Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/438

 that mean  and  sorry  externals  disgrace  not  the  elevated  post  which he hath  confided  to  us;  that  we  are  responsible  to  the  sovereign, to the  state,  and  to  ourselves,  before  being  so  to  individuals;  and that public  property  is  then  superior  to  the  particular  rule.

Thus, the  law  of  God  enjoins  us  to  tear  out  the  eye  which giveth offence,  and  to  cast  it  from  us;  to  separate  ourselves  from an object  which,  in  all  times,  hath  been  the  rock  of  our  innocence, and near  to  which  we  can  never  be  in  safety. Nevertheless, the noise  which  a  rupture  would  make,  the  suspicions  which it might  awaken  in  the  public  mind,  the  ties  of  society,  of  relationship, of  friendship,  which  seem  to  render  the  separation  impossible without  eclat,  persuade  us  that  it  is  not  then  commanded, and  that  a  danger,  become  as  if  necessary,  becomes  a  security to us.

Thus, the  law  of  God  commands  us  to  render  glory  to  the  truth; not to  betray  our  conscience  by  iniquitously  withholding  it;  that  is to  say,  not  to  dissemble  it,  through  human  interests,  from  those  to whom  our  duty  obliges  us  to  announce  it. Nevertheless we  persuade ourselves  that  truths,  which  would  be  unavailing,  ought  to be  suppressed;  and  that  a  liberty,  of  which  the  only  fruit  would be that  of  risking  our  fortune,  and  of  rendering  ourselves  hated, without rendering  those  better  to  whom  we  owe  the  truth,  would rather be  an  indiscretion  than  a  law  of  charity  and  of  justice.

Thus, the  law  of  God  prescribes  to  us  to  have  in  view,  in  public cares, only  the  utility  of  the  people,  for  whom  alone  the  authority is intrusted  to  us;  to  consider  ourselves  as  charged  with  the  interests of  the  multitude,  as  the  avengers  of  injustice,  the  refuge  against oppression and  poverty. Nevertheless, we  believe  ourselves  to  be situated  in  conjunctures  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  shut  our  eyes upon iniquity,  to  support  abuses  which  we  know  to  be  untenable;  to sacrifice  conscience  and  duty  to  the  necessity  of  the  times,  and,  without scruple,  to  violate  the  clearest  rules,  because  the  inconveniencies,  which  would  arise  from  their  observance,  seem  to  render  their transgression necessary. Lastly, human  pretexts,  interests,  and inconveniencies, always  make  the  balance  to  turn  to  their  side; and duty,  and  the  law  of  God,  always  yield  to  conjunctures  and  to the  necessity  of  the  times.

Now, my  brethren,  I  do  not  tell  you,  in  the  first  place,  that  the interest of  salvation  is  the  greatest  of  all  interests;  that  fortune, life, reputation,  the  whole  world  itself,  put  in  comparison  with your soul,  ought  to  be  reckoned  as  nothing;  and  that  though heaven and  the  earth  should  change,  that  the  whole  world  should perish, and  every  evil  should  burst  upon  our  head,  these  inconveniencies should  always  be  infinitely  less  than  the  transgression  of the  law  of  God.

Secondly. I do  not  tell  you  that  the  law  hath  always,  at  least, security in  its  favour  against  the  pretext,  because  the  obligation  of the  law  is  clear  and  precise,  in  place  of  which,  the  pretext,  which introduces the  exception,  is  always  doubtful;  and,  that,  consequently, to  prefer  the  pretext  to  the  law,  is  to  leave  a  safe  way,