Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/380

 of the  Christian  religion. And by  these  three  characters,  of  antiquity, of  perpetuity,  and  of  uniformity,  which  exclusively  belong  to it,  its  authority  is  the  only  one  upon  the  earth  capable  of  determining a  wise  mind.

But if  the  submission  of  the  believer  be  reasonable  on  the  part of the  authority  which  exacts  it,  it  is  not  less  so  on  the  part  of  the things which  are  proposed  to  his  belief. And here,  my  brethren, let us  enter  into  the  foundation  of  the  Christian  worship. It is  not afraid of  investigation,  like  those  abominable  mysteries  of  idolatry, the infamy  and  horror  of  which  were  concealed  by  the  darkest  obscurity. A religion,  says  Tertullian,  which  would  shun  examination, and  would  dread  being  searched  into,  should  ever  be  suspected. The more  the  Christian  worship  is  investigated,  the  more  are  beauties and  hidden  wonders  found  in  it. Idolatry inspired  men  with foolish sentiments  of  the  Divinity;  philosophy,  with  very  unreasonable ones  of  himself;  cupidity,  with  iniquitous  ones  toward  the rest of  men. Now, admire  the  wisdom  of  religion,  which  remedies all these  three  evils,  which  the  reason  of  all  ages  had  never  been able to  eradicate,  or  even  to  find  out.

And, first,  what  other  legislator  hath  spoken  of  the  Divinity,  like that of  the  Christians? Find elsewhere,  if  you  can,  more  sublime ideas of  his  power,  of  his  immensity,  of  his  wisdom,  of  his  grandeur, and  of  his  justice,  than  those  which  are  given  us  in  our  Scriptures. If there  be  over  us  a  supreme  and  eternal  Being,  in  whom all things  live,  he  must  be  such  as  the  Christian  religion  represents him. We alone  compare  him  not  to  the  likeness  of  man. We alone worship  him  seated  above  the  cherubim,  filling  every  where with his  presence,  regulating  all  by  his  wisdom,  creating  light  and darkness, author  of  good  and  punisher  of  vice. We alone  honour him as  he  wishes  to  be  honoured;  that  is  to  say,  we  make  not  the worship due  to  him,  to  consist  in  the  multitude  of  victims,  nor  in the  external  pomp  of  our  homages;  but  in  adoration,  in  love,  in praise,  and  in  thanksgiving. We refer  to  him  the  good  which  is  in us,  as  to  its  principal;  and  we  always  attribute  vice  to  ourselves, which takes  its  rise  only  in  our  corruption. We hope  to  find  in him  the  reward  of  a  fidelity  which  is  the  gift  of  his  grace,  and  the punishment of  transgressions,  which  are  always  the  consequence  of the  bad  use  which  we  make  of  our  liberty. Now, what  can  be more  worthy  of  the  Supreme  Being  than  all  these  ideas!

Secondly. A vain  philosophy  either  had  degraded  man  to  the level of  the  beast,  by  centring  his  felicity  in  the  senses;  or  had foolishly exalted  him  even  to  the  likeness  of  God,  by  persuading him that  he  might  find  his  own  happiness  in  his  own  wisdom. Now, the  Christian  morality  avoids  these  two  extremes:  it  withdraws man  from  carnal  pleasures,  by  discovering  to  him  the  excellency of  his  nature  and  the  holiness  of  his  destination:  it  corrects  his pride, by  making  him  sensible  of  his  own  wretchedness  and  meanness.

Lastly. Cupidity rendered  man  unjust  toward  the  rest  of  men. Now, what  other  doctrine  than  that  of  Christians  hath  ever  so  well regulated our  duties  on  this  head. It instructs  us  to  yield  obedi-