Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/356

 whole exterior  of  piety  a  ridicule  which  falls  upon  religion  itself. You perpetuate  in  the  world,  and  support  among  men,  those  prejudices against  virtue,  and  that  universal  illusion  employed  by  Satan to deceive  them,  which  is  that  of  treating  piety  as  perverse  and  a folly;  you  authorize  the  blasphemies  of  freethinkers  and  of  the wicked; you  accustom  sinners  to  arrogate  to  themselves  an  ostentatious glory  from  vice  and  irregularity,  and  to  consider  debauchery as fashionable  and  genteel  when  contrasted  with  the  ridicule  of virtue. What, indeed,  may  I  not  say? Through your  means  piety becomes the  fable  of  the  world,  the  sport  of  the  wicked,  the  shame of sinners,  the  scandal  of  the  weak,  and  the  rock  even  of  the  just; through you  vice  is  held  in  honour,  virtue  is  debased,  truth  is  weakened, faith  is  extinguished,  religion  is  annihilated,  and  corruption universally spreads;  and,  as  foretold  by  the  prophet,  desolation  perseveres even  to  the  consummation  and  to  the  end.

Let me  likewise  add,  that,  through  you,  virtue  becomes  insupportable to  itself:  your  derisions  become  a  rock  to  the  piety  even of the  just:  you  shake  their  faith;  you  discourage  their  zeal;  you suspend their  good  desires;  you  stifle  in  their  heart  the  liveliest impressions of  grace;  you  stop  them  in  a  thousand  deeds  of  fervour and virtue,  which  they  dare  not  expose  to  the  impiety  of  your censures; in  spite  of  themselves,  you  force  them  to  conform  to  your habits and  maxims,  which  they  detest;  to  abate  from  their  retirement, their  mortifications,  and  their  prayers;  and  to  consecrate  to these  duties  only  those  concealed  moments  which  may  escape  your knowledge and  railleries. Through these  means,  you  deprive  the church of  their  edifying  example;  you  deprive  the  weak  of  those succours which  they  would  otherwise  find  there;  sinners  of  that shame with  which  their  presence  would  cover  them;  the  just  of  that consolation which  would  animate  them;  and  religion  of  a  sight  which would do  it  honour.

Alas! my brethren,  in  former  ages  tyrants  never  derided  Christians, but  in  reproaching  to  them  their  pretended  superstitions: they ridiculed  the  public  honours  which  they  saw  them  render  to Jesus  Christ,  a  person  crucified,  and  the  preference  which  was given to  him  by  Christians  over  Jupiter  and  all  the  gods  of  the empire, whose  worship  was  become  respectable  through  the  pomp and magnificence  of  their  temples  and  altars,  the  antiquity  of  the laws, and  the  majesty  of  the  Caesars:  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they bestowed loud  and  public  praises  on  their  manners;  they  admired their modesty,  frugality,  charity,  patience,  innocent  and  mortified life, and  their  absence  from  theatres,  or  every  other  place  of  public amusement; they  could  not,  without  veneration,  regard  the  wise, retired, modest,  humble,  and  benevolent  manners  of  those simple and  faithful  believers. You, on  the  contrary,  more  senseless, find  no  fault  with  them  for  adoring  Jesus  Christ,  and  for  placing their  confidence  and  hope  of  salvation  in  the  mystery  of  the cross; but  you  find  it  ridiculous  that  they  should  deny  themselves every public  pleasure;  that  they  should  live  in  the  practice  of  retirement, mortification,  and  prayer;  but  you  find  them  worthy  of