Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/538

 and strangers;  follow  me  into  the  immortal  ways  of  my  glory  and felicity, as  you  have  followed  me  in  those  of  my  humiliation  and sufferings. Your toils  have  endured  but  for  an  instant;  the  happiness you  go  to  enjoy  shall  be  without  end."

Then, turning  to  the  left  hand,  vengeance  and  fury  in  his  eyes, here and  there  casting  the  most  dreadful  looks,  like  avenging thunderbolts, on  that  crowd  of  guilty;  with  a  voice,  says  a  prophet, which shall  burst  upon  the  bowels  of  the  abyss  to  swallow  them up, he  shall  say,  not  as  upon  the  cross,  *  Father,  forgive  them, for they  know  not  what  they  do,"  but,  "  Depart  from  me,  ye cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. You were  the  chosen  of  the  earth,  you  are  the  accursed  of  my Father;  your  pleasures  have  been  fleeting  and  transitory,  your anguish shall  be  eternal."  The  just,  then,  mounting  with  the  Son of  Man,  shall  begin  to  sing  this  heavenly  song,  Thou  art  rich  in mercy,  Lord,  and  thou  hast  crowned  thy  gifts  in  recompensing  our good  actions.  Then  shall  the  impious  curse  the  Author  of  their being  and  the  fatal  day  which  brought  them  forth;  or,  rather,  they shall  enter  into  wrath  against  themselves,  as  the  authors  of  their misery  and  destruction.  The  abyss  shall  open;  the  heavens  shall bow  down;  the  reprobate,  says  the  Gospel,  shall  go  into  everlasting punishment,  and  the  just  into  life  eternal.  Behold  a  lot  which shall  change  no  more.

After a  relation  so  awful,  and  so  proper  to  make  an  impression on the  most  hardened  hearts,  I  cannot  conclude,  without  addressing to  you  the  same  words  which  Moses  formerly  addressed  to  the Israelites after  having  laid  before  them  the  dreadful  threatenings, and the  soothing  promises,  contained  in  the  Book  of  the  Law: " Children  of  Israel,  behold  I  set  before  you  this  day  a  blessing  and a  curse:  a  blessing,  if  ye  obey  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  your God  which  I  command  you  this  day;  and  a  curse,  if  ye  will  not obey  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  your  God,  but  turn  aside,  out of  the  way  which  I  command  you  this  day,  to  go  after  other  gods which  ye  have  not  known."

Behold, my  brethren,  what  I  say  to  you  in  concluding  a  subject so  terrible. It now  belongs  to  you  to  choose  and  to  declare yourselves: the  right  hand  and  the  left  are  before  you,  the  promises and  the  threatenings,  the  blessings  and  the  curses. Your destiny turns  on  this  awful  alternative:  you  either  shall  be  on  the side of  Satan  and  his  angels,  or  you  shall  be  chosen  with  Jesus Christ and  his  saints. Here there  is  no  middle  way;  I  have pointed out  the  path  which  leads  us  to  life,  and  that  which  leads  to perdition. In which  of  these  two  do  you  now  walk? And on  which side do  you  believe  that  you  should  find  yourselves,  were  you,  at this  moment,  to  appear  before  the  awful  tribunal? We die  as  we have  lived:  tremble  lest  your  destiny  of  this  day  be  your  everlasting destiny. Quit, and  from  this  moment,  the  ways  of  the  sinful; begin now  to  live  like  the  just,  if  you  wish,  on  that  last  day,  to  be placed  at  the  right  hand,  and  to  mount,  along  with  them,  into  the abode of  a  blessed  immortality.