Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/370

 but you  come  to  give  new  subject  of  offence;  on  the  very  spot  where you have  so  often  appeared  penitent,  you  proclaim  yourselves  still worldly and  profane. Ah! far from  coming  to  these  holy  tribunals to recapitulate  the  disorders  of  your  life;  far  from  coming  to  renew those promises  of  penitence,  those  sentiments  of  compunction, those emotions  of  shame  and  of  confusion,  of  which  they  have  so often  been  the  depositories;  you  boldly  appear  before  them  with an unblushing  countenance,  your  eyes  wandering  here  and  there, full, perhaps,  of  guilt  and  adultery,  as  the  apostle  says,  to  renew  in their  presence  the  same  infidelities  that  your  tears  had  once  expiated, and  to  render  them  ocular  witnesses  of  the  same  prevarications of  which  they  had  been  the  secret  confidants  and  the  blessed purgers!

What more  shall  I  say,  my  brethren? — In the  third  place,  the temple is  the  house  of  doctrine  and  of  truth;  and  it  is  here  that, through the  mouth  of  the  pastors,  the  church  announces  to  you the maxims  of  salvation,  and  the  mysteries  of  the  heavenly  kingdom, concealed  from  so  many  infidel  nations: — fresh  motive  of gratitude  on  your  part. But, alas! it is  rather  a  fresh  subject  of condemnation;  and  even  here,  where,  from  these  Christian  pulpits, we are  continually  telling  you  from  Jesus  Christ  that  the  unclean shall never  enjoy  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  you  come  to  form  profane desires; even  here  where  you  are  warned  that  you  shall  one  day have to  render  account  of  an  idle  word,  you  permit  yourselves  criminal ones:  lastly,  even  here,  where  you  so  often  hear  repeated that evil  to  him  that  scandalizeth,  you  become  yourself  a  stumbling block and  a  subject  of  scandal. Thus, my  brethren,  why  do  you believe that  the  word  of  the  gospel,  which  we  preach  to  princes and to  grandees  of  the  earth,  is  no  longer  but  a  tinkling  brass,  and that our  ministry  is  now  become  almost  unnecessary? It may  be that  our  private  weaknesses  place  a  bar  to  the  fruit  and  to  the  progress of  the  gospel,  and  that  God  bless  not  a  ministry,  the  ministers of  which  are  not  pleasing  in  his  sight:  but  besides  this  reason, so humiliating  for  us,  and  which  we  cannot,  however,  either  dissemble from  you,  or  even  conceal  from  ourselves,  it  is  doubtless, the profanation  of  the  temples,  and  the  indecent  and  disrespectful manner in  which  you  listen  to  us,  that  deprive  the  word,  of  which we are  the  ministers,  of  all  its  energy  and  virtue. The Lord, estranged from  this  holy  place  through  your  profanations,  no  longer giveth increase  to  our  toils,  nor  sheddeth  his  grace,  which  alone causeth his  doctrine  and  his  word  to  fructify:  he  no  longer  looketh upon these  assemblies,  formerly  so  holy,  but  as  an  assembly  of worldly-minded,  of  voluptuous,  of  ambitious,  and  of  profane. — And how  would  you,  that  he  turn  not  his  countenance  from  them, and that  the  word  of  his  gospel  fructify  there? Reconcile, in the  first  place,  with  him,  by  your  homages,  by  your  collected  behaviour, and  by  your  piety,  these  houses  of  the  doctrine  and  of truth:  then  will  he  compensate  for  your  deficiencies;  he  will  open your hearts  to  our  instructions,  and  his  word  shall  no  longer  return empty to  him.