Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/448

 delighted that  religion  were  false;  and  who  are  less  touched  with that respectable  load  of  proofs  which  overpowers  a  conceited  reason and its  truth,  than  with  a  senseless  discourse  which  opposes  it,  in which  there  is  generally  nothing  important  but  the  boldness  of  the impiety and  of  the  blasphemy. Lastly, I  speak  of  many  believers who turn  over  to  the  people  the  belief  of  so  many  wonderful  actions which the  history  of  religion  has  preserved  to  us;  who  seem  to believe  that  whatever  is  above  the  power  of  man  is  likewise  beyond the power  of  God;  and  who  refuse  credit  to  the  miracles  of  a  religion which  is  solely  founded  on  them,  and  which  is  itself  the  greatest of all  miracles.

Behold how  we  still  snatched  from  God  that  glory  which  the birth of  Jesus  Christ  had  rendered  to  him. It had  taught  us  to sacrifice  our  own  lights  to  the  incomprehensible  mystery  of  his manifestation in  our  flesh,  and  no  longer  to  live  but  by  faith;  it had  fixed  the  uncertainties  of  the  human  mind,  and  recalled  it  from the errors  and  the  abyss  in  which  reason  had  plunged  it,  to  the  way of truth  and  life,  and  we  abandon  it:  and  even  under  the  empire of faith  we  wish  still  to  walk  as  formerly,  under  the  standards,  if I  may  venture  to  speak  in  this  manner,  of  a  weak  reason:  the  mysteries of  religion,  which  we  cannot  comprehend,  shock  us;  we  suspect, we  reform  all;  we  would  have  God  to  think  like  man. Without altogether losing  our  faith,  we  suffer  it  to  be  inwardly  weakened; we  allow  it  to  remain  inactive:  and  it  is  this  relaxation  of faith  which  has  corrupted  our  manners,  multiplied  vices,  inflamed all hearts  with  a  love  of  things  present;  extinguished  the  love  of riches  to  come;  placed  trouble,  hatred,  and  dissension  among  believers, and  effaced  those  original  marks  of  innocence,  of  sanctity, and of  charity,  which  at  first  had  rendered  Christianity  so  respectable even  to  those  who  refused  submission  to  it. But not  only  doth the birth  of  Jesus  Christ  restore  to  God  that  glory  of  which  men had wished  to  deprive  him;  it  likewise  restores  to  men  that  peace, of which  they  had  never  ceased  to  deprive  themselves:  "  And  on earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men."

Part II. — A universal  peace  reigned  throughout  the  universe, when Jesus  Christ,  the  "Prince  of  Peace,"  appeared  on  the  earth. All the  nations  subject  to  the  Roman  empire  peaceably  supported the yoke  of  those  haughty  masters  of  the  world. Rome herself, after civil  dissensions,  which  had  almost  depopulated  her  walls, filled the  islands  and  deserts  with  her  proscribed,  and  bathed  Europe and Asia  with  the  blood  of  her  citizens,  breathed  from  the  horror  of these  troubles,  and  reunited  under  the  authority  of  a  Caesar,  experienced in  slavery,  a  peace  which  she  had  never,  during  the  enjoyment of  her  liberty,  been  able  to  accomplish.

The universe  was  then  at  rest;  but  that  was  but  a  deceitful  calm. Man, the  prey  of  his  own  violent  and  iniquitous  passions,  experienced within  himself  the  most  cruel  dissension  and  war:  far  from God, delivered  up  to  the  agitations  and  frenzies  of  his  own  heart, combated  by  the  multiplicity  and  the  eternal  contrariety  of  his