Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/489

 vexation of  spirit;  and  Jesus  Christ  alone,  in  bringing  the  sword and separation,  is  come  to  bring  peace  among  men.

O my  God! I know  only  too  well  that  the  world  and  its  pleasures make  none  happy! Come, then,  and  resume  thy  influence over a  heart  which  in  vain  endeavours  to  fly  from  thee,  and  which its own  disgusts  recall  to  thee  in  spite  of  itself:  come  to  be  its  Redeemer, its  peace,  and  its  light,  and  pay  more  regard  to  its  wretchedness than  to  its  crimes.

Behold how  the  lustre  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ  would operate as  an  inevitable  occasion  of  idolatry  in  men,  were  he  only a simple  creature. Let us  now  see  how  the  spirit  of  his  ministry would become  the  snare  of  our  innocence.

Part II. — The lustre  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  the most august  and  most  magnificent  side  of  it. However dignified he hath  appeared,  in  consequence  of  all  the  oracles  which  have announced him,  the  works  which  he  hath  operated,  and  the  shining circumstances of  his  mysteries,  these  are  merely  the  outward  appearances, as  I  may  say,  of  his  glory  and  of  his  grandeur;  and,  in order  to  know  all  that  he  is,  we  must  enter  into  the  principle  and spirit of  his  ministry. Now, in  the  spirit  of  his  ministry  are  comprised his  doctrine,  his  favours,  and  his  promises. Let us  display these in  their  proper  extent,  and  prove,  either  that  we  must  deny to Jesus  Christ  his  quality  of  a  righteous  man,  and  of  a  messenger of the  Almighty  God,  which  the  enemies  of  his  divinity  grant  him to have  been,  or  we  must  admit  that  he  is  himself  a  God  manifested in  the  flesh,  and  come  down  upon  the  earth  in  order  to  save mankind.

Yes, my  brethren,  this  is  an  inevitable  alternative:  if  Jesus Christ be  holy,  he  is  God;  and  if  his  ministry  be  not  a  ministry of deceit  and  imposition,  it  is  the  ministry  of  Eternal  Truth  itself, which hath  been  manifested  for  our  instruction. Now, the  enemies of his"  divine  birth,  are  forced  to  admit,  that  he  hath  been  a  man righteous,  innocent,  and  a  friend  of  God:  and  if  the  world  hath beheld  dark  and  impious  minds,  who  have  likewise  dared  to  blaspheme against  his  innocence,  and  to  confound  him  with  seducers, these  have  been  only  some  individual  monsters  who  were  held  in abhorrence  by  the  human  race,  and  whose  names,  too  odious  to  all nature,  are  for  ever  buried  in  the  same  darkness  from  which  the horror  of  their  impiety  originally  came.

In effect,  what  man,  till  then,  had  appeared  upon  the  earth  with more incontestable  marks  of  innocence  and  sanctity  than  Jesus, Son of  the  living  God? In what  philosopher  had  ever  been  observed such  a  love  of  virtue,  so  sincere  a  contempt  of  the  world,  so much  charity  toward  men,  such  indifference  for  human  glory,  such zeal for  the  glory  of  the  Supreme  Being,  such  elevation  above whatever is  admired  or  sought  after  by  men? How great  is  his zeal for  the  salvation  of  men! It is  to  that  object  that  he  directs all his  discourses,  all  his  cares,  all  his  desires,  and  all  his  anxieties. The philosophers  criticised  only  the  men,  and  solely  endeavoured