nion 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.

The source of this is the union of the two natures in Jesus Christ; and
also the two worlds (the creation of a new heaven and a new earth; a new
life and a new death; all things double, and the same names remaining);
and finally the two natures that are in the righteous, (for they are the
two worlds, and a member and image of Jesus Christ. And thus all the
names suit them: righteous, yet sinners; dead, yet living; living, yet
dead; elect, yet outcast, etc.).

There are then a great number of truths, both of faith and of morality,
which seem contradictory, and which all hold good together in a
wonderful system. The source of all heresies is the exclusion of some of
these truths; and the source of all the objections which the heretics
make against us is the ignorance of some of our truths. And it generally
happens that, unable to conceive the connection of two opposite truths,
and believing that the admission of one involves the exclusion of the
other, they adhere to the one, exclude the other, and think of us as
opposed to them. Now exclusion is the cause of their heresy; and
ignorance that we hold the other truth causes their objections.

1st example: Jesus Christ is God and man. The Arians, u