Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/425

 nations, who  had  brought  to  the  truths  of  faith  all  the  prejudices of the  superstitions  and  of  the  most  infamous  voluptuousnesses authorized even  by  their  worship. Did the  Gospel  contain  the smallest obscurities  favourable  to  the  passions,  it  surely  ought  to have  been  those  first  disciples  of  faith  who  should  have  made  the mistake. Nevertheless, whence  comes  it  they  never  proposed  to the  apostles  and  to  their  successors  the  same  difficulties  which  you continually oppose  to  us,  in  support  of  the  abuses  of  the  world  and of the  interests  of  the  passions? Whence comes  it,  that,  with more inclinations  and  more  prejudices  than  we  for  pleasures,  those blessed believers  at  once  comprehended  how  far,  in  order  to  obey the Gospel,  it  was  necessary  to  deny  them  to  themselves?

Ah! it was  that,  night  and  day,  they  had  the  book  of  the  law  in their  hands;  it  was  that  patience,  and  the  consolation  of  the  Scriptures, were  the  sweetest  occupation  of  their  faith;  it  was  that  the letters of  the  holy  apostles,  and  the  relation  of  the  life,  and  of  the maxims of  Jesus  Christ,  were  the  sole  bond  and  the  daily  conversations of  these  infant  churches:  in  a  word,  it  is  that,  to  whoever reads the  gospel,  whatever  regards  the  duties  is  quickly  decided. — Fourth reflection.

Lastly, I  say,  even  admitting  that  some  obscurities  should  be found  there,  doth  not  the  law  of  God  find  all  its  evidence  in  instruction and  in  the  ministry? The Christian  pulpits  announce  to you  the  purity  of  the  holy  maxims;  the  pastors  publicly  preach them; men,  full  of  zeal  and  of  knowledge,  convey  them  down  to posterity,  in  works  worthy  of  the  better  times  of  the  church:  never had the  piety  of  believers  more  aids;  no  age  ever  was  more  enlightened, or  better  knew  the  spirit  of  faith  and  the  whole  extent  of duties. We no  longer  live  in  those  ages  of  ignorance,  in  which  the rules subsisted  only  in  the  abuses  which  had  adulterated  them;  in which  the  ministry  was  often  an  occasion  of  error  and  of  scandal  for believers, and  in  which  the  priest  was  considered  as  more  enlightened, whenever  he  was  more  superstitious  than  his  people.

It would  seem,  O  my  God! that in  order  to  render  us  more  inexcusable, in  proportion  as  the  wickedness  of  men  increases  on  the one side,  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  which  is  to  condemn  them, augments on  the  other;  in  proportion  as  the  manners  become  corrupted, the  rules  become  more  evident;  in  proportion  as  faith  becomes languid,  it  is  cleared  up  and  purified;  like  those  fires,  which, in expiring  give  a  momentary  flash,  and  never  display  their  lustre with such  brilliancy  as  when  on  the  eve  of  being  extinguished.

Not that  there  are  not  still  among  us  many  blind  guides  and prophets who  announce  their  own  dreams. But the  snare  is  to  be dreaded  only  by  those  who  are  willing  to  be  deceived. When sincerely inclined  to  seek  the  Lord,  we  soon  find  the  hand  which knows to  lead  us  to  him. It is  not,  then,  properly  speaking,  the false guides  who  lead  us  astray,  it  is  ourselves  who  seek  them,  because we  wish  to  err  with  them:  they  are  not  the  first  authors  of our  ruin,  they  are  only  the  encouragers  of  it:  they  do  not  lead  us into  the  path  of  perdition,  they  only  leave  us  there;  and  we  are already determined  to  perish  before  we  apply  for  their  suffrage.