Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/129

 selves embarrassed  with  the  little  you  are  left? God will  judge you, my  brethren;  and  on  the  bed  of  death,  and  in  that  terrible hour which  shall  surprise  you,  in  vain  shall  you  demand  a  little more time;  in  vain  shall  you  promise  to  God  a  more  Christian  use of what  you  will  endeavour  to  obtain:  his  justice,  without  pity, will cut  the  thread  of  your  days;  and  that  time,  which  now  oppresses and  embarrasses  you,  shall  then  be  denied.

But in  what  our  blindness  here  is  still  more  conspicuous,  is,  that not only  the  time  which  we  lose  with  so  much  indifference  and  insensibility, is  short  and  precious,  but  likewise  irreparable;  for,  once lost, it  is  for  ever  gone,  without  resource.

I say  irreparable:  for,  in  the  first  place,  riches,  honours,  reputation, and  favour,  though  once  lost,  may  again  be  retrieved. We may even  replace  each  of  these  losses  by  other  acquirements,  which will repay  us  with  usury;  but  the  moments  lost  in  inutility  are  so many  means  of  salvation  which  we  never  again  can  possess,  but which are  for  ever  cut  off  from  the  number  which  God,  in  his compassion, had  allotted  to  us. Indeed, in  a  space  so  short  as we  have  to  live,  there  cannot  be  a  doubt  but  that  the  Almighty  had his particular  designs  with  jregard  to  each  of  our  days  and  moments;  that  he  hath  marked  the  use  we  ought  to  have  made  of them;  the  connexion  they  were  to  have  with  our  eternal  salvation; and that,  to  each  of  them,  he  hath  attached  assistances  of  grace,  in order  to  consummate  the  work  of  our  sanctification. Now, these days and  moments  being  lost,  the  grace  attached  to  them  must  be equally  so;  the  moments  of  God  are  finished,  and  return  no more:  the  course  of  his  mercies  is  regulated:  we  believed  they were only  useless  moments  we  had  lost;  and  with  them  we  have lost inestimable  succours  of  grace,  which  we  find  deducted  from those the  goodness  of  God  had  destined  for  us.

In the  second  place,  irreparable,  because  every  day,  every  moment, ought  to  advance  us  a  step  nearer  heaven. Now, the  days and moments  lost  leaving  us  in  arrear,  and  the  duration  of  our course being  also  determined,  the  end  arrives  when  we  are  yet  at  a distance;  when  there  is  no  longer  time  to  supply  the  remainder  of the  career;  or,  at  least,  to  regain  the  lost  moments,  and  reach  the goal, we  must  double  our  speed; — in  one  day  fill  up  the  course  of many  years;  make  the  most  heroic  exertions;  and  hasten  in  a degree  even  beyond  our  strength; — proceed  to  excesses  of  holiness, which are  miracles  of  grace,  and  of  which  the  generality  of  men are incapable;  and  consummate,  in  a  small  interval,  what  ought  to be  the  labour  of  a  whole  life.

In the  last  place,  irreparable,  with  respect  to  the  works  of  penance and  reparation,  of  which,  in  a  certain  period  of  life,  we  are capable, but  are  no  longer  so,  when  we  wait  the  infirmities  of  a more  advanced  age. For, after  all,  it  is  in  vain  to  say  then,  that God expects  not  impossibilities;  that  there  is  a  penance  for  every age; and  that  religion  does  not  wish  us  to  hasten  our  days,  under the pretext  of  expiating  our  crimes. It is  you  who  have  placed yourselves in  this  state  of  impossibility:    your  sins  diminish  not