Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/37

 to attain  a  situation  answerable  to  your  wishes  or  expectations; come, and  see  if  your  God  will  be  more  faithful  to  you;  if only  bitterness  and  disgusts  are  to  be  found  in  his  service;  if he  promises  more  than  he  bestows;  if  he  is  an  ungrateful,  changeable, or  capricious  master;  if  his  yoke  is  a  cruel  servitude,  or  a sweet  liberty;  if  the  duties  which  he  exacts  from  us  are  the punishment of  his  slaves,  or  the  consolation  of  his  children;  and if he  deceives  those  who  serve  him. My God! how little  wouldst thou be  worthy  of  our  hearts,  wert  thou  not  more  amiable,  more faithful, and  more  worthy  of  being  served,  than  this  miserable world!

But, in  order  to  serve  him  as  he  wishes  to  be  served,  we  must esteem the  glory  and  the  happiness  of  his  service;  we  must  prefer this happiness  to  all  others,  and  labour  in  it  with  sincerity, without reserve,  and  with  a  ripe  and  watchful  circumspection:  for if it  is  a  common  fault  to  want  fervour  in  the  business  of  our eternal salvation,  and  to  become  disgusted  with  it,  it  is  likewise  a much  more  general  one  to  fail  of  prudence,  and  to  mistake  our path toward  it.

Part II. — An enterprise,  where  the  dangers  are  daily,  and  mistakes common;  where,  amongst  so  many  different  routes  which appear safe,  there  is,  however,  only  one  true  and  unerring,  and  the success of  which  must,  nevertheless,  decide  our  eternal  destiny; — an enterprise  of  this  nature  surely  requires  uncommon  exertions; and never  had  we  occasion,  in  the  conduct  of  any  other,  for  so much  circumspection  and  prudence. Now, that  such  is  the  enterprise of  salvation,  it  would  be  needless  to  waste  time  in  proving here, and  equally  so  for  you  to  doubt. The only  object  of  importance, then,  to  establish,  is,  the  rules  and  the  marks  of  this prudence which  is  to  guide  us  in  so  dangerous  and  so  essential  an affair.

The first  rule  is,  not  to  determine  ourselves  by  chance  amongst that multiplicity  of  ways  which  mankind  pursue;  carefully  to  examine all,  independent  of  usages  and  customs  which  may  authorise them; in  the  affair  of  our  salvation,  to  give  nothing  to  opinion  or example. The second  is,  when  we  have  finally  determined  to  leave nothing to  the  uncertainty  of  events,  and  always  to  prefer  safety to danger.

Such are  the  common  rules  of  prudence  adopted  by  the  children of the  age,  in  the  pursuit  of  their  pretensions  and  their  temporal expectations. Eternal salvation  is  the  only  affair  in  which  they  are neglected. In the  first  place,  no  person  examines  if  his  ways  are sure: nor  does  he  ever  require  any  other  pledge  of  his  safety  than the crowd  which  he  sees  marching  before  him. Secondly, in  the doubts which  spring  up  during  our  proceedings,  the  party  the most dangerous  to  salvation,  having  always  self-love  in  its  favour, is always  preferred:  two  important  and  common  errors  in  the affair of  eternal  salvation,  which  it  is  necessary  to  combat  here. The first  rule  is,  not  to  determine  by  chance,  and  in  the  affair  of