Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/246

 and of  human  expectancies. But, in  order  to  save  your  soul,  the Lord, in  his  great  mercy,  hath  raised  up  obstacles  which  have stopped your  course. He hath  employed  an  envious  person,  a rival  to  supplant  you,  to  keep  you  at  a  distance  from  favours, and to  place  himself  between  you  and  the  precipice,  into  which  you were running  headlong,  for  ever  to  perish:  he  hath  seconded,  as  I may  say,  his  ambition;  he  hath  favoured  his  designs;  and,  through an incomprehensible  excess  of  goodness  toward  you,  he  hath  crossed your worldly  schemes:  he  hath  raised  up  your  enemy  in  time,  in order  to  save  you  in  eternity. You ought,  therefore,  to  adore  the eternal designs  of  his  justice  and  of  his  mercy  upon  men;  to  consider your  brother  as  the  blessed  cause  of  your  salvation;  to  entreat of  God,  that  seeing  his  ambition  or  his  bad  intentions  have been employed  to  save  you,  he  may  inspire  him  with  sincere  repentance, and  that  the  person  who  hath  been  the  instrument  of your  salvation  be  not  permitted  to  perish  himself.

Yes, my  brethren,  our  hatreds  proceed  entirely  from  our  want of faith. Alas! if we  regarded  every  thing  which  passes,  as  a  vapour without  substance;  if  we  were  thoroughly  convinced  that  all this is  nothing,  that  salvation  is  the  great  and  important  affair,  and that our  treasure  and  our  true  riches  are  only  in  eternity,  where,  in the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  we  shall  be;  if  we  were  convinced  of  it, alas! we would  consider  men,  who  passionately  quarrel  and  dispute with  each  other  for  the  dignities  of  the  earth,  as  children  who fall out  among  themselves  for  the  playthings  which  amuse  their eye, whose  childish  hatreds  and  animosities  turn  upon  nothings, which infancy  alone,  and  the  feeble  state  of  reason,  magnify  in  their eyes. Tranquil on  the  greatest  and  most  important  events,  on  the loss of  the  patrimony  of  their  fathers,  and  the  fall  of  their  family, and keen  even  to  excess  when  deprived  of  any  of  the  little  trifling objects which  delight  their  infancy, — thus,  O  my  God,  foolish  and puerile men  feel  not  the  loss  of  their  heavenly  inheritance,  of  that immortal patrimony  bequeathed  to  them  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  which their brethren  are  already  enjoying  in  heaven. They unconcernedly see the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  only  true  riches,  pass  away  from them; and,  like  children,  they  are  inflamed  with  rage,  and  mutually arm  against  each  other,  from  the  instant  that  their  frivolous possessions  are  encroached  upon,  or  that  any  attempt  is  made to deprive  them  of  those  childish  playthings,  the  only  value  or  importance of  which  is  that  of  serving  to  deceive  their  feeble  reason, and to  amuse  their  childhood.

For a  Christian,  interest  is  therefore  an  unworthy  and  criminal pretext for  his  hatred  toward  his  brethren;  but  vanity,  which  is their  last  resource,  is  still  less  excusable.

For, my  brethren,  we  wish  to  be  approved,  and  to  have  our  faults as well  as  our  virtues  applauded;  and,  although  we  feel  our  own weaknesses, yet  we  are  so  unreasonable  as  to  exact  that  others  see them not,  and  that  they  even  give  credit  to  us  for  certain  qualities which we  inwardly  reproach  to  ourselves  as  vices. We would  wish that all  mouths  were  filled  solely  with  our  praises;  and  that  the