Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/402

 even a  thought;  let  them  but  tranquilly  enjoy  their  crimes,  and they will  agree  to  every  thing.

Thus the  majority  of  atheists,  who  have  left  in  writing  the wretched fruits  of  their  impiety,  have  always  striven  to  prove  there was nothing  above  us;  that  all  died  with  the  body,  and  that  future punishments or  rewards  were  fables;  to  attract  followers  it  was  necessary to  secure  the  suffrage  of  the  passions. If ever  they  attacked the  other  points  of  religion,  it  was  only  to  come  to  the  main conclusion, that  there  is  nothing  after  this  life;  that  vices  or  virtues are names  invented  by  policy  to  restrain  the  people;  and  that  the passions are  only  natural  and  innocent  inclinations,  which  every  one may follow,  because  every  one  finds  them  in  himself.

Behold why  the  impious,  in  the  Book  of  Wisdom,  the  Sadducees themselves, in  the  Gospel,  who  may  be  considered  as  the  fathers and predecessors  of  our  unbelievers,  never  took  any  pains  to  refute the truth  of  the  miracles  related  in  the  books  of  Moses,  and  which God formerly  wrought  in  favour  of  his  people,  nor  the  promise  of the  Mediator  made  to  their  fathers:  they  attacked  only  the  resurrection of  the  dead,  and  the  immortality  of  the  soul:  that  point decided every  thing  for  them. " Man  dies  like  the  beast,"  said they in  the  Book  of  Wisdom;  "  we  know  not  if  their  nature  be  different, but  their  end  and  their  lot  are  the  same:  trouble  us  no more,  therefore,  with  a  futurity  which  is  not:  let  us  enjoy  life;  let us  refuse  ourselves  no  gratification:  time  is  short;  let  us  hasten to  live,  for  we  shall  die  to-morrow,  and  because  all  shall  die  with us." No, my  brethren,  unbelief  hath  always  originated  in  the  passions. The yoke  of  faith  is  never  rejected  but  in  order  to  shake off the  yoke  of  duties;  and  religion  would  never  have  an  enemy, were it  not  the  enemy  of  licentiousness  and  vice.

But, if  the  doubts  of  our  unbelievers  are  not  real,  in  consequence

of being  formed  solely  by  licentiousness,  they  are  also  false,  because it is  ignorance  which  adopts  without  comprehending  them,  and  vanity which  makes  a  boast  without  being  able  to  make  a  resource  of them:  this  is  what  now  remains  to  me  to  unfold.

Part II. — The same  answer  might  be  made  to  the  majority  of those  who  are  continually  vaunting  their  doubts  upon  religion,  and find nothing  but  contradictions  in  what  faith  obliges  us  to  believe, that Tertullian  formerly  made  to  the  heathens,  upon  all  the  reproaches they  invented  against  the  mysteries,  and  the  doctrine  of Jesus  Christ. They condemn,  said  he,  what  they  do  not  understand:  they  blame  what  they  have  never  examined,  and  what  they know only  by  hearsay;  they  blaspheme  what  they  are  ignorant  of, and they  are  ignorant  of  it  because  they  hate  it  too  much  to  give themselves the  trouble  of  searching  into  and  knowing  it. Now, continues this  father,  nothing  is  more  indecent  and  foolish  than boldly to  decide  upon  what  they  know  not;  and  all  that  religion would require  of  these  frivolous  and  dissolute  men,  who  so  warmly rise up  against  it,  is,  not  to  condemn  before  they  are  well  acquainted with  it.