Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/95

 science, a  thousand  daily  transgressions,  of  which  he  knows  not the wickedness,  bears  always  an  uneasy  and  suspicious  conscience; and being  no  longer  sustained  by  love  for  his  duties,  nor  the  peace and testimony  of  his  conscience,  this  state  of  agitation  and  weariness soon  terminates  in  the  miserable  peace  of  sin.

The last  reason  is,  that  the  disgusts  of  the  faithful  Christian being only  trials,  to  which,  for  his  purification,  God  exposes  him, he supplies,  in  a  thousand  ways,  the  sensible  consolations  of  virtue which he  refuses  him;  he  replaces  them  by  a  more  powerful  protection, by  a  merciful  attention  to  remove  every  danger  which might seduce  him,  and  by  more  abundant  succours  of  grace;  for the Almighty  wishes  neither  to  lose  nor  discourage  him;  he  wishes only to  prove  him,  and  make  him  expiate,  by  the  afflictions  and hardships of  virtue,  the  unjust  pleasures  of  sin. But the  disgusts of an  infidel  soul  are  not  trials, — they  are  punishments:  it  is  not  a merciful  God  who  suspends  the  consolations  of  grace,  without  suspending grace  itself;  it  is  not  a  tender  father,  who  supplies,  by  the solidity of  his  tenderness,  and  by  effectual  assistances,  the  apparent rigours he  is  under  the  necessity  of  using:  it  is  a  severe  judge, who only  begins  to  deprive  the  criminal  of  a  thousand  indulgences, because  the  sentence  of  death  is  prepared  for  him. The hardships of  virtue  find  a  thousand  resources  in  virtue  itself:  those of lukewarmness  can  find  them  only  in  the  deceitful  pleasures of vice.

Such, my  brethren,  is  the  inevitable  lot  of  lukewarmness  in  the ways of  God, — the  misery  of  losing  righteousness. Will you  tell  us, after this,  that  you  wish  to  practise  only  a  degree  of  virtue  which may continue;  that  these  great  exertions  of  zeal  cannot  be  supported;  that  it  is  much  better  not  to  begin  so  high,  and  by  these means to  accomplish  the  end;  and  that  they  never  go  far  who  exhaust themselves  at  the  beginning  of  their  journey?

I know  that  every  excess,  even  in  piety,  comes  not  from  the Spirit of  God,  which  is  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and  discretion;  that  the zeal which  overturns  the  order  of  our  state  and  duties,  is  not  the piety which  comes  from  above,  but  an  illusion  born  in  ourselves; that indiscretion  is  a  source  of  false  virtues;  and  that  we  often  give to vanity  what  we  think  is  given  to  truth.

But I  tell  you  from  God,  that,  to  persevere  in  his  ways,  we  must give ourselves  up  to  him  without  reserve;  that,  in  order  to  support the  fidelity  due  to  the  essential  parts  of  our  duty,  we  must unceasingly endeavour  to  weaken  the  passions  which  oppose  it; and that  keeping  terms  with  these  passions,  under  the  pretext  of not  going  too  far,  is  to  dig  for  ourselves  a  grave. I tell  you,  that it is  only  the  faithful  and  fervent  Christians,  who,  not  contented with shunning  sin,  shun  also  every  thing  which  can  lead  to  it; that it  is  these  alone  who  persevere,  who  sustain  themselves,  who honour piety  by  a  supported,  equal,  and  uniform  conduct;  and, on the  contrary,  it  is  lukewarm  and  relaxed  souls,  who  have  begun their penitence  by  limiting  their  piety,  and  accommodating  it  to the  pleasures  and  maxims  of  the  world;  it  is  these  souls  who  draw