Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/437

 something of  its  severity,  would  it  be  in  favour  of  those  who  are born to  rank  and  to  abundance? What! Would it  preserve  all its rigour  for  the  poor  and  the  unfortunate? Would it  condemn to tears,  to  fastings,  to  penitence,  to  poverty,  those  unfortunate souls whose  days  are  mingled  with  almost  nothing  but  sufferance and sorrow,  and  whose  only  comfort  is  that  of  eating  with  temperance the  bread  earned  with  the  sweat  of  their  brow? And would it discharge  from  their  rigorous  duties  the  grandees  of  the  earth? And would  it  exact  nothing  painful  of  those  whose  days  are  only diversified by  the  variety  of  their  pleasures? And would  it  reserve all its  indulgence  for  those  soft  and  voluptuous  souls,  who  live  only for the  senses,  who  believe  they  are  upon  the  earth  for  the  sole purpose of  enjoying  an  iniquitous  felicity,  and  who  know  no  other god than  themselves?

Great God! It is  the  blindness  which  thy  justice  sheds  over human prosperities;  after  having  corrupted  the  heart,  they  likewise extinguish  all  the  lights  of  faith. It rarely  happens  but  that the great,  so  enlightened  upon  the  interests  of  the  earth,  upon  the ways to  fortune  and  to  glory,  upon  the  secret  springs  which  give motion to  courts  and  empires,  live  in  a  profound  ignorance  of  the ways of  salvation. They have  been  so  much  accustomed  to  preferences by  the  world,  that  they  are  persuaded  they  ought  likewise to find  them  in  religion. Because men  do  them  credit  for  the smallest steps  taken  in  their  favour,  they  believe,  O  my  God! that thou  regardest  them  with  the  same  eyes  as  men;  and,  that, in fulfilling  some  weak  duties  of  piety,  in  taking  some  small  steps for thee,  they  go  even  beyond  what  they  owe  to  thee;  as  if  their smallest religious  works  acquired  a  new  merit  from  their  rank:  in place  of  which,  they  acquire  it,  in  thy  sight,  only  from  that  faith and from  that  charity  which  animate  them.

It is  thus  that  the  law  of  God,  immutable  in  its  extent,  is  the same for  all  stations,  for  the  great  and  for  the  people. But it  is likewise  immutable  in  all  the  situations  of  fife;  and  it  is  neither  a difficult  conjecture,  nor  perplexity,  nor  apparent  danger,  nor  pretext of  public  good,  in  which  to  violate,  or  even  to  soften  it,  becomes a  legitimate  and  necessary  modification. This was  to  have been my  last  reflection;  but  I  abridge  and  go  on.

Yes, my  brethren,  every  thing  becomes  reason  and  necessity against our  duties,  that  is  to  say,  against  the  law  of  God;  situations the  least  dangerous,  conjectures  the  least  embarrassing, furnish us  with  pretexts  to  violate  it  with  safety,  and  persuade  us that  the  law  of  God  would  be  unjust,  and  would  exact  too  much of men,  if,  on  these  occasions,  it  were  not  to  use  indulgence  with regard to  us.

Thus, the  law  of  God  commands  us  to  render  to  each  that which is  his  due;  to  retrench,  in  order  to  pay  those  debts  incurred through our  excesses,  and  not  to  permit  that  our  unfortunate  creditors suffer  by  our  senseless  profusions. Nevertheless, the  general persuasion is,  that,  in  a  grand  place,  it  is  necessary  to  support  the eclat of  a  public  dignity:  that  the  honour  of  the  master  requires