Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/473

 level with  them. Secondly, we  perhaps  tempt  even  their  fidelity and their  innocence,  by  giving  the  most  animated  descriptions of those  pleasures  from  which  they  fly:  like  the  wife  of  Job, we blame  their  simplicity  and  weakness:  we  exaggerate  to  them the inconveniencies  of  virtue  and  the  difficulties  of  perseverance: we shake  them  by  the  example  of  unfaithful  souls,  who,  after putting their  hand  to  the  plough,  have  cast  a  look  behind,  and abandoned their  labour: — what  shall  I  say? We perhaps  attack even the  immoveable  groundwork  of  faith,  and  we  insinuate  the  inutility of  self-denials  it  proposes,  from  the  uncertainty  of  its promises. Thirdly, we  harass,  by  our  authority,  the  zeal  and  the piety of  those  persons  who  are  dependent  upon  us:  we  exact  duties of them,  either  incompatible  with  their  innocence,  or  dangerous  to their  virtue:  we  place  them  in  situations  either  painful  or  trying  to their  faith:  we  interdict  them  from  practices  and  observances,  either necessary for  their  support  in  piety,  or  profitable  toward  their  progress in  it:  in  a  word,  we  become  domestic  tempters  with  respect to them,  being  neither  capable  of  tasting  good  ourselves,  nor  of suffering  it  in  others,  and  performing  toward  these  souls,  the  office of the  demon,  who  only  watches  in  order  to  destroy. Lastly, we render  ourselves  culpable  of  this  persecution  of  seduction,  by  making our talents  instrumental  to  the  destruction  of  the  reign  of  Jesus Christ: the  talents  of  the  body  in  inspiring  iniquitous  passions;  in placing  ourselves  in  hearts  where  God  alone  ought  to  be;  in  corrupting the  souls  for  whom  Jesus  Christ  gave  his  blood;  the  talents of the  mind  in  inducing  to  vice:  in  embellishing  it  with  all  the charms most  calculated  to  hide  its  infamy  and  horror;  in  presenting the  poison  under  the  most  alluring  and  seductive  form;  and  in rendering  it  immortal  by  lascivious  works,  through  the  means  of which,  a  miserable  author  shall,  to  the  end  of  ages,  preach  up  vice, corrupt hearts,  and  inspire  his  brethren  with  every  deplorable  passion which  had  enslaved  himself  during  life;  shall  see  his  punishment and  his  torments  increased  in  proportion  as  the  impious  fire he has  lighted  up  shall  spread  upon  the  earth;  shall  have  the shocking consolation  of  declaring  himself,  even  after  death,  against his God,  of  gaining  souls  from  him  whom  he  had  redeemed,  of still  insulting  his  holiness  and  majesty,  of  perpetuating  his  own rebellion and  disorders  even  beyond  the  tomb,  and  of  making,  even to the  fulfilment  of  time,  the  crimes  of  all  men  his  own  crimes. Woe, saith  the  Lord,  to  all  those  who  rise  up  against  my  name  and glory, and  who  lay  snares  for  my  people! I will  take  vengeance  of them  on  the  day  of  my  judgment:  I  will  demand  of  them  the  blood of their  brethren  whom  they  have  seduced,  and  whom  they  have caused to  perish:  and  I  will  multiply  upon  them,  and  make  them for ever  to  feel,  the  most  dreadful  evils,  in  return  for  that  glory which they  have  ravished  from  me.

But a  last  description  of  persecution,  still  more  fatal  to  truth,  is that  which  I  call  a  persecution  of  power  and  violence. Herod, having gained  nothing  by  his  artifices,  at  last  throws  off  the  mask, openly declares  himself  the  persecutor  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  wishes