Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/309

 It is  true,  that  every  where  the  holy  books  give  us  magnificent and soothing  ideas  of  the  goodness  of  God. One while  he  is  a  mild and long-forbearing  master,  who  awaits  the  penitence  of  the  sinner; who covers  the  sins  of  men,  in  order  to  lead  them  to  repentance; who is  silent  and  quiet;  who  is  slow  to  punish,  and  delays  in  order that he  may  be  prevented;  who  threatens  in  order  to  be  disarmed: another while  he  is  a  tender  friend,  who  is  never  weary  of  knocking at  the  gate  of  the  heart;  who  flatters,  entreats,  and  solicits  us'; and who,  in  order  to  draw  us  to  himself,  employs  every  thing which an  ingenious  love  can  invent,  to  recall  a  rebellious  heart. Again, and  lastly,  for  all  would  never  be  said,  he  is  an  indefatigable Shepherd, who  goes  even  through  the  wildest  mountains,  in  search of his  strayed  sheep;  and,  having  at  last  found  it,  places  it  upon his shoulders,  and  is  so  transported  with  joy  that  even  the  celestial harmony are  ordered  to  celebrate  its  happy  return. It must  surely be confessed,  that  the  consolation  of  these  images  can  receive  no addition;  and  every  sinner  who,  after  this,  despairs,  or  even  gives way to  despondency,  is  the  most  foolish  of  all  men. But do  not from thence  conclude  that  the  sinner  who  presumes  is  less  foolish, or that  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  can  be  a  legitimate  foundation  of trust  to  those  who  are  continually  desiring  their  conversion,  and yet, without  labouring  toward  that  great  work,  promise  every thing to  themselves  from  a  goodness  which  their  very  confidence insults. To convince  you  of  this,  before  I  enter  into  the  main points of  my  subject,  remark,  I  beg  of  you,  that  among  that  innumerable crowd  of  sinners,  of  every  description,  with  which  the world is  filled,  there  is  not  one  who  hath  not  hopes  of  his  conversion;  not  one  who,  before-hand,  considers  himself  as  a  child  of wrath,  and  doomed  to  perish;  not  one  who  doth  not  flatter  himself that at  last  the  Lord  shall  one  day  have  pity  upon  him:  the  lewd, the ambitious,  the  worldly,  the  revengeful,  the  unjust,  all  hope,  yet no one  repents. Now, I  mean,  at  present,  to  prove  to  you,  that this disposition  of  false  trust  is,  of  all  others  in  which  the  creature can be,  the  most  foolish:  follow,  I  beg  of  you,  my  reasons;  they appear worthy  of  your  attention.

In effect,  when,  in  order  to  make  the  folly  of  false  trust  apparent, I should  have  only  the  uncertainty  in  which  a  sinner,  who  hath lost the  sanctifying  grace,  is  of  his  salvation,  no  other  argument would be  required  to  justify  my  first  proposition. And when  I speak  of  the  uncertainty  of  his  salvation,  you  easily  comprehend that there  is  no  question  here  of  that  uncertainty  common  to  all believers, which  occasions  that  no  one  can  know  whether  he  be worthy  of  love  or  of  hatred;  whether  he  shall  persevere  to  the  end, or fall,  never  more  to  recover  himself:  terrible  subject  of  dread, even for  the  most  righteous! I speak  of  a  more  shocking  uncertainty, since  it  does  not  suppose,  in  the  sinner  in  question,  a  doubtful state  of  righteousness  and  Christian  fears,  upon  backslidings  to come;  but  because  it  is  founded  upon  a  certain  state  of  sin,  and upon a  repentance  which  nobody  can  guarantee  to  him.

Now, I  say  that  it  is  the  height  of  folly  to  presume  in  this  state.