Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/360

 grets, and  the  object  of  their  worship  and  of  their  prayers;  and Daniel chose  to  expose  himself  to  all  the  fury  of  the  lions,  rather than to  fail  in  that  pious  duty,  and  to  deprive  himself  of  that  consolation. Jerusalem, indeed,  had  often  seen  infidel  princes,  attracted by the  sanctity  and  the  fame  of  her  temple,  coming  to  render  homage to a  God  whom  they  knew  not;  and  Alexander  himself,  struck with the  majesty  of  that  place,  and  with  the  august  gravity  of  its venerable pontiff,  remembered  that  he  was  man,  and  bowed  his proud head  before  the  God  of  hosts  whom  they  there  worshipped.

At the  birth  of  the  gospel,  the  houses  of  believers  were  at  first domestic churches. The cruelty  of  tyrants  obliged  those  first  disciples of  faith  to  seek  obscure  and  hidden  places  to  conceal  themselves from  the  rage  of  the  persecutions,  there  to  celebrate  the  holy mysteries and  to  invoke  the  name  of  the  Lord. The majesty  of the  ceremonies  entered  into  the  church  only  with  that  of  the Csesars. Religion had  its  Davids  and  its  Solomons,  who  blushed  to inhabit  superb  palaces,  while  the  Lord  had  not  whereon  to  lay  his head: sumptuous  edifices  gradually  rose  up  in  our  cities:  the  God of heaven  and  of  the  earth  again,  if  I  dare  to  say  so,  resumed  his rights; and  the  temples  themselves,  where  the  demon  had  so  long been invoked,  were  restored  to  him  as  to  their  rightful  master, consecrated to  his  worship,  and  became  his  dwelling-place.

But here  they  are  no  more  empty  temples  like  that  of  Jerusalem, where every  thing  took  place  figuratively. The Lord  still  dwelt in the  heavens,  said  the  prophet,  and  his  throne  was  still  above the clouds;  but  since  he  hath  deigned  to  appear  upon  the  earth,  to hold  converse  with  men,  and  to  leave  us,  in  the  mystical  benedictions, the  real  pledge  of  his  body  and  of  his  blood,  actually  contained under  these  sacred  signs,  the  heavenly  altar  hath  no  longer any advantage  over  ours;  the  victims  which  we  there  immolate  is the  Lamb  of  God;  the  bread  in  which  we  participate  is  the  immortal food  of  the  angels  and  blessed  spirits;  the  mystical  wine  we there  drink  is  that  new  beverage  with  which  they  make  glad  in  the kingdom of  the  heavenly  Father;  the  sacred  canticle  we  there  sing is that  which  the  celestial  harmony  makes  continually  to  resound around the  throne  of  the  Lamb;  lastly,  our  temples  are  those  new heavens promised  by  the  prophet  to  men. We see  not  fully  there, it is  true,  all  that  is  seen  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  for  here  below we see  only  mystically,  and,  as  it  were,  through  a  veil;  but  we possess  him,  we  enjoy  him,  and  heaven  hath  no  longer  any  advantage over  the  earth.

Now, I  say,  that  our  temples  being  a  new  heaven,  filled  with  the glory and  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  innocence  and  purity  are  the first disposition  by  which  we  are  entitled,  like  the  blessed  in  the eternal temple,  to  appear  there;  for  the  God  before  whom  we  appear is a  holy  God.

In effect,  my  brethren,  the  sanctity  of  God,  spread  throughout the universe,  is  one  of  the  greatest  motives  held  out  by  religion  to induce  us  every  where  to  walk  before  him  in  purity  and  in  innocence. As all  creatures  are  sanctified  by  the  intimate  residence  of  the