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The Gospel of Jesus Christ According to
St. Matthew Pasquier
Quesnel Translated
by the Rev. Daniel Wilson, D.D., Vicar of Islington and now Bishop of Chapter XIV. Sect. I. The Death Of John The Baptist. 1. AT that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2. And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. It appears from hence, that the belief of the
resurrection was common among the Jews. The holiness of St. John is
acknowledged even by his persecutor. It is a dreadful judgment upon men, not
to have their eyes open to discover the piety and virtue of a good man, till
they have caused his death, either by the sword or by ill-treatment. The
miracles of Jesus Christ, owned and acknowledged by Herod, are the
condemnation of him, of the Jews, and of unbelievers in all ages. The
hardened sinner has his sin for a continual tormentor, and thinks he sees it
everywhere before his eyes. 3. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. An unchaste person cannot suffer any
charitable advice to disturb his pleasures. Such a one sacrifices every
thing, be it ever so holy, to his passion. This is what darkens this prince’s
understanding, and stifles his sentiments of esteem for virtue, and every
inclination to good; and it will produce the same effects in every person who
gives himself up to it as he did. 4. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. Here is an instance of zeal, fidelity, and
courage in an evangelical preacher. How few imitators has
this example! Plainness, mildness, and modesty are qualifications to be ob
served when we are obliged to reprove the great. The best service one can
possibly do them is, clearly and plainly to lay before them, without any
obscure or intricate discourse, what the law of God requires of them, and
what it forbids. 5. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. When only fear restrains the hand without
changing the heart, the sin is committed already in the will, and will soon
be produced into act. The people are better judges of holiness than the
great. Miserable prince, who fears to offend his people, but is not afraid of
offending his God! When a man resists sin by the
help of human motives only, he cannot long defend himself. 6. But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. The diversions of the world, feasting and
dancing, are but too commonly the occasions of sin. After so fatal an example
as this before us, can we in the least doubt whether balls are not snares for
souls, destructive of chastity and modesty, and a pernicious invention to
awake and excite the passions? Unhappy mother! who
exposes her daughter to the shipwreck which herself has suffered, and makes
her the instrument of her passion and revenge, and the murderer of a saint!
God grant that many mothers may take warning by this example, and have it
before their eyes, when they are about to introduce their daughters at court!
7. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. How dear does it cost a man to resign
himself up to his passions! To satisfy one he frequently forgets all the
rest. Sometimes war is waged for an inch of ground; at another time, by a
foolish and rash promise, half a kingdom is given up to the will of a young
coquette; there is nothing but contradiction to be seen in the passions of
men. What strange kind of religion is here, for a man to remember God in the
midst of sin, to no other end but to make his name subservient thereto by a
scandalous oath, instead of thinking of him with a reverential awe, in order
to renounce his passion! 8. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist’s head in a charger. Impudence and cruelty are the common
companions of impurity. How pernicious is the bad education of children, and
what a train of evils does it generally draw after it! Men are apt to
instruct one another as much and more in order to sin, than to piety and
virtue. A wicked mother does more easily inspire her children with her own
corrupt inclinations and passions, than a virtuous one can communicate her
good dispositions. How ingenious is carnal wisdom! It knows how to make an
unhappy use of the moments of an inflamed passion, and gives it no time to
cool or to recover itself. 9. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. Religion often serves as a cloak for the greatest
crimes. The men of the world sacrifice every thing to human considerations.
When a man is blinded by passion, he suffers himself to be brought under the
most unjust engagements upon the weakest reasons. By these he thinks to
justify him self before men, and, on this very account, he becomes the more guilty before God. How fatal is this regard to men! which plunges Herod in a crime so heinous, and hinders him
from finding one faithful servant who might dissuade him from it, and improve
the remorse of his conscience in favour of the innocent. This is the poison
of the great, the tyrant of their flatterers, and the destruction of the best
of men. 10. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. There is nothing more revengeful than a
lascivious woman when reproved and blamed. A preacher of the gospel has most
to fear from this quarter. The first of the profession lost his life for the
sake of truth and chastity, that others may learn from hence that all the
reward they have to expect in this world, for their faithfulness in the
discharge of their office, is to suffer and die with and for Christ; and that
it is in the behalf of truth and chastity that they have most occasion at
court to show themselves the ministers of God. 12. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. We have a right, as Christians, to open
our mind to Jesus Christ, and to comfort ourselves with him in our
afflictions, and under the loss of our friends. St. John taught his disciples
in his lifetime, that they must, on all occasions, go to Christ; and they
profit by this instruction after his decease. This is to them the first fruit
and advantage of his death. Sect. II. The Miracle Of The Five Loaves. 13. When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. A man ought prudently to withdraw himself
from the rage of the wicked, and, by retiring, yield to the storm, according
to this example of Christ, who did it only for the instruction of his
ministers and servants. The farther he seems to re move from us, the more
diligently ought we to endeavour to follow and to find him. 14. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. How exceeding great must the tenderness
and compassion of Christ’s heart be toward diseased souls, when he discovers
so much in relation to the distempers of the body! The sovereign Pastor shows
not the least uneasiness, though the people will not let him enjoy that
repose which he came on purpose to seek in the desert. That must be relinquished
when necessity requires, and an opportunity of doing good presents itself. We
ought to have abundance of pity and compassion on diseased souls, to
anticipate them, and, as it were, go forth to meet their weaknesses. 15. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. The charity of the apostles is very
mindful of the people’s wants; a man is not worthy to succeed them if he do not imitate them. Human prudence should think only of
human means, when God has not revealed any extraordinary design. He leaves
the want to be taken notice of and considered, on purpose to render the
miracle more illustrious and useful. How wonderful is the zeal of these poor
people, who, through the comfort of being with Christ and enjoying his
presence, are forgetful of their own necessities! When the soul is either
well replenished with God, or very hungry after his word, it is very little
sensible of the needs and hunger of the body. 16. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. A bishop and a priest seem obliged to attempt
impossibilities, in order to feed the poor, and to serve and assist souls. It
is not their own stock, but that of Christ alone, wherein they must expect to
find enough to give to the souls under their care. He who puts his trust in
him, has a treasure which is inexhaustible, and always at hand. 17. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. The acknowledgment of our own indigence is
a great qualification for the divine gifts, and is itself one of them. What
store soever of parts and knowledge a minister of
Christ may think he possesses, yet he has still occasion for more. 18. He said, Bring them hither to me. It is an instance of charity and obedience
truly apostolical, for a man, where there is a very
great necessity, to give his whole subsistence for the support of others,
reserving nothing to himself but a dependence on the treasures of Providence.
Let us carry our poverty to Christ, and it will become in his hands an
abundance of wealth. 19. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. This transaction is a representation of
the consecration and communion of the eucharist.
Humility, which is a principal disposition in order to approach it, is
represented by the people’s sitting down on the grass. It is just and
reasonable to thank God for good things already received, before new are asked
of him. The looking up to heaven is a token, both of acknowledgment of having
received all from God, and of trust in expecting all from him. The blessing
of Jesus Christ is powerful and efficacious. It is to tempt God to depend
upon receiving whatever is necessary to salvation immediately from Christ
himself, because he gives it generally by the means of his ministers. How
many graces pass through their hands! It is their sanctification, as well as
that of others, if they know how to make a good use of this advantage. 20. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children. Little or much is the same thing in the
hand of Jesus Christ. The more a man gives to the poor, the more he is
enriched one way or another. The feeding and filling this people by the
multiplication of loaves, is an emblem of the holy communion, which is a source
of graces and spiritual riches to those souls which are truly filled and
nourished by it; but it is one thing to eat it, and another to be truly
nourished thereby. 22. And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. A person who is really humble does not
continue willingly, or without necessity, in a place where he has done some
remarkable good. That man runs the risk of losing his reward from God who awaits for the applause of men. How difficult is it to
withstand this inclination, and what need is there of a very powerful and
constraining grace in order to do it! Jesus Christ makes haste to send away
his disciples from a near occasion of vanity and complacency, for he fully
knows the danger. Sect. III. Prayer. Christ And Peter
Walking On The Sea. 23. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. Jesus parts from his disciples in order to
give them some mortification, to keep them from adhering to him with too
human an inclination on the account of this new miracle, and to suppress in
them all vain joy, by their grief at his departure. The proper dispositions
and circumstances for praying well, are, (1.) Retirement from the world. (2.)
Elevation of heart. (3.) Solitude. (4.) The silence and quiet of the night. 24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. There is no manner of calm where Christ is
not. This is a representation of the present life, which is a state of
continual temptation. The church is like a ship in the midst of the sea of
this world. Her ministers are continually exposed to the storms of
persecution. He who is not prepared to be tossed
with waves, knows not to what he is called. The contrary wind of persecution
proves a favourable one in the end, which brings Jesus Christ along, and
carries the ship safe into the haven. 25. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. Christ comes to all his disciples in the
time of trouble and temptation. He will not abandon his church or his
ministers, who are, by his appointment, and by their calling, exposed to the
vexation of the world. He will work a miracle for their relief, rather than
forsake them, when they put their whole trust and confidence in him. Here are
three miracles in one: (1.) He knows their distress. (2.) He finds them out
in the midst of darkness. (3.) He walks upon the sea. Salvation is often
near, when nothing but darkness and destruction are before us. Whoever, when
he seems most forsaken, still hopes against all appearance, may truly say
that he is not forsaken. It is by the favour of this kind of night that Jesus
comes to us. 26. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. The righteous are often troubled and
startled at the effects of grace, and take them for illusions; as, on the contrary, these are frequently taken for the
operations of God’s Spirit. In all extraordinary cases, it is necessary to
begin by fear and distrust, and then to consider and examine them. Humility
is undaunted only in matters of faith, whereas presumption is bold in every
thing which flatters its vanity. 27. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. Christ, by his word and illumination,
causes those who are his to discern what proceeds from the good Spirit. It is
he who works in their heart that trust and confidence which he requires of
them. His word in his church gives sufficient evidence of his presence.
Speak, Lord, this powerful and efficacious word, “It is I,” to the heart of
such as still doubt whether it is thou who speakest
in thy Scriptures and church, who workest by thy
grace and ministers, who art present in heaven and the holy eucharist; and their incredulity will forthwith be
changed into faith. 28. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. An imperfect faith requires signs and
wonders; that which is perfect is satisfied with Christ’s word alone. When he
in spires this confidence in asking, it is because he designs to enable us to
perform what he is about to command. We see, in this expression of St. Peter,
the character of a generous soul ready to undertake any thing for the sake of
God. This confidence proceeds from grace, when charity and humility are the
foundation thereof. 29. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. See here a fourth miracle, in the strange
power of obedience to Christ’s word. To walk on the water to go to Jesus, is to
follow him and to do his will, notwithstanding all troubles and losses,
contradictions and persecutions of carnal men. Lord, say to my soul, Come;
and it will then go to thee, and do whatever thou wouldst have it, without
the least apprehension from the world. 30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. A persevering faith is very rare in the
world. Upon every new danger and temptation, there is new want of grace, and
new necessity for prayer. It is of great advantage to a Christian for God to
make him sensible, from time to time, of his natural weakness and inability,
that he may still have recourse to his Saviour. Temptation in the elect
serves to awake their faith. Not one moment passes, but we have occasion to
say, “Lord, save me.” 31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Here are a fifth and sixth miracle: Jesus
holds Peter up in the midst of the water, and knows the bottom of his heart.
Let us take great care that we do not, like St. Peter, consider more the
danger in which we are, than the power of Christ; such a piece of infidelity
would make us deserve to be left entirely to ourselves. His word is our
light; his hand, our strength. He permits his elect to fall, only in order to
humble them; and by raising them up, to increase their faith and gratitude. 32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. This is a seventh miracle. As soon as ever
Christ enters into a heart, the wind of temptation, vanity, and uneasiness
ceases to disturb it. St. John mentions an eighth miracle on this occasion,
(chap. vi. 21.) Wherever Christ is, there is rest. The ship represents the church,
which is the house of faith, of peace, and of God himself, but continually
subject to be tossed to and fro in this world. Command the winds which toss
it to cease, my God; for thou hast full and absolute power over them 33. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. A confidence to approach Christ, a spirit
of adoration, and a confirmation in the belief of his divinity, are three
effects, which the reading (as well as seeing) these miracles ought to
produce in us. These miracles alone drew from those who were present at them
a confession of Christ’s divinity; and yet some presume to doubt of it now,
after all the miracles of his life, death, and resurrection, after the
wonders of seven teen ages, and the belief of all nations. Sect. IV. The Hem Of Christ’s Garment. 34. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; How many are there of those who seek God
only for the sake of life, health, and temporal conveniences? Christ rejects
none here, that he may teach his ministers to use their utmost endeavours to
cure all sinners who apply themselves to them. Where can one find that zeal
for the eternal salvation of the soul, which equals this diligence in seeking
after the temporal health of the body? He who really
loves his neighbour, never grows weary of exhorting sinners to go to Christ.
We ought at least to present, and as it were to lay them before God in
prayer, when we have no other means of assisting them. 36. And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. What mighty influence must the grace and
Spirit of Christ necessarily have on the mind, when the very hem of his
garment has so much on the body! A man always finds much good by resigning himself
up entirely to him. Every thing is sanctifying in him through the virtue of
his divinity. Let us by a lively faith touch the mysteries of his mortal
life, and that even to the least actions and circumstances of these mysteries
wrought on earth; this is a source of a great many graces, and of salvation
itself. How much more then is it so, to adore our blessed Saviour, and as it
were to receive into our heart his body and blood, and to feed on him with
faith, confidence, and humility! |
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