Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/476

 you laugh  at  those  who  bear  it  in  their  heart,  and  who  ground  their whole hope  and  expectation  in  it! You worship  him  as  your Judge; and  you  contemn  and  load  with  ridicule  those  who  dread him, and  who  anxiously  labour  to  render  him  favourable  to  their interests! You believe  him  to  be  sincere  and  faithful  in  his  word; and you  look  upon,  as  weak  minds,  those  who  place  their  trust  in him,  and  who  sacrifice  every  thing  to  the  grandeur  and  to  the  certainty of  his  promises! O man,  so  astonishing,  so  full  of  contradictions, so  little  in  unison  with  thyself,  would  the  infidel  exclaim, how great  and  how  holy  must  the  God  of  the  Christians  therefore be, seeing  that,  among  all  those  who  know  him,  he  hath  no  enemies but such  as  are  of  thy  description!

Let us,  therefore,  respect  virtue,  my  brethren;  let  us  honour,  in his  servants,  the  gifts  of  God,  and  the  wonders  of  his  grace. Let us merit,  by  our  deference  and  our  esteem  for  piety,  the  blessing of piety  itself. Let us  regard  the  worthy  and  pious  as  the  souls who alone  continue  to  draw  down  the  favours  of  Heaven  upon  the earth, as  resources  established  to  reconcile  us  one  day  with  God, as blessed  signs,  which  prove  to  us  that  the  Lord  still  looketh upon men  with  pity,  and  continueth  his  mercies  upon  his  church. Let us  encourage  by  our  praises,  if  we  cannot  strengthen  by  our example, the  souls  who  return  to  him:  let  us  applaud  their  change, if we  think  it  impossible,  as  yet  to  change  ourselves;  let  us  glory in defending  them,  if  our  passions  will  not,  as  yet,  permit  us  to imitate  them. Let us  reverence  and  esteem  virtue? Let us  have no friends  but  the  friends  of  God. Let us  count  upon  the  fidelity of men  only  in  proportion  as  they  are  faithful  to  their  Master  and Creator. Let us  confide  our  sorrows  and  our  sufferings  only  to those  who  can  present  them  to  him,  who  alone  can  console  them: let us  believe  to  be  in  our  real  interests  only  those  who  are  in  the interests of  our  salvation. Let us  smooth  the  way  to  our  conversion:  let  us,  by  our  respect  for  the  just,  prepare  the  world  to  behold us  one  day,  without  surprise,  just  ourselves. Let us  not,  by our  derisions  and  censures,  raise  up  an  invincible  stumbling-block of human  respect,  which  shall  for  ever  prevent  us  from  declaring ourselves disciples  of  that  piety  which  we  have  so  loudly  and  so publicly  decried. Let us  render  glory  to  the  truth;  and,  in  order that it  may  deliver  us,  let  us  religiously  receive  it,  like  the  magi, from the  moment  that  it  is  manifested  to  us:  let  us  not  dissemble it, like  the  priests,  when  we  owe  it  to  our  brethren;  let  us  not  declare against  it,  like  Herod,  when  we  can  no  longer  dissemble  it to  ourselves,  in  order  that,  after  having  walked  in  the  ways  of  truth upon the  earth,  we  may  all  together  one  day  be  sanctified  in  truth, and perfected  in  charity.