Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/349

 God; disgusted  with  every  thing  which  brings  us  nearer  to  him; loving only  what  tends  to  our  ruin;  hating  only  what  tends  to  our salvation; weak  in  good;  always  ripe  for  evil;  and,  in  a  word, finding in  virtue  the  rock  of  virtue  itself,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at, that men,  surrounded,  filled  with  so  many  miseries,  should  sometimes allow  some  of  them  to  be  visible;  that  men  so  corrupted, should not  be  always  equally  holy? And were  you,  in  any  measure, equitable, would  you  not  rather  find  it  worthy  of  admiration  that some virtue  still  remained,  than  worthy  of  censure  that  they  still preserve some  vices?

Besides, God  hath  his  reasons  for  still  leaving  to  the  most  pious, certain sensible  weaknesses  which  strike  and  offend  you. In the first place,  he  thereby  wisheth  to  humble  them,  and  to  render  their virtue more  secure  by  concealing  it  even  from  themselves. — Secondly, he  wisheth  to  animate  their  vigilance,  for  he  leaveth  not Amorites in  the  land  of  Canaan,  that  is  to  say,  passions  in  the heart of  his  servants,  but,  lest,  freed  from  all  their  enemies,  they should lull  themselves  in  idleness  and  in  a  dangerous  security. — Thirdly, he  wisheth  to  excite  in  them  a  continual  desire  for  the eternal land,  and  to  render  the  exilement  of  this  life  more  bitter, through a  proper  sense  of  those  miseries  from  which  they  can  never, here below,  obtain  a  complete  deliverance. Fourthly, perhaps  not to discourage  sinners  by  the  sight  of  too  perfect  a  virtue,  which might probably  induce  them  to  cease  every  exertion,  under  the  idea of never  being  able  to  attain  it. Fifthly, in  order  to  preserve  to the  just  a  continual  subject  of  prayer  and  penitence,  by  leaving them a  continual  source  of  sin. Sixthly, to  prevent  those  excessive honours  which  the  world  would  render  to  virtue  were  it  pure and sparkling,  and  lest  it  should  find  its  recompense,  in  other words, its  rock,  in  the  vain  applauses  of  men. What shall  I  lastly say? it perhaps  is  still  more  to  lull  and  to  blindfold  the  enemies  of piety;  by  the  weakness  of  the  pious  to  strengthen  you,  who  listen to me,  in  the  foolish  opinion  that  there  is  no  real  virtue  on  the  earth; to authorize  you  in  your  disorders,  by  the  supposition  that  they are similar  to  yourselves;  and  to  render  unavailing  to  you  all  the pious examples  of  the  just. You triumph  in  the  weaknesses  of the  pious;  yet  are  there  weaknesses  perhaps  punishments  from  God on you, and  means  employed  by  his  justice  to  nourish  your  unjust prepossessions against  virtue,  and  completely  to  harden  you  in guilt. God is  terrible  in  his  judgments;  and  the  consummation  of iniquity,  is,  in  general,  the  sequel  of  iniquity  itself.

But, secondly,  were  your  censures  on  those  weaknesses,  which may still  remain  to  the  pious,  not  rendered  barbarous  and  inhuman, when the  natural  weakness  of  man  is  considered,  the  difficulty alone of  virtue  would  amply  render  them  so.

For, candidly,  my  brethren,  doth  it  appear  so  easy  to  you  to  live according to  God,  and  to  walk  in  the  straight  path  of  salvation, that you  should  become  so  implacable  against  the  pious,  from  the moment that  they  err  but  for  an  instant? Is it  so  easy  continually to renounce  one^s  self,  to  be  ever  guarded  against  one's  own  heart,