Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/282

 pulpit of  controversy,  it  is  the  place  of  truth:  nothing  which  can afford room  for  disputation  ought  ever  to  find  place  in  the  pulpit  of peace  and  of  unity;  we  speak  here  in  the  name  of  the  church,  and are only  the  interpreters  of  her  faith  and  of  her  doctrine.

Nevertheless, how  many  of  those  men,  so  wise  in  their  own conceit, and  who  pique  themselves  upon  sagacity  and  reason,  come here with  a  mind  set  against,  and,  as  it  were,  watchfully  upon guard against  all  the  terrors  of  the  holy  word! They make  not  a boast,  like  the  sinners  we  have  lately  mentioned,  of  being  callous to all  truth;  but  they  look  upon  our  ministry  as  an  art  of  exaggeration and  hyperbole;  the  most  holy  emotions  of  zeal  are  only,  in their  opinion,  studied  tricks  of  human  artifice;  the  most  awful threatenings, only  the  sallies  of  a  vain  eloquence;  the  most  incontrovertible maxims,  only  discourses  adapted  rather  to  custom  than to truth. Such, my  brethren,  is  the  deplorable  situation  in  which the greatest  part  of  you  find  yourselves  here. You always  inwardly oppose, to  that  truth  which  we  announce,  the  maxims  and  the prejudices of  the  world,  which  contradict  it;  you  are  ingenious  in weakening  in  your  own  breast,  by  specious  reasons,  the  pretended excess of  our  maxims;  you  come  here  to  combat,  and  not  to  yield to the  force,  or  to  the  light  of  truth;  you  come  here,  it  would seem, only  in  order  to  enter  into  contestation  with  God,  to  invalidate the  eternal  immutability  of  his  word,  to  undertake  the  interests of  error  against  the  glory  of  truth,  and  to  be  the  inward apologists of  the  world  and  of  the  passions,  even  in  that  holy  place destined to  condemn  and  to  combat  them. Ah! suffer that  truth, at least,  to  triumph  in  its  own  temple;  dispute  not  with  it  that feeble victory,  which  has  formerly  triumphed  over  the  whole  universe;  oppress  it,  and  welcome,  amidst  the  world,  and  in  those assemblies of  vanity  which  error  collects,  and  where  error  is  enthroned. Is it  not  enough  that  you  have  banished  it  from  the world, and  that  it  dare  no  longer  show  itself  without  being  exposed to derisions  and  censures? Leave to  us,  at  least,  the  melancholy consolation of  daring  still  to  publish  it  in  the  face  of  those  altars which it  hath  raised  up,  and  which  ought  surely  to  serve  it,  at  least, as a  place  of  refuge.

You accuse  us  of  exaggeration. Great God! And thou  wilt  one day perhaps  judge  us  for  weakening  the  force  and  the  influence  of thy  word,  in  consequence  of  not  giving  sufficient  consideration  to  it at  the  feet  of  the  altars! And thou  wilt  one  day  perhaps  reproach us for  having  accommodated  the  holy  severities  of  thy  Gospel  to the  indulgences  and  the  softenings  of  our  age! And thou  wilt perhaps range  us  one  day  among  the  workers  of  iniquity,  because the lukewarmness  and  negligence  of  our  manners  have  taken  from the word,  which  we  announce,  that  terror  and  that  divine  vehemence which  can  only  be  found  in  a  mouth  consecrated  by  piety and by  penitence!

How, my  brethren! The truths  of  salvation,  such  as  Jesus Christ hath  set  forth  to  us,  would  be  incapable  of  alarming  consciences, were  the  mind  of  man  not  to  add  extraneous  terrors  to