Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/147

 of prejudices,  are  not  the  same  among  all  nations:  the  opinion  of immortality  is  common  to  all. It is  not  a  sect:  for,  besides,  that it is  the  universal  religion  of  the  world,  that  tenet  has  had  neither head nor  protector. Men have  adopted  it  themselves,  or  rather nature has  taught  them  to  know  it  without  the  assistance  of teachers;  and,  since  the  beginning  of  things,  it  alone  has  passed from father  to  son,  and  has  been  always  received  as  an  indisputable truth. O thou,  who  believest  thy  self  to  be  only  a  mass  of  clay, quit the  world,  where  thou  findest  thyself  single  in  belief;  go, and in  other  regions  search  for  men  of  another  species,  and  similar to the  beast;  or  rather  be  struck  with  horror  to  find  thyself  single, as it  were,  in  the  universe,  in  revolt  against  nature,  and  disavowing thine  own  heart,  and  acknowledge,  in  an  opinion  common  to all  men,  the  general  impression  of  the  Author  who  has  formed them all!

Lastly. And with  this  proof  I  conclude. The universal  fellowship of  men,  the  laws  which  unite  one  to  the  other,  the  most  sacred and inviolable  duties  of  civil  life,  are  all  founded  only  on  the  certainty of  a  future  state. Thus, if  all  die  with  the  body,  the  universe must adopt  other  laws,  manners,  and  habits,  and  a  total  change must take  place  in  every  thing. If all  die  with  the  body,  the  maxims of equity,  friendship,  honour,  good  faith,  and  gratitude,  are  only popular errors;  since  we  owe  nothing  to  men  who  are  nothing  to us,  to  whom  no  general  bond  of  worship  and  hope  unites  us,  who will to-morrow  sink  back  to  their  original  nonentity,  and  who  are already no  more. If all  die  with  us,  the  tender  names  of  child, parent, father,  friend,  and  husband,  are  merely  theatrical  appellations and  a  mockery;  since  friendship,  even  that  springing  from virtue, is  no  longer  a  lasting  tie;  since  our  fathers,  who  preceded us, are  no  more;  since  our  children  shall  not  succeed  us,  for  the nonentity in  which  we  must  one  day  be  has  no  consequence;  since the sacred  society  of  marriage  is  only  a  brutal  union,  from  which, by a  strange  and  fortuitous  concurrence,  proceed  beings  who resemble us,  but  who  have  nothing  in  common  with  us  but  their nonentity.

What more  shall  I  add? If all  dies  with  us,  domestic  annals and the  train  of  our  ancestors  are  only  a  collection  of  chimeras; since we  have  no  forefathers,  and  shall  have  no  descendants, anxieties for  a  name  and  posterity  are  therefore  ridiculous;  the honours we  render  to  the  memory  of  illustrious  men,  a  childish error, since  it  is  absurd  to  honour  what  has  no  existence;  the  sacred respect  we  pay  to  the  habitations  of  the  dead,  a  vulgar  illusion; the ashes  of  our  fathers  and  friends,  a  vile  dust  which  we  should cast to  the  winds  as  belonging  to  no  person;  the  last  wishes  of the  dying,  so  sacred  amongst  even  the  most  barbarous  nations,  the last sound  of  a  machine  which  crumbles  in  pieces;  and,  to  comprise all  in  a  word,  if  all  die  with  us,  the  laws  are  then  a  foolish subjection; kings  and  rulers  phantoms,  whom  the  imbecility  of the  people  has  exalted;  justice  a  usurpation  on  the  liberties  of men;  the  law  of  marriage  a  vain  scruple;    modesty  a  prejudice;