Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/325

 accomplish not  their  own  salvation,  their  ruin  is,  at  least,  confined to themselves,  and  has  no  influence  over  that  of  their  brethren.

But persons  of  an  exalted  station,  are  like  a  public  pageant,  upon which all  eyes  are  fixed;  they  are  those  houses  built  upon  a  summit, the  sole  situation  of  which  renders  them  visible  from  afar; those flaming  torches,  the  splendour  of  which  at  once  betrays  and exposes them  to  view. Such is  the  misfortune  of  greatness  and of rank;  you  no  longer  live  for  yourself  alone;  to  your  destruction or to  your  salvation  is  attached  the  destruction  or  the  salvation  of almost  all  those  around  you:  your  manners  form  the  manners  of the  people;  your  examples  are  the  rules  of  the  multitude;  your actions are  as  well  known  as  your  titles;  it  is  impossible  for  you  to err  unknown  to  the  public,  and  the  scandal  of  your  faults  is  always the melancholy  privilege  of  your  rank.

I say,  the  scandal,  first,  of  imitation. Men always  willingly  copy after evil,  but  more  especially  when  held  out  by  great  examples; they then  ground  a  kind  of  vanity  upon  their  errors,  because it is  through  these  that  they  resemble  you. The people  consider it as  giving  them  an  air  of  consequence  to  tread  in  your  steps. The city thinks  it  an  honour  to  adopt  all  the  vices  of  the  court. Your manners form  a  poison  which  penetrates  even  into  the  provinces; which infects  all  stations,  and  gives  a  total  change  to  the  public manners; which  decks  out  licentiousness  with  an  air  of  nobility and spirit,  and,  in  place  of  the  simplicity  of  our  ancient  manners, substitutes the  miserable  novelty  of  your  pleasures,  of  your  luxury, of your  profusions,  and  of  your  profane  indecencies. Thus from you it  is  that  obscene  fashions,  vanity  of  dress,  those  artifices  which dishonour a  visage  where  modesty  alone  ought  to  be  painted,  the  rage of gaming,  freedom  of  manners,  licentiousness  of  conversations,  unbridled passions,  and  all  the  corruption  of  our  ages,  pass  to  the people.

And from  whence,  think  you,  my  brethren,  comes  that  unbridled licentiousness which  reigns  among  the  people? Those who  live far from  you,  in  the  most  distant  provinces,  still  preserve,  at  least, some remains  of  their  ancient  simplicity  and  the  primitive  innocence; they  live  in  a  happy  ignorance  of  the  greatest  part  of  those abuses which  are  now,  through  your  examples,  become  laws. But the nearer  the  countries  approach  to  you,  the  more  is  the  change of manners  visible,  the  more  is  innocence  adulterated,  the  more the abuses  are  common,  and  the  greatest  crime  of  the  people  is  to be  acquainted  with  your  manners  and  your  customs. After the chiefs of  the  tribes  had  entered  into  the  tents  of  the  daughters  of Midian,  all  Judah  went  aside  from  the  Lord,  and  few  were  to  be found,  who  had  kept  free  from  the  general  guilt. Great God! how terrible shall  one  day  be  the  trial  of  the  great  and  powerful,  since, besides their  own  endless  passions,  they  shall  be  made  accountable to thee  for  the  public  irregularities,  the  depravity  of  the  manners, and the  corruption  of  their  age;  and  since  even  the  sins  of  the  people shall  become  their  own  special  sins!

Secondly. A scandal  of  compliance. They endeavour  to  please,