Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/363

 penitent, or  the  bread  of  the  strong  and  perfect;  the  sacred  anthems heard there  are  the  groanings  of  a  contrite  heart,  or  the  sighs  of  a chaste  and  believing  soul. And on  this  account  it  is  that  the church takes  care  to  purify  even  every  thing  that  is  to  appear  on the  altar;  she  consecrates  with  prayers  even  the  stones  of  these holy buildings,  as  if  to  render  them  worthy  of  sustaining  the  presence and  the  looks  of  the  God  who  dwelleth  in  them:  she  exposes at the  doors  of  our  temples  a  water  sanctified  by  prayers,  and  recommends to  believers  to  sprinkle  it  over  their  heads  before they enter  into  the  holy  place,  as  if  to  complete  their  purification from  any  slight  stains  which  might  still  remain;  lest  the  sanctity of  the  God  before  whom  they  come  to  appear  should  be  injured by  them.

Formerly, the  church  permitted  not,  within  the  circle  of  her  sacred walls,  even  tombs  to  the  bodies  of  believers;  she  received  not into that  holy  spot  the  spoils  of  their  mortality;  she  did  not  believe that the  temple  of  God,  that  new  heaven  filled  with  his  presence and glory,  should  serve  as  an  asylum  to  the  ashes  of  those  whom she numbered  not  as  yet  among  the  blessed.

The public  penitents  themselves  were  for  a  long  time  excluded from assisting  at  the  holy  mysteries. Prostrated at  the  doors  of the  temple,  covered  with  hair-cloth  and  ashes,  even  the  assembly of believers  was  denied  to  them  equally  as  to  the  anathematized: their tears  and  their  mortifications  alone  could  at  length  open  to them  these  sacred  gates. And what  delight,  when,  after  having groaned for,  and  supplicated  their  reconciliation,  they  found  themselves in  the  temple  among  their  brethren;  they  once  more  beheld those altars,  that  sanctuary,  those  ministers  so  deeply  engaged  in the  awful  mysteries;  they  heard  their  names  pronounced  at  the altar with  those  of  the  believers,  and  sung  with  them  hymns  and holy songs! What tears  of  rapture  and  of  religion  were  then  not shed! What regret  for  having  so  long  deprived  themselves  of  so sweet  a  consolation! A single  day,  O  my  God,  passed  in  thy  holy house, cried  they,  no  doubt,  with  the  prophet,  is  more  consoling  to the  heart  than  whole  years  spent  in  pleasure  and  in  the  tents  of the  wicked! Such were  formerly  the  temples  of  Christians. Far from these  sacred  walls,  said  then  the  minister  with  a  loud  voice  to all  the  assembly  of  believers, — far  from  these  sacred  walls  be  the unclean, the  impure,  the  worshippers  of  idols,  and  whosoever  loveth or maketh  a  lie.

The church,  it  is  true,  no  longer  makes  this  rigorous  discrimination. The multitude  of  believers,  and  the  depravation  of  manners, having rendered  it  impossible,  she  opens  the  gates  of  our  temples indifferently to  the  righteous  and  to  sinners:  she  draws  the  veil  of her  sanctuary  in  presence  even  of  the  profane;  and,  in  order  to begin  the  awful  mysteries,  her  ministers  no  longer  wait  the  departure of  the  sinful  and  unclean. But the  church  supposes  that,  if you  be  not  righteous  in  coming  here  to  appear  before  the  majesty of a  God  so  holy,  you  bring  with  you  at  least  desires  of  righteousness and  of  penitence:    she  supposes,  that,  if  not  yet  altogether