Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/97

 of corruption  which  removed  us  so  far  from  God,  is  still  left  us  in our  penitence,  to  serve  as  a  continual  exercise  to  virtue;  to  render us, by  the  continual  occasions  of  combat  it  raises  up  for  us,  more worthy of  an  eternal  crown;  to  humble  our  pride;  to  keep  us  in remembrance,  that  the  duration  of  our  present  life  is  a  time  of  war and danger;  and,  by  a  destiny  inevitable  to  our  nature,  that  there is only  one  step  between  relaxation  and  guilt.

It is  true  that  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ  is  given  us  to  repress these corrupted  inclinations  which  survive  our  conversion;  but  in a  state  of  lukewarmness,  as  I  have  already  said,  grace  offering  us only  common  succours,  and  the  grace  of  protection,  of  which we are  become  unworthy,  being  either  more  rare,  or  entirely suspended, it  is  evident  that  the  passions  must  acquire  new strength. But I  say,  that  not  only  the  passions  are  strengthened in  a  lukewarm  and  infidel  life,  because  the  grace  of  protection which checked  them  is  more  rare,  but  likewise  by  the  state  itself of relaxation  and  coldness:  for  that  life  being  only  a  continued indulgence of  all  the  passions;  a  simple  easiness  in  granting,  to  a certain  degree,  every  thing  which  flatters  the  appetites;  a  watchfulness, even  of  self-love,  to  remove  whatever  might  repress  or restrain  them;  and  a  perpetual  usage  of  all  things  capable  of  inflaming them; — it  is  evident,  that  by  these  means  they  must  daily acquire new  force.

In a  word,  my  brethren,  we  are  not  to  imagine,  that,  in  pushing our indulgence  for  our  passions  only  to  certain  lengths  permitted, we appease  them,  as  I  may  say;  that  we  allow  sufficient  to  satisfy them, and  not  enough  to  stain  our  soul,  or  carry  trouble  and  remorse through  our  conscience;  or  fancy  that  we  can  ever  attain  a certain  degree  of  equilibration  between  virtue  and  sin,  where,  on the  one  side,  our  passions  are  satisfied  by  the  indulgence  allowed them; and,  on  the  other,  our  conscience  is  tranquil,  by  the  absence of  guilt  which  we  shun. For such  is  the  plan  adopted  by the  lukewarm  soul:  favourable  to  his  indolence,  because  he  equally banishes every  thing,  either  in  virtue  or  in  sin,  which  can  disturb him. To the  passions  he  refuses  whatever  might  trouble  his  conscience;  and  to  virtue,  whatever  might  be  disagreeable  to  or  mortify his  self-love;  but  this  state  of  equilibrium  is  a  perfect  chimera. The passions  know  no  limits  or  bounds  in  guilt;  how, therefore, could  they  possibly  be  restrained  to  those  of  the  lukewarm soul? Even the  utmost  excess  cannot  restrain  or  fix  them; how, then,  could  simple  indulgences  do  it? The more  you  grant, the more  you  deprive  yourself  of  the  power  to  refuse  them  any thing. The true  secret  of  appeasing,  is  not  by  favouring  them  to  a certain  degree;  it  is  by  opposing  them  in  every  thing;  every  indulgence only  renders  them  more  fierce  and  unmanageable;  it  is  a little  water  thrown  upon  a  great  fire,  which,  far  from  extinguishing, increases its  fury. Every thing  which  flatters  the  passions,  renders them  more  keen,  and  diminishes  the  probability  of  being  able to conquer  them.

Now, such  is  the  state  of  a  lukewarm  and  unfaithful  soul. It