Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/516

 verance of  their  brethren  likewise  serve  to  animate  their  lukewarmness  and  slothfulness. — Second motive  which  Jesus  Christ  proposes: he wishes  by  the  novelty  of  that  prodigy,  to  arouse  the  faith  of  his disciples still  dormant  and  languishing.

And such  is  the  fruit  which  Jesus  Christ  continually  expects from the  miracles  of  his  grace:  he  operates  before  your  eyes,  you who have  long  walked  in  his  ways,  sudden  and  surprising  conversions, in  order  by  the  fervour  and  the  zeal  of  these  newly  risen  from the dead,  to  confound  your  lukewarmness  and  indolence. Yes, my brethren,  nothing  is  more  calculated  to  cover  us  with  confusion, and to  make  us  tremble  over  the  infidelities  which  we  still  mingle with a  cold  and  languishing  piety,  than  the  sight  of  a  soul  buried, but an  instant  ago,  in  the  corruption  of  death  and  sin,  and  whose errors had  perhaps  inflated  the  vanity  of  our  zeal,  and  served  as  a butt  to  the  malignity  of  our  censures;  than  the  sight,  I  say,  of  such a soul,  vivified,  a  moment  after,  by  grace,  freed  from  his  chains, and boldly  walking  in  the  ways  of  God,  more  eager  after  mortification than  formerly  after  pleasure;  more  removed  from  the  world and its  amusements  than  apparently  he  was  once  attached;  scrupling to  himself  the  most  innocent  recreations;  allowing  himself  almost no bounds  to  the  vivacity  and  transports  of  his  penitence;  and  every day making  rapid  advances  in  piety:  while  we,  after  many  years  of piety,  alas! still languish  on  the  beginning  of  that  holy  career; while we,  after  so  many  signal  favours  received,  after  so  many truths known,  after  so  many  sacraments  and  other  duties  of  religion attended, alas! we still  hold  to  the  world  and  to  ourselves  by  a thousand  ties;  we  are  yet  but  in  the  first  rudiments  of  faith  and  of a  Christian  life,  and  still  more  distant  than  at  first  from  that  zeal and that  fervour  which  constitute  the  whole  value  and  the  whole security of  a  faithful  piety.

My brethren,  the  dreadful  prophecy  of  Jesus  Christ  is  every  day fulfilled before  our  eyes. Publicans and  sinners,  persons  of  a  scandalous conduct  according  even  to  the  world,  and  as  distant  from  the kingdom of  God  as  the  east  is  from  the  west,  are  converted,  repent, surprise the  world  with  the  sight  of  a  retired  and  mortified  life,  and shall sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  and,  perhaps, we, who  are  looked  upon  as  children  of  the  kingdom, — we,  whose manners present  nothing  to  the  eyes  of  the  world  but  what  is  orderly and  laudable;  we,  who  are  held  out  as  models  of  propriety and piety;  we,  whom  the  world  canonizes,  and  which  we  glorified with the  reputation  and  the  appearances  of  piety;  alas! we shall perhaps be  rejected  and  confounded  with  unbelievers,  for  having always laboured  at  our  salvation  with  negligence,  and  having  preserved a  heart  still  altogether  worldly,  in  the  midst  even  of  our pious works.

Thus, my  brethren,  you  whom  this  discourse  regards,  do  not judge of  yourselves  from  the  comparison  which  you  inwardly  make with those  souls  whom  the  world  and  the  passions  hurry  away. We may  be  more  righteous  than  the  world,  and  yet  not  enough  so for  Jesus  Christ:  for  the  world  is  so  corrupted,  the  Gospel  is  so