Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/377

 world, a  society  apart,  a  sole  depository  of  the  knowledge  of  a  God, and of  the  promise  of  a  Mediator;  always  opposed  to  all  the  religions which  have  arisen  in  the  universe;  always  contradicted,  and always the  same;  and  I  say  that  its  authority  bears  along  with  it such  shining  characters  of  truth,  that  it  is  impossible,  without  folly, to refuse  submission  to  it.

In the  first  place,  in  matters  of  religion,  antiquity  is  a  character which reason  respects;  and,  we  may  say,  that  a  prepossession  is  already formed  in  favour  of  that  belief,  consecrated  by  the  religion  of the  first  men,  and  by  the  simplicity  of  the  primitive  times. Not but what  falsehood  is  often  decked  out  with  the  same  titles,  and that old  errors  exist  among  men,  which  seem  to  contest  the  antiquity of  their  origin  with  the  truth;  but  it  is  not  difficult,  to  whoever wishes  to  trace  their  history,  to  go  back  even  to  their  origin. Novelty is  always  the  constant  and  most  inseparable  character  of error;  and  the  reproach  of  the  prophet  may  alike  be  made  to  them all: "They sacrifice  to  new  gods  that  come  newly  up,  whom  their fathers  feared  not."

In effect,  if  there  be  a  true  religion  upon  the  earth,  it  must  be  the most ancient  of  all;  for,  if  there  be  a  true  religion  upon  the  earth, it must  be  the  first  and  the  most  essential  duty  of  man  toward  the God who  wishes  to  be  honoured  by  it. This duty  must  therefore be equally  ancient  as  man;  and,  as  it  is  attached  to  his  nature,  it must,  as  I  may  say,  be  born  with  him. And this,  my  brethren,  is the  first  character  by  which  the  religion  of  Christians  is  at  once distinguished from  superstitions  and  sects. It is  the  most  ancient religion in  the  world. The first  men,  before  an  impious  worship was carved  out  of  divinities  of  wood  and  of  stone,  worshipped  the same God  whom  we  adore,  raised  up  altars,  and  offered  sacrifices to him,  expected  from  his  liberality  the  reward  of  their  virtue,  and from his  justice,  the  punishment  of  their  disobedience. The history of  the  birth  of  this  religion,  is  the  history  of  the  birth  of  the world itself. The divine  books  which  have  preserved  it  down  to us,  contain  the  first  monuments  of  the  origin  of  things. They are themselves more  ancient  than  all  those  fabulous  productions  of  the human mind  which  afterward  so  miserably  amused  the  credulity  of the  following  ages;  and,  as  error  ever  springs  from  the  truth,  and is only  a  faulty  imitation  of  it,  all  the  fables  of  Paganism  are founded on  some  of  the  principal  features  of  that  divine  history; insomuch, that  it  may  be  affirmed  that  every  thing,  even  to  error itself, renders  homage  to  the  antiquity  and  to  the  authority  of  our holy Scriptures.

Now, my  brethren,  is  there  not  already  something  respectable  in this  character  alone? The other  religions,  which  have  vaunted  a more  ancient  origin,  have  produced  nothing  in  support  of  their antiquity, but  fabulous  legends,  which  sunk  into  nothing  of  themselves. They have  disfigured  the  history  of  the  world  by  a  chaos of innumerable  and  imaginary  ages,  of  which  no  event  hath  been left to  posterity,  and  which  the  history  of  the  world  hath  never known. The authors  of  these  gross  fictions  did  not  write  till  many