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equally to establish these two things: that God has set up in the
Church visible signs to make Himself known to those who should seek Him
sincerely, and that He has nevertheless so disguised them that He will only
be perceived by those who seek Him with all their heart; what advantage can
they obtain, when, in the negligence with which they make profession of
being in search of the truth, they cry out that nothing reveals it to them;
and since that darkness in which they are, and with which they upbraid the
Church, establishes only one of the things which she affirms, without
touching the other, and, very far from destroying, proves her doctrine?
In order to attack it, they should have protested that they had made every
effort to seek Him everywhere, and even in that which the Church proposes
for their instruction, but without satisfaction. If they talked in this
manner, they would in truth be attacking one of her pretensions. But I hope
here to show that no reasonable person can speak thus, and I venture even to
say that no one has ever done so. We know well enough how those who are of
this mind behave. They believe they have made great efforts for their
instruction when they have spent a few hours in reading some book of
Scripture and have questioned some priests on the truths of the faith. After
that, they boast of having made vain search in books and among men. But,
verily, I will tell them what I have often said, that this negligence is
insufferable. We are not here concerned with the trifling interests of some
stranger, that we should treat it in this fashion; the matter concerns
ourselves and our all.
The immortality of the soul is a matter which is of so great consequence to
us and which touches us so profoundly that we must have lost all feeling to
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