Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

CHAPTER XXII. 341
without flattering or provoking those of others.
When we make the divine truth and wisdom the
standard of our words, we then weigh them as we
oucrht. Christ seems not to know the tribute-
money: 1. To recommend to us a contempt of riches.
2. To show, that he did not concern himself about
secular affairs. 3. To confound his enemies by
their own answer.
" 21. They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith
he unto them, Render therefore unto Cesar the
things which are Cesar's ; and unto God the things
that are God's."
This is an answer full of wisdom, which estab-
lishes the limits, regulates the rights, and distin-
guishes the jurisdiction, of the two empires of heaven
and earth, of the spiritual and temporal powers.
The image of princes stamped on their coin, denotes,
that temporal things belong all to their governance
and the image of God imprinted on the soul of man,
teaches, that whatever use he makes either of him-
self or of the creatures, ought to be referred to God.
Respect, submission, dependence, and obedience to
sovereign princes, as to whatever is temporal, being
part of the divine law, we cannot pay them as we
ought in the sight of God, but by doing it heartily,
and on a principle of love. Princes being more the
images of God than other men, ought also to render
to God whatever they receive from men, by direct-
ing it all to his glory.
" 22. When they had heard these words, they
marvelled, and left him, and went their way." '
They cannot forbear admiring him, and yet they
cannot persuade themselves to love him ; the hard-