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Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

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CHAPTER VI.<br />

<strong>the</strong> heart, when it seeks not God and his righteous-<br />

ness <strong>on</strong>ly—when it has some o<strong>the</strong>r end besides his<br />

glory and his will—when it would fain be happy in<br />

<strong>the</strong> enjoyment of some o<strong>the</strong>r good toge<strong>the</strong>r with<br />

him—and when it pretends to unite God and <strong>the</strong><br />

world, to be <strong>the</strong> servant of Christ and to please<br />

men, and to rec<strong>on</strong>cile <strong>the</strong> gospel with <strong>the</strong> eager de-<br />

sire of earthly things. Nothing is more single than<br />

<strong>the</strong> eye of faith ; <strong>the</strong>re is nothing which renders our<br />

whole c<strong>on</strong>duct more uniform in goodness, than to<br />

follow singly <strong>the</strong> light of it.<br />

" 23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body<br />

shall be full of darkness. If <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong> light<br />

that is in <strong>the</strong>e be darkness, how great is that dark-<br />

ness !"<br />

An evil intenti<strong>on</strong> corrupts <strong>the</strong> best works, and<br />

renders <strong>the</strong>m evil. Who can c<strong>on</strong>ceive <strong>the</strong> misfor-<br />

tune and corrupti<strong>on</strong> of a heart, which lays up for<br />

itself a double treasure of wrath, by suffering itself<br />

to be led away to evil acti<strong>on</strong>s by a perverse will,<br />

and depriving itself of <strong>the</strong> fruit of good <strong>on</strong>es by a<br />

bad intenti<strong>on</strong>? The way of <strong>the</strong> righteous is a way<br />

of light; that of sinners is nothing but darkness.<br />

Sect. V. God to be served^ not Mamm<strong>on</strong>, Trust,<br />

*' 24. % No man can serve two masters: for ei<strong>the</strong>r<br />

he will hate <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>e, and love <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r; or else he<br />

will hold to <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>e, and despise <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r. Ye<br />

cannot serve God and mamm<strong>on</strong>."<br />

The master of our heart, is <strong>the</strong> love which reigns<br />

in it: we are slaves to that <strong>on</strong>ly which we love most.<br />

A man cannot be in a perfect indifference betwixt<br />

two objects which are incompatible; he is inclined to<br />

91

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