Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/515

 Mary, were  formerly  slaves  of  the  world  and  the  passions,  and  who, latterly, touched  with  grace,  like  her,  quit  no  more  the  feet  of  the Lord; it  is  here  that  you  ought  to  remember  that,  in  future,  one of the  most  important  duties  of  your  new  life  is,  that  of  continually demanding, like  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  from  Jesus  Christ,  the  resurrection of  your  brethren,  the  conversion  of  those  unfortunate souls who  have  been  accomplices  in  your  criminal  pleasures,  and who still,  under  the  dominion  of  death  and  sin,  sorrily  drag  on  their chains in  the  ways  of  the  world  and  of  error. You ought  continually, in  the  bitterness  of  your  heart,  to  be  saying  to  Jesus  Christ, like the  sister  of  Lazarus,  Lord,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick;  those souls to  whom  I  have  been  a  stumbling-block,  and  who  have  less offended thee  than  I,  are  still,  however,  in  the  shadow  of  death  and in the  corruption  of  sin;  and  I  enjoy  a  deliverance  of  which  I  was more unworthy  than  they! Ah! Lord, the  delight  I  feel  in  appertaining to  thee  shall  never  be  perfect  while  I  behold  my  brethren thus miserably  perishing  before  mine  eyes:  I  shall  but  imperfectly enjoy the  fruit  of  thy  mercies,  while  thou  refusest  them  to  souls  to whom  I  have  myself  been  the  fatal  cause  of  their  departure  from righteousness: and  I  shall  never  think  that  my  crimes  are  fully forgiven, while  I  see  them  existing  in  those  sinners  who  have  been removed from  thee  only  through  my  example  and  my  passions.

Not, my  brethren,  that  you  ought  to  place  your  whole  dependence on  the  prayers  of  the  good,  or  to  expect  from  them  alone  a change  of  heart  and  the  gift  of  penitence. For this  is  a  very  general illusion,  and  more  especially  among  those  who  are  high  in  the world: they  suppose  that,  by  respecting  virtue,  by  showing  favour to the  good,  and  by  interesting  them  to  solicit  our  conversion  from God, our  chains  shall  drop  off  of  themselves  without  any  effort  on our  part;  they  comfort  themselves  upon  that  remainder  of  faith and religion  which  renders  virtue  in  others  still  dear  and  respectable to  us;  they  give  themselves  credit  for  not  having,  as  yet,  reached that point  of  freethinking  and  impiety,  so  common  in  the  world, which makes  virtue  the  public  butt  of  its  censures  and  derision. But, alas! my brethren,  it  availed  nothing  to  king  Jehu  that  he  had publicly rendered  honour  to  the  holy  man  Jehonadab;  his  vices still subsisted  with  all  that  respect  he  had  for  the  man  of  God. It availed nothing  to  Herod  that  he  had  honoured  the  piety  of  John the Baptist,  and  that  he  had  even  loved  the  holy  freedom  of  his discourses: the  deference  which  he  had  for  the  precursor  left  him still all  the  excess  of  his  criminal  passion. The honours  which  we pay  to  virtue  attract  aids  to  our  weakness;  but  they  do  not  justify our errors:  the  prayers  of  the  good  induce  the  Lord  to  pay  more attention to  our  wants;  but  they  do  not  render  him  more  indulgent to our  crimes:  they  obtain  for  us  victory  over  the  passions  which we begin  to  detest;  but  not  over  those  which  we  still  love  and which we  still  continue  to  cherish:  in  a  word,  they  assist  our  good desires; but  they  do  not  authorize  our  impenitence.

The miracle  of  raising  up  Lazarus  teaches  just  souls,  then,  to  solicit the  conversion  of  their  brethren;  but  the  conversion  and  deli-