Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/406

 sought him,  who  longed  to  consult  and  see  him,  those  frivolous  and dissolute men  were  fools  who  wished  to  become  impious;  and  who, not finding  sufficient  authority  to  remain  believers  in  the  testimony of all  ages,  of  all  nations,  and  of  all  the  great  men  who  have  honoured religion,  sought,  in  the  single  testimony  of  an  obscure  individual, of  a  deserter  from  every  religion,  of  a  monster  obliged  to hide  himself  from  the  eyes  of  men,  a  deplorable  and  monstrous  authority which  might  confirm  them  in  impiety,  and  defend  them from their  own  conscience. Great God! let the  impious  here  hide their faces;  let  them  cease  to  make  an  ostentation  of  an  unbelief which is  the  fruit  of  their  depravity  and  ignorance,  and  no  longer speak, but  with  blushes,  of  the  submission  of  believers:  it  is  all  a language  of  deceit;  they  give  to  vanity  what  we  give  to  truth.

I say  vanity;  and  this  is  the  grand  and  final  reason  which  more clearly exposes  all  the  falsity  and  weakness  of  unbelief. Yes, my brethren,  all  our  pretended  unbelievers  are  bullies,  who  give  themselves out  for  what  they  are  not:  they  consider  unbelief  as  conveying the  idea  of  something  above  the  common;  they  are  continually boasting that  they  believe  nothing,  and,  by  dint  of  boasting,  they at last  persuade  themselves  of  it:  like  certain  mushroom  characters among us,  who,  though  touching  the  obscurity  and  vulgarity  of their  ancestors,  have  the  deplorable  vanity  of  wishing  to  be  thought of an  illustrious  birth,  and  descended  from  the  greatest  names;  by dint  of  blazoning  and  repeating  it,  they  attain  almost  to  the  belief of it  themselves. It is  the  same  with  our  pretended  unbelievers; they still  touch,  as  I  may  say,  that  faith  which  they  have  received at their  birth,  which  still  flows  with  their  blood,  and  is  not  yet  effaced from  their  heart:  but  they  think  it  a  vulgarity  and  meanness, at which  they  blush;  by  dint  of  saying  and  boasting  that  they  believe nothing,  they  are  convinced  that  they  really  do  not  believe, and have  consequently  a  much  higher  opinion  of  themselves.

First. Because that  deplorable  profession  of  unbelief  supposes an uncommon  understanding,  strength,  and  superiority  of  mind,  and a singularity  which  is  pleasing  and  flattering;  on  the  contrary,  that the passions  infer  only  licentiousness  and  debauchery,  of  which  all men are  capable,  though  they  are  not  so  of  that  wonderful  superiority attributed  to  itself  by  impiety.

Secondly. Because faith  is  so  weakened  in  our  age,  that  we  find few in  the  world  who  pique  themselves  upon  wit  and  a  little  more knowledge or  erudition  than  others,  who  do  not  allow  themselves doubts and  difficulties  upon  the  most  august  and  most  sacred  parts of religion. It would  be  a  disgrace,  therefore,  in  their  company  to appear  religious  and  believers:  they  are  men  high  in  the  public esteem, and  any  resemblance  to  them  is  flattering;  in  adopting their language,  their  talents  and  reputation  are  thought  likewise  to be  adopted;  and  not  to  dare  to  follow  or  to  copy  them  would,  it seems,  be  making  a  public  avowal  of  weakness  and  mediocrity: miserable and  childish  vanity! Besides, because  they  have  heard say, that  certain  characters,  distinguished  in  their  age,  did  not  believe, and  as  the  memory  of  their  talents  and  great  actions  has  been