Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

CHAPTER VII. 101
world, in giving them the serpent of ambition, Sec,
either by bad example or otherwise ! Thou alone,
O my God, art always a Father ! and never givest
to thy children any other than the gifts of a Father.
Let me Hkewise always show myself a good chikl in
prayer, and never ask any thing but what is worthy
of thy paternal love !
" 11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask him ?"
Good gifts are always given to children who ask
them well. What other good thino-s but those of
heaven should a Christian ask of his heavenly Fa-
ther?—a Christian, who was made such only for
heaven ! To ask them amiss, is not so properly to
ask them, as to render ourselves unworthy of them.
They are given only to those vvho ask them ; and
we ask them, so far as we esteem and desire them.
Show, O my God, that thou art our Father ! and
make us esteem, desire, and ask that only which
thou art willing to give !
Sect. III.—2. Aleatis : Charity.
" 12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them :
for this is the law and the prophets."
The Scriptures contain nothing but charity, which
is the substance and the end of them. How rare is
this spirit of equity ! and how difficult and painful
is it even to good men, to walk exactly according to
this rule ! Self-love is too much confined within
these bounds; it always finds out reasons of prefer-