Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

CHAPTER XVI. 249
to be much employed about earthly things. How
few are there who take care to keep themselves en-
tirely free From the pride, envy, and hypocrisy of the
Pharisees ! It is against these spiritual and conta-
gious vices that those ought particularly to guard,
who pass for learned, devout, and spiritual, and for
persons of an austere and singular life. Unmind-
fulness of the other life and eternal salvation, is the
leaven of the Sadducees, who believed neither the
immortality of the soul, nor the resurrection of the
body. The expectation of eternal happiness, humi-
lity, and Christian simplicity, are the leaven of Jesus
Christ, opposed to that of the Pharisees and Saddu-
cees. Fill us with tliis, O Lord, out of thy fulness!
*' 7. And they reasoned among themselves, say-
ing. It is because we have taken no bread."
How great is the wretchedness of man, who is at
all times sooner sensible of bodily wants than of those
of the soul !
How great the infirmity and weakness
of those whom the Holy Ghost had not yet renewed,
to fear wanting bread, after the two late miracles
of the five thousand fed with five barley loaves, and
the four thousand fed with seven—and to imagine
they could be defiled by material leaven, when they
had been so particularly instructed concerning the
things which could alone defile a man !
These
de-
fects in the apostles themselves, plainly show the
universal necessity of God's grace, in order to un-
derstand, retain, love, and practise his instructions.
" 8. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto
them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among
yourselves, because ye have brought no bread ?"
Want of faith is the cause of men being wholly
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