Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/266

 timid in  good;  she  bears,  even  with  a  holy  insensibility,  the  reproaches of  the  Pharisee,  who  recounts,  in  the  presence  of  all  the guests, the  infamy  of  her  past  manners. For the  world,  typified by that  Pharisee,  feels  a  gratification  in  the  mean  pleasure  of  recalling the  former  errors  of  those  whom  grace  hath  touched:  far from reaping  any  edification  from  their  present  good  conduct,  it  is continually  dwelling  upon  their  past  irregularity;  it  tries  to  weaken the merit  of  what  they  now  do,  by  renewing  upon  every  occasion the remembrance  of  what  they  have  done;  it  would  appear  that the errors  which  they  lament  authorize  those  which  we  love,  and in which  we  still  continue  to  live;  and  that  it  is  more  allowable  for us to  be  sinners,  since  real  and  sincere  penitents  repent  of  having been so. It is  thus,  O  my  God! that every  thing  worketh  out our destruction,  and  that,  instead  of  blessing  and  praising  the riches of  thy  mercy  when  thou  withdrawest  worldly  and  dissolute souls from  the  ways  of  perdition,  and  instead  of  being  excited  by these  grand  examples,  to  have  recourse  to  thy  clemency,  always  so ready  to  receive  the  repentant  sinner,  insensible  and  blind  to  his penitence, we  are  occupied  only  in  recalling  his  errors,  as  if  we were  entitled  from  thence  to  say  to  ourselves,  that  we  have  nothing to dread  in  debauchery;  that  one  day  or  other  we  shall  likewise become contrite;  and  that  the  sincerest  penitents  having  once been perhaps  still  more  deeply  involved  than  we  in  mad  passions, we need  not  despair  of  one  day  or  other  being  able  to  quit  them as well  as  they! O inexplicable  blindness  of  man,  that  finds  inducements to  debauchery  even  in  the  examples  of  penitence  I

Such were  the  reparations  of  our  sinner  But,  if  it  be  an  error to represent  to  ourselves  a  change  of  life  as  the  simple  cessation  of our  former  debaucheries,  without  adding  to  that  those  expiations which wash  them  out;  it  is  likewise  another  not  less  dangerous, the considering  these  expiations  as  involving  you  in  a  situation, gloomy, wretched,  and  hopeless. Thus, after  having  mentioned  to you  the  reparations  of  her  penitence,  it  is  proper  that  I  now  lay before you  the  consolations.

Part II. — Come unto  me,  says  Jesus  Christ,  all  ye  who  are weary of  the  ways  of  iniquity;  take  my  yoke  upon  you,  and  learn of me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest unto your  souls;  for  my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light.

This promise,  addressed  to  all  criminal  souls,  who  are  always miserable in  debauchery,  is  completely  fulfilled  in  the  instance  of the  sinner  of  our  gospel. In effect,  every  thing  which  had  formerly been  to  her,  in  her  dissipations,  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  disgust, becomes now,  in  her  penitence,  a  fruitful  source  of  consolation; and with  Jesus  Christ  she  is  happy,,  through  the  same  means which, during  her  guilt  had  occasioned  all  her  miseries.

Yes, my  brethren,  an  iniquitous  love  had  been  her  first  guilt, and the  first  source  of  all  her  distresses:  the  first  consolation  of her  penitence  is  a  holy  dilection  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  wide difference between  that  divine  and  new  love,  and  the  profane  love