Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/255

 your brethren,  the  external  courtesies,  you  satisfy  the  claims  which civil society  hath  upon  you,  but  you  do  not  satisfy  those  of  religion;  you  disturb  not  the  political  order,  but  you  overturn  the  order of  charity;  you  are  a  peaceable  citizen,  but  you  are  not  a  citizen of heaven;  you  are  a  man  of  the  age,  but  you  are  not  a  man  of  the age to  come;  the  world  may  acquit  you,  and  demand  no  more,  but what you  do  is  a  blank  in  the  sight  of  God,  because  you  are  not  in charity;  and  your  condemnation  is  certain. Come and  tell  us, after this,  that  you  will  not  be  wanting  in  decorum,  and  that  religion exacts no  more  of  us. f It  exacts,  then,  only  dissimulation,  outsides, and vain  appearances! It exacts,  then,  nothing  true,  nothing  real, nothing which  changes  the  heart! And the  great  precept  of  charity, which alone  gives  reality  to  all  our  works,  would  no  longer  then  be but  a  false  pretence  and  a  vain  hypocrisy!

And trust  not  solely  to  us  on  this  point;  consult  the  public  itself. See if,  in  spite  of  all  the  appearances  which  you  still  keep up with  your  brother,  it  be  not  an  established  opinion  in  the  world, that you  love  him  not;  and  if  the  world  do  not  act  in  consequence of that  persuasion. See if  your  creatures,  if  all  who  approach  and who are  attached  to  you,  do  not  affect  to  keep  at  a  distance  from your brother. See if  all  those  who  hate  him,  or  who  are  in  interests opposite to  his,  do  not  court  your  friendship  and  form  closer  ties with you,  and  if  all  those  who  are  inimical  to  your  brother  do  not profess themselves  your  friends. See if  those  who  have  favours  to expect  from  you  do  not  begin  by  forsaking  him,  and  that  if  they do not  think  that  in  so  doing  they  are  paying  court  to  you. You see that  the  wrorld  knows  you  better  than  you  know  yourself;  that it is  not  mistaken  in  your  real  sentiments;  and  that  in  spite  of  all these vain  shows  toward  your  brother,  you  are  actually  in  hatred and in  death,  and  that  in  this  respect  the  world  itself  is  of  our opinion; that  world  which,  on  every  other  occasion,  we  have  constantly to  combat.

Behold in  what  terminate  the  greatest  part  of  the  reconciliations which are  every  day  made  in  the  world. They once  more  see  each other, but  they  are  not  reunited;  they  promise  a  mutual  friendship, but it  is  never  given;  their  persons  meet,  but  their  hearts  are always estranged;  and  I  had  reason  to  say,  that  the  hatreds  are unchangeable, and  that  almost  all  the  reconciliations  are  mere  pretences; that  the  injury  may  be  forgiven,  but  that  the  offender  is never  loved;  that  they  may  cease  to  treat  their  brother  as  an  enemy, but  that  they  never  regard  him  as  a  brother.

And, behold  what  takes  place  every  day  before  our  eyes. In the world  are  to  be  seen  public  characters,  families  of  illustrious names, who  still  preserve  with  each  other  certain  measures  of decency,  which,  indeed,  they  cannot  break  through  without  scandal; yet,  nevertheless,  live  in  different  interests,  in  public  and avowed sentiments  of  envy,  of  jealousy,  and  of  mutual  animosity; thwart and  do  every  thing  in  their  power  to  ruin  each  other,  view each other  with  the  most  jealous  eyes,  and  make  all  their  creatures partisans in  their  resentments  and  aversions;  divide  the  world,  the