Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

98 ST. MATTHEW.
faults of others, and with an extreme sloth and
negligence in regard of our own conduct. Give us,
Lord, that true charity, which teaches, not to flatter
ourselves, to spare our neighbour, and to judge
equitably of every thing.
" 5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out
of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to
cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
The necessary order of action is to labour first
about our own sanctification, before we apply our-
selves to that of others : for else it is nothing but
pride and hypocrisy. A blind, precipitate, and
ungoverned zeal, is good for nothing but to puff us
up, to darken our understanding more and more
with respect to ourselves, and to make us commit
very great faults with respect to others. What is
it to cast the beam out of our eye before we under-
take to exercise the ministry of salvation, but to
purify our heart from every human aim and irregular
intention, to mortify our passions which are the
causes of our blindness, to enlighten our faith by
studying the way of salvation and the rules of the
church, and to lay aside all false prejudices or
popular prepossessions which are contrary to true
piety?
" 6. 51 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet, and turn again and
rend you."
It is an express command of the Lord, not to
expose the truths, mysteries, or sacraments of the
church to the contempt and profanation of sinners
and yet this is what is now-a-days charged as a