Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/359

 time, and  delay  their  punishment. He bursts  not  forth  at  once against the  hypocrisy  of  the  pharisees,  and  the  corruption  of  the scribes and  priests;  but  the  chastisement  of  the  profaners  of  the temple can  admit  of  no  delay;  his  zeal  on  this  occasion  admits  of no  bounds;  and  scarcely  is  he  entered  into  Jerusalem  when  he flies  to  the  holy  place,  to  avenge  the  honour  of  his  Father  there insulted, and  the  glory  of  his  house  which  they  dishonour.

Of all  crimes,  in  effect,  by  which  the  greatness  of  God  is  insulted, I see  almost  none  more  deserving  of  his  chastisements  than  the profanations of  his  temples;  and  they  are  so  much  the  more  criminal, as  the  dispositions  required  of  us  by  religion,  when  assisting there, ought  to  be  more  holy.

For, my  brethren,  since  our  temples  are  a  new  heaven,  where God dwelleth  with  men,  they  require  the  same  dispositions  of  us  as those  of  the  blessed  in  the  heavenly  temple;  that  is  to  say,  that  the earthly altar,  being  the  same  as  that  of  heaven,  and  the  Lamb,  who offers himself  and  is  sacrificed  there,  being  the  same,  the  dispositions of  those  around  him  ought  to  be  alike. Now, the  first disposition of  the  blessed  before  the  throne  of  God  and  the  altar of the  Lamb,  is  a  disposition  of  purity  and  innocence. The second, a disposition  of  religion  and  internal  humiliation. Thirdly, and lastly, a  disposition  even  of  decency  and  of  modesty  in  dress. Three dispositions,  which  comprise  all  the  feelings  of  faith  with which we  ought  to  enter  the  temples  of  God;  a  disposition  of  purity and innocence;  a  disposition  of  adoration  and  internal  humiliation; a disposition  even  of  external  decency  and  modesty  in  dress.

Part I. — The  whole  universe  is  a  temple  which  God  filleth  with his glory  and  with  his  presence. Wherever we  go,  says  the  apostle, he is  always  beside  us;  in  him  we  live,  move,  and  have  our  being. If we  mount  up  to  the  heavens,  he  is  there;  if  we  plunge  to  the centre, there  shall  we  find  him;  if  we  traverse  the  ocean  on  the wings of  the  winds,  it  is  his  hand  that  guides  us:  and  he  is  alike the God  of  the  distant  isles  which  know  him  not,  as  of  the  kingdoms and  regions  which  invoke  his  name.

Nevertheless, in  all  times,  men  have  consecrated  places  to  him which he  hath  honoured  with  a  special  presence. The patriarchs erected altars  to  him  on  certain  spots  where  he  had  appeared. The Israelites,  in  the  desert,  considered  the  tabernacle  as  the  place in which  his  glory  and  his  presence  continually  resided;  and,  come afterward to  Jerusalem,  they  no  more  invoked  him  with  the  solemnity of  incense  and  of  victims,  but  in  that  august  temple  erected to  him  by  Solomon. It was  the  first  temple  consecrated  by men  of  the  true  God. It was  the  most  holy  place  in  the  universe; the only  one  where  it  was  permitted  to  offer  up  gifts  and  sacrifices to the  Lord. From all  quarters  of  the  earth  the  Israelites  were obliged to  come  there  to  worship  him. Captives in  foreign  kingdoms, their  eyes,  their  wishes,  and  their  homages  were  incessantly bent toward  that  holy  place:  in  the  midst  of  Babylon,  Jerusalem and her  temple  were  always  the  source  of  their  delights,  of  their  re-