Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/291

 serving God,  adopt  the  only  wise  plan  which  man  can  pursue  upon the earth? Are you  not  wearied  out  with  struggling  against  those remorses which  tear  you,  that  sadness  of  guilt  which  weighs  you down, that  emptiness  of  the  world  which  every  where  pursues  you? And do  you  not  wish  to  finish  at  last  your  misfortunes  and  your disquietudes, by  finishing  your  crimes?

What shall  we  reply  to  that  inward  monitor  which  hath  so  long spoken in  the  bottom  of  our  hearts? What pretext  shall  we  oppose? First, that  we  are  not,  as  yet,  furnished  by  God  with  the succours necessary  to  enable  us  to  quit  the  unhappy  state  in  which we live. Secondly, that  we  are  at  present  too  much  engaged  by the  passions  to  think  of  a  new  life. That is  to  say,  that  we  start two pretexts  for  delaying  our  conversion:  the  first  drawn  from  the part of  God;  the  second  from  within  ourselves. The first  which justifies us,  by  accusing  God  of  being  wanting  to  us;  the  second which comforts  us,  by  alleging  to  ourselves  our  inability  of,  as  yet, returning to  him. Thus we  delay  our  conversion,  under  the  belief that grace  is  wanting,  and  that,  as  yet,  God  desireth  us  not;  we delay  our  conversion,  because  we  flatter  ourselves  that  some  future day we  shall  be  less  attached  to  the  world  and  to  the  passions,  and more in  a  situation  to  begin  a  Christian  and  an  orderly  life: — two pretexts which  are  continually  in  the  mouth  of  sinners,  and  which I now  mean  to  overthrow.

Part I. — It  is  not  of  to-day  that  men  have  dared  to  accuse  even God himself  for  their  transgressions,  and  have  tried  to  render  his wisdom and  his  goodness  responsible  for  their  iniquitous  weaknesses. It may  be  said,  that  this  blindness  entered  with  sin  into the world:  the  first  man  sought  not  elsewhere  an  excuse  for  his guilt; and,  far  from  appeasing  the  Lord  whom  he  had  so  lately disobeyed, by  an  humble  confession  of  his  wretchedness,  he  accused him of  having  been  himself  the  cause  of  his  disobedience,  in  associating with  him  the  woman.

And such,  my  brethren,  is  the  illusion  of  almost  all  souls  living in guilt,  and  who  delay  to  a  future  day  that  conversion  required  of them  by  God. They are  continually  repeating,  that  conversion does not  depend  upon  us;  that  it  is  the  Lord  who  must  change their heart,  and  bestow  upon  them  that  faith  and  grace  which they, as  yet,  have  not. Thus they  are  not  satisfied  with  provoking his anger,  by  delaying  their  conversion;  they  even  insult  him,  by laying  upon  him  the  blame  of  their  obstinacy  and  of  the  delay  of their  penitence. Let us  now  overthrow  the  error  and  the  impiety of this  disposition;  and,  in  order  to  render  the  criminal  soul  more inexcusable in  his  impenitence,  let  us  deprive  him  at  least  of  the pretext.

You tell  us,  then,  first,  that  if  you  had  faith,  and  were  thoroughly convinced of  the  truth  of  religion,  you  would  be  converted;  but that faith  is  a  gift  of  God  which  you  expect  from  him  alone,  and that as  soon  as  he  shall  have  given  it  to  you,  you  will  easily  and heartily begin  to  adopt  your  party. — First pretext;  the  want  of faith,  and  it  is  God  alone  who  can  give  it.