Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/506

 ner, in  proportion  as  sin  degenerates  into  habit,  the  light  of  God retires, darkness  gains,  and  the  profound  night  of  total  blindness  at last  arrives.

And then  all  becomes  occasion  of  error  to  the  criminal  soul;  all changes its  aspect  to  his  eyes;  the  most  shameful  passions  no longer  appear  but  as  weaknesses;  the  most  criminal  attachments but sympathies  brought  with  us  into  the  world  and  inherent  to our  hearts;  the  excesses  of  the  table  but  innocent  pleasures  of  society;  revenge  but  a  just  sense  of  injury;  licentious  and  impious conversations but  lively  and  agreeable  sallies;  the  blackest  defamation but  a  customary  language,  of  which  none  but  weak  and  timid minds can  make  a  scruple;  the  laws  of  the  church  but  old-fashioned customs; the  severity  of  God's  judgments  but  absurd  declamations which equally  disgrace  his  goodness  and  mercy;  death  in  sin,  the inevitable consequence  of  a  criminal  life,  mere  predictions  in  which there is  more  of  zeal  than  of  truth,  and  refuted  by  the  confidence which a  return  to  God,  previous  to  that  last  moment,  promises  to us:  lastly,  heaven,  the  earth,  hell,  all  creatures,  religion,  crimes, virtues, good  and  evil,  things  present  and  to  come,  all  change  their aspect to  the  eyes  of  a  soul  who  lives  in  habitual  guilt;  all  show themselves under  false  appearances;  his  whole  life  is  no  longer  but a delusion  and  a  continued  error. Alas! could you  tear  away  the fatal veil  which  covers  your  eyes,  like  those  of  Lazarus,  and  behold yourself, like  him,  buried  in  darkness,  all  covered  with  putrefaction, and spreading  around  infection  and  a  smell  of  death! But now, says our  Saviour,  all  these  things  are  hid  from  thine  eyes;  you  see in yourself  only  the  embellishments  and  the  pompous  externals  of  the fatal tomb  in  which  you  drag  on  in  sin;  your  rank,  your  birth,  your talents, your  dignities,  your  titles,  that  is  to  say,  the  trophies,  and the ornaments  which  the  vanity  of  men  has  there  raised  up; but, remove  the  stone  which  covers  that  place  of  horror;  look within, judge  not  of  yourself  from  these  pompous  outsides,  which serve only  to  embellish  your  carcass;  see  what,  in  the  eyes  of  God, you are;  and  if  the  corruption  and  the  profound  blindness  of your  soul  touch  you  not,  let  its  slavery  at  least  rouse  and  recall you to  yourself.

Last circumstance  of  the  situation  of  Lazarus  dead  and  buried; he was  bound  hand  and  foot:  and  behold  the  image  of  the  wretched slavery of  a  soul  long  under  the  dominion  of  sin.

Yes, my  brethren,  in  vain  does  the  world  decry  a  Christian  life as a  life  of  subjection  and  slavery. The reign  of  righteousness  is a  reign  of  liberty;  the  soul,  faithful  and  submissive  to  God,  becomes master  over  all  creatures;  the  just  man  is  above  all,  because he  is  unconnected  with  all;  he  is  master  of  the  world,  because he  despises  the  world;  he  is  dependent  neither  on  his  masters, because he  only  serves  them  for  God;  nor  on  his  friends,  because  he only  loves  them  according  to  the  order  of  charity  and  of  righteousness;  nor  on  his  inferiors,  because  he  exacts  from  them  no  iniquitous compliance;  nor  on  his  fortune,  because  he  rather  dreads it; nor  on  the  judgments  of  men,  because  he  dreads  those  of  God