Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/439

 and to  make  choice  of  another,  for  which  no  person  can  be  answerable to  you.

Lastly. I do  not  tell  you  that,  the  Gospel  having  been  only given to  us  in  order  to  detach  us  from  the  world  and  from  ourselves, and  to  make  us  die  to  all  our  terrestrial  affections,  it  is  deceiving ourselves  to  consider,  as  inconveniencies,  certain  consequences of  that  divine  law,  fatal  either  to  our  fortune,  to  our  glory, or to  our  ease,  and  to  persuade  ourselves  that  it  is  then  permitted to us  to  have  recourse  to  expedients  which  mollify  it,  and  conciliate its severity  with  the  interests  of  our  self-love. Jesus Christ  hath never meant  to  prescribe  to  us  easy  and  commodious  duties,  and which take  nothing  from  the  passions;  he  came  to  bring  the  sword and separation  to  hearts,  to  divide  man  from  his  relations,  from  his friends, from  himself;  to  hold  out  to  us  a  way  rugged  and  difficult to keep. Thus, what  we  call  inconveniencies  and  unheard-of  extremities, are,  at  bottom,  only  the  spirit  of  the  law,  the  most natural consequences  of  the  rules,  and  the  end  that  Jesus  Christ hath intended  in  prescribing  them  to  us.

That young  man  of  the  Gospel  regarded,  as  an  inconveniency, the being  unable  to  go  to  pay  the  last  duties  to  his  father,  and to gather  in  what  he  had  succeeded  to,  if  he  followed  Jesus  Christ; and it  was  precisely  that  sacrifice  which  Jesus  Christ  exacted  of him. Those men  invited  to  the  feast  looked  upon  as  an  inconveniency, the  one  to  forsake  his  country-house,  the  other  his  trade, the last  to  delay  his  marriage;  and  it  was  in  order  to  break  asunder all these  ties,  which  bound  them  still  too  much  to  the  earth,  that the father  of  the  family  invited  them  to  come  and  seat  themselves at the  feast. Esther, at  first,  considered  as  an  inconveniency  to  go to  appear  before  Ahasuerus,  contrary  to  the  law  of  the  empire,  and to declare  herself  a  daughter  of  Abraham,  and  protectress  of  the children of  Israel;  and,  nevertheless,  as  the  wise  Mordecai  represented to  her,  the  Lord  had  raised  her  to  that  point  of  glory  and prosperity only  for  that  important  occasion. Whatever is  a  constraint to  us,  appears  a  reason  against  the  law;  and  we  take  for inconveniencies the  obligations  themselves.

Besides, my  brethren,  is  it  not  certain  that  the  principal  merit of our  duties  is  derived  from  the  obstacles  which  never  fail  to  oppose their  practice;  that  the  most  essential  character  of  the  law  of Jesus  Christ  is  that  of  exciting  against  it  all  the  reasons  of  flesh and blood;  and  virtue  would  resemble  vice,  if  outwardly  and  inwardly it  found  in  us  only  facilities  and  conveniencies? The righteous, my  brethren,  have  never  been  peaceable  observers  of  the holy rules. Abel found  inconveniencies  in  the  jealousy  of  his  own brother; Noah,  in  the  unbelief  of  his  own  citizens;  Abraham  in the  disputes  of  his  servants;  Joseph  in  the  dangers  to  which  he was  exposed  through  his  love  of  modesty  and  the  rage  of  a  faithless woman;  Daniel  in  the  customs  of  a  profane  court;  the  pious Esdras in  the  manners  of  the  age;  the  noble  Eleazar  in  the  snares of a  specious  temperament:  lastly,  follow  the  history  of  the  just, and you  will  see  that,  in  all  ages,  all  those  who  have  walked  in  the