He teacheth the rich to procure Heauen with their riches. 14. And being therfore derided of
the couetous Pharisees (who saw temporal riches promised in the letter of the Law) he sheweth that
now is come the preaching of the Kingdom of God, howbeit the Law for al that in no iot shal be
frustrat. 19. foretelling them also, that the couetous Iewes shal be denied of their father Abraham,
when poore Lazarus (the penitent Gentil) shal rest in his bosome.
1.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon the 8. Sunday after Pentecost.
AND he said to his Discipels: There was a certaine rich man that had a
✟
οἰκονόμον.
bailife: & he
was il reported of vnto him, as he that had wasted his goods.
2. And he called him, and said to him: What heare I this of thee? render account of thy
✟
όικονομίας .
bailifhip: for now thou canst no more bailife.
3. And the bailife said within him self: What shal I doe, because my Lord taketh away
from me the bailifhip? dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed.
4. I know what I wil doe, that when I shal be remoued from the bailifhip, they may
receiue me into their houses.
5. Therfore calling together euery one of his Lords debters, he said to the first:
How much doest thou owe my Lord?
6. But he saith: An hundred pipes of oile. And he said to him: Take thy bil and sit
downe, quickly write fiftie.
7. After that he said to an other: But thou, how much doest thou owe? Who said: An
hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bil, and write eightie.
8. And the
The Lord praised.
Good workes.
This mans deceiuing his maister is not praised, nor we warranted by his fact to gaine
vniustly for to haue wherewith to giue almes: but his prudence, in that he prouided
so substantially for him selfe whilest his maisters goods were in his handes, is
commended, not for a vertue, but for a worldly pollicie: and proposed as an example
of the careful prouision that rich men (who are Gods stewards in earth) should make
for their soules, against they be put out of their bailiship and be called to
account, which is the day of their death: and for a condemnation of faithful mens
folly and negligence, that being assured they shal out of their offices, and well
knowing they might gaine saluation by their money, haue so litle regard thereof.
Lord praised the bailife of iniquitie, because he had done wisely: for the
children of this world, are wiser then the children of light in their generation.
9. And I say to you: Make vnto you freinds of the
✟
Mammon (saith S. Hierom q. 6. ad Algas.) in the Syriake tongue signifieth riches.
Mammon of iniquitie, because they are often il gotten, or il bestowed, or
occasion of euil, or at the least worldly and false, and not the true heauenly
riches.
mammon of iniquitie that when you
faile,
They may receiue.
Almes meritorious.
A great comfort to al great almes-men, and a wonderful force and vertue in almes,
which beside the merit of the worke of mercie, which (as in other places of
Scripture is said*) purgeth sinne and gaineth Heauen, pocureth also not only the
prayers of their beadsmen in earth, but their patronage in Heauen also.
The Saints doe pray for vs.
Whereby also the prayers of Saints for the liuing, and namely for them to whom they
were beholding in their life, are proued. Yea and that they be in such fauour with
God, that they may and doe receiue their freinds which were once their benefactours,
into their mansions in Heauen, no lesse then the farmers whom the il steward
pleasured, might receiue their freind into their earthly houses. Which also
insinuateth to vs, that almes bestowed specially vpon holy men, who by their merites
and prayers are great in Gods grace, may much more helpe vs then our charitable
deedes done vpon vulgar men in necessitie, though that be of exceeding great merite
also. See al this in these Doctours following. Hiero. quæst. 6. Algas. tom. 3.
Ambros. in Luc. August. serm. 35 de verb. Do. c. 1. Gregor. moral. li. 21. c. 14.
August. li. 2 qu. Euang. qu. 34. Chrys. ho. 33. ad Po. Antioch. to. 5.
* Tob. 12,9. Mat. 25.
they may receiue you into the eternal tabernacles.
10. He that is faithful in the least, is faithful in the greater also: and he that is
vniust in ltle, is vniust in the greater also.
11. If then you haue not been faithful in the vniust mammon, with that which is the
true who may credit you?
12. And if you haue not been faithful in other mens, that which is yours, who wil giue
you?
13.
*
Mat. 6,24.
No seruant can serue two maisters; for either he shal hate the one, and loue the
other; or cleaue to one, and contemne the other. You can not serue God and mammon.
14. And the Pharisees which were couetous, heard al these things: and they derided him.
15. And he said to them: You are they that iustifie your selues before men, but God
knoweth your hartes, because that which is high to men, is abomination before God.
16.
*
Mat. 11,12.
The Law and the Prophets, vnto Iohn. From that time the Kingdom of God is
euangelized, and euery one doth force toward it.
17.
*
Mat. 5,18.
Mat. 5,31. 19,9.
And it is easier for Heauen and earth to passe, then one tittle of the Law to fal.
18.
*
Mark 1,11.
1. Corinth. 7,11.
Euery one that dimisseth his wife, and
And marieth.
Mariage after diuorce vnlawful.
The good of Mariage throughout al Nations and men, is in issue and fidelitie of
chastitie, but among the people of God it consisteth also in holines of Sacrament:
whereby it commeth to passe that is a heinous crime to mary againe, though there
be a diuorce made, so long as the parties liue. Aug. de bono coniug. c. 24 to.
6. See the Annotations vpon Marke 10,11.
marieth another, commiteth aduoutrie: and
he that marieth her that is dimissed from her husband, commiteth aduoutrie.
19.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon Thursday in the 2. weeke of Lent.
There was a certaine rich man, & he was clothed with purple and silke: and he fared
euery day magnifically.
20. And there was a certaine begger called Lazarus, that lay at his gate, ful of sores:
21. desiring to be filled of the crummes, that fel from the rich mans table,
✟
and no man did giue him.
but the
dogges also came, and licked his sores.
22. And it came to passe that the begger died, and was caried of the
Of the Angels.
Vnmerciful rich men.
Angels carie good mens soules to Heauen now, as they did then his to Abrahams bosome.
See the reward of pouerty, affliction, and patience: and on the contrarie, the end
and reward of wealth ioyned with vnmercifulnes. Note also here that at the day of
euery mans death there is a particular iudgement, and therfore the soule sleepeth
not, nor hangeth in suspense til the general iudgement.
Angels into
Abrahams Bosome.
Abrahams bosome.
The Bosome of Abraham is the resting place of al them that died in perfect state of
grace before Christs time, Heauen before being shut from men.
Limbus Patrum.
It is called in
Zacharie, *a lake without water, and sometimes a prison,
but most commonly of the Diuines Limbus Patrum, for that it is thought to
haue been the higher part or brimme of Hel, the places of punishment being far
lower than the same, which therfore be called Infernum inferius **the lower hel.
Where this mansion of the fathers stood, or whether it be any part of Hel, S.
Augustine doubted: but that there was such a place, he nor no Catholike man euer
doubted: as al the Fathers make it most certaine, that our Sauiour descending to
Hel, went thither specially, and deliuered the said Fathers out of that mansion.
Christ descended into Hel, & deliuered the Fathers.
Iren. li. 4. c. 19. Euseb. Demonst. Euang. li. 10. c. 8 sub finem. Nazian. orat.
2 de Pasch. Chrysost. to. 5 in demonst. Quod Christus sit Deus, paulo post initium.
Epipha. in heres. 26 Taatini. Ambros. de myst. Pasch. c. 4. Hiero. in
9 Zachariæ. August. ep. 99 & li. 20. de Ciuit. c. 15. Paulinus in Panegyrico
Celst. Cyrillus in Io. li. 12 c. 36. ad illud, Inclinato capite. Gregor.
li. 6 ep. 179. which truth and place though of al the ancient writers
confessed and proued by this and other Scriptures: yet the Aduersaries deny it (as
they doe Purgatorie) most impudently.
*Zach. 9,11. Isai. 42,7.
**Aug in Ps. 85, Ep. 99.
Abrahams bosome. And the riche man also died: and he was buried in Hel.
23. And lifting vp his eyes, when he was in torments, he saw Abraham a farre off,
✟
Lazarus in Abrahams bosome, and rest, but both in hel, and not in the Kingdom of
Heauen before Christ. Hiero. ep. 3. Epithoph, Nepot.
and
Lazarus in his bosome:
24. and he crying said: Father Abraham, haue mercie on me, and send Lazarus that he
may dip the tip of his finger into water for to coole my tongue, because I am tormented in this
flame.
25. And Abraham said to him: Sonne, remember that thou didst receiue
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To be in continual pleasures, ease, wealth, peace, and prosperity in this world,
is perilous, and a signe of paines in the next. S. Hiero.
good things in
thy life time, and Lazarus likewise euil: but not he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26. And beside al these things, between vs and you there is fixed a
A great chaos.
Purgatorie.
A great distance betwixt Abrahams bosome and the inferiour Hel. Some iudge Purgatorie
to be placed there, from whence (no doubt) Christ also deliuered some at his
descending to Hel. For, these in Abrahams bosome were not in paines: and S. Augustine
saith *the Scriptures be plaine that he tooke some out of the places of punishment,
and yet none out of the Hel of the damned. What other place then can that be but
Purgatorie?
*Aug. ep. 99.
great
✟
χάδμα.
a horrible distance.
chaos: that
they which wil passe from hence to you, may not, neither goe from thence hither.
27. And he said: Then, father, I beseech thee that thou wouldest send him vnto my
fathers house, for I haue fiue brethren,
28. for to testifie vnto them,
Lest they also.
Saints doe hear our praiers & haue care of vs.
If the damned had care of their freindes aliue, how and for what cause soeuer, much
more haue the Saints and saued persons. And if those in Hel haue meanes to expresse
their cogitations and desires, and to be vnderstood of Abraham so far distant both
by place and condition, much rather may the liuing pray to the Saints and be heard
of them: betwixt earth (that is to say) the Church militant and Heauen, being
continual passage of soules, and *Angels ascending and descending by Iacobs ladder.
Caluins blasphemie.
Men must not for al that be curious to search how the soules of the deceased
expresse their mindes, and be heard one of another, and so fal to blasphemie, as
Caluin doth, **asking whether their eares be so long to heare so far off, and
wickedly measuring al things by mortal mens corporal grosse manner of vttering
conceits one to another. Which was not here done by this damned nor by Abraham, with
corporal instruments of tongue, teeth, and eares: though for the better expressing
of the damneds case, Christ vouchsafed to vtter it in termes agreeing to our
capacitie.
*Gen. 32.
**Cal. li. 2. Instit. c. 22. sect. 24.
lest they also come into this place of torments.
29. And Abraham said to him:
✟
Abraham had knowledge of things in earth which were not in his time; as that they
had Moyses and the Prophets bookes which he neuer saw. August. de cura pro mor.
c. 14.
They haue Moyses and the Prophets: let them heare them.
30. But he said: No, father Abraham, but if some man shal goe from the dead to them,
they wil doe penance.
31. And he said to him: If they heare not Moyses and the Prophets, neither if one
shal rise againe from the dead, wil they beleeue.