Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/248

 which chance,  which  circumstances,  which  perhaps  a  just  resentment hath  forced  from  him;  and  the  licentiousness  of  thy  discourses toward others  knows  neither  the  bounds  of  politeness  nor  of  that decency which  the  world  itself  prescribes.

But, granting  that  you  have  nothing  to  reproach  yourself  on  the part of  moderation  toward  your  brother,  what  do  you  gain  by  hating him? Do you  thereby  efface  the  fatal  impressions  which  his  discourses may  have  left  on  the  minds  of  men? On the  contrary,  you inflict a  fresh  wound  upon  your  heart;  you  give  yourself  a  stab which carries  death  to  your  soul:  you  wrench  the  sword  from  his hands, if  I  may  speak  in  this  manner,  in  order  to  plunge  it  into yourself. By the  innocency  of  your  manners,  and  the  integrity  of your  conduct,  you  make  the  injustice  of  his  discourses  evident; destroy by  a  life  free  from  reproach,  the  prejudices  to  which  he may  have  given  rise  against  you;  make  the  meanness  and  the iniquity of  his  calumnies  revert  upon  himself,  by  the  practice  of those  virtues  exactly  opposite  to  the  faults  which  he  imputes  to you:  such  is  the  just  and  legal  manner  of  revenging  yourself. Triumph over  his  malice  by  your  manners  and  by  your  silence: you will  heap  living  coals  upon  his  head;  you  will  gain  the  public on your  side,  you  will  leave  nothing  to  your  enemy  but  the  infamy of his  passion  and  of  his  impositions. But hating  him  is  the  revenge of  the  weak,  and  the  sad  consolation  of  the  guilty;  in  a  word, it is  the  only  refuge  of  those  who  can  find  none  in  virtue  and  in  innocence.

But let  us  now  quit  all  these  reasonings,  and  come  to  the  essential point. You are  commanded  to  love  those  who  despitefully  use and calumniate  you;  to  pray  for  them,  to  entreat  their  conversion to God,  that  he  change  their  rancorous  heart,  that  he  inspire  them with sentiments  of  peace  and  of  charity,  and  that  he  place  them among the  number  of  his  holy. You are  commanded  to  consider them as  already  citizens  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  with  whom  you shall form  only  one  voice  in  singing  the  immortal  praises  of  grace. You are  commanded  to  look  upon  injuries  as  blessings,  as  the  punishment of  your  hidden  crimes,  for  which  you  have  so  often merited to  be  covered  with  confusion  before  men;  as  the  price  of the  kingdom  of  God,  which  is  promised  to  those  alone  who  with piety bear  with  persecution  and  calumny.

For, after  all,  it  must  come  to  this. Self-love alone  would  make us love  those  who  love  us,  who  praise  us,  who  publish  our  virtues, false or  true;  such  was  the  whole  virtue  of  the  Pagans;  for,  said Jesus Christ,  if  ye  love  those  that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye; do not  even  the  publicans  so? But religion  goes  farther:  it  requires us  to  love  those  who  hate  and  persecute  us:  it  fixes  at  that price the  mercies  of  God  upon  us,  and  declares  to  us  that  no  forgiveness is  to  be  expected  for  ourselves,  if  we  grant  it  not  to  our  brethren.

And, candidly,  would  you  have  God  to  forget  the  crimes  and  the horrors of  your  whole  life,  to  be  insensible  to  his  own  glory,  which you have  so  often  insulted,  while  you  cannot  prevail  upon  yourself to forget  a  word;  while  you  are  so  warm,  so  delicate,  and  so  pas-