It is evident that the literal and rigorous practice of the Divine morality of the Christians would lead nations to ruin.  A Christian who would attain perfection, ought to drive away from his mind all that can alienate him from heaven—­his true country.  He sees upon earth but temptations, snares, and opportunities to go astray; he must fear science as injurious to faith; he must avoid industry, as it is a means of obtaining riches, which are fatal to salvation; he must renounce preferments and honors, as things capable of exciting his pride and calling his attention away from his soul; in a word, the sublime morality of Christ, if it were not impracticable, would sever all the ties of society.

A saint in the world is no more useful than a saint in the desert; the saint has an unhappy, discontented, and often irritable, turbulent disposition; his zeal often obliges him, conscientiously, to disturb society by opinions or dreams which his vanity makes him accept as inspirations from Heaven.  The annals of all religions are filled with accounts of anxious, intractable, seditious saints, who have distinguished themselves by ravages that, for the greater glory of God, they have scattered throughout the universe.  If the saints who live in solitude are useless, those who live in the world are very often dangerous.  The vanity of performing a role, the desire of distinguishing themselves in the eyes of the stupid vulgar by a strange conduct, constitute usually the distinctive characteristics of great saints; pride persuades them that they are extraordinary men, far above human nature; beings who are more perfect than others; chosen ones, which God looks upon with more complaisance than the rest of mortals.  Humility in a saint is, is a general rule, but a pride more refined than that of common men.  It must be a very ridiculous vanity which can determine a man to continually war with his own nature!

CLXIII.—­HUMAN NATURE IS NOT DEPRAVED; AND A MORALITY WHICH CONTRADICTS THIS FACT IS NOT MADE FOR MAN.

A morality which contradicts the nature of man is not made for him.  But you will say that man’s nature is depraved.  In what consists this pretended depravity?  Is it because he has passions?  But are not passions the very essence of man?  Must he not seek, desire, love that which is, or that which he believes to be, essential to his happiness?  Must he not fear and avoid that which he judges injurious or fatal to him?  Excite his passions by useful objects; let him attach himself to these same objects, divert him by sensible and known motives from that which can do him or others harm, and you will make of him a reasonable and virtuous being.  A man without passions would be equally indifferent to vice and to virtue.