As he promised, he giueth a sight of the glorie, vnto which Suffering doth bring; 9. and then
againe doth inculcate his Passion. 14. A Diuel also he casteth out which his Disciples could not
for their incredulitie, and lack of praying and fasting. 22. Being yet in Galilee, he reuealeth more
about his Passion 24. and the tribute that the Colectours exacted for al, he payeth for himself and
Peter; declaring yet withal his freedom both by word, and miracle.
1.
⋮
The Transfiguration of our Lord celebrated in the Church the 6. of Aug. The Ghospel of the
said feast, & of the 2. Sunday in Lent: & on Imber Saturday before.
*
Mark 9,2.
Luke 9,28.
2 Peter 1,17.
AND after six dayes Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ taketh vnto him Peter, and Iames, & Iohn his brother, &
bringeth them into a high mountaine apart:
2. And he was
Transfigured.
Christ can exhibit his body vnder what forme he list.
Mark in this Transfiguration many maruelous points: as, that he made not only his
owne body, which then was mortal, but also the bodies of Moyses & Elias, the one
dead, the other to die, for the time as it were immortal; therby to represent the
state and glorie of his body and his Saints in Heauen. By which maruelous transfiguring
of his body, you may the lesse maruel that he can exhibit his body vnder the forme of
bread and wine, or otherwise as he list.
transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sunne: &
his garments became white as snow.
3. And behold there appeared to them
Appeared Moyses.
Saints after their death deale with, and for the liuing.
By this that Moyses personally appeared and was present with Christ, it is plaine that
the Saints departed may in Person be present at the affaires of the liuing. August. de
cura pro mort. c. 15. 16. For euen as Angels els where, so here the Saints also serued
our Sauiour; and therfore as Angels both in the old Testament & the new, were present
often at the affaires of men, so may Saints.
Moyses and Elias talking with him.
4. And Peter answering, said to Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ: Lord, it is good for vs to be here: if thou
wilt, let vs make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moyses, and one for Elias.
5. And as he was yet speakings, behold a bright cloud ouershadowed them. And loe
a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my welbeloued Sonne, in whom I am wel pleased: heare ye
him.
6. And the Disciples hearing it, fel vpon their face, and were sore afraid.
7. And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ came and touched them: and he said to them: Arise, and feare not.
8. And they lifting vp their eyes, saw no body, but only Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ.
9. And as they descended from the
Mount.
Holy Places.
This mount (commonly esteemed and named of the ancient Fathers Thabor) S. Peter calleth
*the holy Mount because of this wonderful vision, like as in the old Testament, **where God
appeared to Moyses in the bush, and els where to others, he calleth the place of such
Apparitions, holy ground.
Deuotion and Pilgrimage to the same.
Wherby it is euident that by such Apparitions, places are
sanctified, and thervpon groweth a religion and deuotion in the Faithful toward such places,
and namely to this Mount Thabor (called in S. Hierom Itabirium Ep. 17.) there was great
Pilgrimage in the Primitiue Church, as vnto al those places which our Sauiour had sanctified
with his presence and miracles: and therfore to the whole land of promise, for that cause
called the holy Land.
The holy land
See S. Hiero. in Epitap. Paulæ. & ep. 17. & 18 ad Mercellam.
*2 Peter 1,18.
**Exo. 3,5.
mount, Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ commanded them, saying: Tel the vision
to no body, til the Sonne of man be risen from the dead.
10. And his Disciples asked him, saying: what say the Scribes then, that
*
Mal. 4,5.
Elias must
come first?
11. But he answering, said to them:
Elias shal come.
Elias.
He distinguisheth here plainly between Elias in Person, who is yet to come before the
iudgement; and Elias in name, to wit, John the Baptist, who is come already in the spirit
and vertue of Elias. *So that it is not Iohn Baptist only, nor principally of whom Malachie
prophecieth (as our Aduersaries say) but Elias also himself in Person.
*Luke 1,17. Mal. 4,5.
Elias in deed shal come, and restore al things.
12. And I say to you, that Elias is already come, and they did not know him, but
wrought in him whatsoeuer they would. So also the Sonne of man shal suffer of them.
13. Then the Disciples vnderstood, that of John the Baptist he had spoken to them.
14. And
*
Mat. 9,14.
Luke 9,17.
when he was come vnto the multitude, there came to him a man falling downe
vpon his knees before him,
15. saying: Lord haue mercie vpon my Sonne, for he is lunatike, and sore vexed: for
he falleth often into the fire, and often into the water.
16. And I offered him to thy Disciples, and they could not cure him.
17. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ answered and said: O faithless and peruerse Generation, how long shal I
be with you? How long shal I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18. And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ rebuked him, and the Diuel went out of him, and the child was cured from
that houre.
19. Then came the Disciples to Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ secretly, and said:
Why could not we.
True miracles only in the Cath. Church.
No maruel if the Exorcists of the Catholike Church which have power to cast out Diuels, yet
doe it not alwayes when they wil, and many times with much adoe; wheras the Apostles having
receaued this power *before over vncleane Spirits, yet here cannot cast them out. But as
for Heretikes, they can neuer doe it, nor any other true miracle, to confirme their false
faith.
*Mat. 10.
Why could we not cast him out?
20. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to them, because of your incredulitie: For, Amen I say to you, if you
haue
And I say to thee.
This is the Catholike faith, by which only al miracles are wrought: yet not of euery one
that hath the Catholike faith, but of such as haue a great and forcible faith, and withal
the gift of miracles.
Gregorius Thaumaturgus.
These are able, as here we see by Christes warrant, not only to doe
other wonderful miracles here signified by this one, but also this very same, that is, to
moue mountaines indeed as *S. Paul also presupposeth, and **S. Hierom affirmeth, and
Ecclesiastical histories namely telleth of ***Gregorius Neocæsariensis, that he moued a
mountaine to make roome for the foundation of a Church; called therfore, and for other his
wonderful miracles, Thaumaturgus. And yet faithlesse Heretikes laugh at al such things and
beleeue them not.
*1 Corinth. 13.
**Hiero in vita S. Hilarionis. Niceph. l. 6, 17.
***Greg. Niss. de vit. Gregory.
faith as a mustard seed, you shal say to this mountaine, Remove from thence thither, and it
shal remoue; and nothing shal be impossible to you.
21. But this kind is not cast out by
Prayer and fasting.
Prayer & Fasting.
The force of fasting and praying; whereby also we may see that the holy Church in
Exorcismes doth according to the Scriptures, when she vseth beside the name of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ,
many prayers, and much fasting, to driue out Diuels, because these also are here required
beside faith.
prayer and fasting.
22. And
*
Mark 9,31.
Luke 9,44.
when they conuersed in Galilee, Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to them: The Sonne of man is to
be betraied into the hands of men:
23. and they shal kil him, and the third day he shal rise againe. And they were
stroken sad exceedingly.
24. And when they were come the Capharnaum, there came they that receaued the
didrachmes, vnto Peter, and said to him: Your maister doth he not pay the
✟
These didrachmes were peeces of money which they payed for tribute.
didrachmes?
25. He saith, Yes. And when he was entered into the house, Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ preuented him,
saying: What is thy opinion Simon? The kings of the earth, of whom receaue they tribute of cense?
of their children, or of strangers?
26. And he said: Of strangers. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to him: Then
The Children free.
The priuileges & exemptions of the Clergie.
Though Christ to auoid scandal, payed tribute, yet indeed he sheweth that both him self
ought to be free from such payments (as being the Kings Sonne, as wel by his eternal birth
of God the Father, as temporal of Dauid) and also his Apostles, as being of his familie,
and in them their successours the whole Clergie, who are called in Scripture the lot and
portion of our Lord. Which exemption and privilege being grounded vpon the very law of
nature itself, and therfore practised euen among the Heathen (Gen. 42,27.) good Christian
Princes haue confirmed and ratified by their lawes, in the honour of Christ, whose ministers
they are, and as it were the Kings Sonnes, as S. Hierom declareth plainly in these words:
We for his honour pay not tributes, and as the Kings sonnes, are free from such payments.
Hiero. vpon this place.
the children are free.
27. But that we may not scandalize them, goe thy waies to the sea, and cast a hooke:
and that fish which shal first come vp, take: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find
a
✟
This stater was a double didrachme, & therfore was payed for two.
stater: take that, and giue it them for
Me and thee.
A great mysterie in that he payed not only for himself, but for Peter bearing the Person of
the Church, and in whom as the cheefe, the rest were contained. Aug. q. ex. no. Test. q.
75. to. 4.
me and thee.