He prepareth his Disciples against persecutions to come upon them at their publishing of his doctrine. (13) With dividing the brethren’s inheritance he will not meddle, but exhorteth them against avarice, (22) and his Disciples (by this occasion) against solicitude so much as of necessaries, (32) yea counselling them to give all in alms, (35) and to be ready at a knock. (41) Namely admonishing Peter and other Prelates to see to their charge: (49) and all, not to look but for persecution. (54) The Jews he reprehendeth for that they will not see this time of grace, (58) whereas it is so horrible to die without reconciliation.
AND when great multitudes stood about him, so that they trod one another, he began to say to his Disciples: Take good heed of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 * For nothing is hid, that shall not be revealed: nor secret, that shall not be known. 3For the things that you have said in darkness, shall be said in the light; and that which you have spoken into the ear in the chambers, shall be preached in the house-tops. 4And I say to you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after this have no more to do. 5But I will show you whom ye shall fear; [a] fear him who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into Hell. Yea I say to you, fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and one of them is not forgotten before God? 7Yea the hairs also of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are more worth than many sparrows. 8 * And I say to you, • Everyone that confesseth me before men, the Son of man also will confess him before the Angels of God. 9But he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before the Angels of God. 10 * And [b] everyone that speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven him; but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, to him it shall not be forgiven. 11 * And when they shall bring you in to the Synagogues and to Magistrates and Potestates, • be not careful in what manner, and what you shall answer, or what you shall say. 12For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the very hour what you must say.
13And one of the multitude said to him: Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. 14But he said to him: Man, • who hath appointed me judge or divider over you? 15And he said to them: See and beware of all avarice; for not in any man’s abundance doth his life consist, of those things which he possesseth. 16And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: A certain rich man’s field yielded plenty of fruits. 17And he thought within himself, saying: [c] What shall I do, because I have not whither to gather my fruits? 18And he said: This will I do, I will destroy my barns, and will make greater, and thither will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul; Soul, thou have much goods laid up for many years, take thy rest, eat, drink, make good cheer. 20But God said to him: [d] Thou fool, this night they require thy soul of thee; and the things that thou have provided, whose shall they be? 21So is he that layeth up treasure to himself, and is not • rich to God-ward.
22And he said to his Disciples: * Therefore I say to you, [e] Be not careful for your life, what you shall eat; nor for your body, what you shall do on. 23The life is more than the meat, and the body is more than the raiment. 24Consider the ravens, for they sow not, neither do they reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them. How much more are you of greater price then they? 25And which of you by caring can add to his stature one cubit? 26If then you be not able to do so much as the least thing, for the rest why are you careful? 27Consider the lillies how they grow: they labour not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, Neither Salomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 28And if the grass that today is in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, God so clotheth; how much more you, O ye of little faith? 29And you, do not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink: and c be not lifted up on high. 30For all these things the Nations of the world do seek. But your Father knoweth that you have need of these things. 31But seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given you besides. 32Fear not [f] little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a Kingdom. 33Sell the things that you possess, and give alms. * Make to you purses that wear not, treasure that wasteth not, in Heaven: whither the thief approacheth not, neither doth the moth corrupt. 34For • where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35Let your [g] loins be girded, and candles burning in your hands, 36and you like to men expecting their Lord, when he shall return from the marriage: that when he doth come and knock, forthwith they may open unto him. 37Blessed are those servants, whom when the Lord cometh, he shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down, and passing will minister unto them. 38And if he come in the second watch, and if in the third watch he come, and so find, blessed are those servants. 39 * And this know ye, that if the householder did know what hour the thief would come, he would watch verily, and would not suffer his house to be broken up. 40Be you also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.
41And Peter said to him: Lord, doest thou speak this parable to us, or likewise to all? 42And our Lord said: Who (thinkest thou) is a faithful steward and wise, whom the Lord appointeth over his family, to give them in season their measure of wheat? 43Blessed is that servant, whom when the Lord cometh, he shall find so doing. 44Verily I say to you, that over all things which he possesseth, he shall appoint him. 45But if that servant say in his heart, My Lord is long a-coming; and shall begin to strike the servants and handmaids, and eat and drink, and be drunk: 46the Lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not, and shall divide him, and shall appoint his portion with the infidels. 47And that servant that knew the will of his Lord, and prepared not himself, and did not according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48But he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. And every one to whom much was given, much shall be required of him: and to whom they committed much, more will they demand of him. 49I came to cast fire on the earth; and what will I but that it be kindled? 50But I have to be baptized with a Baptism: and how am I straitened until it be dispatched. 51 * Think you that I came to give [h] peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but separation. 52For there shall be from this time, five in one house divided: three against two, and two, against three. 53There shall be divided, the father against the son, and the son against his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
54 * And he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, by and by you say, A shower cometh, and so it cometh to pass: 55and when the south wind blowing, you say, That there will be heat: and it cometh to pass. 56Hypocrites, the face of the Heaven and of the earth you have skill to discern: but this time how do you not discern? 57And why of yourselves also judge you not that which is just? 58 * And [i] when thou goest with thy adversary to the Prince, in the way endeavour to be delivered from him: lest perhaps he draw thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the exactor, and the exactor cast thee into prison. 59I say to thee, thou shalt not go out thence, until thou pay the very last mite.
Footnotes
- ↑ The fear of Hell also is profitable: contrary to the protestants, teaching security of salvation, and that fear of Hell maketh men hypocrites.
- ↑ See Annot. Mat. 12, 32.
- ↑ Give it to the poor, that shouldst thou do, saith St. Basil.
- ↑ A goodly warning for all rich men.
- ↑ He forbiddeth not competent providence, but too much carefulness. See Annot. upon St. Matth. c. 6, 25.
- ↑ It was little at the beginning, and is still in comparison of all the reprobate: but in itself very great, as in the parable of the great tree that grew of the little mustard-seed. Mat. 13.
- ↑ To gird our loins, is to keep chastity and continence. Grego. ho. 13.
- ↑ He meaneth the naughty peace that is one between worldlings and sins, the agreement that is in Infidelity, in Heresy, or in any other wickedness. He came to break this peace. See Annot. Matth. c. 10, 14.
- ↑ See Annot. Mt. 5, 25.
ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. XII.
↑ 8. Everyone that confesseth.) A Catholic man is bound to confess his faith, being called to account or examined by Jew, Heathen, or Heretic, concerning the same. Neither is it enough to keep Christ in his heart, but he must also acknowledge him in his words and deeds. And to deny Christ, or any Article of the Catholic faith, for shame or fear of any worldly creature, hath no less punishment, than to be denied, refused, and forsaken by Christ at the hour of his death before all his Angels: Which is another manner of presence and Consistory, than any Court or Session that men can be called to for their faith, in this world.
↑ 11. Be not careful.) That the poor unlearned Catholic should not be discouraged, or make his excuse that he is a simple man, not able to answer cunning Heretics, nor to give a reason of his belief, and therefore must suffer or say anything rather than come before them: our Master giveth them comfort promising that the Holy Ghost shall ever put into their hearts at time of their appearance, that which shall be sufficient for the purpose: not that every one which is convented before the Adversaries of faith, should always be endowed with extraordinary knowledge to dispute and confute, as the Apostles and others in the primitive Church were: but that God will ever give to the simple that trusteth in him, sufficient courage and words to confess his belief. For such a one called before the Commissioners, saith enough and defendeth himself sufficiently, when he answereth that he is a Catholic man, and that he will live and die in that faith which the Catholic Church through-out all Christian countries hath and doth teach, and that this Church can give them a reason of all the things which they demand of him. &c.
↑ 14. Who hath appointed?) Christ refused to meddle in this temporal matter, partly because the demand proceeded of covetousness and ill intention, partly to give an example to Clergymen, that they should not be withdrawn by secular affairs and controversies from their principal function of praying, preaching, and spiritual regiment: but not wholly to forbid them all actions pertaining to worldly business, specially where and when the honour of God, the increase of religion, the peace of the people, and the spiritual benefit of the parties do require. In which cases St. Augustine (as Passidonius writeth) was occupied often whole days in ending worldly controversies: and so he writeth of himself also, not doubting but to have reward therefore in Heaven.
↑ 21. Rich to God-ward.) He is rich towards God, that by his goods bestowed upon the poor, hath store of merits, and many alms-men’s prayers procuring mercy for him at the day of his death and judgement, which is here therefore called treasure laid up in Heaven, where the barns be large enough. The necessity of which alms is by Christ himself here showed to be so great, and so acceptable to God, that rather than they should lack the fruit thereof, they should sell all they have and give to the poor.
↑ 34. Where your treasure is.) If the rich man withdrawn by his worldly treasure, can not set his heart upon Heaven, let him send his money thither before him, by giving it in alms upon such as will pray for him, and his heart will follow his purse thither.
Margin Notes
- 1–8. The Ghospel upon Sts. John and Paul’s day, Junij 26. And for many other martyrs.
- 32–34. The Ghospel for St. Francis de Paula, April 2. St. Paulinus, Jun. 22. St. Nicolas Tolentinas, Sept. 10. And for some other Confessors not Bishops.
- 35–40. The Ghospel upon St. Silvester’s day, Decemb. 31. St. Antony, Jan. 17. St. Antony of Padua, Jun. 13. St. Dominic, Augusti. 4. And for some other Confessors not Bishops.
- annot. 1. Open confession of our faith.
- annot. 11. The Holy Ghost teacheth every unlearned Catholic to give sufficient reason of his faith.
- annot. 14. The dealing of Clergymen in worldly affairs.
- annot. 21. Meritorious works.
- annot. 34. Alms.
Margin References
- 2. Mat. 10, 26. Mar. 4, 22.
- 8. Mat. 10, 32. Mar. 8, 38.
- 10. Mat. 12, 33. Mar. 3, 28.
- 11. Mat. 10, 19. Mar. 13, 11.
- 22. Mat. 6, 25.
- 29. c. μη μετεωριζεσθε.
- 33. Mat. 6. 20.
- 39. Mat. 24, 34.
- 51. Mat. 10, 34.
- 54. Mat. 16, 2.
- 58. Mat. 5, 25.
- annot. 14. In vita ch. 19, Lib. de op. Monac. c. 29.
