Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

212 ST. MATTHEW.
honour and pleasure, shall, like a bundle of tares, be
cast into the fire !
"41. The Son of man shall send forth his an-
gels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity,
42. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Eternal separation from the body of Christ, the
being cast headlong into the furnace, the torment of
everlasting fire, and an endless despair : all this is
the just punishment of a fond affection towards the
creatures, of the loftiness of pride, of the enjoyment
of pleasures, and of the love of worldly satisfactions.
How much better is it to weep in this life, having
the consolation of hope, than to expose ourselves to
the wailings of eternal despair ? The true church
will not be entirely freed from all occasions of offence,
till the end of the world. To separate from it, un-
der pretence of the disorders in it, is to understand
neither the nature of the church nor the Scriptures.
" 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath
ears to hear, let him hear."
How will the condition of the elect be changed
in heaven ! Here, they are in obscurity and con-
tempt ; there, they will shine forth as the sun. Here,
under oppression ; there, upon the throne of God
himself. Here, in poverty and want; there, in pos-
session of the eternal inheritance of their heavenly
Father, and of all the rights of the children of God.
To conceive and understand this, requires a very
lively faith ; and all the misfortune of men proceeds
from their not conceiving it. The small number of