Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/511

 You come,  after  that,  to  tell  us  that  good- will  is  not  wanting; that the  moment  is  not  yet  come. How, indeed,  should  it  come  in the  midst  of  every  thing  that  repels  it? But what  is  that  good  will, shut up  within  you,  which  has  never  any  consequence,  which  never leads to  any  thing  real,  and  never  seriously  adopts  a  single  measure toward  a  change? That is  to  say,  that  you  would  wish  to change,  could  it  be  done  for  nothing;  you  would  wish  to  work out your  salvation  by  the  same  conduct  which  occasions  your destruction; you  would  wish  that  the  same  manners  which  have separated your  heart  from  God  should  approach  you  to  him;  and that what  has  hitherto  been  the  cause  of  your  ruin  should  itself become the  way  and  the  mean  of  your  salvation. Begin by removing  the  occasions  which  so  often  have  been,  and  still  continue to  be,  the  rock  of  your  innocence:  remove  the  stone  which shuts up  the  entry  of  grace  to  your  soul;  after  that,  you  shall  be entitled  to  demand  of  God  the  completion  of  this  work  in  you. Then, separated  from  those  objects  which  nourished  iniquitous passions within  you,  you  shall  have  it  in  your  power  to  say  to  him, It is  thy  part  now,  O  my  God! to change  my  heart;  to  thee  I  have sacrificed every  attachment  which  might  still  fetter  it;  I  have  removed all  the  rocks  upon  which  my  weakness  might  still  have split; as  much  as  in  me  lay,  I  have  changed  the  outward  man; thou alone,  O  Lord,  canst  change  the  heart;  it  depends  upon  thee now to  complete  what  yet  remains  to  be  done,  to  break  the  invisible chains,  to  overcome  all  internal  obstacles,  and  totally  to  triumph over  my  corruption:  I  have  removed  the  fatal  stone  which prevented me  from  hearing  thy  voice;  let  it  now  resound,  even through the  abyss  in  which  I  am  still  buried;  command  me  to  depart from  that  fatal  tomb,  that  place  of  infection  and  putrescence, but command  me  with  that  Almighty  word  which  makes  itself  to be  heard  even  by  the  dead,  and  is  to  them  a  word  of  resurrection and life;  give  me  in  charge  to  thy  disciples,  to  be  unloosed  from those chains  which  hold  captive  all  the  powers  of  my  soul;  and  let the ministry  of  thy  church  put  the  last  seal  to  my  resurrection  and my deliverance.

And behold,  my  brethren,  the  last  mean  held  out  in  our  Gospel. Immediately, on  the  removal  of  the  stone,  our  Saviour  cries,  with a loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come  forth! Lazarus comes  forth,  still bound hand  and  foot,  and  Jesus  Christ  remits  him  to  his  disciples to be  unloosed.

Observe here,  that  Jesus  Christ  doth  not  order  his  disciples  to unloose  Lazarus  till  after  he  had  entirely  quitted  the  tomb. We must manifest  ourselves  to  the  church,  says  a  holy  father,  before we can,  through  its  ministry,  receive  the  blessing  of  our  deliverance. Lazarus, come  forth! that is  to  say,  continues  that  father, how long  wilt  thou  remain  concealed  and  buried  inwardly  in  thy  conscience? How long  wilt  thou  conceal  thine  iniquity  within  thy  breast?

You undoubtedly  are  not  ignorant,  my  brethren,  that  remission of our  sins  is  only  granted  through  the  ministry  of  the  church,  and that it  is  necessary  to  lay  open  and  to  present  our  bonds  to  the  piety