Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/513

 chained by  the  heart  to  all  his  disorders,  come  to  accuse  himself; he cannot  be  understood. Without any  absolute  intention  of  concealing his  wounds,  he  never  exposes  all  their  horror,  because  he neither  feels  nor  is  struck  with  them  himself;  his  words  always relish of  the  insensibility  of  his  heart;  and  it  is  impossible  that  he should  expose,  in  all  their  ugliness,  deformities  which  he  knows not, and  which  he  still  loves. He ought,  therefore,  to  consider  the whole period  of  his  past  life  as  a  period  of  darkness  and  blindness, during which  he  has  never  viewed  himself  but  with  the  eyes  of flesh  and  blood;  never  judged  but  through  the  opinions  of  passion and self-love;  never  accused  but  in  the  language  of  error  and impenitence; never  exhibited  himself  but  in  a  false  and  imperfect light. It is  not  enough  to  have  removed  the  stone  from  the  tomb; the criminal  soul  must  come  forth  from  it  himself,  that  he  may exhibit himself,  as  I  may  say,  in  open  day;  that  he  may  manifest his whole  life;  and  that,  from  his  earliest  years  even  to  the  blessed hour of  his  deliverance,  nothing  be  concealed  from  the  eyes  of  the ministers ready  to  unbind  him.

But this  step,  you  say,  has  difficulties  which  may  be  the  occasion of  casting  trouble,  embarrassment,  and  discouragement  through the conscience,  and  of  suspending  the  resolution  of  a  change  of life. What! my brethren,  you  involve  yourselves  in  discussions so arduous  and  so  endless,  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  up  your temporal concerns;  and,  in  order  to  establish  regularity  and  serenity in  your  conscience,  and  to  leave  nothing  doubtful  in  the  affair of your  eternity,  you  would  cry  out  from  the  moment  that  a  few cares and  investigations  are  required? How often  do  you  proclaim, when a  decisive  step  is  in  agitation  which  may  determine  the  ruin or preservation  of  our  fortune,  that  nothing  must  be  neglected, nothing must  be  left  to  chance;  that  one's  own  eyes  must  look into every  thing;  that  every  thing  must  be  cleared  up,  every  thing fathomed even  to  the  bottom,  that  you  may  have  nothing  afterward wherewith  to  reproach  yourselves;  and  this  maxim,  so  reasonable when  connected  with  fleeting  and  frivolous  interests,  should be less  so  when  applied  to  the  grand  and  only  real  interest,  that of salvation!

Ah! my brethren,  how  poor  are  we  in  faith! And what  have we, in  this  life,  of  more  importance  than  the  care  of  arranging  that awful account  which  we  have  to  render  to  the  eternal  Judge,  and  to the  searcher  of  hearts  and  of  thoughts? That is  to  say,  the  care of regulating  our  conscience,  of  dispelling  its  darkness,  of  purifying its stains,  of  clearing  up  its  eternal  interests,  of  confirming  its hopes, of  strengthening  ourselves  as  much  as  the  present  condition permits, and  making  ourselves  acquainted,  as  far  as  in  our  power, with its  situation  and  its  dispositions;  and  not  to  make  our  appearance before  God  like  fools,  unknown  to  ourselves,  uncertain  of what  we  are,  and  of  what  we  must  for  ever  be. Such are  the means of  conversion  marked  out  to  us  in  the  miracle  of  raising  up Lazarus:  let  us  conclude  the  history  of  our  Gospel,  and  see  what the motives  are  which  determine  Jesus  Christ  to  operate  it.