By occasion of dining with a Pharisee, 2. after that he hath againe confounded them for
maligning him for his miraculous good-doing on the Sabboth, 7. he teacheth them humilitie, seing
their ambition, 12. and in their workes to seeke retribution not of men in this world, but of God
in the world to come: 16. foretelling also that the Iewes for their worldly excuses shal not tast
of the Supper, but the Gentils in their place. 25. Yea that so fare must men be from al worldlines,
that they must earnestly bethinke them before they enter into his Church, and be ready to forgoe al
34. specially considering they must be the salt of others also.
1.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon the 16. Sunday after Pentecost.
AND it came to passe when Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ entred into the house of a certaine Prince of
the Pharisees vpon the Sabboth to eate bread, and they watched him.
2. And behold there was a certaine man before him that had the dropsie.
3. And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ answering, spake to the Lawyers and Pharisees, saying: Is it
Lawful to cure on the Sabboth?
4. But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him, and sent him away.
5. And answering them he said: Which of you shal haue an asse or an oxe fallen into
a pit; and wil not incontinent draw him out on the Sabboth day?
6. And they could not answer him to these things.
7. And he spake to them also that were inuited a parable, marking how they chose the
first seats at the table, saying to them:
8. When thou art inuited to a mariage, sit not downe in the first place, lest perhaps
a more honourable then thou be inuited of him;
9. and he that bade thee and him, come and say to thee, Giue this man place: and then
thou begin with shame to take the last place.
10. But when thou art bidden, goe, sit downe in the lowest place: that when he that
inuited thee commeth, he may say to thee, Friend sit vp higher: then shalt thou haue glorie
before them that sit at table with thee.
11. because euery one that exalteth him self, shal be humbled: and he that humbleth
him self, shal be exalted.
12. And he said to him also that had inuited him: When thou makest a dinner or a supper,
cal not thy friendes, nor thy brethren, nor kinsmen, nor they neighbours that are rich: lest perhaps
they also inuite thee againe, and recompence be made to thee.
13. But when thou makest a feast, cal the poore, feeble, lame, and blind,
14. and thou shalt be blessed, because they haue not to recompence thee: for
✟
Reward for charitable deedes: and that they may be done for reward against
our Aduersaries.
recompence
shal be made thee in the resurrection of the iust.
15. When one of them that sate at the table with him, had heard these things, he said
to him: Blessed is he that shal eate bread in the Kingdom of God.
16.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon the 2. Sunday after Pentecost.
But he said to him: A certaine man made a great supper, and called many.
17. And he sent his seruant at the houre of supper to say to the inuited, that they
should come, because now al things are ready.
18. And they began al at once to make excuse. The first said to him,
✟
Worldlines, wealth, and voluptuousnes, are the things that specially hinder
men from God.
I haue bought a
farme, and I must needs goe forth and see it; I pray thee hold me excused.
19. And an other said, I haue bought fiue yoke of oxen, and I goe to proue them; I
pray thee, hold me excused.
20. And an other said, I haue maried a wife, and therfore I can not come.
21. And the seruant returning told these things to his Lord. Then the Maister of the
house being angrie, said to his seruant: Goe forth quickly into the streetes and lanes of the citie,
and the poore and feeble and blind and lame bring in hither.
22. And the seruant said: Lord, it is done as thou didst command, and yet there is
place.
23. And the Lord said to the seruant: Goe forth into the waies and hedges; and
Compel them.
Free-wil.
The vehement persuasion that God vseth both externally by force of his word and
miracles, and internaly by his grace, to bring vs vnto him, is called compeling:
not that he forceth any to come to him against their owne willes, but that he can
alter and mollifie an hard hart, and make him willing that before would not. S.
Augustine also referreth this compelling to the penal lawes which Catholike Princes
do iustly vse against Heretikes and Schismatikes, prouing that they who are by
their former profession in Baptisme subiect to the Catholike Church, and are
departed from the same after Sectes, may and ought to be compelled into the vnitie
and societie of the vniuersal Church againe.
Heretikes may by penal lawes be compelled to the Catholike faith.
And therfore in this sense, by the two former partes of the Parable, the Iewes
first, and secondly the Gentils, that neuer beleeued before in Christ, were inuited
by faire sweet meanes only: but by the third, such are inuited as the Church of God
hath power over, because they promised in Baptisme, and therfore are to be reuoked
not only by gentle meanes, but by iust punishment also.
*ep. 50 paulo post princip. & ep. 204. & li. 1 cont. ep. Gaudent. c. 25.
compel
them to enter, that my house may be filled.
24. But I say to you, that none of those men that were called, shal tast my supper.
25.
⋮
The Ghospel for some Martyrs Bishops. And for S. Basil. Ian. 14.
And great multitudes went with him; and turning, he said to them:
26.
*
Mat. 10,37.
If any man come to me and hateth not his
✟
No creature so deere vnto vs, which we must not hate or forsake, if it hinder vs,
and in that respect that it hindereth vs from Christ, or his Church, and our
Saluation.
father and mother, and wife and children,
and brethren and sisters, yea and his owne life besides; he can not be my Disciple.
27. And he that doth not beare his crosse and come after me; can not by my Disciple.
28. For, which of you minding to build a toure, doth not first sit downe and reckon
the charges that are necessarie, whether he haue to finish it:
29. lest, after that he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, al
that see it, begin to mocke him,
30. saying, That this man began to build, and he could not finish it?
31. Or what King about to goe to make warre against an other King, doth not first
sit downe and thinke whether he be able with ten thousands to meete him that with twentie thousands
commeth against him?
32. Otherwise whiles he is yet farre off, sending a legacie he asketh those things
that belong to peace.
33. So therfore euery one of you that doth not
✟
He that is a Christian man, must make his account that if he be put to it (as he
often may be in times of persecution) he must renounce al that euer he hath,
rather then forsake the Catholike faith.
renounce al that he possesseth, can
not be my Disciple.
34.
*
Mat. 5,13.
Mark 9,50.
Salt is good. But if the salt leese his vertue, wherewith shal it be seasoned?
35. It is profitable neither for the ground, nor for the dunghil, but it shal be cast
forth. He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.