Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/199

 hardness of  heart  toward  them,  which  multiply  the  number  of  the unfortunate: excuse  no  more  then,  on  that  head,  the  failing  of  your charities; that  would  be  making  your  guilt  itself  your  excuse. Ah! you complain  that  the  poor  overburden  you;  but  they  would  have reason in  retorting  the  charge  one  day  against  you:  do  not  then accuse them  for  your  insensibility:  and  reproach  them  not  with that, which  they  undoubtedly  shall  one  day  reproach  to  you  before the tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ.

If each  of  you  were,  according  to  the  advice  of  the  apostle,  to appropriate  a  certain  portion  of  your  wealth  toward  the  subsistence of the  poor;  if,  in  the  computation  of  your  expenses  and  of  your revenues, this  article  were  to  be  always  regarded  as  the  most  sacred and  the  most  inviolable  one,  then  should  we  quickly  see  the number of  the  afflicted  to  diminish:  we  should  soon  see  renewed in the  church  that  peace,  that  happiness,  and  that  cheerful  equality which reigned  among  the  first  Christians:  we  should  no  longer behold with  sorrow  that  monstrous  disproportion,  which,  elevating the one,  places  him  on  the  pinnacle  of  prosperity  and  opulence, while the  other  crawls  on  the  ground,  and  groans  in  the  gulf  of poverty  and  affliction:  no  longer  should  there  be  any  unhappy  except the  impious  among  us;  no  secret  miseries  except  those  which sin operates  in  the  soul;  no  tears  except  those  of  penitence;  no sighs  but  for  heaven;  no  poor,  but  those  blessed  disciples  of  the gospel, who  renounce  all  to  follow  their  master. Our cities  would be the  abode  of  innocence  and  compassion;  religion,  a  commerce of charity;  the  earth  the  image  of  heaven,  where,  in  different  degrees of  glory,  each  is  equally  happy;  and  the  enemies  of  faith would again,  as  formerly,  be  forced  to  render  glory  to  God,  and  to confess  that  there  is  something  of  divine  in  a  religion  which  is  capable of  uniting  men  together  in  a  manner  so  new.

But, in  what  the  error  here  consists,  is,  that,  in  the  practice,  nobody considers  charity  as  one  of  the  most  essential  obligations  of Christianity;  consequently,  they  have  no  regulation  on  that  point; if some  bounty  be  bestowed,  it  is  always  arbitrary;  and,  however small it  may  be,  they  are  equally  satisfied  with  themselves,  as  if they  had  even  gone  beyond  their  duty.

Besides, when  you  pretend  to  excuse  the  scantiness  of  your  charities, by  saying  that  the  number  of  the  poor  is  endless;  what  do you  believe  to  say? You say  that  your  obligations,  with  respect to them,  are  become  only  more  indispensable;  that  your  compassion ought  to  increase  in  proportion  as  their  wants  increase;  and that you  contract  new  debts  whenever  any  increase  of  the  unfortunate takes  place  on  the  earth. It is  then,  my  brethren,  it  is  during these public  calamities  that  you  ought  to  retrench  even  from expenses which  at  any  other  period  might  be  permitted,  and which might  even  be  proper;  it  is  then  that  you  ought  to  consider yourselves but  as  the  principal  poor,  and  to  take  as  a  charity  whatever you  take  for  yourselves;  it  is  then  that  you  are  no  longer either grandee,  man  in  office,  distinguished  citizen,  or  woman  of illustrious  birth;  you  are  simply  believer,  member  of  Jesus  Christ, brother of  every  afflicted  Christian.