HOLY weeke.
The Scribes and Pharisees after al this, continuing stil incorrigible, although he wil haue
the doctrine of their Chaire obeied, yet against their workes (and namely their ambition) he
openly inueigheth, crying to them eight woes for their eightfold hypocrisie and blindnes: 34. and
so concluding with the most worthy reprobation of that persecuting Generation and their mother citie
Ierusalem, with her Temple.
1.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon Tuesday the 2. weeke in Lent.
THEN Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ spake to the multitudes and to his Disciples,
2. saying: Vpon the
Chaire of Moyses.
The See of Rome preserued in truth.
God preserueth the truth of Christian Religion in the Apostolike See of Rome, which is
in the new Law answerable to the chaire of Moyses, notwithstanding the Bishops of the
same were neuer so wicked of life: yea though some traitour as il as Iudas were Bishop
thereof, it should not be preiudicial to the Church and innocent Christians, for whom
our Lord prouiding said: Doe that which they say, but doe not as they doe. August.
Epist. 165.
chaire of Moyses haue sitten the Scribes and the Pharisees.
3. Al things therfore
Whatsoeuer they shal say.
The dignitie of the See of Rome, notwithstanding some euil Bishops thereof.
Why (Saith S. Augustin) *doest thou call the Apostolike Chaire the chaire of
pestilence? If for the men, Why? Did our Lord Iesus Christ for the Pharisees, any
wrong to the Chaire wherein they sate? Did he not commend that chaire of Moyses,
and preseruing the honour of the Chaire, reproue them? For he saith: They sit vpon
the Chaire of Moyses, that which they say, doe ye. These things if you did wel
consider, you would not for the men whom you defame, blaspheme the See Apostolike,
wherwith you doe not communicate. And againe he saith: **Neither for the
Pharisees (to whom you compare vs not of wisdom but of malice) did our Lord command
the Chaire of Moyses to be forsaken, in which Chaire verily he figured his owne,
for he warned the People to doe that which they say, and not to doe that which they
doe, and that the holinesse of the Chaire be in no case forsaken, nor the vnity of
the flock deuided, for the naughty Pastours.
*Contra lit. Petil. li. 2. c. 51.
**Contra lit. Petil. li. 2. c. 61
whatsoeuer they shal say to you, obserue ye and doe ye: but
according to their workes doe ye not, for they say and doe not.
4. For
*
Luke 11,46.
Act. 15,10.
they bind heauie burdens & importable: & put them vpon mens shoulders: but
with a finger of their owne they wil not moue them.
5. But they doe al their workes for to be seen of men. For they make brode their
✟
These phylacteries were peeces of parchement, wherein they wrote the ten commandements,
and folded it, and caried it on their forehead before their eyes, imagining grosly and
superstitiously, that so they fulfilled that which is said Deu. 6. They shal be
immoueable before thine eyes. Hiero. in 23. Mat.
phylacteries, and enlarge their
*
Deu. 22,12.
Num. 15,38.
fringes.
6. And they
Loue the first places.
He condemneth not due places of Superiority giuen or taken of men according to
their degrees, but ambitious seeking for the same, and their proud hart and wicked
intention, which he saw within them, and therfore might boldly reprehend them.
loue the first places at suppers, and
*
Mark 12,38.
the first chaires in the Synagogues,
7. and salutattions in the market-place, and to be called of men, Rabbi.
8. But be not you called Rabbi. For
One is your Maister.
Many maisters are many Archheretikes.
In the Catholike Church there is one Maister, Christ our Lord, and vnder him one Vicar,
with whom al Catholike Doctours and teachers are one, because they teach al one thing.
But in Archheretikes it is not so; where euery one of them is a diuerse Maister, and
teacheth contrarie to the other, and wil be called Rabbi & Maister, euery one, of
their owne Disciples: Arius a Rabbi among the Arians, Luther among the Lutherans, and
among the Caluinists Caluin.
one is your Maister, and al you are brethren.
9. And cal none Father to yourself vpon earth: for one is your Father, he that is in
Heauen.
10. Neither
*
Iam. 3,1.
be ye called
Maisters.
Doctours, Maisters, and spiritual Fathers.
Wyclefe, and the like Heretikes of this time, doe herevpon condemne degrees of
Schoole & titles of Doctours and Maisters: where they might as wel reproue S. Paul
for calling himself *Doctour and Maister of the Gentiles: and for saying
*that there should be alwayes Doctours in the Church. And whereas they bring
the other words folowing, against Religious men who are called Fathers; as wel might
they by this place take away the name of carnal fathers, and blame S. Paule for
calling himself ***the only spiritual Father of the Corinthians. But indeed nothing is
here forbidden but the contentious diuision and partiality of such as make themselues
Ringleaders of Schismes & Sects, as Donatus, Arius, Luther, Caluin.
*1 Tim. 2. 2 Tim. 1.
**Eph. 4.
***1 Cor. 4,15.
Maisters: for one is your Maister, Christ.
11. He that is the greater of you, shal be your serutour.
12. And he that exalteth himself, shal be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shal
be exalted.
13. But woe to you
Scribes & Pharisees.
The honour of Priesthood.
In al these reprehensions it is much to be noted, that our Sauiour for the honour
of Priesthood neuer reprehendeth Priests by that name. Cypr. ep. 65. Whereas
our Heretikes vse this name of purpose in reproach and despite.
Scribes & Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you shut the Kingdom of
Heauen before men. For your selues do not enter in: & those that are going in, you suffer not to
enter.
14. Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you
*
Luke 20,47.
deuoure widowes houses,
Praying long prayers.
The intention.
They are not reprehended here for the things themselues, which for the most part are
good, as, long prayer, making Proselytes, garnishing the Prophets sepulchres, &c, but
for their wicked purpose and intention, as before is said of fasting, prayers, almes.
Mat. 6.
praying long prayers. For this you shal receaue the greater iudgement.
15. Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because goe round about the sea
and the land to make one Proselyte: and when he is made, you make him the child of Hel
Double more.
Not only faith.
They that teach that it is enough to haue only faith, doe make such Christians, as
the Iewes did Proselytes, children of Hel farre more then before. August. lib.
de fide & oper. cap. 26.
double more
then yourselues.
16. Woe to you blind guides, that say, whosoeuer shal sweare by the temple, it is
nothing: but he that shal sware by the gold of the temple, is bound.
17. Ye foolish and blind; for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that
sanctifieth the gold?
18. And whosoeuer shal sware by the Altar, it is nothing: but whosoeuer shal sweare
by the guift that is vpon it, is bound.
19. Ye blind; for whether is greater, the guift, or the Altar that
Sanctifieth.
The Altar is sanctified by our Lords body therevpon.
Note that donaries and guifts bestowed vpon Churches and Altars, be sanctified by
dedication to God, and by touching the Altar and other holy things: as now specially
the vessels of the Sacrifice and Sacrament of Christes body and bloud, by touching
the same, and the Altar itself whervpon it is consecrated. Wherof Theophylact writeth
thus vpon this place: *In the old law, Christ permitteth not the guift to be greater
then the Altar, but with vs, the Altar is sanctified by the guift: for the hostes by
the diuine grace are turned into our Lords body, and therfore is the Altar also
sanctified by them.
*Theoph. 23 in Mat.
sanctifieth the
guift?
20. He therfore that sweareth by the Altar, sweareth by it, and by al things that
are vpon it:
21. And whosoeuer shal sware by the temple, sweareth by it and
By him that dwelleth in it.
By this we see that swearing by creatures, as by the Ghospel, by Saints, is al referred
to the honour of God, whose Ghospel it is, whose Saints they are.
by him that dwelleth
in it:
22. And he that sweareth by Heauen, sweareth by the throne of God, and be him that
sitteth thereon.
23. Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you tithe mint, and anise, and
cummin, and haue left the weightier things of the law, iudgement, and mercie, and faith. These
things you ought to haue done, & not to haue omitted those.
24. Blind guides, that strine a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25. Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you make cleane that on the
outside of the cup and dish, but withing
✟
they are ful.
you are ful of rapine and vncleannes.
26. Thou blind Pharisee, first make cleane the inside of the cup and the dish that
the oustide may become cleane.
27. Woe to you Scibes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you are like to whited
sepulchres, which outwardly appeare vnto men beautiful, but within are ful of dead mens bones,
and al filthines.
28. So you are also outwardly indeed
Appeare to men.
Christ might boldly reprehend them so often and so vehemently for hypocrisie, because
he knew their harts and intentions: but we that can not see within men, may not
presume to cal mens external good doings, hypocrisie: but iudge of men as we see and
know.
appeare to men iust; but inwardly you are ful
of hypocrisie and iniquitie.
29. Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites: because you build the Prophets
sepulchres, and
Garnish.
Christ blameth not the Iewes for adorning the sepulchres of the Prophets, but rebuketh
them of their malice toward him, and of that which by his diuine knowledge he foresaw,
that they would accomplish the wickednes of their Fathers in sheeding his bloud, as their
Fathers did the bloud of the Prophetes. Hilar.
garnish the moniments of iust men,
30. and say: If we had been in our Fathers dayes, we had not been their felowes in
the bloud of the Prophets.
31. Therfore you are a testimonie to your owne selues, that you are the sonne of them
that killed the Prophets.
32.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon S. Steuens day Decemb. 26. And his Inuention, Aug. 3.
And fil you vp the measure of your Fathers.
33. You serpents, vipers broods, how wil you flee from the iudgement of Hel?
34. Therfore behold I send vnto your Prophets, and wise men, and Scribes, and of
them you shal kil & crucifie, and of them you shal scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from
citie into citie:
35. that vpon you may come al the iust bloud that was shed vpon the earth, from the
bloud of
*
Gen. 4,8.
Abel the iust, euen vnto the bloud of
*
2 Par. 24,22.
Zacharias the sonne of Barachias, whom you
murdered between the temple & the Altar.
36. Amen I say to you, al these things shal come vpon this Generation.
37.
*
Luke 13,34.
Hierusalem, Hierusalem, which killest the Prophets, and stonest them that were
sent to thee, how often would I gather togeather thy children as the henne doth gather togeather
her chickens vnder her wings, and thou
✟
Free wil.
wouldest not?
38. Behold, your house shal be left desert to you.
39. For I say to you, you shal not see me from hence forth til you say: Blessed is
he that commeth in the name of our Lord.