Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/75

 lenient a  correction  of  our  appetites;  self-love,  and  some  slight  infidelities, which  do  not  bring  death  to  the  soul. Nevertheless, since the  holy  writings  represent  the  adulterous  and  the  lukewarm soul as  equally  rejected  by  God;  and  as  they  pronounce  the  same anathema against  those  who  despise  the  works  of  the  Lord,  and those who  perform  them  with  negligence,  this  state  of  coldness  and languor in  the  ways  of  God  must  necessarily  be  very  suspicious with regard  to  salvation,  both  from  the  present  dispositions  which it gives  to  the  soul,  and  from  those  to  which,  sooner  or  later,  it never  fails  to  lead  it.

I say,  in  the  first  place,  from  the  present  dispositions  it  gives  to the  soul;  namely,  a  fund  of  indolence,  self-love,  disgust  at  virtue, infidelity, and  deliberate  disregard  to  every  thing  they  believe  not absolutely essential  in  their  duties;  dispositions  that  form  a  state very doubtful  of  salvation.

Secondly. From those  to  which,  sooner  or  later,  lukewarmness conducts us;  namely,  forgetfulness  of  God,  and  an  open  and  shameful departure  from  every  thing  sacred.

From these  I  wish  to  establish  two  capital  truths  in  this  matter, which expose  the  danger  of  a  lukewarm  and  infidel  life;  and  which, from their  importance,  will  furnish  us  with  subject  for  two  Discourses. The first,  that  it  is  very  doubtful,  whether,  in  this  habitual state  of  coldness  and  languor,  the  lukewarm  soul  (as  it  believes) preserves the  righteousness  and  sanctifying  grace  upon  which  it grounds  its  security.

The second,  that  were  it  even  less  doubtful,  whether  it  had  preserved or  lost,  before  God,  the  sanctifying  grace,  at  any  rate  it  is certain  of  being  unable  long  to  preserve  it.

The uncertainty  of  righteousness  in  a  state  of  lukewarmness. This first  truth  will  be  the  subject  of  the  present  Discourse.

The certainty  of  a  departure  from  righteousness  in  that  state,  is the  second  truth,  upon  which,  in  the  following  one,  I  shall  endeavour to  instruct  you.

Part I. — "  If  we  say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves, and  the  truth  is  not  in  us,"  says  the  apostle. The purest  virtue below is  never  free,  therefore,  from  blemish. Man, full  of  darkness and  passions,  since  the  entrance  of  sin  into  the  world,  cannot always be  so  attentive  to  regularity  but  that  he  must  sometimes  be deceived  and  err;  nor  so  impressed  with  invisible  good  but  he  will allow himself  to  be  sometimes  caught  by  worldly  and  ostensible riches; because  their  impressions  on  the  mind  are  lively  and  quick, and they  always  find  in  our  hearts  dispositions  too  favourable  to their  dangerous  seductions.

The fidelity,  which  the  law  of  God  exacts  from  just  souls,  excludes not, therefore,  a  thousand  imperfections,  inseparable  from  our  nature, and  from  which  the  most  guarded  and  watchful  piety  cannot defend itself;  but  of  these  there  are  two  descriptions. The first, which happen  through  our  weakness,  are  less  infidelities  than  surprises, where   the  weight  of   corruption   preponderates  over  the