Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/496

 in their  steps;  but  that  Jesus  Christ  if  he  be  not  God  himself, should order  us  to  die  for  himself,  should  exact  of  men  that  last  proof of love, — that  he  should  command  us  to  offer  up  a  life  for  him which we  hold  not  of  him,  is  it  possible  that  men  should  have  ever existed upon  the  earth  so  vulgar  and  so  stupid  as  to  allow  themselves to  be  led  away  by  the  extravagance  of  such  a  doctrine? Is it possible  that  maxims  so  ridiculous  and  so  impious  should  have been able  to  triumph  over  the  whole  universe,  to  overthrow  all sects, to  recall  all  minds,  and  to  prevail  over  every  thing  which  had hitherto appeared  exalted,  either  in  learning,  in  doctrine,  or  in  the wisdom of  the  earth? And, if  we  consider  as  barbarians  those  savage nations  who  make  a  sacrifice  of  themselves  upon  the  tombs and ashes  of  their  relations  and  friends,  why  should  we  view  in  a more  respectable  light  those  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ  who  have sacrificed themselves  for  his  sake? — and shall  not  his  religion  be equally  a  religion  of  barbarity  and  of  blood.

Yes, my  brethren,  the  Agnesses,  the  Lucias,  the  Agathas,  those first martyrs  of  faith  and  of  modesty,  would  then  have  sacrificed themselves to  a  mortal  man. And, in  preferring  to  shed  their blood rather  than  to  bend  the  knee  before  vain  idols,  they  would have shunned  one  idolatry  only  in  order  to  fall  into  another  more condemnable, in  dying  for  Jesus  Christ. The generous  avowers of faith  would  then  have  been  only  a  set  of  desperate  and  fanatical men, who,  like  madmen,  had  run  to  death. The tradition  of  the martyrs would  then  be  no  longer  but  the  list  of  an  impious  and bloody scene. The tyrants  and  persecutors  would  then  have  been the defenders  of  righteousness,  and  of  the  glory  of  the  Divinity, — Christianity itself  a  sacrilegious  and  profane  sect. The human race would  then  have  totally  erred. And the  blood  of  the  martyrs, far from  having  been  the  seed  of  believers,  would  have  answered the sole  purpose  of  inundating  the  whole  universe  with  superstition and idolatry. — O God! can the  ear  of  man  listen  to  such  blasphemies without  horror? and what  more  is  necessary  to  overthrow unbelief than  to  show  it  to  itself?

Such are  our  first  duties  toward  Jesus  Christ;  to  sacrifice  to him  our  inclinations,  our  friends,  our  relations,  our  fortune,  our life itself,  and,  in  a  word,  whatever  may  stand  in  the  way  of  our salvation; it  is  to  confess  his  divinity:  it  is  to  acknowledge  that he alone  can  supply  the  place  of  all  that  we  forsake  for  him,  and render to  us  even  more  than  we  quit,  by  giving  us  himself. It is he  alone,  says  the  apostle  John,  who  contemns  the  world  and  all its pleasures,  who  confesses  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God, because he  thereby  pronounces  that  Jesus  Christ  is  greater  than the world,  more  capable  of  rendering  us  happy,  and  consequently more worthy  of  our  love.

But it  is  not  sufficient  to  have  considered  the  spirit  of  the ministry of  Jesus  Christ  in  his  doctrine;  it  is  necessary  to  consider it,  secondly,  in  the  special  favours  and  blessings  which the universe  has  received  from  him. He came  to  deliver  all men from  eternal  death;  from  enemies  of  God,  as  they  were, he   hath  rendered  them  his  children;  he   hath  secured  to  them