Pascal's Pensees Part 31

443

_Greatness, wretchedness._--The more light we have, the more greatness and the more baseness we discover in man. Ordinary men--those who are more educated: philosophers, they astonish ordinary men--Christians, they astonish philosophers.

Who will then be surprised to see that religion only makes us know profoundly what we already know in proportion to our light?

444

This religion taught to her children what men have only been able to discover by their greatest knowledge.

445

Original sin is foolishness to men, but it is admitted to be such. You must not then reproach me for the want of reason in this doctrine, since I admit it to be without reason. But this foolishness is wiser than all the wisdom of men, _sapientius est hominibus_.[167] For without this, what can we say that man is? His whole state depends on this imperceptible point. And how should it be perceived by his reason, since it is a thing against reason, and since reason, far from finding it out by her own ways, is averse to it when it is presented to her?

446

_Of original sin.[168] Ample tradition of original sin according to the Jews._

On the saying in Genesis viii, 21: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."

_R. Moses Haddarschan_: This evil leaven is placed in man from the time that he is formed.

_Ma.s.sechet Succa_: This evil leaven has seven names in Scripture. It is called _evil, the foreskin, uncleanness, an enemy, a scandal, a heart of stone, the north wind_; all this signifies the malignity which is concealed and impressed in the heart of man.

_Midrasch Tillim_ says the same thing, and that G.o.d will deliver the good nature of man from the evil.

This malignity is renewed every day against man, as it is written, Psalm x.x.xvii, 32: "The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him"; but G.o.d will not abandon him. This malignity tries the heart of man in this life, and will accuse him in the other. All this is found in the Talmud.

_Midrasch Tillim_ on Psalm iv, 4: "Stand in awe and sin not." Stand in awe and be afraid of your l.u.s.t, and it will not lead you into sin. And on Psalm x.x.xvi, 1: "The wicked has said within his own heart, Let not the fear of G.o.d be before me." That is to say that the malignity natural to man has said that to the wicked.

_Midrasch el Kohelet_: "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king who cannot foresee the future."[169] The child is virtue, and the king is the malignity of man. It is called king because all the members obey it, and old because it is in the human heart from infancy to old age, and foolish because it leads man in the way of [_perdition_], which he does not foresee. The same thing is in _Midrasch Tillim_.

_Bereschist Rabba_ on Psalm x.x.xv, 10: "Lord, all my bones shall bless Thee, which deliverest the poor from the tyrant." And is there a greater tyrant than the evil leaven? And on Proverbs xxv, 21: "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat." That is to say, if the evil leaven hunger, give him the bread of wisdom of which it is spoken in Proverbs ix., and if he be thirsty, give him the water of which it is spoken in Isaiah lv.

_Midrasch Tillim_ says the same thing, and that Scripture in that pa.s.sage, speaking of the enemy, means the evil leaven; and that, in [_giving_] him that bread and that water, we heap coals of fire on his head.

_Midrasch el Kohelet_ on Ecclesiastes ix, 14: "A great king besieged a little city." This great king is the evil leaven; the great bulwarks built against it are temptations; and there has been found a poor wise man who has delivered it--that is to say, virtue.

And on Psalm xli, 1: "Blessed is he that considereth the poor."

And on Psalm lxxviii, 39: "The spirit pa.s.seth away, and cometh not again"; whence some have erroneously argued against the immortality of the soul. But the sense is that this spirit is the evil leaven, which accompanies man till death, and will not return at the resurrection.

And on Psalm ciii the same thing.

And on Psalm xvi.

Principles of Rabbinism: two Messiahs.

447

Will it be said that, as men have declared that righteousness has departed the earth, they therefore knew of original sin?--_Nemo ante obitum beatus est_[170]--that is to say, they knew death to be the beginning of eternal and essential happiness?

448

[_Miton_] sees well that nature is corrupt, and that men are averse to virtue; but he does not know why they cannot fly higher.

449

_Order._--After _Corruption_ to say: "It is right that all those who are in that state should know it, both those who are content with it, and those who are not content with it; but it is not right that all should see Redemption."

450

If we do not know ourselves to be full of pride, ambition, l.u.s.t, weakness, misery, and injustice, we are indeed blind. And if, knowing this, we do not desire deliverance, what can we say of a man...?

What, then, can we have but esteem for a religion which knows so well the defects of man, and desire for the truth of a religion which promises remedies so desirable?

451

All men naturally hate one another. They employ l.u.s.t as far as possible in the service of the public weal. But this is only a [_pretence_] and a false image of love; for at bottom it is only hate.

452

To pity the unfortunate is not contrary to l.u.s.t. On the contrary, we can quite well give such evidence of friends.h.i.+p, and acquire the reputation of kindly feeling, without giving anything.

453

From l.u.s.t men have found and extracted excellent rules of policy, morality, and justice; but in reality this vile root of man, this _figmentum malum_,[171] is only covered, it is not taken away.

454

_Injustice._--They have not found any other means of satisfying l.u.s.t without doing injury to others.

455

Self is hateful. You, Miton, conceal it; you do not for that reason destroy it; you are, then, always hateful.

--No; for in acting as we do to oblige everybody, we give no more occasion for hatred of us.--That is true, if we only hated in Self the vexation which comes to us from it. But if I hate it because it is unjust, and because it makes itself the centre of everything, I shall always hate it.