Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/281

 necessary that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have  been  spoken  to you;  but,  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  unworthy of  everlasting  life,  lo! we turn  to  the  Gentiles."  We  shall therefore  turn  toward  the  nations  hitherto  abandoned,  toward  those humble  and  poor  people  buried  in  ignorance,  who  cultivate  your lands,  and  who  will,  with  faith  and  gratitude,  receive  that  grace which  you  reject.  Ah!  our  labours  there  would  be  much  more availing,  our  yoke  more  easy,  our  ministry  more  consoling:  we should  not  then,  it  is  true,  reckon  among  our  hearers,  names  celebrated in  history;  but  we  would  reckon  the  names  of  those  who are  written  in  heaven:  we  should  not  see  there  assembled  all  those titles  and  splendid  dignities,  which  form  the  whole  glory  of  the world  which  passeth  away;  but  we  would  there  see  faith,  piety, and  innocence,  which  compose  the  whole  glory  of  the  Christian who  eternally  endureth:  we  should  not  hear  there  vain  applauses given to  the  language  of  the  man,  and  not  to  that  of  faith;  but  we would  behold  those  tears  flowing  which  are  the  immortal  praise  of grace:  our  pulpits  might  not,  indeed,  be  surrounded  with  so  much pomp; but  our  hearers  would  be  a  spectacle  worthy  of  angels,  and of God.

Such are  the  dispositions  which  ought  to  prepare  you  for  our instructions. It is  necessary  now  to  instruct  you  on  the  mind  in which  you  ought  to  listen  to  us.

Part II. — In order  toward  instructing  you  on  the  mind  in  which you ought  to  listen  to  the  holy  word,  it  is  required  only  to  establish at first  what  are  its  authority  and  its  end. Its authority,  which  is divine,  demands  a  respectful  and  docile  mind;  its  end,  which  is  the conversion of  hearts,  demands  a  spirit  of  faith,  which  searches  in it  only  such  lights  as  may  enable  it  to  quit  its  errors,  and  such remedies as  may  cure  its  evils.

First. I say  that  its  authority  is  divine. Yes, my  brethren,  the word which  we  announce  to  you  is  not  our  word,  but  the  word  of him  who  sendeth  us. From the  moment  that  we  are  established by him  in  the  holy  ministry,  through  the  way  of  a  legitimate  call, he willeth  that  you  consider  us  as  sent  by  him,  as  speaking  to  you here on  his  part,  and  as  only  lending  our  weak  voice  to  his  divine words. We bear,  it  is  true,  that  treasure  in  vessels  of  earth;  but it thereby  loses  nothing  of  its  majesty. Like those  pitchers  which Gideon formerly  employed  against  the  enemies  of  the  Lord,  the sound may  be  mean  and  contemptible;  but  truth,  that  divine  light which God  hath  placed  within  us,  is  not  from  thence,  less  descended from heaven,  or  destined,  like  the  lamps  of  Gideon,  still  to  strike with terror  unfaithful  souls.

Now, you  owe,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  authority  of  this  divine word, a  pious  docility  and  an  attention  to  it,  rather  in  the  light  of disciples  than  of  judges. In effect,  we  expose  to  you  the  rules  of worship  and  of  piety,  the  decisions  of  the  Gospel,  the  laws  of  the church, and  the  maxims of  the  holy. We come  not  here  to  give you our  own  opinions,  our  prejudices,  our  thoughts;  this  is  not  a