Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/477



A God  lowering  himself  so  far  as  even  to  become  man,  astonishes and  confounds  reason;  and  into  what  an  abyss  of  errors  is  it not  plunged,  if  the  light  of  faith  come  not  speedily  to  its  aid,  to discover  the  depth  of  the  divine  wisdom  concealed  under  the  apparent absurdity  of  the  mystery  of  a  Man-God! Thus, in  all  times, this fundamental  point  of  our  holy  religion,  I  mean  the  divinity  of Jesus  Christ,  hath  been  the  object  most  exposed  to  the  foolish  oppositions of  the  human  mind. Men, full  of  pride,  whose  mouths ought to  be  filled  with  only  thanksgivings  for  the  ineffable  gift,  made to them  by  the  Father  of  mercies,  of  his  only  Son,  have  continually insulted  him,  by  vomiting  forth  the  most  impious  blasphemies against that  adorable  Son; — full  of  blindness,  who  have  not  seen that the  sole  name  of  Jesus,  which  is  given  to  him  on  this  day,  that name which  he  at  first  receives  in  heaven,  and  which  an  angel  conveys to  the  earth,  to  Mary  and  Joseph,  is  the  incontestable  proof of his  divinity. That sacred  name  establishes  him  the  Saviour  of mankind;  Saviour,  in  that,  through  the  effusion  of  blood,  which becomes our  ransom,  he  delivers  us  from  sin,  and  from  the  consequences inseparable  from  it,  namely,  the  tyranny  of  the  demon  and of hell:  Saviour,  in  that,  attracting  upon  his  own  head  the  chastisement due  to  our  transgressions,  he  reconciles  us  with  God,  and opens to  us  afresh  the  entry  of  the  eternal  sanctuary,  which  sin  had shut against  us. But, my  brethren,  if  the  Son  of  Mary  be  but  a mere  man,  of  what  value,  in  the  eyes  of  God,  will  be  the  oblation of his  blood? If Jesus  Christ  be  not  God,  how  will  his  mediation be accepted,  while  he  would  himself  have  occasion  for  a  mediator to reconcile  him  with  God?

This proof,  which  I  only  touch  upon  here,  and  so  many  others with which  religion  furnishes  me,  would  quickly  stop  the  mouth  of the  ungodly,  and  confound  his  impiety,  if  I  undertook  to  show  them in all  their  light,  and  to  give  an  extension  in  proportion  to  their importance. But, God  forbid  that  I  should  come  here,  into  the holy temple,  where  the  altars  of  our  divine  Saviour  are  raised  up, where his  worshippers  assemble,  to  enter  into  contestation,  as  if  I spake  in  the  presence  of  his  enemies,  or  to  make  the  apology  of  the mystery of  the  Man-God,  before  a  believing  people,  and  a  sovereign whose most  illustrious  and  most  cherished  title  is  that  of  Christian. It is  not,  therefore,  to  combat  these  ungodly,  that,  on  this  day,  I consecrate  my  discourse  to  the  divinity,  and  to  the  eternal  glory  of Jesus,  Son  of  the  living  God;  I  come  for  the  sole  purpose  of  con-