Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

XIV
Jiis enemies. The impression of their excellence, as
works of piety, may be judged of from what the
celebrated Father de Tournemhie is reported to have
said ;— " That two pages of the Christian Prayers
contained more real unction, than all that had issued
from the pen of the Jesuits, not excepting Bour-
daloue."
In the meantime, <strong>Quesnel</strong> kept himself in privacy
at Brussels. The Jesuits, however, contrived to
discover his retreat ; and persuaded Philip V. of
Spain, (whose conscience they directed,) to send an
order to the bishop of Malines to arrest him. He
was now cast into prison for the name of Christ
and would probably have lingered there the rest of
his days, if he had not been rescued by a Spanish
gentleman, who succeeded in penetrating the walls
of his prison, and in freeing him from his chains.
He fled to Amsterdam, under the protection of the
new Protestant States, who had so gloriously suc-
ceeded in establishing their liberty. He was soon
publicly condemned as a heretic, and a contumacious
and seditious person,—names ever ready to be at-
tached to the followers of the humble Saviour, espe-
cially under a superstitious and despotic government.
The court at Rome was next appealed to, and a decree
of Clement XI. condemnatory of the <strong>Reflections</strong>,
was obtained. Nothing however could stop the sale.
The work spread wider and wider. Editions were
multiplied. All the world were eager to read a work
so loudly denounced by the Papal chair. Thus does
persecution promote truth. Never would QuesnePs
<strong>Reflections</strong> have been read by one thousandth part of
those, who have now, for a century and a half, been