Page:Sermons for all the Sundays in the year.djvu/214

 worldlings curse and upbraid us, God at the same time praises and blesses us. "They will curse, and thou wilt bless." (Ps. cviii. 28.) Is it not enough for us to be praised by God, to be praised by the queen of heaven, by all the angels, by all the saints, and by all just men? Let worldlings say what they wish; but let us continue to please God, who will give us, in the next life, a reward proportioned to the violence we shall have done to ourselves in despising the contradictions of men. Each of you should figure to himself, that there is no one in the world but himself and God. When the wicked treat us with contempt, let us recommend to God these blind and miserable men, who run in the road to perdition; and let us thank the Lord for giving to us the light which he refuses to them. Let us continue in our own way: to obtain all, it is necessary to conquer all. Second Point. On the means of overcoming human respect. 11. To overcome human respect, it is necessary to fix in our hearts the holy resolution of preferring the grace of God to all the goods and favours of this world, and to say with St. Paul: "Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, . . . .nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God." (Rom. viii. 38, 39.) Jesus Christ exhorts us not to be afraid of those who can take away the life of the body; but to fear him only who can condemn the soul and body to hell. “And fear you not them that kill the body; but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body into hell." (Matt, x. 28.) We wish either to follow God or the world; if we wish to follow God we must give up the world. "how long do you halt between two sides ?" said Elias to the people. ”If the Lord be God, follow him." (3 Kings xviii. 21.) You cannot serve God and the world. He that seeks to please men cannot please God. ”If," says the Apostle, "I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. ” (Gal. i. 10.) 12. The true servants of God rejoice to see themselves despised and maltreated for the sake of Jesus