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Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

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XI<br />

afFecti<strong>on</strong>s. His is an external, incidental effect of <strong>the</strong><br />

circumstances of a false educati<strong>on</strong>; ours <strong>the</strong> daring<br />

dictate of curiosity and c<strong>on</strong>ceit. His is c<strong>on</strong>nected<br />

with submissi<strong>on</strong> to God ; ours with rebelli<strong>on</strong>. His<br />

is <strong>the</strong> error of <strong>the</strong> head ; ours of <strong>the</strong> heart.<br />

But we return to our narrative. It was in 1681<br />

that persecuti<strong>on</strong> first burst out against <str<strong>on</strong>g>Quesnel</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />

The new doctrines (for truth, when it re-appears in<br />

force, is new to fallen man, especially in a very corrupt<br />

church,) began to attract attenti<strong>on</strong>. Numbers<br />

espoused <strong>the</strong>m. The Jesuits were <strong>the</strong> first to take<br />

<strong>the</strong> alarm. Harlai, archbishop of Paris, informed of<br />

our Pasquier's sentiments, obliged him to quit <strong>the</strong><br />

capital. He took refuge at Orleans. Three years<br />

afterwards, he fled to Brussels, to avoid <strong>the</strong> neces-<br />

sity of signing an absurd formulary, in which <strong>the</strong><br />

c<strong>on</strong>demnati<strong>on</strong> of Jansenism was allied with <strong>the</strong> re-<br />

nunciati<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong> natural philosophy of Descartes.<br />

Here he joined <strong>the</strong> great Arnauld and received his<br />

last instructi<strong>on</strong>s. He devoted himself now to <strong>the</strong><br />

c<strong>on</strong>tinuati<strong>on</strong> of his <str<strong>on</strong>g>Reflecti<strong>on</strong>s</str<strong>on</strong>g>; and in 1694 pub-<br />

lished an editi<strong>on</strong> which comprised, for <strong>the</strong> first time,<br />

<strong>the</strong> whole of <strong>the</strong> New Testament. The Jesuits had<br />

not yet prevailed. Louis- Antoine de Noailles, afterwards<br />

archbishop of Vares, and cardinal, was now<br />

bishop of Chal<strong>on</strong>s sur Marne, and scrupled not to<br />

recommend <strong>the</strong> book to his diocese. The bishops<br />

of Limoges, Agen, M<strong>on</strong>tpellier, and S<strong>on</strong>ez, after-<br />

wards did <strong>the</strong> same.<br />

The celebrated Bossuet likewise joined in defending<br />

<strong>the</strong> book, and <strong>the</strong> cardinal de Noailles also, when<br />

<strong>the</strong> Jesuits publicly attacked <strong>the</strong>m. Bossuet, in his<br />

earlier life, seems to have inclined more to <strong>the</strong> senti-

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