Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/220

 that Christians  continually  justify  their  murmurs  against  the  wisdom and  the  goodness  of  God,  by  accusing  him  of  sending  crosses incompatibJe with  their  eternal  salvation. Nothing is  more  common, however,  in  the  world,  than  this  iniquitous  language;  and when we  exhort  the  souls  afflicted  by  God  to  convert  these  fleeting afflictions  into  the  price  of  heaven  and  of  eternity,  they  reply, that, in  this  state  of  distress,  they  are  incapable  of  every  thing; that the  obstacles  and  vexations  which  they  are  continually  encountering, far  from  recalling  them  to  order  and  to  duty,  serve  only  to irritate  the  mind,  and  to  harden  the  heart;  and  that  tranquillity must be  restored  before  they  can  turn  their  thoughts  toward  God.

Now, I  say,  that,  of  all  the  pretexts  employed  in  justification  of the  unchristian  use  made  of  afflictions,  this  is  the  most  absurd and the  most  culpable. The most  culpable,  for  it  is  blaspheming Providence  to  pretend,  that  it  places  you  in  situations  incompatible with  your  salvation. Whatever it  doth  or  permitteth  here below, it  only  doth  or  permitteth  in  order  to  facilitate  to  men  the ways of  eternal  life:  every  event,  prosperous  or  unprosperous,  in the  measure  of  our  lot,  is  meant  by  it  as  a  mean  of  salvation, and of  sanctification;  all  its  designs  upon  us  tend  to  that  sole  purpose;  whatever  we  are,  even  in  the  order  of  nature,  our  birth,  our fortune, our  talents,  our  age,  our  dignities,  our  protectors,  our subjects, our  masters! — all this,  in  its  views  of  mercy  upon  us, enters into  the  impenetrable  designs  of  our  eternal  sanctification. All this  visible  world  itself  is  made  only  for  the  age  to  come; whatever passeth,  hath  its  secret  connexions  with  that  eternal  age, where things  shall  pass  no  more;  whatever  we  see,  is  only  the  image and trust  of  the  invisible  things. The world  is  worthy  of  the cares of  a  wise  and  merciful  God,  only  inasmuch  as,  by  secret  and adorable relations,  its  diverse  revolutions  are  to  form  that  heavenly church, that  immortal  assembly  of  chosen,  where  he  shall  ever  be glorified. To pretend,  then,  that  he  placeth  us  in  situations,  which not only  have  no  relation  to,  but  are  even  incompatible  with  our eternal interests,  is  to  make  a  temporal  God  of  him,  and  to  blaspheme his  adorable  wisdom.

But, not  only  nothing  is  more  culpable  than  this  pretext, — I say,  likewise,  that  nothing  is  more  foolish:  for,  it  is  only  by  detaching itself  from  this  miserable  world,  that  a  soul  returns  to  God; and nothing,  says  St.  Augustine,  so  effectually  detaches  from  this miserable world,  as  when  the  Lord  sheddeth  salutary  sorrows  over its dangerous  pleasures. "Lord," said  a  holy  king  of  Judah,  (iI  had neglected  thee  in  prosperity  and  in  abundance;  the  pleasures  of royalty,  and  the  splendour  of  a  long  and  glorious  reign,  had  corrupted my  heart:  the  flatteries  and  the  deceitful  words  of  the wicked  had  lulled  me  into  a  profound  and  a  fatal  sleep;  but  thine hand  hath  been  upon  me,  in  pouring  out  upon  my  people  all  the scourges  of  thy  wrath,  in  raising  up  against  me  mine  own  children and  subjects,  whom  I  loaded  with  favours;  and  I  awoke.  Thou hast  humbled  me,  and  I  have  had  recourse  to  thee;  thou  hast afflicted  me,  and  I  have  sought  thee,  and  I  have  found  out  that  I