With his praises he couertly exhorteth him not to be dismaied for his trouble, 6 (hauing grace
giuen in Order to help him. 8 and knowing for what cause he is persecuted) and namely with the
example of Onesiphorus.
1. PAVL an Apostle of Iesvs Christ by the wil of God, according to the promise
of the life which is in Christ Iesvs:
2. to Timothee me dearest sonne, grace, mercie, peace from God the Father, and Christ
Iesvs our Lord.
3. I giue thankes to God, whom I serue from my Progenitours in a pure conscience, that
without intermission I haue a memorie of thee in my praiers, night and day.
4. desiring to see thee, mindful of thy teares, that I may be filled with ioy,
5. calling to mind that faith which is in thee not feined, which also dwelt first
In thy grandmother.
A great blessing to haue Catholike progenitours: and very commendable to cleaue fast to
their faith.
Though God shevv mercie to many that be of Incredulous, heretical or il parents, yet it is a
goodly benediction of God to haue good education and to haue good faithful progenitors and
Catholike parents. And it is a great sinne to forsake the faith of our fathers that be
Catholikes, or contrarie to our education in the Church to folovv strange doctrines,
abandoning not onely our next natural parents faith, but the ancient faith and beleefe of
al our progenitors for many hundred yeres together. And if to folovv the faith of mother and
grandmother onely, the Christian religion being then but nevvly planted, vvas so commendable
euen in a Bishop, hovv much more is it novv laudable to cleaue fast to the faith of so many
our progenitors and ages that continued in the same Christian religion vvhich they first
receiued?
The peoples speaches of their fathers faith, is very Christian and laudable.
Our Protestants in their great vvisedom laugh at good simple men vvhen they talke of their fathers
faith. But S. Hierom, I am a Christian, saith he, and borne of Christian parents, and carie
the signe of the crosse in my forehead. And againe ep. 65. c. 3. Vntil this day the Christian
vvorld hath been vvithout this doctrine. that faith vvil I hold fast being an old man, vvherein I vvas
borne a child. And the holy Scriptures set vs often to schole to our fathers. Aske thy fathers,
and they vvil shevv thee, thy auncetours, and they vvil tel thee. And againe, Our fathers haue
shevved vnto vs. And commonly the true God is called the God of the faithful and of their
forefathers. Dan. 2. 3. And false Gods and nevv doctrines or opinions be named, Nevv and
fresh. such as their fathers vvorshipped not. Deut. 32. Finally S. Paul both here and *often els
alleageth for his defense and commendation, that he vvas of faithful progenitors. And it is a case
that Heretikes can not lightly bragge of, no one sect commonly during so long vvithout intermission,
that they can haue many progenitors of the said sect, Vvhich is a demonstration that their faith is
not true. and that it is impossible our Catholike faith to be false, supposing the Christian religion
to be true.
Apol. cont. Ruff. li. 1. c. 8.
Deut. 32. & Ps. 43.
* Act. 24. 2 Cor. 11.
in
thy grand-mother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am sure that in thee also.
6. For the which cause I admonish thee that thou resuscitate the
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Here againe it is plaine that holy Orders giue grace, and that euen by and in the
external ceremonie of imposing the Bishops hands. And it is a manner of speach
specially vsed in this Apostle, and S. Luke, that Orders giue grace to the ordred,
and that to take orders or authoritie to minister Sacraments or preach, is, to be
giuen or deliuered to God's grace.
Act. 14,25.
grace of God, which
is in thee by the imposition of my hands.
7. For God hath not giuen vs the spirit of feare: but of power, and loue, and sobrietie.
8. Be not thefore ashamed of the testimonie of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but
trauail with the Ghospel according to the power of God,
9. who hath deliuered and called vs by his holy calling,
Tit. 3,5.
not according to our workes,
but according to his purpose and grace, which was giuen to vs in Christ Iesvs
Tit. 1,3.
before the
secular times.
10. But it is manifested now by the illumination of our Sauiour Iesvs Christ,
who hath destroied death, and illuminated life and incorruption by the Ghospel:
11. wherin
1 Timo. 2,7.
I am appointed a preacher and Apostle and Maister of the Gentils.
12. For the which cause also I suffer these things: but I am not confounded. For I know
whom I haue beleeued, and I am sure that he is able to keep my
depositum.
All our good deedes are laid vp with God, to be rewarded.
A great comfort to al Christians, that euery of their good deedes and sufferings for Christ,
and al the vvorldly losses susteined for defense or confession of their faith, be extant
vvith God, and kept as depositum, to be repaied or receiued againe in heauen. Vvhich
if the vvorldlings beleeued or considered, they vvould not so much maruel to see Catholike
men so vvillingly to lose land, libertie, credit, life and al for Christes sake and the
Churches faith.
depositum vnto that day.
13. Haue thou
A forme.
The Apostles did set dovvne a platforme of faith, doctrine, & phrase of Catholike speach
and preaching, & that not so much by vvriting (as here vve see) as by vvord of mouth: to
vvhich he referreth Timothee ouer and aboue his Epistles vnto him.
We must speake in Catholike termes, after a certaine rule of faith, and forme of wordes.
And hovv precisely Christian Doctors ought to keepe the forme of vvordes aunciently
appropriated to the mysteries and matters of our religion, S. Augustine expresseth in these
vvordes li. 10 de ciuit. c. 23. Philosophers speake vvith freedom of vvordes & c. but
vve must speake according to a certaine rule, lest licentious libertie of vvordes breede an
impious opinion of the things also that are signified by the same. Trinitie, person,
essence, Consubstantial, Transsubstantiation, Masse, Sacrament, and such like, be verba
sanæ (as the Apostle speaketh) sound vvordes, giuen to expresse certaine high
truthes in religion, partly by the Apostles and first founders of our religion vnder Christ,
and partly very aptly inuented by holy Councels and fathers, to expresse as neere as could be
the high ineffable or vnspeakable veritie of some points, and to stoppe the Heretikes audacitie
and inuention of nevv vvordes and prophane speaches in such things, vvhich the Apostle
vvarneth Timothee to auoid 1 ep. c. 6, 20. and 2 ep. 2, 16. See the Annotations
there.
a forme of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith and
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ἀγάπῃ τῆ ἐν Χϱιςῶ
Faith and loue copled commonly together in this Apostles writings.
in the
loue in Christ Iesvs.
14. Keep the good depositum by the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth in vs.
15. Thou knowest this, that al which are in Asia, be auerted from me: of whom is Phigelus
and Hermogenes.
16. Our Lord giue mercie to
2 Tim. 4,19.
the house of Onesiphorus: because he hath often refreshed
me, and hath
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What a happie and meritorious thing it is to relieue the afflicted for religion,
and not to be ashamed of their disgrace, yrons, or what miseries so euer.
not been ashamed of my chaine:
17. but when he was come to Rome, he sought me carefully, and found me.
18.
Our Lord.
Relieuers of Cath. prisoners.
To haue this praier of an Apostle, or any Priest or poore Cath. man so relieued, giueth the
greatest hope at the day of our death or general iudgement, that can be: and it is worth
al the landes, honours, and riches of the vvorld.
Our Lord grant him to find mercie of our Lord in that day. And how many things he
ministred to me at Ephesus, thou knowest better.