Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/419

 themselves. In effect,  Jesus  Christ,  in  coming  himself  to  give  to us  a  law  of  life  and  of  truth  for  the  regulation  of  our  manners  and our duties,  and  in  which  the  evidence  could  not  be  too  great,  could never undoubtedly  have  meant  to  leave  obscurities  in  it  capable  of deluding  us,  and  of  favouring  passions  which  he  expressly  came  to overthrow. Human laws  may  be  liable  to  these  inconveniences; the mind  of  man,  which  hath  invented  them,  being  unable  to  foresee all,  it  hath  also  been  unable  to  obviate  all  the  difficulties  which might one  day  arise  in  the  minds  of  other  men,  on  the  strength  of its  expressions,  and  even  on  the  nature  of  its  rules. But the  Spirit of God,  author  of  the  holy  rules  held  out  in  the  Gospel,  hath  foreseen all  the  doubts  which  the  human  mind  could  oppose  to  his law; he  hath  read,  in  the  hearts  of  all  men  to  come,  the  obscurities which their  corruption  might  shed  over  the  nature  of  his  rules: consequently, he  hath  concerted  them  in  a  manner  so  divine  and  so intelligible,  so  simple  and  so  sublime,  that  the  most  ignorant, equally as  the  most  learned,  can  never  misconstrue  his  intentions, and be  ignorant  of  the  ways  of  eternal  life.

It is  true,  that  sacred  obscurities  conceal  it  in  the  incomprehensible mysteries  of  faith;  but  the  rules  of  the  manners  are  explicit and precise;  the  duties  are  there  evident;  and  nothing  can  be  more clear, or  less  equivocal,  than  the  precepts  of  Jesus  Christ. Not but that  doubts  and  difficulties  may  spring  up  in  the  detail  of  the obligations; that  the  assemblage  of  a  thousand  different  circumstances may  not  in  such  a  manner  darken  the  rule,  but  that  it  may sometimes escape  the  most  learned;  and  that,  upon  all  the  infinite duties of  stations  and  conditions,  all  be  so  decided  in  the  Gospel that mistakes  cannot  often  take  place.

But I  say,  (and  I  entreat  of  you  to  pursue  these  reflections,  which to  me  appear  of  the  utmost  consequence,  and  to  comprise  all  the rules  of  the  manners,)  in  the  first  place,  that  if,  upon  the  detail  of duties,  the  letter  of  the  law  be  sometimes  dubious,  the  spirit  of  it is  almost  never  so:  that  it  is  easily  seen  to  which  side  the  Gospel inclines, and  to  what  the  analogy  and  ruling  spirit  of  its  maxims lead us:  I  say,  that  they  mutually  clear  up  each  other;  that  they all go  to  the  same  end;  that  they  are  like  so  many  rays,  which, uniting in  one  centre,  form  so  grand  a  lustre  that  it  is  impossible longer to  mistake  them;  that  there  are  principal  rules  which  serve to elucidate  every  particular  difficulty;  and,  lastly,  that  if  the  law appear sometimes  equivocal  to  us,  the  intention  of  the  legislator, by which  we  ought  to  interpret  it,  never  leaves  room  for  either doubt or  mistake.

Thus, you  would  wish  to  know,  you  who  live  at  the  court,  where ambition is,  as  it  were,  the  virtue  of  persons  of  your  rank;  you would wish  to  know  if  it  be  a  crime  ardently  to  long  for  the  honours and  the  prosperities  of  the  earth,  to  be  never  satisfied  with your station,  continually  to  wish  advancement,  and  to  connect  with that single  desire,  all  your  views,  all  your  proceedings,  all  your cares, the  whole  foundation  of  your  life. In answer  to  this,  you are there  told,  that  your  heart  ought  to  be  where  your  treasure  is;