Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/453

 revolution of  fears,  desires,  jealousies,  mistrusts,  disgusts,  and  frenzies? And since  that  passion  has  stained  your  soul,  have  you  enjoyed a  moment  of  peace? Let Jesus  Christ  again  be  born within your  heart;  he  alone  can  be  your  true  peace:  chase  from it the  impure  spirits,  and  the  mansion  of  your  soul  will  be  at  rest; become once  more  a  child  of  grace:  innocence  is  the  only  source of tranquillity.

Lastly, the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  reconciles  men  to  his  Father; it reunites  the  Gentile  and  the  Jew;  it  destroys  all  those  hateful distinctions of  Greek  and  Barbarian,  of  Roman  and  Scythian;  it extinguishes  all  animosities  and  hatreds:  of  all  nations  it  makes only one  people,  of  all  his  disciples  only  one  heart  and  one  soul: last kind  of  peace  which  it  brings  to  men. Formerly they  were united together  neither  by  worship,  a  common  hope,  nor  by  the new covenant,  which,  in  an  enemy  holds  out  to  us  a  friend. They considered each  other  almost  as  creatures  of  a  different  species:  the diversity of  religions,  of  manners,  of  countries,  of  languages,  of  interests, had,  it  would  appear,  as  if  diversified  in  them  the  same  nature: scarcely  did  they  recognise  each  other  by  that  figure  of humanity  which  was  the  only  sign  of  connexion  still  remaining  to them. Like wild  beasts,  they  mutually  exterminated  each  other: they centred  their  glory  in  depopulating  the  lands  of  their  fellow-creatures,  and  in  carrying  in  triumph  their  bloody  heads  as  the splendid memorials  of  their  victories:  it  might  have  been  said  that they held  their  existence  from  different  irreconcilable  creators,  always watchful  to  destroy  each  other,  and  who  had  placed  them  here below only  to  revenge  their  quarrel,  and  to  terminate  their  disagreement by  the  general  extinction  of  one  of  the  two  parties;  every thing disunited  man,  and  nothing  bound  them  together  but  interest and the  passions,  which  were  themselves  the  sole  source  of  their divisions and  animosities.

But Jesus  Christ  is  become  our  peace,  our  reconciliation,  the corner-stone which  binds  and  unites  the  whole  fabric,  the  living head which  unites  all  its  members,  and  makes  but  one  body  of  the whole. Every thing  knits  us  to  him,  and  whatever  knits  us  to  him unites us  to  each  other. It is  the  same  Spirit  which  animates  us, the same  hope  which  sustains  us,  the  same  bosom  which  brings  us forth,  the  same  fold  which  assembles  us,  and  the  same  Shepherd who conducts  us:  we  are  children  of  the  same  Father,  inheritors  of the  same  promises,  citizens  of  the  same  eternal  city,  and  members of the  same  body.

Now, my  brethren,  have  so  many  sacred  ties  been  successful  in binding  us  together? Christianity, which  ought  to  be  but  the  union of hearts,  the  tie  to  knit  believers  to  each  other,  and  Jesus  Christ to believers,  and  which  ought  to  represent  upon  the  earth  an  image of the  peace  of  heaven;  Christianity  itself  is  no  longer  but  a  horrible theatre of  troubles  and  dissensions:  war  and  fury  seem  to  have  established an  eternal  abode  among  Christians;  religion  itself,  which  ought to unite,  divides  them. The unbeliever,  the  enemy  of  Jesus  Christ, the children  of  the  false  prophet,  who  came  to  spread  war  and  devas-