Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/405

 lievers, I  observe,  that  they  who  affect  to  treat  us  as  weak  and  credulous minds,  who  vaunt  their  reason,  who  accuse  us  of  grounding  a religion  upon  the  popular  prejudices,  and  of  believing  solely  because our predecessors  have  believed;  they,  I  say,  are  unbelievers,  and doubt upon  the  sole  and  deplorable  authority  of  a  debauchee,  whom they have  often  heard  to  say  that  futurity  is  a  bugbear,  and  made use of  as  a  scarecrow  to  frighten  only  children  and  the  common people; such  is  their  only  knowledge  and  their  only  use  of  reason. They are  impious,  as  they  accuse  us  of  being  believers  without  examination, and  through  credulousness,  but  through  a  credulity which can  find  no  excuse  but  in  madness  and  folly;  the  authority of a  single  impious  discourse,  pronounced  in  a  bold  and  decisive tone, hath  subjugated  their  reason,  and  ranked  them  in  the  lists of impiety. They call  us  credulous,  in  yielding  to  the  authority  of the  prophets,  of  the  apostles,  of  men  inspired  by  God,  of  the shining miracles  wrought  to  establish  the  truth  of  our  mysteries, and to  that  venerable  tradition  of  holy  pastors,  who,  from  age  to age,  have  transmitted  to  us  the  charge  of  doctrine  and  of  truth, that is  to  say,  to  the  greatest  authority  that  hath  ever  been  on  the earth; and  they  think  themselves  less  credulous,  and  it  appears to them  more  worthy  of  reason,  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  a freethinker,  who,  in  a  moment  of  debauchery,  pronounces,  with  a firm  tone,  that  there  is  no  God,  yet  most  likely  inwardly  belies  his own words! — Ah! my brethren,  how  much  does  man  degrade  and render himself  contemptible  when  he  arrogates  a  false  glory  from being no  longer  in  the  belief  of  a  God!

Thus, why  is  it,  think  you,  that  our  pretended  unbelievers  are  so desirous  of  seeing  real  atheists  confirmed  in  impiety;  that  they  seek and entice  them  even  from  foreign  countries,  like  a  Spinosa,  if  the fact be,  that  he  was  called  into  France  to  be  heard  and  consulted? It is  because  our  unbelievers  are  not  firm  in  unbelief,  nor  can  they find any  who  are  so;  and,  in  order  to  harden  themselves,  they would gladly  see  some  one  actually  confirmed  in  that  detestable cause; they  seek,  in  precedent,  resources,  and  defences  against their own  conscience;  and,  not  daring  of  themselves  to  become  impious, they  expect  from  an  example  what  their  reason  and  even their heart  refuses;  and,  in  so  doing,  they  surely  fall  into  a  credulity much  more  childish  and  absurd  than  that  with  which  they  reproach believers. A Spinosa,  that  monster,  who,  after  embracing various religions,  ended  with  none,  was  most  anxious  to  find  out some professed  freethinker  who  might  confirm  him  in  the  cause  of irreligion  and  atheism:  he  formed  to  himself  that  impenetrable chaos of  impiety,  that  work  of  confusion  and  darkness  in  which  the sole desire  of  not  believing  in  God  can  support  the  weariness  and disgust of  those  who  read  it;  in  which,  excepting  the  impiety,  all is unintelligible,  and  which  would,  from  its  birth,  have  sunk  into oblivion, had  it  not,  to  the  shame  of  humanity,  attacked  the  Supreme Being:  that  impious  wretch,  I  say,  lived  concealed,  retired, tranquil: his  dark  productions  were  his  only  occupation,  and,  to harden  himself  he  needed  only  himself. But those  who  so  eagerly