Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/532

 as if  to  tell  him  that  they  have  too  long  witnessed  his  iniquitous passions: the  earth  shall  crumble  from  under  his  feet,  as  if  to  eject from its  bosom  a  monster  which  it  could  no  longer  bear:  and  the whole universe,  says  Solomon,  shall  arm  against  him  to  avenge  the glory of  the  Lord  whom  he  has  insulted. Alas! we so  dearly  love to be  lamented  in  our  misfortunes:  indifference  alone  irritates  and wounds us:  here  not  only  shall  all  hearts  be  shut  to  our  misfortunes, but  all  beholders  shall  insult  our  shame,  and  the  only  portion left to  the  sinner  shall  be  his  confusion,  his  despair,  and  his  crimes. First circumstance  of  the  confusion  of  the  criminal  soul,  namely, the multitude  of  witnesses.

I take  the  second  from  the  care  and  anxiety  they  had  taken, whilst living  on  the  earth,  to  disguise  and  conceal  themselves  from the eyes  of  men;  for,  my  brethren,  the  world  is  a  grand  theatre,  on which  almost  every  one  acts  a  borrowed  part. As we  are  full  of passions,  and  as  all  passions  have  always  in  them  something  mean and despicable,  our  whole  attention  is  employed  in  concealing  their meanness, and  in  endeavouring  to  give  ourselves  out  for  what  we are  not:  iniquity  is  always  treacherous  and  deceitful. Thus, your whole life,  you,  above  all,  who  listen  to  me,  and  who  considered  the duplicity of  your  character  as  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of  the court, your  whole  life  has  been  only  one  train  of  dissimulation  and artifice; even  your  sincerest  and  most  intimate  friends  have  only in part  known  you;  you  were  beyond  the  reach  of  the  world,  for you changed  character,  sentiment,  and  inclination,  according  to  circumstances and  the  disposition  of  those  to  whom  you  wished  to make  yourselves  agreeable. Through these  means  you  had  acquired the  reputation  of  ability  and  wisdom;  but  there  shall  be seen,  in  its  native  colours,  a  mean  and  treacherous  soul,  destitute of probity  and  truth,  and  whose  principal  virtue  had  been  the  concealment of  its  baseness  and  meanness.

You, likewise,  unfaithful  soul,  whom  a  sex  more  jealous  of  honour had rendered  still  more  attentive  to  conceal  your  weaknesses  from the eyes  of  men,  you  were  so  artful  in  saving  yourself  from  a  discovery, you  took  from  so  far,  and  so  surely,  your  measures  to  deceive the eyes  of  the  husband,  the  vigilance  of  a  mother,  and,  perhaps, the probity  of  a  confessor:  you  would  not  have  survived  the  accident which  had  therein  betrayed  your  precautions  and  artifices. Vain cares! you only  covered  your  lewdnesses,  says  the  prophet, with a  spider's  web,  which  on  that  great  day  the  Son  of  Man  shall dissipate with  a  single  blast  of  his  mouth. In the  presence  of  all assembled nations,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  gather  around  thee  all  thy lovers. They shall  see  that  eternal  train  of  artifices,  disguises,  and meannesses; that  shameful  traffic  of  protestations  and  oaths  which you made  instrumental  to  so  many  different  passions,  and,  at  the same time,  to  lull  their  credulity;  they  shall  see  them,  and  tracing, even to  the  source,  those  criminal  favours  which  you  had  bestowed on them,  they  shall  find  them  not  in  their  pretended  merit,  as  you had wished  to  make  them  believe,  but  in  your  own  infamous  character, in  a  heart  naturally  lewd;  you,  who  pique  yourselves  on