Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/531

 And behold  the  third  resource,  which  shall  fail,  to  the  confusion of the  criminal  soul;  for,  should  no  friends  be  found  on  this  earth to interest  themselves  in  our  misfortunes,  there  are  always,  at  least, indifferent persons  whom  our  faults  "do  not  wound  or  excite  against us:  but,  on  that  terrible  day,  we  shall  have  no  indifferent  spectators. The  just,  so  feeling  on  this  earth  to  the  calamities  of  their brethren,  so  ingenious  in  excusing  their  faults,  and  so  ready  in  covering them  with  the  veil  of  charity,  in  order,  at  least,  to  soften,  if they  cannot  find  an  apparent  excuse  for  them  in  the  eyes  of  men, — the  just,  then  despoiled,  like  the  Son  of  Man,  of  that  indulgence and  pity  which  they  had  exercised  toward  their  brethren  on  the earth,  shall  hiss  at  the  sinner,  says  the  prophet, — shall  insult  him, and  shall  demand  his  punishment  from  the  Lord  to  avenge  his glory;  they  shall  enter  into  the  zeal  and  interests  of  his  justice; and  becoming  judges  themselves,  they  shall  mock  him,  says  the prophet, and  say,  "  Lo,  this  is  the  man  that  made  not  God  his strength;  but  trusted  in  the  abundance  of  his  riches,  and  strengthened himself  in  his  wickedness.  Behold,  now,  that  foolish  man, who  believed  himself  the  only  sage  on  the  earth,  and  who  considered the  life  of  the  just  as  a  folly;  who  made  to  himself  in  the  favour of  the  great,  in  the  vanity  of  titles  and  dignities,  in  the  extent  of his  lands  and  possessions,  in  the  good  opinion  and  applause  of  men, supports  of  dirt,  which  were  to  perish  with  him.  Where  now  are your  gods,  your  rock  in  whom  you  trusted?  Let  them  rise  up  and help  you,  and  be  your  protection!"

Nor shall  sinners  be  more  indulgent  to  his  misery;  they  will feel for  him  all  that  horror  which  they  shall  be  forced  to  feel  for themselves; the  fellowship  of  misfortune,  which  ought  to  unite, will be  only  an  eternal  hatred  which  shall  divide  them;  only  a cruel  inveteracy  which  shall  fill  their  hearts  with  nothing  but sentiments of  cruelty  and  fury  against  their  brethren;  and  they will hate  in  others  the  same  crimes  from  which  all  their  miseries spring. In a  word,  the  men  most  distant  from  us,  the  most  savage nations, to  whom  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  hath  never  been  announced, come  then,  but  too  late,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth, shall rise  up  against  you,  and  reproach  to  you,  that,  if  the  miracles which God  had  in  vain  operated  amongst  you  had  been  wrought before their  eyes, — that  if  they,  like  you,  had  been  enlightened by the  Gospel,  and  sustained  by  the  succours  of  faith,  they  would have done  penance  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  and  put  to  advantage, for their  salvation,  those  favours  which  you  have  abused  for  your destruction.

Such shall  be  the  confusion  of  the  reprobate  soul. Accursed before God,  he  will  find  himself  at  the  same  time  the  outcast  of heaven  and  of  earth,  the  shame  and  curse  of  all  creatures:  even  the inanimate, which  he  had  forced  to  be  subservient  to  his  passions, and which  groaned,  says  St.  Paul,  in  the  expectation  of  deliverance from that  shameful  servitude,  shall,  in  their  way,  rise  up  against him. The sun,  of  which  he  had  abused  the  light,  shall  be  darkened, as if  it  were  not  to  shine  on  his  crimes:  the  stars  shall  disappear,