Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/428

 And behold,  my  brethren,  the  abuses  which  still  reign  among  us against  the  law  of  God. We have  shown  to  you  that,  in  spite  of the  doubts  and  the  obscurities  which  our  lusts  have  spread  over our duties,  the  light  of  the  law,  always  superior  to  our  passions, dissipated, in  spite  of  ourselves,  these  obscurities,  and  that  we  were never hearty  in  the  transgressions  which  we  tried  to  justify  to  ourselves. But it  is  little  to  be  willing,  like  the  Pharisees,  to  darken the evidence  of  the  law:  like  them,  we  likewise  strike  at  its  immutability;  and,  as  if  the  law  of  God  could  change  with  the  manners of the  age,  the  differences  of  conditions,  the  necessity  of  situations, we believe  that  we  can  accommodate  it  to  these  three  different  circumstances, and  in  them  find  pretexts,  either  to  mollify  its  severity or altogether  to  violate  its  precepts.

First. In effect,  the  heart  of  men  is  changeable;  every  age  sees new customs  spring  up  among  us;  times  and  the  customs  always determine our  manners. Now, the  law  of  God  is  immutable  in  its duration, always  the  same  in  all  times  and  in  all  places;  and,  by this  first  character  of  immutability,  it  alone  ought  to  be  the  constant and  perpetual  rule  of  our  manners. — First reflection.

Secondly. The heart  of  man  is  vain:  whatever  levels  us  with  the rest of  men,  wounds  our  pride;  we  love  distinctions  and  preferences; we believe  that,  in  the  elevation  of  rank  and  of  birth,  we  find  privileges against  the  law. Now, the  law  of  God  is  immutable  in  its extent; it  levels  all  stations  and  all  conditions;  it  is  the  same  for the great  and  for  the  people,  for  the  prince  and  for  the  subject;  and, by this  second  character  of  immutability,  it  ought  to  recall  to  the same duties  that  variety  of  stations  and  conditions  which  spreads so much  inequality  over  the  detail  of  manners  and  of  the  rules. — Second reflection.

Lastly. The heart  of  man  connects  every  thing  with  itself;  he persuades  himself  that  his  interests  ought  to  be  preferred  to  the law and  to  the  interests  of  God  himself;  the  slightest  inconveniencies  are  reasons,  in  his  eyes,  against  the  rule. Now, the  law  of God  is  immutable  in  all  situations  of  life;  and,  by  this  last  character of  immutability,  there  is  neither  perplexity,  nor  inconveniency,  nor  apparent  necessity,  which  can  dispense  us  from  its  precepts.— Last  reflection. %

And behold  the  three  pretexts,  which  the  world  opposes  to  the immutability of  the  law  of  God,  overthrown:  the  pretext  of  manners and  customs;  the  pretext  of  rank  and  of  birth;  the  pretext of situations  and  inconveniencies. The law  of  God  is  immutable  in its  durations;  therefore,  the  manners  and  the  customs  can  never change it:  the  law  of  God  is  immutable  in  its  extent;  therefore, the difference  of  ranks  and  of  conditions  leaves  it  every  where  the same: the  law  of  God  is  immutable  in  all  situations;  therefore, inconveniencies, perplexities,  never  justify  the  smallest  transgression of  it.

Part 1. — One of  the  most  urgent  and  most  usual  reproaches which the  first  supporters  of  religion  formerly  made  to  the  hea-