Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/420

 that is  to  say,  in  the  desire  and  in  the  hope  of  eternal  riches;  and that the  Christian  is  not  of  this  world. Decide thereupon  the  difficulty yourselves.

You demand,  if  continual  gaming,  amusing,  theatres,  and  so many  other  pleasures,  so  innocent  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  ought to be  banished  from  the  Christian  life. You are  there  told,  that blessed are  they  who  weep  now;  but  woe  unto  those  who  laugh, and who  receive  their  consolation  in  this  world. Follow the  spirit of this  rule,  and  see  to  what  it  leads.

You inquire,  if,  having  to  live  in  the  world,  you  ought  to  live  like the world;  if  we  would  wish  to  condemn  almost  all  men  who  live like you;  and  if,  in  order  to  serve  God,  it  be  necessary  to  affect singularities which  excite  the  ridicule  of  other  men. You are  there told, that  we  are  not  to  conform  to  this  corrupted  age;  that  it  is impossible  to  please  men  and  to  be  the  servant  of  Jesus  Christ; and that  the  multitude  is  always  the  party  of  the  reprobate. You have now  to  say  whether  the  answer  be  explicit.

You doubt,  if,  having  pardoned  your  enemy,  you  be  also  obliged to see  him,  to  serve  him,  to  assist  him  with  your  wealth  and  credit;  and  if  it  be  not  more  equitable  to  reserve  your  favours  and preferences for  your  friends. You are  there  told,  do  good  to  those who have  wished  evil  to  you;  speak  well  of  those  who  calumniate you; love  those  who  hate  you. Enter into  the  spirit  of  this  pre cept, and  say  if  it  doth  not  shed  a  light  over  your  doubt,  which  instantly clears  it  up,  and  dissipates  it.

Lastly, propose  as  many  doubts  as  you  please,  upon  duties,  and it will  be  easy  for  you  to  decide  them  by  the  spirit  of  the  law,  if the  letter  say  nothing  of  them;  for  the  letter  kills  me,  says  the apostle: that  is  to  say,  to  stop  there,  to  look  upon  as  duty  only what is  literally  marked,  to  stop  at  the  rude  limits,  and  to  enter  no farther  into  the  principle  and  into  the  spirit  which  vivifies  it,  is  to be  a  Jew,  and  to  be  willing  to  be  self-deceived. No longer  tell  us, then, my  brethren,  when  we  condemn  so  many  abuses,  which  you, without scruple,  allow  yourselves,  "  But  the  Gospel  says  nothing  of them." Ah! the Gospel  says  every  thing  to  those  who  wish  to understand  it:  the  Gospel  leaves  nothing  undecided  to  whoever loves the  law  of  God:  the  Gospel  is  competent  to  all,  to  whoever searches it  only  for  instruction;  and  it  goes  on  much  the  farther, and says  so  much  the  more,  as  that,  without  stopping  to  regulate  a particular  detail,  it  regulates  the  passions  themselves;  that,  without detailing  all  the  actions,  it  goes  to  repress  those  inclinations which are  the  sources  of  them;  and  that,  without  confining  itself to certain  external  circumstances  of  the  manners,  it  proposes  to  us, as rules  of  duty,  only  self-denial,  hatred  of  the  world,  love  of  sufferance, contempt  for  whatever  takes  place,  and  the  whole  extent of its  crucifying  maxims. — First reflection.

I say,  in  the  second  place,  that  it  is  not  the  obscurity  of  the  law, but our  passions,  still  dear,  which  give  rise  to  all  our  doubts  upon the duties;  that  the  worldly  souls  are  those  who  find  most  difficulty and  most  obscurity  in  the  rules  of  the  manners;  that  nothing