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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 IV. Sect. I. The Fast And Temptation Of
Christ. 1. THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Thus the Holy Ghost received at baptism, inclines
the Christian to retirement and a retreat from the world. The more a man is
devoted to God, the more ought he to expect temptation. See here an excess of
charity and humility in Christ, who exposes himself to the temptation of the
devil, that he may overcome for us the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life. We seek retirement, that
we may shun temptation, and we do well, because we are weak. Jesus goes into
the wilderness on purpose to be tempted there, because he goes to overcome
for us, clothed in our weakness without, full of his own divine strength
within. 2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was after ward ahungered. Fasting, and all mortification of the
flesh, has been under gone, sanctified, taught, and rendered easy by Jesus
Christ. The devil makes use of our body to tempt us; we ought to use it to
engage, disarm, and vanquish him. He turns the strength and vigour of the
body against us; we must, by weakening it, turn it into arms against him.
Assist me, Lord, to do this salutary violence to my rebellious flesh. Give me
the strength and fidelity which thou has merited for
me by thy holy fast, to follow thy example, to obey the church, and to fight
against sin in myself. 3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. The gluttony of Adam is cured by the
fasting of Christ. No necessity should induce us to relinquish the methods of
God’s ordinary providence, since Christ himself does not do it. It is never
necessary to desire miracles for the wants of the body: it is oftenmost most expedient not to desire them; and it is
always the surest way to leave God to act of him self. We often beg to be
delivered from some evil and necessity; and it is by this very means that God
designs to show us his mercy and to secure our salvation. 4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, The most holy persons, as well as Christ,
are often left to the power of the devil. The devil lifts up, only in order
to cast down and destroy. We could never believe how much power the devil
still retains over us, so long as our regeneration and adoption continue
imperfect, did we not see an in stance of it even in the person of Christ,
the Son of God by nature, over whom he never had any manner of right. It is
in our stead, and for our sakes, that he suffers this outrageous attempt of
the evil spirit; and it is by this that he weakens his power, diminishes his
rights, and hinders him from encroaching upon us. 6. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. The curiosity of Adam, presumptuous
confidence in God’s assistance, and superstitious credulity, are cured by
this second temptation. It is because Christ is the Son of God, that he takes
so much care not to tempt his Father. His confidence is perfect, but prudent,
subject to the disposition of God, and regulated by his will. The devil lays
snares for us by the means of the Scripture, and of the most sacred things.
He often inspires into souls a false confidence in God, in order to make them
lose the true, and thereby cast them into despair, when they see they are
deserted by God in that danger into which they have so rashly brought
themselves. 7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. To desire to know the power and mysteries
of God by sensible experience, is no other than to tempt him. Faith is
sufficient to a sincere heart. We render ourselves unworthy of the protection
of God, and of the supports of his ordinary providence, when we create new
wants to ourselves without necessity, and contrary to his will. Nothing is
more common than to tempt God; and because it is a sin so very common, we
take no notice at all of it. 8. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; The vanity, pride, and ambition of Adam
are cured by the third temptation of Jesus Christ, the new Adam. To love to
see the pomps and riches of the world,
is to expose ourselves to this temptation. We certainly open our heart to the
love of false riches, when we open our mouth to praise them in others.
Parents do the devil’s office, when they raise in their children an esteem
and desire of advancement, of great wealth, and of the glory of the world, by
causing them to see and admire these things in others. 9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. The devil promises that which is not his
own. God seems to give up riches and honours to the power of the devil, and
of those who belong to him, as things unworthy of his elect. How can a child
of God esteem and set his heart upon them? The devil discovers himself by this promise; for God has never promised to his
servants these false riches, any other wise than to represent to them the
promise of the true and eternal riches. Would to God, the world were not so
full of persons who make wealth their god, and fall down and worship those
who bestow it! 10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. God alone is truly worthy of our service, adoration,
and love. To worship, is not to say, I worship and adore thee; but it is to
be really obedient to God, and from the bottom of the heart to prefer his
will before all things, to live and act only for him, and to esteem nothing
but him, or with relation to him. When we see men busied and employed about
every thing except their God, can we believe that there are many who worship
and serve him only? Grant, Lord, that by thy grace, I may be among the small
number of those who worship thee in truth, and serve none but thee! 11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. God generally makes joy and consolation
succeed temptation and trouble. He does not send invisible angels to comfort
those who, for his sake, have suffered the assaults of the devil or of the
world; but a vigilant director, (of the con science,) a charitable pastor, or
a faithful friend, is a visible angel, who receives from God an invisible
mission to go to the assistance of a soul which is in trouble. When will it
be, my Saviour, that our temptation being finished, and the devil having left
us, we shall serve thee in perfect peace, in the company of angels, and be
forever satisfied with the en joyment of thyself? Sect. II. Christ’s Residence At 12. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison,
he departed into It is prudence and humility to avoid
danger and persecution. To wait for it without necessity, and to no good
purpose, is to expose one’s neighbour to the temptation of doing evil, and
one’s self to the danger of sinking under it. When the passions of men are
raised, we imitate Jesus Christ by taking out of their way even the most
innocent occasions. 13. And leaving As Christ came to 14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15. The Christ will not begin his preaching in his
own country, nor among his own relations. All the ways and steps of Jesus
Christ are marked out in the Scriptures, that he might be a man of obedience
in all the stages of his life. We imitate him but ill, when we resolve to be
governed by none but ourselves, and to do nothing but our own will. 16. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. Darkness cannot possibly merit light, nor the sinner the mercy of God; but yet light is pleased
to shine through the thickest darkness, and God to show mercy to the most
miser able. To me, Lord, thou hast already, and dost still show this mercy,
as often as thou dost not abandon me to my own darkness. If the light of
grace be not joined to that of the gospel, the latter does nothing else but
blind, as it blinded the Jews. My God, let not these two lights be separated
in me! 17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus begins his preaching, not by
flattering men in their inclinations, but by that which is most necessary for
them. Repentance is the only gate of heaven for sinners; he
who pretends to show any other, is not a guide, but a seducer. Whenever
Christ comes to men, whether by his incarnation, or by the eucharist, or by the last judgment, the kingdom of heaven
is then at hand, and repentance must always go forth to meet him. Nothing but
a penitent heart can perform repentance; and this heart is the gift of God.
To will and to do is chiefly the work of God in repentance, because it is
that to which man is most averse. Sect. III. The Calling Of Peter And
Andrew, James And John. 18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. Jesus chooses the simple and the poor, to intrust them with the treasures of faith, of the
ministry, and of the know ledge of salvation. Let us learn from hence, not to
judge of the call to ecclesiastical dignities by birth, wit, or natural
talents. He calls and blesses those who are busied in an innocent and quiet
employment. To pass immediately from a tumultuous and distracting employment
to the ministry of peace and holiness: is this to follow his Spirit? 19. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. It is a very great honour to follow
Christ, and to be admitted to a partnership in his priesthood; but unhappy
those, who do not wait for the call of God! To presume to take the name and
employment of “fishers of men,” and yet never to cast the net of the divine
word: is this according to the design and intention of Christ? He who follows
Jesus Christ in order to be a fisher of men, only in consulting his own
inclination for this employment, and does not follow him in imitating his
virtues, and guiding himself by his Spirit, though he does not perhaps enter
as a thief, yet at least he lives like a hireling. 20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. How powerful is the voice of Jesus Christ!
Let us remember to beseech .him often, that he would be pleased to speak to
our hearts and make us obedient to him. Vices and inveterate habits are a
sort of nets, which sinners are abundantly more unwilling to leave, than
Peter and Andrew were to leave theirs; but every thing is equally possible to
him who can do all things. These poor men leave
indeed only nets; but they certainly leave a great deal who reserve nothing
for themselves. 21. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. Sometimes God is pleased to unite by grace
those who are already united by nature, to show that he does not design to
destroy, but to repair it; sometimes he separates them to prove their
sincerity, to show the force of his grace and of his love; to make known his
sovereign power, and that ho chooses his ministers with distinction, and with
the greatest wisdom. There is a time to cast the nets into the sea, that is,
to labour for the salvation of others; and a time to mend them, that is, for
a man to prepare himself for labour, to make the best amends he can for his
wandering and other imperfections, by prayer and retirement, to gain new
strength, and to fortify himself against the dangers to which he may probably
be exposed. 22. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. We must renounce all human expectations,
and all the tenderness of nature, (represented here by the nets and the
father of these apostles,) in order to enter into the ministry with a true
apostolic spirit. And what shall we not find in thee, Jesus, if we leave all
for thy sake! He who but just now united brethren, by calling them to the
ministry of grace, now separate the sons from their father, to teach them to
obey God at the expense of all things, and to prefer the honour of serving
him in poverty and humility to all the comforts of a father’s house. Sect. IV. The Preaching, Miracles, And
Reputation Of Christ. 23. And Jesus went about all See here the perfect pattern of an
evangelical preacher. (1.) To go to seek out sinners on every side, that he
may show them the way to heaven. (2.) To preach “the gospel of the kingdom,”
not with a servile spirit, but with a freedom worthy of the King whom he
serves, and of the kingdom which he proclaims. (3.) To make his reputation
and the confidence of the people subservient, not to his own interest, but to
the good of souls, and to the establishing the |
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