Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/367

 of terror,  of  silence,  and  profound  recollection,  of  internal  humiliation, on  viewing  the  majesty  of  the  Most  High,  and  our  own  meanness;  to  be  occupied  with  God  alone  who  showeth  himself  to  us; to feel  all  the  weight  of  his  glory  and  of  his  presence;  to  collect  all our attention,  all  our  thoughts,  all  our  desires,  our  whole  soul,  to pay  him  the  homage  of  it,  and  to  cast  it  wholly  at  the  feet  of  the God whom  we  worship;  to  forget  all  the  grandeurs  of  the  earth; to see  only  him;  to  be  occupied  only  with  him;  and,  by  our  profound humiliation,  to  confess,  like  the  blessed  in  heaven,  that  he alone  is  almighty,  alone  immortal,  alone  great,  alone  worthy  of  all our love  and  of  our  homages.

But, alas! my brethren,  where,  in  our  temples,  are  those  respectful souls,  who,  seized  with  a  holy  dread  at  the  sight  of  these  sacred places, feel  all  the  weight  of  the  majesty  of  the  God  who  dwelleth in them,  and  are  incapable  of  supporting  the  splendour  of  his  presence, otherwise  than  in  the  immobility  of  a  humiliated  body,  and the profound  religion  of  a  soul  who  adores? Where are  those who, losing  sight  of  all  the  grandeurs  of  the  earth,  are  here  occupied with  that  of  God  alone? Let us  boldly  say  it  before  a  king, whose profound  respect,  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  does  equal  honour to religion  and  to  himself;  it  is  not  to  honour  the  God  who  dwelleth here  that  too  many  enter  into  this  holy  temple;  it  is  to  cover themselves with  the  cloak  of  piety,  and  to  make  it  instrumental toward views  and  interests  which  sincere  piety  condemns. They come to  bow  the  knee,  as  Haman  bowed  it  before  the  profane  altar, to attract  the  regards  and  to  follow  the  example  of  the  prince  who worships; they  come  here  to  seek  another  God  than  he  who  appears on  our  altars;  to  make  their  court  to  another  master  than  the Supreme Master;  to  seek  other  favours  than  the  grace  of  Heaven; and to  attract  the  kindness  of  another  paymaster  than  the  immortal Rewarder. Amid a  crowd  of  worshippers,  he  is  an  unknown  God in his  own  temple,  as  he  formerly  was  in  the  pagan  Athens. Every look here  is  for  the  prince,  who  hath  none  himself  but  for  God;  all wishes are  addressed  to  him;  and  his  profound  humiliation  at  the foot of  the  altar,  far  from  teaching  us  to  respect  here  the  Lord, before whom  a  great  king  bows  his  head  and  forgets  all  his  greatness, teaches  us  only  to  take  advantage  of  his  religion,  and  of  the favours with  which  he  honours  virtue,  to  adopt  their  semblance, and, through  that  deception,  to  exalt  ourselves  to  new   degrees of greatness  upon  the  earth. O my  God! is not  this  what  thou announcedst to  thy  disciples — that  times  would  come  when  faith should be  extinguished,  when  piety  would  become  an  infamous traffic, and  when  men,  living  without  God  upon  the  earth,  would  no longer  acknowledge  thee  but  in  order  to  make  thee  subservient  to their  iniquitous  desires?

A spirit  of  prayer  is  also  comprised  in  this  disposition  of  humiliation;  for  the  more  we  are  struck  here  with  the  greatness  and with the  power  of  the  God  whom  we  worship,  the  more  do  our endless wants  warn  us  to  have  recourse  to  him  from  whom  alone we can  obtain  relief  and  deliverance  from  them. Thus the  temple