Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/247

 world, which  forgives  nothing,  which  spares  not  even  its  masters, should admire  in  us  what  it  censures  in  others.

In effect,  you  complain  that  your  enemy  hath  both  privately  and publicly decried  you;  that  he  hath  added  calumny  to  slander;  that he hath  attacked  you  in  the  tenderest  and  most  feeling  quarter,  and that he  hath  neglected  nothing  to  blast  your  honour  and  your  reputation in  the  opinion  of  men.

But, before  replying  to  this,  I  might  first  say  to  you,  mistrust the reports  which  have  been  made  to  you  of  your  brother:  the most innocent  speeches  reach  us  so  impoisoned,  through  the malignity of  the  tongues  which  have  conveyed  them;  there  are so many  mean  flatterers,  who  seek  to  be  agreeable  at  the  expense of  those  who  are  not  so;  there  are  so  many  dark  and wicked minds,  whose  only  pleasure  is  in  finding  out  evil  where none is  meant,  and  in  sowing  dissension  among  men;  there  are  so many  volatile  and  imprudent  characters,  who  unseasonably,  and with an  envenomed  air,  repeat  what  at  first  had  been  only said with  the  most  innocent  intentions;  there  are  so  many  men, naturally given  to  the  hyperbole,  and  in  whose  mouth  every thing is  magnified,  and  departs  from  the  natural  and  simple  truth. I here  appeal  to  yourself:  has  it  never  happened  to  you,  that  your most innocent  sayings  have  been  impoisoned,  and  circumstances added to  your  recitals,  which  you  had  never  even  thought  of? Have you  not  then  exclaimed  against  the  injustice  and  the  malignity of  the  repeaters? Why might  not  you,  in  your  turn,  have been deceived? And if  every  thing  which  passes  through  a  variety of channels,  be  in  general  adulterated,  and  never  reach  us  in  its original purity,  why  should  you  suppose  that  discourses  which  relate to  you  alone,  were  exempted  from  the  same  lot,  and  were  entitled to  more  attention  and  belief?

You will  no  doubt  reply,  that  these  general  maxims  are  not  the point in  question,  and  that  the  actions  of  which  you  complain  are not doubtful,  but  positive. I admit  it;  and  I  ask,  if  your  brother have not,  on  his  side,  the  same  reproaches  to  make  to  you;  if  you have always  been  very  lenient,  and  very  charitable  to  his  faults;  if you  have  always  rendered  justice  even  to  his  good  qualities;  if  you never permitted  him  to  be  reviled  in  your  presence;  if  you  have not aided"  the  malignity  of  such  discourses  by  an  affected  moderation, which  hath  only  tended  to  blow  up  the  fire  of  detraction,  and to  supply  new  traits  against  your  brother? — I  ask  you,  if  you  are even  circumspect  toward  the  rest  of  men;  if  you  readily  forgive  the weakness  of  others;  if  your  tongue  be  not,  in  general,  dipt  in  wormwood and  gall;  if  the  best  established  reputation  be  not  always  in danger  in  your  hands;  and,  if  the  saddest  and  most  private  histories do  not  speedily  become  matter  of  notoriety,  through  your  malignity and  imprudence?  O  man!  thou  pushest  delicacy  and sensibility  to  such  lengths  upon  whatever  regards  thyself!  We have  occasion  for  all  the  terror  of  our  ministry,  and  for  all  the  other most  weighty  inducements  of  religion,  to  bring  thee  to  forgive  to thy  brother  a  single  speech,  frequently  a  word,  which  imprudence,