Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

XXXVl
new and holy obedience,—a man who drew upon
himself the persecution of the corrupt church of
which he is a member, by his bold avowal of the
doctrines of grace—a man whose writings have been
a blessing to thousands upon thousands;—and yet
this same man believes, in a certain way, these gross
errors, is infected with these extraordinary supersti-
tions, remains a member of this apostate church.
What shall we say to such a commixture of light
and darkness, but that it forms an additional con-
firmation of that doctrine of the corruption of man,
which laid the foundation, in this very <strong>Quesnel</strong>'s
mind, of all the humility which adorned him ? What
shall we say, but that where the heart is right, the
head may be in many important respects wrong?
What shall we say, but that where the capital points
of contrition and penitence for sin—an humble faith
in the merits and sacrifice of Christ, and an entire
dependence on the operations of the Spirit, possess
the soul—much defect in knowledge and theological
furniture of mind may exist?
If these are the real facts of the case—and I ap-
prehend they are so— then it is no use arguing
against them ; the point is to draw the proper in-
struction from such phenomena.
And when we see the eminent, the almost unparalleled
attainments in the spiritual life, of such men
as Pascal, Nicole, <strong>Quesnel</strong>—when we see their love
to God, their separation from the vanities of the
world, their holy communion of prayer, their sense
of the unutterable evil of sin— ^their apprehension of
the divine grace, as the source of all good—their
simple, fervent, self-denying love to Christ—their