Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/391

 point. So many  ages,  so  many  fresh  absurdities  upon  the  immortality and  the  nature  of  the  soul:  here,  it  was  an  assemblage  of atoms:  there,  a  subtle  fire;  in  another  place,  a  minute  and  penetrating air;  in  another  school,  a  portion  of  the  Divinity. Some made it to  die  with  the  body;  others*  would  have  it  to  have  existed  before the body;  some  again  made  it  to  pass  from  one  body  to  another; from man  to  the  horse,  from  the  condition  of  a  reasonable  being  to that  of  animals  without  reason. There were  some  who  taught,  that the true  happiness  of  man  is  in  the  senses;  a  greater  number placed it  in  the  reason;  others  again  found  it  only  in  fame  and glory j  many  in  sloth  and  indolence. And what  is  the  most  deplorable here  is,  that  the  existence  of  God,  his  nature,  the  immortality of the  soul,  the  destination  and  the  happiness  of  men,  all  point  so essential  to  his  destiny,  so  decisive  with  regard  to  his  eternal  misery or  happiness,  were,  nevertheless,  become  problems,  every  where destined merely  to  amuse  the  leisure  of  the  schools  and  the  vanity of the  sophists;  idle  questions,  in  which  they  were  never  interested for the  principle  of  truth,  but  solely  for  the  glory  of  coming  off  conqueror. Great God! it is  in  this  manner  that  thou  sportest  with  human wisdom.

If from  thence  we  entered  into  the  Christian  ages,  who  could enumerate that  endless  variety  of  sects  which,  in  all  times  hath broken the  unity,  in  order  to  follow  strange  doctrines? What were the abominations  of  the  Gnostics,  the  extravagant  follies  of  the Valentinians, the  fanaticisms  of  Montanus,  the  contradictions  of the  Manicheans? Follow every  age;  as,  in  order  to  prove  the  just, it is  necessary  that  there  be  heresies. You will  find  that  in  every age the  church  hath  always  been  miserably  rent  with  them.

Recall to  your  remembrance  the  sad  dissensions  of  only  the  past age. Since the  separation  of  our  brethren,  what  a  monstrous  variety in their  doctrine! What endless  sects  sprung  from  only  one  sect! What numberless  particular  assemblies  in  one  same  schism! — O faith! O gift  of  God! O divine  torch,  which  comes  to  clear  up darkness,  how  necessary  art  thou  to  man! O infallible  rule,  sent from heaven,  and  given  in  trust  to  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ,  always the same  in  all  ages,  always  independent  of  places,  of  times,  of nations,  and  of  interests,  how  requisite  it  is  that  thou  served  as  a check  upon  the  eternal  fluctuations  of  the  human  mind! O pillar of fire,  at  the  same  time  so  obscure  and  so  luminous,  of  what  importance it  is  that  thou  always  conducted  the  camp  of  the  Lord, the tabernacle  and  the  tents  of  Israel,  through  all  the  perils  of  the desert, the  rocks,  the  temptations,  and  the  dark  and  unknown  paths of this  life!

For you,  my  brethren,  what  instruction  should  we  draw  from this discourse,  and  what  should  I  say  to  you  in  concluding? You say that  you  have  faith;  show  your  faith  by  your  works. What shall it  avail  you  to  have  believed,  if  your  manners  have  belied  your belief? The gospel  is  yet  more  the  religion  of  the  heart  than  of the  mind. That faith  which  makes  Christians  is  not  a  simple  submission of  the  reason;  it  is  a  pious  tenderness  of  the  soul;  it  is  a