Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/440

 precepts and  in  the  ordinances  of  the  law,  have  experienced  inconveniencies  in  which  righteousness  itself  seemed  to  authorize  the transgression of  the  rules;  have  encountered  obstacles  in  their  way where the  lights  of  human  reason  seemed  to  decide  in  favour  of  the pretext against  the  law:  in  a  word,  where  virtue  seemed  to  condemn virtue  itself:  and  that,  consequently,  it  is  not  new  for  the  law of God  to  meet  with  obstacles;  but  that  it  is  new  to  pretend  to find  in  these  obstacles  legitimate  excuses  for  dispensing  ourselves from the  law  of  God.

And the  decisive  argument  which  confirms  this  truth  is,  that  our passions alone  form  the  inconveniencies  which  authorize  us  in  seeking mollifications  to  our  duties  and  to  the  law  of  God;  and  that views of  fortune,  of  glory,  of  favour,  engage  us  in  certain  proceedings, justify  them  in  our  eyes,  in  spite  of  the  evidence  of  rules  which condemn them,  only  because  we  love  our  glory  and  our  fortune more than  the  rules  themselves.

Let us  die  to  the  world  and  to  ourselves,  my  brethren;  let  us  restore to  our  heart  the  sentiments  of  love  and  of  preference,  which it owes  to  its  Lord:  then  every  thing  shall  appear  possible;  difficulties shall,  in  an  instant,  be  done  away;  and  what  we  call  inconveniencies either  shall  no  longer  be  reckoned  as  any  thing,  or  we shall  consider  them  as  inseparable  proofs  of  virtue,  and  not  as  the excuses of  vice. How easy  is  it  to  find  pretexts  when  we  love them! Arguments are  never  wanting  to  the  passions. Self-love is always  ready  in  placing,  at  least,  appearances  on  its  side;  it  always changes our  weaknesses  into  duties,  and  our  inclinations  soon  become legitimate  claims;  and  what  in  this  is  most  deplorable,  says St. Augustine,  is,  that  we  call  in  even  religion  itself  in  aid  of  our passions; that  we  draw  motives  from  piety,  in  order  to  violate  piety itself; and  that  we  have  recourse  to  holy  pretexts  to  authorize  iniquitous desires.

It is  thus,  O  my  God! that almost  our  whole  life  is  passed  in seducing  ourselves;  that  we  employ  the  lights  of  our  reason  only  in darkening  those  of  faith;  that  we  consume  the  few  days  we  have to pass  upon  the  earth,  only  in  seeking  authorities  for  our  passions, in imagining  situations  in  which  we  believe  ourselves  to  be  enabled to disobey  thee  with  impunity;  that  is  to  say,  that  all  our  cares,  all our reflections,  all  the  superiority  of  our  views,  of  our  lights,  of  our talents, all  the  wisdom  of  our  measures  and  of  our  counsels,  are limited to  the  accomplishment  of  our  ruin,  and  to  conceal  from  ourselves our  eternal  destruction.

Let us  shun  this  evil,  my  brethren;  let  us  reckon  no  way  safe  for us but  that  of  the  rules  and  of  the  law;  and  let  us  remember  that there shall  be  more  sinners  condemned  through  the  pretexts  which seem to  authorize  the  transgressions  of  the  law,  than  through  the avowed crimes  which  violate  it. It is  thus  that  the  law  of  God, after having  been  the  rule  of  our  manners  upon  the  earth,  shall  be their  eternal  consolation  in  heaven.