Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/512

 of the  ministers,  who  alone  have  authority  to  bind  and  to  unbind on the  earth;  this  is  not  upon  what  you  require  instruction. But, I say,  that,  in  order  that  the  conversion  be  solid  and  durable,  we must,  like  Lazarus,  show  ourselves  quite  out  of  the  tomb. An ordinary confession  is  not  the  matter  in  question;  a  hardened  sinner ought  to  go  back  even  to  his  infancy,  even  to  the  birth  of  his passions, even  to  the  youngest  periods  of  his  life,  which  have  been the commencement  of  his  crimes. Neither doubts  nor  obscurities must longer  be  left  in  the  conscience,  nor  mists  over  the  youthful manners, under  pretence  that  they  have  already  been  revealed;  a general  manifestation  is  required,  and  whatever  may  hitherto  have been done  must  be  reckoned  as  nothing;  every  duty  of  religion, performed during  a  disorderly  and  worldly  life  is  even  to  be ranked  among  our  crimes;  the  conscience  must  be  considered  as  a chaos,  into  which  no  light  has,  as  yet,  penetrated,  and  over  which  all our fictitious  and  past  penitence  has  spread  only  additional  darkness.

For, alas! my brethren,  a  contrite  soul,  after  returning  from  the errors of  the  world  and  the  passions,  ought  to  presume  that,  having to that  period  lived  in  criminal  habits  and  propensities,  every  time the sacrament  has  been  received  in  that  state  was  only  a  profanation and  a  crime.

In the  first  place,  because,  having  never  felt  real  contrition  for his errors,  nor,  consequently,  any  sincere  desire  to  purge  himself of them,  the  remedies  of  the  church  far  from  having  purified, have only  completed  his  foulness,  and  rendered  his  disease  more incurable.

Secondly, because  he  has  never  been  known  to  himself;  and, consequently, could  never  make  himself  known  to  the  tribunal  of his  conscience. For, alas! the world,  in  the  midst  of  which  this soul has  always  lived,  and  in  which  he  has  ever  thought  and judged like  it;  the  world,  I  say,  finding  reasonable  and  wise  only its own  maxims  and  manner  of  thinking,  does  it  sufficiently  know the holiness  of  the  Gospel,  the  obligations  of  faith,  and  the  extent of duties,  to  be  qualified  to  enter  into  the  detail  of  those  transgressions which  faith  condemns?

Thirdly, and  lastly,  because  that,  even  admitting  he  should have known  all  his  wretchedness,  never  having  had  any  real  sorrow for it,  he  has  never  been  qualified  to  make  it  known;  for  nothing but heartfelt  sorrow  can  explain  itself  as  it  ought,  or  truly  represent those  evils  which  it  feels  and  abhors;  it  must  be  a  feeling heart that  can  make  itself  to  be  understood  on  the  wounds  and the sufferings  of  a  heart  itself. A sinner  full  of  a  profane  passion expresses it  much  more  eloquently,  and  with  more  animation: nothing is  left  unsaid  of  the  foolish  and  deplorable  sufferings  he endures;  he  enters  into  all  the  windings  of  his  heart,  his  jealousies, his fears,  and  his  hopes. As the  mind  of  man,  says  the  apostle, alone knows  what  passes  in  man,  so  likewise  it  is  only  the  heart which can  know  what  passeth  in  the  heart. Contrition gives  eyes to see,  and  words  to  express  every  thing;  it  has  a  language  which nothing can  counterfeit:  thus,  in  vain  may a worldly soul, still