Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/319

 fied with  an  inaccessible  tower;  I  mean  to  say,  that  your  soul  hath been as  if  defended  from  its  birth  by  the  succours  of  the  sacrament, by the  lights  of  the  doctrine,  by  the  force  of  examples,  by  continual inspirations of  grace,  and  perhaps  by  the  special  aids  likewise  of  a holy  and  a  Christian  education  provided  for  you  b,y  the  Lord,  and which so  many  others  have  wanted. Ingrate! wherein could  you be able  to  justify  your  weakness  before  the  Lord,  and  to  interest his justice  itself  to  use  indulgence  toward  you? Ah! what do  your transgressions present  to  him  but  the  abuses  of  his  grace,  and means of  salvation  perverted,  through  the  licentiousness  of  your will, into  occasions  of  sin?

But let  us  leave  all  these  reasons,  and  tell  me,  that  weakness  of which  you  complain,  and  for  which  you  pretend  that  God  will  have consideration, is  it  not  your  own  handwork,  and  the  fruit  of  your own special  irregularities? Recollect here,  those  happy  days  when your innocence  had  not  been  wrecked;  were  your  passions  then  so difficult  to  be  overcome? Did modesty,  temperance,  fidelity,  piety, then appear  to  you  as  impracticable  virtues? Did you  find  it  impossible to  resist  occasions? Were your  tendencies  to  pleasure  so violent  that  you  were  not  then  their  master? Ah! whence comes it then  that  they  now  tyrannize  with  such  dominion  over  your heart? Is it  not,  that  having,  through  a  fatal  negligence,  allowed them to  usurp  the  command,  they  have  ever  since  been  too  powerful to  be  conquered? Have you  not  forged,  with  your  own  hands, these chains? Look around  you,  and  see  if  so  many  just,  who bear (and  from  their  earliest  youth)  the  yoke,  are  even  tempted  in situations  in  which  you  are  always  certain  to  perish. Ah! why then should  you  complain  of  a  weakness  which  you  have  brought upon yourself? Why should  you  count,  that  what  must  irritate the Lord  against  you  shall  serve  to  appease  him? What doth  he  see, when he  sees  the  weakness  of  your  inclinations? He sees  the  fruit of your  crimes,  the  consequences  of  a  licentious  and  sensual  life. Is it  here  that  you  dare  to  appeal  to  justice  itself,  to  that  justice before which  the  righteous  themselves  entreat  not  to  be  judged? My God! upon what  shall  the  sinner  not  flatter  himself,  since,  in the  most  terrible  of  thy  perfections,  he  finds  reasons  of  confidence?

The only  rational  and  legitimate  conclusion  which  it  is  permitted to you  to  draw  from  your  own  weakness,  and  from  these  inclinations for  the  world,  and  for  pleasures,  which,  in  spite  of  your  resolutions, hurry  you  away,  is,  that  you  have  more  occasion  to  watch, to lament,  and  to  pray,  than  others;  that,  with  more  studious  care, you ought  to  shun  the  dangers  and  the  attractions  of  the  senses  and of the  flesh. But then  it  is  that  you  believe  yourself  invincible, when we  exhort  you  to  fly  all  profane  conversations,  suspicious  intercourses, doubtful  pleasures,  lascivious  spectacles,  and  assemblies of sin. Ah! you then  defend  yourself  upon  the  ground  that  your innocence is  in  no  degree  injured  there:  you  resign  to  weak  souls all the  precautions  of  flight  and  of  circumspection:  you  tell  us  that every one  must  feel  and  know  himself,  and  that  those  who  are  weak enough to  be  injured  there,  should  in  prudence  keep  away  from