Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/339

 Lastly. If their  virtue,  inspired  by  a  divine  fire,  no  longer  keep measures with  the  world,  and  leave  nothing  to  be  alleged  against either their  intentions  or  their  works,  then  you  exercise  yourselves in vague  discourses  and  unfounded  reproaches  against  even  their zeal and  piety.

Now, suffer  me,  my  brethren,  for  once  to  stand  up  against  an abuse  so  disgraceful  to  religion,  so  injurious  to  that  Being  who forms the  holy,  so  scandalous  among  Christians,  so  likely  to  draw down upon  us  those  lasting  curses  which  formerly  turned  the  inheritance of  the  Lord  into  a  deserted  and  forsaken  land,  and  so worthy  of  the  zeal  of  our  ministry.

You attack  the  intentions,  when  you  have  nothing  to  say  against the works  of  the  godly;  and  that  is  a  temerity. You exaggerate their weaknesses,  and  you  make  a  crime  to  them  of  the  slightest imperfections; and  that  is  an  inhumanity. You turn  even  their zeal and  fervour  into  ridicule;  and  that  is  an  impiety. And behold, my brethren,  the  three  descriptions  of  the  world's  injustice  toward the pious: — an  injustice  of  temerity,  which  always  suspects  their intentions; an  injustice  of  inhumanity,  which  gives  no  palliation  to the  slightest  imperfections;  an  injustice  of  impiety,  which,  of  their zeal and  sanctity,  makes  a  subject  of  contempt  and  derision. May these truths,  O  my  God! render to  virtue  that  honour  and  glory which are  due  to  it,  and  force  the  world  itself  to  respect  the  pious characters whom  it  is  unworthy  to  possess!

Part I. — Nothing  is  more  sublime,  or  more  worthy  of  veneration on  the  earth,  than  true  virtue:  the  world  itself  is  forced  to acknowledge  this  truth. The elevation  of  sentiment,  the  nobility of motive,  the  empire  over  the  passions,  the  patience  under  adversity, the  gentleness  under  injuries,  the  contempt  of  one's  self  under praise, the  courage  under  difficulties,  the  austerity  in  pleasures,  the fidelity in  duties,  the  equality  of  temper  in  all  events  with  which philosophy hath  decked  out  its  imaginary  sage,  find  their  reality only in  the  disciple  of  the  gospel. The more  our  manners  are  even corrupted, the  more  our  times  are  dissolute,  the  more  doth  a  just soul, who,  in  the  midst  of  the  general  corruption,  know  how  to preserve  his  righteousness  and  his  innocence,  merit  the  public  admiration;  and  if  the  Pagans  themselves  so  highly  respected  Christians, in  a  time  when  all  Christians  were  holy,  with  much  greater reason are  those  Christians,  who  act  up  to  the  name  of  Christian, worthy of  our  veneration  and  respect,  at  this  period,  when  sanctity is become  so  rare  among  believers.

How melancholy  then  for  our  ministry,  that  the  corruption  of manners  should  oblige  us  to  do  here  what  the  first  defenders  of faith  formerly  did  with  so  much  dignity  before  the  Pagan  tribunals;  that  is  to  say,  to  make  the  apology  of  the  servants  of  Jesus Christ; and  that  it  should  be  necessary  to  teach  Christians  to  honour those  who  profess  themselves  such! Yet true  it  is;  for  derision and  censure  against  piety  seem  at  present  to  be  the  most dominant language  of  the  world. I confess,  that  the  world  ideally