Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/364

 purified from  your  crimes,  you  at  least  feel  contrition  for  them; that you  come  to  lament  them  at  the  foot  of  the  altar;  and  that your confusion  and  the  sincere  regret  of  your  faults  are  now  to  begin here  your  justification  and  your  innocence.

If, sinners,  it  is  your  desires  toward  a  more  Christian  life  which alone can  authorize  your  appearing  in  this  holy  place;  and  if  you come not  here  to  lament  over  your  crimes,  but  bring  with  you, even to  the  foot  of  the  altar,  the  will,  and  the  actual  and  rooted affection for  them,  the  church,  it  is  true,  who  sees  not,  nor  judges  the heart, excludes  you  not  from  these  sacred  walls;  but  God  invisibly rejecteth you. In his  eyes  you  are  accursed  and  excommunicated, and have  no  right  in  the  altar  or  in  the  sacrifices;  you  are  one  who comes to  stain,  by  your  sole  presence,  the  sanctity  of  the  awful mysteries, to  seat  yourself  in  a  place  where  you  have  no  right  to be  seated,  and  from  whence  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  who  watches  at the  gate  of  the  temple,  invisibly  chases  you,  as  he  formerly  chased the first  sinner  from  that  place  of  innocence  and  of  sanctity  which the Lord  sanctified  with  his  presence.

And, in  effect,  to  feel  guilty  of  the  most  shameful  crimes,  and  to come  to  appear  here  in  the  most  holy  place  of  the  earth;  to  come to appear  before  God,  without  being,  at  least,  touched  with  shame and sorrow,  without  thinking,  at  least,  upon  the  means  of  quitting so deplorable  a  situation,  without  at  least  wishing  it,  and  forming some sentiments  of  religion;  to  bring  even  to  the  foot  of  the  altar defiled bodies  and  souls;  to  force  the  eyes  even  of  God,  as  I  may say, to  familiarize  themselves  with  guilt,  without  at  least  confessing to him  the  sorrow  of  thus  appearing  before  him,  covered  with shame and  reproach,  and  saying  to  him,  like  Peter,  *  Depart  from me, O  Lord,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man;"  or,  like  the  prophet,  "  Hide thy face  from  my  sins,  and  blot  out  all  mine  iniquities,"  that  I  may be  worthy  of  appearing  here  in  thy  presence, — is  to  profane  the temple  of  God,  to  insult  his  glory  and  majesty,  and  the  sanctity  of his  mysteries.

For, my  dear  hearer,  be  whom  ye  may  who  come  to  assist  here, you come  to  offer  up  spiritually  with  the  priest  the  awful  sacrifice: you come  to  present  to  God  the  blood  of  his  Son,  as  the  propitiation of  your  sins:  you  come  to  appease  his  justice,  through  the dignity and  the  excellence  of  these  holy  offerings;  and  to  represent to him  the  claim  which  you  have  upon  his  mercies,  ever  since  the blood of  his  Son  hath  purified  you;  and  that  you  no  longer  form, in one  sense,  with  him,  but  one  same  priest  and  one  same  victim. Now, when  you  appear  with  a  hardened  and  corrupted  heart,  without any  sentiment  of  faith,  or  any  desire  of  amendment,  you  disavow the  ministry  of  the  priest  who  offers  in  your  stead:  you  disavow the  prayers  he  sends  up  to  the  Lord,  in  which,  through  the mouth of  the  priest,  you  entreat  him  to  cast  his  propitious  looks on these  holy  offerings  which  are  upon  the  altar,  and  to  accept  of them  as  the  price  of  the  abolition  of  your  crimes:  you  even  insult the love  of  Jesus  Christ  himself,  who  renews  the  grand  object  of your  redemption,  and  who  presents  you  to  his  Father  as  a  portion