Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/390

 among men,  he  for  ever  does  away  all  paternal  names  and  rights, which, even  in  animals,  nature  hath  so  evidently  respected;  and gives to  the  earth  men  all  uncertain  of  their  origin,  all  coming  into the world,  without  parents,  as  I  may  say;  and,  consequently,  without ties,  tenderness,  affection,  or  humanity;  all  in  a  situation  to become  incestuous,  or  parricides,  without  even  knowing  it.

Others came  to  announce  to  men,  that  voluptuousness  was  the sovereign good;  and  whatever  might  have  been  the  intention  of  the first author  of  this  sect,  it  is  certain  that  his  disciples  sought  no other  felicity  than  that  of  brutes;  the  most  shameful  debaucheries became philosophical  maxims. Rome, Athens,  Corinth,  beheld  excesses, where,  it  may  be  said,  that  man  was  no  longer  man. Even this is  nothing;  the  most  abominable  vices  were  consecrated  there: temples and  altars  were  erected  to  them:  lasciviousness,  incest, cruelty, treachery,  and  other  still  more  abandoned  crimes,  were made divinities  of:  the  worship  became  a  public  debauch  and  prostitution:  and  gods,  so  criminal,  were  no  longer  honoured  but  by crimes;  and  the  apostle,  who  relates  them  to  us,  takes  care  to  inform us,  that  such  was  not  merely  the  licentiousness  of  the  people, but of  sages  and  philosophers  who  had  erred  in  the  vanity  of  their own thoughts,  and  whom  God  had  delivered  up  to  the  corruption of their  own  heart. O God! in permitting  human  reason  to  fall into such  horrible  errors,  thou  intendest  to  let  man  know,  that  reason when  delivered  up  to  its  own  darkness,  is  capable  of  every thing, and  that  it  can  never  take  upon  itself  to  be  its  own  guide, without plunging  into  abysses  from  which  thy  law  and  thy  light  are alone capable  of  withdrawing  him.

Lastly. If the  depravity  of  reason  so  evidently  expose  the  necessity of  a  remedy  to  cure  it,  its  eternal  inconstancies  and  fluctuations yet  more  instruct  man  that  a  check  and  a  rule  are  absolutely necessary to  fix  it.

And here,  my  brethren,  if  the  brevity  of  a  discourse  would  permit all  to  be  said,  what  vain  disputes,  what  endless  questions,  what different opinions  have  formerly  engrossed  all  the  schools  of  the heathen philosophy! And think  not  that  it  was  upon  matters which God  seems  to  have  yielded  up  to  the  contestation  of  men; it was  upon  the  nature  even  of  God,  upon  his  existence,  upon  the immortality of  the  soul,  upon  the  true  felicity.

Some doubted  the  whole;  others  believed  that  they  knew every thing. Some denied  a  God;  others  gave  us  one  of  their own fashioning;  that  is  to  say,  some  of  them  slothful,  an  indolent spectator of  human  things,  and  tranquilly  leaving  to  chance  the management of  his  own  work,  as  a  care  unworthy  of  his  greatness, and incompatible  with  his  conveniency;  some  others  made  him the slave  of  fates,  and  subject  to  laws  which  he  had  no  hand  in imposing  upon  himself:  others  again  incorporated,  with  the  whole universe, the  soul  of  that  vast  body,  and  composing,  as  it  were,  a part  of  that  world  which  is  entirely  his  work. Many others  of '  which  I  know  nothing,  for  I  pretend  not  to  recapitulate  them  all;  but as many  schools,  so  many  were  the  sentiments  upon  so  essential  a