Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/343

 right, noble,  or  sincere, — you  easily  suspect  your  brethren  to  be what  you  are;  you  cannot  persuade  yourself  that  there  still  exist simple, sincere,  and  generous  hearts  on  the  earth;  you  think  that you every  where  see  what  you  feel  in  yourself;  you  cannot  comprehend how  honour,  fidelity,  sincerity,  and  so  many  other  virtues, always false  in  your  own  heart,  should  have  more  reality  in  the hearts of  persons,  even  the  most  respectable  for  their  rank  and  character;  you  resemble  the  courtiers  of  the  king  of  the  Ammonites, — having no  other  occupation  than  that  of  being  incessantly  on  the watch to  supplant  and  lay  snares  for  each  other,  they  had  little difficulty in  believing  that  David  was  not  more  upright  in  his  intentions with  regard  to  their  master. You think,  said  they  to  that prince, that  David  means  to  honour  the  memory  of  your  father,  by sending  comforters  to  you  to  condole  with  you  on  his  death? They are not  comforters,  but  spies,  whom  he  sends  to  you:  he  is  a  villain, who,  under  the  specious  outside  of  an  honourable  and  amicable embassy,  seeks  to  discover  the  weaknesses  of  your  kingdom, and to  take  measures  to  surprise  you. Such is  more  especially  the misfortune of  courts:  bred  up,  and  living  in  deceit,  they  see  only dissimulation equally  in  virtue  as  in  vice;  as  it  is  a  stage  upon  which every one  acts  a  borrowed  character,  they  conclude  that  the  pious man merely  acts  the  personage  of  virtue;  uncommon  or  unprofitable sincerity  seems  always  impossible.

A worthy  heart,  a  heart  upright,  simple,  and  sincere,  can  hardly comprehend that  there  are  impostors  on  the  earth;  he  finds  within himself the  apology  of  other  men,  and,  by  what  it  would  cost  himself to  be  dishonest,  he  measures  what  it  ought  to  cost  others. Thus, my  brethren,  search  into  those  who  form  these  shameful  and rash suspicions  against  the  pious,  and  you  will  find  that,  in  general, they are  disorderly  and  corrupted  characters,  who  seek  to  quiet themselves in  their  dissipations  by  the  illusive  supposition  that their weaknesses  are  the  weaknesses  of  all  men;  that  those  who  are apparently the  most  virtuous  are  superior  to  themselves  only  in the  art  of  concealment;  and  that,  were  they  narrowly  examined,  we should  find  them  in  reality,  made  like  other  men:  this  idea  is  an iniquitous  comfort  to  them  in  their  debaucheries. They harden themselves in  iniquity,  by  thus  associating  with  themselves  in  it  all whom the  credulity  of  the  people  calls  virtuous:  they  form  and  endeavour to  establish  in  themselves  a  shocking  idea  of  the  human race, in  order  to  be  less  shocked  with  what  they  are  forced  to entertain  of  themselves,  and  they  try  to  persuade  themselves  that virtue no  longer  exists,  in  order  that  vice  may  appear  to  them  more excusable; as  if,  O  my  God! the multitude  of  criminals  could  disarm thy  wrath,  or  deprive  thy  justice  of  the  right  to  punish  guilt.

But, say  you,  one  has  seen  so  many  hypocrites  who  have  so  long abused the  world,  whom  it  regarded  as  saints  and  the  friends  of God,  and  who,  nevertheless,  were  only  perverse  and  corrupted  men.

I confess  it  with  sorrow,  my  brethren:  but,  from  that,  what  would you wish  to  conclude? That all  the  virtuous  are  similar  to  them? The conclusion  is  detestable;  and  what  would  become  of  mankind,