Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/306

 which renders  the  smallest  change  conspicuous;  and  we  are  afraid lest, like  so  many  others,  we  act  a  part  that  will  not  be  lasting,  and consequently will  leave  us  only  the  ridicule  without  the  merit  of devotion.

You dread,  my  dear  hearer,  the  being  able  to  go  through  with  it? What! in delaying  your  conversion,  you  promise  yourself  that God shall  one  day  touch  you;  and,  in  being  converted  at  present, you dare  not  promise  yourself  that  he  will  sustain  you? You depend upon  his  mercies  while  insulting  him,  and  you  dare  not  trust them when  glorifying  him? You believe  that  you  have  nothing  to risk,  on  his  part,  in  continuing  to  offend  him,  and  you  have  no confidence  in  him  when  beginning  to  serve  him? O man! where is here  that  reason  and  that  rectitude  of  judgment  which  thou vauntest so  much? And must  it  be,  that  in  the  business  of  thy salvation alone  thou  art  a  sink  of  contradiction  and  an  incomprehensible paradox?

Besides, might  we  not  with  reason  say  to  you,  Make  a  beginning at  least;  try  if,  in  effect,  you  shall  be  unable  to  sustain  yourself in  the  service  of  God? Is it  not  worth  the  trouble  of  being tried? Does a  man,  precipitated  by  the  tempest  into  the  sea,  and who finds  himself  on  the  point  of  drowning,  not  strain  every  nerve, in the  first  place,  to  gain  the  shore  by  swimming,  before  he  resigns himself to  the  mercy  of  the  waves? Would he  say  to  himself,  as an  excuse  for  making  no  effort  to  save  himself,  "  I  shall  perhaps  be unable  to  go  through  with  it;  my  strength  will  most  likely  fail  me by  the  way? "  Ah! he tries,  he  makes  every  effort,  he  struggles against the  danger,  he  labours  to  the  last  moment  of  his  strength, and only  gives  way  at  last  when,  overpowered  by  the  violence  of the  waves,  he  is  forced  to  yield  to  the  evil  of  his  destiny. You perish, my  dear  hearer,  the  waves  gain  upon  you,  the  torrent sweeps you  away,  and  you  hesitate  whether  you  shall  try  to  extricate yourself  from  the  danger;  you  waste,  in  calculating  your strength, the  only  moments  left  to  provide  for  your  safety;  and you sacrifice,  in  deliberating,  the  little  time  that  is  left  to  you  for the sole  purpose  of  disengaging  yourself  from  the  (peril,  which  is imminent,  and  in  which  so  many  others  are  continually  perishing before  your  eyes!

But, lastly,  even  granting  that  in  the  end  the  various  hardships of virtue  tire  out  your  weakness,  and  that  you  find  yourself  under the necessity  of  retreating;  at  any  rate,  you  will  always  have  passed some  little  time  without  offending  your  God;  you  will  always have made  some  efforts  toward  appeasing  him;  you  will  always have devoted  some  days  to  the  praise  of  his  holy  name;  at  any rate, it  will  be  a  portion  cut  off  from  your  criminal  life,  and  from that treasure  of  iniquity  which  you  amass  for  the  terrible  day  of  vengeance;  you  will  have  acquired,  at  least,  the  right  of  representing your weakness  to  God,  and  of  saying  to  him,  "Lord,  thou  beholdest my  desires  and  my  weakness;  why,  O  my  God  I  have  I  not  a heart  more  constant  to  thee,  more  determined  in  the  cause  of  truth, more  callous  to  the  world,  and  more  difficult  to  be  led  astray?    Put