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Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

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CHAPTER XVI. 257<br />

himself and void of God, is but a burden to himself;<br />

whereas he is in a c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> to walk very fast toward<br />

heaven, when he is filled with God, and has taken<br />

up <strong>the</strong> cross of Christ. This is a paradox, which to<br />

<strong>the</strong> spirit of man is incomprehensible; but thine, O<br />

Jesus, makes thy true disciples easily comprehend,<br />

love, and put it in practice.<br />

" 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose<br />

it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake<br />

shall find it."<br />

A fifth principle of <strong>the</strong> Christian life is, to wean<br />

ourselves from <strong>the</strong> love of <strong>the</strong> present life and of all<br />

<strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>veniencies of it. A sixth is, to have eternity<br />

always before our eyes. The great occasi<strong>on</strong> of <strong>the</strong><br />

loss of souls is, that men are mindful <strong>on</strong>ly of this<br />

life, and wholly taken up with <strong>the</strong> care how to en-<br />

joy it in h<strong>on</strong>our, c<strong>on</strong>venience, and abundance. That<br />

man who neglects all <strong>the</strong>se things, and who, for thy<br />

sake, O my Saviour, despises life itself, is he who<br />

shall certainly find it.<br />

" 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain<br />

<strong>the</strong> whole world, and lose his own soul? or what<br />

shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?"<br />

A seventh principle is, to c<strong>on</strong>sider frequently that<br />

all things are unprofitable to <strong>on</strong>e who loses his own<br />

soul. An eighth, that this loss is eternally irrepar-<br />

able. At <strong>the</strong> time of death, <strong>the</strong>re is nothing in <strong>the</strong><br />

world which a man would not willingly give for sal-<br />

vati<strong>on</strong> ; during life and health, he does not so much<br />

as think of it. Whilst he is able, he will do no-<br />

thing at all ; and he would fain do all, when he is<br />

no l<strong>on</strong>ger able to do any thing. What strange de-<br />

lusi<strong>on</strong> is this ! Will mankind never recover from it,<br />

after so many fatal examples ?

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