Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/415

 itself, which  you  always  allege,  and  to  which  you  continually  refer us. Are you,  honestly  speaking,  at  your  ease,  as  you  wish  to persuade  us,  in  this  life,  altogether  of  pleasures,  of  dissipation,  of indolence,  and  of  sensuality:  in  a  word,  in  this  worldly  life,  of which  you  constantly  maintain  the  innocence,  have  you  hitherto been able  to  succeed  in  persuading  yourselves  that  it  is  the  path which leads  to  salvation? Do you  not  feel  that  something  more  is required  of  you  by  the  gospel  than  you  perform? Would you wish to  appear  before  God  with  nothing  to  offer  to  him  but  these pleasures, these  amusements  which  you  call  innocent,  and  of  which the principal  groundwork  of  your  life  is  composed? I put  the question to  you,  in  those  moments  when,  more  warmly  affected perhaps by  grace,  you  purpose  seriously  to  think  upon  eternity, do you  not  place,  in  the  plan  which  you  then  form  of  a  new  life, the privation  of  almost  all  the  very  things  in  which  you  are  continually telling  us  that  you  see  no  harm? Do you  not  begin  by promising  to  yourselves,  that,  solely  occupied  then  with  your  salvation, you  will  renounce  the  excesses  of  gaming,  the  theatres,  the vanities and  indecencies  of  dress,  the  dissipation  of  public  assemblies and  pleasures;  that  you  will  devote  more  time  to  prayer,  to retirement,  to  holy  reading,  and  to  the  duties  of  religion? Now, what is  it  that  you  hereby  acknowledge,  unless  it  be,  that,  while you renounce  not  all  these  abuses, — that  you  devote  not  more  time to all  these  pious  duties,  you  think  not  seriously  upon  your  salvation; you  ought  to  have  no  pretension  to  it;  you  are  in  the  path of death  and  perdition?

But, besides,  you  who  carry  so  far  the  severity  of  your  censures against the  godly,  recollect  all  the  rigour  of  your  maxims,  and  of your  derisions  upon  their  conduct;  do  you  not  blame,  do  you  not continually censure  those  persons  who  wish  to  connect  with  a  public profession  of  piety  those  abuses,  those  amusements,  of  which you are  the  daily  apologists,  and  who  wish  to  enjoy  the  reputation of virtue  without  losing  any  of  the  pleasures  of  the  world? Do you not mock  their  piety  as  a  piece  of  mere  grimace? Here it  is  that you emphatically  display  all  the  austerity  of  the  Christian  life. Do you not  say,  that  it  is  necessary  either  totally  to  renounce  the world, or  continue  to  live  as  the  world  lives;  and  that  all  these ambiguous virtues  serve  only  to  decry  the  true  virtue? I agree with you  in  this;  but  I  reply  to  you,  Your  conscience  dictates  to you  that  it  is  not  safe  to  give  yourself  partially  to  God,  and  your conscience reproaches  you  nothing,  as  you  say,  in  a  life  in  which God enters  not  at  all? You condemn  those  mistaken  souls  whom, at least,  an  apparent  division  between  the  world  and  Jesus  Christ may comfort? And you  justify  to  us  your  conduct,  you  who  have nothing in  its  justification  but  the  abuses  of  the  world  and  the danger of  its  habits? Do you  then  believe  that  the  path  of  salvation is  more  rugged  for  those  who  profess  piety  than  for  you; — that the  world  hath  privileges  thereon,  which  are  forfeited  from  the moment that  we  mean  to  serve  God? Be consistent,  then,  with yourselves, and  either  condemn  no  more  a  worldly  virtue,  or  no