The fourth part of this Ghospel, Christs comming into Iurie toward his Passion.
He answereth the tempting Pharisees, that the case of a man with his wife shal be (as the first
institution it was) vtterly indissoluble, though for one cause he may be diuorced. 10. And therevpon
to his Disciples he highly commendeth single life for Heauen. 13. He wil haue children come vnto
him. 16. He sheweth what is to be done to enter into life euerlasting; 20. what also, for a rich man
to be perfect; 27. As also what passing reward they shal haue which folow that his counsel of
perfection: 29. yea though it be but in some one peece.
1.
*
Mark 10,1.
AND it came to passe, when Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ had ended these wordes, he departed from Galilee,
and came into the coastes of Iurie beyond the Iordan,
2. and great multitudes folowed him; and he cured them there.
3.
⋮
The Ghospel for Mariage, and vpon S. Agatha's day. Feb. 15.
And there came to him the Pharisees tempting him, and saying: Is it lawful for a
man to dimisse his wife for euery cause?
4. Who answering, said to them: Haue ye not read, that he which did
*
'make man'
Gen. 1,7.
make from the
beginning, made them male & femal? And he said:
5.
*
Gen. 2,24
For this cause, man shal leaue father & mother, & shal cleaue to his
wife, and they two shal be in one flesh.
6. Therfore now they are not two, but one flesh. The therfore which God hath ioyned
togeather, let not man separate.
7. They say to him: Why then did
*
Deu. 14,1.
Moyses command to giue a bil of diuorce, and to
dimisse her?
8. He saith to them: Because Moyses for the hardnes of your hart permitted you to
dimisse your wiues: but from the beginning it was not so.
9. And I say to you, that
*
Mat. 5,32.
Mark 10,11.
Luke 16,18.
1 Corinth. 7,11.
whosoeuer shal dimisse his wife,
but for fornication, and
shal mary an other, doth commit aduoutrie: and he that shal mary her that is dismissed, committeth
aduoutrie.
10. His Disciples say vnto him: If the case of a man with his wife be so, it is not
expedient to mary.
11. Who said to them: Not al
✟
χωροῦσι.
capiunt.
take this word, but they to whom it is giuen.
12. For there are Eunuches which were borne so from their mothers wombe: and there
are Eunuches, which were made by men: and there are Eunuches, which haue gelded them selues for
the Kingdom of Heauen. He that can take, let him take.
13. Then
*
Mark 10,13.
Luke 18,15.
were litle children presented to him, that he should impose hands vpon them
& pray. And the Disciples rebuked them.
14. But Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to them: Suffer the litle children, and stay them not
from comming vnto me for the Kingdom of Heauen is for such.
15. And when he had imposed hands vpon them, he departed from thence.
16. And
*
Mark 10,17.
Luke 18,18.
behold one came and said to him: Good Maister, what good shal I doe that I
may haue life euerlasting?
17. Who said to him: What asketh thou me of good? One is good, God.
✟
I see not (saith S. Augustine) why Christ should say, If thou wilt haue life
euerlasting, keep the commandements, if without obseruing of then, by only faith
one might be saued. Aug. de Fid. & op. c. 15.
But if thou wilt
enter into life keep the commandments.
18. He saith to him, which? And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said:
*
Exo. 20,13.
Thou shalt not muder, Thou shalt
not commit aduoutrie, Thou shalt not steale, Thou shalt not beare false witnes.
19. Honour thy father & thy mother,
*
Leu. 19,18.
Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thyself.
20. The young man saith to him: Al these haue I kept from my youth; what is yet wanting
vnto me?
21. Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to him: If thou wilt be perfect, goe, sel the things that thou hast, &
giue to the poore, and thou shalt haue treasure in Heauen: and come, folow me.
22. And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had many
possessions.
23. And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to his Disciples: Amen I say to you, that a rich man shal hardly
enter into the Kingdom of Heauen.
24. And againe I say to you, it is easier for a camel to passe through the eye of a
needle,
✟
S. Marke expoundeth it thus, rich men trusting in their riches. c. 10,24.
then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heauen.
25. And when they had heard this, the Disciples marueled very much, saying: Who then
can be saued?
26. And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ beholding, said to them: With men this is impossible: but with God
al things are possible.
27. The Peter answering, said to him: Behold we haue left al things, & haue folowed
thee: what therfore shal we haue?
28.
⋮
The 4 Ghospel vpon the Conuersion of S. Paul, Ian. 25.
Also with in the Octaue, and
in a votiue Masse of SS. Peter & Paul. And for holy Abbots.
And Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ said to them: Amen I say to you, that you which haue folowed me, in the
regeneration, when the Sonne of man shal sit in the seat of his maiestie, you also shal sit vpon
twelue seats, iudging the twelue Tribes of Israel.
29. And euery one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother,
or
✟
Hereof is gathered that the Apostles among other things, left their wiues also
to folow Christ. Hier. l. 1. adu. Iouin.
wife, or children, or landes for my names sake: shal receaue an hundred-fold, & shal possesse
life euerlasting.
30. And
*
Mark 10,31.
Luke 13,30.
many shal be first, that are last; and last, that are first.
ANNOTATIONS.
Cʜᴀᴘ. XIX.
6. Not man separate.)
This inseparability betwixt man and wife riseth of that, that wedlock is a Sacrament.
Aug. li. 2. de pec. origine c. 34. to. 7. De nupt. & concupis. li. 1. c. 10.
9. But for fornication.)
Mariage after diuorce vnlawful.
For aduoutrie one may dimisse an other, Mat. 5. But neither party can mary againe for
any cause during life. Aug. li. 11. de adult. coniug. c. 21. 22. 24. For the which
vnlawful act of marying againe, Fabiola that noble matrone of Rome albeit she was the
Innocent part, did publike penance, as *S. Hierom writeth in her high commendation
therfore. And in S. Paul Ro. 7. it is plaine that she which is with an other
man, her husband yet liuing, shal be called an aduouteresse: contrary to the doctrine
of our Aduersaries.
*In Epitaph. Fabiola.
11. Not al take.)
Whosoeuer haue not this guift giuen them, it either for that they wil not haue it, or for
that they fulfil not that which they wil; & they that haue this gift or attaine to this
word, haue it of God and their owne free wil. Aug. li. de grat. & lib. arbit. c. 4.
So that it is euident no man is excluded from this guift, but (as *Origen here saith) it
is giuen to al that aske for it; contrarie to our Aduersaries that say it is impossible,
& that for excuse of breaking their vowes, wickedly say, they haue not the guift.
*Origen. tract. 7. in Mat.
12. Gelded them selves.)
Vow of chastitie.
They geld them selues for the Kingdom of Heauen which vow chastity. Aug. de virginitate
c. 24. Which proueth those kind of vowes to be both lawful, and also more meritorious,
and more sure to obtaine life euerlasting, then the state of wedlock, contrarie to our Adu.
in al respects.
14. He that can take.)
Councels not Precepts.
It is not said of the Precepts, keepe them who can, for they be necessarie vnder paine of
damnation to be kept; but of Counsels only (as of virginity, abstaining from flesh and wine,
and of giuing al a mans goods away to the poore) it is said: He that can attaine to it, let
him doe it; which is counsel only, not a commandement. Contrary to our Adu. that say there
are no Councels, but only precepts.
Aug. ser. 6. de temp.
13. Impose.)
They knew the valour of Christs blessing, and therfore brought their children to him; as
good Christian people have at al times brought their children to Bishops to have their
blessing. See Annotation before Chap. 10, 12. And of Religious mens blessing see
Russin. li. 2. c. 8. hist. S. Hierom in Epitaph. Paulæ c. 7, & in vit. Hilarionis.
Theodoret. in historia Sanctorum Patrum num. 8.
21. If thou wilt be perfect.)
Loe, he maketh a plaine difference between keeping the commandements, which is necessary
for euery man: and being perfect, which he counseleth only to them that wil. And this is
the state of great perfection which Religious men doe professe, according to Christes
counsel here, leauing al things and folowing him.
21. Folow me.)
Thus to folow Christ is to be without wife and care of children, to lack proprietie, and to
liue in common, and this hath great reward in Heauen aboue other states of life: which S.
Augustine saith, the Apostles folowed, and himself, and that he exhorted other to it as
much as lay in him. Aug. ep. 89. in fine, & in ps. 103. Conc. 3. pnst. med.
26. Al things possible.)
This of the camel through a needels eye, being possible to God, although he neither hath
done it, nor by like wil doe it: maketh against the blasphemous infidelity of our Aduersaries
that say, God can do no more then he hath done, or wil doe. We see also that God can bring
a camel through a needels eye, & therfore his body through a doore, and out of the sepulchre
shut, and out of his mother a virgin, and generally aboue nature doe with his body as he
list.
27. Left al.)
Vow of pouertie in respect of reward.
This perfection of leauing al things the Apostles vowed. Aug. li. 17. de Ciuit Dei
c. 4.
27. What shal we haue.)
Vow of pouertie in respect of reward.
They leaue al things in respect of reward, and Christ doeth wel allow it in them by his
answer.
28. You also shal sit.)
Note that not only Christ, who is the principal and proper Iudge of the liuing and the dead,
but with him the Apostles and al perfect Saints shal iudge; and yet that doeth nothing
derogate to his prerogatiue, by whom and vnder whom they hold this and al other dignities
in this life and the next.
Aug in ps. 121.