Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/529

 but the  worldly  soul,  who  lives  without  either  vice  or  virtue,  how shall he  dare  to  appear.

You, after  all,  say,  my  dear  hearer,  that  your  conscience  does  not reproach you  with  great  crimes;  that,  if  not  good,  neither  are  you bad, and  that  your  only  sin  is  indolence  and  sloth. Ah! you shall then know  yourself  before  the  tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ. You shall see whether  the  testimony  of  your  conscience,  which  reproached you not  with  crimes,  and  left  you  scarcely  any  thing  culpable  to confess,  were  not  a  terrible  blindness,  up  to  which  the  justice  of God  had  always  delivered  you. From the  dread  in  which  you  shall see the  just,  you  shall  find  what  ought  to  be  your  own  fears,  and  whether the  confidence  in  which  you  have  always  lived  sprung  from  the peace of  a  good  conscience,  or  from  the  false  security  of  a  worldly  one.

O rny  God! cries St.  Augustine,  could  I  but  see  at  this  moment the state  of  my  soul  as  thou  shalt  lay  it  open  to  me! Could I despoil  myself  of  those  prejudices  which  blind  me,  mistrust  those examples which  confirm  me,  those  customs  which  quiet  me,  those talents which  dazzle  me,  those  praises  which  seduce  me,  that  rank and those  titles  which  deceive  me,  and  those  complaisances  of  a  sacred guide, which  form  all  my  security:  could  I  but  despoil  myself  of  that self-love which  is  the  source  of  all  my  errors,  and  behold  myself  alone at thy  feet,  in  thy  light;  O  my  God! what horror  would  I  not  feel for myself! and what  measures  would  I  not  take  in  humbling  myself before thee,  to  prevent  the  public  shame  of  that  awful  day,  when the counsels  of  hearts  and  the  secrecy  of  thoughts,  shall  be  manifested! For, my  brethren,  not  only  shall  the  sinner  be  shown  to himself,  but  he  shall  likewise  be  shown  to  all  creatures.

Part II. — That mixture  of  good  and  wicked,  inevitable  on  this earth, gives  birth  to  two  disorders:  in  the  first  place,  through  favour of  that  mixture,  concealed  vice  escapes  that  public  ignominy which is  its  due:  virtue,  not  known,  receives  not  the  applause  it merits. In the  second  place,  the  sinner,  high  in  honours,  frequently fills  the  most  distinguished  offices,  while  the  good  and pious man  lives  in  humiliation,  and  crawls  like  a  slave  at  his  feet. Now, on  that  terrible  day,  a  double  manifestation  shall  be  made, which will  repair  that  twofold  disorder:  in  the  first  place,  the  sinful will  be  marked  out  from  the  just  by  the  public  exposition  of their  conscience;  in  the  second  place,  they  will  be  discerned  by  a separation  from  them,  and  the  difference  of  their  stations  before  the throne of  glory.

In order  fully  to  comprehend  all  the  shame  and  confusion  with which the  criminal  soul  shall  then  be  covered,  when  shown  to  all creatures, and  all  his  vices,  the  most  secret,  exposed  to  the  light,  it requires  only  to  pay  attention,  first,  to  the  number  and  character of the  spectators  who  shall  witness  his  shame;  secondly,  to  the care he  had  taken  to  conceal  his  weaknesses  and  debaucheries  from the eyes  of  men,  while  on  the  earth;  thirdly,  and  lastly,  to  his  personal qualities,  which  will  render  his  confusion  still  more  deep  and overwhelming.