Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/431

 away by  the  torrent  of  example;  hath  he  then  added,  that,  in  order to accommodate  himself  to  the  corruption  of  these  latter  times,  he would  relax  something  of  the  severity  of  his  Gospel;  that  he  would consent that  customs,  established  by  the  ignorance  and  the  licentiousness of  the  ages,  should  succeed  to  the  rules  and  to  the  duties of his  doctrine;  that  he  would  then  exact  of  his  disciples  infinitely less than  he  exacted  at  the  birth  of  faith;  and  that  his  kingdom, which, at  first,  was  promised  only  to  force,  should  then  be  granted to indolence  and  laziness? Hath he  added  this,  I  demand  of  you? On the  contrary,  he  warns  his  disciples  that  then,  in  these  latter times, it  will  more  than  ever  be  necessary  to  pray,  to  fast,  to retire  to  the  mountains,  in  order  to  shun  the  general  corruption;  he  warns  them  that  woe  unto  those  who  shall  then  remain exposed amid  the  world;  that  those  alone  shall  be  safe  who  shall divest themselves  of  all,  and  who  shall  fly  from  amid  the  cities: and he  concludes  by  exhorting  them  once  more  to  watch  and to pray  without  ceasing,  in  order  not  to  be  included  in  the  general condemnation.

And, in  effect,  my  brethren,  the  more  disorders  augment,  the more ought  piety  to  be  fervent  and  watchful:  the  more  we  are  surrounded with  dangers,  the  more  doth  prayer,  retreat,  and  mortification become  necessary  to  us. The licentiousness  of  the  present manners add  still  new  obligations  to  those  of  our  fathers;  and, far from  the  path  of  salvation  having  become  more  easy  than  in those  former  times,  we  shall  perish  with  a  moderate  virtue,  which, supported then  by  the  common  example,  would  perhaps  have  been sufficient to  secure  our  salvation.

Besides, my  brethren,  I  demand  of  you,  in  the  second  place, Do you  really  believe  that  the  rigorous  precepts  of  the  gospel, those maxims  of  the  cross,  of  violence,  of  self-denial,  of  contempt for the  world,  have  been  made  only  for  the  primitive  ages  of  faith? Do you  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  hath  destined  all  the  rigours  of his  doctrine  for  those  chaste,  innocent,  charitable,  and  fervent  men, who lived  in  these  happy  times  of  the  church;  those  men  who denied themselves  every  pleasure,  those  primitive  heroes  of  religion, who, almost  all,  preserved,  even  to  the  end,  the  grace  of  regeneration which  had  made  them  Christians? What! my brethren, Jesus Christ  would  have  rewarded  their  zeal  and  their  fidelity  only by aggravating  their  yoke,  and  he  would  have  reserved  all  his indulgence for  the  corrupted  men  of  our  ages? Jesus Christ would have  made  strict  laws  of  reserve,  of  modesty,  of  retirement, only for  those  primitive  Christian  women  who  renounced  all  to please  him;  who  divided  themselves  only  with  the  Lord  and  their husbands; who,  shut  up  in  the  inclosures  of  their  houses,  brought up their  children  in  faith  and  in  piety? And he  would  exact  less at present  of  those  sensual,  voluptuous,  and  worldly  women,  who continually wound  our  eyes  by  the  indecency  of  their  dress,  and who corrupt  the  heart  by  the  looseness  of  their  manners,  and  by the  snares  which  they  lay  for  innocence? And where  would  here be that  so  much    vaunted  equity    and  wisdom  of  the  Christian