Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/337

 much you  contribute  to  the  aggrandizement  of  the  kingdom  of Jesus  Christ,  to  the  honour  of  religion,  to  the  consummation  of  the holy, and  to  the  salvation  of  all  believers! — how many  of  the chosen of  every  tongue  and  of  every  tribe  shall  one  day,  in  heaven, place at  your  feet  their  crown  of  immortality,  as  if  publicly  to  acknowledge their  obligation  to  you! — what consolation  to  be  able  to say  to  yourself,  that,  in  serving  God,  you  will  attract  other  servants to him,  and  that  your  piety  becomes  a  blessing  upon  the  people! No, my  brethren,  if  there  be  any  thing  nattering  in  rank,  it  is  not those vain  distinctions  attached  to  it  by  custom;  it  is  the  power  of becoming,  by  serving  God,  the  source  of  public  blessings,  the  support of  religion,  the  consolation  of  the  church,  and  the  chief  instruments employed  by  God  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  merciful designs upon  men.

Ah! what then  do  you  not  lose  when  you  do  not  live  according to God! What do  we  ourselves  not  lose  when  you  are  wanting to  us! Of how  many  advantages  do  you  deprive  believers! Of what  consolations  do  you  not  deprive  yourselves! What joy  in heaven  for  the  conversion  of  a  single  great  sinner  in  the  age! How highly criminal  when  you  live  not  according  to  God! You can neither be  saved  nor  condemned  alone. You resemble  either  that dragon of  the  Revelation,  who,  being  cast  out  from  heaven  into  the earth, drags  after  him  in  his  fall  so  many  of  the  stars;  or  that  mysterious serpent  spoken  of  by  Jesus  Christ,  who,  being  exalted  upon the earth,  haply  attracts  all  after  him. You are  established  for  the ruin or  for  the  salvation  of  many;  public  scourges  or  comforts. May you,  my  brethren,  know  your  true  interests;  may  you  feel what you  are  in  the  designs  of  God,  how  much  you  have  it  in  your power to  do  for  his  glory,  how  much  he  expecteth  of  you,  how much the  church,  and  even  we  ourselves,  expect  of  you! Ah! you have so  high  an  idea  of  your  rank  and  of  your  stations  with  relation to  the  world!

But, my  brethren,  permit  me  to  say  it  to  you,  you  are  yet  unacquainted with  all  their  greatness;  you  see  but  the  humblest  part  of what  you  are;  you  are  still  greater  with  relation  to  piety,  and  the privileges of  your  virtue  are  much  more  illustrious  and  more  marked than those  of  your  titles. May you,  my  brethren,  act  up  to  your lot! And thou,  O  my  God! touch, during  these  days  of  salvation, through the  force  of  that  truth  with  which  thou  fillest  our  mouths, the great  and  the  powerful;  draw  to  thyself  those  hearts  upon whose conquest  depends  that  of  the  rest  of  believers;  have  compassion upon  thy  people  by  sanctifying  those  whom  thy  providence hath placed  at  their  head;  save  Israel,  in  saving  those  who  rule it; give  to  thy  church  great  examples,  who  perpetuate  virtue  from age to  age;  and  who  assist,  even  to  the  end,  in  forming  that  immortal assembly  of  the  righteous  which  shall  bless  thy  name  for ever and  ever!