Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/491

 which they  were  not  guilty,  and  a  prophet  whom  they  were  taught from the  beginning  of  the  world  to  expect  as  the  light  of  Israel and the  Redeemer  of  his  people;  and,  besides,  in  what  manner  doth Jesus Christ  fulfil  his  ministry,  and  what  is  his  language  with  regard to the  Supreme  Being? Moses and  the  prophets,  charged  with  the same mission,  never  cease  to  proclaim  that  the  Lord  was  one  and the same;  that  it  was  impious  to  compare  him  to  the  similitude of the  creature;  and  that  they  themselves  were  only  his  servants and messengers,  vile  instruments  in  the  hands  of  a  God,  who, through them,  operated  great  things. No dubious  expression escapes from  their  mouth  on  so  essential  a  point  of  their  mission; no comparison  of  themselves  to  the  Supreme  Being,  always  dangerous, in  consequence  of  the  natural  tendency  of  man  to  prostitute his homages  to  men,  and  to  raise  up  for  himself  palpable  and  visible gods;  no  equivocal  term  which  might  have  blended  themselves with the  Lord,  in  whose  name  they  spake,  and  have  given  birth  to a  superstition  and  an  idolatry,  to  combat  which  they  only  came.

But if  Jesus  Christ  be  only  a  messenger  such  as  they  were, with how  much  less  fidelity  doth  he  fulfil  his  ministry! He continually says,  that  he  is  equal  to  his  Father;  he  acquaints  us,  that he hath  come  down  from  heaven,  and  that  he  hath  quitted  the bosom of  God;  that  he  was  before  Abraham;  that  he  was  before all things;  that  the  Father  and  he  are  one;  that  eternal  life  consists in  the  knowledge  of  the  Son,  as  well  as  in  the  knowledge  of the  Father;  that  whatever  is  done  by  the  Father,  the  Son  also doth. Had any  prophet,  down  to  Jesus  Christ,  spoken  in  a  language so  new,  so  strange,  so  disrespectful  toward  the  Supreme God; and  who,  far  from  rendering  the  glory  to  God  as  the  author of every  good  gift,  hath  attributed  to  his  own  efficiency  the  great things which  the  Lord  hath  deigned  to  operate  through  his  ministry? Every where  he  compares  himself  to  the  sovereign  God;  on one  occasion,  indeed,  he  says  that  the  Father  is  greater  than  he; but what  language  is  that,  if  he  be  not  himself  a  God  manifested in flesh? And would  we  not  consider  as  a  fool  any  man  who should seriously  tell  us  that  the  Supreme  Being  is  greater  than he? Even to  dare  to  compare  himself  with  the  Divinity,  is  it  not equalling himself  to  him? Is there  any  proportion  either  of  greater or less  between  God  and  man,  between  the  whole  and  nothing? But what  do  I  say? Jesus Christ  is  not  content  with  saying  that he is  equal  to  God;  he  even  justifies  the  novelty  of  these  expressions against  the  murmurings  of  the  Jews  who  are  offended  at them;  far  from  clearly  undeceiving  them,  he  confirms  them  in the  offence;  on  every  occasion  he  affects  a  language,  which,  unless cleared  up  and  justified  by  his  equality  to  his  Father,  becomes either foolish  or  impious. If he  be  not  God,  what  came  he  to  do upon  the  earth? He comes  to  offend  the  Jews,  by  giving  them room to  believe  that  he  compares  himself  to  the  Most  High: he comes  to  seduce  nations,  by  procuring  to  himself  the  adoration of  the  whole  earth  after  his  death:  he  comes  to  spread  fresh obscurity over    the  universe,  and  not,    as  he  hath   vaunted,  to