Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/559

 highway of  perdition,  and  bring  them,  in  spite  of  themselves,  into the hall  of  thy  feast:  they  delay,  as  much  as  possible,  this  religious duty:  the  sole  thought  of  it  impoisons  all  their  pleasures. Thou seest  these  unbelieving  souls  dragging  on  the  load  of  a  wavering conscience;  long  hesitating  between  their  duties  and  their  passions;  softening  at  last,  by  the  choice  of  an  indulgent  confessor, the bitterness  of  this  step;  appearing  before  thee,  O  God! who becomest their  nourishment  in  this  mystery  of  love,  with  as  much reluctance as  if  they  went  to  face  an  enemy;  and,  perhaps,  in  the course of  a  whole  year,  experiencing  no  other  circumstance  to grieve  them  than  that  of  receiving  a  God  who  gives  himself  to them. Ah! Lord, therefore  thou  invisibly  rejectest  these  guilty victims who  oblige  themselves  to  be  dragged  by  force  to  the  altar, thou who  wiliest  none  but  voluntary  sacrifices:  therefore  thou  reluctantly givest  thyself  to  these  ungrateful  hearts  who  unwillingly receive thee;  and,  wert  thou  still  capable  of  being  troubled  in  the spirit, as  thou  permittedst  to  be  visible  over  the  tomb  of  Lazarus, ah! we should  once  more  see  thee  groaning  when  thou  enteredst those profane  mouths  which,  in  thy  sight,  are  only  open  sepulchres, as they  have  long  been  troubled  before  they  could  prevail  upon themselves to  appear  here  to  pay  thee  that  homage.

Let us  acknowledge,  then,  my  dearest  brethren,  that  the  faith which makes  us  to  discern  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  is  very  rare. We believe,  but  with  a  superficial  faith,  which  only  skims  the surface, as  I  may  say,  without  entering  into  the  efficacy  and  the mysteries of  this  sacrament:  we  believe,  but  with  an  indolent  faith, which grounds  its  whole  merit  in  submitting  without  opposition: we believe,  but  with  an  inconstant  faith,  which  professes  to  believe, but denies  it  in  works:  we  believe,  but  with  a  human  faith,  which is the  gift  rather  of  our  fathers  according  to  the  flesh,  than  of  the Father of  Light:  we  believe,  but  with  a  popular  faith,  which leaves us  only  weak  and  puerile  ideas:  we  believe,  but  with  a  superstitious faith,  which  tends  to  nothing  but  vain  and  external homages: we  believe,  but  with  a  faith  merely  of  custom,  which feels nothing:  we  believe,  but  with  an  insipid  faith,  which  no longer  discerns:  we  believe,  but  with  a  convenient  faith,  which  is never  followed  with  any  effects:  we  believe,  but  with  an  ignorant faith, which  fails  either  in  respect  through  familiarity,  or  in  love through its  backwardness:  we  believe,  but  with  a  faith  which  enchains the  mind,  and  leaves  the  heart  to  wander:  lastly,  we  believe, but with  a  tranquil  and  vulgar  faith,  in  which  there  is  nothing either animated,  grand,  sublime,  or  worthy  of  the  God  which  it discovers  to  us. Ah! to discern  thy  body,  Lord,  through  faith,  it is  to  perfer  this  heavenly  bread  to  all  the  luxuries  of  Egypt;  it  is  to render  it  the  only  consolation  of  our  exilement,  the  tenderest soother of  our  sufferings,  the  sacred  remedy  of  all  our  evils,  the continual desires  of  our  souls;  it  is,  through  it,  to  find  serenity under all  the  frowns  of  fortune,  peace  in  all  our  troubles,  and equanimity under  all  the  stings  of  adversity;  it  is  to  find  in  it  an asylum  against  our  disgraces,  a  buckler  to  repel  the  flaming  darts of Satan,  a  renovated  ardour  against  the  unavoidable  lukewarm-