Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/553

 place of  the  worship  of  the  holy  God;  and,  scarcely  emerged  from so afflicting  a  situation,  they  are  in  need  of  nothing,  for  they  have the holy  books  in  their  hands. And, in  an  extremity  so  new,  surrounded on  all  hands  by  nations  of  enemies,  having  no  longer,  in the  midst  of  their  army,  either  the  ark  of  Israel  or  the  holy  tabernacle;  their  tears  still  flowing  for  the  recent  death  of  the  invincible Judas, who  was  alike  the  safeguard  of  the  people  and  the  terror  of the  uncircumcised;  having  seen  their  wives  and  children  murdered before  their  eyes;  they  themselves  on  the  point  every  day of sinking  under  the  treachery  of  their  false  brethren  or  the  ambuscades of  their  enemies; — the  book  of  the  law  is  alone  sufficient to comfort  and  to  defend  them;  and  they  think  themselves  in  a situation  to  disclaim  that  assistance  which  an  ancient  treaty  and alliance entitled  them  to  demand.

I am  not  surprised,  after  this,  that,  in  the  consolation  of  the Scriptures, the  first  disciples  of  the  Gospel  should  forget  all  the rage of  persecution;  and  that,  unable  to  bring  themselves  to  lose sight of  that  divine  book  during  life,  they  should  desire  it  to  be inclosed  in  their  tomb  after  death,  as  if  to  guarantee  to  their  ashes that immortality  it  had  always  promised  to  them;  and  likewise,  as it  would  appear,  to  present  it  to  Jesus  Christ  on  the  day  of  revelation, as  the  sacred  claim  by  which  they  were  entitled  to  heavenly riches, and  to  all  the  promises  made  to  the  righteous.

Such are  the  consolations  of  believing  souls  upon  the  earth. How terrible,  then,  my  brethren,  to  live  far  from  God  under  the tyranny of  sin:  always  at  war  with  one^s  self;  destitute  of  every real joy  of  the  heart;  without  relish  often  for  pleasures  alike  as  for virtue; odious  to  men  through  the  meanness  of  our  passions;  insupportable to  ourselves  through  the  capriciousness  of  our  desires; hated of  God  through  the  horrors  of  our  conscience;  deprived  of the  comforts  of  the  sacrament,  seeing  our  crimes  permit  us  not  to approach  it:  deprived  of  all  consolation  from  the  holy  books,  seeing we  find  in  them  only  threatenings  and  anathemas;  without  the resource of  prayer,  seeing  the  practice  of  it  is  forbidden,  or  at  least the habit  of  it  lost  by  a  life  wholly  dissolute. What then  is  the sinner but  the  outcast  of  heaven  and  of  the  earth!

Thus, know  ye,  my  brethren,  what  shall  be  the  regrets  of  the reprobate on  that  great  day,  when  to  each  one  shall  be  rendered according to  his  works? You probably  think  that  they  will  regret their past  felicity,  and  shall  say,  "  Our  days  of  prosperity  have slipped  away  like  a  shadow,  and  that  world,  in  which  we  had  spent so  many  sweet  moments,  is  now  no  more:  the  duration  of  our pleasures  has  been  like  that  of  a  dream:  our  happiness  is  flown, but,  alas!  our  punishments  are  to  begin." You are  mistaken; this will  not  be  their  language. Hear how  they  speak  in  the Book of  Wisdom,  and  such,  as  we  are  ussured  by  the  Spirit  of God,  they  shall  one  day  speak:  "  We  never  tasted  pure  delight  in guilt;  we  have  erred  from  the  ways  of  truth,  and  the  Sun  of righteousness  hath  never  risen  upon  us:  alas!  and  yet  that  was only  the  beginning  of  our  misfortunes  and  sufferings;  we  wearied