Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/328

 lived, remain  sunk  in  oblivion:  their  passions  terminated  with them; their  vices,  obscure  as  their  names,  have  escaped  history; and, with  regard  to  us,  they  are  as  though  they  had  never  been; and the  errors  of  those  who  are  distinguished  in  their  age  by  their rank and  birth,  are  all  that  now  remains  to  us  of  these  past  times. It is  their  passions  that  continually  inflame  new  ones,  even  at  this day, through  the  licentiousness  of,  and  the  open  manner  in  which they are  mentioned  by  the  authors  who  hand  them  down  to  us; and the  sole  privilege  of  their  condition  is,  that,  while  the  vices  of the  lower  orders  of  people  sink  with  themselves,  those  of  the  great and the  powerful  spring  up  again,  as  I  may  say,  from  their  ashes, pass from  age  to  age,  are  engraven  on  the  public  monuments,  and are never  blotted  out  from  the  memory  of  men. What crimes, great God! which are  the  scandal  of  all  ages,  the  rock  of  all  stations, and  which,  even  to  the  end,  shall  serve  as  an  excitement  to vice,  as  a  pretext  to  the  sinner,  and  as  a  lasting  model  of  debauchery and  licentiousness!

Lastly. A scandal  of  seduction. Your examples,  in  honouring vice, render  virtue  contemptible. The Christian  life  becomes  so ridiculous,  that  those  who  profess  it  are  almost  ashamed  of  it  before you. The exterior  of  piety  has  an  ungracious  and  awkward  appearance, which  is  concealed  in  your  presence,  as  if  it  were  a  bent  which dishonours the  mind. How many  souls  touched  by  God,  only  resist his  grace  and  his  spirit  through  the  dread  of  forfeiting  with you that  degree  of  confidence  which  a  long  society  in  pleasures  hath given to  them! How many  souls,  disgusted  with  the  world,  yet who have  not  the  courage  to  declare  themselves,  and  return  to  God, lest they  expose  themselves  to  your  senseless  derisions,  still  continue to  copy  your  manners,  upon  which  they  have  been  fully  undeceived by  grace,  and,  through  an  unrighteous  complaisance  and respect for  your  rank,  take  a  thousand  steps  from  which  their  new faith and  likewise  their  inclination  are  equally  distant!

I speak  not  of  the  prejudices  which  you  perpetuate  in  the  world against virtue;  of  those  lamentable  discourses  against  the  godly, which your  authority  confirms;  which  pass  from  you  to  the  people, and keep  up,  in  all  stations,  those  ancient  prepossessions  against piety, and  those  continual  derisions  of  the  righteous,  which  deprive virtue of  all  its  dignity,  and  harden  sinners  in  vice.

And from  thence,  my  brethren,  how  many  righteous  seduced! how many  weak  led  astray! how many  wavering  souls  retained  in sin! how many  impious  and  libertine  souls  strengthened! What an obstacle  do  you  become  to  the  fruit  of  our  ministry! How many hearts,  already  prepared,  oppose,  to  the  force  of  the  truth which we  announce,  only  the  long  engagements  which  bind  them to your  manners  and  to  your  pleasures,  and  find  within  themselves only you  who  serve  as  a  wall  and  a  buckler  against  grace! My God! what a  scourge  for  the  age,  what  a  misfortune  for  the  people,  is  a grandee  according  to  the  world,  who  lives  not  in  the  fear  of  thee, who knows  thee  not,  and  who  acts  in  contempt  of  thy  laws  and eternal ordinances! It is  a  present  which  thou  sendest  to  men  in