Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/320

 them. But how  can  you  expect  that  God  shall  have  consideration for a  weakness  for  which  you  have  so  little  yourself? You are  weak when there  is  question  of  excusing  your  crimes  to  him;  you  are  no longer  so,  when,  upon  that  ground,  it  is  necessary  to  adopt  painful measures in  order  to  continue  faithful  to  him.

But you  will  say,  that  if  every  thing  be  to  be  dreaded  from  his justice, at  least  his  mercies  are  infinite;  when  his  goodness  should find nothing  in  us  proper  to  touch  him,  would  it  not  find  motives sufficiently pressing  in  itself? This would  be  the  third  illusion  of false  trust  which  I  should  have  to  overthrow;  but,  besides  that  I have  elsewhere  sufficiently  mentioned  it,  it  is  almost  time  to  conclude. I mean,  therefore,  my  dear  hearer,  to  ask  you  only  one question: When  you  say  that  the  goodness  of  God  is  infinite,  what do you  pretend  to  say? That he  never  punishes  guilt? You would not dare  to  mean  so. That he  never  abandons  the  sinner? The Sauls, the  Antiochuses,  the  Pharaohs,  have  taught  you  the  contrary. That the  immodest,  the  worldly,  the  revengeful,  the  ambitious,  shall be alike  saved  as  the  just? You know  that  nothing  unclean  shall enter heaven. That he  hath  not  created  man  to  render  him  eternally miserable? But wherefore  hath  he  prepared  a  hell? That he hath  already  given  you  a  thousand  marks  of  his  goodness? But that is  what  ought  to  overwhelm  your  ingratitude  on  the  past,  and to make  you  to  dread  every  thing  for  the  future. That he  is  not  so terrible  as  it  is  said? But nothing  is  told  of  his  justice  but  what he has  told  you  himself. That he  would  be  under  the  necessity of damning  almost  all  men  were  all  that  we  say  true? But the  gospel declares  to  you,  in  express  terms,  that  few  shall  be  saved:  that he punisheth  not  but  at  the  worst? But every  rejected  grace  may be the  term  of  his  mercies. That it  costs  him  nothing  to  forgive? But hath  he  not  the  interests  of  his  glory  to  attend  to? That little is  required  to  disarm  him? But a  change  must  take  place, and the  changing  of  the  heart  is  the  greatest  of  all  his  works. That that lively  trust  which  you  have  in  his  goodness  can  come  only from him? But whatever  leads  not  to  him,  by  leading  to  repentance, can  never  come  from  him. What then  do  you  mean  to  say? That he  will  not  reject  the  sacrifice  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart? And behold,  my  dear  hearer,  what  I  have  all  along  been  preaching to you. Turn to  the  Lord,  and  then  place  your  trust  in  him; whatever your  crimes  may  be,  his  mercy  is  always  open  to  the  repentant sinner;  throw  yourself  unreservedly  upon  his  goodness  for the permanence  of  your  conversion,  for  perseverance  in  his  service, for victory  over  the  numerous  obstacles  which  the  enemy  to  salvation will  continually  be  throwing  in  the  way  of  your  holy  desires: the grace  which  he  doth,  in  inspiring  the  feelings  of  a  sincere  penitence, is  always  a  blessed  presage  of  those  which  he  prepareth: never mistrust  his  mercy;  there  is  nothing  but  what  may  be  expected from  him,  when  it  is  the  sorrow  of  having  offended  him which entreats  it;  never  allow  yourself  to  be  cast  down  by  the  remembrance of  your  past  iniquities;  whatever  can  be  weeped  can be pardoned:    lock  up  in  the  bosom  of  his  mercy  the  whole  dura-