Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/316

 sinner, who  without  wishing  to  quit  his  irregularities,  promises himself a  change,  alleges,  in  justification  of  his  presumption,  first, the power  of  God,  who  ruleth  over  the  hearts  of  men,  who  can change in  an  instant  the  will,  and  to  whom  it  is  equally  easy  to  produce the  child  of  promise  from  the  sterility  of  old  age,  as  from  the fecundity of  youth. Secondly, his  justice,  for  having  formed  man of clay,  that  is  to  say,  weak,  and  with  almost  unconquerable  tendencies to  pleasure,  he  ought  to  have  some  consideration  for  his weakness, and  more  readily  pardon  faults  which  are,  as  it  were, unavoidable to  him. Lastly, his  mercy,  always  ready  to  receive  the repentant sinner. Now, my  brethren,  it  is  easy  to  take  from  false trust pretexts  so  unworthy  of  piety,  and  show  that  the  disposition of the  presuming  sinner  insults  God  in  all  the  above  mentioned perfections. Allow me  to  explain  my  reasons,  and  continue  to  honour me  with  your  attention.

In the  first  place,  when  you  conceive  a  powerful  God,  master  of hearts,  and  changing  at  his  pleasure  the  rebellious  wills  of  men,  is it  not  true,  that  you  at  the  same  time  conceive  a  power  regulated by wisdom,  that  is  to  say,  which  doth  nothing  but  in  conformity with that  order  it  hath  established? Now, the  presumptuous  sinner attributes to  God  a  blind  power,  which  acts  indiscriminately. For, though he  can  whatever  he  willeth,  nevertheless,  as  he  is  infinitely wise, there  is  an  order  in  his  wills;  he  willeth  not  at  random,  and whatever he  doth  hath  its  eternal  reasons  in  the  depth  of  his  divine wisdom. Now it  is  evident  that  this  divine  wisdom  would  not  be sufficiently  justified  before  men,  if  the  grace  of  conversion  were  to be  at  last  accorded  to  false  trust. For say,  in  order  to  merit  the greatest of  all  favours,  it  would  then  be  sufficient  to  have  a  thousand times rejected  it? The righteous  man,  who  continually  crucifies his flesh,  who  incessantly  groans  in  order  to  obtain  the  precious gift of  perseverance,  would  then  have  no  better  claim  than  a  sinner, who without  having  ever  placed  himself  in  a  situation  to  merit  it, hath always  promised  it  to  himself? It would  then  be  perfectly indifferent either  to  serve  the  Lord,  and  to  walk  uprightly  before him, or  to  pursue  the  erroneous  ways  of  the  passions,  since,  at  the end, the  lot  of  each  would  be  the  same? Much more,  it  would  then be a  misfortune,  a  folly,  a  lost  trouble,  to  have  carried  the  yoke  from youth, since  nothing  would  be  risked  by  delaying  it? The maxims of debauchery,  on  the  love  of  pleasures  in  the  early  stage  of  fife, and on  deferring  repentance  to  the  years  of  decrepitude  and  debility, would  then  be  the  rules  of  wisdom  and  of  religion? The wonders of  grace  would  then  serve  but  to  tempt  the  fidelity  of  the  just, but to  authorize  the  impenitence  of  sinners,  but  to  destroy  the  fruit of the  sacrament,  and  to  augment  the  ills  of  the  church? Is this the God  whom  we  worship? And would  he  be  so  wonderful  in  his gifts, according  to  the  expression  of  the  prophet,  if  he  were  to  dispense them  with  so  little  either  of  order  or  of  wisdom?

In effect,  if  the  empire  which  God  hath  over  hearts  could  serve as a  resource  for  a  presumptuous  sinner,  upon  that  footing  the  conversion of  all  men  would  be  certain,  even  of  those  infidels  who  know