those which they
have seen.

844

The heretics have always attacked these three marks, which they have
not.

845

_First objection_: "An angel from heaven.[349] We must not judge of
truth by miracles, but of miracles by truth. Therefore the miracles are
useless."

Now they are of use, and they must not be in opposition to the truth.
Therefore what Father Lingende[350] has said, that "God will not permit
that a miracle may lead into error...."

When there shall be a controversy in the same Church, miracle will
decide.

_Second objection_: "But Antichrist will do miracles."

The magicians of Pharaoh did not entice to error. Thus we cannot say to
Jesus respecting Antichrist, "You have led me into error." For
Antichrist will do them against Jesus Christ, and so they cannot lead
into