though, of all men, he had only thee to save; thou, in a word, whose every moment is a fresh grace, and whose greatest guilt shall one day be, that of having received too many, and of having constantly abused them.
But, to finish your overthrow, upon what grounds do you say that you want grace? You doubtless say so, because you feel that in your present state conversion would require too many sacrifices; but you then believe that, with grace, you are converted without any sacrifice on your part, without any self-denial, and almost without being sensible of it yourself? You believe, then, that to have grace is to have no more passions to conquer, no more charms to break, no more temptations to overcome; that it is to be regenerated through penitence, without tears, pain, or sorrow? Ah! I assure you that on this footing you will never possess that chimerical grace, for conversion must always require many sacrifices; be the grace what it may, you will always be required to make heroical efforts to repress your passions, to tear yourself from the most beloved objects, and to sacrifice every thing which may yet captivate you. Look around, and see if no sacrifices are required of those who are daily returning to their God; yet they are favoured with grace, since it is it which delivers them and changes their heart. Inquire of them, if grace render every thing easy and smooth; if it leave nothing more for self-love to undergo. Ask them if they have not had a thousand struggles to sustain, a thousand obstacles to overcome, a thousand passions to moderate, and you will know if to have grace is to be converted without any exertion on your part. Conversion is, therefore, a painful sacrifice, a laborious baptism, a grievous delivery, a victory which supposes combats and fatigues. Grace, I confess, softens them all; but it by no means operates so as to leave nothing more to overcome; and if, in order to change your life, you await a grace of that nature, I declare to you, that such never existed, and that so absurdly to await your salvation and deliverance, is to be absolutely bent upon perishing.
But, if the pretext of the default of grace be unjust on the side of the sinner who alleges it, it is not less rash and ungrateful with regard to God, on whom he pretends to fix the blame.
For you say that God is the master, and that, when he shall want you, he will perfectly know how to find you; that is to say, that you have only to leave him solely to act, and that, without giving yourself any trouble with respect to your salvation, he, when so inclined, will know how to change your heart; that is to say, that you have only to pass your life in pleasures and in guilt, and that, without any interference on your part, without your bestowing even a thought upon it, without bringing to that conversion, which you expect, other preparation than a whole life of debauchery and constant opposition to his grace, he will know how to obtain you, when his moment shall be come; that is to say, that your salvation, that grand, that only business which you have upon the earth, is no longer a concern of yours; and that the Lord, who hath given you that alone to manage, who hath commanded you to
