Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/257

 forget,  but  by  that  pride  which  had  magnified  them,  and  had  rendered me  so  feeling  to  them. And seeing  thou  hast  promised  to forgive  us  our  trespasses  whenever  we  shall  have  forgiven  the  trespasses of  our  brethren,  fulfil,  O  Lord,  thy  promises. It is  in  this hope that  I  presume  to  reckon  upon  thine  eternal  mercies.

From such  abundant  tears,  so  sincere  a  confusion,  and  a  proceeding so  humiliating  and  uncommon,  it  may  easily  be  comprehended how  great  must  once  have  been  the  influence  of  the  passions over  the  heart  of  this  sinner,  and  what  grace  now  operateth within her. Palestine had  long  beheld  her  as  the  shame  and  the reproach of  the  city;  the  Pharisee's  household  views  her  to-day  as the  glory  of  grace  and  a  model  of  patience. What a  change,  and what a  spectacle!

This soul,  fettered,  but  a  moment  ago,  with  the  most  shameful and the  most  indissoluble  chains,  finds  nothing  now  capable  of stopping  her;  and,  without  hesitation,  she  flies  to  seek,  at  the  feet of Jesus  Christ,  her  salvation  and  deliverance:  this  soul,  hitherto plunged in  the  senses,  and  living  totally,  for  voluptuousness,  in  a moment  sacrifices  their  liveliest  charms  and  their  dearest  ties:  this soul, lastly,  impatient  till  then  of  every  yoke,  and  whose  heart  had never acknowledged  other  rule  than  the  caprice  of  its  inclinations, commences her  penitence  by  the  most  humiliating  proceedings  and the most  melancholy  subjections. How admirable,  O  my  God,  are the works  of  thy  grace! and how  near  to  its  cure  is  the  most  hopeless wretchedness,  when  once  it  becomes  the  object  of  thine  infinite mercies! And how  rapid  and  shortened  are  the  ways  by  which thou conductest  thy  chosen.

But whence  comes  it,  my  brethren,  that  such  grand  examples make so  trifling  an  impression  upon  us? From two  prejudices,  apparently the  most  opposite  to  each  other,  yet  nevertheless,  which proceed from  the  same  principle,  and  lead  to  the  same  error.

The first  is,  that  we  figure  to  ourselves  that  conversion  of  the heart required  by  God  as  merely  a  cessation  of  guilt,  the  abstaining from certain  excessive  irregularities,  which  even  decency  itself holds out  as  improper. And as  we  are  at  last  brought  to  that, either by  age,  new  situations,  or  even  our  own  inclinations,  which time alone  has  changed,  we  never  think  of  going  farther;  we  believe that  all  is  completed,  and  we  listen  to  the  history  of  the  most