He requireth him to be earnest while he may, because the time wil come when they wil not
abide Catholike preaching, 5 and to fulfil his course, as himself now hath done: 9 and to come
vnto him with speed, because the rest of his traine are dispersed, and he draweth now to heauen.
1.
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The Epistle for holy Doctours, and for S. Siluester. Decemb. 31. & for S. Hilario.
Ian. 14. and S. Dominike August 4.
I Testifie before God and Iesvs Christ who shal iudge the liuing and the dead,
and by his aduent, and his Kingdom:
2. Preach the word. Vrge in season, out of season, reproue, beseech, rebuke in al
patience and doctrine.
3. For
There shal be a time.
The Apostle prophecied of our new delicate Preachers.
If euer this time come (as needes it must that the Apostle foresavv and foretold) novv it
is vndoubtedly. for the properties fall so iust in euery point vpon our nevv Maisters and
their Disciples, that they may seeme to be pourtered out, rather then prophecied of. Neuer
vvere there such delicate Doctors that could so pleasantly clavv and so svveetly rubbe the
itching eares of their hearers, as these, vvhich haue a doctrine framed for euery mans
phansie, lust, liking and desire, the people not so fast crying, Speake placentia, things
that please: but the Maisters as fast vvarranting them to doe placentia.
Esa. 30. v. 10.
there shal be a time when they wil not beare sound doctrine: but according to
their owne desires they wil heap to themselues Maisters, hauing itching eares,
4. and from the truth certes they wil auert their hearing, and to fables they wil be
conuerted.
5. But be thou vigilant, labour in al things, doe the worke of an Euangelist, fulfil
thy ministerie. Be sober.
6. For I am euen now
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The martyrdom of Saints is so acceptable to God, that it is counted as it were a
Sacrifice in his sight, and therfore hath many effects both in the partie that
suffereth it, and in others that are partakers of the merit as of a Sacrifice:
which name it hath by a Metaphore.
to be sacrificed: and the time of my resolution is at hand.
7. I haue fought a good fight, I haue consummate my course, I haue kept the faith.
8. Concerning the rest, there is laid vp for me
A crowne of iustice.
Workes meritorious.
This place conuinceth for the Catholikes, that al good vvorkes done by Gods grace after the
first iustification, be truely and properly meritorious, and fully vvorthy of euerlasting
life: and that therevpon heauen is the due and iust stipend, crovvne, or recompense, vvhich
God by his iustice ovveth to the persons so vvorking by his grace.
How heauen is due both of iustice and mercie.
for he rendreth or repaieth heauen as a iust iudge, and not onely as a merciful giuer. and
the crovvne vvhich he paieth, is not onely of mercie or fauour or grace, but also of iustice.
It is his merciful fauour and grace, that vve vvorke vvel & merite heauen: it is his iustice,
for those merites to giue vs a crovvne correspondent in heauen. S. Augustine vpon these
vvordes of the Apostle, expresseth both breifely thus, Hovv should he repay as a iust iudge,
unles he had first giuen as a merciful father? Li. de grat. & lib. arbit. c. 6.
And vvhen you heare or read any thing in the Scriptures, that may seeme to derogate from mans vvorkes
in this case, it is alvvaies meant of vvorkes considered in their ovvne nature and valure, not
implying the grace of Christ, by vvhich grace it commeth, & not of the vvorke in itself that vve haue
a right to heauen & deserue it vvorthily: vvhich the Apostle in the 6. to the Hebrues more then
insinuateth, saying these vvordes, God is not vniust, to forget your vvorke & loue vvhich you haue
shevved in his name & c.
It is not of vs, but of God's grace, that workes be meriorious.
As though he vvould say, that he vvere vniust if he did forget to recompense their vvorkes. *The
parable also of the men sent into the vineyard, proueth that heauen is our ovvne right, bargained
for and vvrought for, and accordingly paid vnto vs as our hire at the day of iudgement, for that is
merces and μισθὸς vvhereby the Scripture so often calleth it. It is the goale, the marke, the
price, the hire, of al striuing, running, labouring, due both by promis and by couenant and right
dette.
To such good vvorkes heauen is due: to say the contrarie, is to derogate from Gods grace.
See a notable place in S. Augustine in Psal. 83 in fine: and 100 in initio, & ho. 14 c. 2.
li. 50 hom: S. Cyprian also, and namely the later end of his booke de opere & eleemosyna:
and thou shalt easily contemne the contrarie falshod, vvhich doth not so much derogate from mans
vvorkes, as from Gods grace vvhich is the cause and ground of al vvorthines in mans merites. S.
Augustines vvordes be these, Marke that be to vvhom our Lord gaue grace, hath our Lord also his
detter. He found him a giuer, in the time of mercie: he hath him his detter in the time of
iudgement. See the place and the rest here coted, vvhere he examineth and explicateth the matter
at large.
Mat. 20.
In Ps. 100
a crowne of iustice, which our Lord
wil render to me in that day, a iust iudge: and not only to me, but to them also that loue his
comming.
9. Make hast to come to me quickly.
10. For Demas hath left me, louing this world, and is gone to Thessalonica: Crescens
into Galatia, Titus into Dalmatia.
11.
Col. 4,14.
Luke only is with me. Take Marke, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable
to me for the ministerie.
12. But Tychicus I haue sent to Ephesus.
13. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, comming bring with thee, and the books,
especially the parchment.
14. Alexander the Coppersmith hath shewed me much euil: our Lord wil reward him
according to his workes:
15. whom doe thou also auoid, for he hath greatly resisted our words.
16. In my first answer no man was with me, but al did forsake me: be it not imputed
to them.
17. But our Lord stood to me, and strengthned me, that by me the preaching may be
accomplished, and al Gentils may heare: and I was deliuered from the mouth of the lion.
18. Our Lord
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wil deliuer.
hath deliuered me from al euil worke: and wil saue me vnto his heauenly
Kingdom. To whom be glorie for euer and euer. Amen.
19. Salute Prisca and Aquila, and
2. Timo. 1,16.
the house of Onesiphorus.
20. Erastus remained as Corinth. And Trophimus I left sicke at Miletum.
21. Make hast to come before winter. Eubulus and Pudens and
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This Linus was Coadiutour with and vnder S. Peter, and so counted second in the
number of Popes.
Linus and Claudia, and al
the Brethren, salute thee.
22. Our Lord Iesvs Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.