Speaking in parabes (as the Scripture foretold of him, and as meet was for the reprobate
Iewes:) he showeth by the parable of the Sower, that in the labours of his Church, three parts
of foure fo perish through the fault of the heares. 24. and yet, by the parable of good seed and
cockle (as also of the Net) that his seruants must not for al that, neuer while the world lasteth,
make any Schisme or Separation. 31. And by parables of the litle Mustardseed and Leauen, that
notwithstanding the three parts perishing, and ouersowing of cockle, yet that fourth part of the good
seed shal spread ouer al the world. 44. And withal, what a treasure, and pearle it is. 53. After al which,
yet his owne countrie wil not honour him.
1. THE same day Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ going out of the house, sate by the seaside.
2. And
*
Mark 4,1.
Luke 8,4.
great multitudes were gathered togeather vnto him, in so much that he
went vp into a boat & sate: and al the multitude stood in the shore;
3. and he spake to them many things in parables, saying:
Behold the Sower went
forth to sow.
4. And whiles he soweth, some fel by the way side, and the soules of the aire
did come and eate it.
5. Other some also fel vpon rockie places, where they had not much earth: and they
shot vp incontinent, because they had not deepnes of earth,
6. and after the sunne was vp, they parched: and because they had not roote, they
withered.
7. And other fel among thornes: and the thornes grew and choked them.
8. And other some fel vpon good ground: and they yealded fruit, the
One an hundred.
Differences of merits and rewards.
This difference of fruits is the difference of merites in this life, and rewards for them
in the next life, according to the diuersities of states, or other differences. Of states,
as that the hundred-fold agreeth to virgins professed, threescore-fold to religious widowes,
thirtie-fold to the maried. Aug. li. de. S. Virginit. c. 44 & seq. Which truth the
old Heretike Iouinian denied (as ours doe at this day) affirming that there is no difference
of merites or rewards. Hier. li. 2 adu. Iouin. Ambros. ep. 82. Aug. her. 82.
one an
hundredfold, the other threescore, and other thirtie.
9. He that hath eares to heare, let him heare.
10. And his Disciples came and said to him: Why speakest thou to them in parables?
11. Who answered and said vnto them: Because
To you it is giuen.
To the Apostles and such as haue the guiding and teaching of others, deeper knowledge of
Gods Word and mysteries is giuen, then to the common People. As also to Christians
generally, that which was not giuen to the obstinate Iewes.
to you it is giuen to know the
mysteries of the Kingdom of Heauen: but to them it is not giuen.
12. For he that hath, to him shal be giuen, and he shal abound: but he that hath
not, from him shal be taken away that also which he hath.
13. Therfore in parables I speake to them: because seeing they see not, and
✟
When Gods word is preached, they properly haue eares to heare, that haue hartes to obey:
and they hearing do not heare, which heare by sense of their body, and obey not be
consent of their hartes. Aug. de dono perseu. c. 14.
hearing
they heare not, neither do they vnderstand:
14. and the Prophecie of Esay is fulfilled in them, which saith:
*
Isai. 6,9.
This annotation is not included in the originals, but is worth including.
With hearing
shal you heare; and you shal not vnderstand: and seeing shal you see, and you shal not see.
15. For the hart of this people is waxed grosse, and with their eares they
haue heauily heard, and their eyes
They haue shut.
God is not the authour of euil.
In saying that they shut their owne eyes, which S. Paul also repeateth Act. 28.
he teacheth vs the true vnderstanding of al other places, where it might seeme by the
bare words that God is the very author and worker of this induration, & blindnes, and
of other sinnes *which was an old condemned blasphemie, & is now the Heresie of Caluin:
whereas our Sauiour here teacheth vs, that they shut their owne eyes, and are the cause
of their owne sinne and damnation, God not doing, but permitting it, and suffering them
to fall further because of their former sinnes, as S. Paul declareth of the reprobate
Gentiles. Ro. 1.
*Iren. apud. Euseb. li. 5 c. 19.
Calu. l. 2 Instit. c. 4.
they haue shut: lest any time they may see with their
eyes, and heare with their eares, and vnderstand with their hart and be converted, and I may
heale them.
16. But blessed are your eyes because they doe see, and your eares because they
do heare.
17. For, Amen I say to you, that
*
Luke 10,23.
many Prophets and iust men haue desired to see
the things that you see, and haue not seen them: and to heare the things that you heare, and
haue not heard them.
18. Heare you therfore the parable of the Sower.
19. Euery one that heareth the Word of the Kingdom and vnderstandeth not, there
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sowen in his hart: this is he that
was sowen by the way side.
20. And he that was forgiuen vpon rockie places: this is he that heareth the Word,
and incontinent receaueth it with ioy,
21. yet hath he not root in him self; but is for a time: and when there falleth
tribulation and persecution for the Word, he is by and by scandalized.
22. And he that was sowen among thornes, this is he that heareth the Word, and
the carefulnes of this world and the deceitfulnes of riches choket vp the Word, and he becometh
fruitles.
23. But he that was sowen vpon good ground: this is he that heareth the Word, and
vnderstandeth, and bringeth fruit, and yealdeth some an hundred-fold, and other threescore,
and an other thirtie.
24.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon the 5 Sunday after the Epiphanie.
An other parable he proposed to them, saying: The Kingdom of Heauen is resembled
to a man that sowed good seed in his field.
25. But when men were a sleep, his enemy came and
Ouersowed.
First by Christ and his Apostles was planted the truth, and falshood came afterward, and
was ouersowed by the enemy the Diuel, and not by Christ, who is not the authour of euil.
Tertul. de præscript.
ouersowed cockle among the wheat,
and went his way.
26. And when the blade was shot vp, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also
the cockle.
27. And the seruants of the Goodman of the house comming said to him: Sir, didst
thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it cockle?
28. And he said to them: The Enemie-man hath done this. And the seruants said to
him: Wilt thou we goe and gather it vp?
29. And he said: Noe
Lest perhaps.
The good must tolerate the euil, when it is so strong that it can not be redressed
without danger and disturbance of the whole Church; and commit the matter to Gods
iudgement in the later day. Otherwise where il men (be they Heretikes or other
malefactours) may be punished or suppressed without disturbance and hazard of the good,
they may and ought by publike authority either Spiritual or temporal to be chastised
or executed.
lest perhaps gathering vp the cockle, you may root vp the wheat
also togeather with it.
30.
Suffer both to grow.
Good and euil in the Church.
The good and bad (we see here) are mingled together in the Church. Which maketh against
certaine Heretikes and Schismatikes, which seuered themselues of old from the rest of the
whole world, vnder pretence that themselues only were pure, and al others, both Priests and
People sinners: and against some Heretikes of this time also, which say that euil men are
not of, or in the Church.
Suffer both to grow vntil the haruest, and in the time of haruest I wil say
to the reapers: Gather vp first the cockle, and bind it into bundels to burne, but the wheat
gather ye into my barne.
31.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon the 6 Sunday after the Epiphanie.
An other parable he proposed vnto them, saying:
*
Mark 4,30.
Luke 13,18.
The Kingdom of Heauen is like
to a Mustardseed, which a man tooke and sowed in his field.
32. Which is the
The least of al seeds.
The Church of Christ had a smal beginning, but afterward became the most glorious and known
Common-welth in earth: the greatest powers and the most wise of the world putting themselues
into the same.
least surely of al seeds: but when it is growen, it is greater
than al herbs, and is made a tree, so that the soules of the aire come, and dwel in the branches
thereof.
33. An other parable he spake to them: The Kingdom of Heauen is like to Leauen, which
a woman tooke and hid in three measures of meale, vntil the whole was leauened.
34. Al these things Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ spake in parables to the multitudes, and without parables
he did not speake to them:
35. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet saying:
*
Psa. 77,2.
I wil
open my mouth in parables, I wil vtter things hidden from the fundation of the world.
36. Then hauing dimissed the multitudes, he came into the house, and his Disciples
came vnto him, saying: Expound vs the parable of the cockle of the field.
37. Who made answer & said to them: He that soweth the good seed, is the Sonne of
man.
38. And the field, is the world. And the cockle: are the children of the wicked one.
39. And the enemie that sowed them, is
✟
Not God then, but the Diuel is the authour of al euil.
the Diuel. But the haruest, is the end of
the world. And the reapers, are the Angels.
40. Euen as cockle therfore is gathered vp, and burnt with fire: so shal it be in
the end of the world.
41. The Sonne of man shal send his Angels, and they shal gather out of his Kingdom
al scandals, and them that worke iniquitie:
42. and shal cast them into the furnace of fire: There shal be weeping & gnashing
of teeth.
43. Then shal the iust shine as the sunne, in the Kingdom of their Father. He that
hath eares to heare, let him heare.
44.
⋮
The Ghospel vpon S. Lucies day Decemb. 13. And S. Anne Iulij, 26.
And for some other Virgins & other holy women.
The Kingdom of Heauen is like a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man hauing
found, did hide it, and for ioy thereof goeth, and selleth al that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45. Againe the Kingdom of Heauen is like to a marchent man, seeking good pearles.
46. And hauing found one precious pearle, he went his way, and sold al that he had, and
bought it.
47. Againe the Kingdom of Heauen is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering
togeather of al kind of fishes.
48. Which, when it was filled, drawing it forth, and sitting by the shore, they
chose out the
✟
Here also are signified good and bad in the Church.
good into vessels, but the bad they did cast out.
49. So shal it be in the consummation of the world. The Angels shal goe forth, and
shal separate the euil from among the iust.
50. And shal cast them into the furnace of fire; there shal be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.
51. Hauing ye vnderstood al these things? They shal say to him, Yea.
52. He said vnto them: Therfore euery Scribe instructed in the Kingdom of Heauen,
is like to a man that is an housholder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.
53. And it came to passe: when Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ had ended these parables, he passed from thence.
54. And
*
Mark 6,1.
Luke 4,16.
coming into his owne countrie, he taught them in their Synagogues, so tht they
marueled, and said: How came this fellow by this wisedom and vertues?
55. Is not this the
Carpenters Sonne.
Herevpon Iulian the Apostata and his flatterer Libanius tooke their scoffe against our
Sauiour, saying (at his going against the Persians) to the Christians, what doth the
Carpenters sonne now? and threatening that after his returne, the Carpenters Sonne should
not be able to saue them from his furie. Wherevnto a godly man answered, by the Spirit of
Prophecie, He whom Iulian calleth the Carpenters Sonne, is making a wodden coffin for
him against his death. And indeed not long after, there came newes, that in that
bataile he died miserably. Sozo. li. 6 c. 2. Theodo. lib. 3 ch. 18. The very like
scoffe vse Heretikes that cal the body of Christ in the B. Sacrament, bakers bread. It
seemeth indeed to the senses to be so, as Christ seemed to be Iosephs natural Sonne, but
faith telleth vs the contrarie, as wel in the one, as in the other.
carpenters Sonne? Is not his mother called Mᴀʀɪᴇ, and
his brethren Iames, and Ioseph, and Simon, and Iude:
56. and his sisters, are they not al with vs? Whence therefore hath he al these things?
57. And they were scandalized in him. But Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to them: There is not a Prophet
without honour but in his owne countrie, and in his owne house.
58. And he wrought not many miracles there because of their incredulity.