Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/445

 internal be  full  of  infection  and  putrefaction;  and  that  God  is  truly worshipped only  by  loving  him.

But, alas! my brethren,  is  this  mistake,  so  wretched,  and  so  often reproached to  the  synagogue  by  Jesus  Christ,  not  still  the  error  of the  majority  of  us? To what,  in  fact,  is  the  whole  of  our  worship reduced? To some  external  ceremonies;  to  fulfilling  certain  public duties prescribed  by  the  law;  and  even  this  is  the  religion  of  the  most respectable. They come  to  assist  in  the  holy  mysteries;  they  do not,  without  scruple,  depart  from  the  laws  of  the  church;  they  repeat some  prayers  which  custom  has  consecrated;  they  go  through the solemnities,  and  increase  the  crowd  which  runs  to  our  temples: — behold  the  whole. But are  they,  in  consequence,  more detached from  the  world  and  from  its  criminal  pleasures; — less occupied with  the  cares  of  a  vain  dress,  or  of  fortune; — more inclined to  break  off  a  criminal  engagement,  or  to  fly  opportunities which  have  so  often  been  a  rock  to  their  innocence? Do they bring  to  these  external  practices  of  religion,  a  pure  heart, a lively  faith,  a  guileless  charity? All their  passions  submit  amid all these  religious  works,  which  are  given  to  custom  rather  than to religion.

And remark,  I  pray  you,  my  brethren,  that  they  would  not  dare to dispense  themselves  altogether  from  them;  to  live,  like  the impious, without  any  profession  of  worship,  and  without  fulfilling  at least  some  of  its  public  duties. They would  consider  themselves  as anathematized,  and  worthy  of  the  thunder  of  heaven. And yet  they dare to  sully  these  holy  duties  by  the  most  criminal  manners! and yet they  do  not  view  themselves  with  horror,  while  rendering  useless these  superficial  remains  of  religion,  by  a  life  which  religion condemns and  abhors! and they  dread  not  the  wrath  of  God,  in continuing  crimes  which  attract  it  on  our  heads,  and  in  limiting  all that is  his  due  to  vain  homages  which  insult  him!

Nevertheless, as  I  have  already  said,  of  all  the  worldly,  these  are the most  prudent,  and,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  the  most  regular. They have  not  yet  thrown  off  the  yoke,  like  so  many  others;  they do not  arrogate  to  themselves  a  shocking  glory  in  not  believing  in God;  they  blaspheme  not  what  they  do  not  know;  they  do  not consider religion  as  a  mockery  and  a  human  invention;  they  still wish to  hold  to  it  by  some  externals;  but  they  hold  not  to  it  by  the heart; but  they  dishonour  it  by  their  irregularities;  but  they  are not Christians  but  in  name. Thus, even  in  a  greater  degree  than formerly under  the  synagogue,  the  magnificent  externals  of  religion subsist among  us,  along  with  a  more  profound  and  more  general depravity of  manners  than  ever  the  prophets  reproached  to  the obstinacy and  hypocrisy  of  the  Jews:  thus,  that  religion,  in  which we glory,  is  no  longer,  to  the  greatest  number  of  believers,  but  a superficial  worship:  thus,  that  new  covenant,  which  ought  to  be written  only  in  the  heart;  that  law  of  spirit  and  life,  which  ought to render  men  wholly  spiritual;  that  inward  worship,  which  ought to have  given  to  God  worshippers  in  spirit  and  in  truth, — has  given him only  phantoms,  only  fictitious  adorers;     the  mere   appear-