4T a t e n a n u v t a.
COMMENTARY
ON THE
FOUR GOSPELS,
COLLECTED OUT OF THE
WORKS OF THE FATHERS
BY
S. THOMAS AQUINAS.
VOL. I.
ST. MATTHEW. PART T.
OXFORD,
JOHN HENRY PARKER;
J. G. F. AND J. RIVINGTON, LONDON.
MDCCCXLI.
MAR
1952
BAXTER, PRINTER, OXFORD,
ADVERTISEMENT.
THE following Compilation not being admissible into the
Library of the Fathers from the date of some few of the
authors introduced into it, the Editors of the latter work
have been led to publish it in a separate form, being assured
that those who have subscribed to their translations of the
entire Treatises of the ancient Catholic divines, will not feel
less interest, or find less benefit, in the use of so very
judicious and beautiful a selection from them. The Editors
refer to the Preface which follows for some account of the
nature and characteristic excellences of the work, which will
be found as useful in the private study of the Gospels, as it
is well adapted for family reading, and full of thought for
those who are engaged in religious instruction.
Oxford, May 6, 1841.
PREFACE.
BY a CATENA PATRUM is meant a string or series of
passages selected from the writings of various Fathers, and
arranged for the elucidation of some portion of Scripture, as
the Psalms or the Gospels. Catenas seem to have originated
in the short scholia or glosses which it was customary ^n
MSS^of the Scriptures to introduce between the lines or on
the margin, perhaps in imitation of the scholiasts on the
profane authors. These, as time went on, were gradually
expanded, and passages from the Homilies or Sermons of
the Fathers upon the same Scriptures added to them.
The earliest commentaries on Scripture had been of this
discursive nature, being addresses by word of mouth to the
people, which were taken down by secretaries, and so pre
served. While the traditionary teaching of the Church still
preserved the vigour and vividness of its Apostolical origin,
and spoke with an exactness and cogency which impressed
an adequate image of it upon the mind of the Christian
Expositor, he was able to allow himself free range in hand
ling the sacred text, and to admit into the comment his own
particular character of mind, and his spontaneous and indi
vidual ideas, in the full security, that, however he might follow
the leadings of his own thoughts in unfolding the words of
Scripture, his own deeply fixed views of Catholic truth
would bring him safe home, without overstepping the limits
of truth and sobriety. Accordingly, while the early Fathers
manifest a most remarkable agreement in the principles and
VOL. i. b
ii PREFACE.
the substance of their interpretation, they have at the same
time a distinctive spirit and manner, by which each may
be known from the rest. About the vith or viith jcentury
this originality disappears ; the oral or traditionary teaching,
which allowed scope to the individual teacher, became
.hardened into a written tradition, and henceforward there is
a uniform invariable character as well as substance of Scrip
ture interpretation. Perhaps we should not err in putting
Gregory the Great as the last of the original Commentators ;
for though very numerous commentaries on every book of
Scripture continued to be written by the most eminent doctors
in their own names, probably not one interpretation of any
importance would be found in them which could not be traced
to some older source, So that all later comments are in fact
Catenas or selections from the earlier Fathers, whether they
present themselves expressly in the form of citations from their
volumes, or are lections upon the Lesson or Gospel for the
day, extempore indeed in form, but as to their materials
drawn from the previous studies and stores of the expositor.
The latter would be better adapted for the general reader,
the former for the purposes of the theologian.
Commentaries of both classes are very numerous. Fabri-
cius a speaks of several hundred MS. Catenas in the Royal
Library of France. According to Wolf and Cramer b the
earliest compiler of a Greek Catena was CEcumenius, in the
ixth or xth century ; for the claims of Olympiodorus in the
vith to be the author of the Catena on Job, have been
disproved by Patricius Junius, in his edition. (Lond. 1637.)
But though this may be the first regular Catena, the practice
of compiling commentaries had been in use much earlier.
In the East, Eustathius of Antioch in the ivth, and Procopius
of Gaza in the beginning of the vith, collected " the inter
pretations of the ancients;" and in the West, the Com
mentaries on the Gospels which go under the name of Bede,
(A.D. 700,) are but a summary of the authorized interpreta-
a Vol. viii. p. 638. ed. Hades. Matt, et Marci, Oxon. 1840. which con-
b Prref. in Catenas in Evang. SS. tains much information on the subject.
tioris chiefly drawn from S. Augustine, S. Leo, &c., and even
S. Jerome describes his Commentary on Galatians as n com
pendium of former writers, chiefly Origen.
It may be added, that the same change took place in dog
matic teaching, as in the exposition of Scripture. This indeed
was still more to be expected, for the issue of controversies
and the decrees of Councils had given to the doctrinal state
ments of the Fathers an authority, or rather prerogative,
which was never claimed for their commentaries. Accord
ingly, S. John Damascene s work on the Orthodox Faith in
the viiith century is scarcely more than a careful selection
and combination of sentences and phrases from the great
theologians who preceded him, principally S. Gregory
Nazianzen. A comment or scholia by the same author
upon S. Paul s Epistles have come down to us, which are
mainly taken from S. Chrysostom, but with some use of
other expositors.
All such commentaries have more or less merit and use
fulness, but they are very inferior to the Catena Aurea,
which is now presented to the English reader ; being all of
them partial and capricious, dilating on one passage, and
passing unnoticed another of equal or greater difficulty ;
arbitrary in their selection from the Fathers, and as compi
lations crude and indigested. But it is impossible to read
the Catena of S. Thomas, without being struck w r ith the
masterly and architectonic skill with which it is put together.
A learning of the highest kind, not a mere literary book-
knowledge, which might have supplied the place of indexes
and tables in ages destitute of those helps, and when every
thing w^as to be read in unarranged and fragmentary MSS.
but a thorough acquaintance with the whole range of eccle
siastical antiquity, so as to be able to bring the substance
of all that had been written on any point to bear upon the
text which involved it a familiarity with the style of
each writer, so as to compress into few r words the pith of a
whole page, and a power of clear and orderly arrangement in
this mass of knowledge, are qualities which make this Catena
b 2
iv PREFACE.
perhaps nearly perfect as a conspectus of Patristic inter
pretation. Other compilations exhibit research, industry,
learning; but this, though a mere compilation, evinces a
masterly command over the whole subject of Theology.
The Catena is so contrived that it reads as a running com
mentary, the several extracts being dovetailed together by the
compiler. And it consists wholly of extracts, the compiler
introducing nothing of his own but the few connecting
particles which link one extract to the next. There are
also a few quotations headed ( Glossa, which none of the
editors have been able to find in any author, and which
from their character, being briefly introductory of a new
chapter or a new subject, may be probably assigned to the
compiler; though even this is dispensed with whenever it
is possible : when a Father will furnish the words for such
transition or connection, they are dexterously introduced.
In the Gospel of S. Matthew there are only a few other
passages which seem to. belong to S. Thomas. These are
mostly short explanations or notes upon something that
seemed to need explanation in some passage quoted, and
which in a modern book would have been thrown into the
form of a foot note. An instance of this may be seen in
p. 405. The only important passages of this kind are some
Glosses on chap. xxvi. 26. which will be noticed in their
place.
This continuity is expressed in the title which the Author
gives his work in his dedication to Pope Urban IV. c expo-
sitio continua; the term Catena was not used till after his
death. De Rubeis the Venetian editor speaks of a MS.
of the xivth century in which it is so entitled, but the
earlier editions have either Glossa Continua, or Conti
nuum. The sacred text is broken into paragraphs longei
or shorter ; the shortest less than a verse, the longest twenty
verses, and the exposition of each portion follows this order:
First, the transition from the last paragraph to that undei
review; if they are events, the harmony with the chronology
of the other Evangelists is shewn, S. Augustine (de Consensu
PREFACE. v
Evangelistarum) being the authority used for this: then comes
the literal, or, what is called, the historical exposition.
Where different Fathers have given different explanations,
they are introduced generally in the order of the most
obvious and literal first, and so proceeding to the most
recondite, by the words Vel aliter. Then if any im
portant doctrine hinges upon any part of the passage or
comma, selections are given from the most approved treatises
on the subject; e. g. on chap. v. 17, a lengthened summary of
the arguments against the Manicheans from Aug. cont. Faust. ;
on chap. xi. 21. long extracts from Aug. de Bono Perseve-
rantise; on viii. 2. a short passage from Damascenus de Fid.
Orth. as if for the purpose of referring the reader to a treatise
which contains a full discussion of the doctrine implied in
the words, i And he stretched forth his hand, arid touched
him ; on xiii. 29. on the question of toleration, Aug. ep. ad
Vincentium is quoted, And the comment on the portion is
wound up with what is variously called the mystical, moral,
allegorical, tropical, tropological, or spiritual sense. The
peculiar exposition of Origen, which seems to hold a mean
place between the historical and the authorized mystical
interpretation, is accordingly often inserted between these.
The quotations do not profess to be made with scrupulous
adherence to the words of the original. But they are not
(a very few excepted) abridgments in the words of the
compiler, but condensations in their own language b . How
admirably this is done may be seen by any one who will
take the trouble of collating a few pages of some of the
more diffuse writers, e. g. S. Chrysostom or Origen, with the
Catena. For instances particularly in which a sentence is
made up of clauses gathered from distant pages, see tile-
summary of the Sermon on the Mount, chap. vii. in fin., and
a quotation from Chrysostom on chap, xxiii. 26.
Nor is it the case with this Catena as it seems to be with
every other, that some one commentary has been taken as
a nucleus or basis, into which other extracts have been
inserted. Dr. Cramer says, that Chrysostom is the staple
vi PREFACE,
of all the Greek Catenas on S. Matthew ; but though S.
Thomas held Chrysostom in such esteem that he is reported
to have said malle se uti Chrysostomi libris in Matthaeum
quam possidere fruique Lutetia Parisiorum, (praef. Ben.) and
though he has drawn upon the Homilies very largely, it
is no more than he has done upon nearly all the principal
commentaries. If any book might be supposed to have been
his guide more than another it would be Rabanus Maurus;
though we should not say that he quoted any other writers
mediately through Rabanus, yet this compiler seems often
to have guided him to quotations in S. Augustine, Gregory,
and the general treatises of the Latin Fathers.
With respect to the fidelity of the references, putting aside
the connective Glossac which may probably be assigned to
S. Thomas himself, there are very few (as far as the transla
tion has hitherto proceeded) which it has not been possible
to find. Of these, some are quoted from S. Augustine s
Sermons, and among the multitude of doubtful and spurious
compositions of this class, it is probable that the extracts
to which they belong may be found, though it was scarcely)
worth while to spend much time in the search of a few;
unimportant passages. But there arc two passages of serious
moment, one on Matt. xvi. 18. the other on Luke xxii. 19.
quoted from S. Cyril, which require a remark. The first
affirming the supremacy of the successors of S. Peter is quoted
from Cyril, in lib. Thes.* but occurs no where in S. Cyril s
writings. Accordingly it has been made the groundwork
of an old charge against S. Thomas (lately revived by a
German writer, see Ellendorf Hist. Blatter) of forgery, which
however has been amply refuted by Guyart and Nicolai. In
the dedication to another of his works, Opusculum contra
errores Graecorum addressed to Pope Urban IV. he says,
Libellum ab excellentia vestra mini exhibitum diligenter
perlegi, in quo inveni quamplurima ad nostrae fidei as-
sertionem utilia. Consideravi autem quod ejus fructus
posset apud plurimos impediri propter quasdam in aucto-
ritatibus SS. Patrum contenta, qua: dubia esse videntur.
PREFACE. vii
The other passage is affirmatory of Trail substantiation,
and quoted from S. Cyril without any specification of place ;
on this Father Simon (Hist. Crit. c. 33.) observes, that
S. Cyril s commentaries on the New Testament have come
down to us imperfect, and this very passage occurs quoted
under the name of Cyril in the second part of the Greek
Catena of Possinus. (in Matt, xxvii. 28.) The words imo
quern bibas quern manduces, on chap. v. 27. are not in
the earlier editions of the Catena, but were inserted (perhaps
by the Louvain Editor) from the original text of S.
Augustine.
Of the authors cited, the Catena contains nearly all that
is material in S. Chrysostom s Homilies on S. Matthew,
S. Jerome s Commentary, S. Hilary s Canons, and the Glossa
Ordinaria all through the Gospel. The Latin commentary
of Pseudo-Chrysostom is cited fully till about the middle of
chap. viii. after which it is cited more rarely. At this place
the Benedictine editor notes a hiatus in some of the MSS. of
Chrysostom. S. Augustine de Cons. Ev. and In Sermonem
Domini in Mont, are nearly incorporated into the Catena,
and from ch. xvi. to the end, Origen s Commentaries on
S. Matthew.
It is generally supposed that Aquinas was ignorant of
Greek, and that therefore he must have quoted the Greek
authors in Translations ; but his own words in his dedication
to Pope Urban seem to imply otherwise. Interdum etiam
sensum posui, verba dimisi, prsecipue in Homiliario Chry-
sostomi propter hoc quod est translatio vitiosa. That for
Chrysostom he used neither the version of Anianus, (as the
Benedictine editor of Chrys. supposed,) nor the current
Latin version, is evident on the slightest comparison with
his quotations. However this may be, he has in several
instances quite missed the sense of the Greek.
The Catena begins to quote Origen s Commentary on
S. Matt, at chap. xvi. though our fragment of it begins as
early as chap. xiii. It uses the Old Interpretation, which
Huet conjectures to have been the work of Bellator, or of
viii PREFACE.
some contemporary of Cassiodorus. This version will be
found in the Ben. Ed. of Origen, and is according to Huet
barbarous and full of errors.
Great accidental value is given to many of the inedited
Greek Catenas by the extracts which they contain from lost
works; in this on S. Matt, are quoted two writers, whose
works do not seem to have been printed. The first is
Remigius, which is frequently cited throughout. The
commentary on S. Matthew of Remigius, a Monk of Auxerre
in the ixth century, is extant in MS. in several libraries, but
the only part of it which has ever been printed is the Preface,
in Fontani Novae Eruditorum Deliciae, Florence 1793.
One short passage concerning the dates of the Gospels,
which is quoted in S. Thomas s Proem, is not found in this
Preface, but a passage in S. Thomas s Proem to S. Mark
quoted from Remigius super Matt, occurs in it. This
would be proof enough of the identity of the Remigius of
the Catena with the inedited Commentary described by
Fontani. But he has also printed in the same volume
several homilies of Remigius, which he says are only
extracts or abridgments (apocopse) of the Commentary.
On comparing these with the quotations in the Catena,
they answer exactly to that description, the substance is the
same, the words only a little different.
Haymo is much more rarely quoted. The quotations do
not correspond with the * Homilies on the Gospels printed
with his name at Paris, 1545, but there is much the same
kind of resemblance between them, as between the quotations
and the Homilies of Remigius. It may perhaps be con
jectured, that he also may have written a commentary of
which the Homilies were abridgments.
Rabanus Maurus, who as well as Haymo was a scholar of
Alcuin, wrote one of the most full and valuable commentaries
on S. Matthew extant. It contains copious extracts from
the Latin Fathers, such, he says, * quantum mihi pra3
innumeris monastics servitutis relinaculis licuit, et pro
nutrimento parvulorum quod non parvam nobis ingerit
PREFACE. ix
molestiam et lectionis facit injuriam, (he seems from this to
have been Abbot at the time he wrote,) but interwoven with
the extracts is much original matter of his own, ( nonnulla
quae mihi Author lucis aperire dignatus est c , which he
distinguishes by the note Maurus on the margin. In the
only printed edition of his works, there is a hiatus of several
pages in chapp. 23. and 24. and another in chap. 28. quae
inter excudendum a militibus omnia vastantibus deperdita
sunt.
S. Jerome speaks of his own commentary on S. Matthew
(in the preface to Eusebius), as having been written off very
hastily in the short space of a fortnight and as being
entirely his own, if for no other reason, from his want of
leisure to read the numerous commentators even then
existing on the Gospels. He names Origen s twenty-five
volumes, and as many homilies on S. Matthew only ; Theo-
philus Antioch., Hippolytus Martyr, Theodorus, Apollinaris,
Didymus, Hilary, Victorinus, Fortunatianus. He says also,
* historicam interpretationem digessi breviter, et interdum
spiritualis intelligentiae flores miscui, perfectum opus re-
servam in posterum.
The Enarrationes in Matthaeum printed as the work of the
Archbishop Anselm (Cologne, 1612) are ascribed by Cave
to Anselm Laudunensis, and by others to William of Paris
who died in 1249. This is partly a compilation and partly
original. It does not seem used in the Catena, but it has
been referred to in this translation as containing many
passages cited in the Catena, under the title Gloss., and
which appeared to have been drawn by both authors from
some common source.
The Glossa Ordinaria seems to have been a brief Catena,
compiled from the Fathers by Strabus, a Monk of Fulda, a
pupil and amanuensis of Rabanus Maurus. Among the
extracts, he seems to have inserted short observations of his
c Great part of the introduction of Epistle dedicatory to Bp. Acca j how is
Rabanus describing his method of com- this to be explained?
pilation, is word for word with Bede s
x PREFACE.
own, distinguishing them by the title of Glossa. Even of these
the substance seems to have been drawn from the Fathers,
or rather from that received mode of interpreting Scripture
and Fathers which was traditionally preserved in the Schools.
These portions (in whatever degree original) got the name of
Glossa Ordinaria say the editors, (Douay, 1617,) " quia illam
posteri omnes tanquam officinam ecclesiasticorum sensuum
consulere solebant." It is sometimes cited under the title of
auctoritas.
The Glossa Interlinear! s is ascribed to Anselrn Laudu-
nensis early in the xiith century, and was intended to
accompany the common editions of the Bible written in a
small hand in the vacant spaces between the lines.
A few passages are quoted from Bedc. Of these some are
from his Homilies on the Gospels, some from his Commentary
on Luke. There is among Bede s works a Commentary on
S. Matthew, and in one or two instances this is referred to
by Nicolai, but on looking at the quotations in older
editions of the Catena, it is merely * Bed. in Horn. To
many quotations of Remigius and Rabanus, which agreed in
sense with this Commentary on Matthew, the mark e Beda
has been added, because he was the earliest author in which
the translator found them; but an inspection of this Com
mentary will make it very doubtful whether it is Bede s.
First, he does not mention it in the catalogue which he gives
of his own works at the end of the Hist. Eccl. (p. 222. ed.
Smith.) Secondly, those on Mark and Luke (which he does
mention there) are introduced by Epistles to Acca, Bishop of
Hexham. Thirdly, The style of these is different, being
full and copious, that on Matthew short, and per saltus.
Fourthly, Comparing Rabanus numerous quotations from
Bede, they seem to be all taken from the comments on the
parallel passages of Mark and Luke. But a great deal of
what is given as original in Rabanus coincides with the
Commentary on S. Matth. in question. Is it an abridg
ment of Rabanus, or did they only both draw upon their
recollections of the Fathers ? The Commentary on S. Paul s
PREFACE. xi
Epistles printed among Becle s Works, and which is a com
pilation chiefly from S. Augustine, seems to have been proved
by Mabillon to be the work of Floras the Deacon, (Mab.
Vet. Analecta, i, 12.) The following extracts from Bede s
Preface to S. Luke illustrate the manner of compiling such
Commentaries then in fashion. Bede excused himself from
the task because it had been so fully performed by Ambrose.
Acca answers that there were many things in Ambrose so
eloquent and high, that they could only be understood by
Doctors, and something weaker was wanted for the unlearned;
that S. Gregory had not been afraid to rifle all the Fathers
for his homilies on the Gospels, and in short it might be said
of every Ihing with the comic poet, f Nihil sit dictum quod
non sit dictum prius. Bede then describes the method he
had pursued ; " Having gathered around me the works
of the Fathers, truly the most worthy to be employed in
such a task, I set myself diligently to look out what
S. Ambrose, what Augustine, what Gregory most keen-eyed,
(as his name signifies,) the Apostle of our nation, what the
Translator of the Sacred Story Jerome, and what the other
Fathers have thought upon the words of Luke. This I
forthwith committed to paper either in the very words of the
author, or where abridgment was needed in my own. To
save the labour of inserting a reference to the author in each
case in my text, I have marked the first letters of his
name in the margin, being anxious that none should take
me for a plagiarist, endeavouring to pass off as my own the
words of greater men." Vol. v. p. 215. ed. Col.
The Translation has been made from the Venetian edition
of 1775, which professes to give the original text of the
Catena without the alterations of Nicolai. For by the
repeated reprints and no book went through more during
the two first centuries after the invention of printing the
text had become so corrupt " tarn frequentes in earn
irrepserant et tarn enormes corruptelae, tot depravatae voces,
tot involute constructions, tot perturbatae phrases, tot
xii PREFACE.
praesertim ex Graecis autoribus autoritates adulteratae, tot
vitiosae versiones, tot mutilati textus, tot indices omissi vel
praepostere annotati, tot hiantes et imperfecti sensus occur-
rebant ut eas mirer tarn impense laudari potuisse quae tarn
turpiter aberrassent." (Praef. Nicol.) Nicolai therefore in
1657 undertook a recension of the text, for which he
employed, not MSS. or early editions of the Catena, (the
Venetian editor thinks it probable that he used only two
editions, one a Parisian, the other an Antwerp,) but had
recourse to the authorities themselves ; his aim being, not so
much to give it as it came from S. Thomas, but to improve
the usefulness of the work, as what it is indeed, a com
plete syllabus of Catholic theology. But as the Venetian
edition is wretchedly printed, it has been corrected through
out by a reference to Nicolai, (ed. Lugd. 1686,) and the
references have all been verified afresh and adapted to
the best editions of the Fathers. No reference has been
given to any passage which the translator has not verified
for himself substantially in its own original place ; but
in those places only in which there was any doubt or
difficulty about the meaning, or where an important
doctrine was involved, or any important variety of reading
between the two editions of the Catena, has he attentively
collated the passage of the Catena with the original ; in a
very few has he introduced any alteration or addition from
the originals, and that has been sometimes noticed in the
note. Where a reference could not be found, it has been
marked non occurrit ; of these the majority are those
Glossae which are most probably to be ascribed to S.
Thomas: of the rest, some had escaped the diligence of
Nicolai, only one or two which Nic. had marked as found,
the present translator has not been able to find.
Where no note of reference is put, it is to be understood
that the passage is in each case in the author s commentary
on that chapter and verse of S. Matt. ; as the only note of
reference to which must have been in locum, it was thought
PREFACE. xiii
a perpetual repetition of that note was needless. To aid in
referring to S. Chrys. the number of the Homily has been
given at the first place where each is referred to.
The references to Scripture have been verified anew r , (those in
the Psalms conformed to the numeration of the English Bible,)
and many more given which the previous editions omit. The
text of the Gospel commented upon is given from the E. V. ;
but all passages quoted in the body of the comment are
translated from the Latin as there given, which is often
important when the remarks are upon words which have no
equivalent in our version, e. g. ( supersubstantialis in c. vi.
11. There is no uniformity in the editions in the mode of
printing the sacred text. The MSS. and earlier editions do not
contain it, so that it is probable that it was so published by
Aquinas, especially as nearly the whole is worked into the series
of comment ; the next class of editions have the sacred text,
occupying a small space in the centre of the upper part of
the page, and the Catena arranged around it ; and at last the
commata or paragraphs, which it was clearly S. Thomas s
intention to make, were divided, and in some editions the
portion of text was inserted between them, in others each
chapter was printed at the head of its own comment, divided
into the same paragraphs, with letters referring to the para
graphs of the Catena.
It only remains to add, that the Editors are indebted for
the Translation of St. Matthew, as well as for the above
introductory remarks, to the Rev. MARK PATTISON, M.A.
Fellow of Lincoln College.
J. H. N.
LIST OF AUTHORS
USED IN THE CATENA ON ST. MATTHEW,
With the Editions of their Works referred to in the Translation.
Origen, Presbyter of Alexandria, A.D. 230. Ed. Ben. Par. 1753.
Pseudo-Origen Homilice sex ex diver sis locis collects. Merlin, Par. 1512.
S. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, A.D. 248. Oxford Translation, 1839.
Eusebius, Archbishop of Cgesarea, A.D. 315. Oxford, 1838.
S. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, A.D. 326. Ed. Ben. Par. 1698.
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, A.D. 340530. Paris, 1615.
S. Hilary, Bishop of Poictiers, A.D. 354. Ed. Ben. Par. 1693.
S. Gregory of Nazianzus, Abp. of Constantinople, A.D. 370. Col 1680.
S. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, A.D. 370. Paris, 1615.
S. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan, A.D. 374. Ed. Ben. Par. 1686.
S. Jerome, Presbyter and Monk of Bethlehem, A.D. 378. Verona, 1735.
Nemesius, A.D. 380. Apud Bibl Pair. Grtec. Paris, 1624.
S. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, A.D. 396. Ed. Ben. Par. 16791700.
S. JohnChrysostom,Abp.of Constantinople, A.D.398. JE& Ben Par. \1\8- 38.
S. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, A.D. 412. Paris, 1638.
S. Maximus, Bishop of Turin, A.D. 422. Paris, 1614.
Cassian, Presbyter and Monk of Marseilles, A.D. 424. i Bibl. Pair.
S. Peter Chrysologus, Archbishop of Ravenna, A.D. 433. > Col 1618.
Council of Ephesus, Canons of,
A.D. 431. ap. Labbe Concilia, Par. 1671.
Theodotus of Ancyra,
S. Leo I. Pope, A.D. 440. Venice, 1783.
Gennadius, Presbyter of Marseilles, A.D. 495. Hamb. 1614.
S. Gregory I. Pope, A.D. 590. Ed. Ben. Paris, 1705.
S. Isidore, Archbishop of Seville, A.D. 595. Col 1617.
Bede, Venerable, Presbyter and Monk of Yarrow, A.D. 700. Col 1612.
S. John, Presbyter of Damascus, A.D. 730. Paris, 1712.
Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mayence, A.D. 847. Col 1626.
Haymo, Bishop of Halberstadt, A.D. 853. .>
> Works not printed.
Remigms, Presbyter and Monk of Auxerre, A.D. 880. >
Glossa Ordinaria, in ninth century. Lugd. 1589.
Paschasius Radbertus, A.D. 850. i
Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, A.D. 1080. >
S. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, A.D. 1093. Col 1612.
Glossa Interlinearis, in twelfth century. Lngd. 1589.
ERRATUM.
Page 96. note, far i Adaraannus, Abbot of Lindisferne read i Adamnanus,
Abbot of Hii or Ion a
PREFACE
TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
ST. MATTHEW.
ISAIAH xl. 9.
Go up to the top of the mountain, thou, that preachest glad
tidings in Sion ; lift up thy voice with might, thou that
preachest in Jerusalem : cry aloud., fear not: say to the cities
of Jiidah, Behold your Godl Lo, the Lord God shall come
ivith power, and His arm shall have dominion ; Lo, His
reward is with Him.
THE Prophet Isaiah, a manifest preacher of the Gospel,
briefly expressing the loftiness, the name, and the substance
of the Gospel doctrine, addresses the evangelic teacher in the
person of the Lord, saying, Go up to the top of the mountain,
4*.
But to make our beginning with the title, The Gospel.
AUGUSTINE; The word Evangelium, (Gospel,) is rendered Aug.
in Latin bonus nuntius, or * bona annuntiatio, (good news.) < L ontra
It may indeed be used on all occasions whenever any good ii. 2.
is announced; but it has come to be appropriated to the
announcement of the Saviour. GLOSS. Those who have
related the birth, deeds, words, and sufferings of the Lord
Jesus Christ, are properly styled Evangelists. CHRYSOSTOM; Chrys.
For what is there that can equal these good tidings ? God on
earth, man in heaven; that long war ceased, reconciliation i. 2.
made between God and our nature, the devil overthrown,
death abolished, paradise opened. These things, so far beyond
our merits, are given us with all fulness ; not for our own toil
or labour, but because we are beloved of God. A
J^UG. Whereas God in many ways heals the souls of men, ac- de vera
cording to the times and the seasons which are ordained by His iV. g
VOL. i. B
\
2 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL
marvellous wisdom, yet has He in no way more beneficently
provided for the human race, than when the Very Wisdom of
God, the Only Son of one substance and coeternal with the
Father, stooped to take upon Him perfect man, and the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us. Hereby He made manifest
how high a place among creatures had human nature, in that
Pseudo- He appeared to men as Very Man. PSEUDO-AUG. God was
Serni.de rnade man, that man might be made God. GLOSS; This
Nativ. p ar t O f the glad tidings that should be preached, the Prophet
Leo foretells saying, Behold, your God, fyc. LEO Pope ; For this
Epist-ad emptying of himself, by which the Invisible made Himself
xxviii?3! Visible, and the Creator and Lord of all things chose to
become one of us mortal creatures, was a stooping of His
mercy, not a failing of His power. GLOSS ; Therefore that
the Lord should not be supposed to be present in such a way
as that there should be any thing lost of His power, the
Aug. Prophet adds, The Lord shall come with power. AUG.
Christ* Come 9 not by passing through the regions of space, but by
i- 12. shewing Himself to men in the flesh. LEO ; By the
SeTm. in unspeakable power of God, it was wrought, that while very
Nativ. ]\| an was in the inviolable God, and very God in passible
flesh, there was bestowed upon man, glory through shame,
Aug- immortality through punishment, life through death. AUG.!
catorum For blood that was without sin being shed, the bond of all
IrSr** men s s was done away, by which men were before held!
captive by the Devil. GLOSS; Therefore because men, having
been delivered from sin by virtue of Christ suffering, became the
servants of God, it follows, And His arm shall have dominion.
Leo. LEO ; In Christ then was given us this wonderful deliverance, ,
sup that on our passible nature the condition of death should
not abide, which His impassible essence had admitted, and]
that by that which could not die, that which was dead might
be brought to life. GLOSS; And thus through Christ is]
opened to us the entrance of immortal glory, concerning which
it follows, Lo, His reward is with Him; that, namely, of
Matt. 5. which Himself speaks, Your reward is abundant in heaven\
Aur. AUG. The promise of eternal life, and the kingdom ofj
contra heaven belongs to the New Testament; in the Old Testament!
iv. 2. are contained promises of temporal things.
GLOSS ; So then evangelic teaching delivers to us four things^
ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 3
concerning Christ ; the Divinity that takes upon it, the
Humanity that is taken upon it, His Death by which we
are delivered from bondage, His Resurrection by which the
entrance of a glorious life is opened to us. On this account it
is represented in Ezekiel under the figure of the four animals.
GREGORY ; The Only-begotten Son of God was Himself verily Greg,
made Man; Himself condescended to die as the sacrifice of
our redemption as a Calf; He rose again through the power
of His might, as a Lion ; and as an Eagle He ascended
aloft into heaven. GLOSS ; In which ascension He shewed
manifestly His Divinity; Matthew then is denoted by the
Man, because he dwells chiefly on the humanity of Christ ;
Mark by the Lion, because he treats of His Resurrection;
Luke by the Calf, because he insists on His Priesthood; John
by the Eagle, because he describes the sacraments of His
Divinity. AMBROSE ; And it has happened well that we Ambros.
set out with delivering the opinion that the Gospel according ^"uc
to Matthew is of a moral kind, for morals are the peculiar pref.
province of man. The figure of a Lion is ascribed to Mark,
because he begins with an assertion of His Divine power,
saying, The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son
of God. The figure of the Eagle is given to John, because
he has described the miracles of the Divine Resurrection.
GREG. These things the commencement of each of the Gospel Greg.
books testifies. Because he opens with Christ s human gene- U
ration, Matthew is rightly designated by a Man ; Mark by a
Lion, because he begins with the crying in the desert ; Luke
by a Calf, because he begins with a sacrifice; because he
takes his beginning from the divinity of the Word, John
is worthily signified by an Eagle. AUG. Or, Matthew A us.
who has chiefly represented the regal character of Christ, is de Con "
designated by a Lion; Luke by a Calf, because of the Priest s Ev.mg.
victim ; Mark, who chose neither to relate the royal nor the le 6 "
priestly lineage 3 , and yet is clearly busied about His human
nature, is designated by the figure of a Man. These three
animals, the Lion, the Man, the Calf, walk on the earth,
whence these three Evangelists are mostly employed about
those things which Christ wrought in the flesh. But John,
a The original text of Augustine has sacerdotalem velconsecrationemvel cog-
here, " neque stirpem regiam neque nationem."
15 2
4 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL
as the Eagle, soars on high, and with most keen eyes of the
heart beholds the light of unchangeable Truth. From which
we may understand, that the other three Evangelists are oc
cupied about the active, and John about the contemplative,
life. The Greek Doctors by the Man understood Matthew,
because he has deduced the Lord s lineage according to the
flesh ; by the Lion, John, because as the lion, strikes terror
into the other beasts by his roaring, so John struck terror into
all heretics ; by the Calf, they understood Luke, because the
calf was the victim of the Priests, and he is imich employed
concerning the Temple and the Priesthood ; and by the Eagle
they understood Mark, because the eagle in the Divine Scrip
ture is used to denote the Holy Spirit, who spake by the
mouths of the Prophets ; and Mark begins with a citation
from the Prophets.
Hier. JEROME ; Concerning the number of the Evangelists, it
u/Evan. should be known, that there were many who had written
Matt, ad Gospels, as the Evangelist Luke witnesses, saying, Foras-
Luke i muc ? 1 as many have taken in hand, fyc. and as books
! - remaining to the present time declare which divers authors
have set forth, therein laying the foundation of many
heresies; such as the Gospel according to the Egyptians,
according to Thomas, Matthias, and Bartholomew ; that of
the twelve Apostles, and Basilides, and Apelles, and others
whom it would be long to reckon up. But the Church,
which is founded by the Lord s word upon the rock, sending
forth, like Paradise, its four streams, has four corners and four
rings, by which as the ark of the covenant, and the guardian
of the Law of the Lord, it is carried about on moveable u
b These apocryphal compositions date. One is still extant and is one of
are elsewhere mentioned by Clement the two Gospels of our Saviour s infancy,
Alex. (Strom, iii. p. 539, 553.) Ori- which seem to be the work of the Gnos-
gen (in Luc. i.) Eusebius (Hist. iii. tics. The Gospel according to the
25.) Pseudo-Athanasius (Synops. 76.) Twelve Apostles seems to be the same
Cyril (Catech.iv. 36. vi.31.) Epiphanius as the celebrated Gospel according to
(Hser. 62. n. 2.) Ambrose (in Luc. i.2.) the Nazarenes, or Hebrews, supposed
and Pope Gelasius in his Decree. to have been prior to the inspiredGospels,
The Gospel according to the Egyp- and afterwards corrupted by the Ebion-
tians is supposed to be one of the works ites. Basilides was a Gnostic, and
referred to in the beginning of St. Luke. Apelles a Marcionite, Little is known
Tt was afterwards used by the Gnostics of the Gospels according to Matthias,
andSabellians in their defence. There and Bartholomew ; the former seems to
seem to have been several Gospels ac- have been of Gnostic origin,
cording to Thomas, one ascribed to a c Some read immobilibus.
disciple of Manes ; one of an earlier
ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW.
staves. AUG. Or, Because there are four quarters of Aug.
the world, through the whole of which Christ s Church is ^^
extended. In learning and preaching they had a different 2.
order from that they had in writing. In learning and
preaching they ranked first who followed the Lord present
in the flesh, heard Him teaching, saw Him acting, and by His
mouth were sent to preach the Gospel ; but in penning the
Gospel, an order which we must suppose to have been fixed
by Heaven, the first place, and the last place were filled out
of the number of those whom the Lord chose before His
passion, the first by Matthew, the last by John ; so that the
other two, who were not of that number, but who yet followed
Christ speaking in them, were embraced as sons, and placed
in the middle between the other two, so as to be supported by
them on both sides. REMIGIUS ; Matthew wrote in Judaea
in the time of the Emperor Caius Caligula; Mark in Italy, at
Rome, in the time of Nero or Claudius, according to Raba-
nus ; Luke in the parts of Achaia and Bseotia, at the request
of Theophilus ; John at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, under Nerva.
BEDE; But though there were four Evangelists, yet what they
wrote is not so much four Gospels, as one true harmony of
four books. For as two verses having the same substance, noa occ
but different words and different metre, yet contain one and
the same matter, so the books of the Evangelists, though
four in number, yet contain one Gospel, teaching one doc
trine of the Catholic faith. CHRYSOST. It had indeed been^,-
enough that one Evangelist should have written all; but* Jbisu P-
whereas four speak all things as with one mouth, and that
neither from the same place nor at the same time, nor having
met and discoursed together, these things are the greatest
test of truth. It is also a mark of truth, that in some small
matters they seem to disagree. For had their agreement been
complete throughout, adversaries might have supposed that it
was by a human collusion that this was brought about.
Indeed in essentials which pertain to direction of life, and
preaching the failh, they do not differ in the least thing. And
if in their accounts of miracles, one tells it in one way, another
in another, let not this disturb you; but think that if one had
told all, the other three would have been a needless superfluity;
had they all written different things, there would have been no
6 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL
room for proof of their harmony. And if their account differs
in times or modes, this does not hinder the truth of the facts
themselves which they relate, as shall be shewn below.
Aug. AUG. Though each seems to have followed an order of
sup narration of his own, yet we do not find any one of them
writing as if in ignorance of his predecessor, or that he left
out some things which he did not know, which another was
to supply ; but as each had inspiration, he gave accordingly
the cooperation of his own not unnecessary labour.
Gloss. GLOSS. But the sublimity of the Gospel doctrine consists,
first, in its preeminent authority. AUG. For among all
the Divine instruments which are contained in Holy Writ,
the Gospel has justly the most excellent place ; its first
preachers were the Apostles who had seen the Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ present in the flesh ; and some of
them, that is, Matthew and John, published each a book of
such things as seemed good to be published concerning Him.
And that it should not be supposed, that, as far as relates
to receiving and preaching the Gospel, it makes any dif
ference whether it is announced by those who followed Him
during His sojourn in the flesh, or by those who faithfully
believed what they heard from others, it is provided by Divine
Providence through the Holy Spirit 1 , that a commission, as
well of writing as of preaching the Gospel, should be bestowed
on some out of the number of those that followed the first
Apostles. GLOSS. And thus it is clear that the sublimity of
the authority of the Gospel is derived from Christ; this is proved
by the words of the Prophet cited above, Go up to the top of the
mountain. For Christ is that Mountain of whom the same
Is. 2, 2. Isaiah speaks, And there shall be in the last days a mountain
prepared., the house of the Lord in the top of the mountains ;
that is, upon all the saints who from Christ the Mountain are
also called mountains; for of His fulness have we all received.
And rightly is that, Go thou up upon a high mountain, ad
dressed to Matthew, who, as had been foretold, in his own
person saw the deeds of Christ, and heard His doctrine.
Aug. AUG. This should be considered which to many presents
E e V anj! a S reat difficulty, why the Lord Himself wrote nothing, so
that we are obliged to give our belief to others who wrote
d A clause is inserted here from the original to complete the sense.
ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 7
of Him. GLOSS. But we ought not to say that He wrote
nothing, seeing His members have written those things
which they learned by the dictation of their Head. For
whatever He would have us to read concerning His
actions or His words, that He enjoined upon them to
write as His own hands.
GLOSS. Secondly, the Evangelic doctrine has sublimity of
strength; whence the Apostle says, The Gospel is the poiverKom. \,
of God to the salvation of all that believe. The Prophet also
shews this in the foregoing words, Lift Up thy voice with
might; which further marks out the manner of evangelic
teaching, by that raising the voice which gives clearness to the
doctrine. AUG. For the mode in which Holy Scripture is put Au-r.
together, is one accessible to all, but thoroughly entered into? olu$<
by few. The things it shews openly ? it doth as a familiar friend Ep. 3.
without guile speaking to the heart of the unlearned, as the
learned. The things it veils in mysteries, it does not deck
out in lofty speech, to which a slow and unlearned soul would
not dare to approach, as a poor man would not to a rich ;
but in lowly phrase it invites all, whom it not only feeds
with plain truth, but exercises in hidden knowledge ; for
it has matter of both. But that its plain things might
not be despised, these very same things it again withholds ;
being withheld they become as new ; and thus become
new they are again pleasingly expressed. Thus all tempers
have here what is meet for them ; the bad are corrected,
the weak are strengthened, the strong are gratified. GLOSS.
But because the voice when raised on high is heard further
off, by the raising of the voice may be denoted the pub
lication of the Gospel doctrine; because it is given to be
preached not to one nation only, but to all nations. The
Lord speaks, Preach the Gospel to every creature. GREGORY ;
By every creature may be meant the Gentiles. Matt.
GLOSS. The Evangelic doctrine has, thirdly, the loftiness of Ho mil.
liberty. AUG. Under the Old Testament because of the pro- ! 2 n 8 Evan<
mise of temporal goods and the threatening of temporal evils, Aug.
the temporal Jerusalem begets slaves ; but under the New
Testament, where faith requires love, by which the Law Le is et
can be fulfilled not more through fear of punishment, than 17.
from love of righteousness, the eternal Jerusalem begets
con.
ver.
8 PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW.
freemen. GLOSS. This excellence of the Gospel doctrine the
Prophet describes when he says, Cry aloud , fear not.
It remains to see to whom, and for what purpose, this Gospel
Hier. was written. JEROME ; Matthew published his Gospel in
^ og * Judeea, in the Hebrew tongue, for the sake of those of the Jews
Euseb. wno believed in Jerusalem. GLOSS. For having first preached
Ordina- ^ e Gospel i Judaea, being minded to pass to the Gentiles,
ria. he first put in writing a Gospel in Hebrew, and left it as a
memorial to those brethren from whom he w^as departing.
For as it was necessary that the Gospel should be preached
for confirmation of the faith, so was it necessary that it
Pseudo- should be written to oppose heretics. PsEupp-CHgys.
Comm Matthew has arranged his narrative in a regular series of
in Matt, events. First, the birth, secondly, the baptism, thirdly, the
} g temptation, fourthly, the teachings, fifthly, the miracles, sixthly,
the passion, seventhly, the resurrection, and lastly, the ascension
of Christ ; desiring by this not only to set forth the history
of Christ, but to teach the order of evangelic life. It is nought
that we are born of our parents, if we be not reborn again of
God by water and the Spirit. After baptism we must resist
the Devil. Then being as it were superior to all temptation,
he is made fit to teach, and if he be a priest let him teach,
and commend his teaching, as it were, by the miracles of a
good life ; if he be lay, let him teach faith by his works. In
the end we must take our departure from the stage of this
world, and there remains that the reward of resurrection and
glory follow the victory over temptation.
GLOSS. From what has been said then, we understand the
title Gospel, the substance of the Gospel doctrine, the emblems
of the writers of the Gospel, their number, their time, language,
discrepancy and arrangement ; the sublimity of the Gospel
doctrine ; to whom this Gospel is addressed, and the method
of its arrangement.
COMMENTARY
ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
ST. MATTHEW.
CHAP. I.
Ver. 1. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,
the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.
JEROME ; The face of a man (in Ezeldel s vision) signifies Ez. i. 5.
Matthew, who accordingly opens his Gospel with the human
genealogy of Christ. RABANUS ; By this exordium he shews in
that it is the birth of Christ according to the flesh that
has undertaken to narrate. PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM; Matthew p se udo-
wrote for the Jews, and in Hebrew 3 ; to them it was unne-
, . , ,. . . , . , , Homil.
cessary to explain the divinity which they recognized; but in Matt.
necessary to unfold the mystery of the Incarnation. John Hom< K
wrote in Greek for the Gentiles who knew nothing of a
Son of God. They required therefore to be told first, that
the Son of God was God, then that this Deity was in
carnate. JlABANUS ; Though the genealogy occupies only
a small part of the volume, he yet begins thus, The book of
the generation. For it is the manner of the Hebrews to name
their books from that with which they open ; as Genesis.
GLOSS. The full expression would be This is the book o/Gloss.
the generation; but this is a usual ellipse; e. g. The vision of
Isaiah, for, This is the vision. Generation, he says in the
singular number, though there be many here given in succes
sion, as it is for the sake of the one generation of Christ that
the rest are here introduced. CHRYSOSTOM; Or he therefore Chrys.
entitles it, The book of the generation , because this is the sum JJ m
of the whole dispensation, the_root of all its blessings ; viz. Horn. ii.
a It seems to be the general witness written before or after the Greek.
of antiquity that there was a Hebrew This Hebrew copy was interpolated by
copy of St. Matthew s Gospel, whether the Ebionites.
Ordina-
ria.
10 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
that God became man ; for this once effected, all other things
followed of course. RABANUS ; He says, The book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, because he knew it was written,
t The book of the generation of Adam. He begins thus
then, that he may oppose book to book, the new Adam
to the old Adam, for by the one were all things restored
Hier. which had been corrupted by the other. JEROME; We read
inMatt. i n Isaiah, Who shall declare His generation ? But it does not
ch. i. follow that the Evangelist contradicts the Prophet, or under-
takes what he declares impossible; for Isaiah is speaking of
the generation of the Divine nature ; St. Matthew of the in
carnation of the human. CHRYS. And do not consider this
genealogy a small thing to hear : for truly it is a marvellous
thing that God should descend to be born of a woman, and
to have as His ancestors David and Abraham. REMIGIUS ;
Though any affirm that the prophet (Isaiah) does speak of His
human generation, we need not answer to his enquiry, Who
shall declare it ? " No man;" but, " Very few ;" because Matthew
and Luke have. RABANUS; By saying, of Jesus Christ, he
expresses both the kingly and priestly office to be in Him,
for Jesus, who first bore this name, was after Moses, the first
who was leader of the children of Israel; and Aaron, anointed
by the mystical ointment, was the first priest under the
Hil. Law. HILARY ; What God conferred on those, who, by the
Nov Vt a nom ting of oil were consecrated as kings or priests, this
Vet. the Holy Spirit conferred on the Man Christ ; adding rnore-
49. S * over a purification. The Holy Spirit cleansed that which taken
of the Virgin Mary was exalted into the Body of the Saviour,
and this is that anointing of the Body of the Saviour s flesh
whence He was called Christ 6 . Because the impious craft
of the Jews denied that Jesus was born of the seed of David,
he adds, The son of David, the son of Abraham. CHRYS.
b This passage is from a work com- being made a Temple of the Word
monly ascribed to Hilary the Deacon, united to it bodily, as Paul says."
The Fathers bear out its doctrine. Cyril Alex. lib. v. in Joann. p. 992. In
e. g. " Since the flesh is not holy like manner Gregory of Nazianzus
in itself, therefore it was sanctified speaks of " the Father of the True and
even in Christ, the Word which dwelt really Anointed (Christ), whom He has
in it, through the Holy Ghost, sanctify- anointed with the oil of gladness above
ing His own Temple, and changing it His fellows, anointing the manhood
into the energy of His own Nature, with the Godhead, so as to make both
For therefore is Christ s Body under- one." Orat. 5. fin.
stood to be both holy and hallowing, as
VER. 1. ST. MATTHEW. 11
But why would it not have been enough to name one of them,
David alone, or Abraham alone ? Because the promise had
been made to both of Christ to be born of their seed. To
Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth Gen. 22,
be blessed. To David, Of the fruit of thy body will I set ^ 137
upon thy seat. He therefore calls Christ the Son of both, n.
to shew that in Him was fulfilled the promise to both. Also
because Christ was to have three dignities ; King, Prophet,
Priest ; but Abraham was prophet and priest ; priest, as God
says to him in Genesis, Take an heifer; Prophet, as the Lord Gen. 15,
said to Abimelech concerning him, He is a prophet, and shall ^ 2Q
pray for thee. David was king and prophet, but not priest. 7.
Thus He is expressly called the son of both, that the three
fold dignity of His forefathers might be recognized by here
ditary right in Christ. AMBROSE ; He therefore names Ambros.
specially two authors of His birth one who received thejj 1 .^" 5
promise concerning the kindreds of the people, the other who
obtained the oracle concerning the generation of Christ ; and
though he is later in order of succession is yet first named,
inasmuch as it is greater to have received the promise con
cerning Christ than concerning the Church, which is through
Christ; for greater is He who saves than that which is saved.
JEROME. The order of the names is inverted, but of necessity
for had he written Abraham first, and David afterwards, he
would have to repeat Abraham again to preserve the series
of the genealogy. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Another reason is that
royal dignity is above natural, though Abraham was first in
time, yet David in honour.
GLOSS. But since from this title it appears that the whole book
is concerning Jesus Christ, it is necessary first to know what we
must think concerning Him; for so shall be better explained
what this book relates of Him. AUG. Cerinthus then and Ebion Aug.
made Jesus Christ only man ; Paul of Samosata, following jj e HaB J
them, asserted Christ not to have had an existence from eternity,
but to have begun to be from His birth of the Virgin Mary ;
he also thought Him nothing more than man. This heresy
was afterwards confirmed by Photinus. PSEUDO-ATHAN. The Vigil.
Apostle John, seeing long before by the Holy Spirit this^j 1 ^" 3
man s madness, rouses him from his deep sleep of error by </ Ben.
the preaching of his voice, saying, In the beginning was the p
12 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
John l, Word. He therefore, who in the beginning was with God,
could not in this last time take the beginning of His being
from man. He says further, (let Photinus hear his words,)
3d 11, Father, glorify Me tvith that glory which I had with Thee
Aug. de before the icorld was. AUG. The error of Nestorius was,;
Hares. that h e taught that a man only was born of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, whom the Word of God received not into Unity of person
and inseparable fellowship ; a doctrine which Catholic ears
Cyr. could not endure. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA ; Saith the Apostle
Mo n a- of the Only -begotten, Who being in the form of God, thought it
chos no robbery to be equal with God. Who then is this who is
Phil. 2, in the form of God ? or how emptied He Himself, and
humbled Himself to the likeness of man ? If the above!
mentioned heretics dividing Christ into two parts, i. e. the
Man and the Word, affirm that it was the Man that was
emptied of glory, they must first shew what form and equality
with the Father are understood to be, and did exist, which
might suffer any manner of emptying. But there is no
creature, in its own proper nature, equal with the Father; how^
then can any creature be said to be emptied ? or from what
eminence to descend to become man ? Or how can he bd
understood to have taken upon Him, as though He had not
at first, the form of a servant ? But, they say, the Word being,
equal with the Father dwelt in Man born of a woman, and
this is the emptying. I hear the Son truly saying to the
John 14, Holy Apostles, If any man love Me, lie will keep My saying i
and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and
make Our abode with him. Hear how He saith that He and
the Father will dwell in them that love Him. Do you then
suppose that we shall grant that He is there emptied of His
glory, and has taken upon Him the form of a servant, when
He makes His abode in the hearts of them that love Him?
Or the Holy Spirit, does He fulfil an assumption of human
Isid. flesh, when He dwells in our hearts ? ISIDORE ; But not
lib^iv. to mention all arguments, let us bring forward that one to
166. which all arguments point, that, for one who was God to
assume a lowly guise both has an obvious use, and is an
adaptation and in nothing contradicts the course of nature.
But for one who is man to speak things divine and super
natural is the highest presumption ; for though a king may
VER. 1. ST. MATTHEW. 13
humble himself a common soldier may not take on him the
state of an emperor. So, if He were God made man, all lowly
things have place ; but if mere man, high things have none.
AUG. Sabellius they say was a disciple of Noetus, who taught Aug.
that the same Christ was one and the same Father and Holy
Spirit. PSEUDO-ATHAN. The audaciousness of this most insane 4 1.
error I will curb by the authority of the heavenly testimonies, /than?"
and demonstrate the distinct personality of the proper substance X 1 ^
of the Son. I shall not produce things which are liable to be ^kid.
explained away as agreeable to the assumption of human P- 644< )
nature ; but shall offer such passages as all will allow to be
decisive in proof of His divine nature. In Genesis we find
God saying, Let Us make man in Our own Image. By this
plural number shewing, that there was some other person to
whom He spoke. Had He been one, He would have been said
to have made Him in His own Image, but there is another;
and He is said to have made man in the Image of that other.
GLOSS. Others denied the reality of Christ s human na- Gloss.
ture. Valentinus said, that Christ sent from the Father, non occ<
carried about a spiritual or celestial body, and took nothing
of the Virgin, but passed through her as through a channel,
taking nothing of her flesh. But we do not therefore believe
Him to have been born of the Virgin, because by no other
means He could have truly lived in the flesh, and appeared
among men ; but because it is so written in the Scripture,
which if we believe not we cannot either be Christians, or be
saved. But even a body taken of spiritual, or ethereal, or
clayey substance, had He willed to change into the true and
very quality of human flesh, who will deny His power to do
this ? The Manichgeans said that the Lord Jesus Christ was
a phantasm, and could not be born of the womb of a woman.
ButifJ:he body of Christ was a phantasm, He was a deceiver,
and if a deceiver, then He was not the truth. But Christ is
the Truth ; therefore His Body was not a phantasm. GLOSS- Gloss.
Snd as the opening both of this Gospel, and of that according non occ>
to Luke, manifestly proves Christ s birth of a woman, and
hence His real humanity, they reject the beginning of both AU*.
these Gospels. AUG. Faustus affirms, that " the Gospel cont -
both begins, and begins to be so called, from the preaching ofii. i.
14 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Christ c , in which He no where affirms Himself to have been
born of men. Nay, so far is this genealogy from being part
of the Gospel, that the writer does not venture so to entitle it;
beginning, The book of the generation, not f The book of the
Gospel. Mark again, who cared not to write of the genera
tion, but only of the preaching of the Son of God, which is
properly The Gospel, begins thus accordingly, The Gospel of
Jesus Christ the Son of God. Thus then, all that we read in
Matt. 4, Matthew before the words, Jesus began to preach the Gospel
of the kingdom, is a part of the genealogy, not of the Gospel.
I therefore betook myself to Mark and John, with whose
prefaces I had good reason to be satisfied, as they introduce
neither David, nor Mary, nor Joseph." To which Augustine
2 Tim. replies, What will he say then to the Apostle s words, Remem-
2 8 * ber the resurrection of Jesus Christ of the seed of David
according to my Gospel. But the Gospel of the Apostle Paul
was likewise that of the other Apostles, and of all the faithful,
as he says, Whether I, or they, thus have we preached the
Gospel.
Auor. AUG. The Arians will not have the Father, Son, and Holy
49. F Spirit, to be of one and the same substance, nature, and!
existence ; but that the Son is a creature of the Father, and the
Holy Spirit a creature of a creature, i. e. created by the Son ;
further, they think that Christ took the flesh without a soul.
Id. de But John declares the Son to be not only God, but even of
Tnn.i.6. fa Q same substance as the Father ; for when he had said, The
Word was God, he added, all things were made by Him ;
whence it is clear that He was not made by Whom all things
were made ; and if not made, then not created ; and therefore
of one substance with the Father, for all that is not of one
Id. com. substance with the Father is creature. I know not what
13> benefit the person of the Mediator has conferred upon us, if
Pie redeemed not our better part, but took upon Him our flesh
only, which without the soul cannot have consciousness of the
benefit. But if Christ came to save that which had perished,
The Ebionites, as well as the Mani- St. Luke. Epiph. Hser. xlii. 11. But
chees, rejected the beginning of St. what exact portion they rejected is
Matthew, vid. Epiphan. Haer. xxx. 13. doubtful.
And the Marcionites the beginning of
VER. 1. ST. MATTHEW. 15
the whole man had perished, and therefore needs a Saviour ;
Christ then in coming saves the whole man, taking on Him
both soul and body. How too do they answer innumerable id. Lib.
objections from the Gospel Scriptures, in which the Lord^ 3 ^
speaks so many things manifestly contrary to them? as is that, q. so.
My soul is sorrowful even unto death., and, I have power to lay Matt.26,
down My life; and many more things of the like kind. Should j^ n 10>
they say that He spoke thus in parables, we have at hand 18.
proofs from the Evangelists themselves, who in relating His
actions, bear witness as to the reality of His body, so of His
soul, by mention of passions which cannot be without a soul;
as when they say, Jesus wondered, was angry, and others of
like kind. The Apollinarians also as the Arians affirmed that Id. de
Christ had taken the human flesh without the soul. But^ 5 * res *
overthrown on this point by the weight of Scripture proof,
they then said that that part which is the rational soul of man
was wanting to the soul of Christ, and that its place was rilled
by the Word itself. But if it be so, then we must believe
that the Word of God took on Him the nature of some brute
with a human shape and appearance. But even concerning
the nature of Christ s body, there are some who have so far
swerved from the right faith, as to say, that the flesh and the
Word were of one and the same substance, most perversely
insisting on that expression, The Word was made flesh; which
they interpret that some portion of the Word was changed into
flesh, not that He took to Him flesh of the flesh of the Virgin 1 .
CYRIL. We account those persons mad who have suspected Cyr.
that so much as the shadow of change could take place in the j p a n ad
nature of the Divine Word ; it abides what it ever was, neither A ntioch.
is nor can be changed. LEO; We do not speak of Christ Ep.ioV.
as man in such a sort as to allow that any thing was wanting Leo.
to Him, which it is certain pertains to human nature, whether 59"^
soul, or rational mind, or flesh, and flesh such as was taken of Const,
the Woman, not gained by a change or conversion of the Word 33] a j*
into flesh. These three several errors, that thrice false heresy Palest.
of the Apollinarists has brought forward. Eutyches also
chose out this third dogma of Apollinaris, which denying
A Some of the Apollinarians thus held, doctrine was afterwards ascribed to the
vid. Nyssen. vol. ii. p. 694. A. Theodor. Eutychians, vid. Vigil. Taps, in Eutych.
Eranist. p. 174. ed. Schulz. The same iv. theod. Hser. iv. 13.
16 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I. :
the verity of the human body and soul, maintained that our
Lord Jesus Christ was wholly and entirely of one nature, as
though the Divine Word had changed itself into flesh and
soul, and as though the conception, birth, growth, and such
like, had been undergone by that Divine Essence, which was
incapable of any such changes with the very and true flesh ;
for such as is the nature of the Only-begotten, such is the
nature of the Father, and such is the nature of the Holy
Ghost, both impassible and eternal. But if to avoid being
driven to the conclusion that the Godhead could feel suf
fering and death, he departs from the corruption of Apollinaris,
and should still dare to affirm the nature of the incarnate
Word, that is of the Word and the flesh, to be the same, he
clearly falls into the insane notions of Manichaeus and Marcion,
and believes that the Lord Jesus Christ did all His actions
with a false appearance, that His body was not a human
body, but a phantasm, which imposed on the eyes of the
Id. Ep. beholders. But what Eutyches ventured to pronounce as an
Julian, episcopal decision, that in Christ before His incarnation were
two natures, but after His incarnation only one, it behoved
that he should have been urgently pressed to give the reason
of this his belief. I suppose that in using such language he
supposed the soul which the Saviour took, to have had its
abode in heaven before it was bom of the Virgin Mary*.
This Catholic hearts and ears endure not, for that the Lord
when He came down from heaven shewed nothing of the
condition of human nature, nor did He take on Him any soul
that had existed before, nor any flesh that was not taken of
the flesh of His mother. Thus what was justly condemned
in Origen f , must needs be rebuked in Eutyches, to wit, that
our souls before they were placed in our bodies had actions
not only wonderful but various. REMIG. These heresies
therefore the Apostles overthrow in the opening of their
Gospels, as Matthew in relating how He derived His descent
from the kings of the Jews proves Him to have been truly
man and to have had true flesh. Likewise Luke, when he
e This opinion, which involves Nesto- Leont. de Sectis 7 init.
rianism, the opposite error to Eutychi- { Vid. Origen. in Joan. t. i. n. 37.
anism or Monophysitism, is imputed to t. xx. n. 17. Periarch. ii. 6. n. 4. in
Eutyches by Fir -dan, ap. Leon. Ep. xxii. Gels. i. 32, 33.
3. Ephnem, Antioch. ap Phot. p. 805.
VER. 2. ST. MATTHEW. 17
describes the priestly stock and person ; Mark when he says,
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God;
and John when he says, In the beginning was the Word;
both shew Him to have been before all ages God, with God
the Father.
2. Abraham begat Isaac ; and Isaac begat Jacob ;
and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren.
AUG. Matthew, by beginning with Christ s genealogy, Aug.
shews that he has undertaken to relate Christ s birth according
to the flesh. But Luke, as rather describing Him as a Priest l-
for the atonement of sin, gives Christ s genealogy not in the
beginning of his Gospel, but at His baptism, when John bare
that testimony, Lo, He that taketh away the sins of the world. John l,
In the genealogy of Matthew is figured to us the taking on 2
Him of our sins by the Lord Christ; in the genealogy of
Luke, the taking away of our sins by the same; hence Matthew
gives them in a descending, Luke in an ascending, series.
But Matthew, describing Christ s human generation in de
scending order, begins his enumeration with Abraham.
AMBROSE ; For Abraham was the first who deserved the Ambros.
witness of faith; He believed God, and it was accounted to ca ,3.
him for righteousness. It behoved therefore that he should Ilb - *
be set forth as the first in the line of descent, who was the
first to deserve the promise of the restoration of the Church,
In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. And it
is again brought to a period in David, for that Jesus should
be called his Son; hence to him is preserved the privilege,
that from him should come the beginning of the Lord s
genealogy. CHRYSOST. Matthew then, desiring to preserve Chrys.
in memory the lineage of the Lord s humanity through the
succession of His parents, begins with Abraham, saying,
Abraham begat Isaac. Why does he not mention Ismael,
his first-born ? And again, Isaac begat Jacob ; why does he
not speak of Esau his first-born ? Because through them he
could not have come down to David. GLOSS. Yet he names Gloss,
all the brethren of Judah with him in the lineage. Ismael
and Esau had not remained in the worship of the true God ;
but the brethren of Judah were reckoned in God s people.
VOL. i. c
18 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I,
Chrys. CHRYSOST. Or, he names all the twelve Patriarchs that he may
Hom<m * lower that pride which is drawn from aline of noble ancestry.
For many of these were born of maidservants, and yet were
Patriarchs and heads of tribes. GLOSS, But Judah is the
only one mentioned by name, and that because the Lord was
descended from him only. But in each of the Patriarchs we
must note not their history only, but the allegorical and moral
meaning to be drawn from them ; allegory, in seeing whom
each of the Fathers foreshewed; moral instruction in that
through each one of the Fathers some virtue may be edified
in us either through the signification of his name, or through
his example-. Abraham is in many respects a figure of Christ,
and chiefly in his name, which is interpreted the Father of
many nations, and Christ is Father of many believers.
Abraham moreover went out from his own kindred, and abode
in a strange land ; in like manner Christ, leaving the Jewish
nation, went by His preachers throughout the Gentiles.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Isaac is interpreted l - laughter, but the
laughter of the saints is not the foolish convulsion of the
lips, but the rational joy of the heart, which was the
mystery of Christ. For as he was granted to his parents
in their extreme age to their great joy, that it might be
known that he was not the child of nature, but of grace,
thus Christ also in this last time came of a Jewish mother
to be the joy of the whole earth; the one of a virgin, the
other of a woman past the age, both contrary to the expecta
tion of nature. REMIG. Jacob is interpreted supplanter,
P S> is, and it is said of Christ, Thou hast cast down beneath Me them
43 - that rose up against Me. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Our Jacob in
like manner begot the twelve Apostles in the Spirit, not in the
flesh ; in word, not in blood. Judah is interpreted ( confessor,
for he was a type of .Christ who was to be the confessor of
His Father, as He spake, / confess to Thee, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth. GLOSS. Morally; Abraham signifies
to us the virtue of faith in Christ, as an example himself, as it
g Origen considered that there were iv. p. 168. By the moral sense is meant,
three senses of Scripture, the literal as the name " implies, a practical appli-
or historical, the moral, and the mysti- cation of the text; by mystical, one
cal or spiritual, corresponding to the which interprets it of the invisible and
three parts of man, body, soul, and the spiritual world,
spirit. Horn, in Levit. v. 5. de Princir).
VER. 3 6. ST. MATTHEW. 19
is said of him, Abraham believed God, and it icas accounted unto
Him for righteousness. Isaac may represent hope ; for Isaac
is interpreted c laughter, 1 as he was the joy of his parents ;
and hope is our joy, making us to hope for eternal blessings
and to joy in them. AbraJtam begat Isaac, and faith begets
hope. Jacob signifies love/ for love embraces two lives ;
active in the love of our neighbour, contemplative in the love
of God ; the active is signified by Leah, the contemplative by
Rachel. For Leah is interpreted labouring 1 , for she is active
in labour; Rachel* having seen the beginning, because by
the contemplative, the beginning, that is God, is seen. Jacob
is born of two parents, as love is born of faith and hope ; for
what we believe, we both hope for and love.
36. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar ;
and Phares begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram ;
and Aram begat Aminadab ; and Aminadab begat
Naasson ; and Naasson begat Salmon ; and Salmon
begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth;
and Obed begat Jesse ; and Jesse begat David the
king.
GLOSS. Passing over the other sons of Jacob, the Evangelist
follows the family of Judah, saying, But Judah begat Phares .
and Zara of Thamar. AUG. Neither was Judah himself a Aug.
first-born, nor of these two sons was either his first-born ; he^p 1 ^
had already had three before them. So that he keeps in that 15.
line of descent, by which he shall arrive at David, and from
him whither he purposed. JEROME ; It should be noted,
that none of the holy women are taken into the Saviour s
genealogy, but rather such as Scripture has condemned, that
He who came for sinners being born of sinners might so put
away the sins of all ; thus Ruth the Moabitess follows among
the rest. AMBROSE ; But Luke has avoided the mention of Ambros.
these, that he might set forth the series of the priestly race J, n ^ uc *
immaculate. But the plan of St. Matthew did not exclude the
h Leah full of labour, Jerom. de 38. &c.) Jerom. ibid, who also gives the
nomin. Hebr. from JIN^, to weary one s interpretation in the text, from
self. and ^|-j (nbnn beginning.)
1 Rachel, an ewe, (as Gen. xxxi,
20 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
righteousness of natural reason ; for when he wrote in his
Gospel, that He who should take on Him the sins of all, was
born in the flesh, was subject to wrongs and pain, he did not
think it any detraction from His holiness that He did not refuse
the further humiliation of a sinful parentage. Nor, again, would
it shame the Church to be gathered from among sinners, when
the Lord Himself was born of sinners ; and, lastly, that the be
nefits of redemption might have their beginning with His own
forefathers : and that none might imagine that a stain in their
blood was any hindrance to virtue, nor again any pride them
selves insolently on nobility of birth. CHRYSOST. Besides
this, it shews that all are equally liable to sin ; for here is
Thamar accusing Judah of incest, and David begat Solomon
with a woman with whom he had committed adultery. But
if the Law was not fulfilled by these great ones, neither could
it be by their less great posterity, and so all have sinned, and
Ambros. the presence of Christ is become necessary. AMBROSE ;
sup Observe that Matthew does not name both without a meaning;
for though the object of his writing only required the mention
of Phares, yet in the twins a mystery is signified ; namely,
the double life of the nations, one by the Law, the other by
Faith. PSEUDO-CHRYS. By Zarah is denoted the people
of the Jews, which first appeared in the light of faith, coming
out of the dark womb of the world, and was therefore marked
with the scarlet thread of the circumciser, for all supposed that
they were to be God s people ; but the Law was set before
their face as it had been a wall or hedge. Thus the Jews
were hindered by the Law, but in the times of Christ s coming
the hedge of the Law was broken down that was between Jews
Eph. 2, and Gentiles, as the Apostle speaks, Breaking down the middle
wall of partition ; and thus it fell out that the G entiles, who were
signified by Phares, as soon as the Law was broken through by
Christ s commandments, first entered into the faith, and after fol
lowed the Jews. GLOSS. Judah begat Phares and Zarah before
he went in to Egypt, whither they both accompanied their father.
In Egypt, Phares begat Esrom ; and Esrom begat Aram ;
Aram begat Aminadab ; Aminadab begat Naasson ; and
then Moses led them out of Egypt. Naasson was head of the
tribe of Judah under Moses in the desert, where he begat
Salmon ; and this Salmon it was who, as prince of the tribe
VER. 3 6. ST. MATTHEW. 21
of Judah, entered the land of promise with Joshua. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. But as we believe that the names of these Fathers
were given for some special reason under the providence of
God, it follows, but Naasson begat Salmon. This Salmon
after his father s death entered the promised land with Joshua
as prince of the tribe of Judah. He took a wife of the name of
Rahab. This Rahab is said to have been that Rahab the harlot
of Jericho who entertained the spies of the children of Israel,
and hid them safely. For Salmon being noble among the
children of Israel, inasmuch as he was of the tribe of Judah,
and son of the prince thereof, beheld Rahab so ennobled
through her great faith, that she was worthy whom he should
take to wife. Salmon is interpreted i receive a vessel V perhaps
as if invited in God s providence by his very name to receive
Rahab a vessel of election. GLOSS. This Salmon in the
promised land begat Booz of this Rahab. Booz begat Obeth
of Ruth. PSEUDO-CHRYS. How Booz took to wife a
Moabitess whose name was Ruth, I thought it needless to
tell, seeing the Scripture concerning them is open to all.
We need but say thus much, that Ruth married Booz for the
reward of her faith, for that she had cast off the gods of her
forefathers, and had chosen the living God. And Booz received
her to wife for reward of his faith, that from such sanctified wed
lock might be descended a kingly race. AMBROSE ; But how Ambros.
did Ruth who was an alien marry a man that was a Jew? and ublsu P-
wherefore in Christ s genealogy did His Evangelist so much as
mention a union, which in the eye of the law was bastard ?
Thus the Saviour s birth of a parentage not admitted by the
law appears to us monstrous, until we attend to that declara
tion of the Apostle, The Law was not given for the righteous, i Tim.
but for the unrighteous. For this woman who was an alien, lf 9 *
a Moabitess, a nation with whom the Mosaic Law forbad all
intermarriage, and shut them totally out of the Church, how
did she enter into the Church, unless that she were holy and
unstained in her life above the Law ? Therefore she was
exempt from this restriction of the Law, and deserved to be
numbered in the Lord s lineage, chosen from the kindred of
her mind, not of her body. To us she is a great example, for
Probably as if from ^D Ch. a vessel ; perhaps ^Q
22 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
that in her was prefigured the entrance into the Lord s Church
of all of us who are gathered out of the Gentiles. JEROME ;
Is. 16,1. Ruth the Moabitess fulfils the prophecy of Isaiah, Send forth,
O Lord) the Lamb that shall rule over the earth, out of the
rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion.
GLOSS. Jesse, the father of David, has two names, being
Is. ll,l. more frequently called Isai. But the Prophet says, There
shall come a rod from the stem of Jesse ; therefore to shew
that this prophecy was fulfilled in Mary and Christ, the
Evangelist puts Jesse. REMIG. It is asked, why this
epithet King is thus given by the holy Evangelist to
David alone ? Because he was the first king in the tribe
of Judah. Christ Himself is Phares f the divider^ as it
Mat. 25, is written, Thou shall divide the sheep from the goats; He
, is Zaram 1 , the east/ Lo the man, the east is His name ; He is
12. Esrom m , an arrow, He hath set me as a polished shaft.
Is. 49, 2. RABAN. Or following another interpretation, according to the
abundance of grace, and the width of love. He is n Aram the
Is. 42,1. c hosen, according to that, Behold my Servant whom I have
chosen. He is Aminadab, that is willing , in that He says,
Is. 54, 6. / will freely sacrifice to Thee. Also He is Naasson p , i. e.
augury, as He knows the past, the present, and the future ;
John 3, or, like a serpent, according to that, Moses lifted up lite
serpent in the wilderness. He is *> Salmon, i. e. that feeleth^
Luke 8, as He said, I feel that power is gone forth out of me.
GLOSS ; Christ Himself espouses Rahab, i. e. the Gentile
Church ; for Rahab r is interpreted either c hunger, or breadth,
or c might; for the Church of the Gentiles hungers and thirsts
after righteousness, and converts philosophers and kings by
the might of her doctrine. Ruth is interpreted either seeing
or c hastening 5 , and denotes the Church which in purity of
heart sees God, and hastens to the prize of the heavenly call.
REMIG. Christ is also Booz , because He is strength, for,
1 rnt; in Zech. 6, 12. it is llDtf. q And so Jerome.
m n-lJfn, as if from m, and so 3ni, to be wide or broad. [ 3rn
Jerome. mi g ht 3IH hunger].
n r- 1*"! to be lofty, vid. infr. p. 23. s And so Jerome, from nXI,, ar "d
ZH3 *D# My people is willing, Je- perhaps p-j for the second,
rome; comp. nh"73 TJSp^, Ps. 110, 3. * And so Jerome; perhaps fj;:}
as if ?J73 " with
p lltfm, fromm to a "g ur from Ju activity; here,
wight."
serpents, and so Jerome.
VER. 3 6. ST. MATTHEW. 23
When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me. He is John 12,
Ort
Obeth, <a servant", for, the Son of man came not to ^ Mat. 20
ministered unto, but to minister. He is Jesse, or burnt", 28.
for, / am come to send fire on earth. He is David y , mighty L u i cel2 ,
in arm, for, the Lord is great and powerful ; desirable, 4 9-
for, He shall come, the Desire of all nations ; i beautiful to Hag ^
behold, according to that, Beautiful inform before the sons oft-
men. GLOSS. Let us now see what virtues they be which
these fathers edify in us ; for faith, hope, and charity are the
foundation of all virtues ; those that follow are like additions
over and above them. Judah is interpreted confession, of
which there are two kinds, confession of faith, and of sin. If
then, after we be endowed with the three forementioned
virtues, we sin, confession not of faith only but of sin is
needful for us. Phares is interpreted division, Zamar
* the east, and Thamar bitterness 2 . Thus confession begets
separation from vice, the rise of virtue, and the bitterness
pTrepentance. After Phares follows Esron, an arrow, for
when one is separated from vice and secular pursuits, he
should become a dart wherewith to slay by preaching the vices
of others. Aram is interpreted 4 elect or lofty 3 , for as soon
as one is detached from this world, and profiteth for another,
he must needs be held to be elect of God, famous amongst
men, high in virtue. Naasson is ( augury, but this augury is
of heaven, not of earth. It is that of which Joseph boasted
when he said, Ye have taken away the cup of my Lord, where- Gen. 44,
with He is wont to divine. The cup is the divine Scripture^
wherein is the draught of wisdom ; by this the wise man
divines, since in it he sees things future, that is, heavenly
things. Next is Salomon |J , that perceiveth, for he who studies
divine Scripture becomes perceiving, that is, he discerns by
the taste of reason, good from bad, sweet from bitter. Next
is Booz, that is brave, for who is well taught in Scripture
becomes brave to endure all adversity. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
This brave one is the son of Rahab, that is, of the Church ;
for Rahab signifies c breadth or spread out, for because the
u liTly Obed, and so Jerome. Jer. 31, 15. Hos. 12, 15.
x As if from tZ7H. 3 Lo % frora
*, -no
24 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Church of the Gentiles was called from all quarters of the
earth, it is called breadth. GLOSS. Then follows Obeth,
i. e. servitude/ for which none is fit but he who is strong;
and this servitude is begotten of Ruth, that is haste, for
it behoves a slave to be quick, not slow. PsEUDo-CHRYS.
They who look to wealth and not temper, to beauty and not
faith, and require in a wife such endowments as are required
in harlots, will not beget sons obedient to their parents or
to God, but rebellious to both ; that their children may be
punishment of their ungodly wedlock. Obeth begat Jesse,
that is 4 refreshment, for whoever is subject to God and his
parents, begets such children as prove his refreshment.
GLOSS. Or Jesse may be interpreted incense . For if
we serve God in love and fear, there will be a devotion in
the heart, which in the heat and desire of the heart offers the
sweetest incense to God. But when one is become a fit
servant, and a sacrifice of incense to God, it follows that he
becomes David, (i. e. of a strong hand, ) who fought mightily
against his enemies, and made the Idumeans tributary. In
like manner ought he to subdue carnal men to God by
teaching and example.
6 8. David the king begat Solomon of her that had
been the wife of Urias ; and Solomon begat Roboam ;
and Roboam begat Abia ; and Abia begat Asa ; and
Asa begat Josaphat.
The Evangelist has now finished the first fourteen genera
tions, and is come to the second, which consists of royal
personages, and therefore beginning with David, who was the
first king in the tribe of Judah, he calls him David the king.
Aug. AUG. Since in Matthew s genealogy is shewed forth the
C Q DS taking on Him by Christ of our sins > therefore he descends
Ev.ii.4.f rom David to Solomon, in whose mother David had sinned.
Luke ascends to David through Nathan, for through Nathan
the prophet God punished David s sin ; because Luke s
genealogy is to shew the putting away of our sins. ID. That
Ketract.
iji 16t - See bel. p. 29. n. i,
VER. 8 11. ST. MATTHEW. 25
is it, must be said, through a prophet of the same name, for
it was not Nathan the son of David who reproved him, but a
prophet of the same name. REMIG. Let us enquire why
Matthew does not mention Bathsheba by name as he does
the other women. Because the others, though deserving of
luuch blame, were yet commendable for many virtues. But
Bathsheba was not only consenting in the adultery, but in
the murder of her husband, hence her name is not introduced
in the Lord s genealogy. GLOSS. Besides, he does not name
Bathsheba, that, by naming Urias, he may recal to memory
that great wickedness which she was guilty of towards him.
AMBROSE. But the holy David is the more excellent in this, Ambros.
that he confessed himself to be but man, and neglected not to ublsup *
wash out with the tears of repentance the sin of which he
had been guilty, in so taking away Urias wife. Herein
shewing us that none ought to trust in his own strength, for
we have a mighty adversary whom we cannot overcome
without God s aid. And you will commonly observe very
heavy sins befalling to the share of illustrious men, that they
may not from their other excellent virtues be thought
more than men, but that you may see that as men they yield
to temptation. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Solomon is interpreted
( peace-maker, because having subdued all the nations
round about, and made them tributary, he had a peaceful
reign. Roboam is interpreted by a multitude of people,
for multitude is the mother of sedition ; for where many are
joined in a crime, that is commonly unpunishable. But a
limit in numbers is the mistress of good order.
8 1 1 . And Josaphat begat Joram ; and Joram begat
Ozias ; and Ozias begat Joatbam ; and Joatham
begat Achaz ; and Achaz begat Ezekias ; and Eze-
kias begat Manasses ; and Manasses begat Amon ;
and Amon begat Josias ; and Josias begat Jechonias
and his brethren, about the time they were carried
away to Babylon.
JEROME ; Tn the fourth book of Kings we read, that Ocho-
zias was the son of Joram. On his death, Josabeth, sister of
26 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II
Ochozias and daughter of Joram, took Joash, her brother s
son, and preserved him from the slaughter of the royal seed
by Athalias. To Joash succeeded his son Amasias; after
him his son Azarias, who is called Ozias ; after him his son
Joatham. Thus you see according to historical truth there
were three intervening kings, who are omitted by the
Evangelist. Joram, moreover, begot not Ozias, but Ocho
zias, and the rest as we have related. But because it was
the purpose of the Evangelist to make each of the three
periods consist of fourteen generations, and because Joram
had connected himself with Jezebel s most impious race,
therefore his posterity to the third generation is omitted in
tracing the lineage of the holy birth. HILARY. Thus the
stain of the Gentile alliance being purged, the royal race is
again taken up in the fourth following generation. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. What the Holy Spirit testified through the Prophet,
saying, that He would cut off every male from the house
of Ahab, and Jezebel, that Jehu the son of Nausi fulfilled,
and received the promise that his children to the fourth
generation should sit on the throne of Israel. As great
a blessing then as was given upon the house of Ahab, so
great a curse was given on the house of Joram, because of the
wicked daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, that his sons to the fourth
generation should be cut out of the number of the Kings.
Thus his sin descended on his posterity as it had been
Exod. written, / will visit the sins of the fathers upon the children
0> unto the third and fourth generation. Thus see how
dangerous it is to marry with the seed of the ungodly,
^jjl^ AUG. Or, Ochozias, Joash, and Amasias, were excluded
Amast. from the number, because their wickedness was continuous
j^ t tN and without interval. For Solomon was suffered to hold the
q. 85. kingdom for his father s deserts, Roboam for his son s. But
these three doing evil successively were excluded. This then
is an example how a race is cut off when wickedness is shewn
therein in perpetual succession. And Ozias begat Joatham ;
and Joatham begat Achaz ; and Achaz begat Ezekias.
GLOSS; This Ezekias was he to whom, when he had no
Is. 38,1. children, it was said, Set thy house in order, for thou shalt
die. He wept, not from desire of longer life, for he knew
that Solomon had thereby pleased God, that he had not
VER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 27
asked length of days; but he wept, for he feared that God s
promise should not be fulfilled, when himself, being in the
line of David of whom Christ should come, was without
children. And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses
begat Amon ; and Amon begat Josias. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But
the order in the Book of Kings is different, thus namely ; 2 Kings
Josias begot Eliakim, afterwards called Joakim; Joakim
begot Jechonias. But Joakim is not reckoned among the
Kings in the genealogy, because God s people had not
set him on the throne, but Pharaoh by his might. For
if it were just that only for their intermixture with the
race of Ahab, three kings should be shut out of the number
in the genealogy, was it not just that Joakim should be
likewise shut out, whom Pharaoh had set up as king by
hostile force ? And thus Jechonias, who is the son of Joakim,
and the grandson of Josiah, is reckoned among the kings as
the son of Josiah, in place of his father who is omitted.
JEROME. Otherwise, we may consider the first Jeconias to
be the same as Joakim, and the second to be the son not the
father, the one being spelt with k and m, the second by ch
arid n. This distinction has been confounded both by Greeks
and Latins, by the fault of writers and the lapse of time.
AMBROSE. That there were two kings of the name of Ambros.
Joakim, is clear from the Book of Kings. And Joakim slept 1 ^ L
with his fathers, and Joacldn his son reigned in his stead. 2 Kings
This son is the same whom Jeremiah calls Jeconias. And
rightly did St. Matthew purpose to differ from the Prophet,
because he sought to shew therein the great abundance of the
Lord s mercies. For the Lord did not seek among men
nobility of race, but suitably chose to be born of captives and
of sinners, as He came to preach remission of sin to the
captives. The Evangelist therefore did not conceal either of
these ; but rather shewed them both, inasmuch as both were
called Jeconias. REMIG. But it may be asked, why the
Evangelist says they were born in the carrying away, when
they were born before the carrying away. Fie says this because
they were born for this purpose, that they should be led
captive, from the dominion of the whole nation, for their own
and others sins. And because God foreknew that they were
28 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
to be carried away captive, therefore he says, they were born
in the carrying away to Babylon. But of those whom the
holy Evangelist places together in the Lord s genealogy, it
should be known, that they were alike in good or ill fame.
Judas and his brethren were notable for good, in like manner
Phares and Zara, Jechonias and his brethren, were notable
for evil. GLOSS. Mystically, David is Christ, who overcame
Golias, that is, the Devil. Urias, i. e. God is my light, is
I*. H, the Devil who says, / will be like the Highest. To Him the
Church was married, when Christ on the Throne of the
majesty of His Father loved her, and having made her
beautiful, united her to Himself in wedlock. Or Urias is the
Jewish nation who through the Law boasted of their light.
From them Christ took away the Law, having taught U<
to speak of Himself. Bersabee is the well of satiety, that
is, the abundance of spiritual grace. REMIG. Bersabee is
interpreted the seventh well, or the well of the oath c ; by
which is signified the grant of baptism, in which is given the
gift of the sevenfold Spirit, and the oath against the Devil ig
made. Christ is also Solomon, i. e. the peaceful, accord-
Eph. 2, ing to that of the Apostle, He is our peace. Roboam d
is, the breadth of the people, according to that, Marty shall
come from the East and from the West. RABAN. Or ; i the
might of the people, because he quickly converts the people
to the faith. REMIG. He is also Abias, that is, the Lord
Mat.23, Father, according to that, One is your Father who is in
John 13, heaven. And again, Ye call me Master and Lord. He is also
John i Asa e , that 1S > lifting u lV according to that, Who taketh awa
29. the sins of the world. He is also Josaphat, that is, judging,
22. n for, The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
John 3, H e is also Joram, that is, lofty, according to that, No man
hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from
heaven. He is also Ozias, that is, c the Lord s strength, for
Ps. 118, J7 ie Lord is my strength and my praise. He is also Jotham f ,
Rom. that is, completed, or perfected, for Christ is the end oj
10,4.
the well of the oath, ishness of the people, Ecclus. xlvii. 23.
the origin of the name is given, Gen. e So Jerome ; as if from ND3 =
xxi. 2831 . " satiety," as if from y3J#. but NDN means a physician.
d So Jerome, from 3IT"!; or the fo l- f And so Jerome, from
^ER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 29
f he Law. He is also Ahaz *, that is, i turning, according to
.hat, Be ye turned to Me. RABAN. Or, ( embracing, because Zech. i,
None knoweth the Father but the Son. REMIG. He is also^ Iatt>
Ezekias, that is, ( the strong Lord, or, the Lord shall n,27.
comfort | . according to that, Be of good cheer, I have overcome John 16,
he world. He is also Manasses, that is, forgetful, or, 33
forgotten, according to that, / will not remember ?/oz/rEzek.
tins any more. He is also Aaron , that is, faithful, according 28
,o that, The Lord is faithful in all His words. He is also Ps. 145,
Fosias, that is, c the incense of the Lord , as, And being in an Lute 22
iffony, He prayed more earnestly. RABAN. And that incense 44 -
signifies prayer, the Psalmist witnesses, saying, Let myVs- 141,
irayer come up as incense before Thee. Or, The salvation
>f the Lord, according to that, My salvation is for ever. Is. 55.
REMIG. He is Jechonias k , that is, preparing, or the Lord s
oreparation, according to that, If I shall depart, I will
irepare a place for you. GLOSS. Morally; After David *
bllows Solomon, which is interpreted, peaceful. For one
;hen becomes peaceful, when unlawful motions being composed,
md being as it were already set in the everlasting rest, he
serves God, and turns others to Him. Then follows Roboam,
that is the breadth of the people. For when there is no
onger any thing to overcome within himself, it behoves a man
,o look abroad to others, and to draw with him the people of
rod to heavenly things. Next is Abias, that is, ( the Lord
Father, for these things premised, He may proclaim Himself
.he Son of God, and then He will be Asa, that is, raising up,
md will ascend to His Father from virtue to virtue : and He
>vill become Josaphat, that is, judging, for He will judge
others, and will be judged of none. Thus he becomes Joram,
,hat is, c lofty, as it were dwelling on high ; and is made
Dziah, that is, the strong One of the Lord, as attributing all
3 strength to God, and persevering in his path. Then
follows Jotham, that is, ( perfect, for he groweth daily to
greater perfection. And thus he becomes Ahaz, that is,
embracing, for by obedience knowledge is increased accord-
g tCTN to se i ze or hold, and so Jerome, from Htt?S fire in the ritual service, or
h A strong mountain ; Jerome. It incense, Lev. xxiv. 7.
nas no Hebrew root. k 1IT3D S " tne Lord established!,"
1 A sacrifice to the Lord, Jerome; also u prep areth."
30 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
ing to that, They have proclaimed the worship of the Lord,
and have understood His doings. Then follows Ezekias,
that is, the Lord is strong, because he understands that God
is strong, and so turning to His love, he becomes Manasses,
forgetful, because he gives up as forgotten all worldly
things; and is made thereby Amon, that is, faithful, for
whoso despises all temporal things, defrauds no man of his
goods. Thus he is made Josias, that is, in certain hope of
the Lord s salvation ; for Josias is interpreted the salvation
of the Lord.
12 15. And after they were brought to Babylon,
Jechonias begat Salathiel ; and Salathiel begat Zoro-
babel ; and Zorobabel begat Abiud ; and Abiud begat
Eliakim ; and Eliakim begat Azor ; and Azor begat
Sadoc ; and Sadoc begat Achim ; and Achim begat
Eliud ; and Eliud begat Eleazar ; and Eleazar begat
Matthan ; and Mat than begat Jacob.
Pseudo- PSEUDO-CHRYS. After the carrying away, he sets Jeconiah
ubiYu a a * n > as now become a private person. AMBROSE. Of whom
Jer. 22, Jeremiah speaks. Write this man dethroned; for there
30> shall not spring of his seed one sitting on the throne of
David. How is this said of the Prophet, that none of the
seed of Jeconias should reign ? For if Christ reigned, and
Christ was of the seed of Jeconiah, then has the Prophet
spoken falsely. But it is not there declared that there shall
be none of the seed of Jeconiah, and so Christ is of his seed;
and that Christ did reign, is not in contradiction to the
prophecy ; for He did not reign with worldly honours, as He
John is, said, My kingdom is not of this world. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Concerning Salathiel , we have read nothing either good or
bad, but we suppose him to have been a holy man, and in
the captivity to have constantly besought God in behalf of
afflicted Israel, and that hence he was named Salathiel,
the petition of God V Salathiel begot Zorobabel, which is
interpreted, c flowing postponed, or, of the confusion, or
here, the doctor of Babylon"/ I have read, but know not
1 This Gloss, from Pseudo-Chrvs. is m ^r-^vM ,, T1
not found in Nicolai s edition. f 1 ?*?^ I have asked of God -
VER. 12- 15. ST. MATTHEW. 31
whether it be true, that both the priestly line and the royal line
were united in Zorobabel ; and that it was through him that
the children of Israel returned into their own country. For
that in a disputation held between three, of whom Zorobabel
was one, each defending his own opinion, Zorobabel s
sentence, that Truth was the strongest thing, prevailed ; and
that for this Darius granted him that the children of Israel
should return to their country ; and therefore after this
providence of God, he was rightly called Zorobabel, the
doctor of Babylon. For what doctrine greater than to shew
that Truth is the mistress of all things ? GLOSS; But this
seems to contradict the genealogy which is read in Chronicles.
For there it is said, that Jeconias begot Salathiel and Pha- 1 Chron.
daias, and Phadaias begot Zorobabel, and Zorobabel Mosol- 3 17
lah, Ananias, and Salomith their sister. But we know that
many parts of the Chronicles have been corrupted by time,
and error of transcribers. Hence come many and controverted
questions of genealogies which the Apostle bids us avoid.
Or it may be said, that Salathiel and Phadaias are the samel Tim.],
man under two different names. Or that Salathiel and Phadaias
were brothers, and both had sons of the same name, and that
the writer of the history followed the genealogy of Zorobabel,
the son of Salathiel. From Abiud down to Joseph, no history
is found in the Chronicles ; but we read that the Hebrews had
many other annals, which were called the Words of the Days,
of which much was burned by Herod, who was a foreigner,
in order to confound the descent of the royal line. And
perhaps Joseph had read in them the names of his ancestors,
or knew them from some other source. And thus the
Evangelist could learn the succession of this genealogy.
It should be noted, that the first Jeconiah is called the
resurrection of the Lord, the second, the preparation of the
Lord. Both are very applicable to the Lord Christ, who
declares, / am the resurrection, and the life ; and, / go to
prepare a place for you. Salathiel, i. e. the Lord is myjohnii,
petition, is suitable to Him who said, Holy Father, keep them
whom Thou hast given Me. REMIG. He is also Zorobabel, 2.
John 17,
n The teacher of Babylon ; Jerome ; tracted, bound ;" hence another of the
perhaps from *^j ii crown;" 3""|f Ch. meanings in the text,
flowed, poured away," Syr. " con-
32 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Matt. 9, that is, ( the master of confusion, according- to that, Your
Master eateth with publicans and sinners. He is Abiud,
John 10, that is, t He is my Father, according to that, / and the
Father are One. He is also Eliacim , that is, God the
John 6, Reviver, according to that, / will revive him again in the
last day. He is also Azor, that is, aided, according to that,
John 8, He who sent Me is with Me. He is also Sadoch, that is,
1 Pet. 3, the just, or, the justified, according to that, He was
18 - delivered, the just for the unjust. He is also Achim, that is,
Matt. < my brother is He, according to that, Whoso doeth the will
12 50 * of My Father, he is My brother. He is also Eliud, that is,
John 20, ( He is my God, according to that. My Lord, and my God.
GLOSS. He is also Eleazar, i. e. c God is my helper, as in
the seventeenth Psalm, My God, my helper. He is also
Eph. 4, Mathan, that is, i giving, or, 6 given, for, He gave gifts for
John s men anc ^ ^ oc ^ so l ve d th e w rld, that He gave His only-
16. begotten Son. REMIG. He is also Jacob, that sup-
planteth, for not only hath He supplanted the Devil, but hath
Luke given His power to His faithful people ; as, Behold I have
10, 19. gi ven y OU power to tread upon serpents. He is also Joseph 5
John 10, that is, adding, according to that, / came that they might
have life, and that they might have it abundantly.
RABAN. But let us see what moral signification these
names contain. After Jeconias, which means the prepara
tion of the Lord, follows Salathiel, i. e. ( God is my petition,
for he who is rightly prepared, prays not but of God. Again,
he becomes Zorobabel, f the master of Babylon, that is, of
the men of the earth, whom he makes to know concerning
God, that He is their Father, which is signified in Abiud.
Then that people rise again from their vices, whence follows
Eliacim, * the resurrection ; and thence rise to good works,
which is Azor, and becomes Sadoch, i. e. righteous j and
then they are taught the love of their neighbour. He is my
brother, which is signified in Achim; and through love to
God he says of Him, My God/ which Eliud signifies. Then
follows Eleazar, i. e. God is my helper ; he recognizes God as
his helper. But whereto he tends is shewn in Matthan, which
is interpreted gift, or ( giving; for he looks to God as his
benefactor ; and as he wrestled with and overcame his vices
So Jerome, CD*p* ^N " ^ 0( ^ w ^ raise up."
VKR. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 33
in the beginning, so he does in the end of life, which belongs
to Jacob, and thus he reaches Joseph, that is, t The increase of
virtues,
16. And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
GLOSS. In the last place, after all the patriarchs, he sets
down Joseph the husband of Mary, for whose sake all the
rest are introduced, saying, But Jacob begot Joseph. JE
ROME. This passage is objected to us by the Emperor
Julian in his Discrepancy of the Evangelists. Matthew calls
Joseph the son of Jacob, Luke makes him the son of Heli.
He did not know the Scripture manner, one was his father
by nature, the other by law. For we know that God com
manded by Moses, that if a brother or near kinsman died Deut
without children, another should take his wife, to raise up 25.
seed to his brother or kinsman. But of this matter Africanus
the chronologist p , and Eusebius of Caesarea, have disputed
more fully. EUSEB. For Matthan and Melchi at different Euseb.
periods had each a son by one and the same wife Jesca.
Matthan, who traced through Solomon, first had her, and died i. 7.
leaving one son, Jacob by name. As the Law forbade not a
widow, either dismissed from her husband, or after the death
of her husband, to be married to another, so Melchi, who
traced through Matthan, being of the same tribe but of an
other race ? took this widow to his wife, and begat Heli his
son. Thus shall we find Jacob and Heli, though of a differ
ent race, yet by the same mother, to have been brethren. One
of whom, namely Jacob, after Heli his brother was deceased
without issue, married his wife, and begat on her the third,
Joseph, by nature indeed and reason his own son ; where
upon also it is written, And Jacob begat Joseph. But by the
Law, he was the son of Heli ; for Jacob, being his brother,
raised up seed to him. Thus the genealogy, both as recited
by Matthew, and by Luke, stands right and true ; Matthew
saying, And Jacob begot Joseph ; Luke saying, Which was
the son-, as it teas supposed, (for he adds this withal,) of Joseph,
P In his Epist. ad Aristidem, vid. lived in the second century.
Routh Reliqu.vol. ii. p. 114. Africanus
VOL. I. D
34 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
which was the son of Heli, which was the son of Melchi. Nor
could he have more significantly or properly expressed that way
of generation according to the Law, which was made by a
certain adoption that had respect to the dead, carefully leav
ing out the word begetting throughout even to the end.
Au S- AUGUSTINE. He is more properly called his son, by whom he
Evang. was adopted, than had he been said to have been begotten of
ii. 2. fa m Qf w hose flesh he was not born. Wherefore Matthew, in
saying Abraham begot Isaac, and continuing the same phrase
throughout down to Jacob begot Joseph, sufficiently declares
that he gives the father according to the order of nature, so
as that we must hold Joseph to have been begotten, not
adopted, by Jacob. Though even if Luke had used the word
begotten, we need not have thought it any serious objection;
for it is not absurd to say of an adopted son that he is be-
Euseb. gotten, not after the flesh, but by affection. EUSEB. Neither
ubi sup. ^Qgg hj s j ac k good authority ; nor has it been suddenly devised
by us for this purpose. For the kinsmen of our Saviour ac
cording to the flesh, either out of desire to shew forth this
their so great nobility of stock, or simply for the truth s sake,
Aug. have delivered it unto us. AUG. And suitably does Luke, who
Cons re l a tes Christ s ancestry not in the opening of his Gospel, but
Evang. at his baptism, follow the line of adoption, as thus more
11 4 clearly pointing Him out as the Priest that should make
atonement for sin. For by adoption we are made the sons of
God, by believing in the Son of God. But by the descent
according to the flesh which Matthew follows, we rather see
that the Son of God was for us made man. Luke sufficiently
shews that he called Joseph the son of Heli, because he was
adopted by Heli, by his calling Adam the son of God, which
he was by grace, as he was set in Paradise, though he lost it
Chrys. afterwards by sinning. CHRYSOST. Having gone through all
)m lv the ancestry, and ended in Joseph, he adds, The husband of
Mary, thereby declaring that it was for her sake that he was
included in the genealogy. JEROME; When you hear this
word husband, do not straight bethink you of wedlock, but
remember the Scripture manner, which calls persons only be-
Geri. trothed husband and wife. GENNADITJS ; The Son of God was
Eccles. born f human flesh, that is of Mary, and not by man after the
^og- way of nature, as Ebion says ; and accordingly it is signi-
VER. 16. ST. MATTHEW. 35
ficantly added, Of her Jesus was born. AUG. This is said Aug.
against Valentinus, who taught that Christ took nothing of H * rcSt
the Virgin Mary, but passed through her as through a channel",
or pipe. ID. Wherefore it pleased Him to take flesh of the
womb of a woman, is known in His own secret counsels ;
whether that He might confer honour on both sexes alike, by
taking the form of a man, and being born of a woman, or
from some other reason which I would not hastily pronounce on.
HILARY; What God conveyed by the anointing of oil to those mi.
who were anointed to be kings, this the Holy Spirit conveyed "* s ^ t
upon the man Christ, adding thereto the expiation ; where- Vet.
fore when born He was called Christ ; and thus it proceeds, J^ l< q
who is called Christ. AUG. It was not lawful that he should Aug.
think to separate himself from Mary for this, that she brought J^ ng
forth Christ as yet a Virgin. And herein may the faithful Evang.
gather, that if they be married, and preserve strict continence "
on both sides, yet may their wedlock hold with union of
love only, without carnal; for here they see that it is possible
that a son be born without carnal embrace. AUG. In Christ s Aug.
parents was accomplished every good benefit of marriage, N et
fidelity, progeny, and a sacrament. The progeny we see in Concnp.
the Lord Himself; fidelity, for there was no adultery ; sacra- ! *
ment, for there was no divorce. JEROME ; The attentive
reader may ask, Seeing Joseph was not the father of the Lord
and Saviour, how does his genealogy traced down to him in
order pertain to the Lord ? We will answer, first, that it is
not the practice of Scripture to follow the female line in its
"genealogies; secondly, that Joseph and Mary were of the
same tribe, and that he was thence compelled to take her to
wife as a kinsman, and they were enrolled together at Beth
lehem, as being come of one stock. AUG. Also, the line of Aug.
descent ought to be brought down to Joseph, that in wedlock ubl sup>
no wrong might be done to the male sex, as the more worthy,
provided only nothing was taken away from the truth ; because
Mary was of the seed of David. ID. Hence then we believe that id.
Mary was in the line of David; namely, because we believe non OCCt
the Scripture which affirms two things, both that Christ was
of the seed of David according to the flesh, and that He
should be conceived of Mary not by knowledge of man, but
as yet a virgin. THE COUNCIL OF EPHESUS. Herein we
D 2
36 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
must beware of the error of Nestorius, who thus speaks ;
" When Divine Scripture is to speak either of the birth of
Christ which is of the Virgin Mary, or His death, it is never
seen to put God, but either, Christ, or Son, or Lord ; since
these three are significative of the two natures, sometimes of
this, sometimes of that, and sometimes of both this and that
together. And here is a testimony to this, Jacob begot Joseph
the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ. For God the Word needed not a second birth of a
Vigil, woman." PsEUDo-AuG. But not one was the Son of God, and
FeM2 anotner tne son f a man 5 but the same Christ was the Son of
ap. Aug. both God and man. And as in one man. the soul is one and the
45. P body is another, so in the mediator between God and man,
the Son of God was one, and the son of man another; yet of
both together was one Christ the Lord. Two in distinction
of substance, one in unity of Person. But the heretic objects;
" how can you teach Him to have been born in time whom
you say was before coeternal with His Father? For birth is as
it were a motion of a thing not in being, before it be born,
bringing about this, that by benefit of birth it come into
being. Whence it is concluded, that He who was in being
cannot be born ; if He could be born He was not in being."
(To this it is replied by Augustine;) Let us imagine, as many
will have it, that the universe has a general soul, which by
some unspeakable motion gives life to all seeds, so as that
itself is not mixed up with the things it produces. When
this then passes forth into the womb to form passible matter
to its own uses, it makes one with itself the person of that
thing which it is clear has not the same substance. And
thus, the soul being active and the matter passive, of two
substances is made one man, the soul and the flesh being
distinct; thus it is that our confession is, that that soul is
born of the womb which in coming to the womb we say con
ferred life on the thing conceived. He, I say, is said to be
born of His mother, who shaped to Himself a body out of her,
in which He might be born ; not as though before He was
born, His mother might, as far as pertained to Him, not
have been in being. In like manner, yea in a manner yet
more incomprehensible and sublime, the Son of God was
born, by taking on Him perfect manhood of his Mother. He
VER. 17. ST. MATTHEW. 37
who by his singular almighty power is the cause of their being
born to all things that are born.
17. So all the generations from Abraham to
David are fourteen generations; and from David until
the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen genera
tions ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto
Christ are fourteen generations.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Having enumerated the generations from
Abraham to Christ, he divides them into three divisions of
fourteen generations, because three times at the end of four
teen generations the state of the people of the Jews was
changed. From Abraham to David they were under Judges;
from David to the carrying away into Babylon under Kings ;
from the carrying away to Christ under the High Priests.
What he would shew then is this ; like as ever at the end of
fourteen generations the state of men has changed, so there
being fourteen generations completed from the carrying away
to Christ, it must needs be that the state of men be changed
by Christ. And so since Christ all the Gentiles have been
made under one Christ Judge, King, and Priest. And for that
Judges, Kings, and Priests prefigured Christ s dignity, their
beginnings were always in a type of Christ; the first of the
Judges was Joshua the son of Nave ; the first of the Kings ?
David ; the first of the Priests, Jesus son of Josedech. That this
was typical of Christ none doubts. CHRYS. Or he divided the
whole genealogy into three parts, to shew that not even by
the change of their government were they made better, but
under Judges, Kings, High Priests, and Priests, held the
same evil course. For which cause also he mentions the
captivity in Babylon, shewing that neither by this were they
corrected. But the going down into Egypt is not mentioned,
because they were not still in terror of the Egyptians as they
were of the Assyrians or Parthians ; and because that was a
remote, but this a recent event ; and because they had not
been carried thither for sin as they had to Babylon. AMBROSE ; Ambros.
Let us not think this is to be overlooked, that though there m ^ uc *
were seventeen Kings of Judaea between David and Jeconiah,
Matthew only "recounts fourteen. We must observe that there
38 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
might be many more successions to the throne than generations
of men ; for some may live longer and beget children later ;
or might be altogether without seed ; thence the number of
Kings and of generations would not coincide. GLOSS. Or
we may say, that there are three Kings overlooked, as was said
Ambros. above. AMBROSE; Again, from Jeconiah to Joseph are
p computed twelve generations ; yet he afterwards calls these
also fourteen. But if you look attentively, you will be able to
discover the method by which fourteen are reckoned here.
Twelve are reckoned including Joseph, and Christ is the
thirteenth ; and history declares that there were two Joakims,
that is two Jeconiahs, father and son. The Evangelist has
not passed over either of these, but has named them both.
Thus, adding the younger Jeconiah, fourteen generations are
computed. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, the same Jeconiah is
counted twice in the Gospel, once before the carrying away,
and again after the carrying away. For this Jeconiah being-
one person had two different conditions ; before the carrying
away he was King, as being made King by the people of
God; but he became a private man at the carrying away ; hence
he is reckoned once among the Kings before the carrying away ;
Aug. and after the carrying away once among private men. AUG.
* ns Or, one of Christ s forefathers is counted twice, because in him,
Ev. ii. 4. Jeconiah to wit, there was made a passing off to strange
nations since he was carried to Babylon. Wherever a series
turns out of the right line to go in any other direction there
is an angle made, and that part that is in the angle is reckoned
twice. Thus here is a figure of Christ, who passes from the
circumcision to the uncircumcision, and is made a corner
stone. REMIG. He made fourteen generations, because the
ten denotes the decalogue, and the four the four books of the
Gospel ; whence this shews the agreement of the Law and
the Gospel. And he put the fourteen three times over, that
he might shew that the perfection of law, prophecy, and
grace, consists in the faith of the Holy Trinity. GLOSS.
Or in this number is signified the sevenfold grace "oFthe"
Holy Spirit. The number is made up of seven, doubled,
to shew that the grace of the Holy Spirit is needed both for
soul and body to salvation. Also the genealogy is divided
into three portions of fourteen thus. The first from Abraham
VER. 17. ST. MATTHEW. 39
to David, so as that David is included in it ; the second from
David to the carrying away, in which David is not included,
but the carrying away is included ; the third is from the
carrying away to Christ, in which if we say that Jeconiah is
included, then the carrying away is included. In the first are
denoted the men before the Law, in which you will find some
of the men of the Law of nature, such as Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, all as far as Solomon. In the second are denoted the
men under the Law; for all who are included in it were under
the Law. In the third are found the men of grace ; for it is
finished in Christ, who was the giver of grace ; and because
in it was the deliverance from Babylon, signifying the de
liverance from captivity that was made by Christ. AUG. Aug.
After having divided the whole into three periods of fourteen u l sup *
generations, he does not sum them all up and say, The sum
of the whole is forty and two ; because one of those fathers,
that is Jeconiah, is reckoned twice; so that they do not
amount to forty-two, as three times fourteen does, but
because one is reckoned twice over, there are only forty-one
generations. Matthew therefore, whose purpose was to draw
out Christ s kingly character, counts forty successions in the
genealogy exclusive of Christ. This number denotes the
time for which we must be governed by Christ in this world,
according to that painful discipline which is signified by the
iron rod of which it is written in the Psalms, Thou shalt rule
them with a rod of iron. That this number should denote
this our temporal life, a reason offers at hand, in this, that the
seasons of the year are four, and that the world itself is
bounded by four sides, the east, and west, the north, and the
south. But forty contains ten four times. Moreover, ten
itself is made up by a number proceeding from one to four.
GLOSS. Or, the ten refers to the decalogue, the four to
this life present, which passes through four seasons; or by
the ten is meant the Old Testament, by the four the New.
REMIG. But if any, maintaining that it is not the same
Jeconiah, but two different persons, make the number forty
and two, we then shall say that the Holy Church is signified;
for this number is the product of seven, and six ; (for six
times seven make forty- two ;) the six denotes labour, and the
seven rest.
40 GOSPKL ACCORDING TO CHAP, i .
18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this
wise : When as His mother Mary was espoused to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Ghost,
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Having said above, And Jacob begat
Joseph, to whom Mary being espoused bare Jesus ; that none
who heard should suppose that His birth was as that of any
of the forementioned fathers, he cuts off the thread of his
narrative, saying, But Christ s generation was tints. As
though he were to say, The generation of all these fathers
was as I have related it; but Christ s was not so, but as follows,
His mother Mary being espoused. CHRYS, He announces
that he is to relate the manner of the generation, shewing
therein that he is about to speak some new thing ; that you
may not suppose when you hear mention of Mary s husband,
that Christ was bora by the law of nature. REMIG. Yet it
might be referred to the foregoing in this way, The generation
of Christ was, as 1 have related, thus, Abraham begat Isaac.
JEROME; But why is He conceived not of a Virgin merely,
but of a Virgin espoused ? First, that by the descent of
Joseph, Mary s family might be made known ; secondly, that
she might not be stoned by the Jews as an adulteress; thirdly,
that in her flight into Egypt she might have the comfort of a
vid. husband. The Martyr Ignatius adds yet a fourth reason,
E gl h ^9 name ly> that his birth might be hid from the Devil, looking-
for Him to be born of a wife and not of a virgin. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Therefore both espoused and yet remaining at home;
for as in her who should conceive in the house of her husband,
is understood natural conception ; so in her who conceives
before she be taken to her husband, there is suspicion of
Hieron. infidelity. JEROME ; It is to be known, that Helvidius, a
H*elvid. certain turbulent man, having got matter of disputation,
in princ. takes in hand to blaspheme against the Mother of God.
His first proposition was, Matthew begins thus, When she
was espoused. Behold, he says, you have her espoused, but,
as ye say, not yet committed; but surely not espoused for any
uon occ. other reason than as being to be married. ORIGEN ; She
was indeed espoused to Joseph, but not united in wedlock ;
that is to say, His mother immaculate, His mother incorrupt,
VER. 18. ST. MATTHEW. 41
His mother pure. His mother! Whose mother? The mother
of God, of the Only-begotten, of the Lord, of the King, of the
Maker of all things, and the Redeemer of all. CYRIL ; Cyril.
What will any one see in the Blessed Virgin more than in Monach.
other mothers, if she be not the mother of God, but of Christ, Egypt-
or the Lord, as Nestorius says ? For it would not be absurd 7.)
should any one please to name the mother of any anointed
person, the mother of Christ. Yet she alone and more than
they is called the Holy Virgin, and the mother of Christ.
For she bare not a simple man as ye say, but rather the Word
incarnate, and made man of God the Father. But perhaps
you say, Tell me, do you think the Virgin was made the
mother of His divinity ? To this also we say, that the Word
was born of the very substance of God Himself, and without
beginning of time always coexisted with the Father. But in
these last times when He was made flesh, that is united to
flesh, having a rational soul, He is said to be born of a woman
after the flesh. Yet is this sacrament in a manner brought
out like to birth among us ; for the mothers of earthly children
impart to their nature that flesh that is to be perfected by de
grees in the human form ; but God sends the life into the
animal. But though these are mothers only of the earthly
bodies, yet when they bear children, they are said to bear the
whole animal, and not a part of it only. Such do we see to
have been done in the birth of Emmanuel ; the Word of God
w r as born of the substance of His Father ; but because He
took on Him flesh, making it His own, it is necessary to
confess that He was born of a woman according to the flesh.
Where seeing He is truly God, how shall any one doubt to
call the Holy Virgin the Mother of God ? CHjRYSOLpGUS^Chrysol.
If you are not confounded when you hear of the birth of God, \%
let not His conception disturb you, seeing the pure virginity
of the mother removes all that might shock human reverence.
And what offence against our awe and reverence is there,
when the Deity entered into union with purity that was always
dear to Him, where an Angel is mediator, faith is bridemaid,
where chastity is the giving away, virtue the gift, conscience
the judge, God the cause; where the conception is inviolateness, C}ril.
the birth virginity, and the mother a virgin q . CYRIL ; But if Joan.
Antioch.
i The allusions here made may be ii. 1. of Tertullian, who, with reference (Ep. p.
Illustrated by a passage in the Ad Uxor. to the civil usages, speaks of u the 107.)
42 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
we were to say that the holy Body of Christ came down from
heaven, and was not made of His mother, as Valentinus does,
in what sense could Mary be the Mother of God ? GLOSS.
Bede. The name of His Mother is added, Mary. BEDE ; Mary
G* 3 UC * * s interpreted, Star of the Sea/ after the Hebrew ; Mistress, 1
after the Syriac ; as she bare into the world the Light of
salvation, and the Lord 1 ". GLOSS. And to whom she was
betrothed is shewn, Joseph. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Mary was
therefore betrothed to a carpenter, because Christ the Spouse
of the Church was to work the salvation of all men through
the wood of the Cross. CHRYS. What follows, Before they
came together , does not mean before she was brought to the
bridegroom s house, for she was already within. For it was
a frequent custom among the ancients to have their betrothed
wives home to their house before marriage ; as we see done
now also, and as the sons-in-law of Lot were with him in the
house. GLOSS. But the words denote carnal knowledge.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. That He should not be born of passion, of
flesh and blood, who was therefore born that He might take
Aug. away all passion of flesh and blood. AUG. There was
j^ e no carnal knowledge in this wedlock, because in sinful flesh
Nupt. et
Concup. this could not be without carnal desire which came of sin,
ll ]2 and which He would be without, who was to be without sin;
and that hence He might teach us that all flesh which is born
of sexual union is sinful flesh, seeing that Flesh alone was
without sin, which was not so born.
Pseudo- PsEUDO-AuG. Christ was also born of a pure virgin, because
in "A" ^ was n ^ kly ^ a ^ virtue should be born of pleasure, chastity
122 et of self-indulgence, incorruption of corruption. Nor could He
come from heaven but after some new manner, who came to
destroy the ancient empire of death. Therefore she received
the crown of virginity who bare the King of chastity. Farther,
our Lord sought out for Himself a virgin abode, wherein to be
received, that He might shew us that God ought to be borne
in a chaste body. Therefore He that wrote on tables of stone
without an iron pen, the same wrought in Mary by the Holy
happiness of that Marriage, which the the witness.
Church brings about, (conciliat,) the Ob- r D HID, their rebellion. S. Ambrose
lotion confirms, the Blessing seals, the interprets it God from my race," and
Angels witness, and the Father ratifies: u the r bittern ess of the sea." de Instit.
In Chrysologus the Angel brings about, v irR> 33. It is not necessary to give
(interpres est,) virtue is the oblation or the origin of thege various jnterpreta-
brides gift, and a pure conscience is tions
VKR. 18. ST. MATTHEW. 43
Spirit ; She was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
JEROME ; And found by none other than by Joseph, who knew
all, as being her espoused husband. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For, as
a not incredible account relates, Joseph was absent when the
things were done which Luke writes. For it is not easy to
suppose that the Angel came to Mary and said those words,
and Mary made her answer when Joseph was present. And
even if we suppose thus much to have been possible, yet it
could not be that she should have gone into the hill country,
and abode there three months when Joseph was present,
because he must needs have enquired the causes of her
departure and long stay. And so when after so many months
he returned from abroad, he found her manifestly with
child. CHRYSOST. He says exactly was found, for so we use
to say of things not thought of. And that you should not
molest the Evangelist by asking in what way was this birth of
a virgin, he clears himself shortly, saying, Of the Holy Ghost.
As much as to say, it was the Holy Ghost that wrought this
miracle. For neither Gabriel nor Matthew could say any
further. GLOSS. Therefore the words, Is of the Holy Ghost, Gloss,
were set down by the Evangelist, to the end, that when it^j^ 11 "
was said that she was with child, all wrong suspicion should
be removed from the minds of the hearers. PsEUDO-AuG.Pseudo-
But not, as some impiously think, are we to suppose, that the Se u r ^
Holy Spirit was as seed, but we say that He wrought with 236 -"*
the power and might of a Creator 9 . AMBROSE ; That which Ambros.
is of any thing is either of the substance or the power De Spir.
of that thing ; of the substance, as the Son who is of the 5.
Father ; of the power, as all things are of God, even as Mary
was with child of the Holy Spirit. AUG. Furthermore, Aug.
this manner in which Christ was born of the Holy Spirit En fi lil *
suggests to us the grace of God, by which man without any
previous merits, in the very beginning of his nature, was
united with the Word of God into so great unity of person,
that he was also made son of God. But inasmuch as the c. 38.
whole Trinity wrought to make this creature which was con
ceived of the Virgin, though pertaining only to the person of
the Son, (for the works of the Trinity are indivisible,) why is
And thus S. Hilary speaks of the Trin. ii. 26.
sementiva ineuntis Spiritus efficacia. de
44 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
the Holy Spirit only named in this work ? Must we always,
when one of the Three is named in any work, understand that
Hieron. the whole Trinity worked in that ? JEROME ; But says Hel-
He?vid v idius; Neither would the Evangelist have said Before they
in pdn- came together, if they were not to come together afterwards ;
as none would say, Before dinner, where there was to be no
dinner. As if one should say, Before I dined in harbour, I set
sail for Africa, would this have no meaning in it, unless he
were at some time or other to dine in the harbour? Surely
we must either understand it thus, that before, though it often
implies something to follow, yet often is said of things that
follow only in thought; and it is not necessary that the things
so thought of should take place, for that something else has
happened to prevent them from taking place. JEROME ;
Therefore it by no means follows that they did come together
afterwards; Scripture however shews not what did happen.
REMIG. Or the word come together may not mean carnal
knowledge, but may refer to the time of the nuptials, when
she who was betrothed begins to be wife. Thus, before
they came together, may mean before they solemnly celebrated
Aug. the nuptial rites. AUG. How this was done Matthew
ns omits to write, but Luke relates after the conception of John,
Evang. In the sixth month the Angel was sent; and again, The Holt/
" Ghost shall come upon thee. This is what Matthew relates
in these words, She was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
And it is no contradiction that Luke has described what
Matthew omits ; or again that Matthew relates what Luke
has omitted; that namely which follows, from Now Joseph
her husband being a just man, to that place where it is said
of the Magi, that They returned into their own country
another way. If one desired to digest into one narrative the
two accounts of Christ s birth, he would arrange thus; begin
ning with Matthew s words, Now the birth of Christ teas on
Lukel, this wise ; then taking up with Luke, from There was in the
days of Herod, to, Mary abode with her three months, and
returned to her house ; then taking up again Matthew, add,
Mat. i, She was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
VER. 19. ST. MATTHEW. 45
19. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man,
and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privily.
CHRYSOST. The Evangelist having said that she was found
with child of the Holy Ghost, and without knowledge of man,
that you should not herein suspect Christ s disciple of invent
ing wonders in honour of his Master, brings forward Joseph
confirming the history by his own share in it ; Now Joseph
her husband, being a just man. PsEUDO-Auo. Joseph, under- Pseudo-
standing that Mary was with child, is perplexed that it should ^^ in
be thus with her whom he had received from the temple of App.
the Lord, and had not yet known, and resolved within him
self, saying, What shall I do ? Shall I proclaim it, or shall I
overlook it ? If I proclaim it, 1 am indeed not consenting to
the adultery; but I am running into the guilt of cruelty, for
by Moses law she must be stoned. If I overlook it, I am
consenting to the crime, and take my portion with the
adulterers. Since then it is an evil to overlook the thing,
and worse to proclaim the adultery, I will put her away from
being my wife. AMBROSE ; St. Matthew has beautifully taught Ambros.
how a righteous man ought to act, who has detected his 5"
wife s disgrace; so as at once to keep himself guiltless of her
blood, and yet pure from her defilements ; therefore it is he
says, Being a just man. Thus is preserved throughout in
Joseph the gracious character of a righteous man, that his
testimony may be the more approved ; for, the tongue of the
just speaketh the judgment of truth. JEROME ; But how is
Joseph thus called just, when he is ready to hide his wife s
sin ? For the Law enacts, that not only the doers of evil, but they
who are privy to any evil done, shall be held to be guilty.
CHRYSOST^ But it should be known, ih&tjnst here is used to
denote one who is in all things virtuous. For there is a par
ticular justice, namely, the being free from covetousness ;
and another universal virtue, in which sense Scripture gene
rally uses the word justice. Therefore being just, that is
kind, merciful, he was minded to put air ay privily her who
according to the Law was liable not only to dismissal,
but to death. But Joseph remitted both, as though living-
above the Law. For as the sun lightens up the world,
46 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
before he shews his rays, so Christ before He was born
caused many wonders to be seen. AUG. Otherwise; if
you alone have knowledge of a sin that any has committed
against you, and desire to accuse him thereof before men, you
do not herein correct, but rather betray him. But Joseph,
being a just man, with great mercy spared his wife, in this
great crime of which he suspected her. The seeming cer
tainty of her unchastity tormented him, and yet because he
alone knew of it, he was willing not to publish it, but to send
her away privily ; seeking rather the benefit than the punish
ment of the sinner. JEROME ; Or this may be considered a
testimony to Mary, that Joseph, confident in her purity, and
wondering at what had happened, covered in silence that
mystery which he could not explain. RABANUS; He beheld
her to be with child, whom he knew to be chaste; and
Is. 11,1. because he had read, There shall come a Rod out of the stem
of Jesse, of which he knew that Mary was come s , and had
Is. 7, 14. also read, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, he did not doubt
that this prophecy should be fulfilled in her. ORIGEN ; But
if he had no suspicion of her, how could he be a just man,
and yet seek to put her away, being immaculate ? He sought
to put her away, because he saw in her a great sacrament, to
Gloss, approach which he thought himself unworthy. GLOSS.
selm n ^ r * n see king to put her away, he was just ; in that
he sought it privily, is shewn his mercy, defending her from
disgrace ; Being a just man, he was minded to put her away;
and being unwilling to expose her in public, and so to disgrace
Ambros.her, he sought to do it privily. AMBROSE ; But as no one
m Luc. p uts awav w h a t he has not received ; in that he was minded
Gloss, to put her away, he admits to have received her. GLOSS.
Ans 3 im ^ r keing unwilling to bring her home to his house to live
part in with him for ever, he was minded to put her away privily ;
Ord * that is, to change the time of their marriage. For that is true
virtue, when neither mercy is observed without justice, nor
justice without mercy ; both which vanish when severed one
from the other. Or he was just because of his faith, in that
s Jerome in loc. Ambros. de Spir. flower (flos) which is spoken of in the
S. ii. 5. and Pseudo-Augustine (t. vi. clause following. Cyril Alex. et Theod.
p. 570.) so apply these words, con- in loc. explain it of Christ,
sidering Christ the " Branch" or
VER. 20. ST. MATTHEW. 47
he believed that Christ should be born of a virgin; wherefore
he wished to humble himself before so great a favour.
20. But while he thought on these things,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which
is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
REMIG. Because Joseph was minded, as has been said, to
put Mary away privily, which if he had done, there w^ould
have been few who would not rather have thought her a
harlot than a virgin, therefore this purpose of Joseph was
changed by Divine revelation, whence it is said, While he
thought on these things. GLOSS. In this is to be noted Gloss,
the wise soul that desires to undertake nothing rashly. ap<
CHRYS. Also observe the mercifulness of Joseph, that he
imparted his suspicions to none, not even to her whom he
suspected, but kept them within himself. PsEUDO-Auo. Pseudo-
Yet though Joseph think on these things, let not Mary the g" r ^ Jn
daughter of David be troubled ; as the word of the Prophet App.
brought pardon to David, so the Angel of the Saviour delivers
Mary. Behold, again appears Gabriel the bridesman of this
Virgin ; as it follows, Behold the Angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph. AMBROSE ; In this word appeared is conveyed
the power of Him that did appear, allowing Himself to be
seen where and how He pleases. RABAN. How the Angel
appeared to Joseph is declared in the words, In his sleep ;
that is, as Jacob saw the ladder offered by a kind of imagining
to the eyes of his heart. CHRYS. He did not appear so
openly to Joseph as to the Shepherds, because he was faithful;
the shepherds needed it, because they were ignorant. The
Virgin also needed it, as she had first to be instructed in these
mighty wonders. In like manner Zacharias needed the
wonderful vision before the conception of his son. GLOSS. Gloss.
The Angel appearing calls him by name, and adds his descent, P art * nt *
in order to banish fear, Joseph, son of David ; Joseph, asselm.
though he were known to him by name and his familiar friend.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. By addressing him as son of David, he sought
to recal to his memory the promise of God to David, that of
48 GOSPKL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
his seed should Christ be bom. CHRYS. But by saying,
Be not afraid, he shews him to be in fear that he had offended
God, by having an adulteress; for only as such would he have
ever thought of putting her away. CHRVSOLOG. As her
betrothed husband also he is admonished not to be afraid ;
for the mind that compassionates has most fear; as though
he were to say, Here is no cause of death, but of life ; she
that brings forth life, does not deserve death. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Also by the words, Fear not, he desired to shew that he knew
the heart ; that by this he might have the more faith in those
good things to come, which he was about to speak concerning
A mbros. Christ. AMBROSE; Be not troubled that he calls her his
in Luc. w if e . f or ghe j s no ^ herein robbed of her virginity, but her
wedlock is witnessed to, and the celebration of her marriage
is declared. JEROME; But we are not to think that she ceased
to be betrothed, because she is here called wife, since we
know that this is the Scripture manner to call the man and
woman, when espoused, husband and wife ; and this is con-
Deut. firmed by that text in Deuteronomy, If one find a virgin that
22,23. is betrothed to a man in the jield, and offer violence to her,
and lie with her, he shall die, because he hath humbled his
neighbours wife. CHRYS. He says, Fear not to take unto
thee; that is, to keep at home ; for in thought she was already
dismissed. RABAN. Or, to lake her, that is, in marriage-
union and continual converse. PSEUDO-CHRYS. There were
three reasons why the Angel appeared to Joseph with this
message. First, that a just man might not be led into an
unjust action, with just intentions. Secondly, for the honour
of the mother herself, for had she been put away, she could
not have been free from evil suspicion among the unbelievers.
Thirdly, that Joseph, understanding the holy conception,
might keep himself from her with more care than before-
He did not appear to Joseph before the conception, that he
should not think those things that Zacharias thought, nor
suffer what he suffered in falling into the sin of unbelief
concerning the conception of his wife in her old age. For it
was yet more incredible that a virgin should conceive, than
that a woman past the age should conceive. CHRYS. Or,
The Angel appeared to Joseph when he was in this perplexity,
that his wisdom might be apparent to Joseph, and that this
VER. 20. ST. MATTHEW. 49
might be a proof to him of those things that he spoke. For
when he heard out of the mouth of the Angel those very things
that he thought within himself, this was an undoubted proof,
that he was a messenger from God, who alone knows the
secrets of the heart. Also the account of the Evangelist is
beyond suspicion, as he describes Joseph feeling all that a
husband was likely to feel. The Virgin also by this was
more removed from suspicion, in that her husband had felt
jealousy, yet took her home, and kept her with him after her
conception. She had not told Joseph the things that the
Angel had said to her, because she did not suppose that she
should be believed by her husband, especially as he had
begun to have suspicions concerning her. But to the Virgin
the Angel announced her conception before it took place,
lest if he should defer it till afterwards she should be in
straits. And it behoved that Mother who was to receive the
Maker of all things to be kept free from all trouble. Not
only does the Angel vindicate the Virgin from all impurity,
but shews that the conception was supernatural, not removing
his fears only, but adding matter of joy ; saying, That which
is born in her is of the Holy Spirit.
GLOSS. To be born in her, and born of her, are two Gloss,
different things; to be born of her is to come into the world ; ord
to be born in her, is the same as to be conceived. Or the
word born is used according to the foreknowledge of the
Angel which he has of God, to whom the future is as the past.
PsEUDO-AuG. But if Christ was born by the agency of the mi.
Holy Ghost, how is that said, Wisdom hath built herself $ U ** L
an house? That house may be taken in two meanings. V. Test.
First, the house of Christ is the Church, which He built p U 52 *
with His own blood ; and secondly, His body may be called i.
His house, as it is called His temple. But the work
of the Holy Spirit, is also the work of the Son of God,
because of the unity of their nature and their will; for
whether it be the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit, that
doeth it, it is the Trinity that works, and what the Three do, is
of One God. AUG. But shall we therefore say that the Holy^u^., .,.
Spirit is the Father of the man Christ, that as God the Father JL nchiri
OO.
begot the Word, so the Holy Spirit begot the man ? This is
such an absurdity, that the ears of the faithful cannot bear it.
VOL. I. E
50 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
How then do we say that Christ was born by the Holy
Spirit, if the Holy Spirit did not beget Him ? Did He create
Him ? For so far as He is man He was created, as the Apostle
Rom. 1, speaks ; He was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh. For though God made the world, yet is it not right
to say that it is the Son of God, or born by Him, but that it
was made, or created, or formed by Him. But seeing that
we confess Christ to have been born by the Holy Spirit, and
of the Virgin Mary, how is He not the Son of the Holy
Spirit, and is the Son of the Virgin ? It does not follow, that
whatever is born by any thing, is therefore to be called the
son of that thing; for, not to say that of man is born in one
sense a son, in another a hair, or vermin, or a worm, none of
which are his son, certainly those that are born of water and the
Spirit none would call sons of water ; but sons of God their
Father, and their Mother the Church. Thus Christ was born
of the Holy Spirit, and yet is the Son of God the Father, not
of the Holy Spirit.
21. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou
shalt call His name Jesus : for He shall save His
people from their sins.
CHRYSOST. What the Angel thus told Joseph, was beyond
human thought, and the law of nature, therefore he confirms
his speech not only by revealing to him what was past, but
also what was to come ; Site shall bring forth a Son.
Gloss. GLOSS. That Joseph should not suppose that he was no
s P lm An I n 8 er nee ded i n this wedlock, seeing the conception had
taken place without his intervention, the Angel declares to
him, that though there had been no need of him in the con
ception, yet there was need of his guardianship ; for the
Virgin should bear a Son, and then he would be necessary
both to the Mother and her Son ; to the Mother to screen hei
from disgrace, to the Son to bring Him up and to circumcise
Him. The circumcision is meant when he says, And thou
shalt call His name Jesus ; for it was usual to give the name
in circumcision. PsEUDO-CfiRYs. He said not, Shall bear thee
a Son, as to Zacharias, Behold, Elisabeth thy wife shall bear
thee a son. For the woman who conceives of her husband.
VER. 22. ST. MATTHEW. 51
bears the son to her husband, because he is more of him
than of herself; but she who had not conceived of man, did
not bear the Son to her husband, but to herself. CHRYSOST.
Or, he left it unappropriated, to shew that she bare Him to
the whole world. RABAN. Thou shalt call His name., he says,
and not, " shalt give Him a name," for His name had been
given from all eternity. CHRYSOST. This further shews that
this birth should be wonderful, because it is God that sends
downJHis name from above by His Angel; and that not any
name, but one which is a treasure of infinite good. Therefore
also the Angel interprets it, suggesting good hope, and by
this induces him to believe what was spoken. For we lean
more easily to prosperous things, and yield our belief more
readily to good fortune. JEROME ; Jesus is a Hebrew word,
meaning Saviour. He points to the etymology of the name,
saying, For He shall save His people from their sins. REMIG.
He shews the same man to be the Saviour of the whole
world, and the Author of our salvation. He saves indeed
not the unbelieving, but His people ; that is, He saves those
that believe on Him, not so much from visible as from invisible
enemies; that is, from their sins, not by fighting with arms,
but by remitting their sins. CHRYSOLOG. Let them approach
to hear this, who ask, Who is He that Mary bare ? He shall
save His people ; not any other man s people ; from what ?
from their sins. That it is God that forgives sins, if you do
not believe the Christians so affirming, believe the infidels,
or the Jews who say, None can forgive sins but God only. Luke 5,
22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23. Behold, a Virgin shall be with child, and shall
bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name
Emmanuel,, which being interpreted is, God with us.
REMIG. It is the custom of the Evangelist to confirm what
he says out of the Old Testament, for the sake of those Jews
who believed on Christ, that they might recognize as fulfilled
in the grace of the Gospel, the things that were foretold in the
Old Testament ; therefore he adds, Now all this was done.
E 2
i) 2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
Here we must enquire why he should say all this was done,
when above he has only related the conception. It should
be known that he says this to shew, that in the presence of
God all this u as done before it was done among men. Or
he says, all this was done, because he is relating past events ;
Gloss, for when he wrote, it was all done. GLOSS. Or, he says;
sdnf" a H th* s was done, meaning, the Virgin was betrothed, she was
kept chaste, she was found with child, the revelation was
made by the Angel, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken. For that the Virgin should conceive and should
bring forth would never have been fulfilled, had she not been
espoused that she should not be stoned; and had not her
secret been disclosed by the Angel, and so Joseph taken her
unto him, that she was not dismissed to disgrace and to
perish by stoning. So had she perished before the birth, that
Isa. 7, prophecy would have been made void which says, She shall
non o<x.br ing forth a Son. GLOSS. Or it may be said, that the word
that does not here denote the cause ; for the prophecy was
not fulfilled merely because it was to be fulfilled. But it
Gen. 40, is put consecutively, as in Genesis, He hung the other on the
gallows, that Ihe truth of the interpreter might be proved;
since by the weighing of one, truth is established. So also
in this place we must understand it as if it were, that which
was foretold being done, the prophecy w r as accomplished.
CHRYSOST. Otherwise; the Angel seeing the depths of the
Divine mercy, the laws of nature broken through and recon
ciliation made, He who was above all made lower than all ;
all these wonders, all this he comprises in that one saying,
Now all this hath happened ; as though he had said, Do
not suppose that this is newly devised of God, it was deter
mined of old. And he rightly cites the Prophet not to the
Virgin, who as a maiden was untaught in such things, but to
Joseph, as to one much versed in the Prophets. And at first
he had spoken of Mary as thy wife, but now in the words of
the Prophet he brings in the word " Virgin," that he might hear
this from the Prophet, as a thing long before determined.
Therefore to confirm what he had said, he introduces Isaiah,
or rather God ; for he does not say, Which was spoken by
Isaiah, but, Which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet.
jJerom. JEROME. Since it is introduced in the Prophet by the words,
Inls.vii.
14.
VEIL 22. ST. MATTHEW. 53
The Lord Himself shall (jive you a sign^ it ought to be some
thing new and wonderful. But if it be, as the Jews will have
it, a young woman, or a girl shall bring forth, and not a virgin,
what wonder is this, since these are words signifying age and
not purity ? Indeed the Hebrew word signifying Virgin
(Beth ula) is not used in this place, but instead the word
Halma V which except the LXX all render girl. But the
word i Halma has a twofold meaning ; it signifies both girl,
and hidden ; therefore Halma denotes not only maiden
or virgin, but ( hidden, secret; that is, one never exposed
to the gaze of men, but kept under close custody by her parents.
In the Punic tongue also, which k said to be derived from
Hebrew sources, a virgin is properly called Halma. In our
tongue also Halma means holy; and the Hebrews use words
of nearly all languages ; and as far as my memory will serve
me, I do not think I ever met with Halma used of a married
woman, but of her that is a virgin, and such that she be not
merely a virgin, but in the age of youth ; for it is possible for an
old woman to be a maid. But this was a virgin in years of
youth, or at least a virgin, and not a child too young for marriage.
ID. For that which Matthew the Evangelist says, Shall have in In lc.
her womb, the Prophet who is foretelling something future,
writes, shall receive. The Evangelist, not foretelling the future
but describing the past, changes shall receive, into shall have;
but he who has, cannot after receive that he has. He says,
Lo, a Virgin shall have in her womb, and shall bear a Son.
LEO ; The conception was by the Holy Spirit within the Leo,
womb of the Virgin; who, as she conceived in perfect xxiiT. i.
chastity, in like manner brought forth her Son. Ps KUDO- AUG. Pseudo-
He, who by a touch could heal the severed limbs of others, u j[
how much more could He, in His own birth, preserve whole s. 123.
that which He found w r hole ? In this parturition, soundness
of the Mother s body was rather strengthened than weakened,
andjher virginity rather confirmed than lost. THEODOTUS ; Theod.
Inasmuch as Photinus affirms that He that was now born "^ | n
was mere man, not allowing the divine birth, and maintains (-one.
that He who now issued from the womb was the man separate
from the God; let him shew how it was possible that human n -.PP-
nature, born of the Virgin s womb, should have preserved the 1655!
& c - xatfiw Septuag.
54 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. I.
virginity of that womb uncorrupted; for the mother of no man
ever yet remained a virgin. But forasmuch as it was God
the Word who was now born in the flesh, He shewed Himself
to be the Word, in that He preserved His mother s virginity.
For as our word when it is begot does not destroy the mind,
so neither does God the Word in choosing His birth destroy
the virginity. CHRYS. As it is the manner of Scripture to
convey a knowledge of events under the form of a name, so
here, They shall call His name Emmanuel, weans nothing else
than, They shall see God among men. Whence he says not,
6 Thou shalt call, but, They shall call. HABAN. First,
Angels hymning, secondly, Apostles preaching, then Holy
Jerom. Martyrs, and lastly, all believers. JEROME; The LXX and
1 1 a 4t s vl1 three others translate, Thou shalt call, instead of which we
have here, They shall call, which is not so in the Hebrew ;
for the word Charathi , which all render Thou shalt call 9
may mean, c And she shall call, that is, The Virgin that shall
conceive and shall bear Christ, shall call His name Emmanuel,
which is interpreted, God with us. REMJG. It is a question,
who interpreted this name ? The Prophet, or the Evangelist,
or some translator ? It should be known then, that the
Prophet did not interpret it; and what need had the Holy
Evangelist to do so, seeing he wrote in the Hebrew tongue ?
Perhaps that was a difficult and rare word in Hebrew, and
therefore needed interpretation. It is more probable that
some translator interpreted it, that the Latins might not be
perplexed by an unintelligible word. In this name are con
veyed at once the two substances, the Divinity and Humanity
in the one Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He who before
all time was begot in an unspeakable manner by God the
Father, the same in the end of time was made Emmanuel^
that is, God with us, of a Virgin Mother. This God with us
may be understood in this way. He was made with us,
passible, mortal, and in all things like unto us without sin ;
or because our frail substance which He took on Him, He
Jerom. joined in one Person to His Divine substance. JEROME;
sup It should be known, that the Hebrews believe this prophecy
to refer to Ezekias the son of Ahaz, because in his reign
Samaria was taken ; but this cannot be established. Ahaz
VER. 22. ST. MATTHEW. 55
son of Jotham reigned over Judaea and Jerusalem sixteen
years, and was succeeded by his son Ezeldas, who was
twenty-three years old, and reigned over Judaea and Jerusalem
twenty-nine years ; hovv then can a prophecy prophesied in the
first year of Ahaz refer to the conception and birth of Ezekias,
when he was already nine years of age ? Unless perhaps the
sixth year of the reign of Ezekias, in which Samaria was
taken, they think is here called his infancy, that is, the infancy
of his reign, not of his age ; which even a fool must see to be
hard and forced. A certain one of our interpreters contends,
that the Prophet Isaiah had two sons, Jashub and Emmanuel;
and that Emmanuel was born of his wife the Prophetess as a
type of the Lord and Saviour. But this is a fabulous tale.
PETRUS ALFONSUS. For we know not that any man of that p e tr.
day was called Emmanuel. But the Hebrew objects, How can ^Jl^tSt
it be that this was said on account of Christ and Mary, when 7.
many centuries intervened between Ahaz and Mary ? But
though the Prophet was speaking to Ahaz, the prophecy was
yet not spoken to him only or of his time only ; for it is intro
duced, Hear, O house of David; not, Hear, O Ahaz. Again, Isa. 7,
The Lord Himself sltall give you a sign ; meaning He, and
none other; from which we may understand that the Lord
Himself should be the sign. And that he says to you, (plur.)
and not to thee, shews that this was not spoken to Ahaz, or
on his account only. JEROME. What is spoken to Ahaz then jerom .
is to be thus understood." This Child, that shall be born llbl SU P
of a Virgin of the house of David, shall now be called
Emmanuel, that is, God with us, because the events (perhaps
delivery from the two hostile kings) will make it appear that
you have God present with you. But after He shall be called
Jesus, that is, Saviour, because He shall save the whole human
race. Wonder not, therefore, O house of David, at the new
ness of this thing, that a Virgin should bring forth a God,
seeing He has so great might that though yet to be born after
a long while, He delivers you now when you call upon Him.
AUG. Who so mad as to say with Manichaeus, that it is a weak Aug.
faith not to believe in Christ without a witness ; whereas the y^[
Apostle says, How shall they believe on Him of whom they 12. 45.
have not heard? Or how shall they hear without a preacher? J"
That those things which were preached by the Apostles might Rym -
56 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. ).
not be contemned, nor thought to be fables, they are proved
to have been foretold by the Prophets. For though attested
by miracles, yet there would not have been wanting men to
ascribe them all to magical powder, had not such suggestions
been overcome by the additional testimony of prophecy. For
none could suppose that long before He was born, He had
raised up by magic prophets to prophesy of Him. For if we
say to a Gentile, Believe on Christ that He is God, and he
should answer, Whence is it that I should believe on Him ?
we might allege the authority of the Prophets. Should he
refuse assent to this, we establish their credit from their having
foretold things to come, and those things having truly come
to pass. 1 suppose he could not but know how great perse
cutions the Christian religion has formerly suffered from the
Kings of this world ; let him now behold those very Kings
submitting to the kingdom of Christ, and all nations serving
the same ; all which things the Prophets foretold. He then
hearing these things out of the Scriptures of the Prophets,
and beholding them accomplished throughout the whole earth,
Gloss, would be moved to faith. GLOSS. This error then is barred
selm U by the Evangelist saying, That it might be fulfilled which
teas spoken of the Lord by the Prophet. Now one kind of
prophecy is by the preordination of God, and must needs be
fulfilled, and that without any free choice on our part. Such is
that of which w r e now speak ; wherefore he says, Lo, to shew
the certainty of prophecy. There is another kind of prophecy
which is by the foreknowledge of God, and with this our free
will is mixed up ; wherein by grace working with us we
obtain reward, or if justly deserted by it, torment. Another
is not of foreknowledge, but is a kind of threat made after the
Jonah 3. manner of men ; as that, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be
overthrown : understanding, unless the Ninevites amend them
selves.
24. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the
angel of the Lord had bidden him, arid took unto him
his wife :
25. And knew her not till she had brought forth
her first-born Son: and he called his name JESUS.
VEK. 24, 25. ST. MATTHEW. 57
REMIG. Life returned by the same entrance through which
death had entered in. By Adam s disobedience we were
ruined, by Joseph s obedience we all begin to be recalled to
our former condition ; for in these words is commended to us
the great virtue of obedience, when it is said, And Joseph
rising from sleep, did as the Angel of the Lord had commanded
him. GLOSS. He not only did what the Angel commanded, Gloss.
but as he commanded it. Let each one who is warned of r p ^|j
God, in like manner, break off all delays, rise from sleep, s ^ m ex
and do that which is commanded him. PsEUDO-CHRYS. c j tt
Took unto him, not took home to him; for he had not sent
her away ; he had put her away in thought only, and now
took her again in thought. REMIG. Or, Took her so far, as
that the nuptial rites being complete, she was called his wife ;
but not so far as to lie with her, as it follows, And knew
her not. JEROME. Helvidius is at much superfluous trouble Jerom.
to make this word know refer to carnal knowledge rather than jJefvid
to acquaintance, as though any had ever denied that; or as if c - 5.
the follies to which he replies had ever occurred to any person
of common understanding. He then goes on to say, that the
adverb until denotes a fixed time when that should take
place, which had not taken place before ; so that here from
the words, He knew her not until she had brought forth her
first-born Son, it is clear, he says, that after that he did know
her. And in proof of this he heaps together many instances
from Scripture. To all this we answer, that the word until
is to be understood in two senses in Scripture. And con
cerning the expression, knew her not, he has himself shewn,
that it must be referred to carnal knowledge, none doubting
that it is often used of acquaintance, as in that, The child Luke 2,
Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and His parents knew not
of it. In like manner i until often denotes in Scripture, as
he has shewn, a fixed period, but often also an infinite time,
as in that, Even to your old age I am He. Will God then l*a. 46,
cease to be when they are grown old ? Also the Saviour in 4>
the Gospel, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end <9/*Mat.28,
this world. Will He then leave His disciples at the end of
the world ? Again, the Apostle says, He must reign till He \ Cor.
has put His enemies under His feet. Be it understood then, l5 25
that that which if it had not been written might have been
58 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP.
,
doubted of, is expressly declared to us ; other things are left
to our own understanding . So here the Evangelist informs
us, in that wherein there might have been room for error, that
she was not known by her husband until the birth of her Son,
that we might thence infer that much less was she known after
wards. PSECJDO-CHRYS. As one might say, He told it not
so long as he lived ; would this imply that he told it after
his death ? Impossible. So it were credible that Joseph might
have known her before the birth, while he was yet ignorant
of the great mystery ; but after that he understood how she
had been made a temple of the Only-begotten of God, how
could he occupy that ? The followers of Eunomius think,
as they have dared to assert this, that Joseph also dared
to do it, just as the insane think all men equally mad with
Jerom. themselves. JEROME. Lastly, I would ask, Why then did
Helv id. Joseph abstain at all up to the day of birth ? He will surely
8 - answer, Because of the Angel s words, That which is born in
her, 8$c. He then who gave so much heed to a vision as not
to dare to touch his wife, would he, after he had heard the
shepherds, seen the Magi, and known so many miracles, dare
to approach the temple of God, the seat of the Holy Ghost,
the Mother of his Lord ?
PSEUDO-CHRYS. It may be said, that know here signifies
simply, to understand ; that whereas before he had not under
stood how great her dignity, after the birth he then knew that
she had been made more honourable and worthy than the
whole world, who had carried in her womb Him whom the
whole world could not contain. GLOSS. Otherwise; OnT
account of the glorification of the most holy Mary, she could
not be known by Joseph until the birth; for she who had the
Lord of glory in her womb, how should she be known ? If_
the face of Moses talking with God was made glorious, so
that the children of Israel could not look thereon, how much
c In other words, u till" need not the vision had its effect upon him up to
imply a termination at a certain point of that time when it was no longer neces-
time, but may be giving us information sary. Just as if, in speaking of a man
up to a point from which onwards there like Augustine, one said, that, in conse-
is already no doubt. Supposing an quenceof some awful occurrence, he was
Evangelist thought the very notion in the habit of saying prayers till the
shocking that Joseph should have con- time of his conversion, no one would
sidered the Blessed Virgin as his wife suppose that he left them oft on being
after he was a witness of her bearing converted.
God the Son, he would only say that
VER. 24, 25. ST. MATTHEW. 59
more could not Mary be known, or even looked upon, who
bare the Lord of glory in her womb? After the birth she was
known of Joseph to the beholding of her face, but not to be
approached carnally. JEROME ; From the words, her first
born Son, some most erroneously suspect that Mary had other
sons, saying that first-born can only be said of one that has
brethren. But this is the manner of Scripture, to call the
first-born not only one who is followed by brethren, but the
first-birth of the mother. ID. For if he only was first-born Cont.
who was followed by other brethren, then no first-birth could [J, elvid "
be due to the Priests, till such time as the second birth took
place. GLOSS. Or ; He is first-born among the elect by Gloss.
grace ; but by nature the Only -begotten of God the Father, Ord *
the only Son of Mary. And called His name Jesus, on the
eighth day on which the circumcision took place, and the
Name was given. REMIG. It is clear that this Name was
well known to the Holy Fathers and the Prophets of God,
but to him above all, who spake, My soul fainted for T1iyp$. 119,
salvation ; and, My soul hath rejoiced in Thy salvation. Also ^, ,3 5
to him who spake, I will joy in God my Saviour. Hab. 3,
1 8.
CHAP. II.
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judsea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there
came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2. Saying, Where is He that is born King of the
Jews ? for we have seen His star in the east, and are
come to worship Him.
Aug. AUG. After the miraculous Virgin-birth, a God-man having
non occ. ky, Divine power proceeded from a virgin womb ; in the
obscure shelter of such a cradle, a narrow stall, wherein lay
Infinite Majesty in a body more narrow, a God was suckled
and suffered the wrapping of vile rags amidst all this, on a
sudden a new star shone in the sky upon the earth, and driving
away the darkness of the world, changed night into day; that
the day-star should not be hidden by the night. Hence it is that
the Evangelist says, Now when Jesus teas born in Bethlehem.
REMIG. In the beginning of this passage of the Gospel he
puts three several things ; the person, When Jesus icas born,
the place, in Bethlehem of Judaa, and the time, in the days
of Herod the king. These three circumstances verify his
words. JEHOME. We think the Evangelist first wrote, as
we read in the Hebrew, c Judah, not ( Judaea. For in what
other country is there a Bethlehem, that this needs to be dis
tinguished as in Judaea? But Judah is written, because
Gloss, there is another Bethlehem in Galilee. GLOSS. There are
Josh. 19, two Bethlehems; one in the tribe of Zabulon, the other in
15 - the tribe of Judah, which was before called Ephrata.
Aug. AUG. Concerning the place, Bethlehem, Matthew and Luke
Evang! 5 agree ; but the cause and manner of their being there, Luke
2. 15. relates, Matthew omits. Luke again omits the account of
the Magi, which Matthew gives.
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 61
PsEUDO-CmiYS. Let us see to what serves this designation
of time, In the days of Herod the king. It shews the fulfil
ment of Daniel s prophecy, wherein he spake that Christ
should be born after seventy weeks of years. For from the
time of the prophecy to the reign of Herod, the years of
seventy weeks were accomplished. Or again, as long as
Judaea was ruled by Jewish princes, though sinners, so long
prophets were sent for its amendment; but now, whereas
God s law was held under the power of an unrighteous king,
and the righteousness of God enslaved by the Roman rule,
Christ is born ; the more desperate sickness required the
better physician. RABANUS. Otherwise, he mentions the
foreign king to shew the fulfilment of the prophecy. The Gen. 49,
Sceptre sliall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from
between his feet, until Shiloh come. AMBROSE; It is said, that Ambros.
some Idumaean robbers coming to Ascalon, brought with JJJ 4 j c>
them among other prisoners Antipater a . He was instructed
in the law and customs of the Jews, and acquired the
friendship of Hyrcanus, king of Judaea, who sent him as his
deputy to Pompey. He succeeded so well in the object of
his mission, that he laid claim to a share of the throne. He
was put to death, but his son Herod was under Antony
appointed king of Judaea, by a decree of the Senate ; so it is
clear that Herod sought the throne of Judaea without any
connection or claim of birth, CHRYS. Herod the king,
mentioning his dignity, because there was another Herod who
put John to death.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. When He was born . . . behold wise men,
that is, immediately on His birth, shewing that a great God
existed in a little one of man. RABANUS. The Magi are men
who enquire into the nature of things philosophically, but
common speech uses Magi for wizards. In their own country,
however, they are held in other repute, being the philosophers
of the Chaldaeans, in whose lore kings and princes of that
nation are taught, and by which themselves knew the birth
of the Lord. AUG. What were these Magi but the first Aug.
Serm.
202.
a The same account of Herod s that Herod was an Idumaean, of noble
parentage is given by Africanus, Euseb. birth, and that his father Antipas was
Hist. i. 7. but Josephus says (Antiqu. governor of Idumsea under Alexander
xiv. 1. n. 3. de Bell. Jud. i. 6. n. 2.) Jannseus.
62 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
fruits of the Gentiles ? Israelitish shepherds, gentile Magians,
one from far, the other from near, hastened to the one
Aug. Corner-stone. ID. Jesus then was manifested neither to the
200" learned nor the righteous ; for ignorance belonged to the
shepherds, impiety to the idolatrous Magi. Yet does that
Corner-stone attract them both to Itself, seeing He came to
choose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise,
and not to call the righteous, but sinners ; that nothing great
should exalt himself, none weak should despair. GLOSS.
These Magi were kings, and though their gifts were three,
it is not to be thence inferred that themselves were only three
in number, but in them was prefigured the coming to the faith
of the nations sprung from the three sons of Noah. Or, the
princes were only three, but each brought a large company
with him, They came not after a year s end, for He would
then have been found in Egypt, not in the manger, but on the
thirteenth day. To shew whence they came it is said, from
the East. REMIG. It should be known, that opinions vary
respecting the Magi. Some say they were Chaldaeans, who
are known to have worshipped a star as God ; thus their
fictitious Deity shewed them the way to the true God. Others
think that they were Persians ; others again, that they came
from the utmost ends of the earth. Another and more pro
bable opinion is, that they were descendants of Balaam, who
Numb, having his prophecy, There shall rise a Star out of Jacob,
as soon as they saw the star, would know that a King was
born. JEROME. They knew that such a star would rise by
the prophecy of Balaam, whose successors they were. But
whether they were Chaldaeans, or Persians, or came from the
utmost ends of the earth, how in so short a space of time
could they arrive at Jerusalem ? REMIG. Some used to
answer, ( No marvel if that boy who was then born could
draw them so speedily, though it were from the ends
of the earth. GLOSS. Or, they had dromedaries and
Arabian horses, whose great swiftness brought them to Beth
lehem in thirteen days. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, they had set
out two years before the Saviour s birth, and though they
travelled all that time, neither meat nor drink failed in their
scrips. REMIG. Or, if they were the descendants of Balaam,
their kings are not far distant from the land of promise, and
VER. 1,2. ST. MATTHEW. 63
might easily come to Jerusalem in that so short time. But
why does he writer/row the East ? Because surely they came
from a country eastward of Judaea. But there is also great
beauty in this, They came out of tie East, seeing all who
come to the Lord, come from Him and through Him ; as it is
said in Zechariah, Behold the Man whose name is the East. Zech. 6,
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, whence the day springs, thence came
trie first-fruits of the faith ; for faith is the light of the soul.
Therefore they came from the East, but to Jerusalem.
REMIG. Yet was not the Lord born there; thus they knew
the time but not the place of His birth. Jerusalem being
the royal city., they believed that such a child could not be
bora in any other. Or it was to fulfil that Scripture, Jftelsa.2,3.
Law shall go out of Sion, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem. And there Christ was first preached. Or it was
to condemn the backwardness of the Jews.
PsEUDO-AuG. Many kings of Juda3ahad been born and died Pseudo-
before,yet had Magi ever sought out any of them for adoration ? Append.
No, for they had not been taught that any of these spoke Serm -
from heaven. To no ordinary King of Judaea had these men,
aliens from the land of Judaea, ever thought such honour due.
But they had been taught that this Child was one, in worship
ping whom they would certainly secure that salvation which
is of God. Neither His age was such as attracts men s
flattery; His limbs not robed in purple, His brow not crowned
with a diamond, no pompous train, no awful army, no glo
rious fame of battles, attracted these men to Him from the
remotest countries, with such earnestness of supplication.
There lay in a manger a Boy, newly born, of infantine size,
of pitiable poverty. But in that small Infant lay hid
something great, which these men, the first-fruits of the
Gentiles, had learned not of earth but of heaven; as it follows,
We have seen His star in the east. They announce the
vision and ask, they believe and enquire, as signifying those
who walk by faith and desire sight.
GREG. It should be known that the Priscillianists, here- Greg,
tics who believe every man to be born under the aspect of ^^.i.
some planet, cite this text in support of their error; the new I0 - n 4 -
star which appeared at the Lord s birth they consider tovid.
have been his fate. AUG. And, according, to Faustus this
6*4 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
introduction of the account of the star would lead us rather
to call this part of the history, The Nativity, than The
Sup. 2. Gospel. GREGORY; But far be it from the hearts of the
Aug.de faithful to call any thing, fate. AUG. For by the word
v . f. * fate, in common acceptation, is meant the disposition of
the stars at the moment of a person s birth or conception ;
to which some assign a power independent of the will of
God. These must be kept at a distance from the ears of all
who desire to be worshippers of Gods of any sort. But
others think the stars have this virtue committed to them by
the great God ; wherein they greatly wrong the skies, in that
they impute to their splendent host the decreeing of crimes,
such as should any earthly people decree, their city should in
the judgment of mankind deserve to be utterly destroyed.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. If then any should become an adulterer or
homicide through means of the planets, how great is the
evil and wickedness of those stars, or rather of Him who
made them ? For as God knows things to come, and what
evils are to spring from those stars ; if He would not hinder
it, He is not good ; if He would but could not, He is weak.
Again, if it be of the star that we are either good or bad, we have ;
neither merit nor demerit, as being involuntary agents ; and
why should I be punished for sin which I have done not
wilfully, but by necessity ? The very commands of God
against sin, and exhortations to righteousness, overthrow such
folly. For where a man has not power to do, or where he
has not power to forbear, who would command him either to
do or to forbear ? GREGORY NYSS. How vain moreover is
prayer for those who live by fate ; Divine Providence is
banished from the world together with piety, and man is
made the mere instrument of the sidereal motions. For
these they say move to action, not only the bodily members,
but the thoughts of the mind. In a word, they who teach
this, take away all that is in us, and the very nature of a
contingency ; which is nothing less than to overturn all
things. For where will there be free will ? but that which is
Aig.de in us must be free. AUG. It cannot be said to be utterly
y g Dei absurd to suppose that sidereal afflatus should influence the
state of the body, when we see that it is by the approach
and departure of the sun that the seasons of the year are
VER. 1, 2. ST. MATTHEW. ()5
varied, and that many things, as shells and the wonderful
tides of the Ocean, increase or decrease as the moon waxes
or wanes. But not so, to say that the dispositions of the
mind are subject to sidereal impulse. Do they say that the
stars rather foreshew than effect these results ? how then do
they explain, that in the life of twins, in their actions, their
successes, professions, honours, and all other circumstances
of life, there will often be so great diversity, that men of
different countries are often more alike in their lives than
twins, between whose birth there was only a moment s, and
between whose conception in the womb there was not
a moment s, interval. And the small interval between their
births is not enough to account for the great difference
between their fates. Some give the name of fate not only to
the constitution of the stars, but to all series of causes, at the
same time subjecting all to the will and power of God.
This sort of subjection of human affairs and fate is a con
fusion of language which should be corrected, for fate is
strictly the constitution of the stars. The will of God we do
not call fate, unless indeed we will derive the word from
speaking ; as in the Psalms, God hath spoken once, twice Ps. 62,
have I heard the same. There is then no need of much 11
contention about what is merely a verbal controversy.
AUG. But if we will not subject the nativity of any man Aug.
to the influence of the stars, in order that we may vindicate ^^
the freedom of the will from any chain of necessity; how"- 5 *
much less must we suppose sidereal influences to have ruled
at His temporal birth, who is eternal Creator and Lord of
the universe ? The star which the Magi saw, at Christ s
birth according to the flesh, did not rule His fate, but
ministered as a testimony to Him. Further, this was not of
the number of those stars, which from the beginning of the
creation observe their paths of motion according to the law
of their Maker; but a star that first appeared at the birth,
ministering to the Magi who sought Christ, by going before
them till it brought them to the place where the infant God
the Word was. According to some astrologers such is the
connexion of human fate with the stars, that on the birth of
some men stars have been known to^ leave their courses, and
go directly to the new-born. The fortune indeed of him
VOL. T. F
66 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
that is born they suppose to be bound up with the course of
the stars, not that the course of the stars is changed after the
day of any man s birth. If then this star were of the number
of those that fulfil their courses in the heavens, how could it
determine what Christ should do, when it was commanded
at His birth only to leave its own course ? If, as is more
probable, it was first created at His birth, Christ was not
therefore born because it arose, but the reverse; so that if
we must have fate connected with the stars, this star did not
rule Christ s fate, but Christ the stars. CHRYS. The object
of astrology is not to learn from the stars the fact of one s
birth ; but from the hour of their nativity to forecast the fate
of those that are born. But these men knew not the time of
the nativity to have forecast the future from it, but the
converse.
Gloss. GLOSS. His star, i. e. the star He created for a witness of
^ in> Himself. GLOSS. To the Shepherds, Angels, and the
ord. Magians, a star points out Christ ; to both speaks the tongue
of Heaven, since the tongue of the Prophets was mute. The
Angels dwell in the heavens, the stars adorn it, to both there-
Greg, fore the heavens declare the glory of God. GREG. To the
E^iir *J" ews w ^ use d their reason, a rational creature, i. e. an Angel,
i. Horn, ought to preach. But the Gentiles who knew not to use
their reason are brought to the knowledge of the Lord, not
by words, but by signs ; to the one prophecy, as to the
faithful ; to the other signs, as to the unbelievers. One and
the same Christ is preached, when of perfect age, by
Apostles; when an infant, and not yet able to speak, is
announced by a star to the Gentiles; for so the order of
reason required ; speaking preachers proclaimed a speaking
Leo, Lord, mute signs proclaimed a mute infant. LEO; Christ
xxxiii.2. Himself, the expectation of the nations, that innumerable
posterity once promised to the most blessed patriarch
Abraham, but to be born not after the flesh, but by the
Spirit; therefore likened to the stars for multitude, that from
the father of all nations, not an earthly but an heavenly,
progeny might be looked for. Thus the heirs of that
promised posterity, marked out in the stars, are roused to the_
faith by the rise of a new star, and where the heavens had
been at first called in to witness, the aid of Heaven is con-
VER. 1, 2. ST. MATTHEW. (J7
tinued. CHRYSOST. This was manifestly not one of the
common stars of Heaven. First, because none of the stars
moves in this way, from east to south, and such is the
situation of Palestine with respect to Persia. Secondly,
from the time of its appearance, not in the night only, but
during the day. Thirdly, from its being visible and then
again invisible ; when they entered Jerusalem it hid itself,
and then appeared again when they left Herod. Further, it
had no stated motion, but when the Magi were to go on, it
went before them ; when to stop, it stopped like the pillar of
cloud in the desert. Fourthly, it signified the Virgin s
delivery, not by being fixed aloft, but by descending to
earth, shewing herein like an invisible virtue formed into the
visible appearance of a star. REMIG. Some affirm this star
to have been the Holy Spirit; He who descended on the
baptized Lord as a dove, appearing to the Magi as a star.
Others say it was an Angel, the same who appeared to the
shepherds-
GLOSS. In the east. It seems doubtful whether this refers Gloss.
to the place of the star, or of those that saw it ; it might ord *
have risen in the east, and gone before them to Jerusalem.
AUG. Will you ask, from whom had they learned that Aug.
such an appearance as a star was to signify the birth of 374 j.
Christ ? I answer from Angels, by the warning of some
revelation. Do you ask, was it from good or ill Angels ?
Truly even wicked spirits, namely the daemons, confessed
Christ to be the Son of God. But why should they not
have heard it from good Angels, since in this their adoration
of Christ their salvation was sought, not their wickedness
condemned? The Angels might say to them, ( The Star
which ye have seen is the Christ. Go ye, worship Him,
where He is now born, and see how great is He that is
born. LEO ; Besides that star thus seen with the bodily Leo,
eye, a yet brighter ray of truth pierced their hearts ; they were xxx ^ v \ 3,
enlightened by the illumination of the true faith. PSEUDO- nil.
AUG. They might think that a king of Judaea was born, since y U ^
the birth of temporal princes is sometimes attended by a N. Test,
star. These Chaldean Magi inspected the stars, not with q *
malevolence, but with the true desire of knowledge ; follow
ing, it may be supposed;, the tradition from Balaam ; so that
F 2
68 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
when they saw this new and singular star, they understood it
to be that of which Balaam had prophesied, as marking the
birth of a King of Judaea.
Leo, LEO. What they knew and believed might have been
sufficient for themselves, that they needed not to seek to see
with the bodily eye, what they saw so clearly with the
spiritual. But their earnestness and perseverance to see the
Babe was for our profit. It profited us that Thomas, after
the Lord s resurrection, touched and felt the marks of his
wounds, and so for our profit the Magians eyes looked on
the Lord in His cradle. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Were they then
ignorant that Herod reigned in Jerusalem ? Or that it is a
capital treason to proclaim another King while one yet lives ?
But while they thought on the King to come, they feared
not the king that was; while as yet they had not seen
Christ, they were ready to die for Him. O blessed Magi!
who before the face of a most cruel king, and before having
beheld Christ, were made His confessors.
3. When Herod the king had heard these things,
he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And when he had gathered all the Chief Priests
and Scribes of the people together, he demanded of
them where Christ should be born.
5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of
Judsea : for thus it is written by the prophet,
6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art
not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of
thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people
Israel.
Aug. AUG. As the Magi seek a Redeemer, so Herod fears a
>cc successor. GLOSS. The King, he is called, though in corn-
Gloss, parison with him whom they are seeking he is an alien and
a foreigner. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Herod was troubled when he
heard that a King was born of Jewish lineage, lest, himself
being an Idumaean, the kingdom should return again to
native princes, and himself be expelled, and his seed after
VER. 3 6. ST. MATTHEW. 69
him. Great station is ever obnoxious to great fears ; as the
boughs of trees planted in high ground move when never so
little wind blows, so high men are troubled with little
rumours ; while the lowly, like trees in the valley, remain at
peace. AUG. If His birth as an infant makes proud kings Aug>
tremble, what will His tribunal as a Judge do ? Let princes 200. 2.
fear Him sitting at the right hand of His Father, whom
this impious king feared while He hanged yet on His
mother s breast. LEO. Thou art troubled, Herod, without Leo,
cause. Thy nature cannot contain Christ, nor is the Lord of u
the world content with the narrow bounds of thy dominion.
He, whom thou wouldest not should reign in Judaea, reigns
every where. GLOSS. Perhaps he was troubled not on his Gloss,
own account, but for fear of the displeasure of the Romans. r
They would not allow the title of King or of God to
any without their permission. GREG. At the birth of a Gre S-.
King of Heaven, a king of earth is troubled ; surely, earthly Evan*,
greatness is confounded, when heavenly greatness shews i * 10-
itself. LEO. Herod represents the Devil ; who as he Leo,
then instigated him, so now he unweariedly imitates hi
For he is grieved by the calling of the Gentiles, and by the
daily ruin of his power. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Both have their
own causes of jealousy, both fear a successor in their king
dom ; Herod an earthly successor, the Devil a spiritual.
Even Jerusalem is troubled, which should have rejoiced at
that news, when a Jewish King was said to be risen up.
But they were troubled, for the wicked cannot rejoice at the
coming of the good. Or perhaps it was in fear that Herod
should wreak his wrath against a Jewish King on his race.
GLOSS. Jerusalem was troubled with him, as willing to
favour him whom it feared; the vulgar always pay undue
honour to one who tyrannizes over it. Observe the diligence
of his enquiry. If he should find him, he would do to him
as he shewed afterwards his disposition ; if he should not,
he would at least be excused to the Romans. REMIG.
They are called Scribes, not from the employment of writing,
but from the interpretation of the Scriptures, for they were
doctors of the law. Observe, he does not enquire where
Christ is born, but where He should be born; the subtle
purpose of this was to see if they would shew pleasure at
70 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
the birth of their King. He calls Him Christ, because he
knew that the King of the Jews was anointed. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Why does Herod make this enquiry, seeing he
believed not the Scriptures ? Or if he did believe, how
could he hope to be able to kill Him whom the Scriptures
declared should be King ? The Devil instigated him, who
believed that Scripture lies not; such is the faith of devils,
who are not permitted to have perfect belief, even of that
which they do believe. That they do believe, it is the force
of truth constrains them ; that they do not believe, it is that
they are blinded by the enemy. If they had perfect faith,
they would live as about to depart from this world soon, not
as to possess it for ever.
Leo, LEO ; The Magi, judging as men, sought in the
xxxT/2. r oy a l city for Him, whom they had been told was born a
King. But He who took the form of a servant, and came
not to judge but to be judged, chose Bethlehem for His birth,
Theod. Jerusalem for His death. THEODOTUS; Had He chosen
Serm. I -^g m ighty city of Rome, it might have been thought that
Cone, this change of the world had been wrought by the might of
her citizens ; had He been the son of the emperor, his power
might have aided Him. But what was His choice ? All that
was mean, all that was in low esteem, that in this transform
ation of the world, divinity might at once be recognized.
Therefore He chose a poor woman for His mother, a poor
country for His native country ; He has no money, and this
Greg, stable is His cradle. GREGORY; Rightly is He born in
E w n Bethlehem, which signifies the house of bread, who said,
viii. f. / am the living bread, who came down from heaven.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. When they should have kept secret the
mystery of the King appointed of God, especially before a
foreign king, straightway they became not preachers of the
word of God, but revealers of His mystery. And they not
only display the mystery, but cite the passage of the prophet,
Gloss, viz. Micah. GLOSS. He quotes this prophecy as they quote
ord - who give the sense and not the words. JEROME ; The
Epist. Jews are here blamed for ignorance ; for whereas the pro-
57 phecy says, Thou Bethlehem Ephrata ; they said, Bethle
hem in the land of Judah. PSEUDO-CHRYS. By cutting
short the prophecy, they became the cause of the murder of
VER. 3 6. ST. MATTHEW. 71
the Innocents. For the prophecy proceeds, From thee shall
go forth a King who shall feed My people Israel, and His
day shall be from everlasting. Had they cited the whole
prophecy, Herod would not have raged so madly, considering
that it could not be an earthly King whose days were spoken
of as from everlasting. JEROME ; The following is the Jerom.
sense of the prophecy. Thou, Bethlehem, of the laud of v "o. K
Judah, or Ephrata, (which is added to distinguish it from
another Bethlehem in Galilee,) though thou art a small
village among the thousand cities of Judah, yet out of thee
shall be born Christ, who shall be the Ruler of Israel, who
according to the flesh is of the seed of David, but was born
of Me before the worlds ; and therefore it is written, His
goings forth are of old. In the beginning was the Word.
GLOSS. This latter half of the prophecy the Jews dropped ; Gloss.
and other parts they altered, either through ignorance, (as
was said above,) or for perspicuity, that Herod who was
a foreigner might better understand the prophecy; thus for
Ephrata , they said, land of Judah ; and for little among
the thousands of Judah , which expresses its smallness con
trasted with the multitude of the people, they said, not the
least among the princes, willing to shew the high dignity
that would come from the birth of the Prince. As if they
had said, Thou art great among cities from which princes
have come. REMIG. Or the sense is ; though little among
cities that have dominion, yet art thou not the least, for out
of thee shall come the Ruler, who shall rule My people Israel;
this Ruler is Christ, who rules and guides His faithful people.
CHRYS. Observe the exactness of the prophecy; it is
not He shall be in Bethlehem, but shall come out of
Bethlehem ; shewing that He should be only born there.
What reason is there for applying this to Zorobabel, as
some do ? For his goings forth were not from ever
lasting ; nor did he go forth from Bethlehem, but was
born in Babylonia. The expression, art not the least,
is a further proof, for none but Christ could make the
town where He was born illustrious. And after that birth,
there came men from the utmost ends of the earth to
see the stable and manger. He calls Him not the Son
of God, but the Ruler who shall govern My people Israel ;
72 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
for thus He ought to condescend at the first, that they should
not be scandalized, but should preach such things as more
pertained to salvation, that they might be gained. Who
shall rule My people Israel, is said mystically, for those
of the Jews who believed; for if Christ ruled not all the Jews,
theirs is the blame. Meanwhile he is silent respecting the
Gentiles, that the Jews might not be scandalized. Mark
this wonderful ordinance ; Jews and Magi mutually instruct
each other; the Jews learn of the Magi that a star had
proclaimed Christ in the east, the Magi from the Jews that
the Prophets had spoken of Him of old. Thus confirmed
by a twofold testimony, they would look with more ardent
faith for One whom the brightness of the star and the voice
Aug. of the Prophets equally proclaimed. AUG. The star that
374; guided the Magi to the spot where was the Infant God with
373. 4. His Virgin Mother, might have conducted them straight to
the town ; but it vanished, and shewed not itself again to
them till the Jews themselves had told them the place where
Christ should be born ; Bethlehem of Judaea. Like in this
to those who built the ark for Noah, providing others with a
refuge, themselves perished in the flood ; or like to the stones
by the road that shew the miles, but themselves are not able
to move. The enquirers heard and departed ; the teachers
spake and remained still. Even now the Jews shew us
something similar; for some Pagans, when clear passages
of Scripture are shewn them, which prophesy of Christ,
suspecting them to be forged by the Christians, have recourse
to Jewish copies. Thus they leave the Jews to read
unprofitably, and go on themselves to believe faithfully.
7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the
wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the
star appeared.
8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go
and search diligently for the young Child ; and
when ye have found Him, bring me word again,
that I may come and worship Him also.
9. When they had heard the king, they departed.
VER. 7, 8, 9. ST. MATTHEW. 73
PSEUDO-CHRYS. As soon as Herod had heard the answer,
though doubly authenticated, both by the authority of the
Priests, and the passage from the Prophets, he yet turned
not to worship the King that was to be born, but sought
how he might put Him to death by subtilty. He saw that
the Magi were neither to be won by flattery, nor awed by
threats, nor bribed by gifts, to consent to this murder ; he
sought therefore to deceive them ; he privily called the wise
men ; that the Jews, whom he suspected, might not know of
it. For he thought they would incline the rather to a King of
their own nation. REMIG. Diligently enquired ; craftily, for he
feared they would not return to him, and then he should
know how he should do to put the young Child to death.
PsEUDO-AuG, The star had been seen, and with great wonder, Pseudo-
nearly two years before. We are to understand that it was gJJ^ in
signified to them whose the star was, which was visible all App.
that time till He, whom it signified, was born. Then as
soon as Christ was made known to them they set out, and
came and worshipped Him in thirteen days from the east 8 .
CHRYSOST. Or, the star appeared to them long time before,
because the journey would take up some time, and they were to
stand before Him immediately on His birth, that seeing Him
in swaddling clothes, He might seem the more wonderful.
GLOSS. According to others, the star was first seen on the Gloss,
day of the nativity, and having accomplished its end, ceased no
to be. Thus Fulgentius says, "The Boy at His birth Serm.de
created a new star." Though they now knew both time plp
and place, he still would not have them ignorant of the
person of the Child, Go, he says, and enquire diligently of
the young Child ; a commission they would have executed
even if he had not commanded it. CHRYS. Concerning the
young Child, he says, not of the King ; he envies Him the
regal title. PSEUDO-CHRYS. To induce them to do this, he
put on the colour of devotion, beneath which he whetted the
sword, hiding the malice of his heart under colour of
a This is written upon the notion have taken place after the Purification,
that the Magi presented themselves to on the return of St. Mary to Bethlehem.
Christ twelve days after His birth, However, Aug. (Cons. Ev. ii. 11.)
according to the Latin date for cele- places it before the Purification,
brating the event. It seems really to
74 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
humility. Such is the manner of the malicious, when they
would hurt any one in secret, they feign meekness and
Greg, affection. GREG. He feigns a wish of worshipping Him
v m i < m only that he may discover Him, and put Him to death.
10. 3. REMIG. The Magi obeyed the King so far as to seek the
Lord, but not to return to Herod. Like in this to good
hearers ; the good they hear from wicked preachers, that
they do ; but do not imitate their evil lives.
9. And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came and stood over where
the young Child was.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. This passage shews, that when the star
had brought the Magi nearly to Jerusalem, it was hidden from
them, and so they were compelled to ask in Jerusalem, where
Christ should be born ? and thus to manifest Him to them ;
on two accounts, first, to put to confusion the Jews, inasmuch
as the Gentiles instructed only by sight of a star sought
Christ through strange lands, while the Jews who had read
the Prophets from their youth did not receive Him, though
born in their country. Secondly, that the Priests, when asked
where Christ should be born, might answer to their now
condemnation, and while they instructed Herod, they were
themselves ignorant of Him. The star went before them, to
shew them the greatness of the King. AUG. To perform its
due service to the Lord, it advanced slowly, leading them to
the spot. It was ministering to Him, and not ruling His
fate ; its light shewed the suppliants and filled the inn, shed
over the walls and roof that covered the birth ; and thus it
disappeared. PSEUDO-CHRYS. What wonder that a divine
star should minister to the Sun of righteousness about to rise.
It stood over the Child s head, as it were, saying, * This is
He; proving by its place what it had no voice to utter,
Gloss. GLOSS. It is evident that the star must have been in the air ;
lm * and close above the house where the Child was, else i<
would not have pointed out the exact house.
Ambros. AMBROSE; The star is the way, and the way is Christ;
ii" 45* anc ^ accor ding to the mystery of the incarnation, Christ is a
VER. 10, 11. ST. MATTHEW. 75
star. He is a blazing and a morning- star. Thus where
Herod is, the star is not seen ; where Christ is, there it is
again seen, and points out the way. REMIG. Or, the star
figures the grace of God, and Herod the Devil. He, who
by sin puts himself in the Devil s power, loses that grace ;
but if he return by repentance, he soon finds that grace again
which leaves him not till it have brought him to the young
Child s house, i. e. the Church. GLOSS. Or, the star is the Gloss,
illumination of faith, which leads him to the nearest aid ;
while they turn aside to the Jews, the Magi lose it ; so those
who seek counsel of the bad, lose the true light.
10. When they saw the star,, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy.
1 1 . And when they were come into the house, they
saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell
down, and worshipped Him : and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts ;
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
GLOSS. This service of the star is followed by the rejoicing
of the Magi. REMIG. And it was not enough to say, They
rejoiced, but they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. They rejoiced, because their hopes were not falsified
but confirmed, and because the toil of so great travel had not
been undertaken in vain. GLOSS. He rejoices indeed who Gloss,
rejoices on God s account, who is the true joy. With great ord
joy, he says, for they had great cause. PSEUDO-CHRYS. By
the mystery of this star they understood that the dignity of
the King then born exceeded the measure of all worldly
kings. REMIG. He adds greatly, shewing that men rejoice
more over what they have lost than over what they possess.
LEO. Though in stature a babe, needing the aid of others, Leo,
unable to speak, and different in nothing from other infants, | e m h in
yet such faithful witnesses, shewing the unseen Divine s . 4. 3.
Majesty which was in Him, ought to have proved most
certainly that that was the Eternal Essence of the Son of
7(> GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
God that had taken upon Him the true human nature.
PsEUDO-CiiRYS. Mary His mother, not crowned with a
diadem or laying on a golden couch ; but with barely one
garment, not for ornament but for covering, and that such as
the wife of a carpenter when abroad might have. Had they
therefore come to seek an earthly king, they would have
been more confounded than rejoiced, deeming their pains
thrown away. But now they looked for a heavenly King ;
so that though they saw nought of regal state, that star s
witness sufficed them, and their eyes rejoiced to behold
a despised Boy, the Spirit shewing Him to their hearts in all
His wonderful power, they fell down and worshipped, seeing
the man, they acknowledged the God. RABANUS. Joseph
was absent by Divine command, that no wrong suspicions
Gloss, might occur to the Gentiles. GLOSS. In these offerings we
observe their national customs, gold, frankincense, and
various spices abounding among the Arabians ; yet they
Greg, intended thereby to signify something in mystery. GREG.
Evang! n Gold, as to a King; frankincense, as sacrifice to God; myrrh,
i. 106. as embalming the body of the dead. AUG. Gold, as paid
norfocc. ^ a m ig nt y King ; frankincense, as offered to God ; myrrh,
as to one who is to die for the sins of all. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. And though it were not then understood what these
several gifts mystically signified, that is no difficulty; the
same grace that instigated them to the deed, ordained the
whole. REMIG. And it is to be known that each did not
offer a different gift, but each one the three things, each one
thus proclaiming the King, the God, and the man. CHRYS.
Let Marcion and Paul of Samosata then blush, who will not
see what the Magi saw, those progenitors of the Church
adoring God in the flesh. That He was truly in the flesh,
the swaddling clothes and the stall prove ; yet that they
worshipped Him not as mere man, but as God, the gifts
prove which it was becoming to offer to a God. Let the
Jews also be ashamed, seeing the Magi coming before them,
and themselves not even earnest to tread in their path.
^ r . e g- GREG. Something further may yet be meant here. Wisdom
Pro* * s typi ne d by gold; as Solomon saith in the Proverbs, A
21,20. treasure to be desired is in the mouth of the wise. By
frankincense, which is burnt before God, the power of prayer
VER. 12. ST. MATTHEW. 77
is intended, as in the Psalms, Let my speech come before thee?*- 141
as incense. In myrrh is figured mortification of the flesh.
To a king at his birth we offer gold, if we shine in his sight
with the light of wisdom ; we offer frankincense, if we have
power before God by the sweet savour of our prayers ; we offer
myrrh, when we mortify by abstinence the lusts of the flesh.
GLOSS. The three men who offer, signify the nations
come" from the three quarters of the earth. They open their
treasures, i. e. manifest the faith of their hearts by confession.
Rightly in the house, teaching that we should not vain-
gloriously display the treasure, of a good conscience. They
bring three gifts, i. e. the faith in the Holy Trinity.
opening the stores of Scripture, they offer its threefold sense, p . IB.
historical, moral, and allegorical; or Logic, Physic, and
Ethics, making them all serve the faith.
12. And being warned of God in a dream that they
should not return to Herod, they departed into their
own country another way.
AUG. The wicked Herod, now made cruel by fear, will Aug.
needs do a deed of horror. But how could he ensnare him
who had come to cut off all fraud ? His fraud is escaped as
it follows, And being warned. JEROME ; They had offered
gifts to the Lord, and receive a warning corresponding to it.
This warning (in the Greek c having received a response )
is given not by an Angel, but by the Lord Himself, to
shew the high privilege granted to the merit of Joseph.
GLOSS. This warning is given by the Lord Himself; it is Gloss.
none other that now teaches these Magi the way they or
should return, but He w 7 ho said, / am the way. Not that John 14.
the Infant actually speaks to them, that His divinity may
not be revealed before the time, and His human nature may
be thought real. But he says, having received an answer,
for as Moses prayed silently, so they with pious spirit had
asked what the Divine will bade. By another way, for
they were not to be mixed up with the unbelieving Jews.
CHRYS. See the faith of the Magi ; they were not offended, Chrys.
nor said within themselves, What need now of flight? or vil m *
78 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
of secret return, if this Boy be really some great one ? Such
is true faith; it asks not the reason of any command, but
obeys. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Had the Magi sought Christ as an
earthly King, they would have remained with Him when
they had found Him ; but they only worship, and go their
way. After their return, they continued in the worship of
God more stedfast than before, and taught many by their
preaching. And when afterwards Thomas reached their
country, they joined themselves to him, and were baptized,
Grecr. an( j did according to his preaching 5 . GREG. We may learn
E V< i\ much from this return of the Magi another way. Our
io. 7. country is Paradise, to which, after we have come to the
knowledge of Christ we are forbidden to return the way we
came. We have left this country by pride, disobedience,
following things of sight, tasting forbidden food; and we
must return to it by repentance, obedience, by contemning
things of sight, and overcoming carnal appetite. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. It was impossible that they, who left Herod to
go to Christ, should return to Herod. They who have
by sin left Christ and passed to the devil, often return to
Christ ; for the innocent, who knows not what is evil, is
easily deceived, but having once tasted the evil he has taken
up, and remembering the good he has left, he returns in
penitence to God. He who has forsaken the devil and
come to Christ, hardly returns to the devil; for rejoicing
in the good he has found, and remembering the evil he has
escaped, with difficulty returns to that evil.
13. And when they were departed, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream,
saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His
mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I
bring thee word ; for Herod will seek the young
Child to destroy Him.
b S. Thomas is said to have preached Margi are mentioned, Pseudo-Hippol.
to the Parthians, Persians, or Indians, de Duod. Apost. (ed. Fabr. Append, p.
Euseb. Hist. iii. 1. Clem. Recogn. ix. 30.) Combefis conjecturing Mardi.
29. Greg. Naz. Or. 25. p. 438. The
VEU. 13 15. ST. MATTHEW, 79
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and
His mother by night, and departed into Egypt :
15. And was there until the death of Herod : that
it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called
my Son.
RABANUS. Here Matthew omits the day of purification when
the first-born must be presented in the Temple with a lamb,
or a pair of turtle doves, or pigeons. Their fear of Herod
did not make them bold to transgress the Law, that they
should not present the Child in the temple. As soon then as
the rumour concerning the Child begins to be spread abroad,
the Angel is sent to bid Joseph carry Him into Egypt.
REMIG. By this that the Angel appears always to Joseph in
sleep, is mystically signified that they who rest from
mundane cares and secular pursuits, deserve angelic visita
tions. HILARY ; The first time when he would teach Joseph
that she was lawfully espoused, the Angel called the Virgin
his espoused wife ; but after the birth she is only spoken of
as the Mother of Jesus. As wedlock was rightfully imputed
to her in her virginity, so virginity is esteemed venerable in
her as the mother of Jesus. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He says not,
( the Mother and her young Child, but, the young Child and
His mother ; for the Child was not born for the mother, but
the mother prepared for the Child. How is this that the Son
of God flies from the face of man ? or who shall deliver from
the enemy s hand, if He Himself fears His enemies ? First ;
He ought to observe, even in this, the law of that human
nature which He took on Him; and human nature and
infancy must flee before threatening power. Next, that
Christians when persecution makes it necessary should not
be ashamed to fly. But why into Egypt? The Lord, who
keepeth not His anger for ever, remembered the woes He
had brought upon Egypt, and therefore sent His Son thither,
and gives it this sign of great reconciliation, that with this
one remedy He might heal the ten plagues of Egypt, and the
nation that had been the persecutor of this first-bom people,
might be the guardian of His first-born Son. As formerly
BO GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
they had cruelly tyrannized, now they might devoutly serve ;
nor go to the Red Sea to be drowned, but be called to the
waters of baptism to receive life. ADG. Hear the sacrament
of a great mystery. Moses before had shut up the light of
day from the traitors the Egyptians; Christ by going down
thither brought back light to them that sate in darkness.
He fled that he might enlighten them, not that he might
Aug. escape his foes. ID. The miserable tyrant supposed that by
2 the Saviour s coming he should be thrust from his royal
A PP- throne. But it was not so ; Christ came not to hurt others
dignity, but to bestow His own on others. HILARY ; Egypt
full of idols ; for after this enquiry for Him among the Jews,
Christ leaving Judaea goes to be cherished among nations
given to the vainest superstitions. JEROME ; When he takes
the Child and His mother to go into Egypt, it is in the night
and darkness, when to return into Judaea, the Gospel speaks
of no light, no darkness. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The straitness of
every persecution may be called night the relief from it in
like manner, day. RABANUS ; For when the true light with
draws, they who hate the light are in darkness, when it
returns they are again enlightened. CHRYS. See how imme
diately on His birth the tyrant is furious against Him, and
the mother with her Child is driven into foreign lands. So
should you in the beginning of your spiritual career seem to
have tribulation, you need not to be discouraged, but bear all
Bede. things manfully, having this example. BEDE. The flight
Nat. in- into Egypt signifies that the elect are often by the wicked-
nocent. ness o f the ^ a( j driven from their homes, or sentenced to
banishment. Thus He, who, we shall see below, gave the
command to His own, When they shall persecute you in one
city r , flee ye to another , first practised what He enjoined, as a
man flying before the face of man on earth. He whom but
a little before a star had proclaimed to the Magi to be
worshipped as from heaven. REMIG, Isaiah had foretold
Is. 19, 1. this flight into Egypt. Lo! the Lord shall ascend on a light
cloud, and shall come into Egypt, and shall scatter the idols
of Egypt. It is the practice of this Evangelist to confirm all
he says ; and that because he is writing to the Jews, there-
Jerome. fore he adds, that it might be fulfilled, &c. JEROME; This
57; V is not in the LXX ; but in Osee according to the genuine
VER. 16. ST. MATTHEW. 81
Hebrew text we read ; Israel is my child, and I have loved
him, and, from Egypt have I called my Son; where the LXX
render, Israel is my child, and I have loved him, and called
my sons out of Egypt. ID. The Evangelist cites this text, Jerom.
because it refers to Christ typically. For it is to be observed, j j ^ ee
that in this Prophet and in others, the coming of Christ and
the call of the Gentiles are foreshewn in such a manner, that
the thread of history is never broken. CHRYS. It is a law of
prophecy, that in a thousand places many things are said of
some and fulfilled of others. As it is said of Simeon and
Levi, I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Gen.
Israel; which was fulfilled not in themselves, but in their
descendants. So here Christ is by nature the Son of God,
and so the prophecy is fulfilled in Him. JEROME ; Let those
who deny the authenticity of the Hebrew copies, shew us
this passage in the LXX, and when they have failed to find
it, we will shew it them in the Hebrew. We may also
3xplain it in another way, by considering it as quoted from
Numbers, God brought him out of Egypt ; his glory is as it Num.
were that of a unicorn. REMIG. In Joseph is figured the 23> 22i
)rder of preachers, in Mary Holy Scripture ; by the Child the
mowledge of the Saviour ; by the cruelty of Herod the
)ersecution which the Church suffered in Jerusalem ; by
Toseph s flight into Egypt the passing of the preachers
o the unbelieving Gentiles, (for Egypt signifies darkness;)
!>y the time that he abode in Egypt the space of time
>etween the ascension of the Lord and the coming of Anti-
Christ; by Herod s death the extinction of jealousy in the
learts of the Jews.
16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked
>f the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth,
nd slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,
;nd in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and
inder, according to the time which he had diligently
nquired of the wise men.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. When the infant Jesus had subdued the
; Iagi, not by the might of His flesh, but the grace of His
VOL. I. G
82 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II-
Spirit, Herod was exceeding wrath, that they whom he sitting
on his throne had no power to move, were obedient to an
Infant lying in a manger. Then by their contempt of him
the Magi gave further cause of wrath. For when kings
wrath is stirred by fear for their crowns, it is a great and
inextinguishable wrath. But what did he ? He sent and
slew all the children. As a wounded beast rends whatso
ever meeteth it as if the cause of its smart, so he mocked
by the Magi spent his fury on children. He said to himself
in his fury, * Surely the Magi have found the Child whom
they said should be King ; for a king in fear for his crown
fears all things, suspects all. Then he sent and slew all
those infants, that he might secure one among so many.
Aug. AUG. And while he thus persecutes Christ, he furnished
)CC an army (of martyrs) clothed in white robes of the same age
Aug. as the Lord. ID. Behold how this unrighteous enemy never
220? could have so much profited these infants by his love, as he
App. did by his hate ; for as much as iniquity abounded against
them, so much did the grace of blessing abound on them.
Aug. ID. O blessed infants ! He only will doubt of your crown
373. 3. in this your passion for Christ, who doubts that the baptism
of Christ has a benefit for infants. He who at His birth had
Angels to proclaim Him, the heavens to testify, and Magi to
worship Him, could surely have prevented that these should
not have died for Him, had He not known that they died nol
in that death, but rather lived in higher bliss. Far be the
thought, that Christ who came to set men free, did nothing to
reward those who died in His behalf, when hanging on the
cross He prayed for those who put Him to death.
RABANUS. He is not satisfied with the massacre a
Bethlehem, but extends it to the adjacent villages ; sparing
no age from the child of one night old, to that of two years
Aug. AUG. The Magi had seen this unknown star in the
!32. heavens, not a few days, but two years before, as they hac
informed Herod when he enquired. This caused him to fi2
two years old and under ; as it follows, according to tin
Gloss, time he had enquired of the Magi. ID. Or because h<
feared that the Child to whom even stars ministered, migh
transform His appearance to greater or under that of Hi;
own age, or might conceal all those of that age : hence ii
VRK. 17, 18. ST. MATTHEW. 83
seems to be that he slew all from one day to two years old.
AUG. Or, disturbed by pressure of still more imminent Aug.
dangers, Herod s thoughts are drawn to other thoughts than E e v " s
the slaughter of children, he might suppose that the Magi, ll -
unable to find Him whom they had supposed born, were
ashamed to return to him. So the days of purification being
accomplished, they might go up in safety to Jerusalem. And
who does not see that that one day they may have escaped
the attention of a King occupied with so many cares, and
that afterwards when the things done in the Temple came to
be spread abroad, then Herod discovered that he had been
deceived by the Magi, and then sent and slew the children.
BEDE. In this death of the children the precious death of all Bede.
Christ s martyrs is figured; that they were infants signifies, Nat. In-
that by the merit of humility alone can we come to the glory nocent -
of martyrdom; that they were slain in Bethlehem and the
coasts thereof, that the persecution shall be both in Jerusalem
whence the Church originated, and throughout the world ;
in those of two years old are figured the perfect in doctrine
and works; those under that age the neophytes; that they
were slain while Christ escaped, signifies that the bodies of
the martyrs may be destroyed by the wicked, but that Christ
cannot be taken from them.
17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by
Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18. In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping
for her children, and would not be comforted, because
they are not.
CHRYS. The Evangelist by this history of so bloody aChrys.
massacre, having filled the reader with horror, now again
sooths his feelings, shewing that these things were not
done because God could not hinder, or knew not of them ;
but as the Prophet had foretold. JEROME ; This passage of Jerom.
Jeremiah has been quoted by Matthew neither according to er em.
the Hebrew nor the LXX version. This shews that the 31 - 15 -
G 2
84 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
Evangelists and Apostles did not follow any one s translation,
but according to the Hebrew manner expressed in their own
words what they had read in Hebrew. ID. By Ramah we
need not suppose that the town of that name near Gibeah is
meant; but take it as signifying high. A voice was heard
* aloft, that is, spread far and wide. PsEUDO-CuRYS. Or,
it was heard 011 high, because uttered for the death of the
Ecclus. innocent, according to that, Tlie voice of the poor entereth
into the heavens. The c weeping means the cries of the
children ; lamentation, refers to the mothers. In the
infants themselves their death ends their cries, in the mothers
it is continually renewed by the remembrance of their loss.
JEROME ; Rachel s son was Benjamin, in which tribe
Bethlehem is not situated. How then does Rachel weep
for the children of Judah as if they were her own ? We
answer briefly. She was buried near Bethlehem in Ephrata,
and was regarded as the mother, because her body was
there entertained. Or, as the two tribes of Judah and
Benjamin were contiguous, and Herod s command extended
to the coasts of Bethlehem as well as to the town itself, we
PseuJo- may suppose that many were slain in Benjamin. PsEUDO-Auo.
Hilf Or, The sons of Benjamin, who were akin to Rachel, were
Quaest. formerly cut off by the other tribes, and so extinct both
V. Test, then and ever after. Then therefore Rachel began to mourn
g ee 62 her sons, when she saw those of her sister cut off in such a
Judg.20. cause, that they should be heirs of eternal life ; for he who
has experienced any misfortune, is made more sensible of his
losses by the good fortune of a neighbour. REMIG. The
sacred Evangelist adds, to shew the greatness of the
mourning, that even the dead Rachel was roused to mourn
her sons, and would not be comforted because they were not,
JEROME ; This may be understood in two ways ; either she
thought them dead for all eternity, so that no consolation
could comfort her; or, she desired not to receive any
comfort for those who she knew had gone into life eternal.
HILARY ; It could not be that they were not who seemed
now dead, but by glorious martyrdom they were advanced to
eternal life ; and consolation is for those who have suffered
loss, not for those who have reaped a gain. Rachel affords
a type of the Church long barren now at length fruitful.
VER. 19, 20. ST. MATTHEW. 85
She is heard weeping for her children, not because she
mourned them dead, but because they were slaughtered by
those whom she would have retained as her first-born sons.
RABANUS ; Or, The Church weeps the removal of the saints
from this earth, but wishes not to be comforted as though
they should return again to the struggles of life, for they are
not to be recalled into life. GLOSS. She will not be Gloss.
comforted in this present life, for that they are not, but
transfers all her hope and comfort to the life to come.
RABANUS; Rachel is well set for a type of the Church, as
the word signifies a sheep or seeing ; her whole thought . vid - note
being to fix her eye in contemplation of God; and she is 1>P<
the hundredth sheep that the shepherd layeth on his
shoulder.
19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an Angel
of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt,
20. Saying, Arise, and take the young Child and
His mother, and go into the land of Israel ; for they
are dead which sought the young Child s life.
EUSEB. For the sacrilege which Herod had committed Euseb.
against the Saviour, and his wicked slaughter of the infants
of the same age, the Divine vengeance hastened his end;
and his body, as Joseph us relates, was attacked by a strange
disease ; so that the prophets declared that they were not
human ailments, but visitations of Divine vengeance. Filled
with mad fury, he gives command to seize and imprison the
heads and nobles out of all parts of Judaea ; ordering that as
soon as ever he should breathe his last, they should be all
put to death, that so Judaea though unwillingly might mourn
at his decease. Just before he died he murdered his son
Antipater, (besides two boys put to death before, Alexander and
Aristobulus.) Such was the end of Herod, noticed in those
words of the Evangelist, when Herod was dead, and such the
punishment inflicted. JEROME; Many here err from ig
norance of history, supposing the Herod who mocked our
86 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
Lord on the day of His passion, and the Herod whose death
is here related, were the same. But the Herod who was
then made friends with Pilate was son of this Herod and
brother to Archelaus ; for Archelaus was banished to Lyons
in Gaul, and his father Herod made king in his room, as we
read in Josephus.
Pseudo- PsEUDO-DiONYSius; See how Jesus Himself, though far
De Gael, above all celestial beings, and coming unchanged to our nature,
Hie " shunned not that ordinance of humanity which He had taken
on Him, but was obedient to the dispositions of His Father
made known by Angels. For even by Angels is declared
to Joseph the retreat of the Son into Egypt, so ordained of
the Father, and His return again to Judaea. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
See how Joseph was set for ministering to Mary; when
she went into Egypt and returned, who would have fulfilled
to her this so needful ministry, had she not been betrothed ?
For to outward view Mary nourished and Joseph defended
the Child ; but in truth the Child supported His mother and
protected Joseph. Return into the land of Israel ; for He
went down into Egypt as a physician, not to abide there,
but to succour it sick with error. But the reason of the
return is given in the words, They are dead, fyc. JEROME ;
From this we see that not Herod only, but also the Priests
and Scribes had sought the Lord s death at that time.
REMIG. But if they were many who sought his destruction,
how came they all to have died in so short a time ? As we
have related above, all the great men among the Jews were
slain at Herod s death. PSEUDO-CHRYS. And that is said
to have been done by the counsel of God for their con
spiring with Herod against the Lord; as it is said, Herod was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. REMIG. Or the
Evangelist uses a figure of speech, by which the plural is
or soul, used for the singular. These words, the Child s life, over-
Apim* tnrow tnose heretics who taught that Christ did not take a
narians. soul, but had His Divinity in place of a soul. BEDE ; This
^ e o d ^ in slaughter of the infants for the Lord s sake, the death of
Nat. in- Herod soon after, and Joseph s return with the Lord and his
IOC> mother to the land of Israel, is a figure shewing that all the
persecutions moved against the Church will be avenged by
the death of the persecutor, peace restored to the Church,
VER. 21 23. ST. MATTHEW. 87
and the saints who had concealed themselves return to their
own places. Or the return of Jesus to the land of Israel on
the death of Herod shews, that, at the preaching of Enoch
and Elijah , the Jews, when the fire of modern jealousy
shall be extinguished, shall receive the true faith.
21. And he arose, and took the young Child and
His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign
in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was
afraid to go thither : notwithstanding, being warned
of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of
Galilee :
23. And he came and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Naza-
rene.
GLOSS. Joseph was not disobedient to the angelic warning,
but he arose, and took the young Child and his mother, and
came into the land of Israel. The Angel had not fixed the
particular place, so that while Joseph hesitates, the Angel
returns, and by the often visiting him confirms his obedience.
JOSEPH us ; Herod had nine wives, by seven of whom he
had a numerous issue. By Josida, his first born Antipater
by Mariamine, Alexander and Aristobulus by Mathuca,
a Samaritan woman, Archelaus by Cleopatra of Jerusalem,
Herod, who was afterwards tetrarch, and Philip. The three
first were put to death by Herod ; and after his death, Archelaus
seized the throne by occasion of his father s will, and the
question of the succession was carried before Augustus
Caesar. After some delay, he made a distribution of the whole
of Herod s dominions in accordance with the Senate s advice.
c That Enoch and especially Elias Matt. xx. . 10. xxvi. . 5.) Chrysostom,
will come at the end of the world and (in Matt. xvii. 10.) Augustine, (de Civ.
by their preaching convert the Jews is D. xx. 29. Op. Imp. contra Julian, vi.
affirmed by Tertullian, (de Anima 35. 30.) Pope Gregory, (in Job. lib. xiv.
de Resur. c. 22.) Origen, (in Joann. i. 23. in Joann. Horn. vii. 1.) and Da-
tom. 5. in Matt. torn. 13.) Hilary, (in mascene, (de Fid. Orth. iv. 26 fin.)
88 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. II.
To Archelaus he assigned one half, consisting of Idumsea and
Judaea, with the title of tetrarch, and a promise of that of
king if he shewed himself deserving of it. The rest he
divided into two tetrarch ates, giving Galilee to Herod the
tetrarch, Ituraea and Trachonitis to Philip. Thus Archelaus
was after his father s death a duarch, which kind of sovereignty
Aug. Deis here called a kingdom. AUG. Here it may be asked,
Evan. How then could his parents go up every year of Christ s
11. 10. childhood to Jerusalem, as Luke relates, if fear of Archelaus
now prevented them from approaching it? This difficulty
is easily solved. At the festival they might escape notice
in the crowd, and by returning soon, where in ordinary times
they might be afraid to live. So they neither became ir
religious by neglecting the festival, nor notorious by dwelling
continually in Jerusalem. Or it is open to us to understand
Luke when he says, they went up every year, as speaking
of a time when they had nothing to fear from Archelaus,
who, as Josephus relates, reigned only nine years. There
is yet a difficulty in what follows ; Being warned in a dream,
he turned aside into the parts of Galilee. If Joseph was
afraid to go into Judaea because one of Herod s sons,
Archelaus, reigned there, how could he go into Galilee, where
another of his sons Herod was tetrarch, as Luke tells us ?
As if the times of which Luke is speaking were times
in which there was any longer need to fear for the Child,
when even in Judaea things were so changed, that Ar
chelaus no longer ruled there, but Pilate was governor.
Gloss. GLOSS. But then we might ask, why was he not afraid to go
into Galilee, seeing Archelaus ruled there also ? He could
be better concealed in Nazareth than in Jerusalem, which
was the capital of the kingdom, and where Archelaus was
constantly resident. CHRYS. And when he had once left
the country of His birth, all the occurrences passed out of
mind ; the rage of persecution had been spent in Bethlehem
and its neighbourhood. By choosing Nazareth therefore,
Joseph both avoided danger, and returned to his country.
Aug AUG. This may perhaps occur to some, that Matthew
De Con. sa y S His parents went with the Child Jesus to Galilee
ii. 9. because they feared Archelaus, when it should seem most
probable that they chose Galilee because Nazareth was
VER. 21 23. ST. MATTHEW. 89
their own city, as Luke has not forgot to mention. We
must understand, that when the Angel in the vision in Egypt
said to Joseph, Go into the land of Israel, Joseph understood
the command to be that he should go straight into Judaea,
that being properly the land of Israel. But finding
Archelaus ruling there, he would not court the danger, as
the land of Israel might be interpreted to extend to Galilee,
which was inhabited by children of Israel. Or we may
suppose His parents supposed that Christ should dwell no
where but in Jerusalem, where was the temple of the Lord,
and would have gone thither had not the fear of Archelaus
hindered them. And they had not been commanded from
God to dwell positively in Judaea, or Jerusalem, so as that
they should have despised the fear of Archelaus, but only in
the land of Israel generally, which they might understand of
Galilee.
HILARY. But the figurative interpretation holds good any
way. Joseph represents the Apostles, to whom Christ is
entrusted to be borne about. These, as though Herod were
dead, that is, his people being destroyed in the Lord s
passion, are commanded to preach the Gospel to the Jews ;
they are sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But
finding the seed of their hereditary unbelief still abiding,
they fear and withdraw; admonished by a vision, to wit,
seeing the Holy Ghost poured upon the Gentiles, they carry
Christ to them. RABANUS. Or, we may apply it to the last
times of the Jewish Church, when many Jews having turned
to the preaching of Enoch and Elijah, the rest filled with
the spirit of Antichrist shall fight against the faith. So that
part of Judaea where Archelaus rules, signifies the followers
of Antichrist ; Nazareth of Galilee, whither Christ is con
veyed, that part of the nation that shall embrace the faith.
Galilee means removal; Nazareth, the flower of virtues;
for the Church the more zealously she removes from the
earthly to the heavenly, the more she abounds in the flower
and fruit of virtues. GLOSS. To this he adds the Prophet s
testimony, saying, That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the Prophets, fyc. JEROME. Had he meant to
quote a particular text, he would not have written Prophets,
but the Prophet. By thus using the plural he evidently
90 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. II.
does not take the words of any one passage in Scripture, but
the sense of the whole. Nazarene is interpreted Holy d , and
that the Lord would be Holy, all Scripture testifies. Other-
c. 11, l.wise we may explain that it is found in Isaiah rendered to
the strict letter of the Hebrew. There shall come a Rod out
of the stem of Jesse, and a Nazarene shall grow out of His
roots*. PSEUDO-CHRYS. They might have read this in some
Prophets who are not in our canon, as Nathan or Esdras.
That there was some prophecy to this purport is clear from
John i, what Philip says to Nathanael. Him of whom Moses in the
15 Law and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth. Hence
the Christians were at first called Nazarenes, at Antioch
Aug. De their name was changed to that of Christians. AUG.
E y"n The whole of this history, from the account of the Magi
ii. 5. inclusively, Luke omits. Let it be here noticed once for all,
that each of the Evangelists writes as if he were giving a
full and complete history, which omits nothing ; where he
really passes over any thing, he continues his thread of
history as if he had told all. Yet by a diligent comparison
of their several narratives, we can be at no toss to know
where to insert any particular that is mentioned by one and
not by the other.
CHAP. III.
1. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching
in the wilderness of Judaea,
2. And saying, Repent ye : for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
3. For this is he that was spoken of by the
Prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in
the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
His paths straight.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Sun as he approaches the horizon,
and before he is yet visible, sends out his rays and makes
the eastern sky to glow with light, that Aurora going before
may herald the coming day. Thus the Lord at His birth in
this earth, and before He shews Himself, enlightens John by
the rays of His Spirit s teaching, that he might go before
and announce the Saviour that was to come. Therefore
after having related the birth of Christ, before proceeding to
His teaching and baptism, (wherein he received such
testimony,) he first premises somewhat of the Baptist and
forerunner of the Lord. In those days, 8$c. REMIG. In V er. i.
these words we have not only time, place, and person,
respecting St. John, but also his office and employment.
First the time, generally; In those days. AUG. Luke Aug. De
describes the time by the reigning sovereigns. But Matthew " n
must be understood to speak of a wider space of time ii. 6.
by the phrase those days, than the fifteenth year oi J uke3
Tiberius. Having related Christ s return from Egypt,
which must be placed in early boyhood or even infancy, to
make it agree with what Luke has told of His being in the
92 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
temple at twelve years old, he adds directly, In those days,
not intending thereby only the days of His childhood, but
all the days from His birth to the preaching of John.
REMIG. The man is mentioned in the words came John,
that is, shewed himself, having abode so long in obscurity.
Chrys. CHRYS. But why must John thus go before Christ with a
witness of deeds preaching Him ? First ; that we might
hence learn Christ s dignity, that He also, as the Father has,
Luke i, has prophets, in the words of Zacharias, And thou, Child,
shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest. Secondly; That
the Jews might have no cause for offence ; as He declared,
Luke?, John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He
hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and they say, Behold a gluttonous man. It needeth more
over that the things concerning Christ should be told by
some other first, and not by Himself; or what would the
Jews have said, who after the witness of John made corn-
John 8, plaint, Thou bearest witness of thyself, thy witness is not
^ rue - REMIG. His office ; the Baptist ; in this he prepared
ap. An- the way of the Lord, for had not men been used to be
selm * baptized, they would have shunned Christ s baptism. His
employment; Preaching; RABAN. For because Christ was
to preach, as soon as it seemed the fit time, that is, about
thirty years of age, he began by his preaching to make ready
the way for the Lord. REM. The place ; the desert of
Maxim. Judcsa. MAXIMUS ; Where neither a noisy mob would
Joan. m interrupt his preaching, and whither no unbelieving hearer
Ba P- would retire ; but those only would hear, who sought to his
Jerom. preaching from motives of divine worship. JEROME; Con-
In. Is. sider how the salvation of God, and the glory of the Lord, is
preached not in Jerusalem, but in the solitude of the
Church, in the wilderness to multitudes. HILARY; Or, he
came to Judaea, desert by the absence of God, not of
population, that the place of preaching might witness the
Gloss, few to whom the preaching was sent. GLOSS. The desert
se P lm An " typically means a life removed from the temptations of the
world, such as befits the penitent.
Aug. AUG. Unless one repent him of his former life, he cannot
Serm begin a new life. HILARY ; He therefore preaches repent
ance when the Kingdom of Heaven approaches ; by which
VER> 1 3. ST. MATTHEW. 93
we return from error, we escape from sin, and after shame
for our faults, we make profession of forsaking them.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. In the very commencement he shews
himself the messenger of a merciful Prince ; he comes not
with threats to the offender, but with offers of mercy. It is
a custom with kings to proclaim a general pardon on the
birth of a son, but first they send throughout their kingdom
officers to exact severe fines. But God willing at the birth
of His Son to give pardon of sins, first sends His officer
proclaiming, Repent ye. O exaction which leaves none
poor, but makes many rich! For even when we pay our just
debt of righteousness we do God no service, but only gain
our own salvation. Repentance cleanses the heart, en
lightens the sense, and prepares the human soul for the
reception of Christ, as he immediately adds, For the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. JEROME; John Baptist
is the first to preach the Kingdom of Heaven, that the
forerunner of the Lord may have this honourable privilege.
CHRYS. And he preaches what the Jews had never heard,
not even from the Prophets, Heaven, namely, and the
Kingdom that is there, and of the kingdoms of the earth he
says nothing. Thus by the novelty of those things of which
he speaks, he gains their attention to Him whom he preaches.
REMIG. The Kingdom of Heaven has a fourfold meaning.
It is said, of Christ, as The Kingdom of God is within you. Lukei7,
Of Holy Scripture, as, The Kingdom of God shall be taken ^ 2
from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the 43.
fruits thereof. Of the Holy Church, as, The Kingdom o/*Mat.25.
Heaven is like unto ten virgins. Of the abode above, as,
Many shall come from the East and the West, and shall sit MM. 8,
down in the Kingdom of Heaven. And all these significa- 11
tions may be here understood. GLOSS. The Kingdom of Gloss.
Heaven shall come nigh you ; for if it approached not, none ord
would be able to gain it ; for weak and blind they had not
the way, which was Christ. AUG. The other Evangelists Aug.
omit these words of John. What follows, This is He, fyc.
it is not clear whether the Evangelist speaks them in 12.
his own person, or whether they are part of John s
preaching, and the whole from Repent ye, to Esaias the
prophet, is to be assigned to John. It is of no import-
94 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
ance that he says, This is he, and not, / am he; for
Mat. 9, Matthew speaking of himself says, He found a man sitting
9 * at the toll-office ; not He found me. Though when asked
what he said of himself, he answered, as is related by John
the Evangelist, / am the voice of one crying in the wilder-
Greg. ness. GREG. It is well known that the Only-begotten Son
E m j 7 n is called the Word of the Father; as in John, In the
2. beginning was the Word. But it is by our own speech that
we are known ; the voice sounds that the words may be heard.
Thus John the forerunner of the Lord s coming is called,
The voice, because by his ministry the voice of the Father is
heard by men. PsEUDO-CnRYS. The voice is a confused
sound, discovering no secret of the heart, only signifying
that he who utters it desires to say somewhat ; it is the word
that is the speech that openeth the mystery of the heart. Voice
is common to men and other animals, word peculiar to man.
John then is called the voice and not the word, because God
did not discover His counsels through him, but only signified
that He was about to do something among men ; but afterwards
by His Son he fully opened the mystery of his will. RABANUS.
He is rightly called, TJie voice of one crying^ on account
of the loud sound of his preaching. Three things cause
a man to speak loud ; when the person he speaks to is at a
distance, or is deaf, or if the speaker be angry ; and all these
Gloss, three were then found in the human race. GLOSS. John
then is, as it were, the voice of the word crying. The word
Bede. is heard by the voice, that is, Christ by John. BEDE. In
onMn ^e manner nas He cried from the beginning through the voice
cap.iv.i.of all who have spoken aught by inspiration. And yet is
John only called, The voice; because that Word which
Greg, others shewed afar off, he declares as nigh. GREG. Crying
Hom. m i n ffr e d eser ^ because he shews to deserted and forlorn
7. 2. Judaea the approaching consolation of her Redeemer. REMIG.
Though as far as historical fact is concerned, he chose the
desert, to be removed from the crowds of people. What the
purport of his cry was is insinuated, when he adds, Make
ready the way of the Lord. PSEUDO-CHRYS. As a great
King going on a progress is preceded by couriers to
cleanse what is foul, repair what is broken down ; so John
preceded the Lord to cleanse the human heart from the filth
VEIL 4. ST. MATTHEW. 95
of sin, by the besom of repentance, and to gather by an
ordinance of spiritual precepts those things which had been
scattered abroad. GREG. Every one who preacheth right Greg.
faith and good works, prepares the Lord s way to the hearts EV. i.
of the hearers, and makes His paths straight, in cleansing the 20 - 3 -
thoughts by the word of good preaching. GLOSS. Or, faith Gloss.
is the way by which the word reaches the heart ; when the inl
life is amended the paths are made straight.
Ver. 4. And the same John had his raiment of
camel s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ;
and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Having said that he is the voice of one
crying in the desert, the Evangelist well adds, John had his
clothing of camel s hair ; thus shewing what his life was; for
he indeed testified of Christ, but his life testified of himself.
No one is fit to be another s witness till he has first been his
own. HILARY. For the preaching of John no place more
suitable, no clothing more useful, no food more fitted.
JEROME; His raiment of camel s hair, not of wool the one
the mark of austerity in dress, the other of a delicate luxury.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. It becomes the servants of God to use a
dress not for elegant appearance, or for cherishing of the
body, but for a covering of the nakedness. Thus John wears
a garment not soft and delicate, but hairy, heavy, rough,
rather wounding the skin than cherishing it, that even the
very clothing of his body told of the virtue of his mind. It
was the custom of the Jews to wear girdles of wool ; so he
desiring something less indulgent wore one of skin. JEROME;
Food moreover suited to a dweller in the desert, no choice
viands, but such as satisfied the necessities of the body.
RABANUS. Content with poor fare ; to wit, small insects and
honey gathered from the trunks of trees. In the sayings of
Arnulphus 3 , Bishop of Gaul, we find that there was a very
small kind of locust in the deserts of Judaea, with bodies
about the thickness of a finger and short ; they are easily
taken among the grass, and when cooked in oil form a poor
* Arculphus, who visited Palestine written from his mouth by Adamannus,
705; his travels to the Holy Land, Abbot of Lindisferne, are still extant.
96 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
kind of food. He also relates, that in the same desert there
is a kind of tree, with a large round leaf, of the colour of
milk and taste of honey, so friable as to rub to powder in the
hand, and this is what is intended by wild honey. REMIG.
In this clothing and this poor food, he shews that he sorrows
for the sins of the whole human race. RABANUS. His dress
and diet express the quality of his inward conversation.
His garment was of an austere quality, because he rebuked
the sinner s life. JEROME; His girdle of skin, which Elias
also bare, is the mark of mortification. RABAN. He ate
locusts and honey, because his preaching was sweet to the
multitude, but was of short continuance ; arid honey has
sweetness, locusts a swift flight but soon fall to the ground.
REMIG. In John (which name is interpreted the grace of
God, ) is figured Christ who brought grace into the world;
in his clothing, the Gentile Church. HILARY; The preacher
of Christ is clad in the skins of unclean beasts, to which the
Gentiles are compared, and so by the Prophets dress is_
sanctified whatever in them was useless or unclean. The
girdle is a thing of much efficacy to every good work, that
we may be girt for every ministry of Christ. For his food
are chosen locusts, which fly the face of man, and escape.
from every approach, signifying ourselves who were borne
away from every word or speech of good by a spontaneous
motion of the body, weak in will, barren in works, fretful in
speech, foreign in abode, are now become the food of
the Saints, chosen to fill the Prophets desire, furnishing our
most sweet food not from the hives of the law, but from the
trunks of wild trees.
5. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all
Judsea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing
their sins.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Having described the preaching of John,
he goes on to say, There went out to him, for his severe life
preached yet more loudly in the desert than the voice of
his crying. CHRYS. For it was wonderful to see such
VER. 6. ST. MATTHEW. 97
fortitude in a human body; this it was that chiefly attracted
the Jews, seeing in him the great Elias. It also contributed
to fill them with wonder that the grace of Prophecy had
long failed among them, and now seemed to have at length
revived. Also the manner of his preaching being other
than that of the old prophets had much effect ; for now
they heard not such things as they were wont to hear,
such as wars, and conquests of the king of Babylon, or of
Persia; but of Heaven and the Kingdom there, and the
punishment of hell. GLOSS. This baptism was only a fore- Gloss,
running of that to come, and did not forgive sins d . REMIG. interlin *
The baptism of John bare a figure of the catechumens.
As children are only catechized that they may become meet
for the sacrament of Baptism ; so John baptized, that they
who were thus baptized might afterwards by a holy life
become worthy of coming to Christ s baptism. He baptized
in Jordan, that the door of the Kingdom of Heaven might
be there opened, where an entrance had been given to the
children of Israel into the earthly kingdom of promise.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Compared with the holiness of John,
who is there that can think himself righteous ? As a white
garment if placed near snow would seem foul by the
contrast; so compared with John every man would seem
impure ; therefore they confessed their sins. Confession
of sin is the testimony of a conscience fearing God. And
perfect fear takes away all shame. But there is seen the
shame of confession where there is no fear of the judgment
to come. But as shame itself is a heavy punishment, God
therefore bids us confess our sins that we may suffer
this shame as punishment; for that itself is a part of the
judgment. BAB ANUS; Rightly are they who are to be
baptized said to go out to the Prophet ; for unless one
depart from sin, and renounce the pomp of the Devil, and
the temptations of the world, he cannot receive a healing
baptism. Rightly also in Jordan, which means their
d So Tertullian (de Bapt. 10. 11.) or implicit remission, to be realized in
S. Jerome (adv. Lucifer. 7.) S.Gregory the Atonement; and S. Cyril. Hieros.
(Horn, in Evang. vii. 3.) Theophylact Cat. iii. 7 9. S. Greg. Nyss. in laud.
in Marc. ch. i. S. Augustine (de Bapt. Bas. t. 3. p. 482. vid. Dr. Pusey on
c. Donat. v. 10.) considered that S. Baptism, Ed. 2. pp. 242 271.
John s baptism gave a sort of suspensive
VOL. I. H
98 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
descent, because they descended from the pride of life to the
humility of an honest confession. Thus early was an
example given to them that are to be baptized of confessing
their sins and professing amendment.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them,
O generation of vipers., who hath warned you to flee
from the wrath to come ?
8. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repent
ance :
9. And think not to say within yourselves, We
have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you,
that God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham.
10. And now also the axe is laid unto the root
of the trees : therefore every tree which bringeth
not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire.
Greg. GREG. The words of the teachers should be fitted to the
Fasten quality of the hearers, that in each particular it should agree
in proL with itself and yet never depart from the fortress of general
Gloss, edification. GLOSS. It was necessary that after the teaching
non ccc. w hi c h h e uge d to the common people, the Evangelist should
give an example of the doctrine he delivered to the more
advanced ; therefore he says, Seeing many of the Pharisees, fyc..
Isid. ISID. The Pharisees and Sadducees opposed to one another;.
Ori? Pharisee in the Hebrew signifies c divided; because choosing
viii. 4. the justification of traditions and observances they were
( divided or ( separated from the people by this righteous
ness. Sadducee in the Hebrew means just ; for these laid
claim to be what they were not, denied the resurrection of
the body, and taught that the soul perished with the body ;
they only received the Pentateuch, and rejected the Prophets.
Gloss. GLOSS. When John saw those who seemed to be of great
non occ. consideration among the Jews come to his baptism, he said
VER. 7 10. ST. MATTHEW. 99
to them, O generation of vipers, Sfc. REMIG. The manner
of Scripture is to give names from the imitation of deeds,
according to that of Ezekiel, Thy father was an Amorite ;
so these from following vipers are called generation of vipers.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. As a skilful physician from the colour of
the skin infers the sick man s disease, so John understood
the evil thoughts of the Pharisees who came to him. They
thought perhaps, We go, and confess our sins ; he imposes
no burden on us, we will be baptized, and get indulgence
for sin. Fools ! if ye have eaten of impurity, must ye riot
needs take physic ? So after confession and baptism, a man
needs much diligence to heal the wound of sin ; therefore he
says, Generation of vipers. It is the nature of the viper as
soon as it has bit a man to fly to the water, which, if it
cannot find, it straightway dies ; so this progeny of vipers,
after having committed deadly sin, ran to baptism, that, like
vipers, they might escape death by means of water. More
over it is the nature of vipers to burst the insides of their
mothers, and so to be born. The Jews then are therefore
called progeny of vipers, because by continual persecution of
the prophets they had corrupted their mother the Synagogue.
Also vipers have a beautiful and speckled outside, but are filled
with poison within. So these men s countenances wore a holy
appearance. REMIG. When then he asks, who will shew you to
flee from the wrath to come, except God must be understood.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or who hath shewed you? Was it Esaias?
Surely no ; had he taught you, you would not put your trust
in water only, but also in good works; he thus speaks,
Wash you, and be clean; put your wickedness away from Is. 1, 16.
your souls, learn to do well. Was it then David? who says,
Thou shall wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow; Ps.51,7.
surely not, for he adds immediately, The sacrifice of God is
a broken spirit. If then ye had been the disciples of David,
ye would have come to baptism with mournings. REMIG.
But if we read, shall shew, in the future, this is the meaning,
What teacher, what preacher, shall be able to give you
such counsel, as that ye may escape the wrath of everlasting
damnation ? AUG. God is described in Scripture, from some Aug.
likeness of effects, not from being subject to such weakness, ^ c
as being angry, and yet is He never moved by any passion. *>
H 2
100 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
The word wrath is applied to the effects of his vengeance,
not that God suffers any disturbing affection. GLOSS. If
then ye would escape this wrath, Bring forth fruits meet for
Greg, repentance. GREG. Observe, he says not merely fruits of
^ m ^ repentance, but fruits meet for repentance. For he who
has never fallen into things unlawful, is of right allowed the
use of all things lawful ; but if any hath fallen into sin, he
ought so far to put away from him even things lawful, as far
as he is conscious of having used unlawful things. It is left
then to such man s conscience to seek so much the greater
gains of good works by repentance, the greater loss he has
brought on himself by sin. The Jews who gloried in their
race, would not own themselves sinners because they were
Abraham s seed. Say not among yourselves we are Abra-
C hr y s - lianas seed. CHRYS. He does not forbid them to sau they
Hom.xt. . ,
are his, but to trust in that, neglecting virtues of the soul.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. What avails noble birth to him whose life
is disgraceful ? Or, on the other hand, what hurt is a low
origin to him who has the lustre of virtue ? It is fitter that
the parents of such a son should rejoice over him, than he
over his parents. So do not you pride yourselves on having
Abraham for your father, rather blush that you inherit his
blood, but not his holiness. He who has no resemblance
to his father is possibly the offspring of adultery. These
words then only exclude boasting on account of birth.
RABANUS. Because as a preacher of truth he wished to stir
them up, to bring forth fruit meet for repentance, he invites
them to humility, without which no one can repent. REMIG.
There is a tradition, that John preached at that place of the
Jordan, where the twelve stones taken from the bed of the
river had been set up by command of God. He might then
be pointing to these, when he said, Of these stones.
JEROME. He intimates God s great power, who, as he made
all things out of nothing, can make men out of the hardest
Gloss, stone. GLOSS. It is faith s first lesson to believe that God is
>r * able to do whatever He will. CHRYSOST. That men should
be made out of stones, is like Isaac coming from Sarah s
womb; Look into the rock, says Isaiah, whence ye were hewn.
Reminding them thus of this prophecy, he shews that it is
possible that the like might even now happen, RABANUS;
VER. 7 10. ST. MATTHEW. 101
Otherwise; the Gentiles may be meant who worshipped
stones. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Stone is hard to work, but when
wrought to some shape, it loses it not ; so the Gentiles were
hardly brought to the faith, but once brought they abide in
it for ever. JEROME. These stones signify the Gentiles
because of their hardness of heart. See Ezekiel, / will take
away from you the heart of stone, and give you the heart of
Jlesh. Stone is emblematic of hardness, flesh of softness.
RABAN. Of stones there were sons raised up to Abraham ;
forasmuch as the Gentiles by believing in Christ, who is
Abraham s seed, became his sons to whose seed they were
united.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The axe is that most sharp fury of the
consummation of all things, that is to hew down the whole
world. But if it be already laid, how hath it not yet cut
down ? Because these trees have reason and free power to
do good, or leave undone ; so that when they see the axe
laid to their root, they may fear and bring forth fruit. This
denunciation of wrath then, which is meant by the laying of
the axe to the root, though it have no effect on the bad, yet
will sever the good from the bad. JEROME. Or, the preach
ing of the Gospel is meant, as the Prophet Jeremiah also Jer. 23,
compares the Word of the Lord to an axe cleaving the rock. 29
GREG. Or, the axe signifies the Redeemer, who as an axe of Greg,
haft and blade, so consisting of the Divine and human nature,
is held by His human, but cuts by His Divine nature. And 9-
though this axe be laid at the root of the tree waiting in
patience, it is yet seen what it will do ; for each obstinate
sinner who here neglects the fruit of good works, finds the
fire of hell ready for him. Observe, the axe is laid to the
root, not to the branches; for that when the children of
wickedness are removed, the branches only of the unfruitful
tree are cut away. But when the whole offspring with their
parent is carried off, the unfruitful tree is cut down by the
root, that there remain not whence the evil shoots should
spring up again. CHRYS. By saying Every, he cuts off all
privilege of nobility : as much as to say, Though thou be the
son of Abraham, if thou abide fruitless thou shalt suffer the
punishment. RABANUS. There are four sorts of trees ; the
first totally withered, to which the Pagans may be likened ;
102 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
the second, green but unfruitful, as the hypocrites ; the
third, green and fruitful, but poisonous, such are heretics ;
the fourth, green and bringing forth good fruit, to which are
like the good Catholics. GREG. Therefore every tree that
bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast
into the fire, because he who here neglects to bring forth
the fruit of good works finds a fire in hell prepared for him.
11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repent
ance : but He that cometh after me is mightier than
I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : He shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire :
12. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly
purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner ;
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire.
Gloss. GLOSS. As in the preceding words John had explained
more at length what he had shortly preached in the
words, Repent ye, so now follows a more full enlargement
Greg, of the words, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. GREG.
Ev"vii in ^ onn Baptizes not with the Spirit but with water, because
3. he had no power to forgive sins; he washes the body
with water, but not at the same time the soul with pardon
Chrys. of sin. CuRYSosT. For while as yet the sacrifice had
l. x not been offered, nor remission of sin sent, nor the Spirit
had descended on the water, how could sin be forgiven? But
since the Jews never perceived their own sin, and this was
the cause of all their evils, John came to bring them to a
Greg, sense of them by calling them to repentance. GREG. Why
sup then does he baptize who could not remit sin, but that he
may preserve in all things the office of forerunner ? As his
birth had preceded Christ s birth, so his baptism should
precede the Lord s baptism. PsEUDO-CiiRYs. Or, John
was sent to baptize, that to such as came to his baptism he
might announce the presence among them of the Lord in the
John i, fl es i 1? as himself testifies in another place, That He might
Aug. in he manifested to Israel, therefore am I come to baptise with
Tract! v. u ater - AUG. Or, he baptizes, because it behoved Christ
VER. 11, 12. ST. MATTHEW. 103
to be baptized. But if indeed John was sent only to baptize
Christ, why was not He alone baptized by John ? Because
had the Lord alone been baptized by John, there would not
have lacked who should insist that John s baptism was
greater than Christ s, inasmuch as Christ alone had the merit
to be baptized by it. RABANUS ; Or, by this sign of baptism
he separates the penitent from the impenitent, and directs
them to the baptism of Christ. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Because then
he baptized on account of Christ, therefore to them who came
to him for baptism he preached that Christ should come, signi
fying the eminence of His power in the words, He who comet h
after me is mightier than I. REMIG. There are five points in
which Christ comes after John, His birth, preaching, baptism,
death, and descent into hell. A beautiful expression is that,
mightier than /, because he is mere man, the other is God
and man. RABAN. As though he had said, J indeed am
mighty to invite to repentance, He to forgive sins; I to
preach the kingdom of heaven, He to bestow it; I to baptize
with water, He with the Spirit. CHRYS. When you hear
for He is mightier than 1, do not suppose this to be said by
way of comparison, for I am not worthy to be numbered
among his servants, that I might undertake the lowest office.
HILARY. Leaving to the Apostles the glory of bearing about
the Gospel, to whose beautiful feet was due the carrying the
tidings of God s peace. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, by the feet of
Christ we may understand Christians, especially the Apostles,
and other preachers, among whom was John Baptist; and the
shoes are the infirmities with which he loads the preachers.
These shoes all Christ s preachers wear ; and John also wore
them; but declares himself unworthy, that he might shew
the grace of Christ, and be greater than his deserts. JEROME ;
In the other Gospels it is, -whose shoe latchet I am not
worthy to loose. Here his humility, there his ministry is
intended ; Christ is the Bridegroom, and John is not worthy
to loose the Bridegroom s shoe, that his house be not called
according to the Law of Moses and the example of Ruth,
The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Deut.
But since no one can give a benefit more worthy than he 2D) 1()
himself is, nor to make another what himself is not, he adds,
He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
104 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
John who is carnal cannot give spiritual baptism ; he baptizes
with water, which is matter ; so that he baptizes matter with
matter. Christ is Spirit, because He is God; the Holy
Ghost is Spirit, the soul is spirit; so that Spirit with
Spirit baptizes our spirit. The baptism of the Spirit
profits as the Spirit enters and embraces the mind, and
surrounds it as it were with an impregnable wall, not
suffering fleshly lusts to prevail against it. It does not
indeed prevail that the flesh should not lust, but holds the
will that it should not consent with it. And as Christ is
Judge, He baptizes in fire, i. e. temptation; mere man cannot
baptize in fire. He alone is free to tempt, who is strong ta
reward. This baptism of tribulation burns up the flesh
that it does not generate lust, for the flesh does not fear
spiritual punishment, but only such as is carnal. The Lord
therefore sends carnal tribulation on his servants, that the
flesh fearing its own pains, may not lust after evil. See
then how the Spirit drives away lust, and suffers it not to
prevail, and the fire burns up its very roots. JEROME ; Either
the Holy Ghost Himself is a fire, as we learn from the Acts,
when there sat as it were fire on the tongues of the believers;
Luke 12, and thus the word of the Lord was fulfilled who said, / am
come to send fire on the earth , / will that it burn. Or, we
are baptized now with the Spirit, hereafter with fire; as the
1 Cor. Apostle speaks, Fire shall try every man s work, of what
sort it is e . CHRYS. He does not say, shall give you the
Holy Ghost, but shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost)
shewing in metaphor the abundance of the grace. f This
further shews, that even under the faith there is need of the will
alone for justification, not of labours and toilings; and even
as easy a thing as it is to be baptized, even so easy a thing
it is to be changed and made better. By fire he signifies
the strength of grace which cannot be overcome, and that it
may be understood that He makes His own people at once
e The fire here spoken of is inter- Athanasius, (Qusest. in Ep. Paul. 98.
preted by S. Austin, (Enchir. 68.) and t. 2. p. 328. Ed. Ben.) of hell-fire;
Pope Gregory, (Dial. iv. 40.) of the by Ambrosiaster, (in loc.) S. Jerome,
troubles of this life ; by S. Ambrose, (in perhaps, (in Isai. 1. fin.) and also by
Ps. 118, 20. n. 15. apparently, Hil. in S. Austin and Pope Gregory, of a
Ps. 118, 3. n. 12.) of the severity of the purgatorial fire.
divine judgment; by S. Chrysostom, and f This sentence is not here found in
Theophylact, (in loc.) and Pseudo- the original.
VEB. 11, 12. ST. MATTHEW. 105
like to the great and old prophets, most of the prophetic
visions were by fire. PSEUDO-CHRYS. It is plain then that
the baptism s of Christ does not undo the baptism of John,
but includes it in itself; he who is baptized in Christ s name
hath both baptisms, that of water and that of the Spirit.
For Christ is Spirit, and hath taken to Him the body that
He might give both bodily and spiritual baptism. John s
baptism does not include in it the baptism of Christ, because
the less cannot include the greater. Thus the Apostle having
found certain Ephesians baptized with John s baptism, bap
tized them again in the name of Christ, because they had not
been baptized in the Spirit : thus Christ baptized a second
time those who had been baptized by John, as John himself
declared he should, / baptize you with water; but He
shall baptize you with the Spirit. And yet they were
not baptized twice but once; for as the baptism of Christ
was more than that of John, it was a new one given, not the
same repeated. HILARY; He marks the time of our salvation
and judgment in the Lord; those who are baptized in the
Holy Ghost it remains that they be consummated by the
fire of judgment. RABANUS ; By the fan is signified the
separation of a just trial; that it is in the Lord s hand, means,
6 in His power, as it is written, The Father hath committed
all judgment to the Son. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Jloor, is the
Church, the barn, is the kingdom of heaven, the Jield, is the
world. The Lord sends forth His Apostles and other teachers,
as reapers to reap all nations of the earth, and gather them
into the floor of the Church. Here we must be threshed
and winnowed, for all men are delighted in carnal things as
grain delights in the husk. But whoever is faithful and has the
marrow of a good heart, as soon as he has a light tribulation,
neglecting carnal things runs to the Lord; but if his faith
be feeble, hardly with heavy sorrow; and he who is altogether
void of faith, however he may be troubled, passes not over to
God. The wheat when first thrashed lies in one heap with
chaff and straw, and is after winnowed to separate it ; so the
% Two sentences about rebaptizing, posite controversialists upon the Arian
wanting in some copies of the original, question. It may be observed that the
are omitted by Aquinas. This comment Eunomians rebaptized, and that the
on St. Matthew has apparently passed second General Council rejects their
successively through the hands of op- baptism.
106 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
faithful are mixed up in one Church with the unfaithful ; but
persecution comes as a wind, that, tossed by Christ s fan, they
whose hearts were separate before, may be also now sepa
rated in place. He shall not merely cleanse, but throughly
cleanse ; therefore the Church must needs be tried in many
ways till this be accomplished. And first the Jews winnowed
it, then the Gentiles, now the heretics, and after a time
shall Antichrist throughly winnow it. For as when the
blast is gentle, only the lighter chaff is carried off, but the
heavier remains ; so a slight wind of temptation carries off
the worst characters only ; but should a greater storm arise,
even those who seem stedfast will depart. There is need
then of heavier persecution that the Church should be
cleansed. RKMIG. This His floor, to wit, the Church, the
Lord cleanses in this life, both when by the sentence of the
Priests the bad are put out of the Church, and when they
are cut off by death. RABAN. The cleansing of the floor
will then be finally accomplished, when the Son of Man
shall send His Angels, and shall gather all offences out of
Greg. His kingdom. GREG. After the threshing is finished in this
xxxiv 5.-^ e > i n wn i cn the grain now groans under the burden of the
chaff, the fan of the last judgment shall so separate between
them, that neither shall any chaff pass into the granary, nor
shall the grain fall into the fire which consumes the chaff.
HILARY ; The wheat, i. e. the full and perfect fruit of the
believer, he declares, shall be laid up in heavenly barns ; by
the chaff he means the emptiness of the unfruitful. RABAN.
There is this difference between the chaff and the tares, that
the chaff is produced of the same seed as the wheat, but the
tares from one of another kind. The chaff therefore are
those who enjoy the sacraments of the faith, but are not
solid; the tares are those who in profession as well as in
works are separated from the lot of the good. REMIG. The
unquenchable fire is the punishment of eternal damnation;
either because it never totally destroys or consumes those it
has once seized on, but torments them eternally ; or to dis
tinguish it from purgatorial fire which is kindled for a time
and again extinguished.
Aug. de AUG. If any asks which were the actual words spoken by
E y n ^ 12t John, whether those reported by Matthew, or by Luke, or by
VER. 13 15. ST. MATTHEW. 107
Mark, it may be shewn, that there is no difficulty here to him
who rightly understands that the sense is essential to our
knowledge of the truth, but the words indifferent. And it is
clear w r e ought not to deem any testimony false, because the
same fact is related by several persons who were present in
different words and different ways. Whoever thinks that the
Evangelists might have been so inspired by the Holy Ghost
that they should have differed among themselves neither in the
choice, nor the number, nor the order of their words, he
does not see that bv how much the authority of the Evan
gelists is preeminent, so much the more is to be by them
established the veracity of other men in the same circum
stances. But the discrepancy may seem to be in the thing,
and not only in words, between, / am not worthy to bear His
shoes, and, to loose His shoe-latchet. Which of these two
sxpressions did John use? He who has reported the very
words will seem to have spoken truth ; he who has given
other words, though he have not hid, or been forgetful, yet
has he said one thing for another. But the Evangelists
should be clear of every kind of falseness, not only that of
lying, but also that of forgetfulness. If then this discrepancy
be important, we may suppose John to have used both
sxpressions, either at different times, or both at the same
time. But if he only meant to express the Lord s greatness
md his own humility, whether he used one or the other the
sense is preserved, though any one should in his own words
:epeat the same profession of humility using the figure of the
shoes ; their will and intention does not differ. This then is
1 useful rule and one to be remembered, that it is no lie,
vvhen one fairly represents his meaning whose speech one is
:ecounting, though one uses other words; if only one shews
)ur meaning to be the same with his. Thus understood it is
i wholesome direction, that we are to enquire only after the
aieaning of the speaker.
13. Then cometb Jesus from Galilee to Jordan
anto John, to be baptized of him.
14. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to
baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me ?
108 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer
it to be so now : for thus it becometh us to fulfil
all righteousness. Then he suffered Him.
Gloss. GLOSS. Christ having been proclaimed to the world by the
>cc preaching of His forerunner, now after long obscurity will
manifest Himself to men. REMIG. In this verse is contained
person, place, time, and office. Time, in the word Then.
RABAN. That is, when He was thirty years old, shewing
that none should be ordained priest, or even to preach till He
be of full age. Joseph at thirty years was made governor of
Egypt; David began to reign, and Ezekiel his prophesying at
Chrys. the same age. CHRYS. Because after His baptism Christ was to
lom. x. p u ^ an en( j to tne L aw? jj e therefore came to be baptized at this
age, that having so kept the Law, it might not be said that He
cancelled it, because He could not observe it. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Then, that is when John preached, that He might
confirm his preaching, and Himself receive his witness.
But as when the morning-star has risen, the sun does not
wait for that star to set, but rising as it goes forward,
gradually obscures its brightness ; so Christ waited not for
John to finish his course, but appeared while he yet taught;
REMIG. The Persons are described in the words, came Jesus
to John; that is, God to man, the Lord to His servant, the
King to His soldier, the Light to the lamp. The Place, from
Galilee to Jordan. Galilee means c transmigration. Whoso
then will be baptized, must pass from vice to virtue, and
humble himself in coming to baptism, for Jordan means
Ambro- c descent. AMBROSE; Scripture tells of many wonders
Serin! wrou ght at various times in this river; as that, among others,
x. 5. in the Psalms, Jordan icas driven backwards; before the
Ps. H4, water was Driven back, now sins are turned back in its
current; as Elijah divided the waters of old, so Christ the
Lord wrought in the same Jordan the separation of sin.
REMIG. The office to be performed; that He might be
non occ.baptized of him; not baptism to the remission of sins, but to
brostast leave the water san ctified for those after to be baptized.
Serm. AUG. The Saviour willed to be baptized not that He might
xii. 4.
VER. 13 15. ST. MATTHEW. 109
Himself be cleansed, but to cleanse the water for us h . From
the time that Himself was dipped in the water, from that
time has He washed away all our sins in water. And let
none wonder that water, itself corporeal substance, is said to
be effectual to the purification of the soul ; it is so effectual,
reaching to and searching out the hidden recesses of the
conscieifce. Subtle and penetrating in its own nature, made
yet more so by Christ s blessing, it touches the hidden
springs of life, the secret places of the soul, by virtue of its
all-pervading dew. The course of blessing is even yet more
penetrating than the flow of waters. Thus the blessing
which like a spiritual river flows on from the Saviour s
baptism, hath filled the basins of all pools, and the courses
of all fountains. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He comes to baptism, that
He who has taken upon Him human nature, may be found to
have fulfilled the whole mystery of that nature ; not that He
is Himself a sinner, but He has taken on Him a nature that
is sinful. And therefore though He needed not baptism
Himself, yet the carnal nature in others needed it. AMBROSE; Ambro-
Also like a wise master inculcating His doctrines as much g^m*"
by His own practice, as by word of mouth, He did that*"- 1 -
which He commanded all His disciples to do. AUG. He Aug. in
deigned to be baptized of John that the servants might see Tract!"
with what readiness they ought to run to the baptism of the v - 3 -
Lord, when He did not refuse to be baptized of His servant.
JEROME ; Also that by being Himself baptized, He might
sanction the baptism of John. CHRYS. But since John s Chrys.
baptism was to repentance, and therefore shewed the presence
of sin, that none might suppose Christ s coming to the
Jordan to have been on this account, John cried to Him,
/ have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me ?
As if he had said, PSEUDO-CHRYS. That Thou shouldest
baptize me there is good cause, that I may be made righteous
and worthy of heaven ; but that I should baptize Thee, what
cause is there ? Every good gift comes down from heaven
upon earth, not ascends from earth to heaven, HILARY;
John rejects Him from baptism as God; He teaches him,
h This is the doctrine of S. Austin, iv. 63. Ambros. in Luke ii. 83, &c. &c.
in Joan, iv. 14. Op. Imp. contr. Julian vid. Pusey on Baptism, p. 279. ed. 2.
110 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Ill,
that it ought to be performed on Him as man. JEROME;
Beautifully said is that now, to shew that as Christ was
baptized with water by John, so John must be baptized by
Christ with the Spirit. Or, suffer now that I who have
taken the form of a servant should fulfil all that low estate ;
otherwise know that in the day of judgment thou must be
baptized with my baptism. Or, the Lord says, Suffer this
now; I have also another baptism wherewithal I must be
baptized; thou baptizest Me with water, that I may baptize
thee for Me with thy own blood. PSEUDO-CHRYS. In this
he shews that Christ after this baptized John ; which is
expressly told in some apocryphal books ! . Suffer now that
I fulfil the righteousness of baptism in deed, and not only in
word ; first submitting to it, and then preaching it ; for so it
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Not that by being
baptized He fulfils all righteousness, but so, in the same
manner, that is, as He first fulfilled the righteousness of
baptism by His deeds, and after preached it, so He might all
Acts 1,1. other righteousness, according to that of the Acts, All things
that Jesus began both to do and to teach. Or thus, all
righteousness, according to the ordinance of human nature ;
as He had before fulfilled the righteousness of birth, growth,
and the like. HILARY ; For by Him must all righteousness
have been fulfilled, by whom alone the Law could be
fulfilled. JEROME; Righteousness; but he adds neither i of
the Law; nor c of nature, that we may understand it of both.
REMIG. Or thus ; It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness,
that is, to give an example of perfect justification in baptism,
without which the gate of the kingdom of heaven is not
opened. Hence let the proud take an example of humility,
and not scorn to be baptized by My humble members when
they see Me baptized by John My servant. That is true
humility which obedience accompanies; as it continues, then
he suffered Him, that is, at last consented to baptize
Him.
Apocryphis ap. Aquin. in secretiori- Memoirs St. Joan. B. note 7. It wai
bus libris, in the present text of Pseudo- an objection familiar with the heretics
Chrysost. The same opinion is imputed whether the Apostles were baptized,
to S. Gregory Naz. S. Austin, &c. but ap- vid. Tertull. in Bapt. 12.
parently without reason, vid. Tillemont
VER. 16. ST. MATTHEW. Ill
16. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up
straightway out of the water : and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.
AMBROSE; For, as we have said, when the Saviour wasAmbro-
washed, then the water was cleansed for our baptism,
a laver might be ministered to the people who were to *" 4 *
come. Moreover, it behoved that in Christ s baptism should
be signified those things which the faithful obtain by baptism.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. This action of Christ s has a figurative
meaning pertaining to all who were after Him to be baptized;
and therefore he says, straightway He ascended, and not
simply He ascended, for all who are worthily baptized in
Christ, straightway ascend from the water; that is, make
progress in virtues, and are carried on towards a heavenly
dignity. They who had gone down to the water carnal and
sinful sons of Adam, straightway ascend from the water
spiritual sons of God. But if some by their own faults
make no progress after baptism, what is that to the baptism?
RABANUS; As by the immersion of His body He dedicated
the laver of baptism, He has shewn that to us also after
baptism received the entrance to heaven is open, and the
Holy Spirit is given, as it follows, and the heavens were
opened. JEROME; Not by an actual cleaving of the visible
element, but to the spiritual eye, as Ezekiel also in the
beginning of his book relates that he saw them. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. For had the actual creation of the heavens been
opened, he would not have said were opened to Him, for
a physical opening would have been open to all. But
some one will say, What, are the heavens then closed to
the eye of the Son of God, who even when on earth is
present in heaven? But it must be known, that as He was
baptized according to the ordinance of humanity that He
had taken on Him, so the heavens w r ere opened to His sight
as to His human nature, though as to His divine He was
in heaven. REMIG. But was this then the first time that
the heavens were opened to Him according to His human
nature? The faith of the Church both believes and holds
that the heavens were no less open to Him before than after.
112 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
It is therefore said here, that the heavens were opened,
because to all them who are born again the door of the
kingdom of heaven is opened. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Perhaps
there were before some unseen obstacles which hindered
the souls of the dead from entering the skies. I suppose
that since Adam s sin no soul had mounted the skies, but
the heavens were continually closed. When, lo ! on Christ s
baptism they were again opened; after He had overcome
by the Cross the great tyrant death, henceforward the heaven,
never more to be closed, needed not gates, so that the Angels
Ps.24,7. say not, i Open ye gates, for they were open, but take away
the gates. Or the heavens are opened to the baptized, and
they see those things which are in heaven, not by seeing them
with the bodily eye, but by believing with the spiritual eye
of faith. Or thus; The heavens are the divine Scriptures,
which all read but all do not understand, except they who
have been so baptized as to receive the Holy Spirit. Thus
the Scriptures of the Prophets were at the first sealed to the
Apostles, but after they had received the Holy Spirit, all
Scripture was opened to them. However, in whatever way
we interpret, the heavens were opened to Him, that is to
all, on His account; as if the Emperor were to say to any
one preferring a petition for another, This boon I grant not
Gloss, to him but to you; that is, to him, for your sake. GLOSS.
non occ. Q^ SQ fought a glory shone round about Christ, that the
blue concave seemed to be actually cloven. CHRYS. But
though you see it not, be not therefore unbelieving, for in
the beginnings of spiritual matters sensible visions are always
offered, for their sakes who can form no idea of things that
have no body; which if they occur not in later times, yet
faith may be established by those wonders once wrought.
REMIG. As to all those who by baptism are born again,
the door of the kingdom of heaven is opened, so all in
baptism receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Aug. AUG. Christ after He had been once born among men, is
PP- born a second time in the sacraments, that as we adore Him
Serm.
135. 1. then born of a pure mother, so we may now receive Him
immersed in pure water. His mother brought forth her Son,
and is yet virgin; the wave washed Christ, and is holy.
Lastly, that Holy Spirit which was present to Him in the
VER. 16. ST. MATTHEW, 113
womb, now shone round Him in the water, He who then
made Mary pure, now sanctifies the waters. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
The Holy Ghost took the likeness of a dove, as being more
than other animals susceptible of love. All other forms of
righteousness which the servants of God have in truth and
verity, the servants of the Devil have in spurious imitation ;
the love of the Holy Spirit alone an unclean spirit cannot
imitate. And the Holy Ghost has therefore reserved to
Himself this special manifestation of love, because by no
testimony is it so clearly seen where He dwells as by the
grace of love. RABAN. Seven excellencies in the baptized are Raban.
figured by the dove. The dove has her abode near the^^ n
rivers, that when the hawk is seen, she may dive under
water and escape ; she chooses the better grains of corn ; she
feeds the young of other birds ; she does not tear with her
beak; she lacks a gall; she has her rest in the caverns of the
rocks ; for her song she has a plaint. Thus the saints dwell
beside the streams of Divine Scripture, that they may
escape the assaults of the Devil; they choose wholesome
doctrine, and not heretical for their food ; they nourish by
teaching and example, men who have been the children of
the Devil, i. e. the imitators; they do not pervert good
doctrine by tearing it to pieces as the heretics do ; they are
without hate irreconcileable ; they build their nest in the
wounds of Christ s death, which is to them a firm rock, that
is their refuge and hope ; as others delight in song, so do
they in groaning for their sin. CHRYS. It is moreover an
allusion to ancient history ; for in the deluge this creature
appeared bearing an olive-branch, and tidings of rest to the
world. All which things were a type of things to come. For
now also a dove appears pointing out to us our liberator, and
for an olive-branch bringing the adoption of the human race.
Au. It is easy to understand how the Holy Ghost should ^ u .- d Q
be said to be sent, when as it were a dove in visible shape 5.
descended on the Lord ; that is, there was created a certain
appearance for the time in which the Holy Spirit might be
visibly shewn. And this operation thus made visible and offered
to mortal view, is called the mission of the Holy Spirit, not
that His invisible substance was seen, but that the hearts of
men might be roused by the external appearance to con-
VOL. I. I
114 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. III.
template tli unseen eternity. Yet this creature in the shape
of which the Spirit appeared, was not taken into unity of
person, as was that human shape taken of the Virgin. For
neither did the Spirit bless the dove, nor unite it with
Himself for all eternity, in unity of person. Further, though
that dove is called the Spirit, so far as to shew that in this
dove was a manifestation of the Spirit, yet can we not say of
the Holy Spirit that He is God and dove, as we say of the
Son that He is God and man ; and yet it is not as we say of
the Son that He is the Lamb of God, as not only has John
Baptist declared, but as John the Evangelist saw the vision
of the Lamb slain in the Apocalypse. For this was a
prophetic vision, not put before the bodily eyes in bodily
shape, but seen in the Spirit in spiritual images. But con
cerning this dove none ever doubted that it was seen with the
bodily eye ; not that we say the Spirit is a dove as we say
1 Cor. Christ is a Rock ; (for that Rock ivas Christ.} For that
Rock already existed as a creature, and from the resemblance
of its operation was called by the name of Christ, (whom it
figured ;) not so this dove, which was created at the moment
for this single purpose. It seems to me to be more lil>:e the
flame which appeared to Moses in the bush, or that which
the people followed in the wilderness, or to the thunderings.
and lightnings which were when the Law was given from the
mount. For all these were visible objects intended to signify
something, and then to pass away. For that such forms
have been from time to time seen, the Holy Spirit is said to
have been sent ; but these bodily forms appeared for the time
to shew what was required, and then ceased to be. JEROME ?
It sate on the head of Jesus, that none might suppose the
voice of the Father spoken to John, and not to the Lord.
17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Aug. AUG. Not as before by Moses and the Prophets, neither in
:c type or figure did the Father teach that the Son should
come, but openly shewed Him to be already come. This is
my Son. HILARY; Or, that from these things thus fulfilled
upon Christ, we might learn that after the washing of water
VER. 17. ST. MATTHEW. 115
the Holy Spirit also descends on us from the heavenly gates,
on us also is shed an unction of heavenly glory, and an
adoption to be the sons of God, pronounced by the Father s
voice. JEROME; The mystery of the Trinity is shewn in
this baptism. The Lord is baptized ; the Spirit descends in
shape of a dove ; the voice of the Father is heard giving
testimony to the Son. AMBROSE ; And no wonder that the Ambro-
mystery of the Trinity is not wanting to the Lord s laver,
when even our laver contains the sacrament of the Trinity. 1.
The Lord willed to shew in His own case what He was
after to ordain for men. PsEUDo-AuG. Though Father, Son, Pseudo-
and Holy Ghost are one nature, yet do thou hold most firmly J^p
that They be Three Persons ; that it is the Father alone de Fide
who said, This is my beloved Son ; the Son alone over whom t a rum e c
that voice of the Father was heard; and the Holy Ghost 9 -
alone who in the likeness of a dove descended on Christ at
His baptism. AUG. Here are deeds of the whole Trinity. Aug. de
In their own substance indeed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 21"" 1V
are One without interval of either place or time ; but in my
mouth they are three separate words, and cannot be pro
nounced at the same time, and in written letters they fill each
their several places. By this comparison may be understood
how the Trinity in Itself indivisible may be manifested
dividedly in the likeness of a visible creation. That the
voice is that of the Father only is manifest from the words,
This is my Son. HILARY ; He witnesses that He is His Hilar.
Son not in name merely, but in very kindred. Sons of God ^ l * m
are we many of us ; but not as He is a Son, a proper and true
Son, in verity, not in estimation, by birth, not adoption.
AUG. The Father loves the Son, but as a father should, not Aug. in
as a master may love a servant; and that as an own Son, not {
an adopted ; therefore He adds, in whom I am well-pleased, n -
REMIG. Or if it be referred to the human nature of Christ,
the sense is, I am pleased in Him, whom alone I have
found without sin. Or according to another reading,
It hath pleased me to appoint Him, by whom to
perform those things I would perform, i. e. the redemption
of the human race. AUG. These words Mark and LukeAug.de
give in the same way ; in the words of the voice that came ^"[ j 4
from Heaven, their expression varies though the sense is the
i 2
116 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. III.
same. For both the words as Matthew gives them, This is
my beloved Son, and as the other two, TJwu art my beloved
Son, express the same sense in the speaker; (and the
heavenly voice, no doubt, uttered one of these,) but one
shews an intention of addressing the testimony thus borne to
the Son to those who stood by ; the other of addressing it to
Himself, as if speaking to Christ He had said, This is my
Son. Not that Christ was taught what He knew before, but
they who stood by heard it, for whose sake the voice came.
Again, when one says, in whom I am well-pleased; another,
in thee it hath pleased me, if you ask which of these was
actually pronounced by that voice; take which you will,
only remembering that those who have not related the same
words as were spoken have related the same sense. That
God is well-pleased with His Son is signified in the first ;
that the Father is by the Son pleased with men is conveyed
in the second form, in thee it hath well-pleased me. Or
you may understand this to have been the one meaning of all
the Evangelists, In Thee have I put My good pleasure, i. e. to
fulfil all My purpose.
CHAP. IV.
1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the Devil.
2. And when He had fasted forty days and forty
nights, He was afterward an hungred.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord being baptized by John with
water, is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be baptized
by the fire of temptation. Then, i. e. when the voice of
the Father had been given from heaven. CHRYS. Whoever chrys.
thou art then that after thy baptism sufferest grievous trials, ^? m
be not troubled thereat; for this thou receivedst arms, to
fight, not to sit idle. God does not hold all trial from us ;
first, that we may feel that we are become stronger; secondly,
that we may not be puffed up by the greatness of the gifts
we have received; thirdly, that the Devil may have experi
ence that we have entirely renounced him; fourthly, that
by it we may be made stronger; fifthly, that we may
receive a sign of the treasure entrusted to us ; for the
Devil would not come upon us to tempt us, did he not
see us advanced to greater honours. HILARY; The Devil s
snares are chiefly spread for the sanctified, because a victory
over the saints is more desired than over others. GREG. Greg.
Some doubt what Spirit it was that led Jesus into the desert, ** ^
for that it is said after, Tlie Devil took him into the holy city.
But true and without question agreeable to the context
is the received opinion, that it was the Holy Spirit; that
His own Spirit should lead Him thither where the evil
spirit should find Him to try Him. AUG. Why did He Aug. de
offer Himself to temptation ? That He might be our mediator I i m * lv *
in vanquishing temptation not by aid only, but by example.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He was led by the Holy Spirit, not as an
118 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV-
inferior at the bidding of a greater. For we say led, not
only of him who is constrained by a stronger than he, but
also of him who is induced by reasonable persuasion; as
Andre w found his brother Simon, and brought him to Jesus.
JEROME ; Led, not against His will, or as a prisoner, but
as by a desire for the conflict. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Devil
comes against men to tempt them, but since He could not
come against Christ, therefore Christ came against the Devil.
Gr g- GREG. We should know that there are three modes of
3 temptation; suggestion, delight, and consent; and we when
we are tempted commonly fall into delight or consent, because
being born of the sin of the flesh, we bear with us whence we
afford strength for the contest; but God who incarnate in the
Virgin s womb came into the world without sin, carried
within Him nothing of a contrary nature. He could then
be tempted by suggestion; but the delight of sin never
gnawed His soul, and therefore all that temptation of the
Devil was without not within Him. CHRYS. The Devil is wont
to be most urgent with temptation, when he sees us solitary;
thus it was in the beginning he tempted the woman when
he found her without the man, and now too the occasion
is offered to the Devil, by the Saviour s being led into the
desert.
Gloss. GLOSS. This desert is that between Jerusalem and Jericho,
selm. n " where the robbers used to resort. It is called Hammaim, i. e.
6 of blood, from the bloodshed which these robbers caused
there; hence the man was said (in the parable) to have
fallen among robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, bearing a figure of Adam, who was overcome by
daemons. It was therefore fit that the place where Christ
overcame the Devil, should be the same in which the Devil
in the parable overcomes man. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Not Christ
only is led into the desert by the Spirit, but also all the
sons of God who have the Holy Spirit. For they are not
content to sit idle, but the Holy Spirit stirs them to take up
some great work, i. e. to go out into the desert where they
shall meet with the Devil ; for there is no unrighteousness
wherewith the Devil is pleased. For all good is without
the flesh and the world, because it is not according to the
will of the flesh and the world. To such a desert then all
VER. 1, 2. ST. MATTHEW. 119
the sons of God go out that they may be tempted. For
example if you are unmarried, the Holy Spirit has in that
led you into the desert, that is, beyond the limits of the
flesh and the world, that you may be tempted by lust. But
he who is married is unmoved by such temptation. Let us
learn that the sons of God are not tempted but when they have
gone forth into the desert, but the children of the Devil whose
life is in the flesh and the world are then overcome and obey;
the good man, having a wife is content; the bad, though he
have a wife is not therewith content, and so in all other
things. The children of the Devil go not out to the Devil
that they may be tempted. For what need that he should
seek the strife who desires not victory ? But the sons of God
having more confidence and desirous of victory, go forth
against him beyond the boundaries of the flesh. For this
cause then Christ also went out to the Devil, that He might
be tempted of him. CHRYS. But that you may learn how
great a good is fasting, and what a mighty shield against the
Devil, and that after baptism you ought to give attention to
fasting and not to lusts, therefore Christ fasted, not Himself
needing it, but teaching us by His example. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. And to fix the measure of our quadragesimal fast,
he fasted forty days and forty nights. CHRYS. But He ex
ceeded not the measure of Moses and Elias, lest it should
bring into doubt the reality of His assumption of the flesh.
GREG. The Creator of all things took no food whatever Greg,
during forty days. We also, at the season of Lent as much jj? Om 1 g n
as in us lies afflict our flesh by abstinence. The number 5.
forty is preserved, because the virtue of the decalogue is
fulfilled in the books of the holy Gospel ; and ten taken four
times amounts to forty. Or, because in this mortal body
we consist of four elements by the delights of which we go
against the Lord s precepts received by the decalogue. And
as we transgress the decalogue through the lusts of this flesh,
it is fitting that we afflict the flesh forty-fold. Or, as by the
Law we offer the tenth of our goods, so we strive to offer the
tenth of our time. And from the first Sunday of Lent to the
rejoicing of the paschal festival is a space of six weeks, or
forty-two days, subtracting from which the six Sundays which
are not kept there remain thirty-six. Now as the year
120 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
consists of three hundred and sixty-five, by the affliction
of these thirty-six we give the tenth of our year to God.
Aug. AUG. Otherwise ; The sum of all wisdom is to be acquainted
Q ! ue^ 3 w i tn tiie Creator and the creature. The Creator is the
q- 81. Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the creature is partly
invisible, as the soul to which we assign a threefold nature,
(as in the command to love God with the whole heart, mind,
and soul,) partly visible as the body, which we divide into
four elements ; the hot, the cold, the liquid, the solid. The
number ten then, which stands for the whole law of life,
taken four times, that is, multiplied by that number which
we assign for the body, because by the body the law is
obeyed or disobeyed, makes the number forty. All the
aliquot parts in this number, viz. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 20, taken
together make up the number 50. Hence the time of our
sorrow and affliction is fixed at forty clays ; the state of blessed
joy which shall be hereafter is figured in the quinquagesimal
Aug. festival, i. e. the fifty days from Easter to Pentecost. AUG.
2H> m 2. Not however because Christ fasted immediately after having
received baptism, are we to suppose that He established a
rule to be observed, that we should fast immediately after
His baptism. But when the conflict with the tempter is sore,
then we ought to fast, that the body may fulfil its warfare by
chastisement, and the soul obtain victory by humiliation.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord knew the thoughts of the Devil,
that he sought to tempt Him; he had heard that Christ had
been born into this world with the preaching of Angels, the
witness of shepherds, the inquiry of the Magi, and the
testimony of John. Thus the Lord proceeded against him,
not as God, but as man, or rather both as God and man.
For in forty days of fasting not to have been an hungred was
not as man; to be ever an hungred was not as God. He was
an hungred then that the God might not be certainly mani
fested, and so the hopes of the Devil in tempting Him be
extinguished, and His own victory hindered. HILARY ;
He was an hungred, not during the forty days, but after them.
Therefore when the Lord hungred, it was not that the effects
of abstinence then first came upon Him, but that His
humanity was left to its own strength. For the Devil was
to be overcome, not by the God, but by the flesh. By this
VEE. 3, 4. ST. MATTHEW. 121
was figured, that after those forty days which He was to
tarry on earth after His passion were accomplished, He
should hunger for the salvation of man, at which time He
carried back again to God His Father the expected gift, the
humanity which He had taken on Him.
3. And when the Tempter came to Him, he said, If
Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones
be made bread.
4. But He answered and said, It is written, Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Devil who had begun to despair
when he saw that Christ fasted forty days, now again began
to hope when he saw that he was an hungred; and then the
tempter came to him. If then you shall have fasted and
after been tempted, say not, I have lost the fruit of my fast ;
for though it have not availed to hinder temptation, it will
avail to hinder you from being overcome by temptation.
GREG. If we observe the successive steps of the temptation, Greg,
we shall be able to estimate by how much we are freed from ubl SU P
temptation. The old enemy tempted the first man through
his belly, when he persuaded him to eat of the forbidden
fruit; through ambition when he said, Ye shall be as gods;
through covetousness when he said, Knowing good and evil;
for there is a covetousness not only of money, but of great
ness, when a high estate above our measure is sought. By
the same method in which he had overcome the first Adam,
in that same was he overcome when he tempted the second
Adam. He tempted through the belly when he said, Com
mand that these stones become loaves; through ambition
when he said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down
from hence; through covetousness of lofty condition in the
words, All these things will I give thee. AMBROSE; HeAmbros.
begins with that which had once been the means of his J. n ^
victory, the palate; If thou be the Son of God , command that
these stones become loaves. What means such a beginning
as this, but that he knew that the Son of God was to come,
yet believed not that He was come on account of His fleshly
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IVl
infirmity. His speech is in part that of an enquirer, in part
that of a tempter; he professes to believe Him God, he
strives to deceive Him as man. HILARY; And therefore in
the temptation he makes a proposal of such a double kind by
which His divinity would be made known by the miracle of
the transformation, the weakness of the man deceived by the
delight of food. JEROME ; But thou art caught, O Enemy,
in a dilemma. If these stones can be made bread at His
word, your temptation is vain against one so mighty. If He
cannot make them bread, your suspicions that this is the Son
of God must be vain.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But as the Devil blinds all men, so is he
now invisibly made blind by Christ. He found Him an
hungred at the end of forty days, and knew not that He had
continued through those forty without being hungry. When
he suspected Him not to be the Son of God, he considered
not that the mighty Champion can descend to things that be
weak, but the weak cannot ascend to things that are high.
We may more readily infer from His not being an hungred
for so many days that He is God, than from His being
an hungred after that time that He is man. But it may be
said, Moses and Elias fasted forty days, and were men. But
they hungred and endured, He for the space of forty days
hungred not, but afterwards. To be hungry and yet refuse
food is within the endurance of man ; not be hungry belongs
to the Divine nature only. JEROME ; Christ s purpose was
Leo; to vanquish by humility; LEO; hence he opposed the
gg r * adversary rather by testimonies out of the Law, than by
miraculous powers; thus at the same time giving more
honour to man, and more disgrace to the adversary, when
the enemy of the human race thus seemed to be overcome by
Greg, man rather than by God. GREG. So the Lord when tempted
ubi sup. ^ fa e D ev ji answered only with precepts of Holy Writ, and
He who could have drowned His tempter in the abyss,
displayed not the might of His power; giving us an example,
that when we suffer any thing at the hands of evil men,
we should be stirred up to learning rather than to revenge.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He said not, I live not, but, Man doth not
live by bread alone, that the Devil might still ask, // thou be
the Son of God. If He be God, it is as though He shunned
EU 5 7. ST. MATTHEW, 123
) display what He had power to do; if man, it is a crafty
/ill that His want of power should not be detected. RABANUS;
liis verse is quoted from Deuteronomy. Whoso then feeds c. 8, 3.
ot on the Word of God, he lives not; as the body of man
annot live without earthly food, so cannot his soul without
rod s word. This word is said to proceed out of the mouth
f God, where he reveals His will by Scripture testimonies.
5. Then the Devil taketh Him up into the holy
;ity, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,
b*. And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of
jod, cast Thyself down ; for it is written, He shall
rive His Angels charge concerning Thee : and in
;heir hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time
Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.
7. Jesus said unto Him, It is written again, Thou
ihalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
i**
\ PSEUDO-CHRYS. From this first answer of Christ, the Devil
:ould learn nothing certain whether He \vere God or man;
be therefore betook him to another temptation, saying within
umself; This man who is not sensible of the appetite of
hunger, if not the Son of God, is yet a holy man ; and such
lo attain strength not to be overcome by hunger; but
when they have subdued every necessity of the flesh, they
often fall by desire of empty glory. Therefore he began
to tempt Him by this empty glory. JEROME; Took him,
not because the Lord was weak, but the enemy proud; he
imputed to a necessity what the Saviour did willingly.
RABANUS ; Jerusalem was called the Holy City, for in it was
the Temple of God, the Holy of holies, and the worship of
the one God according to the law of Moses. REMIG. This
shews that the Devil lies in wait for Christ s faithful people
even in the sacred places. GREGORY; Behold when it is Greg,
said that this God was taken by the Devil into the holy ubl sup *
city, pious ears tremble to hear, and yet the Devil is head
and chief among the wicked ; what wonder that He suffered
Himself to be led up a mountain by the wicked one himself,
who suffered Himself to be crucified by his members. GLOSS. Gloss.
ord.
124 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
The Devil places us on high places by exalting with pride,
that he may dash us to the ground again. REMIG. The
pinnacle is the seat of the doctors ; for the temple had not
a pointed roof like our houses, but was flat on the top after
the manner of the country of Palestine, and in the temple
were three stories. It should be known, that the pinnacle
was on the floor, and in each story was one pinnacle.
Whether then he placed Him on the pinnacle in the first
story, or that in the second, or the third, he placed Him
Gloss, whence a fall was possible. GLOSS. Observe here that all
these things were done with bodily sense, and by careful
comparison of the context it seems probable that the Devil
appeared in human form. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Perhaps you
may say, How could he in the sight of all place Him bodily
upon the temple? Perhaps the Devil so took Him as though
He were visible to all, while He, without the Devil being
Gloss, aware of it, made Himself invisible. GLOSS. He set Him on a
selnf "" pi nnac ^ e f the temple when he would tempt Him through
ambition, because in this seat of the doctors he had before
taken many through the same temptation, and therefore
thought that when set in the same seat. He might in like
manner be puffed up with vain pride. JEROME ; In the
several temptations the single aim of the Devil is to find
if He be the Son of God, but he is so answered as at last
to depart in doubt; He says, Cast thyself] because the voice
of the Devil, which is always calling men downwards, has
power to persuade them, but may not compel them to fall.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. How does he expect to discover by this
proposition whether He be the Son of God or not? For to
fly through the air is not proper to the Divine nature, for it
is not useful to any. If then any were to attempt to fly
when challenged to it, he would be acting from ostentation,
and would so belong rather to the Devil than to God. If it
is enough to a wise man to be what he is, and he has no
wish to seem what he is not, how much more should the
Son of God hold it not necessary to shew what He is ; He
of whom none can know so much as He is in Himself?
AMBROSE; But as Satan transfigures himself into an Angel
of light, and spreads a snare for the faithful, even from the
divine Scriptures, so now he uses its texts, not to instruct
VER. 5 7. ST. MATTHEW. 125
but to receive. JEROME ; This verse we read in the ninetieth Ps. 91,
Psalm, but that is a prophecy not of Christ, but of some holy
man, so the Devil interprets Scripture amiss. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. For the Son of God in truth is not borne of Angels,
but Himself bears them, or if He be borne in their arms,
it is not from weakness, lest He dash His foot against a
stone, but for the honour. O thou Devil, thou hast read
that the Son of God is borne in Angels arms, hast thou not
also read that He shall tread upon the asp and basilisk? But
the one text he brings forward as proud, the other he omits
as crafty. CHRYS. Observe that Scripture is brought forward
by the Lord only with an apt meaning, but by the Devil
irreverently; for that where it is written, He shall give his
Angels charge over thee, is not an exhortation to cast
Himself headlong. GLOSS. We must explain thus; Scripture Gloss,
says of any good man, that He has given it in charge to HiSg e p f mt n
Angels, that is to His ministering spirits, to bear him in
itheir hands, i. e. by their aid to guard him that he dash
not his foot against a stone, i. e. keep his heart that it
stumble not at the old law written in tables of stone. Or by
the stone may be understood every occasion of sin and
error. RABAN. It should be noted, that though our Saviour
suffered Himself to be placed by the Devil on a pinnacle
of the temple, yet refused to come down also at his command,
giving us an example, that whosoever bids us ascend the
strait way of truth we should obey. But if he would again
cast us down from the height of truth and virtue to the
depth of error we should not hearken to him. JEROME ; The
false Scripture darts of the Devil He brands with the true
shield of Scripture. HILARY ; Thus beating down the efforts
of the Devil, He professes Himself both God and Lord.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Yet He says not, Thou shalt not tempt me
thy Lord God; but, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy
God; which every man of God when tempted by the Devil
might say ; for whoso tempts a man of God, tempts God.
RABANUS; Otherwise, it was a suggestion to Him, as man,
that He should seek by requiring some miracle to know
the greatness of God s power. AUG. It is a part of sound c< ^
doctrine, that when man has any other means, he should Faust.
not tempt the Lord his God. THEOD. And it is to tempt Theod.
126 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
God, in any thing to expose one s self to danger without
cause. JEROME ; It should be noted, that the required texts
are taken from the book of Deuteronomy only, that He might
shew the sacraments of the second Law.
,
8. Again, the Devil taketh Him up into an ex
ceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ;
9. And saith unto Him, All these things will
give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence,
Satan : for it is written, Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
1 1 . Then the Devil leaveth Him, and, behold,
Angels came and ministered unto Him.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Devil, left in uncertainty by this
second reply, passes to a third temptation. Christ had broken
the nets of appetite, had passed over those of ambition, he
now spreads for Him those of covetousness ; He taketh
him up into a very high mountain, such as in going round
about the earth he had noticed rising above the rest. The
higher the mountain, the wider the view from it. He shews
Him not so as that they truly saw the very kingdoms, cities,
nations, their silver and their gold; but the quarters of the
earth where each kingdom and city lay. As suppose from some
high ground I were to point out to you, see there lies Rome,
there Alexandria; you are not supposed to see the towns
themselves, but the quarter in which they lie. Thus the
Devil might point out the several quarters with his finger,
and recount in words the greatness of each kingdom and
its condition ; for that is said to be shewn whch is in any
Ori wa y P resen ted to the understanding. ORIGEN ; We are not to
in Luc. suppose that when he shewed Him the kingdoms of the
world, he presented before Him the kingdom of Persia,
for instance, or India; but he shewed his own kingdom,
how he reigns in the world, that is, how some are governed
by fornication, some by avarice. REMIG. By their glory.
. 8 11. ST. MATTHEW. 127
is meant, their gold and silver, precious stones and temporal
goods. RABAN. The Devil shews all this to the Lord, not
as though he had power to extend his vision or shew Him
any thing unknown. But setting forth in speech as excellent
and pleasant, that vain worldly pomp wherein himself de
lighted, he thought by suggestion of it, to create in Christ a
love of it. GLOSS. He saw not, as we see, with the eye of Gloss,
lust, but as a physician looks on disease without receiving
any hurt. JEROME; An arrogant and vain vaunt; for he
hath not the power to bestow all kingdoms, since many
of the saints have, we know, been made kings by God.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But such things as are gotten by iniquity
in this world, as riches, for instance, gained by fraud or
perjury, these the Devil bestows. The Devil therefore
cannot give riches to whom he will, but to those only who
are willing to receive them of him. REMIG. Wonderful
infatuation in the Devil ! To promise earthly kingdoms
to Him who gives heavenly kingdoms to His faithful people,
and the glory of earth to Him who is Lord of the glory of
heaven ! AMBROSE ; Ambition has its dangers at home; that Amb.
it may govern, it is first others slave; it bows in flattery J. n iv u jj
that it may rule in honour ; and while it would be exalted,
it is made to stoop. GLOSS. See the Devil s pride as of old. Gloss.
In the beginning he sought to make himself equal with God, no
now he seeks to usurp the honours due to God, saying,
If thou wilt fall down and worship me. Who then worships
the Devil must first fall down.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. With these words He puts an end to
the temptations of the Devil, that they should proceed no
further. JEROME ; The Devil and Peter are not, as many
suppose, condemned to the same sentence. To Peter it is
said, Get thee behind me, Satan; i. e. follow thou behind
Me who art contrary to My will. But here it is, Go, Satan,
and is not added behind Me, that we may understand into
the fire prepared for thee and thy angels. REMIG. Other
copies read, Get thee behind me; i. e. remember thee in
what glory thou wast created, and into what misery thou
hast fallen. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Observe how Christ when
Himself suffered wrong at the hands of the Devil, being
tempted of him, saying, If thou be the Son of God, cast
128 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
thyself down, yet was not moved to chide the Devil. But
now when the Devil usurps the honour of God, he is wroth,
and drives him away, saying, Go thy way, Satan; that we
may learn by His example to bear injuries to ourselves
with magnanimity, but wrongs to God, to endure not so
much as to hear ; for to be patient under our own wrongs
is praiseworthy, to dissemble when God is wronged is
impiety. JEROME ; When the Devil says to the Saviour,
If thou wilt fall down and worship me, he is answered
by the contrary declaration, that it more becomes him to
Aug. worship Jesus as his Lord and God. AUG. The one Lord
Serm. our God is the Holy Trinity, to which alone we justly owe
Arian. the service of piety. ID. By service is to be understood the
Aug. De honour due to God ; as our version renders the Greek word
Civ.Dei, t i a t r ia 5 wherever it occurs in Scripture, by c service (servitus),
but that service which is due to men (as where the Apostle
bids slaves be subject to their masters) is in Greek called
dulia; while latria, always, or so often that we say always,
is used of that worship which belongs to God. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. The Devil, we may fairly suppose, did not depart in
obedience to the command, but the Divine nature of Christ,
and the Holy Spirit which was in Him drove him thence,
and then the Devil left him. Which also serves for our
consolation, to see that the Devil does not tempt the men
of God so long as he wills, but so long as Christ suffers.
And though He may suffer him to tempt for a short time,
yet in the end He drives him away because of the weakness
Aug. De of our nature. AUG. After the temptation the Holy Angels, to
Civ^Dei, ke dreaded of all unclean spirits, ministered to the Lord, by
which it was made yet more manifest to the daemons how great
was His power. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He says not Angels de
scended from heaven, that it may be known that they were
ever on the earth to minister to Him, but had now by the
Lord s command departed from Him, to give opportunity
for the Devil to approach, who perhaps when he saw Him
surrounded by Angels would not have come near Him.
But in what matters they ministered to Him, we cannot
know, whether in the healing diseases, or purifying souls,
or casting out daemons ; for all these things He does by
the ministration of Angels, so that what they do, Himself
VER. 11. ST. MATTHEW. 129
appears to do. However it is manifest, that they did not
now minister to Him because His weakness needed it, but
for the honour of His power; for it is not said that they
i succoured Him, but that they ministered to Him. GREGORY; Greg.
In these things is shewn the twofold nature in one person;
it is the man whom the Devil tempts; the same is God toEzek. i.
whom Angels minister. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Now let us shortly "
non occ.
in
review what is signified by Christ s temptations. Thei.l.n.1
fasting is abstinence from things evil, hunger is the desire""
of evil, bread is the gratification of the desire. He who
indulges himself in any evil thing, turns stones into bread.
Let him answer to the Devil s persuasions that man does
not live by the indulgence of desire alone, but by keeping
the commands of God. When any is puffed up as though
he were holy he is led to the temple, and when he esteems
himself to have reached the summit of holiness he is set on
a pinnacle of the temple. And this temptation follows the
first, because victory over temptation begets conceit. But
observe that Christ had voluntarily undertaken the fasting ;
but was led to the temple by the Devil ; therefore do you
voluntarily use praiseworthy abstinence, but suffer yourself
not to be exalted to the summit of sanctity; fly high-minded-
ness, and you will not suffer a fall. The ascent of the moun
tain is the going forward to great riches, and the glory of
this world which springs from pride of heart. When you
desire to become rich, that is, to ascend the mountain, you
begin to think of the ways of gaining wealth and honours,
then the prince of this world is shewing you the glory of his
kingdom. In the third place He provides you reasons, that
if you seek to obtain all these things, you should serve him,
and neglect the righteousness of God. HILARY; When we
have overcome the Devil and bruised his head, we see that
Angels ministry and the offices of heavenly virtues will not
be wanting to us. AUG. Luke has not given the temptations Aug. De
in the same order as Matthew; so that we do not know
whether the pinnacle of the temple, or the ascent of the
mountain, was first in the action ; but it is of no importance,
so long as it is only clear that all of them were truly done.
GLOSS. Though Luke s order seems the more historical ;
Matthew relates the temptations as they were done to Adam,
VOL. i. K
130 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
12. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast
into prison, He departed into Galilee ;
13. And leaving Nazareth., He came and dwelt in
Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the
borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim :
14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephtha
lim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of
the Gentiles ;
16. The people which sat in darkness saw great
light ; and to them which sat in the region and
shadow of death light is sprung up.
RABANUS; Matthew having related the forty days fast, the
temptation of Christ, and the ministry of Angels, proceeds,
Jesus having heard that John was cast into prison. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. By God without doubt, for none can effect any
thing against a holy man, unless God deliver him up. He
withdrew into Galilee, that is, out of Judaea ; both that He
might reserve His passion to the fit time, and that He might
Chrys. se ^ us an example of flying from danger. CHRYS. It is not
Hom. blameworthy not to throw one s self into peril, but when one
has fallen into it, not to endure manfully. He departed from
Judaea both to soften Jewish animosity, and to fulfil a
prophecy, seeking moreover to fish for those masters of the
world who dwelt in Galilee. Note also how when He
would depart to the Gentiles, He received good cause from
the Jews ; His forerunner was thrown into prison, which
Gloss, compelled Jesus to pass into Galilee of the Gentiles. GLOSS.
ap.^An- jj e came as Luk e writes to Nazareth, where He had been
selm.
brought up, and there entering into the synagogue, He read
and spoke many things, for which they sought to throw Him
down from the rock, and thence He went to Capernaum ; for
which Matthew has only, And leaving the town of Nazareth,
Gloss. He came and dwelt at Capernaum. GLOSS; Nazareth is
ord - a village in Galilee near Mount Tabor; Capernaum a town
in Galilee of the Gentiles near the Lake of Gennesaret ; and
VER. 12 16. ST. MATTHEW. 131
this is the meaning of the word, on the sea coast. He
adds further in the borders of Zabidon and Naphtali, where
was the first captivity of the Jews by the Assyrians. Thus
where the Law was first forgotten, there the Gospel was first
preached; and from a place as it were between the two it
was spread both to Jews and Gentiles. REMIG. He left one,
viz. Nazareth, that He might enlighten more by His preaching
and miracles. Thus leaving an example to all preachers
that they should preach at a time and in places where they
may do good, to as many as possible. In the prophecy, the
words are these, At that first time the land of Zabulon and^ 9, 1
the land of Naphtali was lightened, and at the last time was
increased the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the
Gentiles. JEROME; They are said at the first time to be ni eron<
lightened from the burden of sin, because in the country of 111 Esai -
these two tribes, the Saviour first preached the Gospel
at the last time their faith was increased, most of the Jews
remaining in error. By the sea here is meant the Lake
of Gennesaret, a lake formed by the waters of the Jordan, on
its shores are the towns of Capernaum, Tiberias, Bethsaida,
and Corozaim, in which district principally Christ preached.
Or, according to the interpretation of those Hebrews who
believe in Christ, the two tribes Zabulon and Naphtali were
taken captive by the Assyrians, and Galilee was left desert;
and the prophet therefore says that it was lightened, because
it had before suffered the sins of the people ; but afterwards
the remaining tribes who dwelt beyond Jordan and in
Samaria were led into captivity ; and Scripture here means
that the region which had been the first to suffer captivity,
now was the first to see the light of Christ s preaching. The
Nazarenes again interpret that this was the first part of the
country that, on the coming of Christ, was freed from the
errors of the Pharisees, and after by the Gospel of the
Apostle Paul, the preaching was increased or multiplied
throughout all the countries of the Gentiles. GLOSS. But Gloss
Matthew here so quotes the passage as to make them all a P- An -
nominative cases referring to one verb. The land of* e
Zabulon, and the land of Naphtali, which is the way of the
sea, and which is beyond Jordan, viz. the people of Galilee of
the Gentiles, the people which walked in darkness. GLOSS. G j ose>
K 2 ord.
132 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
Note that there are two Galilees ; one of the Jews, the other
of the Gentiles. This division of Galilee had existed from
Solomon s time, who gave twenty cities in Galilee to Hyram,
King of Tyre ; this part was afterwards called Galilee of the
Hieron. Gentiles ; the remainder, of the Jews. JEROME ; Or we must
l ^ read, beyond Jordan, of Galilee of tlie Gentiles; so, I mean, that
the people who either sat, or walked in darkness, have seen
light, and that not a faint light, as the light of the Prophets,
but a great light, as of Him who in the Gospel speaks thus, / am
the light of the world. Between death and the shadow of death
I suppose this difference ; death is said of such as have gone
down to the grave with the works of death ; the shadow of
such as live in sin, and have not yet departed from this
world; these may, if they will, yet turn to repentance.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise, the Gentiles who worshipped
idols, and daemons, were they who sat in the region of the
shadow of death ; the Jews, who did the works of the Law,
were in darkness, because the righteousness of God was not
yet manifested to them. CHRYS. But that you may learn
that he speaks not of natural day and night, he calls the
light, a great light, which is in other places called the true
light; and he adds, the shadow of death, to explain what he
means by darkness. The words arose, and shined, shew,
that they found it not of their own seeking, but God Himself
appeared to them, they did not first run to the light; for
men were in the greatest miseries before Christ s coming;
they did not walk but sate in darkness ; which was a sign
that they hoped for deliverance ; for as not knowing what
way they should go, shut in by darkness they sate down,
having now no power to stand. By darkness he means here,
error and ungodliness.
Raban. RABAN. In allegory, John and the rest of the Prophets
ap. An- were the voice going before the Word. When prophecy
ceased and was fettered, then came the Word, fulfilling
what the Prophet had spoken of it, Pie departed into
Galilee, i. e. from figure to verity. Or, into the Church,
which is a passing from vice to virtue. Nazareth is in
terpreted 4 a flower, Capernaum, the beautiful village;
He left therefore the flower of figure, (in which was
mystically intended the fruit of the Gospel,) and came
VER. 12 16. ST. MATTHEW. 133
into the Church^which was beautiful with Christ s virtues.
It is by the sea-coast 9 because placed near the waves of
this world, it is daily beaten by the storms of persecution.
It is situated between Zabulon and Naphtali, i. e. common
to Jews and Gentiles. Zabulon is interpreted, ( the abode
of strength f because the Apostles, who were chosen from
Judaea, were strong. Nephtali, f extension, because the
Church of the Gentiles was extended through the world.
AUG. John relates in his Gospel the calling of Peter, Aug.de
Andrew, and Nathanael, and the miracle in Cana, before Ev.iU 7.
Jesus departure into Galilee ; all these things the other
-Evangelists have omitted, carrying on the thread of their
narrative with Jesus return into Galilee. We must
understand then that some days intervened, during which
the things took place concerning the calling of the disciples
which John relates. REMIG. But this should be considered
with more care, viz. that John says that the Lord went
into Galilee, before John the Baptist was thrown into
prison. According to John s Gospel after the water turned
into wine, and his going down to Capernaum, and after
his going up to Jerusalem, he returned into Judaea and
baptized, and John was not yet cast into prison. But
here it is after John s imprisonment that He retires into
Galilee, and with this Mark agrees. But we need not
suppose any contradiction here. John speaks of the Lord s
first coming into Galilee, which was before the imprisonment
of John. He speaks in another place of His second coming j h n 4
into Galilee, and the other Evangelists mention only this 3 *
second coming into Galilee which was after John s im
prisonment. EUSEB. It is related that John preached theEuseb.
Gospel almost up to the close of his life without setting. 1 .! ^-
forth any thing in writing, and at length came to write for
this reason. The three first written Gospels having come to
his knowledge, he confirmed the truth of their history by his
own testimony ; but there were yet some things wanting,
especially an account of what the Lord had done at the first
beginning of His preaching. And it is true that the other
three Gospels seem to contain only those things which
were done in that year in which John the Baptist was
put into prison, or executed. For Matthew, after the
134 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
temptation, proceeds immediately, Hearing that John was
delivered up ; and Mark in like manner. Luke again,
even before relating one of Christ s actions, tells that Herod
had shut up John in prison. The Apostle John then was
requested to put into writing what the preceding Evangelists
had left out before the imprisonment of John ; hence he says
in his Gospel, this beginning of miracles did Jesus.
17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to
say, Repent : for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Christ s Gospel should be preached by
him who can control his appetites, who contemns the
goods of this life, and desires not empty honours. Prom
this time began Jesus to preach, that is, after having been
tempted, He had overcome hunger in the desert, despised
covetousness on the mountain, rejected ambitious desires
in the temple. Or from the time that John was delivered
up ; for had He begun to preach while John was yet
preaching, He would have made John be lightly accounted
of, and John s preaching would have been thought super
fluous by the side of Christ s teaching; as when the sun
rises at the same time with the morning star, the star s
brightness is hid. CHRYS. For another cause also He
did not preach till John was in prison, that the multitude
might not be split into two parties ; or as John did no
miracle, all men would have been drawn to Christ by His
miracles. RABAN. In this He further teaches that none
should despise the words of a person inferior to Him ;
1 Cor. as also the Apostle, If any thing be revealed to him that
14 30 - sits, let the first hold his peace. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He did
wisely in making now the beginning of His preaching,
that He should not trample upon John s teaching, but
that He might the rather confirm it and demonstrate him
to have been a true witness. JEROME; Shewing also
thereby that He was Son of that same God whose prophet
John was ; and therefore He says, Repent ye. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. He does not straightway preach righteousness
which all knew, but repentance, which all needed. Who
then dared to say, I desire to be good, but am not able ?
VER. 18 -22. ST. MATTHEW, 135
For repentance corrects the will; and if ye will not
repent through fear of evil, at least ye may for the pleasure
of good things; hence He says, the kingdom of heaven
is at hand; that is, the blessings of the heavenly kingdom.
As if He had said, Prepare yourselves by repentance, for the
time of eternal reward is at hand. REMIG. And note, He does
not say the kingdom of the Canaanite, or the Jebusite, is
at hand ; but the kingdom of heaven. The law promised
worldly goods, but the Lord heavenly kingdoms. CHRYS.
Also observe how that in this His first address He says
nothing of Himself openly; and that very suitably to
the case, for they had yet no right opinion concerning
Him. In this commencement moreover He speaks nothing
severe, nothing burdensome, as John had concerning the
axe laid to the root of the condemned tree, and the like;
but he puts first things merciful, preaching the glad tidings
of the kingdom of heaven. JEROME; Mystically interpreted,
Christ begins to preach as soon as John was delivered to
prison, because when the Law ceased, the Gospel com
menced.
18. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw
two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea : for they were
fishers.
19. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men.
20. And they straightway left their nets, and
followed Him.
21. And going on from thence, he saw other two
brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending
their nets ; and He called them.
22. And they immediately left the ship and their
father, and followed Him.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Before He spoke or did any thing, Christ
called Apostles, that neither word nor deed of His should be
136 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
hid from their knowledge, so that they may afterwards say
Acts 4, with confidence. What we have seen and heard, that we
20
cannot but speak. RABANUS ; The sea of Galilee, the lake
of Gennesareth, the sea of Tiberias, and the salt lake, are one
Gloss. an d the same. GLOSS. He rightly goes to fishing places,
when about to fish for fishermen. REMIG. Saw, that is, not
so much with the bodily eye, as spiritually viewing their
hearts. CHRYS. He calls them while actually working at
their employment, to shew that to follow Him ought to be
preferred to all occupations. They were just then casting
a net into the sea, which agreed with their future office.
Aug. AUG. He chose not kings, senators, philosophers, or
J97?2. orators, but he chose common, poor, and untaught fisher-
Aug. men. TD. Had one learned been chosen, he might have
{ ( ^ t n m attributed the choice to the merit of his learning. But our
viii. 7. Lord Jesus Christ, willing to bow the necks of the proud,
sought not to gain fishermen by orators, but gained an
Emperor by a fisherman. Great was Cyprian the pleader,
but Peter the fisherman was before him. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
The operations of their secular craft were a prophecy of their
future dignity. As he who casts his net into the water
knows not what fishes he shall take, so the teacher casts the
net of the divine word upon the people, not knowing who
among them will come to God. Those whom God shall stir
abide in his doctrine. REMIG. Of these fishermen the Lord
Jer. 16, speaks by Jeremiah. / will send my fishers among you, and
they shall catch you. GLOSS. Follow me, not so much with
interlin. your feet as in your hearts and your life. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Fishers of men, that is, teachers, that with the net of God s
word you may catch men out of this world of storm and
danger, in which men do not walk but are rather borne
along, the Devil by pleasure drawing them into sin where
men devour one another as the stronger fishes do the weaker,
withdrawn from hence they may live upon the land, being
Gre^r. made members of Christ s body. GREG. Peter and Andrew
Hom. m} ia( i seen (; nr i s t work no miracle, had heard from him no
hi van. t m
v. l. word of the promise of the eternal reward, yet at this single
bidding of the Lord they forgot all that they had seemed to
possess, and straightway left their nets, and folio teed Him.
In which deed we ought rather to consider their wills than
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 137
the amount of their property. He leaves much who keeps
nothing for himself, he parts with much, who with his
possessions renounces his lusts. Those who followed Christ
gave up enough to be coveted by those who did not follow.
Our outward goods, however small, are enough for the Lord ;
He does not weigh the sacrifice by how much is offered, but
out of how much it is offered. The kingdom of God is not to
be valued at a certain price, but whatever a man has, much or
little, is equally available. PSEUDO-CHRYS. These disciples
did not follow Christ from desire of the honour of a doctor,
but because they coveted the labour itself; they knew how
precious is the soul of man, how pleasant to God is his
salvation, and how great its reward. CHRYS. To so great a
promise they trusted, and believed that they should catch
others by those same words by which themselves had been
caught. PsEUDO-CiiRYS. These were their desires, for
which they left ail and followed ; teaching us thereby that
none can possess earthly things and perfectly attain to
heavenly things.
GLOSS. These last disciples were an example to such
leave their property for the love of Christ ; now follows an a P- An -
example of others who postponed earthly affection to God.
Observe how He calls them two and two, as He afterwards
sent them two and two to preach. GREG. Hereby w r e are Greg.
also silently admonished, that he who wants affection towards
others, ought not to take on him the office of preaching. 1.
The precepts of charity are two, and between less than two
there can be no love. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Rightly did He
thus build the foundations of the brotherhood of the Church
on love, that from such roots a copious sap of love might
flow to the branches ; and that too on natural or human love,
that nature as well as grace might bind their love more
firmly. They were moreover brothers ; and so did God in
the Old Testament lay the foundations of His building on
Moses jmji- Aarpn^ brothers. But as the grace of the New
Testament is more abundant than that of the Old, therefore
the first people were built upon one pair of brethren, but the
new people upon two. They were wank tHf/ their nets, a
proof of the extremest indigence ; they repaired the old
because they had not whence they should buy new. And
138 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV
what shews their great filial piety, in this their great povert)
they deserted not their father, but carried him with them ir
their vessel, not that he might aid in their labour, but have
the enjoyment of his sons presence. CHRYS. It is no small
sign of goodness, to bear poverty easily, to live by honest
labour, to be bound together by virtue of affection, to keep
their poor father with them, and to toil in his service.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. We may not dare to consider the former
disciples as more quick to preach, because they were casting
their nets ; and these latter as less active, because they were
yet making ready only; for it is Christ alone that may know
their differences. But perhaps we may say that the first
were casting their nets, because Peter preached the Gospel,
but committed it not to paper the others were making ready
their nets, because John composed a Gospel. He called
them together, for by their abode they were fellow-towns
men, in affection attached, in profession agreed, and united
by brotherly tenderness. He called them then at once, that
united by so many common blessings they might not be
separated by a separate call. CHRYS. He made no promise
to them when He called them, as He had to the former,
for the obedience of the first had made the way plain for
them. Besides, they had heard many things concerning
Him, as being friends and townsmen of the others.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. There are three things which we must
leave who would come to Christ; carnal actions, which
are signified in the fishing nets; worldly substance, in
the ship ; parents, which are signified in their father.
They left their own vessel, that they might become governors
of the vessel of the Church ; they left their nets, as having
no longer to draw out fishes on to the earthly shore, but
men to the heavenly ; they left their father, that they might
become the spiritual fathers of all. HILARY ; By this
that they left their occupation and their father s house
we are taught, that when we would follow Christ we
should not be holden of the cares of secular life, or of
the society of the paternal mansion. REMIG. Mystically,
by the sea is figured this world, because of its bitterness
and its tossing waves. Galilee is interpreted, rolling
or c a wheel, and shews the changeableness of the world.
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 139
Jesus walked by the sea when He came to us by in
carnation, for He took on Him of the Virgin not the
flesh of sin, but the likeness of the flesh of sin. By the
two brothers, two people are signified born of one God
their Father; He saw them when He looked on them in
His mercy. In Peter, (which is interpreted c owning/)
who is called Simon, (i. e. obedient,) is signified the
Jewish nation, who acknowledged God in the Law, and
obeyed His commandments ; Andrew, which is interpreted
f manly or i graceful, signifies the Gentiles, who after
they had come to the knowledge of God, manfully abode
in the faith. He called us His people when He sent the
preachers into the world, saying, Follow me; that is,
[eave the deceiver, follow your Creator. Of both people
there were made fishers of men, that is, preachers. Leaving
their ships, that is, carnal desires, and their nets, that
is, love of the world, they followed Christ. By James
is understood the Jewish nation, which through their
knowledge of God overthrew the Devil ; by John the
Gentile world, which was saved of grace alone. Zebedee
whom they leave, (the name is interpreted flying or falling,)
signifies the world which passes away, and the Devil
who fell from Heaven. By Peter and Andrew casting
their net into the sea, are meant those who in their early
youth are called by the Lord, while from the vessel of
their body they cast the nets of carnal concupiscence
into the sea of this world. By James and John mending
their nets are signified those who after sin before adversity
come to Christ recovering what they had lost. RABAN. The
two vessels signify the two Churches ; the one was called
out of the circumcision, the other out of the uncircumcision.
Any one who believes becomes Simon, i, e. obedient to
God; Peter by acknowledging his sin, Andrew by en
during labours manfully, James by overcoming vices,
GLOSS, and John that he may ascribe the whole to God s Gloss,
grace. The calling of four only is mentioned, as those H^
preachers by whom God will call the four quarters of
the world. HILARY; Or, the number that was to be of
the Evangelists is figured. REMIG. Also, the four principal
virtues are here designed ; Prudence, in Peter, from his
140 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
confession of God ; Justice, we may refer to Andrew
for his manful deeds ; Fortitude, to James, for his overthrow
of the Devil ; Temperance, to John, for the working in him
of divine grace.
Aug. AUG. It might move enquiry, why John relates that near
Ev.ii.l7.^ or ^ an J no ^ m Galilee, Andrew followed the Lord with
another whose name he does not mention ; and again, that
Peter received that name from the Lord. Whereas the other
three Evangelists write that they were call-d from their
fishing, sufficiently agreeing with one another, especially
Matthew and Mark ; Luke not naming Andrew, who is
however understood to have been in the same vessel with
him. There is a further seeming discrepancy, that in Luke
it is to Peter only that it is said, Henceforth thou shall catch
men; Matthew and Mark write that it was said to both.
As to the different account in John, it should be carefully
considered, and it will be found that it is a different time,
place, and calling that is there spoken of. For Peter and
Andrew had not so seen Jesus at the Jordan that they
adhered inseparably ever after, but so as only to have known
who He was, and wondering at Him to have gone their way.
Perhaps he is returning back to something he had omitted,
for he proceeds without marking any difference of time, As
he walked by the sea of Galilee. It may be further asked,
how Matthew and Mark relate that He called them
separately two and two, when Luke relates that James
and John being partners of Peter were called as it were
to aid him, and bringing their barks to land followed Christ.
We may then understand that the narrative of Luke relates
to a prior time, after which they returned to their fishing as
usual. For it had not been said to Peter that he should no
more catch fishes, as he did do so again after the resurrection,
but that he should catcJi men. Again, at a time after this
happened that call of which Matthew and Mark speak ; for
they draw their ships to land to follow Him, not as careful to
return again, but only anxious to follow Him when He bids
them.
23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues,, and preaching the Gospel of
VER. 23 25. ST. MATTHEW. 141
the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease among the people.
24. And His fame went throughout all Syria :
and they brought unto Him all sick people that
were taken with divers diseases and torments, and
those which were possessed with devils, and those
which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy ;
and He healed them.
25. And there followed Him great multitudes
of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and
from Jerusalem, and from Judsea, and from beyond
Jordan.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Kings, when about to go to war with
their enemies, first gather an array, and so go out to battle ;
thus the Lord when about to war against the Devil, first
collected Apostles, and then began to preach the Gospel.
RKMIG. An example of life for doctors; that they should not
be inactive, they are instructed in these words, And Jesus
tvent about. PsEUDO-Ceuys. Because they being weak
could not come to their physician, He as a zealous Physician
went about to visit those who had any grievous sickness.
The Lord went round the several regions, and after His
example the pastors of each region ought to go round to
study the several dispositions of their people, that for the
remedy of each disease some medicine may be found in the
Church. REMIG. That they should not be acceptors of
persons the preachers are instructed in what follows, the
whole of Galilee. That they should not go about empty, by
the word teaching. That they should seek to benefit not
few but many, in what follows, in their synagogues. CHRYS.*
By which too He shewed the Jews that He came not as an
enemy of God, or a seducer of souls, but as consenting with
his Father. REMIG. That they should not preach error nor
fable, but sound doctrine, is inculcated in the words, preach
ing the Gospel of the kingdom. Teaching and preaching
a A passage is here inserted in original. It is of no doctrinal import-
Nicolai s edition which is not in the ance.
142 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IV.
differ ; teaching refers to things present, preaching to things
to come; He taught present commandments and preached
future promises. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, He taught natural
righteousness, those things which natural reason teaches,
as chastity, humility, and the like, which all men of them
selves see to be goods. Such things are necessary to be
taught not so much for the sake of making them known
as for stirring the heart. For beneath the prevalence of
carnal delights the knowledge of natural righteousness sleeps
forgotten. When then a teacher begins to denounce carnal
sins, his teaching does not bring up a new knowledge, but
recalls to memory one that had been forgotten. But He
preached the Gospel, in telling of good things which the
ancients had manifestly not heard of, as the happiness of
heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the like. Or, He
taught by interpreting the prophecies concerning Himself;
He preached by declaring the benefits that were to come
from Himself. REMIG. That the teacher should study to
commend his teaching by his own virtuous conduct is
conveyed in those words, healing every sort of disease and
malady among the people ; maladies of the body, diseases of
the soul. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, by disease we may understand
any passion of the mind, as avarice, lust, and such like, by
malady unbelief, that is, weakness of faith. Or, the diseases
are the more grievous pains of the body, the maladies the
slighter. As He cured the bodily pains by virtue of His divine
power, so He cured the spiritual by the word of His mercy.
He first teaches, and then performs the cures, for two reasons.
First, that what is needed most may come first ; for it is the
word of holy instruction, and not miracles, that edify the soul.
Secondly, because teaching is commended by miracles, not
the converse. CHRYS. We must consider that when some
great change is being wrought, as the introduction of a new
polity, God is wont to work miracles, giving pledges of His
power to those who are to receive His laws. Thus when He
would make man, He first created a world, and then at
length gave man in paradise a law. When He would dis
pense a law to the holy Noah, he shewed truly great
wonders ; and again when He was about to ordain the Law
for the Jews, He first shewed great prodigies, and then at
VERt 03 05. ST. MATTHEW. 143
length gave them the commandments. So now when about
to introduce a sublime discipline of life, He first provided a
sanction to His instructions by mighty signs, because the
eternal kingdom He preached was not seen, by the things
which did appear, He made sure that which as yet did not
appear. GLOSS. Because preachers should have good testi-
mony from those who are without, lest if their life is open to se i m .
censure, their preaching be contemned, he adds, And the
fame of him went abroad through all Syria. RABAN. Syria
here is all the region from Euphrates to the Great sea, from
Cappadocia to Egypt, in which is the country of Palestine,
inhabited by Jews. CHRYS. Observe the reserve of the
Evangelist; he does not give an account of any one of the
various cases of healing, but passes in one brief phrase an
abundance of miracles, they brouyht to him all their sick.
REMIG. By these he would have us understand various but
slighter diseases ; but when he says, seized with divers sick
nesses and torments, he would have those understood, of
whom it is subjoined, and who had demons. GLOSS. Sick
ness means a lasting ailment ; torment is an acute pain, as
pleurisy, and such like ; they who had dcemons are they who
were tormented by the daemons. REMIG. Lunatics are so
called from the moon ; for as it waxes in its monthly seasons
they are tormented. JEROME; Not really smitten by the
moon, but who were believed to be so through the subtlety
of the daemons, who by observing the seasons of the moon,
sought to bring an evil report against the creature, that it
might redound to the blasphemy of the Creator. AUG. Aug.De
Daemons are enticed to take up their abode in many creatures, x jj[. Q
(created not by themselves but God,) by delights adapted to
their various natures; not that they are animals, drawn by
meats ; but spirits attracted by signs which agree with each
one s taste. RABAN. Paralytics are those whose bodies have
their nerves slackened or resolved from a Greek word, signi
fying this. PSEUDO-CHRYS. In some places it is, He cured
many; but here, He cured them, meaning all ; as a new
physician first entering a town cures all who come to him
to beget a good opinion concerning himself. CHRYS. He
requires no direct profession of faith from them, both because
He had not yet given them any proofs of His miraculous
144 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. IV.
power, and because in bringing their sick from far they had
shewn no small faith. RABAN. The crowds that followed
Him consisted of four sorts of men, some followed for the
heavenly teaching as disciples, some for the curing of their
diseases, some from the reports concerning Him alone, and
curiosity to find whether they were true ; others from envy,
wishing to catch Him in some matter that they might accuse
Him. Mystically, Syria is interpreted lofty , Galilee,
f turning: or a wheel; that is, the Devil and the world; the
Devil is both proud and always turned round to the bottom;
the world in which the fame of Christ went abroad through
preaching: the daemoniacs are the idolaters; the lunatics,
Gloss, the unstable ; the paralytics, the slow and careless. GLOSS.
selm An " The crow(ls tnat follow the Lord, are they of the Church,
which is spiritually designated by Galilee, passing to virtu-
ousness; Decapolis is he who keeps the Ten Commandments;
Jerusalem and Juda?a, he who is enlightened by the vision
of peace and confession ; and beyond Jordan, he who having
passed the waters of Baptism enters the land of promise.
REMIG. Or, they follow the Lord from Galilee, that is, from
the unstable world ; from Decapolis, (the country of ten
towns,) signifying those who break the Ten Commandments;
and from Jerusalem, because before it was preserved unhurt
in peace; and from Jordan , that is, from the confession of
the Devil; and from beyond Jordan, they who were first
planted in paganism, but passing the water of Baptism came
to Christ.
CHAP. V.
1. And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a
mountain : and when He was set, His disciples came
unto Him.
2. And He opened His mouth, and taught them,
saying,
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
PsEUDO-CuRYS. Every man in his own trade or profession
rejoices when he sees an opportunity of exercising it; the
carpenter if he sees a goodly tree desires to have it to cut
down to employ his skill on, and the Priest when he sees a
full Church, his heart rejoices, he is glad of the occasion to
teach. So the Lord seeing a great congregation of people
was stirred to teach them. AUG. Or He may be thought to Aug. de
have sought to shun the thickest crowd, and to have ascended E n ^ ig
the mountain that He might speak to His disciples alone.
CHRYS. By not choosing His seat in the city, and the market Chrys,
place, but on a mountain in a desert, He has taught us to do Honi *
nothing with ostentation, and to depart from crowds, above
all when we are to be employed in philosophy, or in speaking
of serious things. REMIG. This should be known, that the
Lord had three places of retirement that we read of, the
ship, the mountain, and the desert ; to one of these He was
wont to withdraw whenever He was pressed by the mul
titude. JEROME ; Some of the less learned brethren suppose
the Lord to have spoken what follows from the Mount of
Olives, which is by no means the case ; what went before
and what follows fixes the place in Galilee. a Mount Tabor,
a Mount Tabor is asserted by the Mount. The mount of the Beatitudes
Fathers and by tradition coming down according to modern travellers lies
to the present day to be the scene of near to Capernaum, and ten miles
the Transfiguration. But S. Jerome north of Mount Tabor. See Greswell
seems to be the only author who speaks Diss. vol. ii. 294. Pococke s Descrip. of
of it as the scene of the Sermon on the the East, vol. ii. 67.
VOL. I. L
146 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
we may suppose, or any other high mountain. CHRYS. He
ascended a mountain, first, that He might fulfil the pro-
Is. 40,9. phecy of Esaias, Get tltee up into a mountain; secondly,
to shew that as well he who teaches, as he who hears the
righteousness of God should stand on an high ground of
spiritual virtues ; for none can abide in the valley and speak
from a mountain. If thou stand on the earth, speak of
the earth ; if thou speak of heaven, stand in heaven. Or,
He ascended into the mountain to shew that all who would
learn the mysteries of the truth should go up into the Mount
Ps. 68, of the Church of which the Prophet speaks, The Mil of God
is a hill of fatness. HILARY ; Or, He ascends the mountain,
because it is placed in the loftiness of His Father s Majesty
Aug. de that He gives the commands of heavenly life. AUG. Or, He
Dom in ascen ^s the mountain to shew that the precepts of righteous-
Mont, ness given by God through the Prophets to the Jews, who
were yet under the bondage of fear, were the lesser com
mandments; but that by His own Son were given the greater
commandments to a people which He had determined to
deliver by love. JEROME ; lie spoke to them sitting and not
standing, for they could not have understood Him had He
appeared in His own Majesty. AUG. Or, to teach sitting is
the prerogative of the Master. His disciples came to him,
that they who in spirit approached more nearly to keeping
His commandments, should also approach Him nearest with
their bodily presence. RABANUS; Mystically, this sitting
down of Christ is His incarnation ; had He not taken flesh
Aug.de on Him, mankind could not have come unto Him. AUG.
^ causes a thought how it is that Matthew relates this
sermon to have been delivered by the Lord sitting on the
mountain ; Luke, as He stood in the plain. This diversity
in their accounts would lead us to think that the occasions
were different. Why should not Christ repeat once more
what He said before, or do once more what He had done
before ? Although another method of reconciling the two
may occur to us ; namely, that our Lord was first with His
disciples alone on some more lofty peak of the mountain
when He chose the twelve; that He then descended with
them not from the mountain entirely, but from the top to
some expanse of level ground in the side, capable of holding
VEK. 1 - 3. ST. MATTHEW. 147
a great number of people ; that He stood there while the
crowd was gathering around Him, and after when He had
sate down, then His disciples came near to Him, and so to
them and in the presence of the rest of the multitude He
spoke the same sermon which Matthew and Luke give, in a
different manner, but with equal truth of facts.
GREG. When the Lord on the mountain is about to utter Greg.
His sublime precepts, it is said, Opening his mouth he- lv /
taught them. He who had before opened the mouth of the
Prophets. REMIG. Wherever it is said that the Lord opened
His mouth, we may know how great things are to follow.
AUG. Or, the phrase is introductory of an address longerAug.de
than ordinary. CHRYS. Or, that we may understand that^Mont.
He sometimes teaches by opening His mouth in speech, i. 1.
sometimes by that voice which resounds from His works.
AUG. Whoever will take the trouble to examine with a Aug.
pious and sober spirit, will find in this sermon a perfect u
code of the Christian life as far as relates to the conduct
of daily life. Accordingly the Lord concludes it with
the words, Every man who lieareth these words of mine
and doeth them, f will liken him to a ivise man, 8$c.
AUG. The chief good is the only motive of philosophical Aug.
enquiry ; but whatever confers blessedness, that is the rjei "
chief good ; therefore He begins, Blessed are the poor in
spirit. ID. Augmentation of spirit generally impliesld.de
insolence and pride. For in common speech the proud
are said to have a great spirit, and rightly for wind l
is a spirit, and who does not know that we say of proud
men that they are swollen, puffed up. Here therefore
by poor in spirit are rightly understood lowly, fearing
God, not having a puffed up spirit. CHRYS. Or, He
here calls all loftiness of soul and temper spirit; for as
there are many humble against their will, constrained by
their outward condition, they have no praise ; the blessing
is on those who humble themselves by their own choice.
Thus lie begins at once at the root, pulling up pride
which is tho root and source of all evil, setting up as its
opposite humility as a firm foundation. If this be well
laid, other virtues may be firmly built thereon ; if that be
sapped, whatever good you gather upon it perishes.
L2
xx.
148 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Blessed are the poor in spirit*, or, ac
cording to the literal rendering of the Greek, they who
beg, that the humble may learn that they should be ever
begging at God s almshouse. For there are many naturally
humble and not of faith, who do not knock at God s
almshouse ; but they alone are humble who are so of
faith. CHRYS. Or, the poor in spirit may be those w r ho
fear and tremble at God s commandments, whom the Lord
by the Prophet Isaiah commends. Though why more
than simply humble ? Of the humble there may be in
Aug. this place but few, in that again an abundance. AUG. The
proud seek an earthly kingdom, of the humble only is
the kingdom of Heaven. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For as all other
vices, but chiefly pride, casts down to hell ; so all other
virtues, but chiefly humility, conduct to Heaven ; it is
proper that he that humbles himself should be exalted.
JEROME ; The poor in spirit are those who embrace a
Ambros. voluntary poverty for the sake of the Holy Spirit. AMBROSE ;
ci ^ il6 "In the eye of Heaven blessedness begins there where
Gloss, misery begins in human estimation. GLOSS. The riches
of Heaven are suitably promised to those who at this
present are in poverty.
5. h Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit
the earth.
Ambros. AMBROSE ; When I have learned contentment in poverty,
^ V U 2Q the next lesson is to govern my heart and temper. For
what good is it to me to be without worldly things, unless
I have besides a meek spirit ? It suitably follows therefore,
Aug. Blessed are the meek. AUG. The meek are they who
j^Q 1 " resist not wrongs, and give way to evil; but overcome
evil of good. AMBROSE ; Soften therefore your temper
that you be not angry, at least that you be angry, and
sin not. It is a noble thing to govern passion by reason;
a The Bened. ed. reads l beati verses 4 and 5 according to the Greek ;
egeni and has this marginal note, all the Latin Fathers (with single
Hinc sequitur hunc Greece non scrip- exception of Hilary on Ps. 118.) fol-
sisse but S. Thos, reads i beati vru^ot lowing the order of the Vulg.
ptochi; it may be remarked moreover b Verses 4 and 5 are transposed in
that the author follows the order of the Vulg.
VER. 5. ST. MATTHEW. 149
nor is it a less virtue to check anger, than to be entirely
without anger, since one is esteemed the sign of a weak,
the other of a strong, mind. AUG. Let the unyielding Aug.
then wrangle and quarrel about earthly and temporal u
things, the meek are blessed, for they shall inherit the
earth, and not be rooted out of it ; that earth of which
it is said in the Psalms, Thy lot is in the land of the Ps. 142,
living, meaning the fixedness of a perpetual inheritance,
in which the soul that hath good dispositions rests as
in its own place, as the body does in an earthly possession,
it is fed by its own food, as the body by the earth ; such
is the rest and the life of the saints. PSEUDO-CHRYS. This
earth as some interpret, so long as it is in its present
condition is the land of the dead, seeing it is subject to
vanity; but when it is freed from corruption it becomes
the land of the living", that the mortal may inherit an immortal
country. I have read another exposition of it, as if the
heaven in which the saints are to dwell is meant by
the land of the living, because compared with the regions
of death it is heaven, compared with the heaven above
it is earth. Others again say, that this body as long as
it is subject to death is the land of the dead, when it
shall be made like unto Christ s glorious body, it will
be the land of the living. HILARY; Or, the Lord promises
the inheritance of the earth to the meek, meaning of that
Body, which Himself took on Him as His tabernacle ;
and as by the gentleness of our minds Christ dwells in
us, we also shall be clothed with the glory of His renewed
Jbpdy. CHRVS. Otherwise; Christ here has mixed things
sensible with things spiritual. Because it is commonly
supposed that he who is meek loses all that he possesses,
Christ here gives a contrary promise, that he who is not
forward shall possess his own in security, but that he of
a contrary disposition many times loses his soul and his
paternal inheritance. But because the Prophet had said,
The meek shall inherit the ear Hi, He used these well- p s . 36,
known words in conveying His meaning. GLOSS. The^
meek, who have possessed themselves, shall possess hereafter ord.
the inheritance of the Father; to possess is more than to
have, for we have many things which we lose immediately.
150 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
4. Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall be
comforted.
Ambros. AMBROSE : When you have done thus much, attained both
ubisup. .
poverty and meekness, remember that you are a sinner,
mourn your sins, as He proceeds, Blessed are they that
mourn. And it is suitable that the third blessing should be
of those that mourn for sin, for it is the Trinity that forgives
sin. HILARY ; Those that mourn, that is, not loss of kindred,
affronts, or losses, but who weep for past sins. PSEDDO-
CHRYS. And they who weep for their own sins are blessed,
but much more so who weep for others sins; so should all
teachers do. JEROME ; For the mourning here meant is not
for the dead by common course of nature, but for the dead
in sins, and vices. Thus Samuel mourned for Saul, thus the
Apostle Paul mourned for those who had not performed
penance after uncleanness. PsEUDO-CHRYS. The comfort
of mourners is the ceasing of their mourning; they then who
mourn their own sins shall be consoled when they have
received remittance thereof. CHRYS. And though it were
enough for such to receive pardon, yet He rests not His
mercy only there, but makes them partakers of many com
forts both here and hereafter. God s mercies are always
greater than our troubles. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But they also
who mourn for others sins shall be comforted, inasmuch as
they shall own God s providence in that worldly generation,
understanding that they who had perished were not of God,
out of whose hand none can snatch. For these leaving to
mourn, they shall be comforted in their own blessedness.
Aug. AUG. Otherwise ; mourning is sorrow for the loss of what is
Mont. i. dear ; but those that are turned to God lose the things that
they held dear in this world ; and as they have now no
longer any joy in such things as before they had joy in, their
sorrow may not be healed till there is formed within them a
love of eternal things. They shall then be comforted by the
Holy Spirit, who is therefore chiefly called, The Paraclete,
that is, c Comforter; so that for the loss of their temporal
Gloss, joys, they shall gain eternal joys. GLOSS. Or, by mourning,
sdm. U ~ two kinds of sorrow are intended ; one for the miseries of
this world, one for lack of heavenly things; so Caleb s
VEK. 6. ST. MATTHEW. 151
daughter asked both the upper and the lower springs. This
kind of mourning none have but the poor and the meek, who
as not loving the world acknowledge themselves miserable,
and therefore desire heaven. Suitably, therefore, consolation
Is promised to them that mourn, that he who has sorrow at
this present may have joy hereafter. But the reward of the
mourner is greater that that of the poor or the meek, for to
rejoice in the kingdom is more than to have it, or to possess
it; for many things we possess in sorrow. Ciuivs. We may
remark that this blessing is given not simply, but with great
force and emphasis ; it is not simply, who have grief, but
who mourn. And indeed this command is the sum of all
philosophy. For if they who mourn for the death of children
or kinsfolk, throughout all that season of their sorrow, are
touched with no other desires, as of money, or honour, burn
not with envy, feel not wrongs, nor are open to any other
vicious passion, but are solely given up to their grief; much
more ought they, who mourn their own sins in such manner
as they ought to mourn for them, to shew this higher
philosophy.
6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness : for they shall be filled.
AMBROSE; As soon as I have wept for my sins, I begin to Ambros.
hunger and thirst after righteousness. He who is afflicted ubl sup<
with any sore disease, hath no hunger. JEROME ; It is not
enough that we desire righteousness, unless we also surfer
hunger for it, by which expression we may understand that
we are never righteous enough, but always hunger after works
of righteousness. PSEUDO-CHRYS. All good which men do
not from love of the good itself is unpleasing before God.
He hungers after righteousness who desires to walk according
to the righteousness of God ; he thirsts after righteousness
who desires to get the knowledge thereof. CHRYS. He may
mean either general righteousness, or that particular virtue xado-
which is the opposite of covetousness. As He was going on *, u ** "
to speak of mercy, He shews beforehand of what kind our
mercy should be, that it should not be of the gains of plunder
or covetousness, hence He ascribes to righteousness that
152 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
which is peculiar to avarice, namely, to hunger and thirst.
HILARY; The blessedness which He appropriates to those
who hunger and thirst after righteousness shews that the
deep longing of the saints for the doctrine of God shall
receive perfect replenishment in heaven ; then they shall be
filled. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Such is the bounty of a rewarding
God, that His gifts are greater than the desires of the saints.
A U g. AUG. Or He speaks of food with which they shall be filled at
ubi sup. thi s present ; to wit, that food of which the Lord spake, My
food is to do the trill of my Father, that is, righteousness,
and that water of which whoever drinks it shall be in him
a well of water springing up to life eternal. CHRYS. Or,
this is again a promise of a temporal reward ; for as covet-
ousness is thought to make many rich, He affirms on the
contrary that righteousness rather makes rich, for He who
loves righteousness possesses all things in safety.
7. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain
mercy.
Gloss. GLOSS. Justice and mercy are so united, that the one
ought to be mingled with the other; justice without mercy is
cruelty; mercy without justice, profusion hence He goes on
miseri- 1 the one from the other. REMIG. The merciful is he who
cors - has a sad heart ; he counts others misery his own,
and is sad at their grief as at his own. JEROME; Mercy
here is not. said only of alms, but is in every sin of a brother,
Aug. if we bear one another s burdens. AUG. He pronounces
SU P those blessed who succour the wretched, because they are
rewarded in being themselves delivered from all misery ; as
it follows, for they shall obtain mercy. HILARY; So greatly
is God pleased with our feelings of benevolence towards all
men, that He will bestow His own mercy only on the merci
ful. CHRYS. The reward here seems at first to be only
an equal return; but indeed it is much more; for human
mercy and divine mercy are not to be put on an equality.
(3l oss . GLOSS. Justly is mercy dealt out to the merciful, that they
ap - An ~ should receive more than they had deserved ; and as he
who has more than enough receives more than he who has
VER. 8. ST. MATTHEW. 153
only enough, so the glory of mercy is greater than of the
things hitherto mentioned.
8. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall
see God.
AMBROSE; The merciful loses the benefit of his mercy, Ambros.
in Luc.
vi.22.
unless he shews it from a pure heart ; for if he seeks to have 11 ? Luc<
whereof to boast, he loses the fruit of his deeds ; the next
that follows therefore is, Blessed are the pure in heart.
GLOSS. Purity of heart comes properly in the sixth place, Gloss,
because on the sixth day man was created in the image of g^ m n
God, which image was shrouded by sin, but is formed anew
in pure hearts by grace. It follows rightly the before-
mentioned graces, because if they be not there, a clean heart
is not created in a man. CHEYS. By the pure are here
meant those who possess a perfect goodness, conscious to
themselves of no evil thoughts, or again those who live in
such temperance as is mostly necessary to seeing God ac
cording to that of St. Paul, Follow peace iriih all men, and
holiness, without which no man shall see God. For as there
are many merciful, yet unchaste, to shew that mercy alone
is not enough, he adds this concerning purity. JEROME;
The pure is known by purity of heart, for the temple of God
cannot be impure. PsEUDO-CiiRYS. He who in thought
and deed fulfils all righteousness, sees God in his heart, for
righteousness is an image of God, for God is righteousness.
So far as any one has rescued himself from evil, and works
things that are good, so far does he see God, either hardly,
or fully, or sometimes, or always, according to the capa
bilities of human nature. But in that world to come the
pure in heart shall see God face to face, not in a glass, and
in enigma as here. AUG. They are foolish, who seek to see Aug.
God with the bodily eye, seeing He is seen only by the |j t * m
heart, as it is elsewhere written, In singleness of heart seek 1 -*-
ye Him ; the single heart is the same as is here called the ]e ls
pure heart. ID. But if spiritual eyes in the spiritual body shall Aug.
be able only to see so much as they we now have can see, x \ 29
undoubtedly God will not be able to be seen of them. ID. Aug. de
This seeing God is the reward of faith; to which end our 1 10 1 8 *
154 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
Acts 15, hearts are made pure by faith, as it is written, cleansing their
hearts by faith ; but the present verse proves this still more
Aug. de strongly. ID. No one seeing God can be alive with the life
ad 6 Lite- men have on earth, or with these our bodily senses. Unless
ram. xii. O ne die altogether out of this life, either by totally departing
from the body, or so alienated from carnal lusts that he
may truly say with the Apostle, wJt ether in the body or out
of the body, I cannot tell, he is not translated that he should
Gloss, see this vision. GLOSS. The reward of these is greater than
>cc the reward of the first ; being not merely to dine in the
King s court, but further to see His face.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be
called the children of God.
Ambros. AMBROSE ; When you have made your inward parts clean
ubi sup. rom ever y S p t O f snij that dissentions and contentions may
not proceed from your temper, begin peace within yourself,
Aug. that so you may extend it to others. AUG. Peace is the
xix *il 1 fixedness of order; by order, I mean an arrangement of
things like and unlike giving to each its own place. And
as there is no man who would not willingly have joy, so is
there no man who would not have peace ; since even those
who go to war desire nothing more than by war to come
pacific!, to a glorious peace. JEROME; The peacemakers are pro
nounced blessed, they namely who make peace first within
their own hearts, then between brethren at variance. For
what avails it to make peace between others, while in your
Aug. own heart are wars of rebellious vices. AUG. The peace-
makers within themselves are they who having stilled all
disturbances of their spirits, having subjected them to reason,
have overcome their carnal desires, and become the kingdom
of God. There all things are so disposed, that that which
is most chief and excellent in man, governs those parts
which we have in common with the brutes, though they
struggle against it ; nay even that in man which is excellent
is subjected to a yet greater, namely, the very Truth, the
Son of God. For it would not be able to govern what
is inferior to it, if it were not subject to what is above
VER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 155
it. And this is the peace which is given on earth to men
of good will. ID. No man can attain in this life that there Aug.
be not in his members a law resisting the law of his mind.; 19
But the peacemakers attain thus far by overcoming the lusts
of the flesh, that in time they come to a most perfect peace.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The peacemakers with others are not only
those who reconcile enemies, but those who unmindful of
wrongs cultivate peace. That peace only is blessed which
is lodged in the heart, and does not consist only in words.
And they who love peace, they are the sons of peace.
HILARY ; The blessedness of the peacemakers is the reward
of adoption, they shall be called the sous of God. For God
is our common parent, and no other way can we pass into
His family than by living in brotherly love together. CHRYS.
Or, if the peacemakers are they who do not contend one with
another, but reconcile those that are at strife, they are
rightly called the sons of God, seeing this was the chief
employment of the Only-begotten Son, to reconcile things
separated, to give peace to things at war. AUG. Or, because
peace is then perfect when there is no where any opposition,
the peacemakers are called the sons of God, because nothing
resists God, and the children ought to bear the likeness of
their Father. GLOSS. The peacemakers have thus the place Gloss.
of highest honour, inasmuch as he who is called the king s a P- An ~
son, is the highest in the king s house. This beatitude is
placed the seventh in order, because in the sabbath shall
be given the repose of true peace, the six ages being passed
away.
10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness sake : for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
CHRYS. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righte
ousness* sake, that is for virtue, for defending others, for piety,
for all these things are spoken of under the title of righteous
ness. This follows the beatitude upon the peacemakers, that
we may not be led to suppose that it is good to seek peace at Au -
all times. AUG. When peace is once firmly established within, Mont.
156 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
whatever persecutions be who has been cast without raises, or
carries on, he increases that glory which is in the sight of God.
JEROME ; For righteousness" sake He adds expressly, for many
suffer persecution for their sins, and are not therefore
righteous. Likewise consider how the eighth beatitude
vid.Phil. of the true circumcision is terminated by martyrdom.
3, 2. 3. P SEUDO _CHRYS. He said not, Blessed are they who suffer
persecution of the Gentiles; that we may not suppose the
blessing pronounced on those only who are persecuted for
refusing to sacrifice to idols ; yea, whoever suffers persecution
of heretics because he will not forsake the truth is likewise
blessed, seeing he suffers for righteousness. Moreover, if any
of the great ones, who seem to be Christians, being corrected
by you on account of his sins, shall persecute you, you are
blessed with John the Baptist. For if the Prophets are
truly martyrs when they are killed by their own countrymen,
without doubt he who suffers in the cause of God has the
reward of martyrdom though he suffers from his own people.
Scripture therefore does not mention the persons of the
persecutors, but only the cause of persecution, that you may
learn to look, not by whom, but why you suffer. HILARY ;
Thus, lastly, He includes those in the beatitude whose will
is ready to suffer all things for Christ, who is our righteous
ness. For these then also is the kingdom preserved, for they
Aug. are in the contempt of this world poor in spirit. AUG. Or,
ubi sup. ^ e ^1^ beatitude, as it were, returns to the commencement,
because it shews the perfect complete character. In the
first then and the eighth, the kingdom of heaven is named,
for the seven go to make the perfect man, the eighth manifests
and proves his perfectness, that all may be conducted to
perfection by these steps.
Ambros. AMBROSE; Otherwise; the first kingdom of heaven was
" 22 promised to the Saints, in deliverance from the body; the second,
that after the resurrection they should be with Christ. For
after your resurrection you shall begin to possess the earth
delivered from death, and in that possession shall find com
fort. Pleasure follows comfort, and Divine mercy pleasure.
But on whom God has mercy, him He calls, and he whom He
calls, beholds Him that called him. He who beholds God
is adopted into the rights of divine birth, and then at length
VER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 157
as the son of God is delighted with the riches of the heavenly
kingdom. The first then begins, the last is perfected. CHRYS.
Wonder not if you do not hear the kingdom mentioned
under each beatitude ; for in saying shall be comforted, shall
find mercy, and the rest, in all these the kingdom of heaven
is tacitly understood, so that you must riot look for any of
the things of sense. For indeed he would not be blessed
who was to be crowned with those things which depart with
this life. AUG. The number of these sentences should be Aug.
carefully attended to ; to these seven degrees of blessedness ut sup
agree the operation of that seven-form Holy Spirit which
Isaiah described. But as He began from the highest, so here
He begins from the lowest ; for there we are taught that the
Son of God will descend to the lowest ; here that man will
ascend from the lowest to the likeness of God. Here the
first place is given to fear, which is suitable for the humble,
of whom it is said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, that is, those
who think not high things, but who fear. The second is
piety, which belongs to the meek ; for he who seeks piously,
reverences, does not find fault, does not resist ; and this is to
become meek. The third is knowledge, which belongs to
those that mourn, who have learned to what evils they are
enslaved which they once pursued as goods. The fourth,
which is fortitude, rightly belongs to those who hunger and
thirst, who seeking joy in true goods, labour to turn away
from earthly lusts. The fifth, counsel, is appropriate for the
merciful, for there is one remedy to deliver from so great
evils, viz. to give and to distribute to others. The sixth
is understanding, and belongs to the pure in heart, who
with purged eye can see what eye seeth not. The seventh
is wisdom, and may be assigned to the peacemakers, in whom
is no rebellious motion, but they obey the Spirit. Thus the
one reward, the kingdom of heaven, is put forth under various
names. Tn the first, as was right, is placed the kingdom of
heaven, which is the beginning of perfect wisdom ; as if it
should be said, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom. To the meek, an inheritance, as to those who with
piety seek the execution of a father s will. To those that
mourn, comfort, as to persons who know what they had
lost, and in what they were immersed. To the hungry,
158 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
plenty, as a refreshment to those who labour for salvation.
To the merciful, mercy, that to those who have followed the
best counsel, that may be shewed which they have shewed
to others. To the pure in heart the faculty of seeing God,
as to men bearing a pure eye to understand the things of
eternity. To the peacemakers, the likeness of God. And
all these things we believe may be attained in this life, as
we believe they were fulfilled in the Apostles ; for as to
the things after this life they cannot be expressed in any
words.
11. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for My sake.
12. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
RABANUS ; The preceding blessings were general ; He
now begins to address His discourse to them that were
present, foretelling them the persecutions which they should
Aug. suffer for His name. AUG. It may be asked, what difference
SU P* there is between i they shall revile you, and shall speak
all manner of evil of you ; to revile, it may be said, being but
to speak evil of. But a reproach thrown with insult in the
face of one present is a different thing from a slander cast on
the character of the absent. To persecute includes both
open violence and secret snares. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But if it
be true that he who offers a cup of water does not lose his
reward, consequently he who has been wronged but by a
single word of calumny, shall not be without a reward. But
that the reviled may have a claim to this blessing, two things
are necessary, it must be false, and it must be for God s sake;
otherwise he has not the reward of this blessing ; therefore
Aug. tie &dd$, falsely for my sake. AUG. This I suppose was added
Mont m Because of those who wish to boast of persecutions and evil
i. 5. reports of their shame, and therefore claim to belong to Christ
because many evil things are said of them ; but either these
VER. 11, 12. ST. MATTHEW. 159
are true, or when false yet they are not for Christ s sake.
GREG. What hurt can you receive when men detract from Greg.
you, though you have no defence but only your own con- Ezech. i.
science ? But as we ought not to stir up wilfully the tongues 9 - 17>
of slanderers, lest they perish for their slander, yet when
their own malice has instigated them, we should endure it
with equanimity, that our merit may be added to. Rejoice,
He says, and exult, for your reward is abundant in heaven.
GLOSS. Rejoice, that is, in mind, exult with the body, for Gloss,
your reward is not great only but abundant in heaven. AuG.^jjj, n
Do not suppose that by heaven here is meant the upper Aug.
regions of the sky of this visible world, for your reward is
not to be placed in things that are seen, but by in heaven * 5 -
understand the spiritual firmament, where everlasting righ
teousness dwells. Those then whose joy is in things spiritual
will even here have some foretaste of that reward ; but it
will be made perfect in every part when this mortal shall
have put on immortality. JEROME; This it is in the power
of any one of us to attain, that when our good character is
injured by calumny, we rejoice in the Lord. He only who
seeks after empty glory cannot attain this. Let us then
rejoice and exult, that our reward may be prepared for us in
heaven. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For by how much any is pleased
with the praise of men, by so much is he grieved with their
evil speaking. But if you seek your glory in heaven, you
will not fear any slanders on earth. GREGORY; Yet ought Greg,
we sometimes to check our defamers, lest by spreading evil H on V
reports of us, they corrupt the innocent hearts of those who 9. 17.
might hear good from us. GLOSS. He invites them to Gloss,
patience not only by the prospect of reward, but by example, non oc<
when He adds, for so persecuted they the Prophets icho were
before you. REMIG. For a man in sorrow receives great
comfort from the recollection of the sufferings of others,
who are set before him as an example of patience ; as if He
had said, Remember that ye are His Apostles, of whom also
they were Prophets. CHRYS. At the same time He signifies
His equality in honour with His Father, as if He had
said, As they suffered for my Father, so shall ye suffer
for me. And in saying, The Prophets who were before you,
He teaches that they themselves are already become Prophets.
160 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
Aug. AUG. Persecuted He says generally, comprehending both
1 sup> reproaches and defamation of character.
13. Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted ?
it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of men.
CHRYS. When He had delivered to His Apostles such sublime
precepts, so much greater than the precepts of the Law,
that they might not be dismayed and say, How shall we
be able to fulfil these things ? He sooths their fears by
mingling praises with His instructions, saying, Ye are the
salt of the earth. This shews them how necessary were
these precepts for them. Not for your own salvation
merely, or for a single nation, but for the whole world is
this doctrine committed to you. It is not for you then
to flatter and deal smoothly with men, but, on the contrary,
to be rough and biting as salt is. When for thus offending
men by reproving them ye are reviled, rejoice ; for this
is the proper effect of salt to be harsh and grating to the
depraved palate. Thus the evil-speaking of others will
bring you no inconvenience, but will rather be a testimony
of your firmness. HILARY ; There may be here seen a
propriety in our Lord s language which may be gathered
by considering the Apostles office, and the nature of
salt. This, used as it is by men for almost every purpose,
preserves from decay those bodies which are sprinkled
with it ; and in this, as well as in every sense of its
flavour as a condiment, the parallel is most exact. The
Apostles are preachers of heavenly things, and thus, as
it were, salters with eternity ; rightly called the salt of
the earth, as by the virtue of their teaching, they, as it
were, salt and preserve bodies for eternity. REMIG. More
over, salt is changed into another kind of substance by
three means, water, the heat of the sun, and the breath
of the wind. Thus Apostolical men also were changed
into spiritual regeneration by the water of baptism, the
heat of love, and the breath of the Holy Spirit. That
heavenly wisdom also, which the Apostles preached, dries
VKR. 13. ST. MATTHEW. 161
up the humours of carnal works, removes the foulness and
putrefaction of evil conversation, kills the work of lustful
thoughts, and also that worm of which it is said their worm Is- 66,
dieth not. REMIG. The Apostles are the salt of the earth,
that is, of worldly men who are called the earth, because they
love this earth. JEROME ; Or, because by the Apostles the
whole human race is seasoned. PSEUDO-CHRYS. A doctor
when he is adorned with all the preceding virtues, then is
like good salt, and his whole people are salted by seeing
and hearing him. REMIG. It should be known, that in the
Old Testament no sacrifice was offered to God unless it were
first sprinkled with salt, for none can present an acceptable
sacrifice to God without the flavour of heavenly wisdom.
HILARY ; And because man is ever liable to change, He
therefore warns the Apostles, who have been entitled the salt
of the earth, to continue stedfast in the might of the power
committed to them, when He adds, If the salt have lost its
savour, wherewith shall it be salted ? JEROME ; That is, if
the doctor have erred, by what other doctor shall he be cor
rected ? AUG. If you by whom the nations are to be Au -
salted shall lose the kingdom of heaven through fear . of Mont , i.
temporal persecution, who are they by whom your error 6 -
shall be corrected. Another copy has, If the salt have lost
all sense, shewing that they must be esteemed to have lost
their sense, who either pursuing abundance, or fearing lack
of temporal goods, lose those which are eternal, and which
men can neither give nor take away. HILARY. But if the
doctors having become senseless, and having lost all the
savour they once enjoyed, are unable to restore soundness to
things corrupt, they are become useless ; and are thenceforth
fit only to be cast out and trodden by men. JEROME. The
illustration is taken from husbandry. Salt, though it be
necessary for seasoning of meats and preserving flesh, has no
further use. Indeed we read in Scripture of vanquished
cities sown with salt by the victors, that nothing should
thenceforth grow there. GLOSS. When then they who are Gloss,
the heads have fallen away, they are fit for no use but to be* p , An "
Scirn.
cast out from the office of teacher. HILARY. Or even cast
Dut from the Church s store rooms to be trodden under foot
by those that walk. AUG. Not he that suffers perse- Au -
ubi sup.
VOL. I. M
162 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V-
cution is trodden under foot of men, but he who through fear
of persecution falls away. For we can tread only on what
is below us ; but he is no way below us, who however much
he may suffer in the body, yet has his heart fixed in heaven.
14, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is
set on an hill cannot be hid.
GLOSS. As the doctors by their good conversation are the salt
with which the people is salted; so by their word of doctrine
they are the light by which the ignorant are enlightened.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But to live well must go before to teach well ;
hence after He had called the Apostles the salty He goes on
to call them the light of the world. Or, for that salt pre
serves a thing in its present state that it should not change
for the worse, but that light brings it into a better state by
enlightening it ; therefore the Apostles were first called salt
with respect to the Jews and that Christian body which had
the knowledge of God, and which they keep in that know
ledge ; and now light with respect to the Gentiles whom
Au ? they bring to the light of that knowledge. AUG. By the
X world here we must not understand heaven and earth, but
the men who are in the world ; or those who love the world for
whose enlightenment the Apostles were sent. HILARY. It is
the nature of a light to emit its rays whithersoever it is carried
about, and when brought into a house to dispel the darkness
of that house. Thus the world, placed beyond the pale of
the knowledge of God, was held in the darkness of ignorance,
till the light of knowledge was brought to it by the Apostles,
and thenceforward the knowledge of God shone bright, and
from their small bodies, whithersoever they went about, light
is ministered to the darkness. REMIG. For as the sun
sends forth his beams, so the Lord, the Sim of righteousness,
sent forth his Apostles to dispel the night of the human race.
CHRYSOST. Mark how great His promise to them, men who
were scarce known in their own country that the fame of
them should reach to the ends of the earth. The persecutions
which He had foretold, were not able to dim their light, yea
they made it but more conspicuous. JEROME. He instructs
them what should be the boldness of their preaching, that as
VER. 14. ST. MATTHEW. 163
Apostles they should not be hidden through fear, like lamps
under a corn-measure, but should stand forth with all con
fidence, and what they have heard in the secret chambers,
that declare upon the house tops. CHRYSOST. Thus shewing
them that they ought to be careful of their own walk and
conversation, seeing they were set in the eyes of all, like a
city on a hill, or a lamp on a stand. PSEUDO-CHRYS. This
city is the Church of which it is said, Glorious things are Ps. 87,
spoken of thee, thou city of God. Its citizens are all the 3
faithful, of whom the Apostle speaks, Ye are fellow -citizens Eph. 2,
of the saints. It is built upon Christ the hill, of whom 19
Daniel thus, A stone hewed without hands became a great Dan. 2,
mountain. AUG. Or, the mountain is the great righteousness, ^ucr.
which is signified by the mountain from which the Lord is ubisu P-
now teaching. PSEUDO-CHRYS. A city set on a hill cannot
be hidden though it would ; the mountain which bears
makes it to be seen of all men ; so the Apostles and Priests
who are founded on Christ cannot be hidden even though
they would, because Christ makes them manifest. HILARY;
Or, the city signifies the flesh which He had taken on Him ;
because that in Him by this assumption of human nature,
there was as it were a collection of the human race, and we
by partaking in His flesh become inhabitants of that city.
He cannot therefore be hid, because being set in the height
of God s power, He is offered to be contemplated of all men
in admiration of his works. PSEUDO-CHRYS. How Christ
manifests His saints, suffering them not to be hid, He shews
by another comparison, adding, Neither do men light a lamp
to put it under a corn-measure, but on a stand. CHRYS. Or,
in the illustration of the city, He signified His own power,
by the lamp He exhorts the Apostles to preach with boldness;
as though He said, I indeed have lighted the lamp, but that
it continue to burn will be your care, not for your own sakes
only, but both for others who shall receive its light and for
God s glory. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The lamp is the Divine word,
of which it is said, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet. They Ps. 119,
who light this lamp are the Father, the Son, and the Holy 103
Spirit. AUG. With w r hat meaning do we suppose the words, Aug.
to put it under a corn-measure, were said ? To express con- ubl sup
cealment simply, or that the corn-measure has a special
M 2
164 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
signification ? The putting the lamp under the corn-measure
means the preferring bodily ease and enjoyment to the duty
of preaching the Gospel, and hiding the light of good teaching
under temporal gratification. The corn-measure aptly denotes
the things of the body, whether because our reward shall be
2 Cor. measured out to us, as each one shall receive the things done
in the body; or because worldly goods which pertain to the
body come and go within a certain measure of time, which is
signified by the corn-measure, whereas things eternal and
spiritual are contained within no such limit. He places his
lamp upon a stand, who subdues his body to the ministry of
the word, setting the preaching of the truth highest, and sub
jecting the body beneath it. For the body itself serves to
make doctrine shine more clear, while the voice and other
motions of the body in good works serve to recommend it
to them that learn. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, men of the world
may be figured in the corn-measure as these are empty above,
but full beneath, so worldly men are foolish in spiritual things,
but wise in earthly things, and therefore like a corn-measure
they keep the word of God hid, whenever for any worldly
cause he had not dared to proclaim the word openly, and
the truth of the faith. The stand for the lamp is the Church
vki.Phil. wn ich bears the word of life, and all ecclesiastical persons.
HILARY. Or, the Lord likened the Synagogue to a corn-
measure, which only receiving within itself such fruit as was
raised, contained a certain measure of limited obedience.
Ambros. AMBROSE ; And therefore let none shut up his faith within
c the measure of the Law, but have recourse to the Church in
Bedein vvhich the grace of the sevenfold Spirit shines forth. BEDE;
quoad Or, Christ Himself has lighted this lamp, when He filled the
sens. earthen vessel of human nature with the fire of His Divinity,
which He would not either hide from them that believe, nor
put under a bushel that is shut up under the measure of the
Law, or confine within the limits of any one oration. The
lampstand is the Church, on which He set the lamp, when
He affixed to our foreheads the faith of His incarnation.
HILARY ; Or, the lamp, i. e. Christ Himself, is set on its stand
when He was suspended on the Cross in His passion, to
give light for ever to those that dwell in the Church ; to give
light, He says, to all that are in the house. AUG. For it
VER. 17 19. ST. MATTHEW. 165
is not absurd if any one will understand the house to be the
Church. Or, the house may be the world itself, according to
what He said above, Ye are the light of the world. HILARY;
He instructs the Apostles to shine with such a light, that in
the admiration of their work God may be praised, Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. That is, teaching with so pure a light, that
men may not only hear your words, but see your works, that
those whom as lamps ye have enlightened by the word, as
salt ye may season by your example. For by those teachers
who do as well as teach, God is magnified; for the discipline
of the master is seen in the behaviour of the family. And
therefore it follows, and they shall glorify your Father which
is in heaven. AUG. Had He only said, That they may see Aug.
your good works, He would have seemed to have set up as
an end to be sought the praises of men, which the hypo- i-
crites desire ; but by adding, and glorify your Father, he
teaches that we should not seek as an end to please men
with our good works, but referring all to the glory of God,
therefore seek to please men, that in that God may be glorified,
HILARY ; He means not that we should seek glory of men,
but that though we conceal it, our work may shine forth in
honour of God to those among whom we live.
17. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law,
or the Prophets : I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.
18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven.
GLOSS. Having now exhorted His hearers to undergo all Gloss,
things for righteousness sake, and also not to hide what they or
should receive, but to learn more for others sake, that they
166 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
may teach others, He now goes on to tell them what they
should teach, as though He had been asked, What is this
which you would not have hid, and for which you would
have all things endured ? Are you about to speak any thing
beyond what is written in the Law and the Prophets; hence
it is He says, Think not that I am come to subvert the Law
or the Prophets. PSEUDO-CHRYS. And that for two reasons.
First, that by these words He might admonish His disciples,
that as He fulfilled the Law, so they should strive to fulfil
it. Secondly, because the Jews would falsely accuse, them
as subverting the Law, therefore he answers the calumny
beforehand, but in such a manner as that He should not be
thought to come simply to preach the Law as the Prophets
had done. REMIG. He here asserts two things ; He denies
that He was come to subvert the Law, and affirms that He
Aug. was come to fulfil it. AUG. In this last sentence again there
Mont T * s a double sense ; to fulfil the Law, either by adding
8. something which it had not, or by doing what it com-
Chrys. mands. CHRYS. Christ then fulfilled the Prophets by
^ m> accomplishing what was therein foretold concerning Him
self and the Law, first, by transgressing none of its pre
cepts; secondly, by justifying by faith, which the Law could
not do by the letter.
Aug. AUG. And lastly, because even for them who were under
Faust, grace, it was hard in this mortal life to fulfil that of the Law,
xix. 7. Thou shalt not lust, He being made a Priest by the sacrifice
of His flesh, obtained for us this indulgence, even in this ful
filling the Law, that where through our infirmity we could
not, we should be strengthened through His perfection, of
whom as our head we all are members. For so I think must be
taken these words, to fulfil the Law, by adding to it, that is,
such things as either contribute to the explanation of the old
glosses, or to enable to keep them. For the Lord has shewed
us that even a wicked motion of the thoughts to the wrong
of a brother is to be accounted a kind of murder. The Lord
also teaches us, that it is better to keep near to the truth
without swearing, than with a true oath to come near to
blasphemy. ID. But how, ye Manicha3ans, do you not receive
the Law and the Prophets, seeing Christ here says, that He
is come not to subvert but to fulfil them ? To this the heretic
VER. 17 19. ST. MATTHEW. 167
Faustus a replies, Whose testimony is there that Christ spoke
this? That of Matthew. How was it then that John does
not give this saying, who was with Him in the mount, but
only Matthew, who did not follow Jesus till after He had
come down from the mount ? To this Augustine replies,
If none can speak truth concerning Christ, but who saw and
heard Him, there is no one at this day who speaks truth con
cerning Him. Why then could not Matthew hear from
John s mouth the truth as Christ had spoken, as well as we
who are born so long after can speak the truth out of John s
book ? In the same manner also it is, that not Matthew s
Gospel, but also these of Luke and Mark are received by us,
and on no inferior authority. Add, that the Lord Himself
might have told Matthew the things He had done before He
called him. But speak out and say that you do not believe
the Gospel, for they who believe nothing in the Gospel but
what they wish to believe, believe themselves rather than the
Gospel. To this Faustus rejoins, We will prove that this
was not written by Matthew, but by some other hand, un
known, in his name. For below he says, Jesus saw a man Mat. 9,
sitting at the toll-office, Matt /tew by name. Who writing of
himself says, saw a man, and not rather saw me ? Augus
tine ; Matthew does no more than John does, when he says,
Peter turning round saw that other disciple whom Jesus loved;
and it is well known that this is the common manner of
Scripture writers, when writing their own actions. Faustus
again, But what say you to this, that the very assurance that
He was not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, was
the direct way to rouse their suspicions that He was ? For
He had yet done nothing that could lead the Jews to think
that this was His object. Augustine; This is a very weak
objection, for we do not deny that to the Jews who had no
understanding, Christ might have appeared as threatening
the destruction of the Law and the Prophets. Faustus; But
what if the Law and the Prophets do not accept this fulfil
ment, according to that in Deuteronomy, These command-
Faustus was of Milevis in Africa ponent ; and in his work against him
and a Bishop and controversialist of the he answers him seriatim. In this
Manichees. He was a man of con- way the treatise of Faustus is preserved
siderahle abilities. Augustine was first to us.
his hearer, and in after years his op-
168 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
ments that I give unto thee, thou shall keep, thou shall not add
any thing to them, nor take away. Augustine; Here Faustus
does not understand what it is to fulfil the Law, when he
supposes that it must be taken of adding words to it. The
fulfilment of the Law is love, which the Lord hath given in
sending His Holy Spirit. The Law is fulfilled either when
the things there commanded are done, or when the things
there prophesied come to pass. Faustus ; But in that we
confess that Jesus was author of a New Testament, what
else is it than to confess that He has done away with the
Old ? Augustine; In the Old Testament were figures of things
to come, which, when the things themselves were brought in
by Christ, ought to have been taken away, that in that very
taking away the Law and the Prophets might be fulfilled
wherein it was written that God gave a New Testament.
Faustus ; Therefore if Christ did say this thing, He either
said it with some other meaning, or He spoke falsely, (which
God forbid,) or we must take the other alternative, He did
not speak it at all. But that Jesus spoke falsely none will
aver, therefore He either spoke it with another meaning, or
He spake it not at all. For myself I am rescued from the
necessity of this alternative by the Manichaean belief, which
from the first taught me not to believe all those things which
are read in Jesus name as having been spoken by Him ;
for that there be many tares which to corrupt the good
seed some nightly sower has scattered up and down through
nearly the whole of Scripture. Augustine; Manicha3us taught
an impious error, that you should receive only so much
of the Gospel as does not conflict with your heresy, and
not receive whatever does conflict with it. We have
Gal. l, learned of the Apostle that religious caution, Whoever
preaches unto you another Gospel titan that we have
preached, let him be accursed. The Lord also has ex
plained what the tares signify, not things false mixed
with the true Scriptures, as you interpret, but men who
are children of the wicked one. Faustus; Should a Jew
then enquire of you why you do not keep the precepts
of the Law and the Prophets which Christ here declares
He came not to destroy but to fulfil, you will be driven
either to accept an empty superstition, or to repudiate
VEIL 17 19. ST. MATTHEW. 109
this chapter as false, or to deny that you are Christ s
disciple. Augustine; The Catholics are not in any difficulty
on account of this chapter as though they did not observe
the Law and the Prophets ; for they do cherish love to
God and their neighbour, on which hang all the Law and
the Prophets. And whatever in the Law and the Prophets
was foreshewn, whether in things done, in the celebration
of sacramental rites, or in forms of speech, all these they
know to be fulfilled in Christ and the Church. Wherefore
we neither submit to a false superstition, nor reject the
chapter, nor deny ourselves to be Christ s disciples. He
then who says, that unless Christ had destroyed the Law and
the Prophets, the Mosaic rites would have continued along
with the Christian ordinances, may further affirm, that
unless Christ had destroyed the Law and the Prophets,
He would yet be only promised as to be born, to suffer,
to rise again. But inasmuch as He did not destroy, but
rather fulfil them, His birth, passion, and resurrection,
are now no more promised as things future, which were
signified by the Sacraments of the Law ; but He is preached
as already born, crucified, and risen, which are signified by
the Sacraments now celebrated by Christians. It is clear then
how great is the error of those who suppose, that when the
signs or sacraments are changed, the things themselves are
different, whereas the same things which the Prophetic ordi
nance had held forth as promises, the Evangelic ordinance
points to as completed. Faustus; Supposing these to be
Christ s genuine w T ords, we should enquire what was His
motive for speaking thus, whether to soften the blind hostility
of the Jews, who when they saw their holy things trodden
under foot by Him, would not have so much as given
Him a hearing ; or whether He really said them to instruct
us, who of the Gentiles should believe, to submit to the
yoke of the Law. If this last were not His design,
then the first must have been ; nor was there any deceit
or fraud in such purpose. For of laws there be three
sorts. The first that of the Hebrews, called the law o/Rom. 8,
sin and death, by Paul; the second that of the Gentiles, 2
which he calls the law of nature, saying, By nature the Rom. 2,
Gentiles do the deeds of the law; the third, the law of 14
170 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
truth, which he names. The law of the Spirit of life.
Also there are Prophets some of the Jews, such as are
Tit. 1, well known; others of the Gentiles as Paul speaks, A
prophet of their own hath said ; and others of the truth,
Mat.23 ; of whom Jesus speaks, / send unto you wise men and
prophets. Now had Jesus in the following part of this
Sermon brought forward any of the Hebrew observances
to shew how he had fulfilled them, no one would have
doubted that it was of the Jewish Law and Prophets
that He was now speaking ; but when He brings forward
in this way only those more ancient precepts, Thou shalt
not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, which were pro-
mulged of old to Enoch, Seth, and the other righteous
men, who does not see that He is here speaking of the
Law and Prophets of truth ? Wherever He has occasion
to speak of any thing merely Jewish, He plucks it up
by the very roots, giving precepts directly the contrary ;
for example, in the case of that precept, An eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth. Augustine; Which was the Law
and which the Prophets, that Christ came not to subvert
but to fulfil, is manifest, to wit, the Law given by Moses.
And the distinction which Faustus draws between the
precepts of the righteous men before Moses, and the
Mosaic Law, affirming that Christ fulfilled the one but
annulled the other, is not so. We affirm that the Law
of Moses was both well suited to its temporary purpose, and
was now not subverted, but fulfilled by Christ, as will
be seen in each particular. This was not understood by
those who continued in such obstinate error, that they
compelled the Gentiles to Judaize those heretics, I mean,
who were called Nazarenes.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But since all things which should befal
from the very beginning of the world to the end of it, were
in type and figure foreshewn in the Law, that God may not
be thought to be ignorant of any of those things that take
place, He therefore here declares, that heaven and earth
should not pass till all things thus foreshewn in the Law
should have their actual accomplishment. REMIG. Amen
is a Hebrew word, and may be rendered in Latin, i vere,
fidenter, or fiat ; that is, < truly, faithfully, or < so be
VEIL 17 19. ST. MATTHEW. 171
it. The Lord uses it either because of the hardness of
heart of those who were slow to believe, or to attract
more particularly the attention of those that did believe.
HILARY ; From the expression here used pass, we may
suppose that the constituting elements of heaven and earth
shall not be annihilated 6 . REMIG. But shall abide in their
essence,^ but pass through renewal. AUG. By the words, Aug.
one iota or one point shall not pass from the Law, we must Mont,
understand only a strong metaphor of completeness, drawn i>8 -
from the letters of writing, iota being the least of the letters,
made with one stroke of the pen, and a point being a slight
dot at the end of the same letter. The words there shew
that the Law shall be completed to the very least matter.
RABAN. He fitly mentions the Greek iota, and not the
Hebrew jod, because the iota stands in Greek for the number
ten, and so there is an allusion to the Decalogue of which
the Gospel is the point and perfection. PSEUDO-CHRYS. If
even an honourable man blushes to be found in a falsehood,
and a wise man lets not fall empty any word he has once
spoken, how could it be that the words of heaven should fall
to the ground empty ? Hence He concludes, Whoso shall
break the least of these commandments, fyc. And, I sup
pose, the Lord goes on to reply Himself to the question,
Which are the least commandments ? Namely, these which
I am now about to speak. CHRYS. He speaks not this of
the old laws, but of those which He was now going to enact,
of which he says, the least, though they were all great. For
as He so oft spoke humbly of Himself, so does He now speak
humbly of His precepts. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; the
precepts of Moses are easy to obey ; Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. The very greatness of the
crime is a check upon the desire of committing it ; therefore
the reward of observance is small, the sin of transgression
great. But Christ s precepts, Thou shalt not be angry y
Thou shalt not lust, are hard to obey, and therefore in their
reward they are great, in their transgression, least. It
is thus He speaks of these precepts of Christ, such as Thou
shalt not be angry, Thou shalt not lust, as the least; and
b The text of Hil. has ( maxima, ut arbitramur, elementa ease solvenda.
17:2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
they who commit these lesser sins, are the least in the
kingdom of God; that is, he who has been angry and
not sinned grievously is secure from the punishment of
eternal damnation ; yet he does not attain that glory which
Aug. they attain who fulfil even these least. AUG. Or, the
ubi sup. p rece pt s O f the Law are called c the least, as opposed to
Christ s precepts which are great. The least command
ments are signified by the iota and the point. He, therefore,
who breaks them, and teaches men so, that is, to do as
he does, shall be called least in the kingdom, of heaven.
Hence we may perhaps conclude, that it is not true that
Gloss, there shall none be there except they be great. GLOSS. By
c break/ is meant, the not doing what one understands
rightly, or the not understanding what one has corrupted, or
the destroying the perfectness of Christ s additions. CHRYS.
Or, when you hear the words, least in the kingdom of heaven,
imagine nothing less than the punishment of hell. For He
oft uses the word c kingdom, not only of the joys of heaven,
but of the time of the resurrection, and of the terrible coming
Greg, of Christ. GREG. Or, by the kingdom of heaven is to
Hom m ^ un( j ers tood the Church, in which that teacher who breaks
I-jV, All*
1. a commandment is called least, because he whose life is
despised, it remains that his preaching be also despised.
HILARY ; Or, He calls the passion, and the cross, the least,
which if one shall not confess openly, but be ashamed of
them, he shall be least, that is, last, and as it were no man ;
but to him that confesses it He promises the great glory of a
heavenly calling. JEROME ; This head is closely connected
with the preceding. It is directed against the Pharisees, who,
despising the commandments of God, set up traditions of their
own, and means that their teaching the people would not avail
themselves, if they destroyed the very least commandment in
the Law. We may take it in another sense. The learning
of the master if joined with sin however small, loses him the
highest place, nor does it avail any to teach righteousness, if
he destroys it in his life. Perfect bliss is for him w r ho fulfils
Aug. in deed what he teaches in word. AUG. Otherwise; he who
ubi sup. fi rea k s t/ ie least of these commandments, that is, of Moses
Law, and teaches men so, shall be called the least ; but he
who shall do (these least), and so teach, shall not indeed
VER. 20 22. ST. MATTHEW. 173
be esteemed great, yet not so little as he who breaks them.
That he should be great, he ought to do and to teach the
things which Christ now teaches.
20. For I say unto you, That except your righte
ousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes
and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the
kingdom of heaven.
21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill
shall be in danger of the judgment :
22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of
the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother,
Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but whoso
ever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell
fire.
HILARY ; Beautiful entrance He here makes to a teaching
beyond the works of the Law, declaring to the Apostles that
they should have no admission to the kingdom of heaven
without a righteousness beyond that of Pharisees. CHRYS.
By righteousness is here meant universal virtue. But
observe the superior power of grace, in that He requires of
His disciples who were yet uninstructed to be better than
those who were masters under the Old Testament. Thus
He does not call the Scribes and Pharisees unrighteous, but
speaks of their righteousness. And see how even herein He
confirms the Old Testament that He compares it with the
New, for the greater and the less are always of the same kind.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The righteousness of the Scribes and Phari
sees are the commandments of Moses; but the commandments
of Christ are the fulfilment of that Law. This then is His
meaning ; Whosoever in addition to the commandments of the
Law shall not fulfil My commandments, shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven. For those indeed save from the punish
ment due to transgressors of the Law, but do not bring into the
kingdom; but My commandments both deliver from punish-
174 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
ment, and bring into the kingdom. But seeing that to break
the least commandments and not to keep them are one and the
same, why does He say above of him that breaks the command
ments, that he shall be the least in the kingdom of heaven,
and here of him who keeps them not, that he shall not enter
into the kingdom of heaven ? See how to be the least in the
kingdom is the same with not entering into the kingdom.
For a man to be in the kingdom is not to reign with Christ,
but only to be numbered among Christ s people ; what He
says then of him that breaks the commandments is, that he
shall indeed be reckoned among Christians, yet the least of
them. But he who enters into the kingdom, becomes par
taker of His kingdom with Christ. Therefore lie who does
not enter into the kingdom of heaven, shall not indeed have
a part of Christ s glory, yet shall he be in the kingdom of
heaven, that is, in the number of those over whom Christ
Aug. reigns as King of heaven. AUG. Otherwise, unless your
D* xx righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and
9. Pharisees, that is, exceed that of those who break what
Mat. 23, themselves teach, as it is elsewhere said of them, They say,
3 * and do not ; just as if He had said, Unless your righteous
ness exceed in this way that ye do what ye teach, you shall
not enter the kingdom of heaven. We must therefore under
stand something other than usual by the kingdom of heaven
here, in which are to be both he who breaks w r hat he teaches,
and he who does it, but the one least, the other great ; this
kingdom of heaven is the present Church. In another sense
is the kingdom of heaven spoken of that place where none
enters but he who does what he teaches, and this is the
Id. cont. Church as it shall be hereafter. ID. This expression, the
xix^Si kingdom of heaven, so often used by our Lord, I know not
whether any one would find in the books of the Old Testa
ment. It belongs properly to the New Testament revelation,
kept for His mouth whom the Old Testament figured as a
King that should come to reign over His servants. This
end, to which its precepts were to be referred, was hidden in
the Old Testament, though even that had its saints who
looked forward to the revelation that should be made.
Gloss. GLOSS. Or, we may explain by referring to the way in
non occ which the Scribes and Pharisees understood the Law, not to
VER. 20 2*2. ST. MATTHEW. 175
the actual contents of the Law. AUG. For almost all the Aug.
precepts which the Lord gave, saying, But I say unto you, ?^st.
are found in those ancient books. But because they knew xix - 30 -
not of any murder, besides the destruction of the body, the
Lord shews them that every evil thought to the hurt of a
brother is to be held for a kind of murder. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Christ willing to shew that He is the same God who spoke
of old in the Law, and who now gives commandments in
grace, now puts first of all his commandments, that onevid.Mat.
which was the first in the Law, first, at least, of all those n
that forbade injury to our neighbour. AUG. We do not, Aug. De
because we have heard that, Thou shalt not kill, deem itj ^Q e1
therefore unlawful to pluck a twig, according to the error of
the Manichees, nor consider it to extend to irrational brutes;
by the most righteous ordinance of the Creator their life and
death is subservient to our needs. There remains, therefore,
only man of whom we can understand it, and that not any
other man, nor you only; for he who kills himself does
nothing else but kill a man. Yet have not they in any way
done contrary to this commandment who have waged wars
under God s authority, or they who charged with the admin
istration of civil power have by most just and reasonable
orders inflicted death upon criminals. Also Abraham was not
charged with cruelty, but even received the praise of piety,
for that he was willing to obey God in slaying his son.
Those are to be excepted from this command whom God
commands to be put to death, either by a general law given,
or by particular admonition at any special time. For he is
not the slayer who ministers to the command, like a hilt
to one smiting with a sword, nor is Samson otherwise
to be acquitted for destroying himself along with his enemies,
than because he was so instructed privily of the Holy Spirit,
who through him wrought the miracles. CHRYS. This, it
teas said by them of old time, shews that it was long ago
that they had received this precept. He says this that He
might rouse His sluggish hearers to proceed to more sublime
precepts, as a teacher might say to an indolent boy, Know
you not how long time you have spent already in merely
learning to spell? In that, I say unto you, mark the authority
of the legislator, none of the old Prophets spoke thus ; but
176 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
rather, Thus saith the Lord. They as servants repeated
the commands of their Lord ; He as a Son declared the
will of His Father, which was also His own. They preached
to their fellow servants; He as master ordained a law
Aug. de for his slaves. AUG. There are two different opinions among
i^ lV 4 Dei philosophers concerning the passions of the mind : the Stoics
do not allow that any passion is incident to the wise man ;
the Peripatetics affirm that they are incident to the wise man
but in a moderate degree and subject to reason ; as, for
example, when mercy is shewn in such a manner that
justice is preserved. But in the Christian rule we do not
enquire whether the mind is first affected with anger or with
sorrow, but whence. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He who is angry
without cause shall be judged ; but he who is angry with
cause shall not be judged. For if there were no anger,
neither teaching would profit, nor judgments hold ; nor crimes
be controlled. So that he who on just cause is not angry, is
in sin; for an unreasonable patience sows vices, breeds
carelessness, and invites the good as well as the bad to do
evil. JEROME ; Some copies add here the words, without
cause; but by the true reading the precept is made uncon
ditional, and anger altogether forbidden. For when we
are told to pray for them that persecute us, all occasion of
anger is taken away. The words without cause then
must be erased, for the wrath of man worketh not the righ
teousness of God. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Yet that anger which
arises from just cause is indeed not anger, but a sentence of
judgment. For anger properly means a feeling of passion ;
but he whose anger arises from just cause does not suffer
any passion, and is rightly said to sentence, not to be angry
Aug. with. AUG. This also we affirm should be taken into con-
Pjg act * sideration, what is being angry with a brother ; for he is not
angry with a brother who is angry at his offence. He then
it is who is angry without cause, who is angry with his
Aug. de brother, and not with the offence. ID. But to be angry
xiv! ?. 6 1 w ^ a Brother to the end that he may be corrected, there is
c Vid. also in Eph. iv. 31. Augustine keep the word on the ground of a
says the same speaking of Greek codd. "consensus," of Greek and Latin
Retract, i. 19. Cassian rejects it too, Fathers and Versions. There is an
Institut. viii. 20. Erasmus, Bengel. agreement of existing MSS. also,
follow, vid. Wetstein. inloc. who would
VER. 20 22. ST. MATTHEW. 177
no man of sound mind who forbids. Such sort of motions
as come of love of good and of holy charity, are not to be
called vices when they follow right reason. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
But I think that Christ does not speak of anger of the flesh,
but anger of the heart ; for the flesh cannot be so disciplined
as not to feel the passion. When then a man is angry but
refrains from doing what his anger prompts him, his flesh is
angry, but his heart is free from anger. AUG. And there is Aug.
this same distinction between the first case here put by the f n e ^ nt
Saviour and the second: in the first case there is one thing, i. 9.
the passion ; in the second two, anger and speech following
thereupon, He wlw saith to Ins brother, JRaca, is in danger of
the council. Some seek the interpretation of this word in
the Greek, and think that Raca means ragged, from the
Greek /Saxoc, a rag. But more probably it is not a word of
any meaning, but a mere sound expressing the passion of
the mind, which grammarians call an interjection, such as
the cry of pain, heu. CHRYS. Or, Racha is a word signi
fying contempt, and worthlessness. For where we in speaking
to servants or children say, Go thou, or, Tell thou him ; in
Syriac they would say .Racha for ( thou. For the Lord
descends to the smallest trifles even of our behaviour, and
bids us treat one another with mutual respect. JEROME; Or,
Racha is a Hebrew word signifying, empty, vain ; as we
might say in the common phrase of reproach, empty-pate. 1
Observe that He says brother ; for who is our brother, but
he who has the same Father as ourselves ? PSEUDO-CHRYS.
And it were an unworthy reproach to him who has in him
the Holy Spirit to call him empty. AUG. In the third Aug<
case are three things; anger, the voice expressive of anger, ubi *p-
and a word of reproach, Thou fool. Thus here are three
different degrees of sin ; in the first when one is angry, but
keeps the passion in his heart without giving any sign of it.
If again he suffers any sound expressive of the passion to
escape him, it is more than had he silently suppressed the
rising anger; and if he speaks a word which conveys a
direct reproach, it is a yet greater sin. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But
as none is empty who has the Holy Spirit, so none is a fool
who has the knowledge of Christ ; and if Racha signifies
empty, it is one and the same thing, as far as the
VOL. I. N
178 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
meaning of the word goes, to say Racha, or i tbou fool.
But there is a difference in the meaning of the speaker;
for Racha was a word in common use among the Jews,
not expressing wrath or hate, but rather in a light careless
way expressing confident familiarity, not anger. But you
will perhaps say, if Racha is not an expression of wrath,
how is it then a sin ? Because it is said for contention,
not for edification ; and if we ought not to speak even
good words but for the sake of edification, how much
Aug. more not such as are in themselves bad ? AUG. Here we
sup * have three arraignments, the judgment, the council, and
hell-fire, being different stages ascending from the lesser
to the greater. For in the judgment there is yet opportunity
for defence ; to the council belongs the respite of the
sentence, what time the judges confer among themselves
what sentence ought to be inflicted ; in the third, hell-fire,
condemnation is certain, and the punishment fixed. Hence
is seen what a difference is between the righteousness of
the Pharisees and Christ; in the first, murder subjects a
man to judgment ; in the second, anger alone, which is
the least of the three degrees of sin. RABAN. The Saviour
here names the torments of hell, Gehenna, a name thought
to be derived from a valley consecrated to idols near
Jerusalem, and filled of old with dead bodies, and defiled by
Josiah, as we read in the Book of Kings. CHRYS. This
is the first mention of hell, though the kingdom of Heaven
had been mentioned some time before, which shews that
the gifts of the one comes of His love, the condemnation
of the other of our sloth. Many thinking this a punishment
too severe for a mere word, say that this was said
figuratively. But I fear that if we thus cheat ourselves
with words here, we shall suffer punishment in deed
there. Think not then this too heavy a punishment, when
so many sufferings and sins have their beginning in a
word ; a little word has often begotten a murder, and
overturned whole cities. And yet it is not to be thought
a little word that denies a brother reason and understanding
by which we are men, and differ from the brutes. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. In danger of the council; that is, (according to
the interpretation given by the Apostles in their Con-
VER. 23, 24. ST. MATTHEW. 17!)
stitutions,) in danger of being one of that Council which
condemned Christ 6 . HILARY; Or, he who reproaches with
emptiness one full of the Holy Spirit, will be arraigned
in the assembly of the Saints, and by their sentence will
be punished for an affront against that Holy Spirit Himself.
AUG. Should any ask what greater punishment is reserved Aug.
for murder, if evil-speaking is visited with hell-fire ? This ubl ?up *
obliges us to understand, that there are degrees in hell.
CHRYS. Or, the judgment and the council denote punish
ment in this word; hell-fire future punishment. He
denounces punishment against anger, yet does not mention
any special punishment, shewing therein that it is not
possible that a man should be altogether free from the
passion. The Council here means the Jewish senate, for
He would not seem to be always superseding all their
established institutions, and introducing foreign f . AUG. In Aug.
all these three sentences there are some words understood. u
Tn the first indeed, as many copies read without cause,
there is nothing to be supplied. In the second, He who
saith to his brother, Racha, we must supply the words,
without cause ; and again, in He who says, Thou fool, two
things are understood, to Ids brother, and, without cause.
And this forms the defence of the Apostle, when he calls
the Galatians fools, though he considers them his brethren ;
for he did it not without cause.
23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought
against thee ;
24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go
thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then
come and offer thy gift.
AUG. If it be not lawful to be angry with a brother, Aug.
Serra. in
Mont.
e This remark is not found in the 14. The passage quoted in Matt. xxvi. i. 10.
Apostolical Constitutions as we now 18. is found in Constit. viii. 2. vid.
have them. The text in question, how- also Usser. Dissert, ix. Pearson. Vind.
ever, is quoted in ii.32 and50. So again Ign. p. 1. c. 4 fin.
the comment on Matt. vi. 3. is not found f In this quotation only the last
in the Constitutions, though the text sentence is found in Chrys.
is quoted, vid. Coteler. in Constit. iii.
N 2
180 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
or to say to him Racha, or Thou fool, much less is it lawful
to keep in the memory any thing which might convert
anger into hate. JEROME ; It is not, If thou hast ought
against thy brother ; but, If thy brother has ought against
tliee^ that the necessity of reconciliation may be more im-
Aug. perative. AUG. And he has somewhat against us when
ubi sup. we h ave W ronged him ; and we have somewhat against
him when he has wronged us, in which case there were
no need to go to be reconciled to him, seeing we had
only to forgive him, as we desire the Lord to forgive us.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But if it is he that hath done you the
wrong, and yet you be the first to seek reconciliation,
you shall have a great reward. CHRYS. If love alone is
not enough to induce us to be reconciled to our neighbour,
the desire that our work should not remain imperfect, and
Greg, especially in the holy place, should induce us. GREG. Lo
inEzech. He is not willing to accept sacrifice at the hands of
viii. 9. those who are at variance. Hence then consider how great
an evil is strife, which throws away what should be the
means of remission of sin. PSEUDO-CHRYS. See the mercy of
God, that He thinks rather of man s benefit than of His
own honour ; He loves concord in the faithful more than
offerings at His altar ; for so long as there are dis
sensions among the faithful, their gift is not looked upon,
their prayer is not heard. For no one can be a true
friend at the same time to two who are enemies to each
other. In like manner, we do not keep our fealty to
God, if we do not love His friends and hate His enemies.
But such as was the offence, such should also be the recon
ciliation. If you have offended in thought, be reconciled in
thought ; if in words, be reconciled in words ; if in deeds, in
deeds be reconciled. For so it is in every sin, in whatsoever
kind it was committed, in that kind is the penance done.
HILARY ; He bids us when peace with our fellow-men is
restored, then to return to peace with God, passing from the
love of men to the love of God ; then go and offer thy gift.
Au > r - AUG. If this direction be taken literally, it might lead some to
SUp * suppose that this ought indeed to be so done if our brother
is present, for that no long time can be meant when we are
bid to leave our offering there before the altar. For if he be
VER. 25, 26. ST. MATTHEW. 18]
absent, or possibly beyond sea, it is absurd to suppose that
the offering must be left before the altar, to be offered after
we have gone over land and sea to seek him. Wherefore we
must embrace an inward, spiritual sense of the whole, if we
would understand it without involving any absurdity. The
gift which we offer to God, whether learning, or speech, or
whatever it be, cannot be accepted of God unless it be
supported by faith. If then we have in aught harmed a
brother, we must go and be reconciled with him, not with
the bodily feet, but in thoughts of the heart, when in humble
contrition you may cast yourself at your brother s feet in
sight of Him whose offering you are about to offer. For
thus in the same manner as though He were present, you
may with unfeigned heart seek His forgiveness; and return
ing thence, that is, bringing back again your thoughts to
what you had first begun to do, may make your offering.
25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles
thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time
the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast
into prison.
26. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no
means come out thence, till thou hast paid the utter-
most farthing.
HILARY ; The Lord suffers us at no time to be wanting in
peaceableness of temper, and therefore bids us be reconciled
to our adversary quickly, while on the road of life, lest we
be cast into the season of death before peace be joined
between us. JEROME ; The word here in our Latin books is
consentiens, in Greek, evvowv, which means, kind, c bene
volent. AUG. Let us see who this adversary is to whom we Aug.
are bid to be benevolent. It may then be either the Devil, ?^ rm * ! . n
Mont. i.
or man, or the flesh, or God,, or His commandments. But III.
do not see how we can be bid be benevolent, or agreeing
with the Devil ; for where there is good will, there is friend
ship, and no one will say that friendship should be made
with the Devil, or that it is well to agree with him, having
18 2 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
once proclaimed war against him when we renounced him ;
nor ought we to consent with him, with whom had we never
consented, we had never come into such circumstances.
1 Pet * JEROME ; Some, from that verse of Peter, Your adversary
the Devil, fyc. will have the Saviour s command to be, that
we should be merciful to the Devil, not causing him to
endure punishment for our sakes. For as he puts in our
way the incentives to vice, if we yield to his suggestions, he
will be tormented for our sakes. Some follow a more forced
interpretation, that in baptism we have each of us made
a compact with the Devil by renouncing him. If we observe
this compact, then we are agreeing with our adversary, and
Aug. shall not be cast into prison. AUG. I do not see again how
ubi sup. -^ can ^ underwood O f man . For how can man be said
to deliver us to the Judge, when we know only Christ as the
Judge, before whose tribunal all must be sisted. How then
can he deliver to the Judge, who has himself to appear before
Him ? Moreover if any has sinned against any by killing
him, he has no opportunity of agreeing with him in the way,
that is in this life ; and yet that hinders not but that he may
be rescued from judgment by repentance. Much less do I see
how we can be bid be agreeing with the flesh ; for they are
sinners rather who agree with it; but they who bring it into
subjection, do not agree with it, but compel it to agree with
them. JEROME ; And how can the body be cast into prison
if it agree not with the spirit, seeing soul and body must go
together, and that the flesh can do nothing but what the soul
Aug. shall command ? AUG. Perhaps then it is God with whom
we are here enjoined to agree. He may be said to be our
adversary, because we have departed from Him by sin, and
He resisteth the proud. Whosoever then shall not have
been reconciled in this life with God through the death
of His Son, shall be by Him delivered to the Judge, that is,
the Son, to whom He has committed all judgment. And
man may be said to be in the way with God, because He is
every where. But if we like not to say that the wicked are
with God, who is every where present, as we do not say that
the blind are with that light which is every where around
them, there only remains the law of God which we can
understand by our adversary. For this law is an adversary
VJiK. 25, 26. ST. MATTHEW, 183
to_such as love to sin, and is given us for this life that it may
be with us in the way. To this we ought to agree quickly,
by reading, hearing, and bestowing on it the summit of
authority, and that when we understand it, we hate it
not because it opposes our sins, but rather love it because
it corrects them ; and when it is obscure, pray that we may
understand it. JEROME; But from the context the sense is
manifest ; the Lord is exhorting us to peace and concord with
our neighbour ; as it was said above, Go, be reconciled to thy
brother. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord is urgent with us to
hasten to make friends with our enemies while we are yet in
this life, knowing how dangerous for us that one of our enemies
should die before peace is made with us. For if death bring
us while yet at enmity to the Judge, he will deliver us to
Christ, proving us guilty by his judgment. Our adversary
also delivers us to the Judge, when he is the first to seek
reconciliation ; for he who first submits to his enemy, brings
him in guilty before God. HILARY; Or, the adversary
delivers you to the Judge, when the abiding of your wrath
towards him convicts you. AUG. By the Judge I under- Aug.
stand Christ, for, the Father hath committed all judgment ^j j^ u |*
the Son; and by the officer, or minister, an Angel, for, 22.
Angels came and ministered unto Him ; and we believe that
He will come with his Angels to judge. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
The officer, that is, the ministering Angel of punishment, and
he shall cast you into the prison of hell. AUG. By the Aug.
prison I understand the punishment of the darkness. And u
that none should despise that punishment. He adds, Verily I
say unto tltee, thou slialt not come out thence till thou hast
paid the very last farthing. JEROME; A farthing is a coin
containing two mites. What He says then is, c Thou shalt
not go forth thence till thou hast paid for the smallest sins.
AUG. Or it is an expression to denote that there is no thing Aug.
that shall go unpunished; as we say To the dregs/ when u
we are speaking of any thing so emptied that nothing is left
in it. Or by the last farthing may be denoted earthly sins, qua-
For the fourth and last element of this world is earth. Paid,
that is in eternal punishment ; and until used in the same
sense as in that, Sit thou on my right hand until I make Vs. lio,
thy enemies thy footstool; for He does not cease to reign
184 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
when His enemies are put under His feet. So here, until
thou hast paid, is as much as to say, thou shalt never come
out thence, for that he is always paying the very last farthing
while he is enduring the everlasting punishment of earthly
sins. PSEUDO-CHKYS. Or, If you will make your peace yet
in this world, you may receive pardon of even the heaviest
offences; but if once damned and cast into the prison of hell,
punishment will be exacted of you not for grievous sins only,
but for each idle word, which may be denoted by the very
lafst farthing. HILARY; For because charity covereth a
multitude of sins, we shall therefore pay the last farthing of
punishment, unless by the expense of charity we redeem the
fault of our sin. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, the prison is worldly
misfortune which God often sends upon sinners. CHRYS.
Or, He here speaks of the judges of this world, of the way
which leads to this judgment, and of human prisons; thus
not only employing future but present inducements, as those
things which are before the eyes affect us most, as St. Paul
Rom. also declares, If thou doest evil fear the power, for he beareth
13> 4 * not the sword in vain.
27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not commit adultery :
28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
witb her already in his heart.
Chrys. CHRYS. The Lord having explained how much is con-
Ho . m - tained in the first commandment, namely, Thou shalt not
Y Vll *
Aug. kMy proceeds in regular order to the second. AUG. Thou
Serm.ix. s / ta lt no! commit adultery, that is, Thou shalt go no where
but to thy lawful wife. For if you exact this of your wife,
you ought to do the same, for the husband ought to go before
the wife in virtue. It is a shame for the husband to say that
this is impossible. Why not the husband as well as the
wife ? And let not him that is unmarried suppose that he
does not break this commandment by fornication ; you know
the price wherewith you have been bought, you know what
VEK. 27, 28. ST. MATTHEW. 185
you eat and what you drink % therefore keep yourself from
fornications. Forasmuch as all such acts of lust pollute and
destroy God s image, (which you are,) the Lord who knows
what is good for you, gives you this precept that you may
not pull down His temple which you have begun to be. ID. Aug.
He then goes on to correct the error of the Pharisees, Faust.
declaring, Whoso looketh upon a woman to lust after her, Xlx - 23 -
hath committed adultery already with her in his heart. For
the commandment of the Law, Thou shall not last after thy Exod.
neighbours wife, the Jews understood of taking her away,
not of committing adultery with her. JEROME; Between
7r0o and TTpoTraQsM, that is between actual passion and the
first spontaneous movement of the mind, there is this differ
ence : passion is at once a sin ; the spontaneous movement
of the mind, though it partakes of the evil of sin, is yet not
held for an_offence committed 11 . When then one looks upon
a woman, and his mind is therewith smitten, there is pro-
passion ; if he yields to this he passes from propassion to
gassipn, and then it is no longer the will but the opportunity
to sin that is wanting. Whosoever, then, looketh on a woman
to lust after her, that is, so looks on her as to lust, and cast
about to obtain, he is rightly said to commit adultery with
her in his heart. AUG. For there are three things which Aug.
make up a sin; suggestion either through the memory, or^ i
the present sense ; if the thought of the pleasure of i- 12.
indulgence follows, that is an unlawful thought, and to
be restrained; if you consent then, the sin is complete.
For prior to the first consent, the pleasure is either none or
very slight, the consenting to which makes the sin. But if
consent proceeds on into overt act, then desire seems to be
satiated and quenched. And when suggestion is again re
peated, the contemplated pleasure is greater, which previous
to habit formed was but small, but now more difficult to over
come. GREG. But whoso casts his eyes about without caution Greg.
Mor.
Nic. inserts here, from the original, Thewordismorecommonly applied toour xx ^ 2.
immo quern manduces, quern bibas. Lord, as denoting the mode and extent
h In this passage S. Jerome, who in which His soul was affected by what
seems to have introduced the word pro- in others became #0.6 at . In us passion
passio, 9rgovK0tta, into theology, uses it precedes reason, in Him it followed, or
somewhat iii a sense of his own ; viz. as was a ffgovcifata. vid. S. Jerome in
involving something of the nature of Matt. xxvi. 37. Leon. Ep. 35. Damasc.
sin ; vid. also Comm. in Ezek. xviii. 1,2. F. 0. iii. 20. &c. &c.
186 GOSPKL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
will often be taken with the pleasure of sin, and ensnared
by desires begins to wish for what he would not. Great
is the strength of the flesh to draw us downwards, and
the charm of beauty once admitted to the heart through
the eye, is hardly banished by endeavour. We must
therefore take heed at the first, we ought not to look
upon what it is unlawful to desire. For that the heart
may be kept pure in thought, the eyes, as being on the
watch to hurry us to sin, should be averted from wanton
looks. CHRYS. If you permit yourself to gaze often on
fair countenances you will assuredly be taken, even though
you may be able to command your mind twice or thrice.
For you are not exalted above nature and the strength
of humanity. She too who dresses and adorns herself
for the purpose of attracting men s eyes to her, though
her endeavour should fail, yet shall she be punished
hereafter ; seeing she mixed the poison and offered the
cup, though none was found who would drink thereof.
For what the Lord seems to speak only to the man, is
of equal application to the woman ; inasmuch as when
He speaks to the head, the warning is meant for the whole
body.
29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out,
and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off,
and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that
thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Gloss. GLOSS. Because we ought not only to avoid actual sin,
>cc but even put away every occasion of sin, therefore having
taught that adultery is to be avoided not in deed only,
but in heart, He next teaches us to cut off the occasions
of sin. PsEUDO-CriRYS. But if according to that of the
Ps. 38, Prophet, there is HO whole part in our body, it is needful
that we cut off every limb that we have that the punishment
VER. 29, 30. ST. MATTHEW. 187
may be equal to the depravity of the flesh. Is it then
possible to understand this of the bodily eye or hand?
As the whole man when he is turned to God is dead to
sin, so likewise the eye when it has ceased to look evil
is cut off from sin. But this explanation will not suit
the whole; for when He says, thy right eye offends Mtee,
what does the left eye ? Does it contradict the right eye,
and it is preserved innocent? JEROME; Therefore by the
right eye and the right hand we must understand the love
of brethren, husbands and wives, parents and kinsfolk ;
which if we find to hinder our view of the true light, we
ought to sever from us. AUG. As the eye denotes con- Aug.
templation, so the hand aptly denotes action. By the eye j\iont.
we must understand our most cherished friend, as they 13 -
are wont to say who would express ardent affection, I
love him as my own eye. And a friend too who gives
counsel, as the eye shews us our way. The rigid eye,
perhaps, only means to express a higher degree of affection,
for it is the one which men most fear to lose. Or, by
the right eye may be understood one who counsels us
in heavenly matters, and by the left one who counsels in
earthly matters. And this will be the sense ; Whatever
that is which you love as you would your own right eye,
if it offend you, that is, if it be an hindrance to your true
happiness, cut it off and cast it from you. For if the
right eye was not to be spared, it was superfluous to
speak of the left. The right hand also is to be taken of
a beloved assistant in divine actions, the left hand in
earthly actions. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; Christ would
have us careful not only of our own sin, but likewise
that even they who pertain to us should keep themselves
from evil. Have you any friend who looks to your matters
as your own eye, or manages them as your own hand, if
you know of any scandalous or base action that he has
done, cast him from you, he is an offence ; for we shall
give account not only of our own sins, but also of such
of those of our neighbours as it is in our power to
hinder. HILARY ; Thus a more lofty step of innocence is
appointed us, in that we are admonished to keep free, not
only from sin ourselves, but from such as might touch us
188 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAT. V.
from without. JEROME ; Otherwise ; As above He had
placed lust in the looking on a woman, so now the thought
and sense straying hither and thither He calls the eye. 1
By the right hand and the other parts of the body, He
means the initial movements of desire and affection.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The eye of flesh is the mirror of the inward
eye. The body also has its own sense, that is, the left
eye, and its own appetite, that is, the left hand. But
the parts of the soul are called right, for the soul was
created both with free-will and under the law of righteous
ness, that it might both see and do rightly. But the
members of the body being not with free-will, but under
the law of sin, are called the left. Yet He does not bid
us cut off the sense or appetite of the flesh ; we may
retain the desires of the flesh, and yet not do thereafter,
but we cannot cut off the having the desires. But when
we wilfully purpose and think of evil, then our right
desires and right will offend us, and therefore He bids
us cut them off. And these we can cut off, because our
will is free. Or otherwise ; Every thing, however good in
itself that offends ourselves or others, we ought to cut off
from us. For example, to visit a woman with religious
purposes, this good intent towards her may be called a
right eye, but if often visiting her I have fallen into the
net of desire, or if any looking on are offended, then the
right eye, that is, something in itself good, offends me. For
the right eye is good intention, the right hand is good desire.
Gloss. GLOSS. Or; the right eye is the contemplative life which
offends by being the cause of indolence or self-conceit, or
in our weakness that we are not able to support it unmixed.
The right hand is good works, or the active life, which
offends us when we are ensnared by society and the business
of life. If then any one is unable to sustain the contem
plative life, let him not slothfully rest from all action ; or on
the other hand while he is taken up with action, dry up the
fountain of sweet contemplation. REMIG. The reason why
the right eye and the right hand are to be cast away is
subjoined in that, For it is better, S$c. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For
as we are every one members one of another, it is better that
we should be saved without some one of these members,
VER. 31, 3-2. ST. MATTHEW. 189
than that we perish together with them. Or, it is better
that we should be saved without one good purpose, or one
good work, than that while we seek to perform all good
works we perish together with all.
31. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away
his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement :
32. But I say unto yoUj That whosoever shall put
away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication,
causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall
marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
GLOSS. The Lord had taught us above that our neigh- Gloss.
hour s wife was not to be coveted, He now proceeds to teach nonocc
that our own wife is not to be put away. JEROME ; For
touching Moses s allowance of divorce, the Lord and Saviour
more fully explains in conclusion, that it was because of the
hardness of the hearts of the husbands, not so much sanc
tioning discord, as checking bloodshed. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
For when Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt,
they were indeed Hebrews in race, but Egyptians in manners.
And it was caused by the Gentile manners that the husband
hated the wife ; and if he was not permitted to put her away,
he was ready either to kill her or ill-treat her. Moses there
fore suffered the bill of divorcement, not because it was a
good practice in itself, but was the prevention of a worse
evil. HILARY ; But the Lord who brought peace and good
will on earth, would have it reign especially in the matri
monial bond. AUG. The Lord s command here that a wife Aug.
is not to be put away, is not contrary to the command in the ^; t
Law, as Manichaeus affirmed. Had the Law allowed anyxix. 26
who would to put away his wife, to allow none to put away
were indeed the very opposite of that. But the difficulty
which Moses is careful to put in the way, shews that he was
no good friend to the practice at all. For he required a bill
of divorcement, the delay and difficulty of drawing out
which would often cool headlong rage and disagreement,
especially as by the Hebrew custom, it was the Scribes
alone who were permitted to use the Hebrew letters, in
190 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
which they professed a singular skill. To these then the
law would send him whom it bid to give a writing of
divorcement, when he would put away his wife, who
mediating between him and his wife, might set them at one
again, unless in minds too wayward to be moved by counsels
of peace. Thus then He neither completed, by adding
words to it, the law of them of old time, nor did He destroy
the Law given by Moses by enacting things contrary to it, as
Manichaeus affirmed; but rather repeated and approved all
that the Hebrew Law contained, so that whatever He spoke
in His own person more than it had, had in view either
explanation, which in divers obscure places of the Law was
greatly needed, or the more punctual observance of its enact-
Au S- . ments. ID. By interposing this delay in the mode of
Mont, putting away, the lawgiver shewed as clearly as it could be
* 14 shewn to hard hearts, that he hated strife and disagreement.
The Lord then so confirms this backwardness in the Law, as
to except only one case, the cause of fornication ; every
other inconvenience which may have place, He bids us bear
with patience in consideration of the plighted troth of
wedlock. PsEUDO-CuRYS. If we ought to bear the burdens
Gal.6,2.of strangers, in obedience to that of the Apostle, Bear ye
one another s burdens, how much more that of our wives and
husbands ? The Christian husband ought not only to keep
himself from any defilement, but to be careful not to give
others occasion of defilement ; for so is their sin imputed to
him who gave the occasion. Whoso then by putting away
his wife gives another man occasion of committing adultery,
Au s- is condemned for that crime himself. AUG. Yea more, He
ubi sup. . .
declares the man who marries her who is put away an
adulterer. CHRYS. Say not here, It is enough her husband
has put her away; for even after she is put away she
Aug. continues the wife of him that put her away. AUG. The
Apostle has fixed the limit here, requiring her to abstain
from a fresh marriage as long as her husband lives.
After his death he allows her to marry. But if the woman
may not marry while her former husband is alive, much
less may she yield herself to unlawful indulgences. But
this command of the Lord, forbidding to put away a
wife, is not broken by him who lives with her not carnally
VER. 31, 32. ST. MATTHEW. 191
but spiritually, in that more blessed wedlock of those
that keep themselves chaste. A question also here arises
as to what is that fornication which the Lord allows as
a cause of divorce ; whether carnal sin, or, according to the
Scripture use of the word, any unlawful passion, as idolatry,
avarice, in short all transgression of the Law by forbidden
desires. For if the Apostle permits the divorce of a wife if
she be unbelieving, (though indeed it is better not to put her
away,) and the Lord forbids any divorce but for the cause of
fornication, unbelief even must be fornication. And if un
belief be fornication, and idolatry unbelief, and covetousness
idolatry, it is not to be doubted that covetousness is forni
cation. And if covetousness be fornication, who may say of
any kind of unlawful desire that it is not a kind of forni
cation ? ID. Yet I would not have the reader think this Au -
, Retract.
disputation of ours sufficient in a matter so arduous; for noti. 19. 6.
every sin is spiritual fornication, nor does God destroy every
sinner, for He hears His saints daily crying to Him, Forgive
UK our debts; but every man who goes a whoring and for
sakes Him, him He destroys. Whether this be the fornication
for which divorce is allowed is a most knotty question for
it is no question at all that it is allowed for the fornication
by carnal sin. ID. If any affirm that the only fornication Aug.
for which the Lord allows divorce is that of carnal sin, he *
may say that the Lord has spoken of believing husbands andq- ult -
wives, forbidding either to leave the other except for forni
cation. ID. Not only does He permit to put away a wife Aug.
who commits fornication, but whoso puts away a wife by
whom he is driven to commit fornication, puts her away for*- 16
the cause of fornication, both for his own sake and hers.
ID. He also rightly puts away Jiis wife to whom she shall Au S- de
say, I will not be your wife unless you get me money by Op. 16.
robbery; or should require any other crime to be done by
him. If the husband here be truly penitent, he will cut off
the limb that offends him. ID. Nothing can be more unjust Aug.
than to put away a wife for fornication, and yourself to be^ 111
guilty of that sin, for then is that happened, Wherein thou ** 16 -
judgest another , thou condemn est thyself. When He says, i.
And he icho marrieth her iclio is put away, committeth
adultery, a question arises, does the woman also in this case
192 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
commit adultery? For the Apostle directs either that she
remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband. There
is this difference in the separation, namely, which of them
was the cause of it. If the wife put away the husband and
marry another, she appears to have left her first husband
with the desire of change, which is an adulterous thought.
But if she have been put away by her husband, yet he who
marries her commits adultery, how can she be quit of the
same guilt? And further, if he who marries her commits
adultery, she is the cause of his committing adultery, which
is what the Lord is here forbidding.
33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by
them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but
shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths :
34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither
by Heaven ; for it is God s throne ;
35. Nor by the earth ; for it is His footstool :
neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great
King.
36. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because
thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea ;
Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh
of evil.
Gloss. GLOSS. The Lord has hitherto taught to abstain from
non occ. injuring our neighbour, forbidding anger with murder, lust
with adultery, and the putting away a wife with a bill of
divorce. He now proceeds to teach to abstain from injury
to God, forbidding not only perjury as an evil in itself, but
even all oaths as the cause of evil, saying, Ye have heard it
said by them of old, Thou shalt not forswear thyself. It is
c. 19,12. written in Leviticus, Thou shalt not forswear thyself in my
name; and that they should not make gods of the creature,
they are commanded to render to God their oaths, and not to
swear by any creature, Render to the Lord thy oaths ; that
is, if you shall have occasion to swear, you shall swear by
VER. 3337. ST. MATTHEW. 193
the Creator and not by the creature. As it is written in
Deuteronomy, Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and shaltc.6.}3.
swear by his name. JEROME ; This was allowed under the
Law, as to children ; as they offered sacrifice to God, that
they might not do it to idols, so they were permitted to
swear by God ; not that the thing was right, but that it were
better done to God than to daemons. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For
no man can swear often, but he must sometimes forswear
himself; as he who has a custom of much speaking will
sometimes speak foolishly. AUG. Inasmuch as the sin of Aug.
perjury is a grievous sin, he must be further removed from itp ^
who uses no oath, than he who is ready to swear on every *ix. 23.
occasion, and the Lord would rather that we should not
swear and keep close to the truth, than that swearing we
should come near to perjury. ID. This precept also con- Aug.
firms the righteousness of the Pharisees, not to forswear ; jj t \ n
inasmuch as he who swears not at all cannot forswear him- 17 -
self. But as to call God to witness is to swear, does not the
Apostle break this commandment when he says several times
to the Galatians, The things which I write unto you, behold, G&1.1,
before God, I lie not. So the Romans, God is my witness, Ro m< ^
whom I serve in my spirit. Unless perhaps some one may 9 -
say, it is no oath unless I use the form of swearing by some
object; and that the Apostle did not swear in saying, God is
my witness. It is ridiculous to make such a distinction ; yet the
Apostle has used even this form, / die daily, by your boasting. 1 Cor.
That this does not mean, your boasting has caused my dying
daily, but is an oath, is clear from the Greek, which is vy ryv
vpsTsgotv xotvxya-iv. ID. But what we could not understand byAu?.
mere words, from the conduct of the saints we may gather in
what sense should be understood what might easily be drawn
the contrary way, unless explained by example. The Apostle
has used oaths in his Epistles, and by this shews us how
that ought to be taken, / say unto you, Swear not at all,
namely, lest by allowing ourselves to swear at all we come to
readiness in swearing, from readiness we come to a habit of
swearing, and from a habit of swearing we fall into perjury.
And so the Apostle is not found to have used an oath but
only in writing, the greater thought and caution which that
requires not allowing of slip of the tongue. Yet is the
VOL. i. o
194 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V
Lord s command so universal, Swear not at all, that He
would seem to have forbidden it even in writing. But since
it would be an impiety to accuse Paul of having violated this
precept, especially in his Epistles, we must understand the
word at all as implying that, as far as lays in your power,
you should not make a practice of swearing, not aim at it as
Aug. a good thing in which you should take delight. ID. There-
Faust f re * n k* s wr i tnl & s ? as writing allows of greater circum-
xix. 23. spection, the Apostle is found to have used an oath in
several places, that none might suppose that there is any
direct sin in swearing what is true ; but only that our weak
hearts are better preserved from perjury by abstaining from
all swearing whatever. JEROME ; Lastly, consider that the
Saviour does not here forbid to swear by God, but by the
Heaven, the Earth, by Jerusalem, by a man s head. For
this evil practice of swearing by the elements the Jews had
always, and are thereof often accused in the prophetic
writings. For he who swears, shews either reverence or
love for that by which he swears. Thus when the Jews
swore by the Angels, by the city of Jerusalem, by the temple
and the elements, they paid to the creature the honour and
worship belonging to God ; for it is commanded in the Law
Aug. that we should not swear but by the Lord our God. AUG.
Mont. 1 " Or II is added, By the Heaven, 8$c. because the Jews did
i. 17. not consider themselves bound when they swore by such
things. As if He had said, When you swear by the Heaven
and the Earth, think not that you do not owe your oath
to the Lord your God, for you are proved to have sworn
by Him whose throne the heaven is, and the earth His
footstool; which is not meant as though God had such
limbs set upon the heaven and the earth, after the manner of
a man who is sitting; but that seat signifies God s judgment
of us. And since in the whole extent of this universe it
is the heaven that has the highest beauty, God is said to sit
upon the heavens as shewing divine power to be more
excellent than the most surpassing show of beauty ; and He
is said to stand upon the earth, as putting to lowest use
a lesser beauty. Spiritually by the heavens are denoted
1 Cor. holy souls, by the earth the sinful, seeing He that is spiritual
d.3,J u dgeth all things. But to the sinner it is said, Earth thou
19.
VER. 33 37. ST. MATTHEW. 195
art, and unto earth thou shall return. And he who would
abide under a law, is put under a law, and therefore He
adds, it is tlie footstool of His feet. Neither by Jerusalem,
for it is the city of the Great King ; this is better said than
1 it is mine ; though it is understood to mean the same.
And because He is also truly Lord, whoso swears by Jeru
salem, owes his oath to the Lord. Neither by thy head.
What could any think more entirely his own property than
his own head ? But how is it ours when we have not
power to make one hair black or white ? Whoso then
swears by his own head also owes his vows to the Lord ; and
by this the rest may be understood. CHRYS. Note how
He exalts the elements of the world, not from their own
nature, but from the respect which they have to God, so that
there is opened no occasion of idolatry. RABANUS ; Having
forbidden swearing, He instructs us how we ought to speak,
Let your speech be. yea, yea; nay, nay. That is, to affirm
any thing it is sufficient to say, It is so : to deny, to say,
It is not so. Or, yea, yea; nay, nay, are therefore twice
repeated, that what you affirm with the mouth you should
prove in deed, and what you deny in word, you should not
establish by your conduct. HILARY; Otherwise ; They who
live in the simplicity of the faith have not need to swear,
with them ever, what is is, what is not is not ; by this their
life and their conversation are ever preserved in truth.
JEROME ; Therefore Evangelic verity does not admit an
oath, since the whole discourse of the faithful is instead
of an oath. AUG. And he who has learned that an oath Aug.
is to be reckoned not among things good, but among things ubi SU P*
necessary, will restrain himself as much as he may, not to
use an oath without necessity, unless he sees men loth to
believe what it is for their good they should believe, without
the confirmation of an oath. This then is good and to be
desired, that our conversation be only, yea, yea ; nay, nay ;
for what is more than this cometh of evil. That is, if you are
compelled to swear, you know that it is by the necessity
of their weakness to whom you would persuade any thing ;
which weakness is surely an evil. What is- more than this is
thus evil; not that you do evil in this just use of an oath to
o 2
196 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
persuade another to something beneficial for him ; but it is
an evil in him whose weakness thus obliges you to use
an oath. CHRYS. Or; of evil, that is, from their weakness
to whom the Law permitted the use of an oath. Not that
by tins the old Law is signified to be from the Devil, but
He leads us from the old imperfection to the new abundance.
38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth :
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil :
but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and
take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile,
go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Gloss. GLOSS. The Lord having taught that we are not to offer
non occ. . i i -ITT
injury to our neighbour, or irreverence to the Lord, now
proceeds to shew how the Christian should demean himself
Aug. to those that injure him. AUG. This law, Eye for eye, tooth
Faust. f or tooth, was enacted to repress the flames of mutual hate,
xix. 25. an d to be a check on their undisciplined spirits. For who
when he would take revenge, was ever content to return
just so much harm as he had received ? Do we not see men
who have suffered some trifling hurt, straightway plot murder,
thirst for blood, and hardly find evil enough that they can
do to their enemies for the satisfying their rage ? To this
immeasured and cruel fury the Law puts bounds when it
enacts a lex talionis ; that is, that whatever wrong or hurt
any man has done to another, he should surfer just the same
in return. This is not to encourage but to check rage ; for
it does not rekindle what was extinguished, but hinders the
flames already kindled from further spread. It enacts a just
VER. 38 42. ST. MATTHEW. 197
retaliation, properly due to him who has suffered the wrong.
But that mercy forgives any debt, does not make it unjust
that payment had been sought. Since then he sins who
seeks an unmeasured vengeance, but he does not sin who
desires only a just one; he is therefore further from sin
who seeks no retribution at all. I might state it yet thus ;
It was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not take unequal
retaliation ; But I say unto you, Ye shall not retaliate ; this
is a completion of the Law, if in these words something is
added to the Law which was wanting to it ; yea, rather that
which the Law sought to do, namely, to put an end to
unequal revenge, is more safely secured when there is no
revenge at all. PsEUDO-CuRYS. For without this command,
the commands of the Law could not stand. For if according
to the Law we begin all of us to render evil for evil, we
shall all become evil, since they that do hurt abound. But
if according to Christ we resist not evil, though they that
are evil be not amended, yet they that are good remain good.
JEROME ; Thus our Lord by doing away all retaliation, cuts
off the beginnings of sin. So the Law corrects faults, the
Gospel removes their occasions. GLOSS. Or it may be said Gloss.
that the Lord said this, adding somewhat to the righteous- non occ<
ness of the old Law. AUG. For the righteousness of the Aug.
Pharisees is a less righteousness, not to transgress the
measure of equal retribution; and this is the beginning of 19.
peace ; but perfect peace is to refuse all such retribution.
Between that first manner then, which was not according to
the Law, to wit, that a greater evil should be returned for a
less, and this which the Lord enjoins to make His disciples
perfect, to wit, t at no evil should be returned for evil, a
middle place is held by this, that an equal evil should be
returned, which was thus the passage from extremest discord
to extremest peace. Whoso then first does evil to another
departs furthest from righteousness ; and who does not first
do any wrong, but when wronged repays with a heavier
wrong, has departed somewhat from extreme injustice ; he
who repays only what he has received, gives up yet some
thing more, for it were but strict right that he who is the
first aggressor should receive a greater hurt than he inflicted.
This righteousness thus partly begun, He perfects, who is
198 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
come to fulfil the Law. The two steps that intervene He
leaves to be understood ; for there is who does not repay so
much, but less ; and there is yet above him, he who repays
not at all; yet this seems too little to the Lord, if you be not
also ready to suffer wrong. Therefore He says not, Render
not evil for evil, but, Resist not against evil, not only repay
not what is offered to you, but do not resist that it should
not be done to you. For thus accordingly He explains
that saying, If any man smite thee on thy right cheek,
offer to him the left also. Which as being a high part
of mercy, is known to those who serve such as they love
much ; from whom, being morose, or insane, they endure
many things, and if it be for their health they offer themselves
to endure more. The Lord then, the Physician of souls,
teaches His disciples to endure with patience the sick
nesses of those for whose spiritual health they should
provide. For all wickedness comes of a sickness of the
mind ; nothing is more innocent than he who is sound and
Aug. de of perfect health in virtue. ID. The things which are
I5* nc lc done by the Saints in the New Testament profit for
examples of understanding those Scriptures which are
modelled into the form of precepts. Thus we read in Luke;
Luke 6, Whoso smiteth thee on the one check, turn to him the
29
other also. Now there is no example of patience more
perfect than that of the Lord ; yet He, when He was
John 18, smitten, said not, Behold the other cheek, but, If I
have spoken amiss, accuse me wherein it is amiss; but if
welly why smitest thou me ? hereby shewing us that that
turning of the other cheek should be in the heart. ID. For
Serni in ~ ,
Mont, the Lord was ready not only to be smitten on the other
i. 19. cheek for the salvation of men, but to be crucified with
His whole body. It may be asked, What does the right
cheek expressly signify ? As the face is that whereby
any man is known, to be smitten on the face is according
to the Apostle to be contemned and despised. But as
we cannot say right face, and left face, and yet we
have a name twofold, one before God, and one before
the world, it is distributed as it were into the right cheek,
and left cheek, that whoever of Christ s disciples is despised
for that he is a Christian, may be ready to be yet more
VER. 38 42. ST. MATTHEW. 199
despised for any of this world s honours that he may
have. All things wherein we suffer any wrong are divided
into two kinds, of which one is what cannot be restored,
the other what may be restored. In that kind which cannot
be restored, we are wont to seek the solace of revenge.
For what does it boot if when smitten you smite again,
is the hurt done to your body thereby repaid to you ?
But the mind swollen with rage seeks such assuagements.
PsEUDO-CuRYS. Or has your return blow at all restrained
him from striking you again ? It has rather roused him
to another blow. For anger is not checked by meeting-
anger, but is only more irritated. AUG. Whence the Lord Aug.
judges that others weakness should rather be borne with Mont. i.
compassion, than that our own should be soothed by 20 -
others pain. For that retribution which tends to cor
rection is not here forbidden, for such is indeed a part of
mercy; nor does such intention hinder that he, who seeks
to correct another, is not at the same time ready himself
to take more at his hands. But it is required that he
should inflict the punishment to whom the power is given
by the course of things, and with such a mind as the
father has to a child in correcting him whom it is impossible
he should hate. And holy men have punished some sins
with death, in order that a wholesome fear might be struck
into the living, and so that not his death, but the likelihood
of increase of his sin had he lived, was the hurt of the criminal.
Thus Elias punished many with death, and when the disciples
would take example from him they were rebuked by the
Lord, who did not censure this example of the Prophet,
but their ignorant use of it, seeing them to desire the
punishment not for correction s sake, but from angry hate.
But after He had inculcated love of their neighbour, and
had given them the Holy Spirit, there wanted not instances
of such vengeance; as Ananias and his wife who fell
down dead at the words of Peter, and the Apostle Paul
delivered some to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.
Yet do some, with a kind of blind opposition, rage against
the temporal punishments of the Old Testament, not know
ing with what mind they were inflicted. ID. But who Aug.
that is of sober mind would say to kings, It is nothing fg^
200 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
of your concern who will live religiously, or who pro
fanely ? It cannot even be said to them, that it is not
their concern who will live chastely, or who unchastely.
It is indeed better that men should be led to serve God
by right teaching than by penalties ; yet has it benefitted
many, as experience has approved to us, to be first coerced
by pain and fear, that they might be taught after, or to
be made to conform in deed to what they had learned
in words. The better men indeed are led of love, but
the more part of men are wrought on by fear. Let them learn
in the case of the Apostle Paul, how Christ first constrained,
Aug. and after taught him. ID. Therefore in this kind of injuries
Mont ? vy ki c *h are wont to rouse vengeance Christians will observe
20. such a mean, that hate shall not be caused by the injuries
they may receive, and yet wholesome correction be not
foregone by Him who has right of either counsel or
power. JEROME Mystically interpreted ; When we are
smitten on the right cheek, He said not, offer to him
thy left, but the oilier; for the righteous has not a left.
That is, if a heretic has smitten us in disputation, and
would wound us in a right hand doctrine, let him be met
Aug. with another testimony from Scripture. AUG. The other
sup kind of injuries are those in which full restitution can
be made, of which there are two kinds; one relates to
money, the other to work ; of the first of these it is He
speaks when He continues, Whoso will sue tltee for ihy
coat, let him have thy cloak likewise. As by the cheek
are denoted such injuries of the wicked as admit of no
restitution but revenge- so by this similitude of the gar-
ments is denoted such injury as admits restitution. And
this, as the former, is rightly taken of preparation of
the heart, not of the show of the outward action. And
what is commanded respecting our garments, is to be
observed in all things that by any right we call our own
in worldly property. For if the command be expressed in
these necessary articles of life, how much more does it
hold in the case of superfluities and luxuries? And
when He says, He who will sue thee, He clearly intends
to include every thing for which it is possible that we
should be sued. It may be made a question whether it
VER. 38 42. ST. MATTHEW. 201
is to be understood of slaves, for a Christian ought not to
possess his slave on the same footing as his horse ; though
it might be that the horse was worth the more money. And
if your slave have a milder master in you than he would
have in him who seeks to take him from you, I do not know
that he ought to be given up as lightly as your coat.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. For it were an unworthy thing that a be
liever should stand in his cause before an unbelieving judge.
Or if one who is a believer, though (as he must be) a
worldly man, though he should have reverenced you for the
worthiness of the faith, sues you because the cause is a
necessary one, you will lose the worthiness of Christ for the
business of the world. Further, every lawsuit irritates the
heart and excites bad thoughts ; for when you see dishonesty
or bribery employed against you, you hasten to support your
own cause by like means, though originally you might have
intended nothing of the sort. AUG. The Lord here forbids Aug.
his disciples to have lawsuits with others for worldly pro- ^ g nchir *
perty. Yet as the Apostle allows such kind of causes to be
decided between brethren, and before arbiters who are
brethren, but utterly disallows them without the Church, it
is manifest what is conceded to infirmity as pardonable.
GREG. There are, who are so far to be endured, as they rob Greg,
us of our worldly goods; but there are whom we ought to^ ^
hinder, and that without breaking the law of charity, not
only that we may not be robbed of what is ours, but lest they
by robbing others destroy themselves. We ought to fear
much more for the men who rob us, than to be eager to save
the inanimate things they take from us. When peace with
our neighbour is banished the heart on the matter of worldly
possessions, it is plain that our estate is more loved than our
neighbour.
AUG. The third kind of wrongs, which is in the matter of Aug.
labour, consists of both such as admit restitution, and such?J im - in
as do not or with or without revenge for he who forcibly i. 19.
presses a man s service, and makes him give him aid against
his will, can either be punished for his crime, or return the
labour. In this kind of wrongs then, the Lord teaches that
the Christian mind is most patient, and prepared to endure
yet more than is offered; If a man constrain thee to go with
202 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V, ,
him a mile, go with him yet other two. This likewise is
meant not so much of actual service with your feet, as of
Chrys. readiness of mind. CHRYS. The word here used signifies to
H ?.- drag unjustly, without cause, and with insult. AUG. Let us
xvin. J J
Aug. suppose it therefore said, Go with him other two, that the
ubi sup. -Qmnber three might be completed ; by which number per
fection is signified ; that whoever does this might remember
that he is fulfilling perfect righteousness. For which reason
he conveys this precept under three examples, and in this
third example, he adds a twofold measure to the one single
measure, that the threefold number may be complete. Or
w r e may so consider as though in enforcing this duty, He
had begun with what was easiest to bear, and had advanced
gradually. For first He commanded that when the right
cheek was smitten we should turn the other also ; therein
shewing ourselves ready to endure another wrong less than
that you have already received. Secondly, to him that would
take your coat, he bids you part with your cloak, (or garment,
as some copies read,) which is either just as great a loss, or
perhaps a little greater. In the third He doubles the ad
ditional wrong which He would have us ready to endure.
And seeing it is a small thing not to hurt unless you further
shew kindnesses, He adds, To him that asketh of thee, give.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Because wealth is not ours but God s;
God would have us stewards of His wealth, and not lords.
JEROME ; If we understand this only of alms, it cannot stand
with the estate of the most part of men who are poor ; even
the rich if they have been always giving, will not be able to
Aug. continue always to give. AUG. Therefore, He says not,
ubisup. < Q. ye a || things to hi m th a t asks; but, Give to every one
thai asketh; that you should only give what you can give
honestly and rightly. For what if one ask for money to
employ in oppressing the innocent man ? What if he ask
your consent to unclean sin ? We must give then only what
will hurt neither ourselves or others, as far as man can judge;
and when you have refused an inadmissible request, that you
may not send away empty him that asked, shew the righteous
ness of your refusal; and such correction of the unlawful peti-
Aug. tioner will often be a better gift than the granting his suit.
^"2* ID. For with more benefit is food taken from the hungry, if
VER. 38 42. ST. MATTHEW. 203
certainty of provision causes him to neglect righteousness,
than that food should be supplied to him that he may consent
to a deed of violence and wrong. JEROME ; But it may be
understood of the wealth of doctrine : wealth which never
fails but the more of it is given away, the more it abounds.
AUG. That He commands, And from him that would borrow Aug.
of fhee, turn not away, must be referred to the mind; f r Mont*
God loveth a cheerful giver. And every one that receives, 20.
indeed borrows, though it is not he that shall pay, but God, 9 7 r<
who restores to the merciful many fold. Or, if you like
to understand by borrowing, only taking with promise to
repay, we must understand the Lord s command as em
bracing both these kinds of affording aid ; whether we give
outright, or lend to receive again. And of this last kind of
shewing mercy it is well said, Turn not away, that is, do not
be therefore backward to lend, as though, because man shall
repay you, therefore God shall not; for what you do by
God s command cannot be without fruit. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Christ bids us lend but not on usury; for he who gives on
such terms does not bestow his own, but takes of another ;
he looses from one chain to bind with many, and gives not
for God s righteousness sake, but for his own gain. For
money taken on usury is like the bite of an asp ; as the asp s
poison secretly consumes the limbs, so usury turns all our
possessions into debt. AUG. Some object that this command Aug.
of Christ is altogether inconsistent with civil life in Common- f^B^
wealths; Who, say they, would suffer, when he could hinder
it, the pillage of his estate by an enemy; or would not repay
the evil suffered by a plundered province of Rome on the
plunderers according to the rights of war? But these
precepts of patience are to be observed in readiness of the
heart, and that mercy, not to return evil for evil, must be
always fulfilled by the will. Yet must we often use a merci
ful sharpness in dealing with the headstrong. And in this
way, if the earthly commonwealth will keep the Christian
commandments, even war will not be waged without good
charities, to the establishing among the vanquished peaceful
harmony of godliness and righteousness. For that victory is
beneficial to him from whom it snatches licence to sin;
since nothing is more unfortunate for sinners, than the good
204 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
fortune of their sins, which nourishes an impunity that brings
punishment after it, and an evil will is strengthened, as it
were some internal enemy.
43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you and persecute you ;
45. That ye may be the children of your Father
which is in heaven : for He maketh His sun to
rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust.
46. For if ye love them which love you, what
reward have ye ? do not even the Publicans the
same ?
47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what
do ye more than others ? do not even the Publicans
so?
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect.
Gloss. GLOSS. The Lord has taught above that we must
>cc not resist one who offers any injury, but must be ready
even to suffer more ; He now further requires us to shew
to them that do us wrong both love and its effects. And
as the things that have gone before pertain to the com
pletion of the righteousness of the Law, in like manner
this last precept is to be referred to the completion of the
law of love, which, according to the Apostle, is the fulfilling
Aug. de of the Law. AUG. That by the command, Thon shalt
Christ l ve thy neighbour, all mankind were intended, the Lord
! 30- shewed in the parable of the man who was left half dead,
which teaches us that our neighbour is every one who
may happen at any time to stand in need of our offices
of mercy ; and this who does not see must be denied to
VER. 43 48. ST. MATTHEW. 205
none, when the Lord says, Do good to them that hate
you. ID. That there were degrees in the righteousness of Aug.
the Pharisees which was under the old Law is seen ?, rm V 1
Mont. i.
herein, that many hated even those by whom they were 21.
loved. He therefore who loves his neighbour, has ascended
one degree, though as yet he hate his enemy ; which is
expressed in that, and shalt hate thy enemy ; which is
not to be understood as a command to the justified, but a
concession to the weak. ID. I ask the Manichaeans why Aug.
they would have this peculiar to the Mosaic Law, that^ ont
was said by them of old time, thou shalt hate thy enemy ? xix. 24.
Has not Paul said of certain men that they were hateful to
God ? We must enquire then how we may understand
that, after the example of God, to whom the Apostle here
affirms some men to be hateful, our enemies are to be hated ;
and again after the same pattern of Him who maketh his sun
to rise on the evil and the good, our enemies are to be
loved. Here then is the rule by which we may at once hate
our enemy for the evil s sake that is in him, that is, his
iniquity, and love him for the good s sake that is in him,
that is, his rational part. This then, thus uttered by them
of old, being heard, but not understood, hurried men on
to the hatred of man, when they should have hated nothing
but vice. Such the Lord corrects as He proceeds, saying,
/ say unto you. Love your enemies. He who had just
declared that He came not to subvert the Laiv, but to
Juljil it, by bidding us love our enemies, brought us to
the understanding of how we may at once hate the same
man for his sins whom we love for his human nature.
GLOSS. But it should be known, that in the whole body Gk)SS
of the Law it is no where written, Thou shalt hate thy enemy, ord.
But it is to be referred to the tradition of the Scribes, who
thought good to add this to the Law, because the Lord
bade the children of Israel pursue their enemies, and
destroy Amalek from under heaven. PSEUDO-CHRYS. As
that, Thou shalt not lust, was not spoken to the flesh,
but to the spirit, so in this the flesh indeed is not able
to love its enemy, but the spirit is able ; for the love
and hate of the flesh is in the sense, but of the spirit is
in the understanding. If then we feel hate to one who
206 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
has wronged us, and yet will not to act upon that feeling,
know that our flesh hates our enemy, but our soul loves
him. GREG. Love to an enemy is then observed when
Mor. . . . . c
xxii. 11. we are not sorrowful at his success, or rejoice in his fall.
We hate him whom we wish not to be bettered, and
pursue with ill-wishes the prosperity of the man in whose
fall we rejoice. Yet it may often happen that without
any sacrifice of charity, the fall of an enemy may gladden
us, and again his exaltation make us sorrowful without
any suspicion of envy ; when, namely, by his fall any
deserving man is raised up, or by his success any un
deservedly depressed. But herein a strict measure of
discernment must be observed, lest in following out our
own hates, we hide it from ourselves under the specious
pretence of others benefit. We should balance how much
we owe to the fall of the sinner, how much to the justice
of the Judge. For when the Almighty has struck any
hardened sinner, we must at once magnify His justice as
Judge, and feel with the other s suffering who perishes.
Gloss. GLOSS. They who stand against the Church oppose her
>r * in three ways; with hate, with words, and with bodily
tortures. The Church on the other hand loves them, as
it is here, Love your enemies ; does good to them, as it
is, Do good to them thai hate you ; and prays for them,
as it is, Pray for them that persecute you and accuse you
falsely. JEROME; Many measuring the commandments of
God by their own weakness, not by the strength of the
saints, hold these commands for impossible, and say that
it is virtue enough not to hate our enemies; but to love
them is a command beyond human nature to obev. But
it must be understood that Christ enjoins not impossibilities
but perfection. Such was the temper of David towards
Saul and Absalom ; the Martyr Stephen also prayed for
Rom. 9, his enemies while they stoned him, and Paul wished
himself anathema for the sake of his persecutors. Jesus
Luke23, both taught and did the same, saying, Father, forgive them,
Aug. for they know not what they do. AUG. These indeed
Enchir. are examples of the perfect sons of God ; yet to this
should every believer aim, and seek by prayer to God, and
struggles with himself to raise his human spirit to this
VEH. 43 48. ST. MATTHEW. 207
temper. Yet this so great blessing is not given to all
those multitudes which we believe are heard when they
pray, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
ID. Here arises a question, that this commandment of Aug.
the Lord, by which He bids us pray for our enemies, Moot,
seems opposed by many other parts of Scripture. In i>21 -
the Prophets are found many imprecations upon enemies ;
such as that in the 108th Psalm, Let his children be Ps. 109,
orphans. But it should be known, that the Prophets are
wont to foretel things to come in the form of a prayer or
wish. This has more weight as a difficulty that John
says, There is a sin unto death, I say not that he shall pray\ Jh n
for it ; plainly shewing, that there are some brethren for
whom he does not bid us pray ; for what went before was,
If any know his brother sin a sin, 8$c. Yet the Lord
bids us pray for our persecutors. This question can only
be resolved, if we admit that there are some sins in brethren
more grievous than the sin of persecution in our enemies.
For thus Stephen prays for those that stoned him, because
they had not yet believed on Christ; but the Apostle Paul 2 Tim.
does not pray for Alexander though he was a brother, but
had sinned by attacking the brotherhood through jealousy.
But for whom you pray not, you do not therein pray
against him. What must we say then of those against
whom we know that the saints have prayed, and that not
that they should be corrected, (for that would be rather
to have prayed for them), but for their eternal damnation ;
not as that prayer of the Prophet against the Lord s
betrayer, for that is a prophecy of the future, not an im
precation of punishment ; but as when we read in the
Apocalypse the Martyrs prayer that they may be avenged. Rev. 6,
But we ought not to let this affect us. For who may 10 *
dare to affirm that they prayed against those persons them
selves, and not against the kingdom of sin ? For that would
be both a just and a merciful avenging of the Martyrs,
to overthrow that kingdom of sin, under the continuance
of which they endured all those evils. And it is overthrown
by correction of some, and damnation of such as abide in
sin. Does not Paul seem to you to have avenged Stephen
on his own body, as he speaks, / chastise my body, and bring l Cor.
9,27.
208 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. V.
Hil. it into subjection. PsEUDO-Auo. And the souls of them
y U and ^at are s l anl C1 T out to be avenged; as the blood of Abel
N. Test, cried out of the ground not with a voice, but in spirit 1 .
^* . As the work is said to laud the workman, when he delights
himself in the view thereof; for the saints are not so
impatient as to urge on what they know will come to
pass at the appointed time. CHRYS. Note through what
steps we have now ascended hither, and how He has set
us on the very pinnacle of virtue. The first step is, not
to begin to do wrong to any ; the second, that in avenging
a wrong done to us we be content with retaliating equal ;
the third, to return nothing of what we have suffered ;
the fourth, to offer one s self to the endurance of evil; the fifth,
to be ready to suffer even more evil than the oppressor desires
to inflict; the sixth, not to hate him of whom we suffer
such things; the seventh, to love him; the eighth, to
do him good; the ninth, to pray for him. And because
the command is great, the reward proposed is also great,
namely, to be made like unto God, Ye shall be the sons
of your Father which is in heaven.
JEROME ; For whoso keeps the commandments of God
is thereby made the son of God ; he then of whom he here
Auo-. speaks is not by nature His son, but by his own will. AUG.
Snm. m After that rule we must here understand of which John
i. 23. speaks, He gave them power to be made the sons of God.
One is His Son by nature ; we are made sons by the power
which we have received; that is, so far as we fulfil those
things that we are commanded. So He says not, Do these
things because ye are sons; but, do these things that ye may
become sons. In calling us to this then, He calls us to
His likeness, for He saith, He maketh His sun to rise on
the righteous and the unrighteous. By the sun we may
understand not this visible, but that of which it is said,
Mai. 4, To you that fear the name of the Lord, the Sun of righteous
ness shall arise; and by the rain, the water of the doctrine of
truth ; for Christ was seen, and w r as preached to good as
well as bad. HILARY; Or, the sun and rain have reference
Aug. to the baptism with water and Spirit. AUG. Or we may
ubi sup. f a ke ^ O f thi s visible sun, and of the rain by which the fruits
are nourished, a s the wicked mourn in the book of Wisdom,
VER. 43 48. ST. MATTHEW. 209
The Sun has not risen for us. And of the rain it is said, Wi.-d.
fe rf?
/ will command the clouds thai they rain not on it. But is. 5, 6.
whether it be this or that, it is of the great goodness of God,
which is set forth for our imitation. He says not, ( the sun,
but, His sun, that is, the sun which Himself has made, that
hence we may be admonished with how great liberality we
ought to supply those things that we have not created, but
have received as a boon from Him. ID. But as we laud Aug.
Him for His gifts, let us also consider how He chastises 93. 2*
those whom He loves. For not every one who spares is
a friend, nor every one who chastises an enemy ; it is better y id-
to love with severity, than to use lenity wherewith to deceive. 276.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He was careful to say, On the righteous and
the unrighteous, and not ( on the unrighteous as oil the
righteous ; for God gives all good gifts not for men s sake,
but for the saints sake, as likewise chastisements for the
sake of sinners. In bestowing His good gifts, He does not
separate the sinners from the righteous, that they should
not despair ; so in His inflictions, not the righteous from
sinners that they should be made proud ; and that the
more, since the wicked are not profited by the good things
they receive, but turn them to their hurt by their evil lives ;
nor are the good hurt by the evil things, but rather profit to
increase of righteousness. AUG. For the good man is not Aug. De
puffed up by worldly goods, nor broken by worldly calamity. p^.Dei,
But the bad man is punished in temporal losses, because he
is corrupted by temporal gains. Or for another reason He
would have good and evil common to both sorts of men, that
good things might not be sought with vehement desire, when
they were enjoyed even by the wicked; nor the evil things
shamefully avoided, when even the righteous are afflicted by
them. GLOSS. To love one that loves us is of nature, but to Gloss,
love our enemy of charity. If ye love them who love you,
what reward leave ye ? to wit, in heaven. None truly, for of
such it is said, Ye have received your reward. But these
things we ought to do, and not leave the other undone.
RABAN, If then sinners be led by nature to shew kindness to
those that love them, with how much greater shew of
affection ought you not to embrace even those that do not
love you ? For it follows, Do not even the publicans so ?
VOL. i. p
210 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, CHAP. V.
TJie publicans are those who collect the public imposts ; or
perhaps those who pursue the public business or the gain of
Gloss. ^jg wor ] c ] GLOSS. But if you only pray for them that are
non occ. J J \ J
your kinsfolk, what more has your benevolence than that of
the unbelieving? Salutation is a kind of prayer. RABAN.
Ethnici) that is, the Gentiles, for the Greek word eflvoj is
translated gens in Latin ; those, that is, who abide such as
they were born, to wit, under sin. REMIG. Because the
utmost perfection of love cannot go beyond the love of
enemies, therefore as soon as the Lord has bid us love our
enemies, He proceeds, Be ye then perfect , as your Father
ivhicli is in heaven is perfect. He indeed is perfect, as
being omnipotent ; man, as being aided by the Omnipotent.
For the word 4 as is used in Scripture, sometimes for
Josh, i, identity, and equality, as in that, As 1 was with Moses, so
will I be with thee ; sometimes to express likeness only
as here. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For as our sons after the flesh
resemble their fathers in some part of their bodily shape,
so do spiritual sons resemble their father God, in holiness.
CHAP. VI.
1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men,
to be seen of them : otherwise ye have no reward of
your Father which is in Heaven.
GLOSS. Christ having now fulfilled the Law in respect of Gloss.
commandments, begins to fulfil it in respect of promises, 110
that we may do God s commandments for heavenly wages,
not for the earthly which the Law held out. All earthly
things are reduced to two main heads, viz. human glory, and
abundance of earthly goods, both of which seem to be
promised in the Law. Concerning the first is that spoken
in Deuteronomy, The Lord shall make thee higher than all c. 28 ? 1.
the nations ifho dwell on tit e face of the earth. And in the
same place it is added of earthly wealth, The Lord shall
make thee abound in all good things. Therefore the Lord
now forbids these two things, glory and wealth, to the atten
tion of believers. CHRYS. Yet be it known that the desire
fame is near a kin to virtue. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For when any xi , m
thing truly glorious is done, there ostentation has its readiest
occasion; so the Lord first shuts out all intention of seeking
glory; as He knows that this is of all fleshly vices the most
dangerous to man. The servants of the Devil are tormented
by all kinds of vices ; but it is the desire of empty glory that
torments the servants of the Lord more than the servants of
the Devil. AUG. How great strength the love of human Aug.
glory has, none feels, but he who has proclaimed war against Lib?
it. For though it is easy for any not to wish for praise Sentent.
when it is denied him, it is difficult not to be pleased
with it when it is offered. CHRYS. Observe how He has
begun as it were describing some beast hard to be dig-
212 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
cerned, and ready to steal upon him who is not greatly
on his guard against it ; it enters in secretly, and carries off
insensibly all those things that are within. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
And therefore he enjoins this to be more carefully avoided,
Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men. It
is our heart we must watch, for it is an invisible serpent that
we have to guard against, which secretly enters in and
seduces ; but if the heart be pure into which the enemy has
succeeded in entering in, the righteous man soon feels that
he is prompted by a strange spirit; but if his heart were full
of wickednesses, he does not readily perceive the suggestion
of the Devil, and therefore He first taught us, Be not angry.
Lust not, for that he who is under the yoke of these evils
cannot attend to his o\vn heart. But how can it be that we
should not do our alms before men. Or if this may be, how
can they be so done that we should not know of it. For if a
poor man come before us in the presence of any one, how
shall we be able to give him alms in secret? If we lead him
aside, it must be seen that we shall give him. Observe
then that He said not simply, Do not before men, but
added, to be seen of them. He then who does righteousness
not from this motive, even if he does it before the eyes of
men, is not to be thought to be herein condemned; for he
who does any thing for God s sake, sees nothing in his heart
but God, for whose sake he does it ; as a workman has
always before his eyes him who has entrusted him with the
Greg, work to do. GREG. If then we seek the fame of giving, we
^? r> 8 make even our public deeds to be hidden in His sight; for if
herein we seek our own glory, then they are already cast out
of His sight, even though there be many by whom they are yet
unknown. It belongs only to the thoroughly perfect, to suffer
their deeds to be seen, and to receive the praise of doing them
in such sort that they are lifted up with no secret exultation;
whereas they that are weak, because they cannot attain to
this perfect contempt of their own fame, must needs hide
Aug. those good deeds that they do. AUG. In saying only, That
Mont ^ y e ^ e seen f men > w ith ut an y addition, He seems to have
ii. 1. forbidden that we should make that the end of our actions.
Gal. i, F or the Apostle who declared, If I yet pleased men, I should
l Cor. not be the servant of Christ ; says in another place, f please
10, 33.
VER. 24. ST. MATTHEW. 213
all men in all things. This he did not that he might please
men, but God, to the love of whom he desires to turn the
hearts of men by pleasing them. As \ve should not think
that he spoke absurdly, who should say. In this my pains
in seeking a ship, it is not the ship I seek, but my country.
ID. He says this, that i/e be seen of men, because there are Aug.
some who so do their righteousness before men that them- 54 ^
selves may not be seen, but that the works themselves may
be seen, and their Father who is in heaven may be glorified;
for they reckon not their own righteousness, but His, in the
faith of whom they live. ID. That He adds, Otherwise ye shall Aug.
not have your re tear d before your Father who is in heaveny j
signifies no more than that we ought to take heed that we"-
seek not praise of men in reward of our works. PSETJDO-
CHRYS. What shall you receive from God, who have given
God nothing? What is done for God s sake is given to God,
and received by Him ; but what is done because of men is
cast to the winds. But what wisdom is it, to bestow our
goods, to reap empty words, and to have despised the reward
of God? Nay you deceive the very man for whose good
word you look ; for he thinks you do it for God s sake?
otherwise he would rather reproach than commend you.
Yet must we think him only to have done his work because
of men, who does it with his whole will and intention
governed by the thought of them. But if an idle thought,
seeking to be seen of men, mount up in any one s heart, but
is resisted by the understanding spirit, he is not thereupon
to be condemned of man-pleasing; for that the thought
came to him was the passion of the flesh, what he chose was
the judgment of his soul.
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not
sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may
have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left
hand know what thy right hand doeth :
214 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
4. That thine alms may be in secret : and thy
Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward
thee openly.
Aug. AUG. Above the Lord had spoken of righteousness in
Mot. 1D general. He now pursues it through its different parts,
n. 2. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He opposes three chief virtues, alms,
elms, prayer, and fasting, to three evil things against which the
Horn. xv. Lord undertook the war of temptation. For He fought for
us in the wilderness against gluttony ; against covctousness
on the mount; against false glory on the temple. It is alms_
that scatter abroad against covetpusness which heaps up ;
fasting against gluttony which is its contrary ; prayer against
false glory, seeing that all other evil things come out of evil,
this alone conies out of good; and therefore it is not over
thrown but rather nourished of good, and has no remedy that
Ambro may avail against it but prayer only. AMBROSIASTER; The
Com ra sum f a ^ Christian discipline is comprehended in mercy
in Tim. and piety, for which reason He begins with almsgiving.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The trumpet stands for every act or word
that tends to a display of our works ; for instance, to do
alms if we know that some other person is looking on, or
at the request of another, or to a person of such condition
that he may make us return ; and unless in such cases not to
do them. Yea, even if in some secret place they are done
with intent to be thought praiseworthy, then is the trumpet
Aug. sounded. AUG. Thus what He says, Do not sound a
1 trumpet before thee, refers to what He had said above, Take
heed that ye do not your righteousness before men. JEROME;
He who sounds a trumpet before him when he does alms
is a hypocrite. Whence he adds, as the hypocrites do.
isid. [SID. The name hypocrite is derived from the appearance
ex AuV *f those who in the shows are disguised in masks, variously
Serm. coloured according to the character they represent, some
times male, sometimes female, to impose on the spectators
Aug. while they act in the games. AUG. As then the hypocrites,
sup< (a word meaning c one who feigns, ) as personating the
characters of other men, act parts which are not naturally
their own for he who personates Agamemnon, is not reallv
VER. 2 4, ST. MATTHEW. 215
Agamemnon, but feigns to be so so likewise in the
Churches, whosoever in his whole conduct desires to seem
what he is not, is a hypocrite ; he feigns himself righteous
and is not really so, seeing his only motive is praise of men.
GLOSS. In the words, in the streets and villages, he marks Gloss.
the public places which they selected ; and in those, thai n
they may receive honour of men, he marks their motive.
GREG. It should be known, that there are some who wear Greg,
the dress of sanctity, and are not able to work out the merit XX xi*. 13.
of perfection, yet who must in no wise be numbered among
the hypocrites, because it is one thing to sin from weakness,
another from crafty affectation. AUG. And such sinners Au -
receive from God the Searcher of hearts none other reward Mont*.
than punishment of their deceitfulness ; Verily I say unto !l 2 *
you, they have their reward. JEROME ; A reward not of
God, but of themselves, for they receive praise of men, for
the sake of which it was that they practised their virtues.
AUG. This refers to what He had said above, Otherwise ye Aug.
shall have no reward of your Father which is in heaven ;
and He goes on to shew them that they should not do their
alms as the hypocrites, but teaches them how they should do
them. CHRYS. Let not tliy left hand know what thy right
hand doetlt, is said as an extreme expression, as much as to
say, If it were possible, that you should not know yourself,
and that your very hands should be hid from your sight, that
is what you should most strive after. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The
Apostles in the book of the Constitutions, interpret thus;
The right hand is the Christian people which is at Christ s
right hand; the left hand is all the people who are on
His left hand. He means then, that when a Christian does
alms, the unbeliever should not see it. AUG. But according Aug.
to this interpretation, it will be 110 fault to have a respect to UIJ
pleasing the faithful; and yet we are forbidden to propose as
the end of any good work the pleasing of any kind of men.
Yet if you would have men to imitate your actions which
may be pleasing to them, they must be done before unbe
lievers as well as believers. If again, according to another
interpretation, we take the left hand to mean our enemy, and
that our enemy should not know when we do our alms, why
216 GOSF1SL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
did the Lord Himself mercifully heal men when the Jews
were standing round Him ? And how too must we deal
Prov.25, with our enemy himself according to that precept, If thy
enemy hunger, feed him. A third interpretation is ridiculous;
that the left hand signifies the wife, and that because women
are wont to be more close in the matter of expense out of
the family purse, therefore the charities of the husband
should be secret from the wife, for the avoiding of domestic
strife. But this command is addressed to women as well as
to men, what then is the left hand, from which women are
bid to conceal their alms? Is the husband also the left
hand of the wife ? And when it is commanded such that
they enrich each other with good works, it is clear that
they ought not to hide their good deeds ; nor is a theft to
be committed to do God service. But if in any case some
thing must needs be done covertly, from respect to the
weakness of the other, though it is not unlawful, yet that
we cannot suppose the wife to be intended by the left hand
here is clear from the purport of the whole paragraph ; no,
not even such an one as he might well call left. But that
which is blamed in hypocrites, namely, that they seek praise
of men, this you are forbid to do; the left hand therefore
seems to signify the delight in men s praise ; the right hand
denotes the purpose of fulfilling the divine commands.
Whenever then a desire to gain honour from men mingles
itself with the conscience of him that does alms, it is then
the left hand knowing what the right hand, the right con
science, does. Let not Ihe left Jiand know, therefore, what
the rigid hand doeth, means, let not the desire of men s praise
mingle with your conscience. But our Lord does yet more
strongly forbid the left hand alone to work in us, than its
mingling in the works of the right hand. The intent with
which He said all this is shewn in that He adds, that your
alms mat/ be in secret; that is, in that your good conscience
only, which human eye cannot see, nor words discover, though
many things are said falsely of many. But your good con
science itself is enough for you towards deserving your reward,
if you look for your reward from Him who alone can see your
conscience. This is that He adds, And youi Father which
VER. 5, 6. ST. MATTHEW. 217
seeth in secret shall reward you. Many Latin copies have,
openly*. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For it is impossible that God should
leave in obscurity any good work of man ; but He makes it
manifest in this world, and glorifies it in the next world, be
cause it is the glory of God; as likewise the Devil manifests
evil, in which is shewn the strength of his great wickedness.
But God properly makes public every good deed only in
that world the goods of which are not common to the righ
teous and the wicked ; therefore to whomsoever God shall
there shew favour, it will be manifest that it was as reward
of his righteousness. But the reward of virtue is not mani
fested in this world, in which both bad and good are alike in
their fortunes. AUG. But in the Greek copies, which are
earlier, we have not the word openly. CHRYS. If therefore
you desire spectators of your good deeds, behold you have
not merely Angels and Archangels, but the God of the universe.
5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as
the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,, that
they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you,
They have their reward.
6. But thou,, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Solomon says, Before prayer, prepare Iliy Pseudo-
soul. This he does who comes to prayer dcing alms; for ^ ^. c .
good works stir up the faith of the heart, and give the soul Ecdus -
confidence in prayer to God. Alms then are a preparation for
prayer, and therefore the Lord after speaking of alms proceeds
accordingly to instruct us concerning prayer. AUG. He does Aug.
not now bid us pray, but instructs us how we should pray ; f
as above He did not command us to do alms, but shewed " 3 -
the manner of doing them. PsEUDO-CHRYS. Prayer is as it
11 openly omit Clement. Horn. iii. 55. loc. Augustine adds that the Greek
on verse 6. Origen on v. 6. (in Ezek. MSS. omit, but all the present Greek
viii. 12.) but retains in Joan. torn. 13. n. MSS. retain. He omits it also in
45. Jerome in loc. &c. vid. Wetstein in v. 18.
"218 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
were a spiritual tribute which the soul offers of its own
bowels. Wherefore the more glorious it is, the more watch
fully ought we to guard that it is not made vile by being
clone to be seen of men. CHRYS. He calls them hypocrites,
because feigning that they are praying to God, they are
looking round to men; and, He adds, they love to pray in
the synagogues. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But I suppose that it is
not the place that the Lord here refers to, but the motive of
him that prays ; for it is praiseworthy to pray in the congre-
Fs. 68, gation of the faithful, as it is said, In your Churches bless ye
God. Whoever then so prays as to be seen of men does not
look to God but to man, and so far as his purpose is con
cerned he prays in the synagogue. But he, whose mind in
prayer is wholly fixed on God, though he pray in the
synagogue, yet seems to pray with himself in secret. In the
corners of the streets, namely, that they may seem to he
praying retiredly; and thus earn a twofold praise, both that
Gloss, they pray, and that they pray in retirement. GLOSS. Or, the
ord. corners of the streets, are the places where one way crosses
another, and makes four cross-ways. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He
forbids us to pray in an assembly with the intent of being
seen of that assembly, as He adds, that they may be seen
of men. He that prays therefore should do nothing singular
that might attract notice ; as crying out, striking his breast,
Aug. or reaching forth his hands. AUG. Not that the mere being
ubi sup. geen O f men i s an i m pi e ty } Du t the doing this, in order to bo
seen of men. CHRYS. It is a good thing to be drawn away
from the thought of empty glory, but especially in prayer.
For our thoughts are apt to stray of themselves ; if then we
address ourselves to prayer with this disease upon us, how shall
Aug. we understand those things that are said by us ? AUG. The
ubi sup- p r i v ity of other men is to be so far shunned by us, as it leads
us to do any thing with this mind that w r e look for the fruit
of their applause. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Verily I say unto you,
they have received their reirard, for every man where he
sows there he reaps, therefore they who pray because of men,
not because of God, receive praise of men, not of God.
CHRYS. He says, have received, because God was ready to
give them that reward which comes from Himself, but they
prefer rather that which comes from men. He then goes on
VEH. 5, 6. ST. MATTHEW. 219
to teach how we should pray. JEROME ; This if taken in its
plain sense teaches the hearer to shun all desire of vain
honour in praying. PsEUDO-CmiYS. That none should be
there present save he only who is praying, for a witness im
pedes rather than forwards prayer. CYPRIAN; The Lord has Cypr.
bid us in His instructions to pray secretly in remote and with- 9 S *
drawn places, as best suited to faith; that we may be assured
that God who is present every where hears and sees all,
and in the fulness of His Majesty penetrates even hidden
places. PSEUDO-CHRYS. We may also understand by the
door of the chamber., the mouth of the body; so that we
should not pray to God with loudness of tone, but with
silent heart, for three reasons. First, because God is not
to be gained by vehement crying, but by a right conscience,
seeing He is a hearer of the heart; secondly, because none
but thyself and God should be privy to your secret prayers ;
thirdly, because if you pray aloud, you hinder any other
from praying near you. CASSIAN ; Also we should observe Cassian,
close silence in our prayers, that our enemies, who are ^3*5"
ever most watchful to ensnare us at that time, may not
know the purport of our petition. AUG. Or, by our Aug.
chambers are to be understood our hearts, of which it is UJ
spoken in the fourth Psalm; What things ye utter in yourPs. 4, 4.
hearts, and wherewith ye are pricked in your chambers.
The door is the bodily senses ; without are all worldly
things, which, enter into our thoughts through the senses,
and that crowd of vain imaginings which beset us in
prayer. CYPRIAN ; What insensibility is it to be snatched Cypr.
wandering off by light and profane imaginings, when you 20" V ""
are presenting your entreaty to the Lord, as if there were
aught else you ought rather to consider than that your
converse is with God! How can you claim of God to
attend to you, when you do not attend to yourself? This is
altogether to make no provision against the enemy ; this is
when praying to God, to offend God s Majesty by the
neglectfulness of your prayer. AUG. The door then must Aug.
be shut, that is, we must resist the bodily sense, that W e" bl? p "
may address our Father in such spiritual prayer as is made
in the inmost spirit, where we pray to Him truly in secret.
REMIG. Let it be enough for you that He alone know your
220 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
petitions, who knows the secrets of all hearts ; for He Who
sees all things, the same shall listen to you. CHRYS. He
said not shall freely give thee, but, shall reward thee ;
thus He constitutes Himself your debtor.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do : for they think that they shall
be heard for their much speaking.
8. Be ye not therefore like unto them : for your
Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before
ye ask Him.
Aug. AUG. As the hypocrites use to set themselves so as to be
ubi sup. seen i n tjh e i r prayers, whose reward is to be acceptable to
men ; so the Ethnici (that is, the Gentiles) use to think
that they shall be heard for their much speaking; therefore He
Cassian, adds, Wlteit ye prat/, do not ye use many words. C ASS IAN;
ix? 36. ^ e should indeed pray often, but in short form, lest if we
be long in our prayers, the enemy that lies in wait for us,
Aug. might suggest something for our thoughts. AUG. Yet to
j 3 ^ st , 0> continue long in prayer is not, as some think, what is here
meant, by wing many words. For much speaking is one
thing, and an enduring fervency another. For of the Lord
Himself it is written, that He continued a whole night in
prayer, and prayed at great length, setting an example to us.
The brethren in Egypt are said to use frequent prayers, but
those very short, and as it were hasty ejaculations, lest that
fervency of spirit, which is most behoveful for us in prayer,
should by longer continuance be violently broken off.
Herein themselves sufficiently shew, that this fervency of
spirit, as it is not to be forced if it cannot last, so if it has
lasted is not to be violently broken off. Let prayer then be
without much speaking, but not without much entreaty, if
this fervent spirit can be supported ; for much speaking
in prayer is to use in a necessary matter more words than
necessary. But to entreat much, is to importune with
enduring warmth of heart Him to whom our entreaty is
made; for often is this business effected more by groans than
words, by weeping more than speech. CHRYS. Hereby He
VER. 7, 8. ST. MATTHEW. 221
dissuades from empty speaking in prayer; as, for example,
when we ask of God things improper, as dominions, fame,
overcoming of our enemies, or abundance of wealth. He
commands then that our prayers should not be long ; long,
that is, not in time, but in multitude of words. For it is
right that those who ask should persevere in their asking ;
being instant in prayer, as the Apostle instructs; but does
not thereby enjoin us to compose a prayer of ten thousand
verses, and speak it all ; which He secretly hints at, when
He says, Do not ye use many trords. GLOS?. What He Gloss,
condemns is many words in praying that come of want
of faith ; as the Gentiles do. For a multitude of words were
needful for the Gentiles, seeing the daemons could not know
for what they petitioned, until instructed by them ; they
think they shall be heard for their much speaking. AUG. Au g-
And truly all superfluity of discourse has come from the
Gentiles, who labour rather to practise their tongues than to
cleanse their hearts, and introduce this art of rhetoric into
that wherein they need to persuade God. GREG. True Greg,
prayer consists rather in the bitter groans of repentance, xxxiii.
than in the repetition of set forms of words. AUG. For we ^
use many words then when we have to instruct one who is ubisup.
in ignorance, what need of them to Him who is Creator
of all things; Your heavenly Father knoweth what ye have
need of before you ask Him. JEROME; On this there starts
up a heresy of certain Philosophers who taught the mistaken Epicu-
dogma, that If God knows for what we shall pray, and, before
we ask, knows what we need, our prayer is needlessly made
to one who has such knowledge. To such we shortly reply,
That in our prayers we do not instruct, but entreat; it is one
thing to inform the ignorant, another to beg of the under
standing : the first were to teach ; the latter is to perform a
service of duty. CHRYS. You do not then pray in order to
teach God your wants, but to move Him, that you may be
come His friend by the importunity of your applications to
Him, that you may be humbled, that you may be reminded
of your sins. AUG. Nor ought we to use words in seeking to A "S*
obtain of God what we would, but to seek with intense and
fervent application of mind, with pure love, and suppliant Aug.
spirit. TD. But even with words we ought at certain perio
2*22 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
to make prayer to God, that by these signs of things we may
keep ourselves in mind, and may know what progress we
have made in such desire, and fitay stir up ourselves more
actively to increase this desire, that after it have begun to
wax warm, it may not be chilled and utterly frozen up by
divers cares, without our continual care to keep it alive.
Words therefore are needful for us that we should be moved
by them, that we should understand clearly what it is we
ask, not that we should think that by them the Lord is either
Ag- . instructed or persuaded. ID. Still it may be asked, what is
Mont, the use of prayer at all, whether made in words or in medi-
l!> 3 - tation of things, if God knows already what is necessary for
us. The mental posture of prayer calms and purifies the
soul, and makes it of more capacity to receive the divine
gifts which are poured into it. For God does not hear us
for the prevailing force of our pleadings ; He is at all times
ready to give us His light, but we are not ready to receive it,
but prone to other things. There is then in prayer a turning
of the body to God, and a purging of the inward eye, whilst
those worldly things which we desired are shut out, that the
eye of the mind made single might be able to bear the single
light, and in it abide with that joy with which a happy life
is perfected.
9. After this manner therefore pray ye : Our
Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Gloss, e. GLOSS. Amongst His other saving instructions and divine
lessons, wherewith He counsels believers, He has set forth
for us a form of prayer in few words; thus giving us con
fidence that that will be quickly granted, for which He
Cypr. would have us pray so shortly. CYPRIAN; He who gave
to us to live, taught us also to pray, to the end, that speaking
to the Father in the prayer which the Son hath taught, we
may receive a readier hearing. It is praying like friends and
familiars to offer up to God of His own. Let the Father
recognize the Son s words when we offer up our prayer;
and seeing we have Him when we sin for an Advocate with
the Father, let us put forward the words of our Advocate,
VER. 9- ST. MATTHEW. 223
when as sinners we make petition for our offences. GLOSS. Gloss.
Yet we do not confine ourselves wholly to these words, hut ordi
use others also conceived in the same sense, with which our
heart is kindled. AUG. Since in every entreaty we have first Aug.
to propitiate the good favour of Him whom we entreat, and flj t "/*
after that mention what we entreat for ; and this we com- 4.
monly do by saying something in praise of Him whom we
entreat, and place it in the front of our petition; in this the
Lord bids us say no more than only, Our Father which art
in Heaven. Many things were said of them to the praise of
God, yet do we never find it taught to the children of Israel
to address God as Our Father; He is rather set before
them as a Lord over slaves. But of Christ s people the
Apostle says, We have received the Spirit of adoption, where- Rom. 8,
hy ice cry Abba, Father, and that not of our deservings, but 15
of grace. This then we express in the prayer when we say,
Father; which name also stirs up love. For what can be
dearer than sons are to a father ? And a suppliant spirit, in
that men should say to God Our Father. And a certain
presumption that we shall obtain ; for what will He not
give to His sons when they ask of Him, who has given them
that first that they should be sons? Lastly, how great anxiety
possesses his mind, that having called God his Father, he
should not be unworthy of such a Father. By this the rich
and the noble are admonished when they have become
Christians not to be haughty towards the poor or truly born,
who like themselves may address God as Our Father; and
they therefore cannot truly or piously say this unless they
acknowledge such for brethren. CHRYS, For what hurt
does such kindred with those beneath us, when we are
all alike kin to One above us? For who calls God Father,
in that one title confesses at once the forgiveness of sins,
the adoption, the heirship, the brotherhood, which he has
with the Only-begotten, and the gift of the Spirit. For
none can call God Father, but he who has obtained
all these blessings. In a two-fold manner, therefore, he
moves the feeling of them that pray, both by the dignity
of Him who is prayed to, and the greatness of those benefits
which we gain by prayer. CYPRIAN; We say not MyCypr.
Father, but Our Father , for the teacher of peace and master Tr>vii<4
224 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Vl.
of unity would not have men pray singly and severally, since
when any prays, he is not to pray for himself only. Our
prayer is general and for all, and when we pray, we pray
not for one person but for us all, because we all are one.
So also He willed that one should pray for all, according as
Himself in one did bear us all. PSEUDO-CHRYS. To pray
for ourselves it is our necessity compels us, to pray for
Gloss, others brotherly charity instigates. GLOSS. Also because
ord - He is a common Father of all, we say, Our Father;
not My Father which is appropriate to Christ alone, who
is His Son by nature. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Which art in
heaven, is added, that we may know that we have a heavenly
Father, and may blush to immerse ourselves wholly in
Cassian earthly things when we have a Father in heaven. CASSIAN ;
Collat. And ^ na t vve should speed with strong desire thitherward
where our Father dwells. CHRYS. In heaven, not con
fining God s presence to that, but withdrawing the thoughts
of the petitioner from earth and fixing them on things above.
Al](r AUG. Or; in heaven is among the saints and the righteous
Serm. in m en ; for God is not contained in space. For the heavens
ii. 5. literally are the upper parts of the universe, and if God
be thought to be in them, then are the birds of more desert
than men, seeing they must have their habitation nearer to
Ps. 34 God. But, God is nigh, it is not said to the men of lofty
stature, or to the inhabitants of the mountain tops ; but,
to tlte broken in heart. But as the sinner is called c earth,
Gen. 3, as earth thou art, and unto earth thou mast return, so
19 - might the righteous on the other hand be called the heaven.
Thus then it would be rightly said Who art in heaven, for
there would seem to be as much difference spiritually be
tween the righteous and sinners, as locally, between heaven
and earth. With the intent of signifying which thing it
is, that we turn our faces in prayer to the east, not as though
God was there only, deserting all other parts of the earth ;
but that the mind may be reminded to turn itself to that
nature which is more excellent, that is to God, when his
body, which is of earth, is turned to the more excellent body
which is of heaven. For it is desirable that all, both small
and great, should have right conceptions of God, and there
fore for such as cannot fix their thoughts on spiritual natures,
VER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 225
it is better that they should think of God as being in heaven
than in earth.
AUG. Having named Him to whom prayer is made and Aug.
where He dwells, let us now see what things they are for u
which we ought to pray. But the first of all the things that
are prayed for is, Hallowed l)e thy nam?, not implying that
the name of God is not holy, but that it may be held sacred
of men ; that is, that God may be so known that nothing
may be esteemed more holy. CHRYS. Or; He bids us
in praying beg that God may be glorified in our life ; as
if we were to say, Make us to live so that all things may
glorify Thee through us. For hallowed signifies the same
as glorified. It is a petition worthy to be made by man
to God, to ask nothing before the glory of the Father, but to
postpone all things to His praise. CYPRIAN ; Otherwise, we Cyp r .-
say this not as wishing for God to be made holy by our
prayers, but asking of Him for His name to be kept holy in
us. For seeing He Himself has said, Be ye holy, for I also Lev. 20,
am holy, it is this that we ask and request that we who have
been sanctified in Baptism, may persevere such as we have
begun. AUG. But why is this perseverance asked of God, Aug.
if, as the Pelagians say, it is not given by God ? Is it not a p^ r f 3"
mocking petition to ask of God what we know is not given by
Him, but is in the power of man himself to attain ? CYPRIAN ; Cypr.
For this we daily make petition, since we need a daily ubl sup-
sanctification, in order that we who sin day by day, may
cleanse afresh our offences by a continual sanctification.
10. Thy kingdom come.
GLOSS. It follows suitably, that after our adoption as sons, Gloss.
we should ask a kingdom which is due to sons. AUG. This^
is not so said as though God did not now reign on earth, orSerm. in
had not reigned over it always. Come, must therefore be- 6 nt
taken for be manifested to men. For none shall then be
ignorant of His kingdom, when His Only-begotten not in
understanding only, but in visible shape shall come to judge
the quick and dead. This day of judgment the Lord teaches
shall then come, when the Gospel shall have been preached to
all nations ; which thing pertains to the hallowing of God s
VOL. I. Q
226 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
name. JEROME ; Either it is a general prayer for the king
dom of the whole world that the reign of the Devil may
cease ; or for the kingdom in each of us that God may reign
there, and that sin may not reign in our mortal body.
Cypr. CYPRIAN ; Or ; it is that kingdom which was promised to us
by God, and bought with Christ s blood ; that we who before
in the world have been servants, may afterwards reign under
Aug. the dominion of Christ. AUG. For the kingdom of God will
\3Q & ii come whether we desire it or not. But herein we kindle our
desires towards that kingdom, that it may come to us, and
Cassian.that we may reign in it. CASSIAN ; Or; because the Saint
j x jg knows by the witness of his conscience, that when the
kingdom of God shall appear, he shall be partaker therein.
JEROME ; But be it noted, that it comes of high con
fidence, and of an unblemished conscience only, to pray
for the kingdom of God, and not to fear the judgment.
Cypr. CYPRIAN; The kingdom of God may stand for Christ
? * Himself, whom we day by day wish to come, and for whose
advent we pray that it may be quickly manifested to us.
As He is our resurrection, because in Him we rise again,
so may He be called the kingdom of God, because we are to
reign in Him. Rightly we ask for God s kingdom, that is,
for the heavenly, because there is a kingdom of this earth
beside. He, however, who has renounced the world, is
superior to its honours and to its kingdom ; and hence he
who dedicates himself to God and to Christ, longs not for
the kingdom of earth, but for the kingdom of Heaven*
Aug. AUG. When they pray, Let thy kingdom come, what else
Per? 2! do tn ey P ra J f r wno are a^eady holy, but that they may
persevere in that holiness they now have given unto them ?
For no otherwise will the kingdom of God come, than as
it is certain it will come to those that persevere unto the
end.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.
Aug. ID. In that kingdom of blessedness the happy life will
Mont in ^ e ma de perfect in the Saints as it now is in the heavenly
ii. 6. Angels ; and therefore after the petition, Thy kingdom come,
follows, Thy will be done as in heaven, so in earth. That
VER. 10. ST. MATTHEW. 227
is, as by the Angels who are in Heaven Thy will is clone
so as that they have fruition of Thee, no error clouding
their knowledge, no pain marring their blessedness ; so
may it be done by Thy Saints who are on earth, and who,
as to their bodies, are made of earth. So that, Thy will be
done, is rightly understood as, Thy commands be obeyed ;
as in heaven, so in earth, that is, as by Angels, so by men ;
not that they do what God would have them do, but they do
because He would have them do it ; that is, they do after
His will. CHRYS. See how excellently this follows ; having
taught us to desire heavenly things by that which He said,
Thy kingdom come, before we come to Heaven He bids us
make this earth into Heaven, in that saying, Thy will be done
as in heaven, so in earth. JEROME ; Let them be put to
shame by this text who falsely affirm that there are daily
falls in Heaven b . AUG. Or ; as by the righteous, so by ruinas
sinners ; as if He had said, As the righteous do Thy will, ub ^
so also may sinners ; either by turning to Thee, or in
receiving every man his just reward, which shall be in the
last judgment. Or, by the heaven and the earth we may
understand the spirit and the flesh. As the Apostle says,
In my mind I obey the law of God, we see the will of God Rom. 7,
done in the spirit. But in that change which is promised
to the righteous there, Let thy will be done as in heaven, so in
earth ; that is, as the spirit does not resist God, so let the
body not resist the spirit. Or ; as in heaven, so in earth, as
in Christ Jesus Himself, so in His Church; as in the Man
who did His Father s will, so in the woman who is espoused
of Him. And heaven and earth may be suitably understood
as husband and wife, seeing it is of the heaven that the earth
brings forth her fruits. CYPRIAN ; We ask not that God may Cypr.
do His own will, but that we may be enabled to do what ubl sup *
He wills should be done by us ; and that it may be done in
us we stand in need of that will, that is, of God s aid and
protection ; for no man is strong by his own strength, but is
safe in the indulgence and pity of God. CHRYS. For
b There were various opinions in the in Cyril. Hier. iii. 5. Huet. Origenian.
first ages about the indefectibility and ii. 5. n. 16. Nat. Alex, in prim. mund.
perfection of good spirits, vid. Petav. set. Diss. 7.
de Angelis iii. 2, &c. Dissert. Bened.
228 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
virtue is not of our own efforts, but of grace from above.
Here again is enjoined on each one of us prayer for the
whole world, inasmuch as we are not to say, Thy will be
done in me, or in us ; but throughout the earth, that error
may cease, truth be planted, malice be banished, and virtue
Aug. return, and thus the earth not differ from heaven. AUG.
Pers. 3" From this passage is clearly shewn against the Pelagians
that the beginning of faith is God s gift, when Holy Church
prays for unbelievers that they may begin to have faith.
Moreover, seeing it is done already in the Saints, why do
they yet pray that it may be done, but that they pray that
they may persevere in that they have begun to be ? PSEUDO-
CHRYS. These words, As in heaven so in earth, must be
taken as common to all three preceding petitions. Observe
also how carefully it is worded ; He said not, Father, hallow
Thy name in us, Let Thy kingdom come on us, Do Thy will
in us. Nor again ; Let us hallow Thy name, Let us enter
into Thy kingdom, Let us do Thy will ; that it should not
seem to be either God s doing only, or man s doing only.
But He used a middle form of speech, and the impersonal
verb ; for as man can do nothing good without God s
aid, so neither does God work good in man unless man
wills it.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
Aug. AUG. These three things therefore which have been asked
Enchir. j n ^ ie foregoing petitions, are begun here on earth, and
according to our proficiency are increased in us ; but in
another life, as we hope, they shall be everlastingly possessed
in perfection. In the four remaining petitions we ask for
temporal blessings which are necessary to obtaining the
eternal ; the bread, which is accordingly the next petition in
order, is a necessary. JEROME ; The Greek word here
which we render supersubstantialis, is eirwvo-wg. The
LXX often make use of the word irepiovnos, by which we
find, on reference to the Hebrew, they always render the
word soyola c . Symmachus translates it egotlgeTos, that is,
on i#un,f vid. note c on Dogm. t. iv. pp. 200, 201. ed. Antwerp.
Cyr. Cat. xxiii. 15. Tr. and Petav.
VEB. 11. ST. MATTHEW. 229
chief, or f excellent, though in one place he has inter
preted peculiar. When then we pray God to give us our
peculiar or c chief bread, we mean Him who says in the
Gospel, / am the living bread wlticJi came down from John 6,
heaven. CYPRIAN; For Christ is the bread of life, and this^*
bread belongs not to all men, but to us. This bread we ubisu P-
pray that it be given us day by day, lest we who are in
Christ, and who daily receive the Eucharist for food of
salvation, should by the admission of any grievous crime,
and our being therefore forbidden the heavenly bread, be
separated from the body of Christ. Hence then we pray,
that we who abide in Christ, may not draw back from His
saiictification and His body. AUG. Here then the saints Aug.
ask for perseverance of God, when they pray that they may p e e rg ^ n
not be separated from the body of Christ, but may abide in
that holiness, committing no crime. PsEUDO-Cmiis 1 . Or by
( supersubstantialis may be intended daily/ CASSIAN: luCass -n.
1^*11
that He says, this day, He shews that it is to be daily taken, ^
and that this prayer should be offered at all seasons, seeing
there is no day on which we have not need, by the receiving
of this bread, to confirm the heart of ir>e inward man. AUG. Aug.
There is here a difficulty created by the circumstance of j^ t m
there being many in the East, who do not daily communicate " 7.
in the Lord s Supper. And they defend their practice on
the ground of ecclesiastical authority, that they do this with
out offence, and arc not forbidden by those who preside over
the Churches. But not to pronounce any thing concerning
them in either way, this ought certainly to occur to our
thoughts, that we have here received of the Lord a rule for
prayer which we ought not to transgress. Who then will
dare to affirm that \ve ought to use this prayer only once?
Or if twice or thrice, yet only up to that hour at which
we communicate on the Lord s body ? For after that we
cannot say, Give us this day that which we have already
received. Or will any one on this account be able to
compel us to celebrate this sacrament at the close of the
day ? CASSIAN ; Though the expression to-day may be Cassian.
understood of this present life; thus, Give us this bread ubl sup
d Pseudo-Chrys. reads or translates the word f supersubstantialis at all.
quotidianus/ he does not introduce
230 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
while we abide in this world. JEROME ; We may also inter
pret the word t supersubstantialis otherwise, as that which
is above all other substances, and more excellent than all
Aug. creatures, to wit, the body of the Lord. AUG. Or by daily
sup * we may understand spiritual, namely, the divine precepts
U eg. which we ought to meditate and work. GREG. We call
xxiv . 7. it our bread, yet pray that it may be given us, for it is God s
to give, and is made ours by our receiving it. JEROME;
Others understand it literally according to that saying of the
Apostle, Having food and raiment, let us therewith be
content, that the saints should have care only of present
Aug. food; as it follows, Take no thought for the morrow. AUG.
iso! ii. So that herein we ask for a sufficiency of all things necessary
under the one name of bread. PsEuno-CHRYS. We pray,
Give us this day our daily bread, not only that we may
have what to eat, which is common to both righteous and
sinners ; but that what we eat we may receive at the hand of
God, which belongs only to the saints. For to him God
giveth bread who earns it by righteous means ; but to him
who earns it by sin, the Devil it is that gives. Or that inas
much as it is given by God, it is received sanctified; and
therefore He adds our, that is, such bread as we have
prepared for us, that do Thou give us, that by Thy giving it
may be sanctified. Like as the Priest taking bread of the
laic, sanctifies it, and then offers it to him ; the bread indeed
is his that brought it in offering, but that it is sanctified
is the benefit from the Priest. He says Our for two reasons.
First, because all things that God gives us He gives through
us to others, that of what we receive of Him we may impart
to the helpless. Whoso then of what he gains by his own
toil bestows nothing on others, eats not his own bread only,
but others bread also. Secondly, he who eats bread got
righteously, eats his own bread; but he who eats bread got
Aug. with sin, eats others bread. AUG. Some one may perhaps
Mont/ find a difficulty in our here praying that we may obtain
" 7 - necessaries of this life, such as food and raiment, when the
Lord has instructed us, Be not ye careful what ye shall eat,
or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. But it is impossible not
to be careful about that for the obtaining which we pray.
E pl p s t. ID. But to wish for the necessaries of life and no more,
130. 6.
VER. 12. ST, MATTHEW. 231
is not improper; for such sufficiency is not sought for its
own sake, but for the health of the body, and for such garb
and appliances of the person, as may make us to be not
disagreeable to those with whom we have to live in all good
reputation. For these things we may pray that they may be
had when we are in want of them, that they may be kept
when we have them. CHRYS. It should be thought upon
how when He had delivered to us this petition, Thy will be
done as in heaven so in earth, then because He spake to men in
the flesh, and not like angelic natures without passion or
appetite, He now descends to the needs of our bodies. And He
teaches us to pray not for money or the gratification of lust, but
for daily bread ; and as yet further restriction, He adds, tit is
day, that we should not trouble ourselves with thought for
the coming day. PSEUDO-CHRYS. And these words at first
sight might seem to forbid our having it prepared for the
morrow, or after the morrow. If this were so, this prayer
could only suit a few; such as the Apostles who travelled
hither and thither teaching or perhaps none among us.
Yet ought we so to adapt Christ s doctrine, that all men may
profit in it. CYPRIAN; Justly therefore does the disciple
Christ make petition for to-day s provision, without indulging 14 v "
excessive longings in his prayer. It were a self-contradict
ing and incompatible thing for us who pray that the kingdom
of God may quickly come, to be looking unto long life in
the world below. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or; He adds, daily,
that a man may eat so much only as natural reason requires,
not as the lust of the flesh urges. For if you expend on
one banquet as much as would suffice you for a hundred
days, you are not eating to-day s provision, but that of many
days. JEROME; In the Gospel, entitled The Gospel accord
ing to the Hebrews, supersubstantialis is rendered mohar,
that is to-morrow s; so that the sense would be, Give us to
day to-morrow s bread ; i. e. for the time to come.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors.
CYPRIAN; After supply of food, next pardon of sin is asked Cypr.
for, that he who is fed of God may live in God, and not ^ V1I>
232 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI,
only the present arid passing life be provided for, but the
eternal also ; whereimto we may come, if we receive the
pardon of our sins, to which the Lord gives the name of
Mat. I8,dsbts, as he speaks further on, I forgave tliee all that debt,
because thou desiredst me. How well is it for our need, how
provident and saving a thing, to be reminded that we are
sinners compelled to make petition for our offences, so that
in claiming God s indulgence, the mind is recalled to a
recollection of its guilt. That no man may plume himself
with the pretence of innocency, and perish more wretchedly
through self-exaltation, he is instructed that he commits sin
Aug. every day by being commanded to pray for his sins. AUG.
Pers. 5 "With this weapon the Pelagian heretics received their death
blow, who dare to say that a righteous man is free altogether
from sin in this life, and that of such is at this present time
composed a Church, baring neither spot nor wrinkle.
CHRYS. That this prayer is meant for the faithful, both the
laws of the Church teach, and the beginning of the prayer
which instructs us to call God Father. In thus bidding the
faithful pray for forgiveness of sin. He shews that even after
Cypr. baptism sin can be remitted (against the Novations.) CYPRIAN;
* He then who taught us to pray for our sins, has promised us
that His fatherly mercy and pardon shall ensue. But He
has added a rule besides, binding us under the fixed con
dition and responsibility, that we are to ask for our sins to
be forgiven in such sort as we forgive them that are in debt
Greg, to us. GREG. That good which in our penitence we ask of
]5 " r " c God, we should first turn and bestow on our neighbour.
Aug. AUG. This is not said of debts of money only, but of all
Mont ij n . tnnl o s i n which any sins against us, and among these also of
8. money, because that he sins against you, who does not
return money due to you, when he has whence he can return
it. Unless you forgive this sin you cannot say, Forgive ?/s
our debts, as we forgive our debtors. PSEUDO-CHRYS. With
what hope then does he pray, who cherishes hatred against
another by whom he has been wronged? As he prays with
a falsehood on his lips, when he says, I forgive, and does
not forgive, so he asks indulgence of God, but no indulgence
is granted him. There are many who, being unwilling to
forgive those that trespass against them, will not use this
VER. 13. ST. MATTHEW, 233
prayer. How foolish ! First, because he who does not pray
in the manner Christ taught, is not Christ s disciple; and
secondly, because the Father does not readily hear any
prayer which the Son has not dictated ; for the Father
knows the intention and the words of the Son, nor will He
entertain such petitions as human presumption has suggested,
but only those which Christ s wisdom has set forth. AUG. Aug.
Forasmuch as this so great goodness, namely, to forgive 7 c nr *
debts, and to love our enemies, cannot be possessed by so
great a number as we suppose to be heard in the use of this
prayer; without doubt the terms of this stipulation are ful
filled, though one have not attained to such proficiency as
to love his enemy; yet if when lie is requested by one, who
has trespassed against him, that he would forgive him, he
do forgive him from his heart ; for he himself desires to be
forgiven then at least when he asks forgiveness. And if one
have been moved by a sense of his sin to ask forgiveness of
him against whom he has sinned, he is no more to be thought
on as an enemy, that there should be any thing hard in
loving him, as there was when he was in active enmity.
13. And lead us not into temptation.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. As He had above put many high things
into men s mouths, teaching them to call God their Father,
to pray that His kingdom might come ; so now He adds a
lesson of humility, when He says, and lead us not into
temptation. AUG. Some copies read, Carry us not 1 , an Aug.
equivalent word, both being a translation of one Greek Mom "*
word, eireveyxys. Many in interpreting say, Suffer us not"-. 9 -
to be led into temptation, as being what is implied in
the word lead. For God does not of Himself lead a man,
but suffer him to be led from whom He has withdrawn
His aid. CYPRIAN ; Herein it is shewn that the adver- Cypr.
sary can nothing avail against us, unless God first permit v "
him; so that all our fear and devotion ought to be ad
dressed to God. AUG. But it is one thing to be led into Aug.
temptation, another to be tempted ; for without temptation ul
none can be approved, either to himself or to another; but
every man is fully known to God before all trial. Therefore
234 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
we do not here pray that we may not be tempted, but that
we may not be led into temptation. As if one who was to be
burnt alive should pray not that he should not be touched by
fire, but that he should not be burnt. For we are then led
into temptation when such temptations befal us as we are not
Aug. able to resist. AUG. When then we say, Lead us not into
13 P () S \i. temptation, what we ask is, that we may not, deserted by
His aid, either consent through the subtle snares, or yield to
Cypr. the forcible might, of any temptation. CYPRIAN ; And in so
sup praying we are cautioned of our own infirmity and weakness,
lest any presumptuously exalt himself; that while a humble
and submissive confession comes first, and all is referred to
God, whatever we suppliantly apply for may by His gracious
Aug. favour be supplied. AUG. When the Saints pray, Lead us
Pers 5 tl t into temptation, what else do they pray for than that they
may persevere in their sanctity. This once granted and
that it is God s gift this, that of Him we ask it, shews none
of the Saints but holds to the end his abiding holiness ; for
none ceases to hold on his Christian profession, till he be
first overtaken of temptation. Therefore we seek not to be
led into temptation that this may not happen to us ; and if it
does not happen, it is God that does not permit it to happen;
for there is nothing done, but what He either does, or suffers
to be done. He is therefore able to turn our wills from evil
to good, to raise the fallen and to direct him into the way
that is pleasing to Himself, to whom not in vain we plead,
Lead us not into temptation. For whoso is not led into
temptation of his own evil will, is free of all temptation; for,
James l, each man is tempted of his own lust. God would have us
pray to Him that we may not be led into temptation, though
He could have granted it without our prayer, that we might
be kept in mind who it is from whom we receive all benefits.
Let the Church therefore observe her daily prayers ; she
prays that the unbelieving may believe, therefore it is God
that turns men to the faith ; she prays that the believers may
persevere ; God gives them perseverance even unto the end.
But deliver us from evil. Amen.
Aug. AUG. We ought to pray not only that we may not be led
ubi sup.
VEH. 13. ST. MATTHEW. 235
into evil from which we are at present free ; but further that
we may be set free from that into which we have already
been led. Therefore it follows, Deliver us from evil.
CYPRIAN ; After all these preceding petitions at the con- Cypr.
elusion of the prayer comes a sentence, comprising shortly ]3* vn "
and collectively the whole of our petitions and desires. For
there remains nothing beyond for us to ask for, after petition
made for God s protection from evil; for that gained, we
stand secure and safe against all things that the Devil and
the world work against us. What fear hath he from this
life, who has God through life for his guardian ? AUG. This Aug.
petition with which the Lord s Prayer concludes is of such i3 P (J st n.
extent, that a Christian man in whatever tribulation cast, will
in this petition utter groan s, in this shed tears, here begin and
here end his prayer. And therefore follows Amen, by which is
expressed the strong desire of him that prays. JEROME ;
Amen, which appears here at the close, is the seal of the
Lord s Prayer. Aquila rendered faithfully we may per
haps truly. CYPRIAN ; We need not wonder, dearest Cypr.
brethren, that this is God s prayer, seeing how His instruction u
comprises all our petitioning, in one saving sentence. This
had already been prophesied by Isaiah the Prophet, A short Is. 10,
word will God make in the whole earth. For when our
Lord Jesus Christ came unto all, and gathering together the
learned alike and the unlearned, did to every sex and age set
forth the precepts of salvation, He made a full compendium
of His instructions, that the memory of the scholars might
not labour in the heavenly discipline, but accept with
readiness whatsoever was necessary into a simple faith.
AUG. And whatever other words we may use, either intro- Aug.
ductory to quicken the affections, or in conclusion to add to f 3 p lst 12
them, we say nothing more than is contained in the Lord s
Prayer if we pray rightly and connectedly. For he who
says, Glorify thyself in all nations, as thou art glorified Ecclus.
among us, what else does he say than, Halloiced be thy
name ? He who prays, Shew thy face and ice shall be safe, Ps. 80,
what is it but to say, Let thy kingdom come ? To say, Direct P " s 119j
my steps according to thy ivord, what is it more than, Thy 133 -
will be done ? To say, Give me neither poverty nor riches, Prov.
what else is it than, Give us this day our daily bread ? 30 8>
236 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
Ps. 131, Lord, remember David and all his mercifulness! and,
Ps. 7, 4. W I h ave returned evil for evil, what else but, Forgive
us our debts even as we forgive our debtors ? He who
says, Remove far from me all greediness of belly, what
else does he say, but Lead us not into temptation ?
Ps. 59, jj e W h says, Save me, O my God, from my enemies,
what else does he say but Deliver us from evil? And if you
thus go through all the words of the holy prayers, you will
find nothing that is not contained in the Lord s Prayer.
Whoever then speaks such words as have no relation to this
evangelic prayer, prays carnally ; and such prayer I know
not why w f e should not pronounce unlawful, seeing the Lord
instructs those who are born again only to pray spiritually.
But whoso in prayer says, Lord, increase my riches, add
to my honours ; and that from desire of such things, not
with a view to doing men service after God s will by such
things ; I think that he finds nothing in the Lord s Prayer on
which he may build such petitions. Let such an one then
be withheld by shame from praying for, if not from desiring,
such things. But if he have shame at the desire, yet desire
overcomes, he will do better to pray for deliverance from the
evil of desire to Him to whom we say, Deliver us from evil.
Aug. ID. This number of petitions seems to answer to the seven-fold
Mont . " number of the beatitudes. If it is the fear of God by which
" 11- are made blessed the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven, let us ask that tho name of God be hallowed
among men, a reverent fear abiding for ever and ever. If it
be piety by which the meek are blessed, let us pray that His
kingdom may come, that we may become meek, and not
resist Him. If it be knowledge by which they that mourn
are blessed, let us pray that His will may be done as in
heaven so in earth; for if the body consent with the spirit as
does earth with heaven, we shall not mourn. If fortitude be
that by which they that hunger are blessed, let us pray that
our daily bread be this day given us, by which we may come
to full saturity. If it is counsel by which blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy, let us forgive debts,
that our debts may be forgiven us. If it be understanding
by which they of pure heart are blessed, let us pray that we
be not led into temptation, lest we have a double heart
VER. 14, 15. ST. MATTHEW. 237
in the pursuit of temporal and earthly things which are for
our probation. If it be wisdom by which blessed are the
peacemakers, for they sJiall be called the sons of God, let
us pray to be delivered from evil ; for that very deliverance
will make us free as sons of God. CHRYS. Having made us
anxious by the mention of our enemy, in this that He has
said Deliver us from evil, He again restores confidence by
that which is added in some copies, For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, since if His be the kingdom,
none need fear, since even he who fights against us, must be
His subject. But since His power and glory are infinite, He
can not only deliver from evil, but also make glorious.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. This is also connected with the foregoing.
Thine is the kingdom has reference to Thy kingdom come,
that none should therefore say, God has no kingdom on
earth. The poicer, answers to Thy will be done, as in
earth so m heaven, that none should say thereon that God
cannot perform whatever He would. And the glory, answers
to all that follows, in which God s glory is shewn forth.
14. For if ye forgive men tbeir trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you :
15. But if ye forgive not men tbeir trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
RABAN. By the word Amen, He shew-s that without
doubt the Lord will bestow all things that are rightly asked,
and by those that do not fail in observing the annexed
condition, For if ye forgive men their sins, your heavenly
Father will also forgive yon. your sins. AUG. Here we Aug.
should not overlook that of all the petitions enjoined by thej^
Lord, He judged that most worthy of further enforcement,", n.
which relates to forgiveness of sins, in which He w ould have
us merciful; which is the only means of escaping misery.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He does not say that God will first forgive
us, and that we should after forgive our debtors. For God
knows how treacherous the heart of man is, and that though
they should have received forgiveness themselves, yet they
do not forgive their debtors ; therefore He instructs us first
238 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
Aug. to forgive, and we shall be forgiven after. AUG. Whoever
Enctnr. ft oes not f or gi ve hi m that in true sorrow seeks forgiveness,
let him not suppose that his sins are by any means forgiven
Cypr. of the Lord. CYPRIAN ; For no excuse will abide you in the
16* V " day of judgment, when you will be judged by your own
sentence, and as you have dealt towards others, will be dealt
Ps. 83, with yourself. JEROME ; But if that which is written, I said,
Ye are gods, but ye shall die like men, is said to those who
for their sins deserve to become men instead of gods, then
they to whom sins are forgiven are rightly called men.
CHRYS. He mentions heaven and the Father to claim our
attention, for nothing so likens you to God, as to forgive him
who has injured you. And it were indeed unmeet should
the son of such a Father become a slave, and should one
who has a heavenly vocation live as of this earth, and of this
life only.
16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypo
crites, of a sad countenance : for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily
I say unto you, They have their reward.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Forasmuch as that prayer which is
offered in a humble spirit and contrite heart, shews a
mind already strong and disciplined; whereas he who
is sunk in self-indulgence cannot have a humble spirit
and contrite heart; it is plain that without fasting prayer
must be faint and feeble; therefore, when any would pray
for any need in which they might be, they joined fasting
with prayer, because it is an aid thereof. Accordingly the
Lord, after His doctrine respecting prayer, adds doctrine
concerning fasting, saying, When ye fast, be not ye as the
hypocrites, of sad countenance. The Lord knew that vanity
may spring from every good thing, and therefore bids us
root out the bramble of vain-gloriousness which springs in
the good soil, that it choke not the fruit of fasting. For
though it cannot be that fasting should not be discovered in
any one, yet is it better that fasting should shew you, than
that you should shew your fasting. But it is impossible
VF,R. 16. ST. MATTHEW. 239
that any in fasting should be gay, therefore He said not, Be
not sad, but Be not made sad; for they who discover them
selves by any false displays of their affliction, they are not
sad, but make themselves ; but he who is naturally sad in
consequence of continued fasting, does not make himself sad,
but is so. JEROME ; The word exterminare, so often used
in the ecclesiastical Scriptures through a blunder of the
translators, has a quite different meaning from that in which
it is commonly understood. It is properly said of exiles
who are sent beyond the boundary of their country. Instead
of this word, it would seem better to use the word demoliri,
6 to destroy. in translating the Greek fyotvigeiv. The hypo
crite destroys his face, in order that he may feign sorrow,
and with a heart full of joy wears sorrow in his countenance.
GREG. For by the pale countenance, the trembling limbs, Greg,
and the bursting sighs, and by all so great toil and trouble, ^44.
nothing is in the mind but the esteem of men. LEO; But Leo,
that fasting is not pure, that comes not of reasons of coriti- | er ^
nence, but of the arts of deceit. PSEUDO-CHRYS. If then heiv. 5.
who fasts, and makes himself of sad countenance, is a hypo
crite, how much more wicked is he who does not fast, yet
assumes a fictitious paleness of face as a token of fasting.
AUG. On this paragraph it is to be specially noted, that not Aug.
only in outward splendor and pomp, but even in the dress of
sorrow and mourning, is there room for display, and that the"-
more dangerous, inasmuch as it deceives under the name of
God s services. For he who by inordinate pains taken with
his person, or his apparel, or by the glitter of his other
equipage, is distinguished, is easily proved by these very
circumstances to be a follower of the pomps of this world,
and no man is deceived by any semblance of a feigned
sanctity in him. But when any one in the profession of
Christianity draws men s eyes upon him by unwonted beggary
and slovenliness in dress, if this be voluntary and not com
pulsory, then by his other conduct may be seen whether he
does this to be seen of men, or from contempt of the refine
ments of dress. REMIG. The reward of the hypocrites fast
is shewn, when it is added, That they may seem to men to
fast; verily I soy unto you., They have their reward; that is,
that reward for which they looked.
240 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head,
and wash thy face ;
18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but
unto thy Father which is in secret : and thy Father,
which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Gloss. GLOSS. The Lord having taught us what we ought not to
se P lm. n " do, now proceeds to teach us what we ought to do, saying,
When thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face.
Aug. AUG. A question is here wont to be raised; for none surely
would literally enjoin, that, as we wash our faces from daily
habit, so we should have our heads anointed when we fast ;
a thing which all allow to be most disgraceful. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Also if He bade us not to be of sad countenance
that we might not seem to men to fast, yet if anointing of
the head and washing of the face are always observed in
fasting, they will become tokens of fasting. JEROME ; But
He speaks in accordance with the manners of the province
of Palestine, where it is the custom on festival days to
anoint the head. What He enjoins then is, that when we
are fasting we should wear the appearance of joy and glad
ness. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Therefore the simple interpretation
of this is, that is added as an hyperbolical explanation of
the command ; as though He had said, Yea, so far should
ye be from any display of your fasting, that if it might be
(which yet it may not be) so done, ye should even do such
Chrys. things as are tokens of luxury and feasting. CHRYS. In alms-
xx! giving indeed, He did not say simply, Do not your alms
before men, but added, to be seen of them. But in fasting
and prayer He added nothing of this sort ; because alms
cannot be so done as to be altogether hid, fasting and prayer
can be so done. The contempt of men s praise is no small
fruit, for thereby we are freed from the heavy slavery of
human opinion, and become properly workers of virtue,
loving it for itself and not for others. For as we esteem it
an affront if we are loved not for ourselves but for others
sake, so ought we not to follow virtue on the account of
these men, nor to obey God for men s sake but for His own.
Therefore it follows here, But to thy Father which seeth in
VER. 17, 18. ST. MATTHEW. 241
secret. GLOSS. That is, to thy heavenly Father, who is un- Gloss,
seen, or who dwells in the heart through faith. He fasts to ord *
God who afflicts himself for the love of God, and bestows 011
others what he denies himself. REMIG. For it is enough for
you that He who sees your conscience should be your
rewarder. PsEUDO-CiiRYS. Spiritually interpreted the face
may be understood to mean the mental conscience. And as
in the eyes of man a fair face has grace, so in the eyes of
God a pure conscience has favour. This face the hypocrites,
fasting on man s account, disfigure, seeking thereby to cheat
both God and man ; for the conscience of the sinner is
always wounded. If then you have cast out all wickedness
from your heart, you have washed your conscience, and fast
well. LEO ; Fasting ought to be fulfilled not in abstinence Leo.
of food only, but much more in cutting off vices. For when Q^^ / 11
we submit ourselves to that discipline in order to withdraw vi. 2.
that which is the nurse of carnal desires, there is no sort of
good conscience more to be sought than that we should
keep ourselves sober from unjust will, and abstinent from
dishonourable action. This is an act of religion from which
the sick are not excluded, seeing integrity of heart may be
found in an infirm body. PsEUDo-CHRYS. Spiritually again,
thy head denotes Christ. Give the thirsty drink and feed
the hungry, and therein you have anointed your head, that
is, Christ, who cries out in the Gospel, In that ye have done Mat. 25,
this to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to 40 *
me. GREG. For God approves that fasting, which before Greg.
His eyes opens the hands of alms. This then that you deny ^ om i n
yourself, bestow on another, that wherein your flesh is 6.
afflicted, that of your needy neighbour may be refreshed.
AUG. Or; by the head we rightly understand the reason, Aug.
because it is preeminent in the soul, and rules the other ublsu P-
members of the man. Now anointing the head has some
reference to rejoicing. Let him therefore joy within himself
because of his fasting, who in fasting turns himself from
doing the will of the world, that he may be subject to Christ.
GLOSS. Behold how every thing in the New Testament is Gloss,
not to be taken literally. It were ridiculous to be smeared ord *
with oil when fasting ; but it is behoveful for the mind to be
anointed with the spirit of His love, in whose sufferings we
VOL. i. R
242 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
ought to partake by afflicting ourselves. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
And truly we ought to wash our face, but to anoint, and not
to wash, our head. For as long as we are in the body, our
conscience is foul with sin. But Christ who is our head
has done no sin.
19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves break through and steal :
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal :
21. For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.
CHRYS. When He has driven away the disease of vanity,
He does well to bring in speech of contempt of riches.
For there is no greater cause of desire of money than love of
praise ; for this men desire troops of slaves, horses accoutred
in gold, and tables of silver, not for use or pleasure, but that
they may be seen of many ; therefore He says, Lay not up
Aug. for yourselves treasure on earth. AUG. For if any does a
Mont ." 1 wof k with the mind of gaining thereby an earthly good, how
ii. 13. will his heart be pure while it is thus walking on earth ?
For any thing that is mingled with an inferior nature is
polluted therewith, though that inferior be in its kind pure.
Thus gold is alloyed when mixed with pure silver; and in
like manner our mind is denied by lust of earthly things,
though earth is in its own kind pure. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Other
wise; As the Lord had above taught nothing concerning
alms, or prayer, or fasting, but had only checked a pretence
of them, He now proceeds to deliver a doctrine of three
portions, according to the division which He had before
made, in this order. First, a counsel that alms should be
done ; second, to shew the benefit of almsgiving ; third, that
the fear of poverty should be no hindrance to our purpose of
almsgiving. CHRYS. Saying, Lay not up for yourselves
treasure on earth, He adds, where rust and moth destroy,
in order to shew the insecurity of that treasure that is here,
VER. 19 21. ST. MATTHEW. 248
and the advantage of that which is in Heaven, both from
the place, and from those things which harm. As though
He had said; Why fear you that your wealth should be
consumed, if you should give alms ? Yea rather give alms,
and they shall receive increase, for those treasures that are in
Heaven shall be added to them, which treasures perish if ye
do not give alms. He said not, You leave them to others,
for that is pleasant to men. RABAN. Here are three precepts Raban.
according to the three different kinds of wealth. Metals are sJi m . n
destroyed by rust, clothes by moth ; but as there are other
things which fear neither rust nor moth, as precious stones,
He therefore names a common damage, that by thieves, who
may rob wealth of all kinds. "PsEUDO-CHRYS. Another
reading is, Where moth and banqueting consume. For a
threefold destruction awaits all the goods of this life. They
either decay and are eaten of moths as cloth ; or are consumed
by their master s luxurious living; or are plundered by
strangers, either by violence, or pilfering, or false accusation,
or some other unjust doing. For all may be called thieves
who hasten by any unlawful means to make other men s
goods their own. But you will say, Do all who have these
things, perforce lose them ? I would answer by the way, that
if all do not, yet many do. But ill-hoarded wealth, you
have lost spiritually if not actually, because it profits you
not to your salvation. RABAN. Allegorically ; Rust denotes
pride which obscures the brightness of virtue. Moth which
privily eats out garments, is jealousy which frets into good
intention, and destroys the bond of unity. Thieves denote
heretics and demons, who are ever on the watch to rob men
of their spiritual treasure. HILARY; But the praise of
Heaven is eternal, and cannot be carried off by invading
thief, nor consumed by the moth and rust of envy. AUG. By Aug.
heaven in this place I understand not the material heavens, J^ m
for every thing that has a body is earthly. But it behoves"- 13 -
that the whole world be despised by him who lays up his
treasure in that Heaven, of which it is said, The heaven O/ PS - U5,
heavens is the Lord s, that is, in the spiritual firmament.
For heaven and earth shall pass away ; but we ought not to Mat. 24,
place our treasure in that which passes away, but in that 35
Pseudo-Chrys. reads * comestura.
R2
244 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
which abides for ever. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Which then is
better ? To place it on earth where its security is doubtful,
or in Heaven where it will be certainly preserved ? What
folly to leave it in this place whence you must soon depart,
and not to send it before you thither, whither you are to go ?
Therefore place your substance there where your country is.
CHRYS. But forasmuch as not every earthly treasure is
destroyed by rust or moth, or carried away by thieves, He
therefore brings in another motive, For where your treasure
is, there ivill your heart be also. As much as to say ; Though
none of these former losses should befal you, you will yet
sustain no small loss by attaching your affections to things
beneath, and becoming a slave to them, and in falling from
Heaven, and being unable to think of any lofty thing.
JEROME ; This must be understood not of money only, but of
all our possessions. The god of a glutton is his belly ; of a
lover his lust ; and so every man serves that to w r hich he is
in bondage ; and has his heart there where his treasure is.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; He now teaches the benefit of
almsgiving. He who places his treasure on earth has
nothing to look for in Heaven ; for why should he look up
to Heaven where he has nothing laid up for himself? Thus
he doubly sins; first, because he gathers together things
evil ; secondly, because he has his heart in earth ; and so on
the contrary he does right in a twofold manner who lays up
his treasure in Heaven.
22. The light of the body is the eye : if therefore
thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light.
23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall
be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in
thee be darkness, how great is that darkness !
CHRYS. Having spoken of the bringing the understanding
into captivity because it was not easy to be understood of
many, He transfers it to a sensible instance, saying, The light
of thy body is thy eye. As though He had said, If you do
not know what is meant by the loss of the understanding,
VER. 22, 23. ST. MATTHEW. 245
learn a parable of the bodily members ; for what the eye is
to the body, that the understanding is to the soul. As by
the loss of the eyes we lose much of the use of the other
limbs, so when the understanding is corrupted, your life is
filled with many evils. JEROME ; This is an illustration
drawn from the senses. As the whole body is in darkness,
where the eye is not single, so if the soul has lost her
original brightness, every sense, or that whole part of the
soul to which sensation belongs, will abide in darkness.
Wherefore He says, If then the light wldcli is in thee be
darkness, how great is that darkness I that is, if the senses
which are the soul s light be darkened by vice, in how great
darkness do you suppose the darkness itself will be wrap
ped ? PSEUDO-CHRYS. It seems that He is not here speaking
of the bodily eye, or of the outward body that is seen, or He
would have said, If thine eye be sound, or weak ; but He
says, single, and, evil. But if one have a benign yet diseased
eye, is his body therefore in light? Or if an evil yet a sound,
is his body therefore in darkness ? JEROME ; Those who
have thick eye-sight see the lights multiplied ; but the single
and clear eye sees them single and clear. CHRYS. Or; The
eye He speaks of is not the external but the internal eye.
The light is the understanding, through which the soul sees
God. He whose heart is turned to God, has an eye full of
light; that is, his understanding is pure, not distorted by
the influence of worldly lusts. The darkness in us is our
bodily senses, which always desire the things that pertain
to darkness. Whoso then has a pure eye, that is, a spiritual
understanding, preserves his body in light, that is, without
sin; for though the flesh desires evil, yet by the might of
divine fear the soul resists it. But whoever has an eye, that
is, an understanding, either darkened by the influence of the
malignant passions, or fouled by evil lusts, possesses his
body in darkness ; he does not resist the flesh when it lusts
after evil things, because he has no hope in Heaven, which
hope alone gives us the strength to resist desire. HILARY ;
Otherwise ; from the office of the light of the eye, He
calls it the light of the heart ; which if it continue single and
brilliant, will confer on the body the brightness of the eternal
light, and pour again into the corrupted flesh the splendor of
246 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
its origin, that is, in the resurrection. But if it be obscured
by sin, and evil in will, the bodily nature will yet abide
Aug. subject to all the evils of the understanding, AUG. Other-
* wise ; by the eye here we may understand our purpose ; if
that be pure and right, all our works which we work
according thereto are good. These He here calls the body,
Col.3,5. as the Apostle speaks of certain works as members; Mortify
your members, fornication and uncleanness. We should look
then, not to what a person does, but with what mind he
does it. For this is the light within us, because by this we
Eph. 5, see that we do with good intention what we do. For all
which doth make manifest is light. But the deeds them
selves, which go forth to men s society, have a result to
us uncertain, and therefore He calls them darkness ; as
when I give money to one in need, I know not what he will
do with it. If then the purport of your heart, which you can
know, is defiled with the lust of temporal things, much more
is the act itself, of which the issue is uncertain, defiled.
For even though one should reap good of what you do with
a purport not good ; it will be imputed to you as you did it,
not as it resulted to him. If however our works are done
with a single purport, that is with the aim of charity, then
Aug. are they pure and pleasing in God s sight. AUG. But acts
Mendac. which are known to be in themselves sins, are not to be done
as with a good purpose ; but such works only as are either
good or bad, according as the motives from which they are
done are either good or bad, and are not in themselves sins ;
as to give food to the poor is good if it be done from merciful
motives, but evil if it be done from ostentation. But such
works as are in themselves sins, who will say that they are
to be done with good motives, or that they are not sins ?
Who would say, Let us rob the rich, that we may have to
Greg, give to the poor? GREG. Otherwise; if the light that is in
xxviii. thee, that is, if what we have begun to do well, we overcloud
11 with evil purpose, when we do things which we know to be
Remig. in themselves evil, how great is the darkness! REMIG.
(flo s Otherwise; faith is likened to a light, because by it the
ord. goings of the inner man, that is, action, are lightened, that he
Ps. 119, should not stumble according to that, Tliy word is a light to
my feet. If that then be pure and single, the whole body is
VER. 24. ST. MATTHEW. 247
light; but if defiled, the whole body will be dark. Yet
otherwise ; by the light may be understood the ruler of the
Church, who may be well called the eye, as he it is that
ought to see that wholesome things be provided for the
people under him, which are understood by the body. If
then the ruler of the Church err, how much more will the
people subject to him err ?
24. No man can serve two masters : for either
he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else
he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord had said above, that he that has
a spiritual mind is able to keep his body free from sin ; and
that he who has not, is not able. Of this He here gives the
reason, saying, No man can serve two masters. GLOSS. Gloss.
Otherwise; it had been declared above, that good things non occ *
become evil, \vhen done with a worldly purpose. It might
therefore have been said by some one, I will do good works
from worldly and heavenly motives at once. Against this
the Lord says, No man can serve two masters. CHRYS. Or chrys.
otherwise; in what had gone before He had restrained the^ m<
tyranny of avarice by many and weighty motives, but He
now adds yet more. Riches do not only harm us in that
they arm robbers against us, and that they cloud our under
standing, but they moreover turn us away from God s
service. This He proves from familiar notions, saying, No
man can serve two masters; two, He means, whose orders are
contrary ; for concord makes one of many. This is proved
by what follows,/*??- either he will hate the one. He men
tions tw r o, that we may see that change for the better is easy.
For if one were to give himself up in despair as having been
made a slave to riches, namely, by loving them, he may
hence learn, that it is possible for him to change into a
better service, namely, by not submitting to such slavery, but
by despising it. GLOSS. Or; He seems to allude to two Gloss,
different kinds of servants; one kind who serve freely for 110
love, another who serve servilely from fear. If then one
248 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI
serve two masters of contrary character from love, it must be
that he hate the one ; if from fear, while he trembles before
the one, he must despise the other. But as the world or
God predominate in a man s heart, he must be drawn
contrary ways; for God draws him who serves Him to
things above ; the earth draws to things beneath ; therefore
He concludes, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. JEROME;
Mammon riches are so termed in Syriac. Let the covetous
man who is called by the Christian name, hear this, that he
cannot serve both Christ and riches. Yet He said not,
he who has riches, but, he who is the servant of riches.
For he who is the slave of money, guards his money as
a slave ; but he who has thrown off the yoke of his slavery,
Gloss, dispenses them as a master. GLOSS. By mammon is meant
the Devil, who is the lord of money, not that he can bestow
them unless where God wills, but because by means of them
Aug. he deceives men. AUG. Whoso serves mamuion, (that is,
Mont. m riches,) verily serves him, who, being for desert of his
ii. 14. perversity set over these things of earth, is called by the
Lord, The prince of tins world. Or otherwise; who the two
masters are He shews when He says, Ye cannot serve God
and mammon, that is to say, God and the Devil. Eitltcr
then man trill Itate the one, and love the other, namely God ;
or, he will endure the one and despise the other. For he
who is mammon s servant endures a hard master; for ensnared
by his own lust he has been made subject to the Devil, and
loves him not. As one whose passions have connected him
with another man s handmaid, suffers a hard slavery, yet
loves not him whose handmaid he loves. But He said, will
despise, and not will hate, the other, for none can with a
right conscience hate God. But he despises, that is, fears
Him not, as being certain of His goodness.
25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ;
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not
the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Aug. AUG. The Lord had taught above, that whoso desires to
Mom/ l ve God, and to take heed not to offend, should not think
ii. 15.
VER. 25. ST. MATTHEW. 249
that he can serve two masters ; lest though perhaps he may
not look for superfluities, yet his heart may become double
for the sake of very necessaries, and his thoughts bent to
obtain them. Therefore I say unto you, Be not ye careful for
your 1 life what ye shall eat, or for your body ivhat ye shall
put on. CHRYS. He does not hereby mean that the spirit
needs food, for it is incorporeal, but He speaks according to
common usage, for the soul cannot remain in the body
unless the body be fed. AUG. Or we may understand the Aug.
soul in this place to be put for the animal life. JEROME ; u
Some MSS. add here, nor what ye shall drink*. That which
belongs naturally to all animals alike, to brutes and beasts
of burden as well as to man, from all thought of this we are
not freed. But we are bid not to be anxious what we
should eat, for in the sweat of our face we earn our bread ;
the toil is to be undergone, the anxiety put away. This
Be not careful, is to be taken of bodily food and clothing ;
for the food and clothing of the spirit it becomes us to be
always careful. AUG. There are certain heretics called Aug. De
Euchitse , who hold that a monk may not do any work even 57 ^ res
for his support ; who embrace this profession that they
may be freed from necessity of daily labour. AUG. For they Aug.
say the Apostle did not speak of personal labour, such asJJ.,^
that of husbandmen or craftsmen, when he said, Who will not i et seq.
work, neither let him eat. For he could not be so contrary 3 lo e * s
to the Gospel where it is said, Therefore I say unto you, Be
not careful. Therefore in that saying of the x\postle we are
to understand spiritual works, of which it is elsewhere said,
/ have planted, Apollos icalerelh. And thus they think them- 1 Cor.
selves obedient to the Apostolic precept, interpreting the
Gospel to speak of not taking care for the needs of the body,
and the Apostle to speak of spiritual labour and food. First
let us prove that the Apostle meant that the servants of God
should labour with the body. He had said, Ye yourselves
know how ye ought to imitate us in /hat we were not trouble-
b vid. Exod. xv. 34. and infra v. 31. properly fanatical Monks of the fourth
The clause is also omitted by other and following centuries, but their name
versions, by Erasmus!, Mill, and Bengel. is often taken as synonymous with
Wetstein retains. Mystics. They were of oriental origin,
c The Euchites, who were so called and disparaged, if not denied, the effi-
from their profession of prayer, were cacy of Baptism.
250 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
some among you, nor did we eat any man s bread for nought;
but travailing in labour and weariness day and night, that we
might not be burdensome to any of you. Not that we have
not power, but that we might offer ourselves as a pattern to
you which ye should imitate. For when we were among
you, this we taught among you, that if a man would not
work, neither should he eat. What shall we say to this,
since he taught by his example what he delivered in precept,
in that he himself wrought with his own hands. This is
Acts 18, proved from the Acts, where it is said, that he abode with
Aquila and his wife Priscilla, labouring with them, for they
were tent-makers. And yet to the Apostle, as a preacher of
the Gospel, a soldier of Christ, a planter of the vineyard, a
shepherd of his flock, the Lord had appointed that he should
live of the Gospel, but he refused that payment which was
justly his due, that he might present himself an example to
those who exacted what was not due to them. Let those
hear this who have not that power which he had ; namely,
of eating bread for nought, and only labouring with spiritual
labour. If indeed they be Evangelists, if ministers of the
Altar, if dispensers of the Sacraments, they have this power.
Or if they had had in this world possessions, whereby
they might without labour have supported themselves, and
had on their turning to God distributed this to the needy,
then were their infirmity to be believed and to be borne
with. And it would not import whatever place it was in
which he made the distribution, seeing there is but one
commonwealth of all Christians. But they who enter the
profession of God s service from the country life, from the
workman s craft, or the common labour, if they work not, are
not to be excused. For it is by no means fitting that in
that life in which senators become labourers, there should
labouring men become idle ; or that where lords of farms
come having given up their luxuries, there should rustic
slaves come to find luxury. But when the Lord says,
Be not ye careful, He does not mean that they should not
procure such things as they have need of, wherever they
may honestly, but that they should not look to these things,
and should not for their sake do what they are commanded
to do in preaching the Gospel ; for this intention He had a
VER. 26, 27. ST. MATTHEW. 251
little before called the eye. CHRYS. Or we may connect the
context otherwise ; When the Lord had inculcated contempt
of money, that none might say, How then shall we be able
to live when we have given up our all ? He adds, Therefore
I say unto you., Take no thought for your life. GLOSS. That Gloss,
is, Be not withdrawn by temporal cares from things eternal. mi
JEROME ; The command is therefore, not to be anxious icliat
we shall eat. For it is also commanded, that in the sweat of
our face we must eat bread. Toil therefore is enjoined,
carking forbidden PsEUDO-CRRYs. Bread may not be
gained by carefulness of spirit, but by toil of body ; and to
them that will labour it abounds, God bestowing it as a
reward of their industry; and is lacking to the idle, God
withdrawing it as punishment of their sloth. The Lord also
confirms our hope, and descending first from the greater to
the less, says, Is not the life more than meat, and the body
than raiment ? JEROME ; He who has given the greater,
will He not also give the less ? PSEUDO-CHRYS. For had
He not willed that that which was should be preserved, He
had not created it ; but what He so created that it should be
preserved by food, it is necessary that He give it food, as
long as He would have it to be preserved. HILARY; Otherwise;
Because the thoughts of the unbelievers were ill-employed
respecting care of things future, cavilling concerning what is
to be the appearance of our bodies in the resurrection, what
the food in the eternal life, therefore He continues, Is not the
life more than food ? He will not endure that our hope should
hang in care for the meat and drink and clothing that is to
be in the resurrection, lest there should be affront given to
Him who has given us the more precious things, in our being
anxious that He should also give us the lesser.
26. Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet
your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not
much better than they ?
27. Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit unto his stature ?
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Having confirmed our hope by this
252 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
arguing from the greater to the less, He next confirms it
by an argument from less to greater, Behold the fowls of the
Aug. air-) they sow not, neither do they reap. AUG. Some argue
Monach tnat tne J u ght not to labour, because the fowls of the air
23 - neither sow nor reap. Why then do they not attend to that
which follows, neither gather into barns f Why do they
seek to have their hands idle, and their storehouses full ?
Why indeed do they grind corn, and dress it ? For this do
not the birds. Or even if they find men whom they can
persuade to supply them day by day with victuals ready
prepared, at least they draw water from the spring, and set
on table for themselves, which the birds do not. But if
neither are they driven to fill themselves vessels with water,
then have they gone one new step of righteousness beyond
vid. Acts those who were at that time at Jerusalem, who of corn sent
11? to them of free gift, made, or caused to be made, loaves,
which the birds do not. But not to lay up any thing for the
morrow cannot be observed by those, who for many days
together withdrawn from the sight of men, and suffering
none to approach to them, shut themselves up, to live in
much fervency of prayer. What ? will you say that the
more holy men become, the more unlike the birds of the air
in this respect they become ? What He says respecting the
birds of the air, He says to this end, that none of His
servants should think that God has no thought of their
wants, when they see Him so provide even for these inferior
creatures. Neither is it not God that feeds those that earn
their bread by their own labour; neither because God hath said,
Ps. 50, Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver tliee,
ought the Apostle therefore not to have fled, but to have
remained still to have been seized, that God might save him
as He did the Three Children out of the midst of the fire.
Should any object in this sort to the saints in their flight
from persecution, they would answer that they ought not to
tempt God, and that God, if He pleased, would so do to
deliver them as He had done Daniel from the lions, Peter
from prison, then when they could no longer help them
selves; but that in having made flight possible to them,
should they be saved by flight, it was by God that they
were saved. In like manner, such of God s servants as have
VER. 26, 27. ST. MATTHEW. 253
strength to earn their food by the labour of their hands,
would easily answer any who should object to them this out of
the Gospel concerning the birds of the air, that they neither
sow nor reap ; and would say, If we by sickness or any
other hindrance are not able to work, He will feed us as He
feeds the birds, that work not. But when we can work, we
ought not to tempt God, seeing that even this our ability is
His gift ; and that we live here we live of His goodness that
has made us able to live ; He feeds us by whom the birds of
the air are fed ; as He says, Your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are not ye of much greater value ? AUG. Ye are of Aug.
more value, because a rational animal, such as man is, is
higher in the scale of nature than an irrational, such as are"- 16
the birds of the air. ID. Indeed a higher price is often Aug. De
given for a horse than a slave, for a jewel than for a waiting Jv^g 1
maid, but this not from reasonable valuation, but from the
need of the person requiring, or rather from his pleasure
desiring it. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For God created all animals
for man, but man for himself; therefore by how much
the more precious is the creation of man, so much the
greater is God s care for him. If then the birds without
toiling find food, shall man not find, to whom God has given
both knowledge of labour and hope of fruitfulness ? JEROME ;
There be some who, seeking to go beyond the limits of their
fathers, and to soar into the air, sink into the deep and are
drowned. These will have the birds of the air to mean the
Angels, and the other powers in the ministry of God, who
without any care of their own are fed by God s providence.
But if this be indeed as they would have it, how follows it,
said to men, Are not ye of more worth than they ? It must
be taken then in the plain sense; If birds that to-day are, and
to-morrow are not, be nourished by God s providence, without
thought or toil of their own, how much more men to whom
eternity is promised ! HILARY ; It may be said, that under
the name of birds, He exhorts us by the example of the
unclean spirits, to whom, without any trouble of their own in
seeking and collecting it, provision of life is given by the power
of the Eternal Wisdom. And to lead us to refer this to the un
clean spirits, He suitably adds, Are not ye of much more value
than they ? Thus shewing the great interval between piety
254 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
Gloss, and wickedness. GLOSS. He teaches us not only by the
c> instance of the birds, but adds a further proof, that to our
being and life our own care is not enough, but Divine
Providence therein works ; saying, Which of you by taking
thought can add one cubit to his stature? PSEUDO-CHRYS.
For it is God who day by day works the growth of your
body, yourself not feeling it. If then the Providence of God
works thus daily in your very body, how shall that same
Providence withhold from working in necessaries of life ?
And if by taking thought you cannot add the smallest part
to your body, how shall you by taking thought be altogether
Aug. saved ? AUG. Or it may be connected with what follows it ;
Mont. 1 " 8 - 8 though He should say, It was not by our care that our
ii. 15. body was brought to its present stature; so that we may
know that if we desired to add one cubit to it, we should not
be able. Leave then the care of clothing that body to Him
who made it to grow to its present stature. HILARY ; Other
wise ; As by the example of the spirits He had fixed our
faith in the supply of food for our lives, so now by a decision
of common understanding He cuts off all anxiety about
supply of clothing. Seeing that He it is who shall raise in
one perfect man every various kind of body that ever drew
breath, and is alone able to add one or two or three cubits
to each man s stature; surely in being anxious concerning
clothing, that is, concerning the appearance of our bodies,
we offer affront to Him who will add so much to each man s
Aug. De stature as shall faring all to an equality. AUG. But if Christ
xxii 1*5 lose a g a i n with the same stature with which He died, it is
impious to say that when the time of the resurrection of all
shall come, there shall be added to His body a bigness that
it had not at His own resurrection, (for He appeared to His
disciples with that body in which He had been known
among them,) such that He shall be equalled to the tallest
among men. If again we say that all men s bodies, whether
tall or short, shall be alike brought to the size and stature of
the Lord s body, then much will perish from many bodies,
though He has declared that not a hair shall fall. It
remains therefore that each be raised in his own stature
that stature which he had in youth, if he died in old age ; if
in childhood that stature to which he would have attained
VER. 28 30. ST. MATTHEW. 255
had he lived. For the Apostle says not, l To the measure of
the stature, but, To the measure of the full age of Christ. Eph. 4,
For the bodies of the dead shall rise in youth and maturity
to which we know that Christ attained 11 .
28. And why take ye thought for raiment ? Con
sider the lilies of the field, how they grow ; they toil
not, neither do they spin :
29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the
oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of
little faith ?
CHRYS. Having shewn that it is not right to be anxious Chrys.
about food, He passes to that which is less; (for raiment is xx j m *
not so necessary as food ;) and asks, And why are ye careful
wherewith ye shall be clothed ? He uses not here the
instance of the birds, when He might have drawn some
to the point, as the peacock, or the swan, but brings forward
the lilies, saying, Consider the lilies of the field. He would
prove in two things the abundant goodness of God ; to wit,
the richness of the beauty with which they are clothed, and
the mean value of the things so clothed with it. AUG. The Aug.
things instanced are not to be allegorized so that we enquire Mont,
what is denoted by the birds of the air, or the lilies of the"- 15 -
field ; they are only examples to prove God s care for the
greater from His care for the less. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For
lilies within a fixed time are formed into branches, clothed in
whiteness, and endowed with sweet odour, God conveying by
an unseen operation, what the earth had not given to the
root. But in all the same perfectness is observed, that they
may not be thought to have been formed by chance, but may
be known to be ordered by God s providence. When He says,
They toil not, He speaks for the comfort of men ; Neither do
they spin, for the women. CHRYS. He forbids not labour
Hence the Roman Catholics teach which is thirty-three;" vid. Bp. Doyle s
that u men shall rise at a perfect age, Christian Doctrine.
256 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI-
but carefulness, both here and above when He spoke of
Gloss, sowing. GLOSS. And for the greater exaltation of
)CO * God s providence in those things that are beyond human
industry, He adds, / say unto you, that Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. JEROME ; For,
in sooth, what regal purple, what silk, what web of divers
colours from the loom, may vie with flowers ? What work of
man has the red blush of the rose ? the pure white of the
lily ? How the Tyrian dye yields to the violet, sight alone
and not words can express. CHRYS. As widely as truth
differs from falsehood, so widely do our clothes differ from
flowers. If then Solomon, who was more eminent than all
other kings, was yet surpassed by flowers, how shall you
exceed the beauty of flowers by your garments ? And
Solomon was exceeded by the flowers not once only, or
twice, but throughout his whole reign ; and this is that
He says, In all his glory ; for no one day was he arrayed as
are the flowers. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or the meaning may be,
that Solomon though he toiled not for his own raiment, yet
he gave command for the making of it. But where command
is, there is often found both offence of them that minister,
arid wrath of him that commands. When then any are
without these things, then they are arrayed as are the lilies.
HILARY; Or; By the lilies are to be understood the emi
nences of the heavenly Angels, to whom a surpassing
radiance of whiteness is communicated by God. They toil
not, neither do they spin, because the angelic powers received
in the very first allotment of their existence such a nature,
that as they were made so they should ever continue to be;
and when in the resurrection men shall be like unto Angels,
He would have them look for a covering of angelic glory by
this example of angelic excellence. PSEUDO-CHRYS. If
God then thus provides for the flowers of the earth which
only spring up, that they may be seen and die, shall He
overlook men whom He has created not to be seen for a time,
but that they should be for ever ? JEROME ; To-morrow
in Scripture is put for time future in general. Jacob says,
Gen. 30, So shall my righteousness answer for me to-morrow. And in
l Sam. ^ e phantasm of Samuel, the Pythoness says to Saul, To-
28, 19. morrow shalt thou be with me. GLOSS. Some copies have
VER. 31 S3. ST. MATTHEW. 257
into the fire, or, into an heap, which has the appearance of
an oven. CHRYS. He calls them no more lilies, but the
grass of the field, to shew their small worth; and adds
moreover another cause of their small value ; which to-day is.
And He said not, and to-morrow is not, but what is yet
greater fall, is cast into the oven. In that He says How much
more you, is implicitly conveyed the dignity of the human
race, as though He had said, You to whom He has given a
soul, for whom He has contrived a body, to whom He has
sent Prophets and gave His Only-begotten Son. GLOSS.
He says, of little faith, for that faith is little which is not
sure of even the least things. HILARY; Or, under the
signification of grass the Gentiles are pointed to. If then
an eternal existence is only therefore granted to the Gentiles,
that they may soon be handed over to the judgment fires ;
how impious it is that the saints should doubt of attaining
to eternal glory, when the wicked have eternity bestowed on
them for their punishment. REMIG. Spiritually, by the
birds of the air are meant the Saints who are born again in
the water of holy Baptism 6 ; and by devotion raise them
selves above the earth and seek the skies. The Apostles are
said to be of more value than these, because they are the
heads of the Saints. By the lilies also may be understood
the Saints, who without the toil of legal ceremonies pleased
God by faith alone ; of whom it is said, My Beloved, who Cant. 2,
feedeth among the lilies. Holy Church also is understood by
the lilies, because of the whiteness of its faith, and the
odour of its good conversation, of which it is said in the
same place, As the lily among the thorns. By the grass
are denoted the unbelievers, of whom it is said, 77/el9.40,7.
grass hath dried up, and the fiowers thereof faded. By
the oven eternal damnation ; so that the sense be, If God
bestows temporal goods on the unbelievers, how much
more shall He bestow on you eternal goods !
31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall
we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal
shall we be clothed ?
8 Vid. the Breviary Hymn, Magnee Deus Potentise.
VOL. I. S
258 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles
seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
have need of all these things.
33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness ; and all these things shall be added
unto you.
Gioss. GLOSS. Having thus expressly cut off all anxiety con-
c cerning food and raiment, by an argument drawn from
observation of the inferior creation, He follows it up by
a further prohibition ; Be not ye therefore careful, saying.
What shall we eat, what shall we drink, or wherewithal
shall we be, clothed ? REMIG. The Lord repeated this, that
He might shew how highly necessary this precept is, and
that He might inculcate it more strongly on our hearts.
RABAN. It should be observed that He does not say, Do
not ye seek, or be thoughful for, food, drink, and raiment,
but what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, or wherewithal
ye shall be clothed. Wherein they seem to me to be con
victed, who, using themselves the usual food and clothing,
require of those with whom they live either greater
Gloss, sumptuousness, or greater austerity in both. GLOSS.
* There is also a further needless solicitude wherein men
sin, when they lay by of produce or money more than
necessity requires, and leaving spiritual things, are intent
on these things, as though despairing of the goodness of
God; this is what is forbidden; for after all these things do
the Gentiles seek. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Since their belief is that
it is Fortune and not Providence that has place in human
affairs, and think not that their lives are directed by God s
counsel, but follow the uncertain chance, they accordingly
fear and despair, as having none to guide them. But he who
believes that he is guided by God s counsel, entrusts his
provision of food to God s hand; as it follows, for your
Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. CHRYS.
He said not God knoweth, but, Your Father knoweth, in
order to lead them to higher hope ; for if He be their Father,
He will not endure to forget his children, since not even
human fathers could do so. He says, That ye have need of
VER. 31 33. ST. MATTHEW. 259
all these things, in order that for that very reason, because
they are necessary, ye may the more lay aside all anxiety.
For he who denies his son bare necessaries, after what
fashion is he a father? But for superfluities they have no
right to look with the like confidence. AUG. God did not Aug.
T\ P *
gain this knowledge at any certain time, but before all time, x * m ^
without beginning of knowledge, foreknew that the things of
the world would be, and among others, both what and when
we should ask of Him. ID. As to what some say that these Aug. De
things are so many that they cannot be compassed by the x ^ 18>
knowledge of God ; they ought with like reason to maintain
further that God cannot know all numbers which are cer
tainly infinite. But infinity of number is not beyond the
compass of His understanding, who is Himself infinite.
Therefore if whatever is compassed by knowledge, is bounded
by the compass of him that has the knowledge, then is all
infinity in a certain unspeakable way bounded by God,
because it is not incomprehensible by His knowledge.
NKMESIUS; That there is a Providence, is shewn by suchNemes.
signs as the following; The continuance of all things,
those things especially which are in a state of decay and 42 -
reproduction, and the place and order of all things that exist
is ever preserved in one and the same state ; and how could
this be done unless by some presiding power? But some
affirm that God does indeed care for the general continuance
of all things in the universe, and provides for this, but that
all particular events depend on contingency. Now there are
but three reasons that can be alleged for God exercising no
providence of particular events; either God is ignorant that
it is good to have knowledge of particular things ; or He is
unwilling; or He is unable. But ignorance is altogether alien
from blessed substance; for how shall God not know what
every wise man knows, that if particulars were destroyed, the
whole would be destroyed ? But nothing prevents all indi
viduals from perishing; when no power watches over them. If,
again, He be unwilling, this must be from one of two reasons ;
inactivity, or the meanness of the occupation. But inac
tivity is produced by two things ; either we are drawn aside
by some pleasure, or hindered by some fear, neither of which
can be piously supposed of God. If they affirm that it
s 2
260 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
would be unbecoming, for that it is beneath such blessed
ness to stoop to things so trifling, how is it not inconsistent
that a workman overseeing the whole of any machine, leaves
no part however insignificant without attention, knowing the
whole is but made up of the parts, and thus pronounce God
the Creator of all things to be less wise than craftsmen ?
But if it be that He is unable, then is He unable to bestow
benefits on us. But if we are unable to comprehend the
manner of special Providence, we have not therefore any
right to deny its operation ; we might as well say that,
because we did not know the number of mankind, therefore
there were no men. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Thus then let him
who believes himself to be under the rule of God s counsel,
commit his provision into God s hand ; but let him meditate of
good and evil, which if he do not, he will neither shun the
evil, nor lay hold of the good. Therefore it is added, Seek
ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. The
kingdom of God is the reward of good works; His righteous
ness is the way of piety by which we go to that kingdom.
If then you consider how great is the glory of the Saints,
you will either through fear of punishment depart from evil,
or through desire of glory hasten to good. And if you
consider what is the righteousness of God, what He loves,
and what He hates, the righteousness itself will shew you
His ways, as it attends on those that love it. And the
account we shall have to render is not whether we have
been poor or rich, but whether we have done well or
Gloss, ill, which is in our own power. GLOSS. Or, He says
interim. ^. righteousness, as though He were to say, Ye are
made righteous through Him, and not through yourselves.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The earth for man s sin is accursed that it
should not put forth fruit, according to that in Genesis,
Gen. 3, Cursed is the ground in thy ivorks ; but when we do well,
then it is blessed. Seek righteousness therefore, and thou
shalt not lack food. Wherefore it follows, and all these
Aug. things shall be added unto you. AUG. To wit, these
Mont. m temporal goods which are thus manifestly shewn not to
> 16. be such goods as those goods of ours for the sake of which
we ought to do well; and yet they are necessary. The
kingdom of God and His righteousness is our good which
VEB. 34. ST. MATTHEW. 261
we ought to make our end. But since in order to attain
this end we are militant in this life, which may not be lived
without supply of these necessaries, He promises, These
things shall be added unto you. That He say s,Jirst 9 implies
that these are to be sought second not in time, but in value ;
the one is our good, the other necessary to us. For example,
we ought not to preach that we may eat, for so we should
hold the Gospel as of less value than our food ; but we
should therefore eat that we may preach the Gospel. But
if we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
that is, set this before all other things, and seek other things
for the sake of this, we ought not to be anxious lest we
should lack necessaries ; and therefore He says, All these
things shall be added unto you; that is, of course, without
being an hindrance to you : that you may not in seeking
them be turned away from the other, and thus set two ends
before you. CHRYS. And He said not, Shall be given, but,
Shall be added, that you may learn that the things that are
now, are nought to the greatness of the things that shall be.
AUG. But when we read that the Apostle suffered hunger Aug.
and thirst, let us not think that God s promises failed him ; Mont. ^
for these things are rather aids. That Physician to whom" 1 ?,
we have entirely entrusted ourselves, knows when He will
give and when He will withhold, as He judges most for our
advantage. So that should these things ever be lacking to
us, (as God to exercise us often permits,) it will not weaken
our fixed purpose, but rather confirm it when wavering.
34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow :
for the morrow shall take thought for the things
of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
GLOSS. Having forbid anxiety for the things of the day, Gloss,
He now forbids anxiety for future things, such a fruitless ,elm,
care as proceeds from the fault of men, in these words, Be
not ye anxious about the morrow. JEROME ; To-morrow in
Scripture signifies time future, as Jacob in Genesis says,
To-morrow shall my righteousness hear me. And in thej^ en 35
phantasm of Samuel the Pythoness says to Saul, To-morrotv i Sam.
28, 19,
262 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VI.
shalt tliou be with me. He yields therefore unto them that
they should care for things present, though He forbids them
to take thought for things to come. For sufficient for us is
the thought of time present ; let us leave to God the future
which is uncertain. And this is that He says, The morrow
shall be anxious for itself; that is, it shall bring its own
anxiety with it. For sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.
By evil He means here not that which is contrary to virtue,
but toil, and affliction, and the hardships of life. CHRYS.
Nothing brings so much pain to the spirit as anxiety and
cark. That He says, The morrow shall be anxious for
itself, comes of desire to make more plain what He speaks ;
to that end employing a prosopopeia of time, after the
practice of many in speaking to the rude populace ; to
impress them the more, He brings in the day itself com
plaining of its too heavy cares. Has not every day a burden
enough of its own, in its own cares ? why then do you add
to them by laying on those that belong to another day ?
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise; By to-day are signified such things
as are needful for us in this present life ; To-morrow denotes
those things that are superfluous. Be not ye therefore anxious
for the morrow, thus means, Seek not to have aught beyond that
which is necessary for your daily life, for that which is over
and above, i. e. To-morrow, shall care for itself. To-morrow
shall be anxious for itself, is as much as to say, when you
have heaped up superfluities, they shall care for themselves,
you shall not enjoy them, but they shall find many lords
who shall care for them. Why then should you be anxious
about those things, the property of which you must part with ?
Sufficient for the day is its own evil, as much as to say, The toil
you undergo for necessaries is enough, do not toil for things
Aug. superfluous. AUG. Or otherwise; To-morrow is said only of
sup time where future succeeds to past. When then we work
any good work, we think not of earthly but of heavenly
things. The morrow shall be anxious for itself, that is, Take
food and the like, when you ought to take it, that is when
necessity begins to call for it. For sufficient for the day is
its own evil, that is, it is enough that necessity shall compel
to take these things ; He calls it evil, because it is penal,
inasmuch as it pertains to our mortality, which we earned
VEIL 34. ST. MATTHEW. 263
by sinning. To this necessity then of worldly punishment,
add no further weight, that you may not only fulfil it, but
may even so fulfil it as to shew yourself God s soldier.
But herein we must be careful, that, when we see any
servant of God endeavouring to provide necessaries either
for himself, or those committed to his care, we do not
straight judge him to sin against this command of the Lord
in being anxious for the morrow. For the Lord Himself, to
whom Angels ministered, thought good to carry a bag
for example sake. And in the Acts of the Apostles it is
written, that food necessary for life was provided for future
time, at a time when famine threatened. What the Lord
condemns therefore, is not the provision of these things after
the manner of men, but if a man because of these things does
not fight as God s soldier. HILARY; This is further com
prehended under the full meaning of the Divine words.
We are commanded not to be careful about the future,
because sufficient for our life is the evil of the days wherein
we live, that is to say, the sins, that all our thought and
pains be occupied in cleansing this away. And if our care
be slack, yet will the future be careful for itself, in that there
is held out to us a harvest of eternal love to be provided
by God.
CHAP. VII.
1. Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged : and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again.
Aug. AUG. Since when these temporal things are provided
sup beforehand against the future, it is uncertain with what
purpose it is done, as it may be with a single or double
mind, He opportunely subjoins, Judge not. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Otherwise ; He has drawn out thus far the consequences
of his injunctions of almsgiving ; He now takes up those
respecting prayer. And this doctrine is in a sort a con
tinuation of that of the prayer; as though it should run,
Forgive us our debts, and then should follow, Judge not, that
ye be not judged. JEROME ; But if He forbids us to
judge, how then does Paul judge the Corinthian who
had committed uncleanness ? Or Peter convict Ananias
and Sapphira of falsehood? PSEUDO-CHRYS. But some
explain this place after a sense, as though the Lord
did not herein forbid Christians to reprove others out
of good will, but only intended that Christians should
not despise Christians by making a show of their own
righteousness, hating others often on suspicion alone, con
demning them, and pursuing private grudges under the
show of piety. CHRYS. Wherefore He does not say, Do not
cause a sinner to cease, but do not judge; that is, be not
a bitter judge ; correct him indeed, but not as an enemy
seeking revenge, but as a physician applying a remedy.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. But that not even thus should Christians
correct Christians is shewn by that expression, Judge not.
VER. 1, i>. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 265
But if they do not thus correct, shall they therefore obtain
forgiveness of their sins, because it is said, and ye shall not be
judged ? For who obtains forgiveness of a former sin, by
not adding another thereto? This we have said, desiring to
shew that this is not here spoken concerning not judging
our neighbour who shall sin against God, but who may sin
against ourselves. For whoso does not judge his neighbour
who has sinned against him, him shall not God judge for his
sin, but will forgive him his debt even as he forgave.
CHBXS. Otherwise; He does not forbid us to judge all sin
absolutely, but lays this prohibition on such as are them
selves full of great evils, and judge others for very small
evils. In like manner Paul does not absolutely forbid to
judge those that sin, but finds fault with disciples that
judged their teacher, and instructs us not to judge those
that arc above us. HILARY; Otherwise; He forbids us to
judge God touching His promises ; for as judgments among
men are founded on things uncertain, so this judgment
against God is drawn from somewhat that is doubtful. And
He therefore would have us put away the custom from us
altogether ; for it is not here as in other cases where it is
sin to have given a false judgment; but here we have
begun to sin if we have pronounced any judgment at all.
AUG. I suppose the command here to be no other than Aug.
that we should always put the best interpretation on such ^ t "
actions as seem doubtful with what mind they were done. ". 18.
But concerning such as cannot be done with good purpose,
as adulteries, blasphemies, and the like, He permits us to
judge ; but of indifferent actions which admit of being done
with either good or bad purpose, it is rash to judge, but
especially so to condemn. There are two cases in which
we should be particularly on our guard against hasty judg
ments, when it does not appear with what mind the action
was done ; and when it does not yet appear, what sort of
man any one may turn out, who now seems either good or
bad. Wherefore we should neither blame those things of
which we know with what mind they are done, nor so blame
those things which are manifest, as though we despaired of
recovery. Here one may think there is difficulty in what
follows, With what judgment ye judge ye shall be judged.
266 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
If we judge a hasty judgment, will God also judge us with
the like ? Or if we have measured with a false measure, is
there with God a false measure whence it may be measured
to us again ? For by measure I suppose is here meant judg
ment. Surely this is only said, that the haste in which you
punish another shall be itself your punishment. For
injustice often does no harm to him who suffers the wrong;
Aug. Debut must always hurt him who does the wrong. ID. Some
xxL 1 }] sa y> How is it true that Christ says, And with what measure
ye shall mete it shall be measured to you again, if temporal
sin is to be punished by eternal suffering ? They do not
observe that it is not said the same measure^ because of the
equal space of time, but because of the equal retribu
tion namely, that he who has done evil should suffer evil,
though even in that sense it might be said of that of which
the Lord spoke here, namely of judgments and condemna
tions. Accordingly, he that judges and condemns unjustly,
if he is judged and condemned, justly receives in the same
measure though not the same thing that he gave ; by judg
ment he did what was unjust, by judgment he suffers what
is just.
3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy
brother s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in
thine own eye ?
4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me
pull out the mote out of thine eye ; and, behold, a
beam is in thine own eye ?
5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of
thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to
cast out the mote out of thy brother s eye.
Aug. ID. The Lord having admonished us concerning hasty and
Mont/ unjust judgment; and because that they are most given to
" 18 - rash judgment, who judge concerning things uncertain ; and
they most readily find fault, who love rather to speak evil
and to condemn than to cure and to correct; a fault
that springs either from pride or jealousy therefore He
VER. 3 5. ST. MATTHEW. 267
subjoins, Why seest thou the mote in thy brother s eye, and
seest not tie beam in thy own eye ? JEROME; He speaks of
such as though themselves guilty of mortal sin, do not
forgive a trivial fault in their brother. AUG. As if he per- Aug.
haps have sinned in anger, and you correct him with settled u
hate. For as great as is the difference between a beam and
a mote, so great is the difference between anger and hatred.
For hatred is anger become inveterate. It may be if you are
angry with a man that you would have him amend, not so if
you hate him. CHRYS. Many do this, if they see a Monk
having a superfluous garment, or a plentiful meal, they break
out into bitter accusation, though themselves daily seize and
devour, and suffer from excess of drinking. PSKUDO-CHRYS.
Otherwise ; This is spoken to the doctors. For every sin is
either a great or a small sin according to the character of the
sinner. If he is a laic, it is small and a mote in comparison
of the sin of a priest, which is the beam. HILARY; Other
wise ; The sin against the Holy Spirit is to take from God
power which has influences, and from Christ substance
which is of eternity, through whom as God came to man,
so shall man likewise 1 come to God. As much greater then 1 al. fiet
as is the beam than the mote, so much greater is the sin
against the Holy Spirit than all other sins. As when un
believers object to others carnal sins, and secrete in themselves
the burden of that sin, to wit, that they trust not the promises
of God, their minds being blinded as their eye might be by
a beam.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. That is, with what face can you charge
your brother with sin, when yourself are living in the same
or a yet greater sin 1 AUG. When then we are brought Aug.
under the necessity of finding fault with any, let us first ^ t j
consider whether the sin be such as we have never had; 19.
secondly that we are yet men, and may fall into it; then,
whether it be one that we have had, and are now without,
and then let our common frailty come into our mind, that
pity and not hate may go before correction. Should we find
ourselves in the same fault, let us not reprove, but groan
with the offender, and invite him to struggle with us.
Seldom indeed and in cases of great necessity is reproof to
be employed ; and then only that the Lord may be served
268 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
and not ourselves. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; How saycst
thou to thy brother ; that is, with what purpose ? From
charity, that you may save your neighbour ? Surely not, for you
would first save yourself. You desire therefore not to heal
others, but by good doctrine to cover bad life, and to gain
praise of learning from men, not the reward of edifying from
God, and you are a hypocrite ; as it follows, Thou hypocrite,
Aug. cast first the beam out of thine own eye. AUG. For to
Mont. 10 reprove sin is the duty of the good, which when the bad do,
ii. 19. they act a part, dissembling their own character, and^ as
suming one that does not belong to them. CHRYS. And it
is to be noted, that whenever He intends to denounce any
great sin, He begins with an epithet of reproach, as below,
Mat. 18, Thou wicked servant, I forgave tltee all that debt; and so
here, Thou hypocrite, cast out first. For each one knows
better the things of himself than the things of others,
and sees more the things that be great, than the things that
be lesser, and loves himself more than his neighbour.
Therefore He bids him who is chargeable with many sins,
not to be a harsh judge of another s faults, especially if they
be small. Herein not forbidding to arraign and correct;
but forbidding to make light of our own sins, and magnify
those of others. For it behoves you first diligently to
examine how great may be your own sins, and then try
those of your neighbour; whence it follows, and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother s eye.
Aug. AUG. For having removed from our own eye the beam of
sup envy, of malice, or hypocrisy, we shall see clearly to cast the
beam out of our brother s eye.
6. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they
trample them under their feet, and turn again and
rend you.
Aug. AUG. Because the simplicity to which He had been
ubi sup. di rec ti n g i n the foregoing precepts might lead some wrongly
to conclude that it was equally wrong to hide the truth as to
utter what was false, He well adds, Give not that which is
VER. 6. ST. MATTHEW. 269
holy to the dogs, and cast not your pearls before swine.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; The Lord had commanded us
to love our enemies, and to do good to those that sin against
us. That from this Priests might not think themselves
obliged to communicate also the things of God to such, He
checked any such thought saying, Give not that which is
holy to the dogs ; as much as to say, I have bid you love
your enemies, and do them good out of your temporal goods,
but not out of My spiritual goods, without distinction. For they
are your brethren by nature but not by faith, and God gives
the good things of this life equally to the worthy and the
unworthy, but not so spiritual graces. AUG. Let us see Aug.
now what is the holy thing, what are the dogs, what the Mont?"
pearls, what the swine? The holy thing is all that it were"- 20 -
impiety to corrupt ; a sin which may be committed by the
will, though the thing itself be undone. The pearls are all
spiritual things that are to be highly esteemed. Thus though
one and the same thing may be called both the holy thing and
a pearl, yet it is called holy because it is not to be corrupted ;
and called a pearl because it is not to be contemned. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Otherwise ; TJtat ivhich is holy denotes baptism, the
grace of Christ s body, and the like ; but the mysteries of
the truth are intended by the pearls. For as pearls are
inclosed in shells, and such in the deeps of the sea, so the
divine mysteries inclosed in words are lodged in the deep
meaning of Holy Scripture. CHRYS. And to those that are
right-minded and have understanding, when revealed they
appear good ; but to those without understanding, they seem
to be more deserving reverence because they are not under
stood. AUG. The dogs are those that assault the truth ; the Aug.
swine we may not unsuitably take for those that despise the ubl sup *
truth. Therefore because dogs leap forth to rend in pieces,
and what they rend, suffer not to continue whole, He said,
Give not that ivhich is lioly to the dogs ; because they strive
to the utmost of their power to destroy the truth. The
swine though they do not assault by biting as dogs, yet do
they defile by trampling upon, and therefore He said, Cast
not your pearls before swine. RABAN. Or; The dogs are
returned to their vomit; the swine not yet returned, but
wallowing in the mire of vices. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise;
270 GOSVEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
The dog and the swine are unclean animals ; the dog indeed
in every respect, as he neither chews the cud, nor divides
the hoof; but swine in one respect only, seeing they divide
the hoof, though they do not chew the cud. Hence I think
that we are to understand by the dog, the Gentiles who are
altogether unclean, both in their life, and in their faith ; but
by the swine are to be understood heretics, because they
seem to call upon the name of the Lord. Give not therefore
that which is lioly to the dogs, for that baptism and the other
sacraments are not to be given but to them that have the faith.
In like manner the mysteries of the truth, that is, the pearls,
are not to be given but to such as desire the truth and live with
human reason. If then you cast them to the swine, that is,
to such as are grovelling in impurity of life, they do not
understand their preciousness, but value them like to other
worldly fables, and tread them under foot with their carnal
Au g- life. AUG. That which is despised is said to be trodden under
foot : hence itis said, Lest perchance they tread them underfoot.
Gloss. GLOSS. He says, Lest perchance, because it may be that they
Aug. will wisely turn from their uncleanness 3 . AUG. That which
ubi sup. foii ows ^ Turn again and rend you, He means not the pearls
themselves, for these they tread under foot, and when they
turn again that they may hear something further, then they
rend him by whom the pearls on which they had trode had
been cast. For you will not easily find what will please him
who has despised things got by great toil. Whoever then
undertake to teach such, I see not how they shall not be trode
upon and rent by those they teach. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or; The
swine not only trample upon the pearls by their carnal life,
but after a little they turn, and by disobedience rend those
who offend them. Yea often when offended they bring false
accusation against them as sowers of new dogmas. The
dogs also having trode upon holy things by their impure
actions, by their disputings rend the preacher of truth.
CHRYS. Well is that said, Lest they turn ; for they feign
meekness that they may learn ; and when they have learned,
they attack. PSEUDO-CHRYS. With good reason He forbade
pearls to be given to swine. For if they are not to be set
before swine that are the less unclean, how much more are
a The Gloss, has quia non possunt.
VER. 7, 8. ST. MATTHEW. 271
they to be withheld from dogs that are so much more
unclean. But respecting the giving that which is holy, we
cannot hold the same opinion; seeing we often give the
benediction to Christians who live as the brutes ; and that
not because they deserve to receive it, but lest perchance
being more grievously offended they should perish utterly.
AUG. We must be careful therefore not to explain ought to Aug.
him who does not receive it; for men the rather seek that"
which is hidden than that which is opened. He either
attacks from ferocity as a dog, or overlooks from stupidity as
swine. But it does not follow that if the truth be kept hid,
falsehood is uttered. The Lord Himself who never spoke
falsely, yet sometimes concealed the truth, as in that, / have John 16,
yet many things to say unto you, the which ye are not now
able to bear. But if any is unable to receive these things
because of his filthiness, we must first cleanse him as far as
lays in our power either by word or deed. But in that the
Lord is found to have said some things which many who heard
Him did not receive, but either rejected or contemned them,
w r e are not to think that therein He gave the holy thing to
the dogs, or cast His pearls before swine. He gave to those
who were able to receive, and who were in the company,
whom it was not fit should be neglected for the uncleanness
of the rest. And though those who tempted Him might
perish in those answers which He gave to them, yet those
who could receive them by occasion of these inquiries heard
many useful things. Pie therefore who knows what should
be answered ought to make answer, for their sakes at least
who might fall into despair should they think that the
question proposed is one that cannot be answered. But
this only in the case of such matters as pertain to instruction
of salvation ; of things superfluous or harmful nothing should
be said ; but it should then be explained for what reason we
ought not to make answer in such points to the enquirer.
7. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye
shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you :
8. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he
that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.
272 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
JEROME ; Having before forbidden us to pray for things of
the flesh, He now shews what we ought to ask, saying, Ask,
A - and it shall be given you. AUG. Otherwise ; when He com
manded not to give the holy thing to dogs, and not to cast
pearls before swine, the hearer conscious of his own igno
rance might say, Why do you thus bid me not give the holy
thing to dogs, when as yet I see not that I have any holy
thing ? He therefore adds in good season, Ask, and ye shall
receive. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise ; Having given them
some commands for the sanctification of prayer, saying,
Judge not, He adds accordingly, Ask, and it shall be given
unto you, as though He were to say, If ye observe this mercy
towards your enemies, whatever seems to you shut, knock,
and it shall be opened to you. Ask therefore in prayer,
praying day and night ; seek with care and toil ; for neither
by toiling only in the Scriptures do we gain knowledge
without God s grace, nor do we attain to grace without
study, lest the gift of God should be bestowed on the
careless. But knock with prayer, and fasting, and alms.
For as one who knocks at a door, not only cries out with his
voice, but strikes with his hand, so he who does good works,
knocks with his works. But you will say, this is what
I pray that T may know and do, how then can I do it, before
T receive ? Do what you can that you may become able to
do more, and keep what you know that you may come to
know more. Or otherwise ; having above commanded all
men to love their enemies, and after enjoined that we should
not under pretext of love give holy things to dogs ; He here
gives good counsel, that they should pray God for them, and
it shall be granted them; let them seek out those that are
lost in sins, and they shall find them ; let them knock at those
who are shut up in errors, and God shall open to them that
their word may have access to their souls. Or otherwise ;
Since the precepts given above were beyond the reach
of human virtue, He sends them to God to whose grace
nothing is impossible, saying, Ask, and it shall be given you,
that what cannot be performed by men may be fulfilled
through the grace of God. For when God furnished the other
animals with swift foot, or swift wing, with claws, teeth,
vid^Ps. or horns, He so made man that He Himself should be man s
18, i. only strength, that forced by reason of his own weakness,
VER. 7, 8. ST. MATTHEW. 273
he might always have need of his Lord. GLOSS. We ask Gloss,
with faith, we seek with hope, we knock with love. You r<
must first ask that you may have ; after that seek that you
may find ; and lastly, observe what you have found that you
may enter in. AUG. Asking, is that we may get healthiness of Aug.
soul that we may be able to fulfil the things commanded us;^^ 10
seeking, pertains to the discovery of the truth. But when any " 21 -
has found the true way, he will then come into actual pos
session, which however is only opened to him that knocks.
ID. How these three differ from one another, I have thought Aug.
good to unfold with this travail; but it were better to refer ^ 19.
them all to instant prayer; wherefore He afterwards con
cludes, saying, He will give good things to them that ask
him. CHRYS. And in that He adds seek, and knock. He
bids us ask with much importunateness and strength. For
one who seeks, casts forth all other things from his mind,
and is turned to that thing singly which he seeks ; and
he that knocks comes with vehemence and warm soul.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He had said, Ask, and ye shall receive;
which sinners hearing might perchance say, The Lord herein
exhorts them that are worthy, but we are unworthy. There
fore He repeats it that He may commend the mercy of God
to the righteous as well as to sinners ; and therefore declares
that every one that asketh receiveth; that is, whether he be
righteous or a sinner, let him not hesitate to ask ; that it may
be fully seen that none is neglected but he who hesitates to
ask of God. For it is not credible that God should enjoin
on men that work of piety which is displayed in doing good
to our enemies, and should not Himself (being good) act so.
AUG. Wherefore God hears sinners; for if He do not hear Aug.
sinners, the Publican said in vain, Lord, be merciful to j^ in
me a sinner; and by that confession merited justification. 44 - 13.
ID. He who in faith offers supplication to God for the 13.
necessities of this life is heard mercifully, and not heard "
mercifully. For the physician knows better than the sick Sent,
man what is good for his sickness. But if he asks that 212 *
which God both promises and commands, his prayer shall
be granted, for love shall receive what truth provides.
ID. But the Lord is good, who often gives us not what we Aug.
would, that He may give us what we should rather prefer. i. p< K
VOL. I. T
274 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
A-ug. ID. There is need moreover of perseverance, that we may
^ t m receive what we ask for. ID. In that God sometimes delays
ii. 21. His gifts, He but recommends, and does not deny them.
Serni. For that which is long looked for is sweeter when obtained ;
61 5> but that is held cheap, which comes at once. Ask then and
seek things righteous. For by asking and seeking grows
the appetite of taking. God reserves for you those things
which He is not willing to give you at once, that you may
learn greatly to desire great things. Therefore we ought
always to pray and not to fail.
9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone ?
10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children, how much more shall your
Father which is in heaven give good things to them
that ask him ?
Aug. AUG. As above He had cited the birds of the air and the
Mont in hlies of the field, that our hopes may rise from the less to the
ii. 21. greater ; so also does He in this place, when He says,
Or what man among you? PSEUDO-CHRYS. Lest perchance
any one considering how great is the difference between
God and man, and weighing his own sins should despair of
obtaining, and so never take in hand to ask ; therefore He
proposes a comparison of the relation between father and
son ; that should we despair because of our sins, we may
hope because of God s fatherly goodness. CHRYS. There
are two things behoveful for one that prays; that he ask
earnestly ; and that he ask such things as he ought to ask.
And those are spiritual things; as Solomon, because he
asked such things as were right, received speedily. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. And what are the things that we ought to ask, he
shews under the likeness of a loaf, and a fish. The loaf
is the word concerning the knowledge of God the Father.
The stone is all falsehood that has a stumbling-block of
offence to the soul. REMIG. By the fish we may understand
the word concerning Christ, by the serpent the Devil
V r ER. 9 11. ST. MATTHEW. 275
himself. Or by the loaf may be understood spiritual doc
trine ; by the stone ignorance ; by the fish the water of Holy
Baptism; by the serpent the wiles of the Devil, or unbelief.
RABAN. Or ; bread which is the common food signifies
charity, without which the other virtues are of no avail.
The fish signifies faith, which is born of the water of
baptism, is tossed in the midst of the waves of this life
and yet lives. Luke adds a third thing, an egg, which Lukeii,
signifies Jhope ; for an egg is the hope of the animal. To
charity, He opposes a stone, that is, the hardness of hatred ;
to faith, a serpent, that is, the venom of treachery; to hope,
a scorpion, that is, despair, which stings backward, as the
scorpion. REMIG. The sense therefore is; we need not fear
that should we ask of God our Father bread, that is doctrine
or love, He will give us a stone ; that is, that He will suffer
our heart to be contracted either by the frost of hatred or by
hardness of soul; or that when we ask for faith, He will
suffer us to die of the poison of unbelief. Thence it follows,
If then ye being evil. CHRYS. This He said not detracting
from human nature, nor confessing the whole human race to
be evil ; but He calls paternal love evil when compared with
His own goodness. Such is the superabundance of His
love towards men. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Because in comparison
of God who is preeminently good, all men seem to be evil, as
all light shews dark when compared with the sun. JEROME;
Or perhaps he called the Apostles evil, in their person
condemning the whole human race, whose heart is set to
evil from his infancy, as we read in Genesis. Nor is it any Gen. 8,
wonder that He should call this generation evil, as the
Apostle also speaks, Seeing the days are evil. AUG. OrjAug-.
He calls evil those who are lovers of this age ; whence also E^"^
the good things which they give are to be called good 1 **,
according to their sense who esteem them as good ; nay,
even in the nature of things they are goods, that is, temporal
goods, and such as pertain to this weak life. ID. For Au g-
that good thing which makes men good is God. Gold andg^ 3
silver are good things not as making you good, but as with
them you may do good. If then we be evil, yet as having a
Father who is good let us not remain ever evil. AUG. Aug.
If then we being evil, know how to give that which is asked Mont.
"
276 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIT.
of us, how much more is it to be hoped that God will give
us good things when we ask Him? PSEUDO-CHRYS. He
says good things, because God does not give all things
Gloss, to them that ask Him, but only good things. GLOSS. For
from God we receive only such things as are good, of
what kind soever they may seem to us when we receive
them ; for all things work together for good to His beloved.
REMIG. And be it known that where Matthew says, He shall
Luke give good things, Luke has, shall give his Holy Spirit. But
9 this ought not to seem contrary, because all the good things
which man receives from God, are given by the grace of the
Holy Spirit.
12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them : for
this is the Law and the Prophets.
Aug. AUG. Firmness and strength of walking by the way of
su ^ wisdom in good habits is thus set before us, by which men
are brought to purity and simplicity of heart; concerning
which having spoken a long time, He thus concludes, All
things whatsoever ye would, 8$c. For there is no man who
would that another should act towards him with a double
heart. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise; He had above com
manded us in order to sanctify our prayers that men should
not judge those who sin against them. Then breaking the
thread of his discourse He had introduced various other
matters, wherefore now when He returns to the command
with which He had begun, He says, All tilings whatsoever
ye would, %c. That is ; I not only command that ye judge
not, but All things whatsoever ye would that men should do
unto you, do ye unto them; and then you will be able to
Gloss, pray so as to obtain. GLOSS. Otherwise ; The Holy Spirit
ord * is the distributor of all spiritual goods, that the deeds of
charity may be fulfilled ; whence He adds, All things there
fore 8fc. CHRYS. Otherwise; The Lord desires to teach
that men ought to seek aid from above, but at the same time
to contribute what lays in their power ; wherefore when He
had said, Ask, seek, and knock, He proceeds to teach openly
VER. 12. ST. MATTHEW. 277
that men should be at pains for themselves, adding, Whatso
ever ye would fyc. AUG. Otherwise ; The Lord had promised Aug.
that He would give good things to them that ask Him. Butg" 1 ?.
that He may own his petitioners, let us also own ours. For
they that beg are in every thing, save having of substance,
equal to those of whom they beg. What face can you have
of making request to your God, when you do not acknowledge
your equal ? This is that is said in Proverbs, Whoso stoppclh Prov.ai,
his ear to the cry of the poor, he shall cry and shall not be
heard. What we ought to bestow on our neighbour when
he asks of us, that we ourselves may be heard of God, we
may judge by what we would have others bestow upon us;
therefore He says, All things whatsoever ye would. CHRYS.
He says not, All things whatsoever, simply, but All things
therefore, as though He should say, If ye will be heard,
besides those things which I have now said to you, do this
also. And He said not, Whatsoever you would have done
for you by God, do that for your neighbour; lest you should
say, But how can I ? but He says, Whatsoever you would have
done to you by your fellow-servant, do that also to your
neighbour. AUG. Some Latin copies add here, good things b ,Aug-
which I suppos^ was inserted to make the sense more plain. Mom. 1 "
For it occurred that one might desire some crime to be " 22 -
committed for his advantage, and should so construe this
place, that he ought first to do the like to him by whom he
would have it done to him. It were absurd to think that
this man had fulfilled this command. Yet the thought is
perfect, even though this be not added. For the words, All
things whatsoever ye would, are not to be taken in their
ordinary and loose signification, but in their exact and
proper sense. For there is no will but only in the good ; in but vid,
the wicked it is rather named desire, and not will. Not that P^^
the Scriptures always observe this propriety; but w r here
need is, there they retain the proper word so that none other
need be understood. CYPRIAN ; Since the Word of God, the Cypr.
Lord Jesus Christ came to all men, He summed up all his Tr< vlip
commands in one precept, Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye also to them; and adds, for this is
the Law and the Prophets. PSKUDO-CHRYS. For whatso-
* So also S. Cyprian de Orat. (Tr. vii. 18. fin.) and the Latin MS.
278 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
ever the Law and the Prophets contain up and down through
the whole Scriptures, is embraced in this one compendious
precept, as the innumerable branches of a tree spring from
Greg, one root. GREG. He that thinks he ought to do to another
x Q as he expects that others will do to him, considers verily
how he may return good things for bad, and better things
for good. CHRYS. Whence what we ought to do is clear, as
in our own cases we all know what is proper, and so we
Aug. cannot take refuge in our ignorance. AUG. This precept
Mont . m seems to refer to the love of our neighbour, not of God, as in
ii. 22. another place He says, there are two commandments on
which hang the Law and the Prophets. But as He says not
here, The whole Law, as He speaks there, He reserves a
place for the other commandment respecting the love of God.
^ u ?; . ID. Otherwise; Scripture does not mention the love of God,
viii. 7. where it says, All things whatsoever ye would ; because he
who loves his neighbour must consequently love Love
itself above all things ; but God is Love ; therefore he loves
God above all things.
13. Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to de
struction, and many there be which go in thereat :
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that
find it.
AUG. The Lord had warned us above to have a heart single
Mont. an( l pure with which to seek God; but as this belongs to but
ii. 22. f ew? jj e begins to speak of finding out wisdom. For the search
ing out and contemplation whereof there has been formed
through all the foregoing such an eye as may discern the narrow
way and strait gate; whence He adds, Enter ye in at the strait
Gloss, gate. GLOSS. Though it be hard to do to another what you
would have done to yourself; yet so must we do, that we
may enter the strait gate. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Otherwise; This
third precept again is connected with the right method of
fasting, and the order of discourse will be this; But thou
VEK. 13, 14. ST. MATTHEW. 279
when thou fastest anoint thy head ; and after comes, Enter
ye in at the strait gate. For there are three chief passions
in our nature, that are most adhering to the flesh ; the
desire of food and drink ; the love of the man towards the
woman ; and thirdly, sleep. These it is harder to cut off
from the fleshly nature than the other passions. And there
fore abstinence from no other passion so sanctifies the body
as that a man should be chaste, abstinent, and continuing in
watchings. On account therefore of all these righteousnesses,
but above all on account of the most toilsome fasting, it is that
He says, Enter ye in at the strait gate. The gate of per
dition is the Devil, through whom we enter into hell ; the
gate of life is Christ, through whom we enter into the
kingdom of Heaven. The Devil is said to be a wide gate,
not extended by the mightiness of his power, but made
broad by the license of his unbridled pride. Christ is said
to be a strait gate not with respect to smallness of power,
but to His humility ; for He whom the whole world contains
not, shut Himself within the limits of the Virgin s womb. The
way of perdition is sin of any kind. It is said to be broad,
because it is not contained within the rule of any discipline,
but they that walk therein follow whatever pleases them.
The way of life is all righteousness, and is called narrow for
the contrary reasons. It must be considered that unless one
walk in the way, he cannot arrive at the gate ; so they that
walk not in the way of righteousness, it is impossible that
they should truly know Christ. Likewise neither does he
run into the hands of the Devil, unless he walks in the way of
sinners. GLOSS. Though love be wide, yet it leads men from Gloss,
the earth through difficult and steep ways. It is sufficiently ord>
difficult to cast aside all other things, and to love One only,
not to aim at prosperity, not to fear adversity. CHRYS. But
seeing He declares below, My yoke is pleasant, and my
burden light , how is it that He says here that the way is
strait and narrow ? Even here He teaches that it is light
and pleasant; for here is a way and a gate as that other,
which is called the wide and broad, has also a way and a
gate. Of these nothing is to remain; but all pass away.
But to pass through toil and sweat, and to arrive at a good
end, namely life, is sufficient solace to those who undergo
280 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
these struggles. For if sailors can make light of storms and
soldiers of wounds in hope of perishable rewards, much
more when Heaven lies before, and rewards immortal, will
none look to the impending dangers. Moreover the very
circumstance that He calls it strait contributes to make it
easy ; by this He warned them to be always watching ; this
the Lord speaks to rouse our desires. He who strives in a
combat, if he sees the prince admiring the efforts of the
combatants, gets greater heart. Let us not therefore be sad
when many sorrows befal us here, for the way is strait, but
not the city ; therefore neither need we look for rest here,
nor expect any thing of sorrow there. When He says, Few
there be that find it. He points to the sluggishness of the
many, and instructs His hearers not to look to the prosperity
of the many, but to the toils of the few. JEROME ; Attend to
the words, for they have an especial force, many walk in the
broad way few find the narrow way. For the broad way
needs no search, and is not found, but presents itself readily ;
it is the way of all who go astray. Whereas the narrow
way neither do all find, nor when they have found, do they
straightway walk therein. Many, after they have found the
way of truth, caught by the pleasures of the world, desert
midway.
15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves.
1 6. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ?
17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit ; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit
is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord had before commanded His
Apostles, that they should not do their alms, prayers, and!
VER. 15 20. ST. MATTHEW. 281
fastings before men, as the hypocrites ; and that they might
know that all these things may be done in hypocrisy, He
speaks saying, Take heed of false prophets. AUG. When Aug.
the Lord had said that there were few that find the strait gatefj^ iq
and narrow way, that heretics, who often commend them- " 23.
selves because of the smallness of their numbers, might not
here intrude themselves, He straightway subjoins, Take
heed of false prophets. CHRYS. Having taught that the gate
is strait, because there are many that pervert the way that
leads to it, He proceeds, Take heed of false prophets. In
the which that they might be the more careful, He reminds
them of the things that were done among their fathers,
calling them false prophets ; for even in that day the like
things fell out. PSEUDO-CHRYS. What is written below that
the Law and the Prophets were until John, is said, because Mat. 11,
there should be no prophecy concerning Christ after He
was come. Prophets indeed there have been and are, but
not prophesying of Christ, rather interpreting the things
which had been prophesied of Christ by the ancients, that
is by the doctors of the Churches. For no man can unfold
prophetic meaning, but the Spirit of prophecy. The Lord
then knowing that there should be false teachers, warns
them of divers heresies, saying, Take heed of false prophets.
And forasmuch as they would not be manifest Gentiles, but
lurk under the Christian name, He said not See ye, but,
Take heed. For a thing that is certain is simply seen, or
looked upon ; but when it is uncertain it is watched or
narrowly considered. Also He says Take heed, because it
is a sure precaution of security to know him whom you
avoid. But this form of warning, Take heed, does not imply
that the Devil will introduce heresies against God s will,
but by His permission only; but because He would not
choose servants without trial, therefore He sends them
temptation; and because He would not have them perish
through ignorance, He therefore warns them beforehand.
Also that no heretical teacher might maintain that He spoke
here of Gentile and Jewish teachers and not of them, He
adds, who come to you in sheep s clothing. Christians are
called sheep, and the sheep s clothing is a form of Chris-
tianity and of feigned religion. And nothing so casts out
282 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
all good as hypocrisy; for evil that puts on the semblance
of good, cannot be provided against, because it is unknown.
Again, that the heretic might not allege that He here speaks
of the true teachers which were yet sinners, He adds, But
inwardly they are ravening wolves. But Catholic teachers
should they indeed have been sinners, are spoken of as
servants of the flesh, yet not as ravening wolves, because
it is not their purpose to destroy Christians. Clearly then
it is of heretical teachers that He speaks ; for they put on
the guise of Christians, to the end they may tear in pieces the
Christian with the wicked fangs of seduction. Concerning
Acts 20, such the Apostle speaks, / know that after my departure
there will enter among you grievous wolves, not sparing the
flock. CHRYS. Yet He may seem here to have aimed under
the title of false prophets, not so much at the heretic, as at
those who, while their life is corrupt, yet wear an outward
face of virtuousness ; whence it is said, By their fruits ye
shall know them. For among heretics it is possible many
times to find a good life, but among those I have named
Aug. never. AUG. Wherefore it is justly asked, what fruits then
Mont. He would have us look to ? For many esteem among fruits
" 24 - some things which pertain to the sheep s clothing, and in
this manner are deceived concerning wolves. For they
practise fasting, almsgiving, or praying, which they display
before men, seeking to please those to whom these things
seem difficult. These then are not the fruits by which He
teaches us to discern them. Those deeds which are done with
good intention, are the proper fleece of the sheep itself, such as
are done with bad intention, or in error, are nothing else
than a clothing of wolves ; but the sheep ought not to hate
their own clothing because it is often used to hide wolves.
What then are the fruits by which we may know an evil tree?
Gal. 5, The Apostle says, The works of the flesh are manifest, which
are, fornication, uncleanness, $c. And which are they by
which we may know a good tree ? The same Apostle
teaches, saying, The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace.
PSECJDO-CHRYS. The fruits of a man are the confession of his
faith and the works of his life; for he who utters according to
God the words of humility and a true confession, is the sheep ;
but he who against the truth howls forth blasphemies against
VER. 15 20. ST. MATTHEW. 283
God, is the wolf. JEROME; What is here spoken of false pro
phets we may apply to all whose dress arid speech promise one
thing, and their actions exhibit another. But it is specially
to be understood of heretics, who by observing temperance,
chastity, and fasting, surround themselves as it were with a
garment of sanctity, but inasmuch as their hearts within
them are poisoned, they deceive the souls of the more simple
brethren. AUG. But from their actions we may conjecture Aug.
whether this their outward appearance is put on for display. no
For when by any temptations those things are withdrawn or
denied them which they had either attained or sought to
attain by this evil, then needs must that it appear whether
they be the wolf in sheep s clothing, or the sheep in his
own. GREG. Also the hypocrite is restrained by peaceful Greg,
times of Holy Church, and therefore appears clothed with XX x
godliness ; but let any trial of faith ensue, straight the
wolf ravenous at heart strips himself of his sheep s skin, and
shews by persecuting how great his rage against the good.
CHRYS. And a hypocrite is easily discerned ; for the way
they are commanded to walk is a hard way, and the hypocrite
is loth to toil. And that you may not say that you are
unable to find out them that are such, He again enforces
what He had said by example from men, saying, Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or Jigs of thistles? PSEUDO-CHRYS.
The grape has in it a mystery of Christ. As the bunch
sustams^inany grapes held together by the woody stem, so
likewise Chrisl_holds^ many believers joined to Him by the
wood of the Cross. The fig again is the Church which
binds many faithful by a sweet embrace of charity, as the fig
contains many seeds inclosed in one skin. The fig then has
these significations, namely, love in its sweetness, unity in
the close adhesion of its seeds. In the grape is shewn
patience, in that it is cast into the wine-press joy, because
wine maketh glad the heart of man purity, because it is not
mixed with water and sweetness, in that it delighteth. The
thorns and thistles are the heretics. And as a thorn or a
thistle has sharp pricks on every part, so the Devil s servants,
on whatsoever side you look at them, are full of wickedness.
Thorns and thistles then of this sort cannot bear the fruits of
the Church. And having instanced in particular trees, as
284 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII;
the fig, the vine, the thorn, and the thistle, He proceeds to
shew that this is universally true, saying, Thus every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit, but an evil tree bringeth forth
Aug. evil fruit. AUG. In this place we must guard against the
Mont . in error of such as imagine that the two trees refer to two
ii. 25. different natures ; the one of God, the other not. But we
JJggs" affirm that they derive no countenance from these two trees ;
\id. infr. as it will be evident to any who will read the context that
Aug. De He is speaking here of men. ID. These men of whom we
Civ.Dei, ij ave spoken are offended with these two natures, not con
sidering them according to their true usefulness ; whereas it
is not by our advantage or disadvantage, but in itself con
sidered, that nature gives glory to her Framer. All natures
then that are, because they are, have their own manner, their
i pacem own appearance, and as it were their own * harmony, and are
altogether good. CHRYS. But that none should say, An
evil tree brings forth indeed evil fruit, but it brings forth
also good, and so it becomes hard to discern, as it has a
two-fold produce ; on this account He adds, A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree "bring
Aug. forth good fruit. AUG. From this speech the Manichees
Mont in su PP ose *kat ne i tner can a soul that is evil be possibly
ii. 25. changed for better, nor one that is good into worse. As
though it had been, A good tree cannot become bad, nor a
bad tree become good ; whereas it is thus said, A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, nor the reverse. The tree is
the soul, that is, the man himself; the fruit is the man s
works. An evil man therefore cannot work good works, nor
a good man evil works. Therefore if an evil man would
work good things, let him first become good. But as long
as he continues evil, he cannot bring forth good fruits. Like
as it is indeed possible that what was once snow, should
cease to be so ; but it cannot be that snow should be warm ;
so it is possible that he who has been evil should be so
no longer; but it is impossible that an evil man should
do good. For though he may sometimes be useful, it is not
he that does it, but it comes of Divine Providence super
intending. RABAN. And man is denominated a good tree, or
a bad, after his will, as it is good or bad. His fruit is his
works, which can neither be good when the will is evil,
VER. 15 20. ST. MATTHEW. 285
nor evil when it is good. AUG. But as it is manifest that all vid - Op-
evil works proceed from an evil will, as its fruits from an j u i. v.
evil tree ; so of this evil will itself whence will you say that it 40 * De
lias sprung, except that the evil will of an angel sprung from
an angel, of man from man ? And what were these two
before those evils arose in them, but the good work of God,
a good and praiseworthy nature. See then out of good arises
evil; nor was there any thing at all out of which it might
arise but what was good. I mean the evil will itself, since
there was 110 evil before it, no evil works, which could not
come but from evil will as fruit from an evil tree. Nor can
it be said that it sprung out of good in this way, because it
was made good by a good God ; for it was made of nothing,
and not of God. JEROME ; We would ask those heretics
who affirm that there are two natures directly opposed to
each other, if they admit that a good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, how it was possible for Moses, a good tree, to sin
as he did at the water of contradiction ? Or for Peter to
deny his Lord in the Passion, saying, I know not the man c t
Or how, on the other hand, could Moses father-in-law, an
evil tree, inasmuch as he believed not in the God of Israel,
give good counsel? CHRYS. He had not enjoined them to
punish the false prophets, and therefore shews them the
terrors of that punishment that is of God, saying, Every tree
that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and
cast into the fire. In these words He seems to aim also
at the Jews, and thus calls to mind the word of John the
Baptist, denouncing punishment against them in the very
same words. For he had thus spoken to the Jews, warning
them of the axe impending, the tree that should be cut down,
and the fire that could not be extinguished. But if one will
examine somewhat closely, here are two punishments, to be
cut down, and to be burned ; and he that is burned is also
altogether cut out of the kingdom ; which is the harder
punishment. Many indeed fear no more than hell ; but I
say that the fall of that glory is a far more bitter punishment,
than the pains of hell itself. For what evil great or small
would not a father undergo, that he might see and enjoy
a most dear son ? Let us then think the same of that glory ;
for there is no son so dear to his father as is the rest of the
286 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
good, to be deceased and to be with Christ. The pain of hell
is indeed intolerable, yet are ten thousand hells nothing
to falling from that blessed glory, and being held in hate by
Gloss. Christ. GLOSS. From the foregoing similitude He draws
c * the conclusion to what He had said before, as being now
manifest, saying, Therefore by their fruits ye shall know
them.
21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy
name have cast out devils ? and in thy name done
many wonderful works ?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
JEROME; As He had said above that those who have the
robe of a good life are yet not to be received because of the
impiety of their doctrines ; so now on the other hand, He
forbids us to participate the faith with those who while they
are strong in sound doctrine, destroy it with evil works.
For it behoves the servants of God that both their work
should be approved by their teaching and their teaching by
their works. And therefore He says, Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, enters into the kingdom of heaven.
Chrys. CfiRYS. Wherein He seems to touch the Jews chiefly who
xxh? P^ced every thing in dogmas ; as Paul accuses them, If
Rom, 2, thou art called a Jew, and reslest in the Law. PSEUDO-
17
CHRYS. Otherwise ; Having taught that the false prophets
and the true are to be discerned by their fruits, He now goes
on to teach more plainly what are the fruits by which we are
Aug. to discern the godly from the ungodly teachers. AUG. For
fnMont even * n the ver J name of Christ we must be on our guard
ii. 24. against heretics, arid all that understand amiss and love this
world, that we may not be deceived, and therefore He says,
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord. But it may
VEK. 2123. ST. MATTHEW. 287
fairly create a difficulty how this is to be reconciled with
that of the Apostle, No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, l Cor.
out by the Holy Ghost. For we cannot say that those who
are not to enter into the kingdom of heaven have the Holy
Spirit. But the Apostle uses the word say, to express the
will and understanding of him that says it. He only
properly says a thing, who by the sound of his voice
expresses his will and purpose. But the Lord uses the
word in its ordinary sense, for he seems to say who neither
wishes nor understands what he says. JEROME ; For Scrip
ture uses to take words for deeds ; according to which the
Apostle declares, They make confession that they know God, Tit. l,
but in works deny him. AMBROSI ASTER ; For all truth
by whomsoever uttered is from the Holy Spirit. AUG. Let us Comm.
not therefore think that this belongs to those fruits of which 12, 3.
He had spoken above, when one says to our Lord, Lord, Au *
J nonocc.
Lord; and thence seerns to us to be a good tree ; the true
fruit spoken of is to do the will of God; whence it follows,
Bat who doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, he
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. HILARY ; For
obeying God s will and not calling on His name, shall find
the way to the heavenly kingdom. PSEUDO-CHRYS. And
what the will of God is the Lord Himself teaches, This is, John 6,
He says, the will of him that sent me, that every man that
seeth the Son and believeth on him should have eternal life.
The word believe has reference both to confession and con
duct. He then who does not confess Christ, or does not walk
according to His word, shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven. CHRYS. He said not he that doth My will, but the
will of my Father, for it was fit so to adapt it in the mean while
to their weakness. But the one secretly implied the other, seeing
the will of the Son is no other than the will of the Father.
AUG. Hereto it also pertains that we be not deceived by the Aug.
name of Christ not only in such as bear the name and do ^^ m
not the deeds, but yet more by certain works and miracles, ii. 25.
such as the Lord wrought because of the unbelieving, but
yet warned us that we should not be deceived by such
to suppose that there was invisible wisdom where was a
visible miracle ; wherefore He adds, saying, Many shall say
to me in that day. CHRYS. See how He thus secretly brings
288 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Vlf.
in Himself. Here in the end of His Sermon He shews
Himself as the Judge. The punishment that awaits sinners
He had shewn before, but now only reveals who He is that
shall punish, saying, Many shall say to me in that day.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. When, namely, He shall come in the majesty
of His Father ; when none shall any more dare with strife
of many words either to defend a lie, or to speak against the
truth, when each man s work shall speak, and his mouth
be silent, when none shall come forward for another, but
each shall fear for himself. For in that judgment the
witnesses shall not be flattering men, but Angels speaking
the truth, and the Judge is the righteous Lord ; whence He
closely images the cry of men fearful, and in straits, saying,
Lord, Lord. For to call once is not enough for him who
is under the necessity of terror. HILARY. They even assure
themselves of glory for their prophesying in teaching, for
their casting out daemons, for their mighty works ; and
hence promise themselves the kingdom of heaven, saying,
Have we not prophesied in thy name ? CHRYS. But there
are that say that they spoke this falsely, and therefore were
not saved. But they would not have dared to say this to
the Judge in His presence. But the very answer and question
prove that it was in His presence that they spoke thus. For
having been here wondered at by all for the miracles which
they wrought, and there seeing themselves punished, they say
in wonderment, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ?
Others again say, that they did sinful deeds not while they
thus were working miracles, but at a time later. But if this
be so, that very thing which the Lord desired to prove would
not be established, namely, that neither faith nor miracles
avail ought where there is not a good life; as Paul also
l Cor. declares, If I have faith that I may remove mountains, but
13 2 have not charity, I am nothing. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But note
that He says, in my name, not in My Spirit ; for they
prophesy in the name of Christ, but with the spirit of the
Devil; such are the diviners. But they may be known
by this, that the Devil sometimes speaks falsely, the Holy
Spirit never. Howbeit it is permitted to the Devil some
times to speak the truth, that he may commend his lying by
this his rare truth. Yet they cast out daemons in the name
VKR. 21 23. ST. MATTHEW. 289
of Christ, though they have the spirit of his enemy; or
rather, they do not cast them out, but seem only to cast them
out, the daemons acting in concert with them. Also they do
mighty works, that is, miracles, not such as are useful and
necessary, but useless and fruitless. AUG. Read also what Aug.
things the Magi did in Egypt in withstanding Moses. u
JEROME ; Otherwise ; To prophesy, to work wonders, to cast
out daemons by divine power, is often not of his deserts who
performs the works, but either the invocation of Christ s
name has this force ; or it is suffered for the condemnation
of those that invoke, or for the benefit of those that see and
hear, that however they despise the men who work the
wonders, they may give honour to God. So Saul and
Balaam and Caiaphas prophesied; the sons of Scaeva in the
Acts of the Apostles were seen to cast out daemons; and
Judas with the soul of a traitor is related to have wrought
many signs among the other Apostles. CHRYS. For all are
not alike fit for all things ; these are of pure life, but have
not so great faith ; those again have the reverse. Therefore
God converted these by the means of those to the shewing
forth much faith ; and those that had faith He called by
this unspeakable gift of miracles to a better life ; and to
that end gave them this grace in great richness. And they
say, We have done many mighty works. But because they
were ungrateful towards those who thus honoured them, it
follows rightly, Then will I confess unto you, I never knew
you. JEROME; Emphatically, Then will I confess, for for
long time He had forebore to say it. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For
great wrath ought to be preceded by great forbearance,
that the sentence of God may be made more just, and the
death of the sinners more merited. God does not know
sinners because they are not worthy that they should be
known of God ; not that He altogether is ignorant concern
ing them, but because He knows them not for His own.
For God know r s all men according to nature, but He seems
not to know them for that He loves them not, as they seem
not to know God who do not serve Him worthily. CHRYS.
He says to them, / never knew you, as it were, not at the
day of judgment only, but not even then when ye were
working miracles. For there are many whom He has now
VOL. i. u
290 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VII.
in abhorrence, and yet turns away His wrath before their
punishment. JEROME ; Note that He says, / never knew
you, as being against some that say that all men have always
Gie s- been among rational creatures 3 . GREG. By this sentence it
xx. 7. is given to us to learn, that among men charity and humility,
and not mighty works, are to be esteemed. Whence also
now the Holy Church, if there be any miracles of heretics,
despises them, because she knows that they have not the
mark of holiness. And the proof of holiness is not to work
miracles, but to love our neighbour as ourselves, to think
truly of God, and of our neighbour better than of ourselves.
Aug. AUG. But never let it be said as the Manichees say, that the
A d"* Lord spoke these things concerning the holy Prophets ; He
Leg- spoke of those who after the preaching of His Gospel seem
to themselves to speak in His name not knowing what they
speak. HILARY ; But thus the hypocrites boasted, as though
they spoke somewhat of themselves, and as though the
power of God did not work all these things, being invoked ;
but reading has brought them the knowledge of His doctrine,
and the name of Christ casts out the daemons. Out of our
own selves then is that blessed eternity to be earned, and out
of ourselves must be put forth something that we may will
that which is good, that we may avoid all evil, and may rather
do what He would have us do, than boast of that to which He
enables us. These then He disowns and banishes for their
evil works, saying, Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
JEROME ; He says not, Who have worked, but, who work
iniquity, that He should not seem to take away repentance.
Ye, that is, who up to the present hour when the judgment
is come, though ye have not the opportunity, yet retain the
desire of sinning. PSEUDO-CHRYS. For death separates
the soul from the body, but changes not the purpose of the
heart
24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them,, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock :
8 Origen was accused of saying that partakers of the Divine Word or Rea-
all men were from their birth inwardly son, vid. Jerome, Ep. ad Avit.
VKK. 24 27. ST. MATTHEW. 291
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and
it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock.
26. And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, arid doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand :
27. And the rain descended, and the floods came,
and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and
it fell : and great was the fall of it.
CHRYS. Because there would be some who would admire
the things that were said by the Lord, but would not add
that shewing forth of them which is in action. He threatens
them before, saying, Every man that hears these words of
mine, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He said not, I will account him that hears
and does, as wise ; but, He shall be likened to a wise man.
He then that is likened is a man; but to whom is he
likened? To^hnstj but Christ is the wise man who has
built His house, that is, the Church, upon a rock, that is,
upon the strength of the faith. The foolish man is the
Devil, who has built his house, that is, all the ungodly,
upon the sand, that is, the insecurity of unbelief, or upon
the carnal, who are called the sand on account of their
barrenness ; both because they do not cleave together, but
are scattered through the diversity of their opinions, and
because they are innumerable. The rain is the doctrine
that waters a man, the clouds are those from which the
rain falls. Some are raised by the Holy Spirit, as the
Apostles and Prophets, and some by the spirit of the
Devil, as are the heretics. The good winds are the spirits
of the different virtues, or the Angels who work invisibly
in the senses of men, and lead them to good. The bad
winds are the unclean spirits. The good floods are the
Evangelists and teachers of the people; the evil iioods
are men full of an unclean spirit, and overflowing with
many words ; such are philosophers and the other pro
fessors of worldly wisdom, out of whose belly come rivers
of dead water. The Church then which Christ has founded,
u 2
292 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. Vlt.
neither the rain of false doctrine shall sap, nor the blast
of the Devil overturn, nor the rush of mighty floods remove.
Nor does it contradict this, that certain of the Church do
fall ; for not all that are called Christians, are Christ s,
2 Tim. but, The Lord knoivs tJiem that are his. But against
2 19 that house that the Devil has built comes down the rain
of true doctrine, the winds, that is, the graces of the Spirit,
or the Angels ; the floods, that is, the four Evangelists and
the rest of the wise ; and so the house falls, that is, the
Gentile world, that Christ may rise; and the ruin of that
house was great, its errors broken up, its falsehoods laid
open, its idols throughout the whole world broken down.
He then is like unto Christ, who hears Christ s words, and
does them; for he builds on a rock, that is, upon Christ, who
is all good, so that on whatsoever kind of good any one shall
build, he may seem to have built upon Christ. But as the
Church built by Christ cannot be thrown down, so any
such Christian who has built himself upon Christ, no ad-
Rom, s.versity can overthrow, according to that, Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ ? Like to the Devil is he
that hears the words of Christ, and does them not. For
words that are heard, and are not done, are likened to sand,
they are dispersed and shed abroad. For the sand signifies
all evil, or even worldly goods. For as the Devil s house is
overthrown, so such as are built upon the sand are destroyed
and fall. And great is that ruin if he have suffered any
thing to fail of the foundation of faith ; but not if he have
committed fornication, or homicide, because he has whence
he may arise through penitence, as David. RABAN. Or the
great ruin is to be understood that with which the Lord will
Mat. 25, say to them that hear and do not, Go ye into everlasting
fire. JEROME ; Or otherwise ; On sand which is loose and
cannot be bound into one mass, all the doctrine of heretics
is built so as to fall. HILARY; Otherwise ; By the showers
He signifies the allurements of smooth and gently invading
pleasures, with which the faith is at first watered as with
spreading rills, afterwards comes down the rush of torrent
floods, that is, the motions of fiercer desire, and lastly, the
whole force of the driving tempests rages against it,
that is, the universal spirits of the Devil s reign attack it.
VER. 28, 29. ST. MATTHEW. 293
AUG. Otherwise ; Rain, when it is put to denote any evil, is Aug.
understood as the darkness of superstition, rumours of men are jyj t "
compared to winds; the flood signifies the lust of the flesh, in fin.
as it were flowing over the land, and because what is brought
on by prosperity is broken off by adversity. None of these
things does he fear who has his house founded upon a rock,
that is, who not only hears the command of the Lord, but
who also does it. And in all these he submits himself to
danger, who hears and does not. For no man confirms in
himself what the Lord commands, or himself hears, but by
doing it. But it should be noted, that when he said, He
that heareth these words of mine, He shews plainly enough
that this sermon is made complete by all those precepts by
which the Christian life is formed, so that with good reason
they that desire to live according to them, may be compared
to one that builds on a rock.
28. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the people were astonished at his
doctrine:
29. For he taught them as one having authority,
and not as the Scribes.
GLOSS. Having related Christ s teaching, he shews its Gloss.
effects on the multitude, saying, And it came to pass, when nc
Jesus had ended these words, the multitude wondered at his
doctrine. RABAN. This ending pertains both to the finishing
the words, and the completeness of the doctrines. That it is
said that the multitude wondered, either signifies the unbe
lieving in the crowd, who were astonished because they did
not believe the Saviour s words ; or is said of them all, in
that they reverenced in Him the excellence of so great
wisdom. PSEUDO-CHRYS. The mind of man when satisfied
reasonably brings forth praise, but when overcome, wonder.
For whatever we are not able to praise worthily, we admire.
Yet their admiration pertained rather to Christ s glory than
to their faith, for had they believed on Christ, they would
not have wondered. For wonder is raised by whatever
surpasses the appearance of the speaker or actor j and thence
294 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO (HAP. VII.
we do not wonder at what is done or said by God, because
all things are less than God s power. But it was the multi
tude that wondered, that is the common people, not the
chief among the people, who are not wont to hear with the
desire of learning; but the simple folk heard in simplicity ;
had others been present they would have broken up their
silence by contradicting, for where the greater knowledge is,
there is the stronger malice. For he that is in haste to be
Aug. De fi rs t 9 i s no t content to be second. AUG. From that which is
Ev.ii.i9.here said, He seems to have left the crowd of disciples
those out of whom He chose twelve, whom He called
Apostles but Matthew omits to mention it. For to His
disciples only, Jesus seems to have held this Sermon, which
Matthew recounts, Luke omits. That aft-?r descending
into a plain He held another like discourse, which Luke
records, and Matthew omits. Still it may be supposed, that,
as was said above, He delivered one and the same Sermon to
the Apostles, and the rest of the multitude present, which
has been recorded by Matthew and Luke, in different words,
but with the same truth of substance ; and this explains
Chrys. wna t is here said of the multitude wondering. CHRYS. He
xxv. adds the cause of their wonderment, saying, He taught them
as one having authority, and not as the Scribes and Pha
risees. But if the Scribes drove Him from them, seeing His
power shewn in works, how would they not have been
offended when words only manifested His power? But this
was not so with the multitude ; for being of benevolent
temper, it is easily persuaded by the word of truth. Such
however was the power wherewith He taught them, that it
drew many of them to Him, and caused them to wonder;
and for their delight in those things which were spoken they
did not leave Him even when He had done speaking ; but
followed Him as He came down from the mount. They
were mostly astonished at His power, in that He spoke not
referring to any other as the Prophets and Moses had spoken,
but every where shewing that He Himself had authority ;
for in delivering each law, He prefaced it with, But I say
unto you. JEROME; For as the God and Lord of Moses
himself, He of His own free will either added such things as
seemed omitted in the Law, or even changed some; as above
VKR. 28, 29. ST. MATTHEW. 295
we read. It was said by them of old .... But I say unto
you. But the Scribes only taught the people what was
written in Moses and the Prophets. GREG. Or, Christ spoke Greg.
with especial power, because He did no evil from weakness, xxii j] 13>
but we who are weak, in our weakness consider by what
method in teaching we may best consult for our weak
brethren. HILARY; Or; They measure the efficacy of His
power, by the might of His words. AUG. This is what is Aug.
signified in the eleventh Psalm, / will deal mightily with ; Mont", ii.
him ; the words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried in the 40 - i - 10 >
fire, purified of earth, purged seven times. The mention ofp s . 12,
this number admonishes me here to refer all these precepts to 5 6
those seven sentences that He placed in the beginning of
this Sermon ; those, I mean, concerning the beatitudes. For
one to be angry with his brother, without cause, or to say to
him, llacha, or call him fool, is a sin of extreme pride,
against which is one remedy, that with a suppliant spirit he
should seek pardon, and not be puffed up with a spirit of
boasting. Blessed, then, are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven. He is consenting to his adversary,
that is, in shewing reverence to the word of God, who
goes to the opening His Father s will, not with conten
tiousness of law, but with meekness of religion, therefore,
Blessed are the meek, for they shall Inherit the earth.
Also whosoever feels carnal delight rebel against his right
will, will cry out, O wretched man that I am! who sJtall^om.l,
deliver me from the body of this death ? And in thus mourning
he will implore the aid of the consoler; whence, Blessed are
they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. What is there
that can be thought of more toilsome than in overcoming an
evil practice to cut off those members within us that hinder
the kingdom of heaven, and not be broken down with the
pain of so doing ? To endure in faithful wedlock all things
even the most grievous, and yet to avoid all accusation of
fornication. To speak the truth, and approve it not by
frequent oaths, but by probity of life. But who would be
bold to endure such toils, unless he burned with the love
of righteousness as with a hunger and thirst ? Blessed, there
fore, are they that hunger and thirst, for they shall be filled.
Who can be ready to take wrong from the weak, to offer
296 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW, CHAP. VH.
himself to any that asks him, to love his enemies, to do good
to them that hate him, to pray for them that persecute him,
except he that is perfectly merciful ? Therefore, Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall find mercy. He keeps the eye
of his heart pure, who places the end of his good actions
not in pleasing men, nor in getting those things that are
necessary to this life, and who does not rashly condemn
any man s heart, and whatever he gives to another gives
with that intention with which he would have others give
to him. Blessed, therefore, are the pure in heart, for they
shall see God. It must needs be moreover, that by a pure
heart should be found out the narrow way of wisdom, to
which the guile of corrupt men is an obstacle; Blessed are
the peaceful, for they shall be called the sons of God. But
whether we take this arrangement, or any other, those things
which we have heard from the Lord must be done, if we
would build upon the rock.
CHAP. VIII.
1. When he was come down from the mountain,
great multitudes followed him.
2. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me
clean.
3. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him,
saying, I will ; be thou clean. And immediately his
leprosy was cleansed.
4. And Jesus said unto him, See thou tell no man ;
but go thy way, shew thyself to the Priest, and offer
the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto
them.
JEROME ; After the preaching and teaching, is offered an
occasion of working miracles, that by mighty works following,
the preceding doctrine might be confirmed. PSEUDO-CHRYS. quoad
Because He taught them as one having authority, that He sei
might not thence be supposed to use this method of teaching
from ostentation, He does the same in works, as one having
power to cure; and therefore, When Jesus descended from the
mountain, great multitudes followed him. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Pseudo-
While the Lord taught on the mount, the disciples we
with Him, for to them it was given to know the secret things
of the heavenly doctrine ; but now as He came down from
the mount the crowds followed Him, who had been altogether
unable to ascend into the mount. They that are bowed by
the burden of sin cannot climb to the sublime mysteries.
But when the Lord came down from the mount, that is,
stooped to the infirmity, and helplessness of the rest, in pity to
298 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CIJAP. VIII.
their imperfections, great multitudes followed Him, some
for renown, most for His doctrine, some for cures, or having
their wants administered to. HAYMO ; Otherwise ; By the
mount on which the Lord sate is figured the Heaven, as it
Is. 66,1. i s written, Heaven is my throne. 13ut when the Lord sits
on the mount, only the disciples come to Him ; because
before He took on Him the frailty of our human nature,
Ps.76, i.Qod was known only in Judaea; but when He came down
from the height of his Divinity, and took upon Him the
frailty of our human nature, a great multitude of the nations
followed Him. Herein it is shewn to them that teach that
their speech should be so regulated, that as they see each
man is able to receive, they should so speak the word of
God. For the doctofs ascend the mountain, when they
shew the more excellent precepts to the perfect ; they come
down from the mount, in shewing the lesser precepts to the
weak. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Among others who were not able
to ascend into the mount was the leper, as bearing the
burden of sin ; for the sin of our souls is a leprosy. And
the Lord came down from the height of heaven, as from a
mountain, that He might purge the leprousness of our sin ;
and so the leper as already prepared meets Him as He came
Pseudo- down. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; He works the cures below, and does
none m the inoun t ; for there is a time for all things under
heaven, a time for teaching, and a time for healing. On the
mount He taught, He cured souls, He healed hearts ; which
being finished, as He came down from the heavenly heights
to heal bodies, there came to Him a leper and made
adoration to Him ; before he made his suit, he began to
adore, shewing his great reverence. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He
did not ask it of Him as of a human physician, but adored
Him as God. For faith and confession make a perfect
prayer; so that the leprous man in adoring fulfilled the work
of faith, and the work of confession in words, he made
Pseudo- adoration to him, saying ; PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Lord, by Thee
a ^ things were made, Thou therefore, if tltou wilt, canst
make me clean. Thy will is the work, and all works are
subject to Thy will. Thou of old cleansedst Naaman the
Syrian of his leprosy by the hand of Elisha, and now, if
thou tvilt, thou canst make me clean. CHRYS. He said not,
VER. 1 4. ST. MATTHEW. 299
If Thou wilt ask of G od, or, If Thou wilt make adoration to
God ; but, If thoujwWL Nor did he say, Lord, cleanse me ;
but left all to Him, thereby making Him Lord, and attributing
tq Him the power over all. PSEUDO-CHRYS. And thus he
rewarded a spiritual Physician with a spiritual reward ; for
as physicians are gained by money, so He with prayer. We
offer to God nothing more worthy than faithful prayer. In
that he says, If thott wilt, there is no doubt that Christ s will
is ready to every good w r ork ; but only doubt whether that
cure would be expedient for him, because soundness of body
is not good for all. // thou wilt then is as much as to say,
I believe that Thou wiliest whatever is good, but I know not
if this that I desire for myself is good. CHRYS. He was
able to cleanse by a word, or even by mere will, but He put
out His hand, He stretched forth his hand and touched him,
to shew that He was not subject to the Law, and that to the
pure nothing is impure. Elisha truly kept the Law in all
strictness, and did not go out and touch Naaman, but sends
him to wash in Jordan. \ But the Lord shews that He does
not heal as a servant, but as Lord heals and touches ; His
hand was not made unclean by the leprosy, but the leprous
body was made pure by the holy hand. For He came not
only to heal bodies, but to lead the soul to the true wisdom.
As then He did not forbid to eat with unwashen hands, so
here He teaches us that it is the leprosy of the soul we
ought only to dread, which is sin, but that the leprosy of the
body is no impediment to virtue. PSEUDO-CHRYS. But though
He transgressed the letter of the Law, He did not transgress
its meaning. For the Law forbade to touch leprosy, because
it could not hinder that the touch should not defile ; there
fore it meant not that lepers should not be healed, but that
they that touched should not be polluted. So He was not
polluted by touching the leprosy, but purified the leprosy by
touching it. DAMASCENUS ; For He was not only God, but Damas.
man also, whence He wrought Divine wonders by touch Q^ tl f 1(1
and word; for as by an instrument so by His body theiii. 15.
Divine acts were done. CHRYS. But for touching the
leprous man there is none that accuses Him, because His
hearers were not yet seized with envy against Him. PSEUDO-
CHRYS. Had He healed him without speaking, who would
300 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
know by whose power he had been healed ? So the will to
heal was for the sake of the leprous man ; the word was for
the sake of them that beheld, therefore He said, I will, be
thou clean. JEROME; It is not to be read, as most of the
Latins think, I will to cleanse thee ; but separately, He
first answers, / will, and then follows the command, be thou
clean. The leper has said, If thou wilt ; the Lord answers,
/ will ; he first said, Thou canst make me clean ; the Lord
spake, Be thou clean. CHRYS. No where else do we see
Him using this word though He be working ever so signal a
miracle ; but He here adds, / will, to confirm the opinion of
the people and the leprous man concerning His power.
Nature obeyed the word of the Purifier with proper speed,
whence it follows, and straight his leprosy was cleansed.
But even this word straightway is too slow to express the
Pseudo- speed with which the deed was done. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ;
ubi S sup Because he was not slow to believe, his cure is not delayed ;
he did not linger in his confession, Christ did not linger in
Aug. De His cure. AUG. Luke has mentioned the cleansing of this
Ev.iU9.1 e P er > though not in the same order of events, but as his
manner is to recollect things omitted, and to put first things
that were done later, as they were divinely suggested ; so that
what they had known before, they afterwards set down in
writing when they were recalled to their minds. CHRYS.
Jesus when healing his body bids him tell no man ; Jesus
saith unto him, See thou tell no man. Some say that He
gave this command that they might not through malice
distrust his cure. But this is said foolishly, for He did not
so cure him as that his purity should be called in question ;
but He bids him tell no man, to teach that He does not love
ostentation and glory. How is it then that to another to whom
Mark 5, He had healed He gives command to go and tell it? What
He taught in that was only that we should have a thankful
heart ; for He does not command that it should be published
abroad, but that glory should be given to God. He teaches
us then through this leper not to be desirous of empty
honour ; by the other, not to be ungrateful, but to refer all
things to the praise of God. JEROME ; And in truth what
need was there that he should proclaim with his mouth
what was evidently shewed in his body ? HILARY; Or that
VER. 1 4. ST. MATTHEW. 301
this healing might be sought rather than offered, therefore
silence is enjoined* JEROME ; He sends him to the Priests,
first, because of His humility that He may seem to defer to
the Priests ; secondly, that when they saw the leper cleansed
they might be saved, if they would believe on the Saviour,
or if not that they might be without excuse ; and, lastly, that
He might not seem, as He was often charged, to be infringing
the Law. CHRYS. He neither every where broke, nor every
where observed, the Law, but sometimes the one, sometimes
the other. The one was preparing the way for the wisdom A
that was to come, the other was silencing the irreverent tongue
of the Jews, and condescending to their weakness. Whence
the Apostles also are seen sometimes observing, sometimes
neglecting, the Law. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Or, He sends him Pseudo-
to the Priests that they might know that he was not cleansed u bi^up*.
according to the manner of the Law, but by the operation of
grace. JEROME; It was ordained in the Law, that those
that had been cleansed of a leprosy should offer gifts to the
Priests ; as it follows, And offer thy gift as Moses commanded
for a testimony to them. PSEUDO-CHRYS. Which is not to
be understood, Moses com m,anded it for a testimony to them;
but, Go thou and offer for a testimony. CHRYS. For Christ,
knowing beforehand that they would not profit by this, said
not, for their amendment, but, for a testimony to them ;
that is, for an accusation of them, and in attestation that all
things that should have been done by Me, have been done.
But though He thus knew that they would not profit by it,
yet He did not omit any thing that behoved to be done ;
but they remained in their former ill-will. Also He said
not, ( The gift that 1 command, but, that Moses commanded,
that in the meantime He might hand them over to the Law,
and close the mouths of the unjust. That they might not say
that He usurped the honour of the Priests, He fulfilled the work
of the Law, and made a trial of them. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Pseudo-
Or: offer thy gift, that all who see may believe the miracle. u bi g sup.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or; He commands the oblation, that should
they afterwards seek to put him out, he might be able to
say, You have received gifts on my cleansing, how do ye
now cast me out as a leper ? HILARY ; Or we may read,
Which Moses commanded for a testimony ; inasmuch as
302 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
what Moses commanded in the Law is a testimony, not an
Bede. effect. B.EDE ; Should any be perplexed how, when the
Dom! 3 Lord seems here to approve Moses offering, the Church
Epiph. d oes no t receive it, let him remember, that Christ had not
yet offered His body for a holocaust. And it behoved that
the typical sacrifices should not be taken away, before that
which they typified was established by the testimony of
the Apostles preaching, and by the faith of the people
believing. By this man was figured the whole human race,
for he was not only leprous, but, according to the Gospel of
Rom. 3, Luke, is described as full of leprosy. For all have sinned,
and need glory of God; to wit, that glory, that the hand of
the Saviour being stretched out, (that is, the Word being
made flesh,) and touching human nature, they might be
cleansed from the vanity of their former ways ; and that
they that had been long abominable, and cast out from the
camp of God s people, might be restored to the temple and
the priest, and be able to offer their bodies a living sacrifice
Ps. no, to Him to whom it is said, Thou art a Priest for ever.
REMIG. Morally; by the leper is signified the sinner; for
sin makes an unclean and impure soul ; he falls down
before Christ when he is confounded concerning his former
sins ; yet he ought to confess, and to seek the remedy of
penitence ; so the leper shews his disease, and asks a cure.
The Lord stretches out His hand when He affords the aid
of Divine mercy ; whereupon follows immediately remission
of sin ; nor ought the Church to be reconciled to the same,
but on the sentence of the Priest.
5. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum,
there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6. And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home
sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal
him.
8. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am
not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof:
but speak the word only, and my servant shall be
healed.
VKIJ. 5 <). ST. MATTHEW. 303
9. For I am a man under authority, having
soldiers under me : and I say to this man, Go, and
he goeth ; and to another, Come, and he cometh ;
and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord having taught His disciples
on the mount, and healed the leper at the foot of the mount,
came to Capharnaum. This is a mystery, signifying that after
the purification of the Jews He went to the Gentiles.
HAYMO; For Capharnaum, which is interpreted, The town of
fatness, or, The field of consolation, signifies the Church,
which was gathered out of the Gentiles, which is replenished
with spiritual fatness, according to that, That my soul may be Ps.63,5.
filled wiih marrow and fatness, and under the troubles
of the world is comforted concerning heavenly things, ac
cording to that, Thy consolations hare rejoiced my soul. Hence p s . 94,
it is said, When lie had entered into Capharnaum the centurion 19 *
came to him. AUG. This centurion was of the Gentiles, Aug.
for Judaea had already soldiers of the Roman empire.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. This centurion was the first-fruits of the
Gentiles, and in comparison of his faith, all the faith of the
Jews was unbelief; he neither heard Christ teaching, nor
saw the leper when he was cleansed, but from hearing only
that he had been healed, he believed more than he heard;
and so he mystically typified the Gentiles that should come,
who had neither read the Law nor the Prophets concerning
Christ, nor had seen Christ Himself work His miracles. He
came to Him and besought Him, saying, Lord, my servant
lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously afflicted.
Mark the goodness of the centurion, who for the health of his
servant was in so great haste and anxiety, as though by his
death he should suffer loss, not of money, but of his well being.
For he reckoned no difference between the servant and the
master; their place in this world may be different, but their
nature is one. Mark also his faith, in that he said not, Come
and heal him, because that Christ who stood there was present
in every place; and his wisdom, in that he said not, Heal him
here on this spot, for he knew that He was mighty to do, wise
to understand, and merciful to hearken, therefore he did but
304 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
declare the sickness, leaving it to the Lord, by His merciful
power to heal. And he is grievously afflicted; this shews
how he loved him, for when any that we love is pained or
tormented, though it be but slightly, yet we think him more
afflicted than he really is. RABAN. All these things he
recounts with grief, that he is sick, that it is with pahy;
that he is grievously afflicted therewith, the more to shew
the sorrow of his own heart, and to move the Lord to have
mercy. In like manner ought all to feel for their servants,
Chrys. a nd to take thought for them. CHRYS. But some say that
xxv i. he says these things in excuse of himself, as reasons why he
did not bring the sick man himself. For it was impossible
to bring one in a palsy, in great torment, and at the point to
die. But I rather think it a mark of his great faith ; inas
much as he knew that a word alone was enough to restore
the sick man, he deemed it superfluous to bring him.
HILARY ; Spiritually interpreted, the Gentiles are the sick in
this world, and afflicted with the diseases of sin, all their
limbs being altogether unnerved, and unfit for their duties of
standing and walking. The sacrament of their salvation is
fulfilled in this centurion s servant, of whom it is sufficiently
declared that he was the head of the Gentiles that should
believe. What sort of head this is, the song of Moses in
Deut. Deuteronomy teaches, He set the bounds of the people ac-
32 8 * cording to the number of the Angels. REMIG. Or, in the
centurion are figured those of the Gentiles who first believed,
and were perfect in virtue. For a centurion is one who
commands a hundred soldiers; and a hundred is a perfect
number. Rightly, therefore, the centurion prays for his servant,
because the first-fruits of the Gentiles prayed to God for the
salvation of the whole Gentile world. JEROME ; The Lord
seeing the centurion s faith, humbleness, and thoughtfulness,
straightway promises to go and heal him ; Jesus saith unto
him, I will come and heal him. CHRYS. Jesus here does
what He never did ; He always follows the wish of the sup
plicant, but here He goes before it, and not only promises to
heal him, but to go to his house. This He does, that we
may learn the worthiness of the centurion. PSEUDO-CHRYS.
Had not He said, / will come and heal him, the other would
never have answered, / am not worthy. It was because it
VER. 5 0. ST. MATTHEW. 305
was a servant for whom he made petition, that Christ
promised to go, in order to teach us not to have respect to
the great, and overlook the little, but to honour poor and
rich alike. JEROME ; As we commend the centurion s faith
in that he believed that the Saviour was able to heal the
paralytic ; so his humility is seen in his professing himself
unworthy that the Lord should come under his roof; as it
follows, And the centurion answered and said unto him,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my
roof. RABAN. Conscious of his gentile life, he thought he Raban.
should be more burdened than profited by this act of con- e
descension from Him with whose faith he was indeed endued,
but with whose sacraments he was not yet initiated. AUG. Aug.
By declaring himself unworthy, he shewed himself worthy,"
not indeed into whose house, but into whose heart, Christ
the Word of God should enter. Nor could he have said this
with so much faith and humility, had he not borne in his
heart Him whom he feared to have in his house. And
indeed it would have been no great blessedness that Jesus
should enter within his walls, if He had not already entered
into his heart. CHRYSOLOGUS. Mystically, his house was the Chrysoi.
body which contained his soul, which contains within it the ^
freedom of the mind by a heavenly vision. But God dis
dains neither to inhabit flesh, nor to enter the roof of our body.
PSEUDO-ORIGEN; And now also when the heads of Churches, Pseudo-
holy men and acceptable to God, enter your roof, then in. H"^"^
them the Lord also enters, and do you think of yourself as div. 5.
receiving the Lord. And when you eat and drink the Lord s
Body 8 , then the Lord enters under your roof, and you then
should humble yourself, saying, Lord, I am not worthy.
For where He enters unworthily, there He enters to the
condemnation of him who receives Him. JEROME; The
thoughtfulness of the centurion appears herein, that he saw
the Divinity hidden beneath the covering of body; where
fore he adds, But speak the word only, and my servant will
be healed. PSEUDO-CHRYS. He knew that Angels stood by
a " I am not worthy, Lord, that drews s Devotions, and our Communion
Thou shouldest come unto me ; but as Service. ll We are not worthy so much
Thou didst vouchsafe to lodge in a den as to gather up the crumbs under Thy
or stable of brute beasts, &c." vid. Table, &c."
Liturgy of St. John Chrys. also Bp. An-
VOL. I. X
306 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CrfAP. VIII.
unseen to minister to Him, who turn every word of his into
act; yea and should Angels fail, yet diseases are healed by His
life-giving command. HILARY ; Also he therefore says that it
needed only a word to heal his son, because all the salvation
of the Gentiles is of faith, and the life of them all is in the
precepts of the Lord ; therefore he continues saying, For
I am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me;
and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth ; to another, Come,
andhe cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. He has here developed the mystery of the
Father and the Son, by the secret suggestion of the Holy
Spirit; as much as to say, Though I am under the command
of another, yet have I power to command those who are
under me ; so also Thou, though under the command of the
Father, in so far as Thou art Man, yet hast Thou power
over the Angels. But Sabellius perhaps affirms, seeking
to prove that the Son is the same as the Father, that it is to
be understood thus ; i If I who am set under authority have
yet power to command, how much more Thou who art under
the authority of none. But the words will not bear this
exposition ; for he said not, c If I being a man under au
thority, but, For I also am a man set under authority ;
clearly not drawing a distinction, but pointing to a resem-
Aug. blance in this respect between himself and Christ. AUG.
ubi sup. jf j w | 10 am un j er command have yet power to com
mand others, how much more Thou whom all powers
Gloss, serve ! GLOSS. Thou art able without Thy bodily presence,
OT(L by the ministry of Thy Angels, to say to this disease,
Go, and it will leave him ; and to say to health, Come,
and it shall come to him. HAYMO ; Or, \ve may under
stand by those that are set under the centurion, the natural
virtues in which many of the Gentiles were mighty, or
even thoughts good and bad. Let us say to the bad,
Depart, and they will depart; let us call the good, and
they shall come ; and our servant, that is, our body, let
Aug. Deus bid that it submit itself to the Divine will. AUG. What
E* .. is here said seems to disagree with Luke s account, When
20. the centurion heard concerning Jesus, he sent unto him
3 elders of the Jeivs, beseeching him that he would come and
heal his servant. And again, When he was come nigh to
VER. 5 9. ST. MATTHEW. 307
the house, the centurion sent friends unto him, saying,
Lord, trouble not thyself, for I am not worthy that thou
shouldest enter under my roof. CHRYS. But some say that
these are two different occurrences ; an opinion which has
much to support it. Of Him in Luke it is said, He loveth
our nation, and has built us a synagogue; but of this one
Jesus says, / have not found so great faith in Israel;
whence it might seem that the other was a Jew. But in
my opinion they are both the same person. What Luke
relates that he sent to Jesus to come to him, betrays the
friendly services of the Jews. We may suppose that when
the centurion sought to go to Jesus, he was prevented by the
Jews, who offered to go themselves for the purpose of
bringing him. But as soon as he was delivered from their
importunity, then he sent to say, Do not think that it was
from want of respect that I did not come, but because I
thought myself unworthy to receive you into my house.
When then Matthew relates, that he spoke thus not through
friends, but in his own person, it does not contradict Luke s
account; for both have only represented the centurion s
anxiety, and that he had a right opinion of Christ. And
we may suppose that he first sent this message to Him by
friends as He approached, and after, when He was come
thither, repeated it Himself. But if they are relating different
stories, then they do not contradict each other, but supply
mutual deficiencies. AUG. Matthew therefore intended to Aug.
state summarily all that passed between the centurion and 1
the Lord, which was indeed done through others, with the
view of commending his faith ; as the Lord spoke, / have
not found so great faith in Israel. Luke, on the other hand,
has narrated the whole as it was done, that so we might be
obliged to understand in what sense Matthew, who could
not err, meant that the centurion himself came to Christ,
namely, in a figurative sense through faith. CHRYS. For
indeed there is no necessary contradiction between Luke s
statement, that he had built a synagogue, and this, that he
was not an Israelite ; for it was quite possible, that one who
was not a Jew should have built a synagogue, and should
love the nation.
x 2
308 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
10. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said
to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
11. And I say unto you, That many shall come
from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of
Heaven.
12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast
out into outer darkness : there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
13. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy
way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto
thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame
hour.
CHRYS. As what the leper had affirmed concerning Christ s
power, If thou wilt, thou canst cleanse me, was confirmed by
the mouth of Christ, saying, / will, be thou clean ; so here
He did not blame the centurion for bearing testimony to
Christ s authority, but even commended him. Nay more;
it is something greater than commendation that the Evan
gelist signifies in the words, But Jesus hearing marvelled.
Pseudo- PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Observe how great and what that is at which
Hom^in God the Only -begotten marvels ! Gold, riches, principalities,
Div. 5. are in His sight as the shadow or the flower that fadeth ; in
the sight of God none of these things is wonderful, as
though it were great or precious, but faith only ; this He
wonders at, and pays honour to, this He esteems acceptable
Aug. to Himself. AUG. But who was He that had created this faith
G^rKc. ni h* m > but only He who now marvelled at it? But even
Man.i.s.had it come from any other, how should He marvel who
knew all things future ? When the Lord marvels, it is only
to teach us what we ought to wonder at; for all these
emotions in Him are not signs of passion, but examples of a
teacher. CHRYS. Wherefore He is said to have thus
wondered in the presence of all the people, giving them an
example that they also should wonder at Him ; for it follows,
And he said to them that followed, I have not found so great
VER. 10 13. ST. MATTHEW. 309
faith in Israel. AUG. He praises his faith, but gives no Aug.
command to quit his profession of a soldier. JEROME; p^t.
This He speaks of the present generation, not of all the xxii - 74 -
Patriarchs and Prophets of past ages. PsEUDO-CiiRYs.
Andrew believed, but it was after John had said, Behold 3<&n \,
the Lamb of God ; Peter believed, but it was at the
preaching of Andrew ; Philip believed, but it was by
reading the Scriptures ; and Nathanael first received a proof
of His Divinity, and then spoke forth his confession of faith.
PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Jairus a prince in Israel, making request for Pseudo-
his daughter, said not, Speak the word, but, Come quickly. ^7 sup.
Nicodemus, hearing of the sacrament of faith, asks, How can John 3,
these things be? Mary and Martha say, Lord, if thou hadst j h n n
been here, my brother had not died; as though distrusting 21.
that God s power could be in all places at the same time.
PSEUDO-CHRYS. Or, if we would suppose b that his faith was
greater than even that of the Apostles, Christ s testimony to
it must be understood as though every good in a man should
be commended relatively to his character; as it were a great
thing in a countryman to speak with wisdom, but in a
philosopher the same would be nothing wonderful. In this
way it may be said of the centurion, In none other have I
found so great faith in Israel. CHRYS. For it is a different
thing for a Jew to believe and for a Gentile. JEROME ; Or
perhaps in the person of the centurion the faith of the
Gentiles is preferred to that of Israel; whence He proceeds,
But I say unto you. Many sit all come from the east and
from the west. AUG. He says, not f all, but many; yet Aug.
these from the east and west ; for by these two quarters the g
whole world is intended. HAYMO ; Or; From the east shall
come they, who pass into the kingdom as soon as they are
enlightened ; from the west they who have suffered persecu
tion for the faith even unto death. Or, he comes from the east,
who has served God from a child ; he from the west who
in decrepit age has turned to God. PSEUDO-ORIGEN; How Pseudo-
then does He say in another place, that the chosen are few ? u il^
Because in each generation there are few that are chosen,
but when all are gathered together in the day of visitation
they shall be found many. They shall sit down, not the
b The text of Pseudo-Chrys. has i si non sumus ausi putare.
310 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
bodily posture, but the spiritual rest, not with human food,
but with an eternal least, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of heaven, where is light, joy, glory, and
eternal length of days. JEROME ; Because the God of
Abraham, the Maker of heaven, is the Father of Christ,
therefore also is Abraham in the kingdom of heaven, and
with him will sit down the nations who have believed in
Au ; Christ the Son of the Creator. AUG. As we see Christians
* called to the heavenly feast, where is the bread of righteous
ness, the drink of wisdom; so we see the Jews in reproba
tion. 77*6- children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer
darkness, that is, the Jews, who have received the Law, who
observe the types of all things that were to be, yet did not
acknowledge the realities w r hen present. JEROME; Or the
Jews may be called the children of the kingdom, because
God reigned among them heretofore. CHRYS. Or, He calls
them the children of the kingdom, because the kingdom was
prepared for them, which was the greater grief to them,
Aug. AUG. Moses set before the people of Israel no other God
Faust ^ nan ^ ne God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Christ sets
xvi. 24. forth the very same God. So that so far was He from seek
ing to turn that people away from their own God, that He
therefore threatened them with the outer darkness, because
He saw them turned away from their own God. And in this
kingdom He tells them the Gentiles shall sit down with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for no other reason than that
they held the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To these
Fathers Christ gives His testimony, not as though they had
been converted after death, or had received justification after
His passion. JEROME; It is called outer darkness, because
he whom the Lord casts out leaves the light. HAYMOJ^
What they should suffer there, He shews when He adds,
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thus in
metaphor He describes the sufferings of the tormented
limbs; the eyes shed tears when filled with smoke^and the
teeth chatter together from cold. This shews that the
wicked injiell shall endure both extreme_cold and extreme
Job 24, heat : according to that in Job, They shall pass from rivers
of^ snow to the scorching heat. JEROME; Weeping and
gnashing of teeth are a proof of bones and body ; truly then
VER. 14, 15. ST. MATTHEW. 311
is there a resurrection of the same limbs, that sank into the
grave. RABAN. Or; The gnashing of teeth expresses the
passion of remorse; repentance coming too late and self-
accusation that he has sinned with such obstinate wicked
ness. REMIG. Otherwise; By outer darkness, He means
foreign nations; for these words of the Lord are a historical
prediction of the destruction of the Jews, that they were to
be led into captivity for their unbelief, and to be scattered
over the earth; for tears are usually caused by heat, gnashing
of teeth by cold. Weeping then is ascribed to those who
should be dispersed into the warmer climates of India and
Ethiopia, gnashing of teeth to those who should dwell in
the colder regions, as Hyrcania and Scythia. CHRYS. But
that none might suppose that these were nothing more
than fair words, He makes them credible by the miracles
following, And Jesus- said to the centurion, Go, and be it
done to thee as thou hast believed. RABAN. As though He
had said, According to the measure of thy faith, so be thy
grace. For the merit of the Lord may be communicated
even to servants not only through the merit of their faith,
but through their obedience to rule. Tt follows, And his
servant icas healed in the self-same hour. CHRYS. Wherein
admire the speediness, shewing Christ s power, not only
to heal, but to do it in a moment of time. AUG. As Aug.
the Lord did not enter the centurion s house with His 62 . 3
body, but healed the servant, present in majesty, but
absent in body; so He went among the Jews only in the
body, but among other nations He was neither born of a
Virgin, nor suffered, nor endured human sufferings, nor did
divine wonders ; and yet was fulfilled that which was spoken,
A people that I have not known hath served me, and hath l s. 18,
obeyed me by the hearing of the ear. The Jews beheld, yet
crucified Him ; the world heard, and believed.
14. And when Jesus was come into Peter s house,
he saw his wife s mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15. And he touched her hand, and the fever left
her : and she arose, and ministered unto them.
ANSELM. Matthew having in the leper shewn the healing
312 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
of the whole human race, and in the centurion s servant that
of the Gentiles, now figures the healing of the synagogue in
Peter s mother-in-law. He relates the case of the servant,
first, because it was the greater miracle, and the grace was
greater in the conversion of the Gentile ; or because the
synagogue should not be fully converted till the_end of the
age when the fulness of the Gentiles should have entered
Chrys. hi. Peter s house was in Bethsaida. CHRYS. Why did He
xxvii. enter into Peter s house ? I think to take food ; for it follows,
And she arose, and ministered to them. For He abode with
His disciples to do them honour, and to make them more
zealous. Observe Peter s reverence towards Christ; though
his mother-in-law lay at home sick of a fever, yet he did not
force Him thither at once, but waited till His teaching should
be completed, and others healed. For from the beginning
he was instructed to prefer others to himself. Wherefore
he did not even bring Him thither, but Christ went in of
Himself; purposing, because the centurion had said, / am
not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof, to shew
what He granted to a disciple. And He did not scorn to
enter the humble hut of a fisherman, instructing us in every
thing to trample upon human pride. Sometimes He heals
by a word, sometimes He reaches forth His hand ; as here,
He touched her hand, and the fever left her. For He would
not always \vork miracles with display of surpassing power,
but would sometimes be hid. By touching her body He
not only banished the fever, but restored her to perfect
health. Because her sickness was such as art could cure,
He shewed his power to heal, in doing what medicine could
not do, giving her back perfect health and strength at once ;
which is intimated in what the Evangelist adds, And she
arose, and ministered to them. JEROME; For naturally the
greatest weakness follows fever, and the evils of sickness
begin to be felt as the patient begins to recover ; but that
health which is given by the Lord s power is complete at
Gloss, once. GLOSS. And it is not enough that she is cured, but
c strength is given her besides, for she arose and ministered
unto them. CHRYS. This, she arose and ministered unto
them, shews at once the Lord s power, and the woman s
Bede. feeling towards Christ. BEDE ; Figuratively ; Peter s house
in loe.
VER. 14, 15. ST. MATTHEW. 313
is the Law, or the circumcision, his mother-in-law the syna
gogue, which is as it were the mother of the Church com
mitted to Peter. She is in a fever, that is, she is sick of
zealous hate, and persecutes the Church. The Lord touches
her hand, when He turns her carnal works to spiritual uses.
REMIG. Or by Peter s mother-in-law maybe understood the
Law, which according to the Apostle was made weak
through the flesh, i. e. the carnal understanding. But when
the Lord through the mystery of the Incarnation appeared
visibly in the synagogue, and fulfilled the Law in action, and
taught that it was to be understood spiritually; straightway it
thus allied with the grace of the Gospel received such strength,
that what had been the minister of death and punishment,
became the minister of life and glory. RABAN. Or, every Raban.
soul that struggles with fleshly lusts is sick of a fever, but 6
touched with the hand of Divine mercy, it recovers health,
and restrains the concupiscence of the flesh by the bridle of
continence, and with those limbs with which it had served
uncleanness, it now ministers to righteousness. HILARY;
Or ; In Peter s wife s mother is shewn the sickly condition
of infidelity, to which freedom of will is near akin, being
united by the bonds as it were of wedlock. By the Lord s
entrance into Peter s house, that is into the body, unbelief is
cured, which was before sick of the fever of sin, and ministers
in duties of righteousness to the Saviour. AUG. When this Aug. De
miracle was done, that is, after what, or before what, Matthew Ev!iL2l.
has not said. For we need not understand that it took place
just after that which it follows in the relation ; he may be
returning here to what he had omitted above. For Mark
relates this after the cleansing of the leper, which should Mark i,
seem to follow the sermon on the mount, concerning which
Mark is silent. Luke also follows the same order in relating
this concerning Peter s mother-in-law as Mark ; also inserting
it before that long sermon which seems to be the same with
Matthew s sermon on the mount. But what matters it in what
order the events are told, whether something omitted before
is brought in after, or what was done after is told earlier, so
long as in the same story he does not contradict either
another or himself? For as it is in no man s power to choose
in what order he shall recollect the things he has once
314 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
known, it is likely enough that each of the Evangelists
thought himself obliged to relate all in that order in which
it pleased God to bring to his memory the various events.
Therefore when the order of time is not clear, it cannot
import to us what order of relation any one of them may have
followed.
16. When the even was come, they brought unto
him many that were possessed with devils : and he
cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all
that were sick :
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
CHRYS. Because the multitude of believers was now very
great, they would not depart from Christ, though time
pressed ; but in the evening they bring unto Him the sick.
When it was evening, they brought unto him many
Aug. De that had daemons. AUG. The words, Now when it was
2 evening, shew that the evening of the same day is meant.
This would not have been implied, had it been only when it
was evening. REMIG. Christ the Son of God, the Author of
human salvation, the fount and source of all goodness,
furnished heavenly medicine, He cast out the spirits
with a word, and healed all that were sick. Daemons and
diseases He sent away with a word, that by these signs, and
mighty works, He might shew that He was come for the
salvation of the human race. CHRYS. Observe how great a
multitude of cured the Evangelist here runs through, not
relating the case of each, but in one word introducing an
innumerable flood of miracles. That the greatness of the
miracle should not raise unbelief that so much people and so
various diseases could be healed in so short a space, he
brings forward the Prophet to bear witness to the things
that were done, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Esaias the Prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities.
RABAN. Took them not that He should have them Himself,
but that He should take them away from us ; and bare our
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 315
sicknesses, in that what we were too weak to bear, He should
bear for us. REMIG. He took the infirmity of human nature
so as to make us strong who had before been weak.
HILARY ; And by the passion of His body, according to the
words of the Prophet, He absorbed all the infirmities of
human weakness. CHRYS. The Prophet seems to have
meant this of sins ; how then does the Evangelist explain it
of bodily diseases ? It should be understood, that either he
cites the text literally, or he intends to inculcate that most
of our bodily diseases have their origin in sins of the
soul ; for death itself has its root in sin. JEROME ; It
should be noted, that all the sick were healed not in
the morning nor at noon, but rather about sunset; as a
corn of wheat dies in the ground that it may bring forth
much fruit. RABAN. Sunset shadows forth the passion
and death of Him Who said, While I am in the world, John 9,
/ am the light of the icorld. Who while He lived tern-
porally in the flesh, taught only a few of the Jews ; but
having trodden under foot the kingdom of death, promised
the gifts of faith to all the Gentiles throughout the world.
18. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about
him, he gave commandment to depart unto the
other side.
19. And a certain Scribe came, and said unto
him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou
goest.
20. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the
Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
21. And another of his disciples said unto him,
Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
22. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me ; and let
the dead bury their dead.
CHRYS. Because Christ not only healed the body, but
purified the soul also, He desired to shew forth true
wisdom, not only by curing diseases, but by doing nothing
816 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
wfth ostentation; and therefore it is said, Now when Jesus
saw great multitudes about him, Jte commanded his disciples
to cross over to the other side. This He did at once
teaching us to be lowly, softening the ill-will of the
Jews, and teaching us to do nothing with ostentation.
REMIG. Or ; He did this as one desiring to shun the
thronging of the multitude. But they hung upon Him
in admiration., crowding to see Him. For who would
depart from one who did such miracles ? Who would
not wish to look upon His open face, to see His mouth
that spoke such things ? For if Moses countenance was
made glorious, and Stephen s as that of an Angel, gather
from this how it was to have been supposed that their
common Lord must, have then appeared ; of whom the
Ps. 45, Prophet speaks, Thy form is fair above the sons of men.
HILARY; The name disciples is not to be supposed to be
confined to the twelve Apostles ; for we read of many
Aug. disciples besides the twelve. AUG. It is clear that this
1 sup day on which they went over the lake was another day,
and not that which followed the one on which Peter s
mother-in-law was healed, on which day Mark and Luke relate
that He went out into the desert. CHRYS. Observe that
He does not dismiss the multitudes, that He may not
offend them. He did say to them, Depart ye, but bade
His disciples go away from thence, thus the crowds might
hope to be able to follow. REMIG. What happened
between the command of the Lord given, and their crossing
over, the Evangelist purposes to relate in what follows ;
And one of the Scribes came to him and said, Master, I
will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. JEROME ; This
Scribe of the Law who knew but the perishing letter,
would not have been turned away had his address been,
* Lord, I will follow Thee. But because he esteemed the
^iterator Saviour only as one of many masters, and was a man of
the letter (which is better expressed in Greek, ygotppMTgbs)
not a spiritual hearer, therefore he had no place where
Jesus might lay His head. It is suggested to us that
he sought to follow the Lord, because of His great miracles,
for the sake of the gain to be derived from them ; and was
therefore rejected ; seeking the same thing as did Simon
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 317
Magus when he would have given Peter money. CHRYS,
Observe also how great his pride ; approaching and
speaking as though he disdained to be considered as one
of the multitude ; desiring to shew that he was above
the rest. HILARY; Otherwise; This Scribe being one
of the doctors of the Law, asks if he shall follow Him,
as though it were not contained in the Law that this is
He whom it were gain to follow. Therefore He discovers
the feeling of unbelief under the diffidence of his enquiry.
For the taking up of the faith is not by question but
by following. CHRYS. So Christ answers him not so
much to what he had said, but to the obvious purpose
of his mind. Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man
hath not where to lay his head ; as though He had said ;
JEROME ; Why do you seek to follow Me for the sake of
the riches and gain of this world, when My poverty is
such that I have neither lodging nor home of My own ?
CHRYS. This was not to send him away, but rather to
convict him of evil intentions ; at the same time permitting
him if he would to follow Christ with the expectation of
poverty. ^_UJGL_ Other wise; The Son. of man hath not where
to lay his head; that is, in your faith. The foxes have holes,
in your_heart, because you are deceitful. The birds of the air
have nests, in your heart, because you are proud.; Deceitful and
proud follow Me not ; for how should guile follow sincerity ?
GREG. Otherwise; The fox is a crafty animal, lying hid in Greg
ditches and dens, and when it comes abroad never going in ^ )r
a straight path, but in crooked windings ; birds raise them
selves in the air. By the foxes then are meant the subtle
and deceitful daemons, by the birds the proud daemons ; as
though He had said ; Deceitful and proud daemons have
their abode in your heart ; but my lowliness finds no rest in
a proud spirit. AUG. He was moved to follow Christ be- Aug.
cause of the miracles ; this vain desire of glory is signified by ,
the birds ; but he assumed the submissiveness of a disciple, q. 5.
which deceit is signified by the foxes. RABAN. Heretics
confiding in their art are signified by the foxes, the evil
spirits by the birds of the air, who have their holes and their
nests, that is, their abodes in the heart of the Jewish people.
318 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
Another of his disciples saith unto him, Lord, suffer me firm
to go and bury my father. JEROME ; In what one thing is
this disciple like the Scribe ? The one called Him Master,
the other confesses Him as his Lord. The one from filial
piety asks permission to go and bury his father ; the other
offers to follow, not seeking a master, but by means of his
master seeking gain for himself. HILARY; The disciple does
not ask whether he shall follow Him; for he already believed
that he ought to follow, but prays to be suffered first to bury
AUJ. . his father. AUG. The Lord when He prepares men for the
loo. i. Gospel will not have any excuse of this fleshly and temporal
attachment to interfere, therefore it follows ; Jesus said unto
him, Follow me, and, leave the dead to bury their dead.
CHRYS. This saying does not condemn natural affection to
our parents, but shews that nothing ought to be more binding
on us than the business of heaven ; that to this we ought to
apply ourselves with all our endeavours, and not to be slack,
however necessary or urgent are the things that draw us
aside. For what could be more necessary than to bury a
father ? What more easy ? For it could not need much time.
But in this the Lord rescued him from much evil, weeping,
and mourning, and from the pains of expectation. For after
the funeral there must come examination of the will, division
of the inheritance, and other things of the same sort; and
thus trouble following trouble, like the -waves, would have
borne him far from the port of truth. But if you are not yet
satisfied, reflect further that oftentimes the weak are not
permitted to know the time, or to follow to the grave ; even
though the dead be father, mother, or son ; yet are they not
charged with cruelty that hinder them ; it is rather the
reverse of cruelty. And it is a much greater evil to draw
one away from spiritual discourse; especially when there
were who should perform the rites ; as here, Leave the dead
Aug. to bury their dead. AUG. As much as to say; Thy father is
p dead; but there are also other dead who shall bury their
dead, because they are in unbelief. CHRYS. This moreover
shews that this dead man was not his; for, I suppose, he
that was dead was of the unbelieving. If you wonder at the
young man, that in a matter so necessary he should have
asked Jesus, and not have gone away of his own accord,
VER. 23 27. ST. MATTHEW. 319
wonder much more that he abode with Jesus after he was
forbidden to depart; which was not from lack of affection,
but that he might not interrupt a business yet more neces
sary. HILARY; Also, because we are taught in the begin
ning of the Lord s prayer, first to say, Our Father ; which art
in heaven; and since this disciple represents the believing
people; he is here reminded that he has one only Father in Mat. 23,
heaven, and that between a believing son and an unbelieving
Father the filial relation does not hold good. We are also
admonished that the unbelieving dead are not to be mingled
with the memories of the saints, and that they are also dead
who live out of God ; and the dead are buried by the dead,
because by the faith of God it behoves the living to cleave
to the living (God.) JEROME; But if the dead shall bury the
dead, we ought not to be careful for the dead but for the
living, lest while we are anxious for the dead, we ourselves
should be counted dead. GREG. The dead also bury the Greg.
dead, when sinners protect sinners. They who exalt sinners iv 7
with their praises, hide the dead under a pile of words.
RABAN. From this we may also take occasion to observe,
that lesser goods are to be sometimes forfeited for the sake of
securing greater. AUG. Matthew relates that this was done Aug. DC
when He gave them commandment that they should go oveTE*" 2 3.
the lake, Luke, that it happened as they walked by the way;
which is no contradiction, for they must have walked by the
way that they might come to the lake.
23. And when he was entered into a ship, his
disciples followed him.
24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in
the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the
waves : but he was asleep.
25. And his disciples came to him, and awoke
him, saying, Lord, save us : we perish.
26. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful,
O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the
winds and the sea ; and there was a great calm.
27. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner
320 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey
him !
Pseudo- PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Christ having performed many great and
Hom^in won derful things on the land, passes to the sea, that there also
div. vii. He might shew forth His excellent power, presenting Himself
before all men as the Lord of both earth and sea. And when
he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him, not being
weak but strong and established in the faith . Thus they followed
Him not so much treading in His footsteps, as accompanying
Chrys. Him in holiness of spirit. CHRYS. He took His disciples
xxviii w ^h Him, and in a boat, that they might learn two lessons;
first, not to be confounded in dangers, secondly, to think
lowly of themselves in honour. That they should not think
great things of themselves because He kept them while He
sent the rest away, He suffers them to be tossed by the
waves. Where miracles were to be shewn, He suffers the
people to be present; where temptations and fears were to
be stilled, there He takes with Him only the victors of the
Pseudo- world, whom He would prepare for strife. PSEUDO-ORIGEN;
ubKsu 1 Therefore, having entered into the boat He caused the sea to
rise ; And, lo, there arose a great tempest in the sea, so that the
boat was covered by the waves. This tempest did not arise
of itself, but in obedience to the power of Him Who gave
Jer. 10, commandment, who brings the winds out of his treasures.
There arose a great tempest, that a great work might be
wrought ; because by how much the more the waves rushed
into the boat, so much the more were the disciples troubled,
and sought to be delivered by the wonderful power of the
Saviour. CHRYS. They had seen others made partakers of
Christ s mercies, but forasmuch as no man has so strong a
sense of those things that are done in the person of another as
of what is done to himself, it behoved that in their own bodies
they should feel Christ s mercies. Therefore He willed that
this tempest should arise, that in their deliverance they might
have a more lively sense of His goodness. This tossing of
the sea was a type of their future trials of which Paul speaks,
2 Cor. / it ould not have you ignorant, brethren, how that we were
1 8> troubled beyond our strength. But that there might be time
for their fear to arise, it follows, But he was asleep. For if
VER. 2327. ST. MATTHEW. 321
the storm had arisen while He was awake, they would either
not have feared, or not have prayed Him, or would not have
believed that He had the power to still it. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; Pseudo-
Woiiderful, stupendous event! He that never slumbereth nor b r . lg s ^
sleepeth, is said to be asleep. He slept with His body, but
was awake in His Deity, shewing that He bare a truly human
body which He had taken on Him, corruptible. He slept
with the body that He might cause the Apostles to watch,
and that we all should never sleep with our mind. With so
great fear were the disciples seized, and almost beside them
selves, that they rushed to Him, and did not modestly or
gently rouse Him, but violently awakened Him, His disciples
came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we
perish. JEROME ; Of this miracle we have a type in Jonah,
who while all are in danger is himself unconcerned, sleeps,
and is awakened. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; O ye true disciples! ye p seu do-
have the Saviour with you, and do ye fear danger? Life itself "^..
is among you, and are ye afraid of death ? They would
answer, We are yet children, and weak, and are therefore
afraid; whence it follows, Jesus saith unto them, Why are ye
afraid, O ye of little faith ? As though He had said, If
ye have known me mighty upon earth, why believe ye
not that I am also mighty upon the sea? And even
though death were threatening you, ought ye not to sup
port it with constancy? He who believes a little will be
reasoned with ; he who believes not at all will be neglected.
CHRYS. If any should say, that this was a sign of no small
faith to go and rouse Jesus ; it is rather a sign that they had
not a right opinion concerning Him. They knew that when
wakened He could rebuke the waves, but they did not yet
know that He could do it while sleeping. For this cause
He did not do this wonder in the presence of the multitudes,
that they should not be charged with their little faith ; but
He takes His disciples apart to correct them, and first stills
the raging of the waters. Then he arose, and rebuked the
winds^and the sea, and there was a great calm. JEROME;
From this passage we understand, that all creation is con
scious of its Creator; for what may be rebuked and com
manded is conscious of the mind commanding. I do not
mean as some heretics hold, that the whole creation is
VOL. I. Y
322 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
animate but by the power of the Maker things which to us
Pseudo- have no consciousness have to Him. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; There-
ubiTu" ^ ore ^ e S ave commandment to the winds and the sea, and
from a great storm it became a great calm. For it behoves
Him that is great to do great things; therefore He who first
greatly stirred the depths of the sea, now again commands a
great calm, that the disciples who had been too much
troubled might have great rejoicing. CHRYS. Observe also
that the storm is stilled at once entirely, and no trace of
disturbance appears ; which is beyond nature ; for when a
storm ceases in the course of nature, yet the water is wont
to be agitated for some time longer, but here all is tran-
Ps. I07,quillity at once. Thus what is said of the Father, He spake,
and the storm of wind ceased, this Christ fulfilled in deed ;
for by His word and bidding only He stayed and checked the
waters. For from His appearance, from His sleeping, and
His using a boat, they that were present supposed Plim a
man only, and on this account they fell into admiration
of Him; And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of
Gloss, man is this, for Ihe winds and the sea obey him? GLOSS.
>cc Chrysostorn explains thus, What manner of man is this? His
sleeping and His appearance shewed the man; the sea and
Pseudo- the calm pointed out the God. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ; But who
were tne men tnat marvelled ? You must not think that the
Apostles are here meant, for we never find the Lord s disciples
mentioned with disrespect ; they are always called either the
Disciples or the Apostles, They marvelled then who sailed
with Him, whose was the boat. JEROME; But if any shall
contend that it was the disciples who wondered, we shall
answer they are rightly spoken of as the men, seeing they had
Pseudo- not yet learnt the power of the Saviour. PSEUDO-ORIGEN ;
. This is not a question, What manner of man is this ? but
an affirmation that He is one whom the winds and the sea
obey. What manner of man then is this ? that is, how
powerful, how mighty, how great ! He commands every
e Origen is accused of maintaining they knew, praised, and prayed to God
that the snn, moon, and stars had souls, through Christ, that they were liable to
(which had been originally created in- sin, and that they, and the elements
corporeal, and for sinning had been also, would undergo the future judg-
united with the heavenly bodies,) that ment. vid. Jerom. ad Avit. 4.
they were in consequence rational, that
VER. 23 27. ST. MATTHEW. 323
creature, and they transgress not His law ; men alone
disobey, and are therefore condemned by His judgment.
Figuratively; We are all embarked in the vessel of the
Holy Church, and voyaging through this stormy world with
the Lord. The Lord Himself sleeps a merciful sleep while
we suffer, and awaits the repentance of the wicked. HILARY;
Or ; He sleeps, because by our sloth He is cast asleep in us.
This is done that we may hope aid from God in fear of
danger ; and that hope though late may be confident that it
shall escape danger by the might of Christ watching within.
PsEUDO-O RIGEN ; Let us therefore come to Him with j oy, saying
with the Prophet, Arise, O Lord, why sleepest thou? And Fs. 44,
He will command the winds, that is, the daemons, who raise
the waves, that is, the rulers of the world, to persecute the
saints, and He shall make a great calm around both body
and spirit, peace for the Church, stillness for the world.
RABAN. Otherwise; The sea is the turmoil of the world; the
boat in which Christ is embarked is to be understood the
tree of the cross^ by the aid of which the faithful having
passed the waves of the world, arrive in their heavenly
counlry^as on a safe shore, whither Christ goes with His
own; whence He says below, He that will come after me 9 M*t. 16,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
When then Christ was fixed on the cross, a great commotion
was raised, the minds of His disciples being troubled at His
passion, and the boat was covered by the waves. For the
whole strength of persecution was around the cross of Christ,
on which He died ; as it is here, But he was asleep. His
sleep is death. The disciples awaken the Lord, when
troubled at His death; they seek His resurrection with
earnest prayers, saying, Save us, by rising again ; we perish,
by our trouble at Thy death. He rises again, and rebukes
the hardness of their hearts, as we read in other places. He
commands the winds, in that He overthrew the power of the
Devil; He commanded the sea, in that He disappointed the
malice of the Jews; and there was a great calm, because the
minds of the disciples were calmed when they beheld His
resurrection. BEDE. Or; The boat is the present Church, Bede.
in which Christ passes over the sea of this world with His
Y2
324 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
own, and stills the waves of persecution. Wherefore we
may wonder, and give thanks.
28. And when he was come to the other side into
the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two
possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs,
exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that
way.
29. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What
have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God ?
art thou come hither to torment us before the time ?
30. And there was a good way off from them an
herd of many swine feeding.
31. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou
cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of
swine.
32. And he said unto them, Go. And when they
were come out, they went into the herd of swine :
and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently
down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the
waters.
33. And they that kept them fled, and went their
ways into the city, and told every thing, and what
was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet
Jesus : and when they saw him, they besought him
that he would depart out of their coasts.
CHRYS. Because there were who thought Christ to be
a man, therefore the daemons came to proclaim His divinity,
that they who had not seen the sea raging and again still, might
hear the daemons crying; And when he was come to the other
side in the country of the Gergesenes^ there met him ticomen
having daemons. RABAN. Gerasa is a town of Arabia beyond
Jordan, close to Mount Gilead, which was in the possession
VER. 28 34. ST. MATTHEW. 325
of the tribe of Manasseh, not far from the lake of Tiberias,
into which the swine were precipitated. AUG. Whereas Aug. De
Matthew relates that there were two who were afflicted with Ev!li.JI4.
daemons, but Mark and Luke mention only one, you must
understand that one of them was a person of note, for whom
all that country was in grief, and about whose recovery there
was much care, whence the fame of this miracle was the
more noised abroad. CHRYS. Or; Luke and Mark chose
to speak of one who was more grievously afflicted ; whence
also they add a further description of his calamity ; Luke
saying that he brake his bonds and was driven into the
desert ; Mark telling that he ofttimes cut himself with
stones. But they neither of them say that there was only
one, which would be to contradict Matthew. What is added
respecting them that they came from among the tombs,
alludes to a mischievous opinion, that the souls of the
dead become daemons. Thus many soothsayers use to kill
children, that they may have their souls to cooperate with
them ; and daemoniacs also often cry out, I am the spirit of
such an one. But it is not the soul of the dead man that
then cries out, the daemon assumes his voice to deceive the
hearers. For if the soul of a dead man has power to enter
the body of another, much more might it enter its own.
And it is more unreasonable to suppose that a soul that has
suffered cruelty should cooperate with him that injured it,
or that a man should have power to change an incorporeal
being into a different kind of substance, such as a human
soul into the substance of a daemon. For even in material
body, this is beyond human power; as, for example, no man
can change the body of a man into that of an ass. And it
is not reasonable to think that a disembodied spirit should
wander to and fro on the earth. The souls of the righteous Wisd. 3,
are in the hand of God, therefore those of young children
must be so, seeing they are not evil. And the souls of
sinners are at once conveyed away from hence, as is clear
from Lazarus, and the rich man. Because none dared to
bring them to Christ because of their fierceness, therefore
Christ goes to them. This their fierceness is intimated when
it is added, Exceeding Jierce, so that no man might pass that
way. So they who hindered all others from passing that
326* GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
way, found one now standing in their way. For they were
tortured in an unseen manner, suffering intolerable things
from the mere presence of Christ. And, lo, they cried out,
saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of
David? JEROME; This is no voluntary confession followed
up by a reward to the utterer, but one extorted by the com
pulsion of necessity. A runaway slave, when after long
time he first beholds his master, straight thinks only of
deprecating the scourge ; so the daemons, seeing the Lord
suddenly moving upon the earth, thought He was come to
judge them. Some absurdly suppose, that these daemons
knew the Son ^of God, while the Devil knew Him not,
because their wickedness was less than his. But all the
knowledge of the disciple must be supposed in the Master.
Aug. De AUG. God was so far known to them as it was His pleasure
ix*21. ei * be known; and He pleased to be know T n so far as it was
needful. He was known to them therefore not as He is Life
eternal, and the Light which enlightens the good, but by
certain temporal effects of His excellence, and signs of His
hidden presence, which are visible to angelic spirits though
evil, rather than to the infirmity of human nature. JEROME ;
But both the Devil and the daemons may be said to have
rather suspected, than known, Jesus to be the Son of God.
Hil. PsEUDO-AuG. When the daemons cry out, What have we to
v*t d with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? we must suppose them
N - T. to have spoken from suspicion rather than knowledge. For
i cor. had they known him, they never would have suffered the
2 > 8 - Lord of glory to be crucified. REMIG. But as often as they
were tortured by His excellent power, and saw Him working
signs and miracles, they supposed Him to be the Son of
God ; when they saw Him hungry and thirsty, and suffering
such things, they doubted, and thought Him mere man.
It should be considered that even the unbelieving Jews when
they said that Christ cast out daemons in Beelzebub, and
the Arians who said that He was a creature, deserve con
demnation not only on God s sentence, but on the confession
of the daemons, who declare Christ to be the Son of God.
Rightly do they say, What have we to do with thee, Jesus,
thou Son of God ? that is, our malice and Thy grace have
nothing in common, according to that the Apostle speaks,
VER. 28 34. ST. MATTHEW. 327
There is no fellowship of light with darkness. CHRYS. That 2 Cor. 6,
this should not be thought to be flattery, they cry out what 14
they were experiencing, Art thou come to torment its before
the time? AUG. Either because that came upon them un-Aug. De
expectedly, which they looked for indeed, but supposed more Jjj?*^ 1
distant; or because they thought their perdition consisted
in this, that when known they would be despised; or
because this was before the day of judgment, when they
should be punished with eternal damnation. JEROME ; For
the presence of the Saviour is the torment of daemons.
CHRYS. They could not say they had not sinned, because
Christ had found them doing evil, and marring the work
manship of God ; whence they supposed that for their more
abundant wickedness the time of the last punishment which
shall be at the day of judgment should not be tarried for to
punish them. AUG. Though the words of the daemons are Aug. De
variously reported by the three Evangelists, yet this is no E ^ 24 .
difficulty; for they either all convey the same sense, or
may be supposed to have been all spoken. Nor again
because in Matthew they speak in the plural, in the
others in the singular number ; because even the other
two Evangelists relate that when asked his name, he an
swered, Legion, shewing that the daemons were many. Now
there was not far from thence a herd of many sivine
feeding; and the dcemons prayed him, saying, If thou
cast us out hence ) send us into the swine. GREG. For Greg,
the Devil knows that of himself he has no power to^io.
do any thing, because it is not of himself that he exists
as a spirit. REMIG. They did not ask to be sent into
men, because they saw Him by whose excellence they
were tortured existing in human shape. Nor did they
ask to be sent into sheep, because sheep are by God s
institution clean animals, and were then offered in the
temple of God. But they requested to be sent into the
swine rather than into any of the other unclean animals,
because this is of all animals the most unclean ; whence
also it has its name porcus, as being spurcus, filthy,
and delighting in filthiness ; and daemons also delight in
the filthiness of sin. They did not pray that they might
be sent into the air, because of their eager desire of hurting
328 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. VIII.
men. And he saith unto them, Go. CHRYH. Jesus did
not say this, as though persuaded by the daemons, but
- with many designs therein. One, that He might shew
^ ne roighty power to hurt of these daemons, who were
in possession of the two men ; another, that all might see
that they had no power against the swine unless by His
sufferance ; thirdly, to shew that they would have done
more grievous hurt to the men, had they not even in their
calamities been aided by Divine Providence, for they hate
men more than irrational animals. By this it is manifest
that there is no man who is not supported by Divine
Providence ; and if all are not equally supported by it,
neither after one manner, this is the highest character
istic of Providence, that it is extended to each man
according to his need. Besides the above-mentioned
things, we learn also that He cares not only for the whole
together, but for each one in particular ; which one may
see clearly in these daemoniacs, who would have been long
before choked in the deep, had not Divine care preserved
them. He also permitted them to go into the herd of
swine, that they that dwelt in those parts might know
His power. For where He was known to none, there
He makes His miracles to shine forth, that He may bring
them to a confession of His divinity. JEROME ; The
Saviour bade them go, not as yielding to their request,
but that by the death of the swine, an occasion of man s
salvation might be offered. But they went out, (to wit,
out of the men,) and went into the swine ; and, lo, the whole-
herd rushed violently headlong into the sea, and perished in
the waters. Let Manicbseus blush ; if the souls of men
and of beasts be of one substance, and one origin, how
should two thousand swine have perished for the sake
of the salvation of two men ? CHRYS. The daemons
destroyed the swine because they are ever striving to
bring men into distress, and rejoice in destruction. The
greatness of the loss also added to the fame of that which
was done ; for it was published by many persons ; namely,
by the men that were healed, by the owners of the swine,
and by those that fed them ; as it follows, But they that
fed them jfied, and went into the town, and told all y and
VER. 28 34. ST. MATTHEW. 329
concerning them that had the daemons; and, behold, the
whole town went out to meet Jesus. But when they should
have adored Him, and wondered at His excellent power,
they cast Him from them, as it follows, And when they saw
him, they besought him that he would depart out of their
coasts. Observe the clemency of Christ next to His ex
cellent power ; when those who had received favours from
Him would drive Him away, He resisted not, but departed,
and left those who thus pronounced themselves unworthy of
His teaching, giving them as teachers those who had been
delivered from the daemons, and the feeders of the swine.
JEROME ; Otherwise ; This request may have proceeded
from humility as well as pride; like Peter, they may have
held themselves unworthy of the Lord s presence, Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. RABAN. Gerasa B
is interpreted casting out the dweller, or, c a stranger
approaching ; this is the Gentile world which cast out the
Devil from it ; and which was first far off, but now
made near, after the resurrection being visited bv Christ
through His preachers. AMBROSE ; The two daemoniacs are
also a type of the Gentile world; for Noah having Luc -
three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, Shem s posterity
alone was taken into the inheritance of God, while from the
other two sprang the nations of the Gentiles. HILARY;
Thus the daemons held the two men among the tombs with
out the town, that is, without the synagogue of the Law and
the Prophets; that is, they infested the original seats of the
two nations, the abodes of the dead, making the way of this
present life dangerous to the passers by. RABAN. It is not
without cause that he speaks of them as dwelling among the
tombs ; for what else are the bodies of the faithless but
sepulchres of the dead, in which the word of God dwells
not, but there is enclosed the soul dead in sins. He
says, So that no man might pass through that way, because
before the coming of the Saviour the Gentile world was
inaccessible. Or, by the two, understand both Jews and
Gentiles, who did not abide in the house, that is, did not rest
in their conscience. But they abode in tombs, that is,
delighted themselves in dead works, and suffered no man to
pass by the way of faith, which way the Jews obstructed.
330 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. VIII.
HILARY ; By their coming forth to meet Him is signified the
willingness of men flocking to the faith. The daemons
seeing that there is no longer any place left for them among
the Gentiles, pray that they may be suffered to dwell among
the heretics ; these, seized by them, are drowned in the sea,
that is, in worldly desires, by the instigations of the daemons,
Bede. in and perish in the unbelief of the rest of the Gentiles. BEDE;
Luc. 8. Q r . T}ie gwine are t h e y t h at Delight in filthy manners ; for
unless one live as a swine, the devils do not receive power
over him ; or at most, only to try him, not to destroy him.
That the swine were sent headlong into the lake, signifies,
that when the people of the Gentiles are delivered from the
condemnation of the daemons, yet still they who would not
believe in Christ, perform their profane rites in secret,
drowned in a blind and deep curiosity. That they that fed
the swine, fled and told what was done, signifies that even
the leaders of the wicked though they shun the law of
Christianity, yet cease not to proclaim the wonderful power
of Christ. When struck with terror, they entreat Him to
depart from them, they signify a great number who, well
satisfied with their ancient life, shew themselves willing to
honour the Christian law, while they declare themselves
unable to perform it. HILARY; Or; The town is a type of
the Jewish nation, which having heard of Christ s works goes
forth to meet its Lord, to forbid Him to approach their
country and town ; for they have not received the Gospel.
CHAP. IX.
1. And he entered into a ship, and passed over,
and came into his own city.
2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick
of the palsy, lying on a bed : and Jesus seeing their
faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good
cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3. And, behold, certain of the Scribes said within
themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Where
fore think ye evil in your hearts ?
5. For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be for
given thee ; or to say, Arise, and walk ?
6. But that ye may know that the Son of man
hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he
to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and
go unto thine house.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
8. But when the multitude saw it, they marvelled,
and glorified God, which had given such power unto
men.
CHRYS. Christ had above shewn His excellent power by Chrys,
teaching, when he taught them as one having authority ; xx j x ,
in the leper, when He said, / will, be thou clean; by the
centurion, who said to Him, Speak the word, and my servant
shall be healed; by the sea which He calmed by a word;
by the daemons who confessed Him ; now again, in another
and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the
332 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
equality of His honour with the Father ; to this end it
proceeds, And Jesus entered into a ship, and passed over, and
came into his own city. He entered a boat to cross over,
who could have crossed the sea on foot; for He would not
be always working miracles, that He might not take away
Chrysol. the reality of His incarnation. CHRYSOLOGUS. The Creator of
5 all things, the Lord of the world, when He had for our sakes
straitened Himself in the bonds of our flesh, began to have
His own country as a man, began to be a citizen of Judaea,
and to have parents, though Himself the parent of all, that
affection might attach those whom fear had separated.
CHRYS. By his own city is here meant Capharnaum. For one
town, to wit, Bethlehem, had received Him to be born there;
another had brought Him up, to wit, Nazareth; and a third
received Him to dwell there continually, namely, Capharnaum.
Aug. De AUG. That Matthew here speaks of his own city, and Mark
Ev!ii/25. ca ^ s ^ Capharnaum, would be more difficult to be reconciled
if Matthew had expressed it Nazareth. But as it is, all
Galilee might be called Christ s city, because Nazareth was
in Galilee; just as all the Roman empire, divided into many
1 civitas states, was still called the Roman city ! . Who can doubt then
that the Lord in coming to Galilee is rightly said to come
into his own city, whatever was the town in which He
abode, especially since Capharnaum was exalted into the
metropolis of Galilee? JEROME; Or; This city may be no
other than Nazareth, whence He was called a Nazarene.
Aug. AUG. And if we adopt this supposition, we must say that
ubl sup * Matthew has omitted all that was done from the time that
Jesus entered into His own city till He came to Capharnaum,
and has proceeded on at once to the healing of the paralytic ;
as in many other places they pass over things that inter
vened, and carry on the thread of the narrative, without
noticing any interval of time, to something else ; so here,
And, lo, they bring unto him a paralytic laying on a bed.
CHRYS. This paralytic is not the same as he in John.
For he lay by the pool, this in Capharnaum ; he had
none to assist him, this was borne on a bed. JEROME ;
On a bed, because he could not walk. CHRYS. He does
not universally demand faith of the sick, as, for example,
when they are mad, or from any other sore sickness are
VER. 1 8. ST. MATTHEW. 333
not in possession of their minds; as it is here, seeing
their faith ; JEROME; not the sick man s, but theirs that
bare him, CHRYS. Seeing then that they shewed so great
faith, He also shews His excellent power; with full power
forgiving sin, as it follows, He said to the paralytic, Be of
good courage, son, thy sins are forgiven thee. QHRYSOLOGUS. Chrysol.
Of how great jDOwer with God must a man s ow r n faith be, when
that of others here availed to heal a man both within and
without. The paralytic hears his pardon pronounced, in
silence uttering no thanks, for he was more anxious for the
cure of his body than his soul. Christ therefore with good
reason accepts the faith of those that bare him, rather than
his own hardness of heart. CHRYS. Or, we may suppose
even the sick man to have had faith ; otherwise he would
not have suffered himself to be let down through the roof as
the other Evangelist relates. JEROME; O wonderful hu
mility ! This man feeble and despised, crippled in every limb,
He addresses as son. The Jewish Priests did not deign to
touch him. Even therefore His son, because his sins were
forgiven him. Hence we may learn that diseases are often
the punishment of sin; and therefore perhaps his sins are
forgiven him, that when the cause of his disease has been
first removed, health may be restored. CHRYS. The Scribes
in their desire to spread an ill report of Him, against their
will made that which was done be more widely known;
Christ using their envy to make known the miracle. For
this is of His surpassing wisdom to manifest His deeds through
His enemies; whence it follows, Behold, some of the Scribes
said among themselves, This man blasphemeth. JEROME;
We read in prophecy, / am he that blotteth out thy trans- Is - 43 >
gressions; so the Scribes regarding Him as a man, and not
understanding the words of God, charged Him with blas
phemy. But He seeing their thoughts thus shewed Himself
to be God, Who alone knoweth the heart ; and thus, as
it were, said, By the same power and prerogative by which I
see your thoughts, I can forgive men their sins. Learn
from your own experience what the paralytic has obtained.
When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he said., Why think ye
evil in your hearts ? CHRYS. He did not indeed contradict
their suspicions so far as they had supposed Him to have
334 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
spoken as God. For had He not been equal to God the
Father, it would have behoved Him to say, I am far from
this power, that of forgiving sin. But He confirms the
contrary of this, by His words and His miracle ; Whether is
it easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise,
and walk? By how much the soul is better than the body,
by so much is it a greater thing to forgive sin than to heal
the body. But forasmuch as the one may be seen with the
eyes, but the other is not sensibly perceived, He does the
lesser miracle which is the more evident, to be a proof of the
greater miracle which is imperceptible. JEROME ; Whether
or no his sins were forgiven He alone could know who
forgave ; but whether he could rise and walk, not only
himself but they that looked on could judge of; but the
power that heals, whether soul or body, is the same. And as
there is a great difference between saying and doing, the
outward sign is given that the spiritual effect may be proved;
But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power
on earth to forgive sins. CHRYS. Above, He said to the
paralytic, Thy sins are forgiven thee, not, I forgive thee thy
sins; but now when the Scribes made resistance, He shews
the greatness of His power by saying, The Son of Man hath
power on earth to forgive sins. And to shew that He was
equal to the Father, He said not that the Son of Man needed
Gloss, any to forgive sins, but that He hath power. GLOSS. These
selrn." wor ds That ye may know, may be either Christ s words, or
the Evangelist s words. As though the Evangelist had said,
They doubted whether He could remit sins, But that ye
may know that the Son of Man hath the power to remit
sins, he saith to the paralytic. If they are the words of
Christ, the connexion will be as follows ; You doubt that I
have power to remit sins, But that ye may know that the
Son of Man hath power to remit sins the sentence is
imperfect, but the action supplies the place of the consequent
clause, he saith to the paralytic, Rise, take up thy bed.
Chrysol. CnRYSOLOGUS. That that which had been proof of his sickness,
1 sup * should now become proof of his recovered health. And
go to thy house, that having been healed by Christian faith,
you may not die in the faithlessness of the Jews. CHRYS.
This command He added, that it might be seen there was no
VER. 1 8. ST. MATTHEW. 335
delusion in the miracle ; so it follows to establish the reality
of the cure, And he arose, and went away to his own
house. But they that stood by yet grovel on the earth,
whence it follows, But the multitude seeing it were afraid,
and glorified God, who had bestowed such power among
men. For had they rightly considered among themselves,
they would have acknowledged Him to be the Son of God.
Meanwhile it was no little matter to esteem Him as one
greater than men, and to have come from God. HILARY;
Mystically ; When driven out of Judaea, He returns into His
own city; the city of God is the people of the faithful; into
this He entered by a boat, that is, the Church. CHRYSOLOGUS. Chrysol.
Christ has no need of the vessel, but the vessel of Christ ; ubl sup *
for without heavenly pilotage the bark of the Church cannot
pass over the sea of the world to the heavenly harbour.
HILARY ; In this paralytic the whole Gentile world is offered
for healing, he is therefore brought by the ministration
of Angels ; he is called Son, because he is God s work ;
the sins of his soul which the Law could not remit
are remitted him ; for faith only justifies. Lastly, he
shews the power __of the resurrection, by taking up his
bed x teaching that all sickness shall then be no more
found in the body. JEROME ; Figuratively ; the soul
sick in the body, its powers palsied, is brought by the
perfect doctor to the Lord to be healed. For every one
when sick, ought to engage some to pray for his recovery,
through whom the halting footsteps of our acts may be
reformed by the healing power of the heavenly word.
These are mental monitors, who raise the soul of the hearer
to higher things, although sick and weak in the outward
body. CHRYSOLOGUS. The Lord requires not in this world Chrysol.
the will of those who are without understanding, but looks u
to the faith of others ; as the physician does not consult the
wishes of the patient, when his malady requires other things.
RABAN. His rising up is the drawing off the soul from carnal
lusts ; his taking up his bed is the raising the flesh from
earthly desires to spiritual pleasures ; his going to his house
is his returning to Paradise, or to internal watchfulness of
himself against sin. GREG. Or by the bed is denoted the Greg,
pleasure of the body. He is commanded now he is
336 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
whole to bear that on which he had lain when sick, because
every man who still takes pleasure in vice is laid as sick in
carnal delights ; but when made whole he bears this because
he now endures the wantonness of that flesh in whose
desires he had before reposed. HILARY ; It is a very fearful
thing to be seized by death while the sins are yet unforgiven
by Christ ; for there is no way to the heavenly house for him
whose sins have not been forgiven. But when this fear is
removed, honour is rendered to God, who by His word has
in this way given power to men, of forgiveness of sins, of
resurrection of the body, and of return to Heaven.
9. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw
a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of
custom : and he saith unto him, Follow me. And
he arose, and followed him.
10. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in
the house, behold, many Publicans and sinners came
and sat down with him and his disciples.
11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto
his disciples, Why eateth your Master with Publicans
and sinners ?
12. But when Jesus heard that, he said unto
them, They that be whole need not a physician, but
they that are sick.
13. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice : for I am not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Chrys. CHRYS. Having wrought this miracle, Christ would not
Horn. aD i(]e in the same place, lest He should rouse the envy of
the Jews. Let us also do thus, not obstinately opposing
those who lay in wait for us. And as Jesus departed thence,
(namely from the place in which He had done this miracle,)
he saw a man sitting at the receipt of custom, Matthew by
name. JEROME; The other Evangelists from respect to
Matthew have not called him by his common name, but say
here, Levi, for he had both names. Matthew himself,
VER. 9 13. ST. MATTHEW. 337
according to that Solomon says, The righteous man accuses Prov.
himself, calls himself both Matthew and Publican, to shew
the readers that none need despair of salvation who turn to
better things, seeing he from a Publican became an Apostle.
GLOSS. He says, sitting at the receipt of custom, that is, in Gloss,
the place where the tolls were collected. He was named g^ m n
Telonarius, from a Greek word signifying taxes. CHRYS.
Herein he shews the excellent power of Him that called
him; while engaged in this dangerous office He rescued him
from the midst of evil, as also Paul while he was yet mad
against the Church. He saith unto him, Follow me. As
you have seen the power of Him that calleth, so learn the
obedience of him that is called ; he neither refuses, nor
requests to go home and inform his friends. REMIG. He
esteems lightly human dangers which might accrue to him
from his masters for leaving his accounts in disorder, but,
he arose, and followed him. And because he relinquished
earthly gain, therefore of right was he made the dispenser of
the Lord s talents. JEROME ; Porphyry and the Emperor
Julian insist from this account, that either the historian is to
be charged with falsehood, or those who so readily followed
the Saviour with haste and temerity ; as if He called any
without reason. They forget also the signs and wonders
which had preceded, and which no doubt the Apostles had
seen before they believed. Yea the brightness of effulgence
of the hidden Godhead which beamed from His human
countenance might attract them at first view. For if the
loadstone can, as it is said, attract iron, how much more can
the Lord of all creation draw to Himself whom He will !
CHRYS. But why did He not call him at the same time with
Peter and John and the others ? Because he was then still
in a hardened state, but after many miracles, and great
fame of Christ, when He who knows the inmost secrets of
the heart, perceived him more disposed to obedience, then
He called him. AUG. Or, perhaps it is more probable Aug. De
that Matthew here turns back to relate something that he E ^ 2 6.
had omitted ; and we may suppose Matthew to have been
called before the sermon on the mount; for on the mount, as
Luke relates, the twelve, whom He also named Apostles,
were chosen. GLOSS. Matthew places his calling among Gloss.
non occ,
VOL. I. Z
338 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
the miracles ; for a great miracle it was, a Publican becoming
an Apostle. CHRYS. Why is it then that nothing is said of the
rest of the Apostles how or when they were called, but only of
Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew ? Because these
were in the most alien and lowly stations, for nothing can be
more disreputable than the office of Publican, nothing more
Gloss, abject than that of fisherman. GLOSS. As a meet return
selm n f r tne heavenly mercy, Matthew prepared a great feast for
Christ in his house, bestowing his temporal goods on Him
of whom he looked to receive everlasting goods. It follows,
Aug. De And it came to pass as he sat at meat in the house. AUG.
Matthew has not said in whose house Jesus sat at meat (on
this occasion), from which we might suppose, that this was
not told in its proper order, hut that what took place at some
other time is inserted here as it happened to come into his
mind ; did not Mark and Luke who relate the same shew
that it was in Levi s, that is, in Matthew s house. CHRYS.
Matthew being honoured by the entrance of Jesus into his
house, called together all that followed the same calling with
himself; Behold many Publicans and sinners came and sat
down with Jesus, and with his disciples. GLOSS. The
sdm n Publicans were they who were engaged in public business,
which seldom or never can be carried on without sin. And
a beautiful omen of the future, that he that was to be an
Apostle and doctor of the Gentiles, at his first conversion
draws after him a great multitude of sinners to salvation,
already performing by his example what he was shortly to
Gloss, perform by word. GLOSS. Tertullian says that these must
have been Gentiles, because Scripture says, There shall be
110 payer of tribute in Israel, as if Matthew were not a Jew.
But the Lord did not sit down to meat with Gentiles, being
more especially careful not to break the Law, as also He gave
commandment to His disciples below, Go not into the way oj
the Geniiles. JE ROM E ; But they had seen the Publican turning
from sins to better things, and finding place of repentance, and
on this account they do not despair of salvation. CHRYS.
Thus they came near to our Redeemer, and that not only to
converse with Him, but to sit at meat with Him ; for so not
only by disputing, or healing, or convincing His enemies,
but by eating with them, He oftentimes healed such as were
VER. 9 13. ST. MATTHEW. 339
ill-disposed, by this teaching us, that all times, and all
actions, may be made means to our advantage. When the
Pharisees saw this they were indignant; And the Pharisees
beholding said to his disciples, Why eateth your Master with
Publicans and sinners? It should be observed, that when the
disciples seemed to be doing what was sinful, these same
addressed Christ, Behold, thy disciples are doing what it is Mat. 12,
not allowed to do on the Sabbath. Here they speak against 2
Christ to His disciples, both being the part of malicious
persons, seeking to detach the hearts of the disciple from
the Master. RABAN. They are here in a twofold error ; Raban.
first, they esteemed themselves righteous, though j n eBeda -
their pride they had departed far from righteousness ;
secondly, they charged with unrighteousness those who
by recovering themselves from sin were drawing near to
righteousness. AUG. Luke seems to have related this a Aug.
little differently; according to him the Pharisees say to the ublsup *
disciples, Why do ye eat arid drink with Publicans and Luke 5,
sinners ? not unwilling that their Master should be under- 30
stood to be involved in the same charge ; insinuating it at
once against Himself and His disciples. Therefore Matthew
and Mark have related it as said to the disciples, because
so it was as much an objection against their Master
whom they followed and imitated. The sense therefore
is one in all, and so much the better conveyed, as the
words are changed while the substance continues the same.
JEROME ; For they do not come to Jesus while they remain
in their original condition of sin, as the Pharisees and
Scribes complain, but in penitence, as what follows proves ;
But Jesus hearing said, They that be ichole need not a
physician, but they that are sick. RABAN. He calls Himself
a physician, because by a wonderful kind of medicine He
was wounded for our iniquities that He might heal the
wound of our sin. By the whole, He means those who
seeking to establish their own righteousness have not sub-Uom.W,
mitted to the true righteousness of God. By the sick, He 3
means those who, tied by the consciousness of their frailty,
and seeing that they are not justified by the Law, submit
themselves in penitence to the grace of God. CHRYS.
Having first spoken in accordance with common opinion,
z 2
340 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
He now addresses them out of Scripture, saying, Go ye, and
learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice.
Hosea JEROME ; This text from Osee is directed against the Scribes
and Pharisees, who, deeming themselves righteous, refused to
keep company with Publicans and sinners. CHRYS. As much
as to say ; How do you accuse me for reforming sinners ?
Therefore in this you accuse God the Father also. For as He
wills the amendment of sinners, even so also do I. And He
shews that this that they blamed was not only not forbidden,
but was even by the Law set above sacrifice ; for He said
not, I will have mercy as well as sacrifice, but chooses the
Gloss, one and rejects the other. GLOSS. Yet does not God con-
sei m n temn sacrifice, but sacrifice without mercy. But the Phari
sees often offered sacrifices in the temple that they might
seem to men to be righteous, but did not practise the deeds
of mercy by which true righteousness is proved. RABAN.
He therefore warns them, that by deeds of mercy they should
seek for themselves the rewards of the mercy that is above,
and, not overlooking the necessities of the poor, trust to
please God by offering sacrifice. Wherefore, He says, Go;
that is, from the rashness of foolish fault-finding to a more
careful meditation of Holy Scripture, which highly com
mends mercy, and proposes to them as a guide His own
example of mercy, saying, / came not to call the righteous
Auor. fat sinners. AUG. Luke adds to repentance, which explains
sup< the sense ; that none should suppose that sinners are loved
by Christ because they are sinners ; and this comparison of
the sick shews what God means by calling sinners, as a
physician does the sick to be saved from their iniquity as
from a sickness: which is done by penitence. HILARY;
Christ came for all ; how is it then that He says He came
not for the righteous ? Were there those for whom it needed
not that He should come ? But no man is righteous by the
law. He shews how empty their boast of justification,
sacrifices being inadequate to salvation, mercy was necessary
for all who were set under the Law. CHRYS. Whence we
may suppose that He is speaking ironically, as when it is said.
Gen. 3, Behold now Adam is become as one of us. For that there
22
Rom. 3, i g none righteous on earth Paul shews, All have sinned,
and need glory of God. By this saying He also consoled
VER. 14 17. ST. MATTHEW. 341
those who were called ; as though tie had said, So far am
I from abhorring sinners, that for their sakesonly did I come.
GLOSS. Or; Those who were righteous, as Nathanael and Gloss.
John the Baptist, were not to be invited to repentance. Or. ^Pj n,. n
I came not to call the righteous, that is, the feignedly righteous,
those who boasted of their righteousness as the Pharisees,
but those that owned themselves sinners. jlABAN^-Jn the
call of Matthew and the Publicans is figured the faith of the
Gentiles who first gaped after the gain of the world, and are
now spiritually refreshed by the Lord ; in the pride of the
Pharisees, the jealousy of the Jews at the salvation of the
Gentiles. Or, Matthew signifies the man intent on temporal
gain ; Jesus sees him, when He looks on him with the eyes
of mercy. For Matthew is interpreted given, Levi f taken,
the penitent is taken out of the mass of the perishing, and
by God s grace given to the Church. And Jesus saith unto
him, Follow me, either by preaching, or by the admonition
of Scripture, or by internal illumination.
14. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying,
Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy dis
ciples fast not ?
15. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of
the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom
is with them ? but the days will come, when the
bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall
they fast.
16. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto
an old garment, for that which is put in to fill
it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made
worse.
17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles:
else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out,
and the bottles perish : but they put new wine into
new bottles, and both are preserved.
GLOSS. When He had replied to them respecting eating Gloss,
and converse with sinners, they next assault Him on
342 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
matter of food ; Then came to him the disciples of John,
saying, Why do ice and the Pharisees fast often, "but thy
disciples fast not ? JEROME ; O boastful enquiry and osten
tation of fasting much to be blamed, nor can John s disciples
be excused for their taking part with the Pharisees who
they knew had been condemned by John, and for bringing
a false accusation against Him whom they knew their master
had preached. CHRYS. What they say comes to this, Be
it that you do this as Physician of souls, but why do your
disciples neglect fasting and approach such tables ? And to
augment the weight of their charge by comparison, they put
themselves first, and then the Pharisees. They fasted as
Luke 18, they learnt out of the Law, as the Pharisee spoke, I fast
twice in the week ; the others learnt it of John. RABAN.
For John drank neither wine, nor strong drink, increasing
his merit by ^abstinence, because he had no power over
nature. But the Lord who has power to forgive sins, why
should He shun sinners that eat, since He has power to
make them more righteous than those that eat not ? Yet
doth Christ fast, that you should not avoid the command ;
but He eats with sinners that you may know His grace and
Aug. power. AUG. Though Matthew mentions only the disciples
sup< of John as having made this enquiry, the words of Mark
rather seem to imply that some other persons spoke of others,
that is, the guests spoke concerning the disciples of John
Luke 5. and the Pharisees this is still more evident from Luke : why
oo
then does Matthew here say, Then came unto him the dis
ciples of John, unless that they were there among other
guests, all of whom with one consent put this objection to
Him? CHRYS. Or; Luke relates that the Pharisees, but
Matthew that the disciples of John, said thus, because the
Pharisees had taken them with them to ask the question, as
they afterwards did the Herodians. Observe how when
strangers, as before the Publicans, were to be defended, He
accuses heavily those that blamed them ; but when they
brought a charge against His disciples, He makes answer
with mildness. And Jesus sailh unto them, Can the children
of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with
them c t . Before He had styled Himself Physician, now Bride
groom, calling to mind the words of John which he had said,
VER. 14 17. ST. MATTHEW. 343
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. JEROME; Christ John 3,
is the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride. Of this spi-
ritual union the Apostles were born ; they cannot mourn so
long as they see the Bridegroom in the chamber with the
Bride. But when the nuptials are past, and the time of
passion and resurrection is come, then shall the children of
the Bridegroom fast. The days shall come when the bride
groom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
CHRYS. He means this; The present is a time of joy and
rejoicing; sorrow is therefore not to be now brought forward;
and fasting is naturally grievous, and to all those that are yet
weak ; for to those that seek to contemplate wisdom, it is
pleasant ; He therefore speaks here according to the former
opinion. He also shews that this they did was not of
gluttony, but of a certain dispensation. JEROME ; Hence
some think that a fast ought to follow the forty days of
Passion, although the day of Pentecost and the coming of
the Holy Spirit immediately bring back our joy and festival-
From this text accordingly, Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla
enjoin a forty days abstinence after Pentecost, but it is the use
of the Church to come to the Lord s passion and resurrection
through humiliation of the flesh, that by carnal abstinence wo
may better be prepared for spiritual fulness. CHRYS. Here
again He confirms what He has said by examples of common
things ; No man putteth a patch of undressed cloth into au
old garment ; for it taketh away its wholeness from the
garment, and the rent is made worse ; which is to say, My
disciples are not yet become strong, but have need of much
consideration ; they are not yet renewed by the Spirit. On
men in such a state it is not behoveful to lay a burden
of precepts. Herein He establishes a rule for His disciples,
that they should receive with leniency disciples from out "of
the whole world. REMIG. By the old garment He means
His disciples, who had not yet been renewed in all things.
The patch of undressed, that is, of new cloth, means the new
grace^ that is, the Gospel doctrine, of which fasting is~a
portion ; and it was not meet that the stricter ordinances of
fasting should be entrusted to them, lest they should be
broken down by their severity, and forfeit that faith which
they had ; as He adds, It taketh its wholeness from the
344 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
Gloss, garment, and the rent is made worse. GLOSS. As much as
sdm n to sa y> An undressed patch, that is, a new one, ought not to
be put into an old garment, because it often takes away from
the garment its wholeness, that is, its perfection, and then
the rent is made worse. For a heavy burden laid on one
that is untrained often destroys that good which was in him
before. REMIG. After two comparisons made, that of the
wedding, and that of the undressed cloth, He adds a third
concerning wine skins ; Neither do men put new wine into
old skins. By the old skins He means His disciples, who
were not yet perfectly renewed. The new wine is the
fulness of the Holy Spirit, and the depths of the heavenly
mysteries, which His disciples could not then bear; but
after the resurrection they became as new skins, and were
filled with new wine when they received the Holy Spirit
Acts 2, into their hearts. Whence also some said, These men are
full of new wine. CHRYS. Herein He also shews us the
cause of those condescending words which He often ad
dressed to them because of their weakness. JEROME ;
Otherwise; By the old garment, and old skins, we must
understand the Scribes and Pharisees; and by the piece of
new cloth, and new wine, the Gospel precepts, which the
Jews were not able to bear; so the rent was made worse.
Something such the Galatians sought to do, to mix the
precepts of the Law with the Gospel, and to put new wine
into old skins. The word of the Gospel is therefore to
be poured into the Apostles, rather than into the Scribes
and Pharisees, who, corrupted by the traditions of the elders,
were unable to preserve the purity of Christ s precepts.
Gloss. GLOSS. This shews that the Apostles being hereafter to be
>cc replenished with newness of grace, ought not now to be
Aug. bound to the old observances. AUG. Otherwise ; Every
2?o m 3 one wno rig h^y f asts ? either humbles his soul in the
groaning of prayer, and bodily chastisement, or suspends
the motion of carnal desire by the joys of spiritual medi
tation. And the Lord here makes answer respecting both
kinds of fasting ; concerning the first, which is in humilia
tion of soul, He says, The children of the bridegroom cannot
mourn. Of the other which has a feast of the Spirit, He
next speaks, where He says. No man putteth a patch of
VER. 14 18. ST. MATTHEW. 345
undressed cloth. Then we must mourn because the Bride
groom is taken away from us. And we rightly mourn if we
burn with desire of Him. Blessed they to whom it was
granted before His passion to have Him present with them,
to enquire of Him what they would, to hear what they ought
to hear. Those days the fathers before His coming sought to
see, and saw them not, because they were placed in another
dispensation, one in which He was proclaimed as coming,
not one in which He was heard as present. For in us was
fulfilled that He speaks of, Tlie days shall come w/ien
ye shall desire to see one of these days, and shall not be able. 22
Who then will not mourn this ? Who will not say, My tears Ps.42,3.
have been my meat day and night, while they daily say unto
me, Where is now thy God ? With reason then did the
Apostle seek to die and to be with Christ. AUG. That Aug. De
Matthew writes here mourn, where Mark and Luke write
fast, shews that the Lord spake of that kind of fasting which
pertains to humbling one s self in chastisement; as in the
following comparisons He may be supposed to have spoken
of the other kind which pertains to the joy of a mind wrapt
in spiritual thoughts, and therefore averted from the food of
the body ; shewing that those who are occupied about the
body, and owing to this retain their former desires, are not
fit for this kind of fasting. HILARY; Figuratively; This His
answer, that while the Bridegroom was present with them,
His disciples needed not to fast, teaches us the joy of His
presence, and the sacrament of the holy food, which none
shall lack, while He is present, that is, while one keeps
Christ in the eye of the mind. He says, they shall fast when
He is taken away from them, because all who do not believe
that Christ is risen, shall not have the food of life. For in
the faith of the resurrection the sacrament of the heavenly
bread is received. JEROME; Or; When He has departed
from us for our sins, then is a fast to be proclaimed, then is
mourning to be put on. HILARY; By these examples He
shews that neither our souls nor bodies, being so weakened
by inveteracy of sin, are capable of the sacraments of the new
grace. RABAN. The different comparisons all refer to the
same thing, and yet are they different; the garment by
which we are covered abroad signifies our good works,
346 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
which we perform when we are abroad ; the wine with
which we are refreshed within is the fervor of faith and
charity, which creates us anew within.
18. While he spake these things unto them, be
hold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him,
saying, My daughter is even now dead : but come
and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
19. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did
his disciples.
20. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased
with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind
him, and touched the hem of his garment :
21. For she said within herself, If I may but touch
. his garment, I shall be whole.
22. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw
her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith
hath made thee whole. And the woman was made
whole from that hour.
Chrys. CHRYS. After His instructions He adds a miracle, whiclr
^* should mightily discomfit the Pharisees, because he who
came to beg this miracle, was a ruler of the synagogue, and
the mourning was great, for she was his only child, and of
the age of twelve years, that is, when the flower of youth
begins; IVhile he spake these things unto them, behold,
Aug. Uethere came one of their chief men unto him. AUG. This
narrative is given both by Mark and Luke, but in a quite
different order ; namely, when after the casting out of the
daemons and their entrance into the swine, he had returned
across the lake from the country of the Gerasenes. Now
Mark does indeed tell us that this happened after He had
recrossecl the lake, but how long after he does not determine.
Unless there had been some interval of time, that could not
have taken place that Matthew relates concerning the feast
in his house. After this, immediately follows that concern
ing the ruler of the synagogue s daughter. If the ruler came
to Him while He was yet speaking that of the new patch,
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 847
and the new wine, then no other act of speech of his inter
vened. And in Mark s account, the place where these things
might come in, is evident. In like manner, Luke does not
contradict Matthew; for what he adds, And behold a man, Mat. 8,
whose name was Jairus, is not to be taken as though it
followed instantly what had been related before, but after
that feast with the Publicans, as Matthew relates. While
he spake these things unto them, behold, one of their chief
men, namely, Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, came to
him, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, my daughter is
even now dead. It should be observed, lest there should
seem to be some discrepancy, that the other two Evan
gelists represent her as at the point of death, but yet
not dead, but so as afterwards to say that there came
afterwards some saying, She is dead, trouble not the Master,
for Matthew for the sake of shortness represents the Lord as
having been asked at first to do that which it is manifest He
did do, namely, raise the dead. He looks not at the words
of the father respecting his daughter, but rather his mind.
For he had so far despaired of her life, that he made his
request rather for her to be called to life again, thinking
it impossible that she, whom he had left dying, should be
found yet alive. The other two then have given Jairus
words; Matthew has put what he wished and thought.
Indeed had either of them related that it was the father
himself that said that Jesus should not be troubled for she
was now dead, in that case the words that Matthew has
given would not have corresponded with the thoughts of
the ruler. But we do not read that he agreed with the
messengers. Hence we learn a thing of the highest
necessity, that we should look at nothing in any man s
words, but his meaning to which his words ought to be
subservient; and no man gives a false account when he
repeats a man s meaning in words other than those actually
used. CHRYS. Or; The ruler says, she is dead, exaggerating
his calamity. As it is the manner of those that prefer a
petition to magnify their distresses, and to represent them as
something more than they really are, in order to gain the
compassion of those to whom they make supplication ;
whence he adds, But come and lay thy hand upon her, and
348 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
she shall live. See his dullness. He begs two things of
Christ, to come, and to lay His hand upon her. This was
what Naaman the Syrian required of the Prophet. For
they who are constituted thus hard of heart have need of
sight and things sensible. REMIG. We ought to admire and
at the same time to imitate the humility and mercifulness of
the Lord ; as soon as ever He was asked, He rose to follow
him that asked ; And Jesus rose, and followed him. Here
is instruction both for such as are in command, and
such as are in subjection. To these He has left an ex
ample of obedience ; to those who are set over others
He shews how earnest and watchful they should be in
teaching ; whenever they hear of any being dead in
spirit, they should hasten to Him ; And his disciples went
with him. CHRYS. Mark and Luke say that He took with
Him three disciples only, namely, Peter, James, and John ;
He took not Matthew, to quicken his desires, and because
he was yet not perfectly minded l ; and for this reason He
honours these three, that others may become like-minded.
-
It was enough meanwhile for Matthew to see the things that
were done respecting her that had the issue of blood,
concerning whom it follows ; And, behold, a woman who
had suffered an issue of blood twelve years, came behind
and touched the hem of his garment. JEROME; This
woman that had the flux came to the Lord not in the house,
nor in the town, for she was excluded from them by the
Law, but by the way as He walked ; thus as He goes to
heal one woman, another is cured. CHRYS. She came not
to Christ with an open address through shame concerning
this her disease, believing herself unclean ; for in the Law
this disease was esteemed highly unclean. For this reason she
hides herself. REMIG. In which her humility must be
praised, that she came not before His face, but behind, and
judged herself unworthy to touch the Lord s feet, yea, she
touched not His whole garment, but the hem only ; for the
Lord wore a hem according to the command of the Law.
So the Pharisees also wore hems which they made large,
and in some they inserted thorns. But the Lord s hem was
not made to wound, but to heal, and therefore it follows,
For she said within herself } If I can but touch his garment,
VER. 18 22. ST. MATTHEW. 849
/ shall be made whole. How wonderful her faith, that
though she despaired of health from the physicians, on
whom notwithstanding she had exhausted her living, she
perceived that a heavenly Physician was at hand, and
therefore bent her whole soul on Him ; whence she deserved
to be healed ; But Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Be of
good cheer, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.
RABAN. What is this that He bids her, Be of good cheer,
seeing if she had not had faith, she would not have sought
healing of Him? He requires of her strength and per
severance, that she may come to a sure and certain salvation.
CHRYS. Or because the woman was fearful, therefore He
said, Be of good cheer. He calls her daughter, for her
faith had made her such. JEROME; He said not, Thy faith
shall make thee whole, but, hath made thee whole ; for
in that thou hast believed, thou art already made whole.
CHRYS. She had not yet a perfect mind respecting Christ,
or she would not have supposed that she could be hid from
Him; but Christ would not suffer her to go away un
observed, not that He sought fame, but for many reasons.
First, He relieves the woman s fear, that she should not be
pricked in her conscience as though she had stolen this
boon ; secondly, He corrects her error in supposing she
could be hid from Him ; thirdly, He displays her faith to all
for their imitation ; and fourthly, He did a miracle, in that
He shewed He knew all things, no less than in drying the
fountain of her blood. It follows, And the woman was
made whole from that hour. GLOSS. This must be under- Gloss,
stood as the time in which she touched the hem of HiSg*j m n
garment, not in which Jesus turned to her; for she was
already healed, as the other Evangelists testify, and as may
be inferred from the Lord s words. HILARY ; Herein is to
be observed the marvellous virtue of the Lord, that the
power that dwelt in His body should give healing to things
perishable, and the heavenly energy extended even through
the hems of JJis garments; for God is not comprehensible
that He should be shut in by a body. For His taking a
body unto Him did not confine His power, but His power
took upon it a frail body for our redemption. Figuratively,
this ruler is to be understood as the Law, which prays the
350 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
Lord that He would restore life to the dead multitude which
it had. brought up for Christ, preaching that His coming
Raban. was to be looked for. RABAN. Or ; The ruler of the
Beda? synagogue signifies Moses ; he is named Jairus, < illu
minating, or, < that shall illuminate, because he received
the words of life to give to us, and by them enlightens all,
being himself enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The daughter
of the ruler, that is, the synagogue itself, being as it were in
the twelfth year of its age, that is, in the season of puberty,
when it should have borne spiritual progeny to God, fell
into the sickness of error. While then the Word of God is
hastening to this ruler s daughter to make whole the sons of
Israel, a holy Church is gathered from among the Gentiles,
which while it was perishing by inward corruption, received
by faith that healing that was prepared for others. It should
be noted, that the ruler s daughter was twelve years old, and
this woman had been twelve years afflicted ; thus she had
begun to be diseased at the very time the other was born ;
so in one and the same age the synagogue had its birth
among the Patriarchs, and the nations without began to be
polluted with the pest of idolatry. For the issue of blood
may be taken in two ways, either for the pollution of
idolatry, or for obedience to the pleasures of flesh and blood.
Thus as long as the synagogue flourished, the Church
languished; the falling away of the first was made the
salvation of the Gentiles. Also the Church draws nigh
and touches the Lord, when it approaches Him in
faith. She believed, spake her belief, and touched, for by
these three things, faith, word, and deed, all salvation is
John 12, gained. She came behind Him, as He spake, If any one
serve me, lei Mm follow me; or because, not having seen the
Lord present in the flesh, when the sacraments of His incar
nation were fulfilled, she came at length to the grace of the
knowledge Of Him. Thus also she touched the hem of His
garment, because the Gentiles, though they had not seen
Christ in the flesh, received the tidings of His incarnation.
The garment of Christ is put for the mystery of His incar
nation, wherewith His Deity is clothed; the hem of His
garment are the words that hang upon His incarnation. She
touches not the garment, but the hem thereof; because she
VER. 23 26. ST. MATTHEW. 351
saw not the Lord in the flesh, but received the word of the
incarnation through the Apostles. Blessed is he that touches
but the uttermost part of the word by faith. She is healed
while the Lord is not in the city, but while He is yet on the
way; as the Apostles cried, Because ye judge yourselves Acts 13,
unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. And
from the time of the Lord s coming the Gentiles began to be
healed.
23. And when Jesus came into the ruler s house,
and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
24. He said unto them, Give place : for the maid
is not dead, but sleepetb. And they laughed him to
scorn.
25. But when the people were put forth, he went
in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
26. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that
land.
GLOSS. After the healing of the woman with the issue of Gloss,
blood, follows the raising of the dead ; And when Jesus was 1 occ
come into the rulers house. CHRYS. We may suppose that
He proceeded slowly, and spake longer to the woman whom
He had healed, that He might suffer the maid to die, and
thus an evident miracle of restoring to life might be wrought.
In the case of Lazarus also He waited till the third day.
And when he saw the minstrels and the people making a
noise; this was a proof of her death. AMBROSE; For byAmbros.
the ancient custom minstrels were engaged to make lament- ^ c
ation for the dead. CHRYS. But Christ put forth all the
pipers, but took in the parents, that it might not be said that
He had healed her by any other means; and before the
restoring to life He excites their expectations by His words,
And he said, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but
sleepeth. BEDE; As though He had said, To you she isBede.
dead, but to God who has power to give life, she sleeps only in Luc -
both in soul and body. CHRYS. By this saying, He soothes
the minds of those that were present, and shews that it is
easy to Him to raise the dead ; the like He did in the case
352 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
John 11, of Lazarus, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth. This was also a
lesson to them not to be afraid of death ; forasmuch as He
Himself also should die, He made His disciples learn in the
persons of others confidence and patient endurance of death.
For when He was near, death was but as sleep. When He
had said this, They mocked him. And He did not rebuke
their mocking; that this mocking, and the pipes and all
other things, might be a proof of her death. For ofttimes at
His miracles when men would not believe, He convicted
them by their own answers ; as in the case of Lazarus, when
He said, Where have ye laid him ? so that they that answered,
Come and see, and, He stinketh, for he hath now been dead
four days, could no longer disbelieve that He had raised a
dead man. JEROME ; They that had mocked the Reviver
were not worthy to behold the mystery of the revival ; and
therefore it follows, And when tJte multitude was put forth,
he entered, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
CHRYS. He restored her to life not by bringing in another
soul, but by recalling that which had departed, and as it
were raising it from sleep, and through this sight preparing the
way for belief of the resurrection. And He not only restores
her to life, but commands food to be given her, as the other
Evangelists relate, that that which was done might be seen
to be no delusion. And the fame of him went abroad into
Gloss, all that country. GLOSS. The fame, namely, of the greatness
and novelty of the miracle, and its established truth ; so that
it could not be supposed to be a forgery.
HILARY ; Mystically ; The Lord enters the ruler s house,
that is, the synagogue, throughout which there resounded in
the songs of the Law a strain of wailing. JEROME; To this
day the damsel lays dead in the ruler s house; and they that
seem to be teachers are but minstrels singing funeral dirges.
The Jews also are not the crowd of believers, but of people
making a noise. But when the fulness of the Gentiles shall
come in, then all Israel shall be saved. HILARY ; But that
the number of the elect might be known to be but few out
of the whole body of believers, the multitude is put forth ;
the Lord indeed would that they should be saved, but they
mocked at His sayings and actions, and so were not worthy
to be made partakers of His resurrection. JEROME; He took
VEK. 27 31. ST. MATTHEW. 353
her by the hand, and the maid arose ; because if the hands
of the Jews which are defiled with blood be not first
cleansed, their synagogue which is dead shall not revive.
HILARY; His fame icent about into all that country; that
is, the salvation of the elect, the gift and works of Christ
are preached. RABAN. Morally ; The damsel dead in the
house is the soul dead in thought. He says that she is
asleep, because they that are now asleep in sin may yet be
roused by penitence. The minstrels are flatterers who
cherish the dead. GREG. The multitude are put forth that Gres-
the damsel may be raised; for unless the multitude of^
worldly cares is first banished from the secrets of the heart,
the soul which is laid dead within, cannot rise again.
RABAN, The maiden is raised in the house with few to
witness, the young man without the gate, and Lazarus in
the presence of many ; for a public scandal requires a public
expiation ; a less notorious, a lesser remedy ; and secret sins
may be done away by penitence.
27. And when Jesus departed thence, two blind
men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of
David, have mercy on us.
28. And when he was come into the house, the
blind men came to him : and Jesus saith unto them,
Believe ye that I am able to do this ? They said
unto him, Yea, Lord.
29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According
to your faith be it unto you.
30. And their eyes were opened : and Jesus straitly
charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31. But they, when they were departed, spread
abroad his fame in all that country.
JEROME ; The miracles that had gone before of the ruler s
daughter, and the woman with the issue of blood, are now
followed by that of two blind men, that what death and
disease had there witnessed, that blindness might now witness,
And as Jesus passed thence, that is, from the ruler s house,
VOL. i. 2 A
354 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
there followed him two blind men, crying, and sayiny, Have
Chrys. mercy on us, thou 8on of David. CHRYS. Here is no small
xxTii. charge against the Jews, that these men, having lost their
sight, yet believe by means of their hearing only; while they
who had sight, would not believe the miracles that were
done. Observe their eagerness ; they do not simply come
to Him, but with crying, and asking for nothing but mercy ;
they call Him Son of David, because that seemed to be
a name of honour. REMIG. Rightly they call Him Son of
David, because the Virgin Mary was of the line of David.
JEROME ; Let Marcion and Manichaeus, and the other
heretics who mangle the Old Testament, hear this, and learn
that the Saviour is called the Son of David ; for if He was
not born in the flesh, how is He the Son of David ? CHRYS.
Observe that the Lord oftentimes desired to be asked to
heal, that none should think that He was eager to seize an
occasion of display. JEROME ; Yet were they not healed by
the way-side and in passing as they had thought to be ; but
when He was entered into the house, they come unto Him ;
and first their faith is made proof of, that so they may receive
the light of the true faith. And when he was come into
the house, the blind men came unto him; and Jesus said
unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this ? CHRYS.
Here again He teaches us to exclude the desire of fame ;
because there was a house hard by, He takes them there
to heal them apart. REMIG. He who was able to give
sight to the blind, was not ignorant whether they be
lieved ; but He asked them, in order that the faith which
they bare in their hearts, being confessed by their mouth
might be made deserving of a higher reward, according to
Rom. that of the Apostle, By the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. C/HRYS^And not for this reason only, but that He
might make manifest that they were worthy of healing, and
that none might object, that if mercy alone saved, then ought
all to be saved. Therefore also He requires faith of them,
that He may thereby raise their thoughts higher; they had
called Him the Son of David, therefore He instructs them
that they should think higher things of Him. Thus He
does not say to them, Believe ye that I can ask the Father?
But, Believe ye that I am able to do this? TJ^y say unto
VER. 27 31. ST. MATTHEW. 355
him, Yea^Lord. They call Him no more Son of David,
but exalt Him higher, and confess His dominion. Then He
lays His hand upon them; as it follows, Then he touched
their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unio you,
This He says confirming their faith, and testifying that what
they had said were not words of flattery. Then follows the
cure, And their eyes were opened. And after this, His
injunction that they should tell it to no man; and this not a
simple command, but with much earnestness, And Jesus
strait ly charged them, saying, See that no man know it; but
they went forth, and spread abroad the fame of him through
the whole country. JEROME ; The Lord from humility
shunning the fame of His glorious works, gave them this
charge, and they from gratitude cannot be silent respecting
so great benefit. CHRYS. That He said to another man,
Go, and proclaim the glory of God, is not contrary to this ; Luke 8,
for what He would teach is, that we should hinder those that 30
would commend us for ourselves. But when it is the
Lord s glory that is to be praised, we ought not to forbid,
but to promote it ourselves. HILARY ; Or He enjoins
silence on the blind men, because to preach was the
Apostles office. GREG. We must enquire how this is Greg.
that the Almighty, whose will and power are coextensive, xix ol 23
should have here willed that His excellent works should
be hid in silence, and is yet preached against His will, as it
were, by these men who have received their sight. It is
only that He herein has left an example to His servants
who follow Him, that they should desire their own good
deeds to be hid, and that notwithstanding they should be
made known against their will, that others may profit by
their example. They should then be hid by design, and
published of compulsion ; their concealment is by our own
watchfulness, their betrayal is for others profit. 1
REMIG. Allegorically ; By these two blind men are denoted
the two nations of Jews and Gentiles, or the two nations of
the Jewish race; for in the time of Roboam his kingdom was
split into two parts. Out of both nations such as believed
on Him Christ gave sight to in the house, by which is
understood the Church ; for without the unity of the Church
no man can be saved. And they of the Jews who had
2 A2
356 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX".
believed the Lord s coming spread the knowledge thereof
throughout the whole earth. RABAN. The house of the
ruler is the Synagogue which was ruled by Moses; the
house of Jesus is the heavenly Jerusalem. As the Lord
passed through this world and was returning to His own
house, two blind men followed Him ; that is, when the
Gospel was preached by the Apostles, many of the Jews
and Gentiles began to follow Him. But when He ascended
into Heaven, then He entered His house, that is, into the
confession of one faith which is in the Catholic Church, and
in that they were enlightened.
32. As they went out, behold, they brought to
him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
33. And when the devil w r as cast out, the dumb
spake : and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was
never so seen in Israel.
34. But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils
through the prince of the devils.
35. And Jesus went about all the cities arid
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching
the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sick
ness and every disease among the people.
REMIG. Observe the beautiful order of His miracles; how
after He had given sight to the blind, He restored speech to
the dumb, and healed the possessed of the daemon ; by
whih He shews Himself the Lord of power, and the author
Is.35,6. of the heavenly medicine. For it was said by Isaiah, Then
shall the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped, and the tongue of the dumb loosed.
Whence it is said, When they were gone forth, they brought
unto him a man dumb, and possessed with a d&mon*
xuQof JEROME ; The Greek word here is more frequent in
common speech in the sense of deaf, but it is the manner
of Scripture to use it indifferently as either. CHRYS. This
was not a mere natural defect ; but was from the malignity
of the daemon ; and therefore he needed to be brought of others,
VER. 32 35. ST. MATTHEW. 357
for he could not ask any thing of others as living without
voice, and the daemon chaining his spirit together with his
tongue. Therefore Christ does not require faith of him, but
immediately healed his disorder; as it follows, And when
the daemon was cast out, the dumb spake, HILARY; The
natural order of things is here preserved ; the daemon is first
cast out, and there the functions of the members proceed.
And the multitude marvelled, saying, It teas never so seen
in Israel. CHRYS. They set Him thus above others, because
He not only healed, but with such ease, and quickness ; and
cured diseases both infinite in number, and in quality
incurable. This most grieved the Pharisees, that they set
Him before all others, not only those that then lived, but all
who had lived before, on which account it follows, But the
Pharisees said, He casteth out demons through the Prince of
daemons. REMIG. Thus the Scribes and Pharisees denied
such of the Lord s miracles as they could deny ; and such as
they could not they explained by an evil interpretation,
according to that, In the multitude of thy excellency thy Ps.66,3.
enemies shall lie unto thee. CHRYS. What can be more
foolish than this speech of theirs ? For it cannot be pre
tended that one daemon would cast out another ; for they are
wont to consent to one another s deeds, and not to be at
variance among themselves. But Christ not only cast out
daemons, but healed the lepers, raised the dead, forgave sins,
preached the kingdom of God, and brought men to the
Father, which a daemon neither could nor would do.
RABAN. Figuratively; As in the two blind men were denoted
both nations, Jews and Gentiles, so in the man dumb and
afflicted with the daemon is denoted the whole human race.
HILARY ; Or ; By the dumb and deaf, and daemoniac, is
signified the Gentile world, needing health in every
part; for sunk in evil of every kind, they are afflicted with
disease of every part of the body. REMICL For the Gentiles
were dumb ; not being able to open their mouth in the con-
fessiiL_Qf the true faith, and the praises of the Creator, or
because in paying worship to dumb idols they were made
like unto them. They were afflicted with a daemon, because
by dying in unbelief they were made subject to the power of
the Devil. HILARY; But by the knowledge of God the
358 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
frenzy of superstition being chased away, the sight, the
hearing, and the word of salvation is brought in to them.
JEROME ; As the blind receive light, so the tongue of the
dumb is loosed, that he may confess Him whom before he
denied. The wonder of the multitude is the confession of
the nations. The scoff of the Pharisees is the unbelief of the
Jews, which is to this day. HILARY ; The wonder of the
multitude is followed up by the confession, It was never
so seen in Israel ; because he, for whom there was no help
under the Law, is saved by the power of the Word. REMIG.
They who brought the dumb to be healed by the Lord,
signify the Apostles and preachers, who brought the Gentile
Aug. De people to be saved before the face of divine mercy. AUG.
i 29 This account of the two blind men and the dumb daemon is
read in Matthew only. The two blind men of whom the
others speak are not the same as these, though something
similar was done with them. So that even if Matthew had
not also recorded their cure, we might have seen that this
present narrative was of a different transaction. And this
we ought diligently to remember, that many actions of our
Lord are very much like one another, but are proved not
to be the same action, by being both related at different times
by the same Evangelist. So that when we find cases in
which one is recorded by one Evangelist, and another by
another, and some difference which we cannot reconcile
between their accounts, we should suppose that they are like,
but not the same, events,
36. But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion on them, because they fainted,
and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no
shepherd.
37. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest
truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few ;
38. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that
he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
CHRYS. The Lord would refute by actions the charge of
the Pharisees, who said, He casleth out daemons by the
VER. 3(> 38. ST, MATTHEW. 359
Prince of the daemons ; for a daemon having suffered rebuke,
does not return good but evil to those who have not shewn
him honour. But the Lord on the other hand, when He has
suffered blasphemy and contumely, not only does not punish,
but does not utter a hard speech, yea He shews kindness to
them that did it, as it here follows, And Jesus went about
all their towns and villages. Herein He teaches us not to
return accusations to them that accuse us, but kindness.
For he that ceases to do good because of accusation, shews
that his good has been done because of men. But if for
God s sake you do good to your fellow-servants, you will
not cease from doing good whatever they do, that your
reward may be greater. JEROME ; Observe how equally in
villages, cities, and towns, that is to great as well as small,
He preaches the Gospel, not respecting the might of the
noble, but the salvation of those that believe. It follows,
Teaching in their synagogues; this was His meat, going about
to do the will of His Father, and saving by His teaching such
as yet believed not. GLOSS. He taught in their synagogues Gloss.
the Gospel of the Kingdom, as it follows, Preaching the
Gospel of the Kingdom. REMIG, Understand, of God;
for though temporal blessings are also proclaimed, yet they
are not called The Gospel. Hence the Law was not called
a Gospel, because to such as kept it, it held out not heavenly,
but earthly, goods. JEROME ; He first preached and taught,
and then proceeded to heal sicknesses, that the works might
convince those who would not believe the words. Hence
it follows, Healing every sickness and every disease, for to
Him alone nothing is impossible. GLOSS. By disease we Gloss.
may understand complaints of long standing, by sickness ^ m n
any lesser infirmity. REMIG. It should be known that those
whom He healed outwardly in their bodies, He also healed
inwardly in their souls. Others cannot do this of their own
power, but can by God s grace. CHRYS. Nor does Christ s
goodness rest here, but He manifests His care for them,
opening the bowels of His mercy towards them ; whence it
follows, And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion upon
them. REMIG. Herein Christ shews in Himself the dis
position of the good shepherd and not that of the hireling.
Why Ho pitied them is added, Because they ivere troubled 1 ,
360 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. IX.
\jacentes and sick l as sheep that have no shepherd troubled
either by daemons, or by divers sicknesses and infirmities.
Gloss. GLOSS. Or, troubled by daemons, and sick, that is, benumbed
ieira. n ~ an d unable to rise ; and though they had shepherds, yet they
were as though they had them not. CHRYS. This is an
accusation against the rulers of the Jews, that being shepherds
they appeared like wolves ; not only not improving the
multitude, but hindering their progress. For when the
multitude marvelled and said, It was never so seen in Israel,
these opposed themselves, saying, He casteth out daemons by
vid. PS. the prince of the dcsmons. REMIG. But when the Son of God
102, ^-looked down from heaven upon the earth, to hear the groans
of the captives, straight a great harvest began to ripen ;
for the multitude of the human race would never have come
near to the faith, had not the Author of human salvation
looked down from heaven ; and it follows, Then said he
unto his disciples, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers
Gloss, are few. GLOSS. The harvest are those men who can be
" rea P e d by the preachers, and separated from the number of
the damned, as grain is beaten out from the chaff that it
may be laid up in granaries. JEROME ; The great harvest
denotes the multitude of the people ; the few labourers, the
want of instructors. REMIG. For the number of the Apostles
was small in comparison of so great crops to be reaped.
The Lord exhorts His preachers, that is, the Apostles and
their followers, that they should daily desire an increase of
their number ; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. CHRYS.
He privately insinuates Himself to be the Lord ; for it is He
Himself who is Lord of the harvest. For if He sent the
Apostles to reap what they had not sown, it is manifest that
He sent them not to reap the things of others, but what He
had sown by the Prophets. But since the twelve Apostles
are the labourers, He said, Pray ye the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send labourers into his harvest ; and notwith
standing He added none to their number, but rather He
multiplied those twelve many times, not by increasing their
numbers, but by giving them more abundant grace. REMIG.
Or, He then increased their number when He chose the
seventy and two, and then when many preachers were made
VER. 36 38. ST. MATTHEW. 361
what time the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers.
CHRYS. He shews us that it is a great gift that one should
have the power of rightly preaching, in that He tells them
that they ought to pray for it. Also we are here reminded
of the words of John concerning the threshing-floor, and the
fan, the chaff , and the wheat.
HILARY; Figuratively; When salvation was given to
the Gentiles, then all cities and towns were enlightened
by the power and entrance of Christ, and escaped every
former sickness and infirmity. The Lord pities the people
troubled with the violence of the unclean Spirit, and sick
under the burden of the Law, and having no shepherd
at hand to bestow on them the guardianship of the Holy
Spirit. But of that gift there was a most abundant fruit,
whose plenty far exceeded the multitude of those that
drank thereof; how many soever take of it, yet an inex
haustible supply remains ; and because it is profitable that
there should be many to minister it, He bids us ask the Lord
of the harvest, that God would provide a supply of reapers
for the ministration of that gift of the Holy Spirit which was
made ready ; for by prayer this gift is poured out upon us
from God,
CHAP. X.
1. And when he had called unto him his twelve
disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits,
to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease.
2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are
these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and
Andrew his brother ; James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother ;
3. Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew
the Publican ; James the son of Alphaeus, and Leb-
baeus, whose surname was Thaddseus ;
4. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who
also betrayed him.
Gloss. GLOSS. From the healing of Peter s wife s mother to this
ord * place there has been a continued succession of miracles;
and they were done before the Sermon upon the Mount, as we
know for certain from Matthew s call, which is placed among
them ; for he was one of the twelve chosen to the Apostle-
ship upon the mount. He here returns to the order of
events, taking it up again at the healing of the centurion s
servant ; saying, And calling to him his twelve disciples.
REMIG. The Evangelist had related above that the Lord
exhorted His disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to
send labourers into His vineyard ; and He now seems to be
fulfilling what He had exhorted them to. For the number
twelve is a perfect number, being made up of the number
six, which has perfection because it is formed of its own
parts, one, two, three, multiplied into one another ; and the
VliR. J 4. GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 303
number six when doubled amounts to twelve. GLOSS. Andvid.
this doubling seems to have some reference to the two pre- jj^m. in
cepts of charity, or to the two Testaments. BEDE ; For the Ev - xvii -
number twelve, which is made up of three into four, denotes
that through the four quarters of the world they were to
preach the faith of the holy Trinity. RABAN. This number cf.
is typified by many things in the Old Testament; by th
twelve sons of Jacob, by the twelve princes of the children Marc.iv.
of Israel, by the twelve running springs in Helim, by the
twelve stones in Aaron s breastplate, by the twelve loaves of
the shew-bread, by the twelve spies sent by Moses, by the
twelve stones of which the altar was made, by the twelve
stones taken out of Jordan, by the twelve oxen which bare
the brazen sea. Also in the New Testament, by the twelve
stars in the bride s crown, by the twelve foundations of
Jerusalem which John saw, and her twelve gates. CHRYS.
He makes them confident not only by calling their ministry
a sending forth to the harvest, but by giving them strength
for the ministry ; whence it follows, He gave them power over
all unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal every
sickness and every disease. REMIG. Wherein is openly
shewed that the multitude were troubled not with one
single kind of affliction, but with many, and this was His
pity for the multitude, to give His disciples power to heal
and cleanse them. JEROME ; A kind and merciful Lord and
Master does not envy His servants and disciples a share in
His powers. As Himself had cured every sickness and
disease, He imparted the same power to His Apostles.
But there is a wide diiference between having and im
parting, between giving and receiving. Whatever He does
He does with the power of a master, whatever they do
it is with confession of their own weakness, as they speak,
In the name of Jesus rise and walk. A catalogue of the Acts. 3,
names of the Apostles is given, that all false Apostles 6
might be excluded. The names of the twelve Apostles are
these ; First, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his
brother. To arrange them in order according to their merit
is His alone who searches the secrets of all hearts. But
Simon is placed first, having the surname of Peter given to
distinguish him from the other Simon surnamed Chananseus,
364 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
from the village of Ghana in Galilee where the Lord turned
Kaban. the water into wine. RABAN. The Greek or Latin Petrus
a is the same as the Syriac Cephas, in both tongues the word
is derived from a rock ; undoubtedly that of which Paul
i Cor. speaks, And that rock teas Christ. REMIG. There have
keen some vvno this name Peter, which is Greek and
a P- Latin, have sought a Hebrew interpretation, and would have
it to signify, Taking off the shoe, ( or unloosing, or
acknowledging. But those that say this are contradicted
by two facts. First, that the Hebrew has no letter P, but
uses PH instead. Thus Pilate they call Philate. Secondly,
that one of the Evangelists has used the word as an in-
John interpretation of Cephas; The Lord said, Thou shall be
called Cephas, on which the Evangelist adds, which being
interpreted is Petrus. Simon is interpreted obedient, for he
obeyed the words of Andrew, and with him came to Christ,
or because he obeyed the divine commands, and at one word
of bidding followed the Lord. Or as some will have it, it is
to be interpreted, i Laying aside grief, and, hearing painful
things; for that on the Lord s resurrection he laid aside the
grief he had for His death ; and he heard sorrowful things
John2i,when the Lord said to him, Another shall gird thee, and
shall carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
And Andrew his brother. CHRYS. This is no small
honour (done to Peter), He places Peter from his merit,
Andrew from the nobility he had in being the brother of
Peter. Mark names Andrew next after the two heads,
namely, Peter and John ; but this one not so ; for Mark has
arranged them in order of dignity. REMIG. Andrew is
interpreted manly; for as in Latin t virilis is derived from
vir, so in Greek Andrew is derived from avyg. Rightly
is he called manly, who left all and followed Christ, and
manfully persevered in His commands. JEROME; The
Evangelist couples the names throughout in pairs. So he
puts together Peter and Andrew, brothers not so much
according to the flesh as in spirit ; James and John who left
their father after the flesh to follow their true Father; James
the son of Zebedee and John his brother. He calls him the
son of Zebedee, to distinguish him from the other James the
son of Alphgeus. CHRYS. Observe that he does not place
VEK. 1 4. ST. MATTHEW. 3t)5
them according to their dignity ; for to me John would seem
to be greater not than others only, but even than his brother.
REMIG. James is interpreted The supplanter, or that
supplanteth ; for he not only supplanted the vices of the
flesh, but even contemned the same flesh when Herod put
him to death. John is interpreted The grace of God,
because he deserved before all to be loved by the Lord ;
whence also in the favour of His especial love, he leaned at
supper in the Lord s bosom.
Philip and Bartholomew. Philip is interpreted, The e Beda.
mouth of a lamp, or i of lamps, because when he had been
enlightened by the Lord, he straightway sought to communi
cate that light to his brother by the means of his mouth.
Bartholomew is a Syriac, not a Hebrew, name, and is inter
preted The son of him that raiseth water 3 , that is, of Christ,
who raises the hearts of His preachers from earthly to heavenly
things, and hangs them there, that the more they penetrate
heavenly things, the more they should steep and inebriate
the hearts of their hearers with the droppings of holy
preaching.
Thomas, and Matthew the Publican. JEROME; The other
Evangelists in this pair of names put Matthew before
Thomas; and do not add, the Publican, that they should
not seem to throw scorn upon the Evangelist by bringing to
mind his former life. But writing of himself he both puts
Thomas first in the pair, and styles himself the Publican ;
because, where sin hath abounded, there grace shall much Rom. 5,
more abound. REMIG. Thomas is interpreted an abyss, ^ m \ Vt
or a twin, which in Greek is Didymus. Rightly is Didy- e Beda.
mus interpreted an abyss, for the longer he doubted the
more deeply did he believe the effect of the Lord s passion,
and the mystery of His Divinity, which forced him to cry,
My Lord and my Cod. Matthew is interpreted given, j hn 20,
because by the Lord s bounly he was made an Evangelist of 28
a Publican.
James the son of Alphceus, and Thaddaus. RABAN. ThisRaban.
James is he who in the Gospels, and also in the Epistle to e
the Galatians, is called the Lord s brother. For Mary the
wife of Alphreus was the sister of Mary the mother of the
* Or some say the son of Tolmai or Ptolemy.
366 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
Lord ; John the Evangelist calls her Mary the wife of
Cleophas, probably because Cleophas and Alphaeus were the
same person. Or Mary herself on the death of Alphaeus
after the birth of James married Cleophas. REMIG. It is
well said, the son of Alphceus, that is, c of the just, or the
learned; for he not only overthrew the vices of the flesh,
but also despised all care of the same. And of what he was
worthy the Apostles are witness, who ordained him Bishop
Hege- of the Church of Jerusalem 1 *. And ecclesiastical history
^P pus among other things tells of him, that he never ate flesh,
Euseb. drunk neither wine nor strong drink, abstained from the
bath and linen garments, and night and day prayed on his
bended knees. And so great was his merit, that he was
called by all men, c The just. Thaddaeus is the same whom
Luke calls Jude of James, (that is, the brother of James,)
whose Epistle is read in the Church, in which he calls him-
Aug. De self the brother of James. AUG. Some copies have Lebbseus ;
kut wnoever prevented the same man from having two, or
even three different names? REMIG. Jude is interpreted
having confessed, because he confessed the Son of God.
RABAN. Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus is interpreted a little heart/
that is, a heart- worshipper.
Simon Chananteus, and Judas Scarioth, who also betrayed
him. JEROME ; Simon Chananaeus is the same who in
the other Evangelist is called Zelotes. Ghana signifies
4 Zeal. Judas is named Scarioth, either from the town in
which he was born, or from the tribe of Issachar, a prophetic
omen of his sin ; for Issachar means a booty, thus signifying
the reward of the betrayer. REMIG. Scarioth is interpreted
* The memory of the Lord, because he followed the Lord;
or c The memorial of death, because he plotted in his heart
how he might betray the Lord to death ; or strangling,
because he went and hanged himself. It should be known
that there are two disciples of this name, who are types of all
Christians ; Jude the brother of James, of such as persevere
b Whether St. James the son of doret, and the Author of the Consti-
Alphseus is the same as the Bishop of tutions take the negative ; so does S.
Jerusalem is doubtful. Eusebius is Chrysostom, but qualifies his evidence
cited on both sides the question; S. elsewhere; S. Jerome varies. Other
Epiphanius, S. Gregory Nyssen, Theo- Fathers are in favour of their identity.
VKR. 5 8. ST. MATTHEW. 367
in the confession of the faith ; Jude Scarioth of such as leave
the faith ; and turn back again. GLOSS. They are named Gloss,
two and two to express their union as yoke-fellows. AUG. ^gj^e
These therefore He chose for His disciples, whom also He Civ.Dei,
named Apostles, humbly born without honour, without xv
learning, that whatever they should do that was great,
it was He that should be in them and should do it. He
had among them one that was evil, whom He should use
in the accomplishment of His Passion, and who should be
an example to His Church of suffering evil men. AMBROSE ; Ambros,
He was not chosen among the Apostles unwittingly; f or luLuc - 6
that truth is great, which cannot be harmed even by having
an adversary in one of its own ministers. RABAN. Also He
willed to be betrayed by a disciple, that you when betrayed
by your intimate might bear patiently that your judgment
has erred, that your favours have been thrown away.
5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded
them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles,
and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not :
6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.
7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the
dead, cast out devils : freely ye have received, freely
give.
GLOSS. Because the manifestation of the Spirit, as theGlosa.
Apostle speaks, is given for the profit of the Church, after 110
bestowing His power on the Apostles, He sends them that
they may exercise this power for the good of others ; These
twelve Jesus sent forth. Cfinvs. Observe the propriety of
the time in which they are sent. After they had seen the
dead raised, the sea rebuked, and other like wonders, and
had had both in word and deed sufficient proof of His
excellent power, then He sends them. GLOSS. When He Gloss,
sends them, He teaches them whither they should go, what non occ>
368 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
they should preach, and what they should do. And first,
whither they should go ; Giving them commandment^ and
saying, Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any
city of the Samaritans enter ye not ; but go ye rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel. JEROME; This passage
does not contradict the command which He gave afterwards,
Go and teach all nations ; for this was before His resur
rection, that was after. And it behoved the coming of
Christ to be preached to the Jews first, that they might not
have any just plea, or say that they were rejected of the
Lord, who sent the Apostles to the Gentiles and Samaritans.
CHRYS. Also they were sent to the Jews first, in order that
being trained in Judaea, as in a palaestra, they might enter
on the arena of the world to contend ; thus He taught them
Greg-, like weak nestlings to fly. GREG. Or He would be first
EvTv 1 P reacne d to Judaea and afterwards to the Gentiles, in order
that the preaching of the Redeemer should seem to seek out
foreign lands only because it had been rejected in His own.
There were also at that time some among the Jews who
should be called, and among the Gentiles some who were
not to be called, as being unworthy of being renewed to life,
and yet not deserving of the aggravated punishment which
would ensue upon their rejection of the Apostles preaching.
HILARY ; The promulgation of the Law deserved also the first
preaching of the Gospel ; and Israel was to have less excuse
for its crime, as it had experienced more care in being
warned. CHRYS. Also that they should not suppose that
they were hated of Christ because they had reviled Him, and
branded Him as demoniac, He sought first their cure, and
withholding His disciples from all other nations, He sent this
people physicians and teachers; and not only forbid them
to preach to any others before the Jews, but would not that
they should so much as approach the way that led to the
Gentiles; Go not into the way of the Gentiles. And because
the Samaritans, though more readily disposed to be con
verted to the faith, were yet at enmity with the Jews, He
would not suffer the Samaritans to be preached to before
Gloss, the Jews. GLOSS. The Samaritans were Gentiles who had
sel m. "" keen settled in the land of Israel by the king of Assyria after
the captivity which he made. They had been driven by
VER. 5 8. ST. MATTHEW. 369
many terrors to turn to Judaism, and had received circum
cision and the five books of Moses, but renouncing every
thing else ; hence there was no communication between the
Jews and the Samaritans. CHRYS. From these then He
diverts his disciples, and sends them to the children of
Israel, whom He calls perishing sheep, not straying; in every
way contriving an apology for them, and drawing them to
Himself. HILARY ; Though they are here called sheep, yet
they raged against Christ with the tongues and throats of
wolves and vipers. JEROME ; Figuratively ; Herein we who
bear the name of Christ are commanded not to walk in the
way of the Gentiles, or the error of the heretics, but as we
are separate in religion, that we be also separate in our life.
GLOSS. Having told them to whom they should go, He Gloss,
now introduces what they should preach; Go and preach,
saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. RABAN;
The kingdom of heaven is here said to draw nigh by the
faith in the unseen Creator which is bestowed upon us, not
by any movement of the visible elements. The saints are
rightly denoted by the heavens, because they contain God
by faith, and love Him with affection. CHRYS. Behold the
greatness of their ministry, behold the dignity of the Apo
stles. They are not to preach of any thing that can be an
object of sense, as Moses and the Prophets did; but things
new and unlocked for ; those preached earthly goods, but
these the kingdom of heaven and all the goods that are there.
GREG. Miracles also were granted to the holy preachers, Greg,
that the power they should shew might be a pledge of the ubisup
truth of their words, and they who preached new things
should also do new things ; wherefore it follows, Heal the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out daemons.
JEROME ; Lest peasants untaught and illiterate, without the
graces of speech, should obtain credit with none when they
announced the kingdom of heaven, He gives them power to
do the things above mentioned, that the greatness of the
miracles might approve the greatness of their promises.
HILARY; The exercise of the Lord s power is wholly
entrusted to the Apostles, that they who were formed in the
image of Adam, and the likeness of God, should now obtain
the perfect image of Christ; and whatever evil Satan had
"VOL. i. 2 B
370 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
introduced into the body of Adam, this they should now
Greg, repair by communion with the Lord s power. GREG.
Ev xxix" These signs were necessary in the beginning of the Church ;
4 the faith of the believers must be fed with miracles, that it
might grow. CHRYS. But afterwards they ceased when a
reverence for the faith was universally established. Or, if
they were continued at all, they were few and seldom ; for
it is usual with God to do such things when evil is increased,
Greg, then He shews forth His power. GREG. The Holy Church
sup> daily doth spiritually, what it then did materially by the
Apostles ; yea, things far greater, inasmuch as she raises and
cures souls and not bodies. REMIG. The sick are the slothful
who have not strength to live well ; the lepers are the unclean
in sin and carnal delights ; the daemoniacs are they that are
given up under the power of the Devil. JEROME ; And
because spiritual gifts are more lightly esteemed when
money is made the means of obtaining them, He adds a
condemnation of avarice ; Freely ye have received, freely
give ; I your Master and Lord have imparted these to you
without price, do you therefore give them to others in like
manner, that the free grace of the Gospel be not corrupted.
Gloss. GLOSS. This He says, that Judas who had the bag might
c not use the above power for getting money; a plain con
demnation of the abomination of the simoniacal heresy.
Greg. GREG. For He knew before that there would be some that
Ev. JvT. would turn the gift of the Spirit which they had received
into merchandize, and pervert the power of miracles into an
instrument of their covetousness. CHRYS. Observe how
He is as careful that they should be upright in moral virtue,
as that they should have the miraculous powers, shewing
that miracles without these are nought. Freely ye have
received, seems a check upon their pride ; freely give, a
command to keep themselves pure from filthy lucre. Or,
that what they should do might not be thought to be their
own benevolence, He says, Freely ye have received; as
much as to say ; Ye bestow nothing of your own on those
ye relieve ; for ye have not received these things for money,
nor for wages of labour ; as ye have received them, so give
to others ; for indeed it is not possible to receive a price
equal to their value.
VER. 9, 10. ST. MATTHEW. 371
9. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in
your purses,
10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats,
neither shoes, nor yet staves : for the workman is
worthy of his meat.
CHRYS. The Lord having forbidden to make merchandize
of spiritual things, proceeds to pull up the root of all evil,
saying, Possess neither gold, nor silver. JEROME ; For if
they preach without receiving reward for it, the possession
of gold and silver and wealth was unnecessary. For had
they had such, they would have been thought to be preach
ing, not for the sake of men s salvation, but their own gain.
CHRYS. This precept then first frees the Apostles from all
suspicions ; secondly, from all care, so that they may give
up their whole time to preaching the word ; thirdly, teaches
them their excellence. This is what He said to them after
wards, Was any thing lacking to you, when I sent you
without bag or scrip ? JEROME ; As He had cut off riches,
which are meant by gold and silver, He now almost cuts
off necessaries of life ; that the Apostles, teachers of the true
religion, who taught men that all things are directed by
God s providence, might shew themselves to be without
thought for the morrow. GLOSS. Whence He adds, Neither Gloss.
money in your purses. For there are two kinds of things
necessary; one is the means of buying necessaries, which
is signified by the money in their purses ; the other the
necessaries themselves, which are signified by the scrip.
JEROME ; In forbidding the scrip, neither scrip for your
journey. He aimed at those philosophers commonly called vid -
Bactroperatse, who being despisers of this world, and not< in
esteeming all things as nothing, yet carry a bag about with
them. Nor two coats. By the two coats He seems to meani.
a change of raiment; not to bid us be content with a
single tunic in the snow and frosts of Scythia, but that
they should not carry about a change with them, wearing
one, and carrying about the other as provision for the
future. Nor shoes. It is a precept of Plato, that the two
extremities of the body should be left unprotected, and
2 B 2
372 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X,
that we should noj; accustom ourselves to tender _c_are of the
head and feet; for if these parts be hardy, it will follow that
the rest of the body will be vigorous and healthy. Nor
staff; for having the protection of the Lord, why need we
seek the aid of a staff? REMIG. The Lord shews by these
words that the holy preachers were reinstated in the dignity
of the first man, who as long as he possessed the heavenly
treasures, did not desire other ; but having lost those by
sinning, he straightway began to desire the other. CHRYS.
A happy exchange ! In place of gold and silver, and the
like, they received power to heal the sick, to raise the dead.
For He had not commanded them from the beginning,
Possess neither gold nor silver ; but only then when He
said at the same time, Cleanse the lepers, cast out daemons.
Whence it is clear that He made them Angels more than
men, freeing them from all anxiety of this life, that they
might have but one care, that of teaching ; and even of that
He in a manner takes away the burden, saying, Be not
careful what ye shall speak. Thus what seemed hard and
burdensome, He shews them to be light and easy. For
nothing is so pleasant as to be delivered from all care and
anxiety, more especially when it is possible, being delivered
from this, to lack nothing, God being present, and
being to us instead of all things. JEROME ; As He had
sent the Apostles forth unprovided and unencumbered on
their mission, and the condition of the teachers seemed
a hard one, He tempered the severity of the rules by
this maxim, The labourer is worthy of his hire, i. e. Receive
what you need for your food and clothing. Whence the
1 Tim. Apostle says, Having food and raiment, let us therewith
Gal.6,6. & e content. And again, Let him that is catechized com
municate unto him that catechizeth in all good things;
that they whose disciples reap spiritual things, should make
them partakers of their carnal things, not for the gratification
of covetousness, but for the supply of wants. CHRYS. It
behoved the Apostles to be supported by their disciples, that
neither they should be haughty towards those whom they
taught, as though they gave all, and received nothing ; and
that the others, on their part, should not fall away, as over
looked by them. Also that the Apostles might not cry, He
VEIL 9, 10. ST. MATTHEW. 373
bids us lead the life of beggars, and should be ashamed
thereat, He shews that this is their due, calling them
labourers, and that which is given their hire. For they
were not to suppose that because what they gave was only
words, therefore they were to esteem it but a small benefit
that they conferred; therefore He says, The labourer is
worthy of his meat. This He said not to signify that the
labours of the Apostles were only worth so much, but laying
down a rule for the Apostles, and persuading those that gave,
that what they gave was only what was due. AUG. The Aug.
Gospel therefore is not for sale, that it should be preached 4 | m
for reward. For if they so sell it, they sell a great thing for
a small price. Let preachers then receive their necessary
support from the people, and from God the reward of their
employment. For the people do not give pay to those that
minister to them in the love of the Gospel, but as it were
a stipend that may support them to enable them to work.
AUG. Otherwise; When the Lord said to the Apostles, Aug. De
Possess not gold, He added immediately, Tlie labourer is Ev!ii,30.
worthy of his hire, to shew why He would not have them
possess and carry about these things ; not that these things
were not needed for the support of this life, but that He
sent them in such a way as to shew that these things were
due to them from those to whom they preached the Gospel,
as pay to soldiers. It is clear that this precept of the Lord
does not at all imply that they ought not according to the
Gospel to live by any other means, than by the contributions
of those to whom they preached ; otherwise Paul transgressed
this precept when he lived by the labour of his own hands.
But He gave the Apostles authority that these things were
due to them from the house in which they abode. But
when the Lord has issued a command, if it be not performed,
it is the sin of disobedience ; when He bestows a privilege,
it is in any one s power not to use it, and as it were to
refrain from claiming his right. The Lord then having
sanctioned this maxim, that they who preach the Gospel
should live of the Gospel, He spoke these things to the
Apostles, that being confident they should not possess nor
carry about with them the necessaries of life, neither things
great nor things small. Therefore He adds, Nor a staff.
374 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
to shew that from His people all things are due to His
ministers, and they require no superfluities. This authority
Mark 6, He signifies by the staff, saying in Mark, Take nothing
but a staff only. And when He forbids them (in Matthew)
to take with them shoes, He forbids that carefulness and
thought which would be anxious to carry them lest they
should be wanting. Thus also we must understand con
cerning the two coats, that none should think it necessary
to carry another besides that which he wore, supposing
that he should have need of it ; for it would be in his power
to obtain one by this authority which the Lord gave. Further
that we read in Mark that they should be shod with
sandals, seems to imply that this kind of shoe has a mystic
meaning in it, that the foot should neither be covered above,
nor yet bare beneath, that is, that the Gospel should not be
hid, nor yet rest itself on earthly advantage. Also when He
forbids them to carry two coats, He warned them not to
walk deceitfully, but in simplicity. So we cannot doubt
that all these things were said by the Lord, partly in a
direct, partly in a figurative sense; and that of the two
Evangelists one inserted some things, the other other things,
in his narrative. If any one should think that the Lord
could not in one speech speak some things in a direct, and
some things in a mystic sense, let him look at any other
of His sayings, and he will see how hasty and unlearned
his opinion is. When the Lord commands that the left
hand should not know what the right hand doeth, does he
think that almsgiving, and the rest of His precepts in that
place are to be taken figuratively ?
JEROME; Thus far we have expounded by the letter;
but metaphorically, as we often find gold put for the
sense, silver for the words, brass for the voice all these
we may say we are not to receive from others, but to
have them given by the Lord. We are not to take up
the teaching of heretics, of philosophers, and of corrupt
doctrine. HILARY ; The girdle is the making ready for the
ministry, the girding up that we may be active in duty;
we may suppose that the forbidding money in the girdle
is to warn us from suffering any thing in the ministry to be
bought and sold. We are not to have a scrip by the way,
VER. 11 15, ST. MATTHEW. 375
that is, we are to leave all care of our worldly substance ;
for all treasure on earth is hurtful to the heart, which will
be there where the treasure is. Not two coats, for it is
enough to have once put on Christ, nor after true knowledge
of Him ought we to be clothed with any other garment
of heresy or law. Not shoes, because standing on holy
ground as was said to Moses not covered with the thorns
and prickles of sin, we are admonished to have no other
preparation of our walk than that we have received from
Christ. JEROME; Or; The Lord herein teaches us that our
feet are not to be bound with the chains of death, but to
be bare as we tread on the holy ground. We are not to
carry a staff which may be turned into a serpent, nor to
trust in any arm of flesh ; for all such is a reed on which
if a man lean ever so lightly, it will break and go into his
hand and pierce him. HILARY ; Neither a staff; that is,
We are not to seek rights of extraneous power, having a rod
from the root of Jesse.
1 1 . And into whatsoever city or town ye shall
enter, enquire who in it is worthy ; and there abide
till ye go thence.
12. And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace
come upon it : but if it be not worthy, let your peace
return to you.
14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor
hear your words, when ye depart out of that house
or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tole
rable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the
day of judgment, than for that city.
CHRYS. The Lord had said above, The workman is worthy
of his meat ; that they should not hence suppose that He
would open all doors to them, He here commands them to
use much circumspection in the choice of a host, saying,
Into what city or town ye enter, enquire who in it is worthy.
376 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
JEROME; The Apostles, on entering a strange town, could
not know of each inhabitant what sort of man he was ; they
were to choose their host therefore by the report of the
people, and opinion of the neighbours, that the worthiness
of the preacher might not be disgraced by the ill character
of his entertainer. CHRYS. How then did Christ Himself
abide with the publican ? Because he was made worthy by
his conversion ; for this command that he should be worthy,
had respect not to their rank, but to their furnishing food. For
if he be worthy he will provide them with food, especially
when they need no more than bare necessaries. Observe
how though He stripped them of all property, He supplied
all their wants, suffering them to abide in the houses of
those whom they taught. For so they were both themselves
set free from care, and convinced men that it was for their
salvation only that they had come, seeing they carried nothing
about with them, and desired nothing beyond necessaries.
And they did not lodge at all places indiscriminately, for
He would not have them known only by their miracles, but
much more by their virtues. But nothing is a greater mark
of virtue, than to discard superfluities. JEROME ; One host
is chosen who does not so much confer a favour upon him
who is to abide with him, as receive one. For it is said,
Who in it is worthy, that he may know that he rather re
ceives than does a favour. CHRYS. Also observe that He
has not yet endowed them with all gifts; for He has not
given them power to discern who is worthy, but bids them
seek out ; and not only to find out who is worthy, but also
not to pass from house to house, saying, And there remain
until ye depart out of that city ; so they would neither make
their entertainer sorrowful, nor themselves incur suspicion
Ambros. of lightness or gluttony. AMBROSE ; The Apostles are not
5J 1 5> uc " to choose carelessly the house into which they enter, that
they may have no cause for changing their lodging ; the
same caution is not enforced upon the entertainer, lest in
choosing his guests, his hospitality should be diminished.
When ye enter a house, salute it, saying, Peace be to this
Gloss, house. GLOSS. As much as to say, Pray ye for peace upon
the master of the house, that all resistance to the truth may
be pacified. JEROME; Here is a latent allusion to the form
VER. 11 15. ST. MATTHEW. 377
of salutation in Hebrew and Syriac ; they say Salemalach
or Salamalach, for the Greek %a^g, or Latin Ave ; that is,
* Peace be with you. The command then is, that on entering
any house they should pray for peace for their host ; and, as
far as they may be able, to still all discords, so that if any
quarrel should arise, they, who had prayed for peace should
have it others should have the discord ; as it follows,
And if that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it ;
but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you again.
REMIG. Thus either the hearer, being predestined to eternal Remig.
life, will follow the heavenly word when he hears it ; or i
there be none who will hear it, the preacher himself shall
not be without fruit ; for his peace returns to him when he
receives of the Lord recompense for all his labour. CHRYS.
The Lord instructs them, that though they were teachers,
yet they should not look to be first saluted by others ;
but that they should honour others by first saluting them.
And then He shews them that they should give not a
salutation only, but a benediction, when He says, If
that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it. REMIG.
The Lord therefore taught his disciples to offer peace
on their entering into a house, that by means of their
salutation their choice might be directed to a worthy house
and host. As though He had said, Offer peace to all, they
will shew themselves either worthy by accepting, or unworthy
by not accepting it; for though you have chosen a host that
is worthy by the character he bears among his neighbours,
yet ought you to salute him, that the preacher may seem
rather to enter by invitation, than to intrude himself. This
salutation of peace in few words may indeed be referred
to the trial of the worthiness of the house or master. HILARY;
The Apostles salute the house with the prayer of peace ;
yet so as that peace seems rather spoken than given. For
their own peace which was the bowels of their pity ought
not to rest upon the house if it were not worthy ; then the
sacrament of heavenly peace could be kept within the
Apostles own bosom. Upon such as rejected the precepts
of the heavenly kingdom an eternal curse is left by the
departure of the Apostles, and the dust shaken from their
feet; And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your
378 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
words, when ye go out of that house, or that town, cast the
dust off your feet. For he that lives in any place seems to
have a kind of fellowship with that place. By the casting
the dust off the feet therefore all that belonged to that
house is left behind, and nothing of healing or soundness is
borrowed from the footsteps of the Apostles having trod
their soil. JEROME ; Also they shake off the dust as a testi
mony of the Apostles toil, that in preaching the Gospel they
had come even so far, or as a token that from those that
rejected the Gospel they would accept nothing, not even the
necessaries of life. RABAN. Otherwise; The feet of the
disciples signify the labour and progress of preaching. The
dust which covers them is the lightness of earthly thoughts,
from which even the greatest doctors cannot be free;
their anxiety for their hearers involves them in cares for
their prosperity, and in passing through the ways of this
world, they gather the dust of the earth they tread upon.
They then who have despised the teaching of these doc
tors, turn upon themselves all the toils and dangers and
anxieties of the Apostles as a witness to their damnation.
And lest it should seem a slight thing not to receive the
Apostles, He adds, Verily I say unto you, it shall be more
tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment ,
than for that city. JEROME; Because to the men of Sodom
and Gomorrah no man had ever preached ; but this city had
Remig. been preached to and had rejected the Gospel. REMIG.
Raban. ^ r because the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were hospitable
among their sensuality, but they had never entertained
such strangers as the Apostles. JEROME; But if it shall be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for that city,
hence we may learn that there is difference of degree in the
punishment of sinners. REMIG. Sodom and Gomorrah are
especially mentioned, to shew that those sins which are against
nature are particularly hateful to God, for which the world
was drowned with the waters of the deluge, four towns were
overthrown, and the world is daily afflicted with manifold evils.
HILARY; Figuratively, The Lord teaches us not to enter
the houses or to mix in the acquaintance of those who
persecute Christ, or who are ignorant of Him ; and in
each town to enquire who among them is worthy, i. e.
VEIL 16 18. ST. MATTHEW. 379
where there is a Church wherein Christ dwells ; and not to
pass to another, because this house is worthy, this host is
our right host. But there would be many of the Jews who
would be so well disposed to the Law, that though they
believed in Christ because they admired His works, yet they
would abide in the works of the Law ; and others again who,
desiring to make trial of that liberty which is in Christ,
would feign themselves ready to forsake the Law for the
Gospel ; many also would be drawn aside into heresy by
perverse understanding. And since all these would falsely
maintain that with them only was Catholic verity, therefore
we must with great caution seek out the house, i. e. the
Church.
16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst
of wolves : be ye therefore wise as serpents, and
harmless as doves.
17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you
up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their
synagogues ;
18. And ye shall be brought before governors and
kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and
the Gentiles.
CHRYS. Having removed all care and anxiety from theChrys.
Apostles, and armed them with the miraculous powers,
He proceeds to foretell the evils which should befal them.
First, that they might know his knowledge of the future ;
secondly, that they should not think that these things befel
them because of the want of power in their Master ; thirdly,
that they might not be amazed if these things had come upon
them unexpectedly ; fourthly, that after hearing these things,
they might not be dismayed in the season of His cross ; and
lastly, that they might learn a new method of warfare. He
sends them unprovided, bidding them look to those who
should receive them for support ; but rests not in that, but
shews his power still further, Zo, / send you as sheep in the
midst of wolves. Where observe that He does not say
merely * to wolves, but in the midst of wolves, to shew His
380 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
excellent might therein, that the sheep would overcome the
wolves though they were in the midst of them ; and though
they received many bites from them, yet were they not
destroyed, but rather convert them. And it is a much
greater and a more wonderful power that can change their
hearts than that can kill them. Among wolves He teaches
Greg, them to shew the meekness of sheep. GREG. For he who
E ^ if undertakes the office of preacher ought not to do evil, but to
4. suffer it, and by his meekness to mollify the wrath of the
angry, and by his wounds to heal the wounds of sinners in
their affliction. And even should the zeal of right-doing
ever require that He should be severe to those that are placed
under Him, His very severity will be of love and not of
cruelty, outwardly maintaining the rights of discipline, and
inwardly loving those whom He corrects. Too many, when
they are entrusted with the reins of government, burn to
make the subjects feel them, display the terrors of authority,
and forgetting that they are fathers, rather desire to be
thought lords, changing a station of lowliness into that of
lofty dominion, if they ever seem outwardly to fawn on
any one, they inwardly hate him ; of such He spoke
Mat. 7, above ; They come to you in sheep s clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves. For prevention whereof we ought
to consider that we are sent as sheep among wolves, whose
innocence we ought to preserve, not having the tooth of
malice. JEROME ; He calls the Scribes and Pharisees who
are the clergy of the Jews, wolves. HILARY ; The wolves
indeed are all such as should pursue the Apostles with mad
fury. CHRYS. Their consolation under their hardships was
the excellent power of Him who sent them ; wherefore He
puts that before all, Lo, I send you. Be not dismayed,
though you be sent into the midst of wolves ; for I am able
to bring it to pass that you suffer no hurt, and that ye should
not only prevail over the wolves, but be made more terrible
than lions. But it is good that it should be thus ; hereby
your virtue is made brighter, and My power is more
manifested. Also that somewhat should proceed from them
selves, that they should not think themselves to be crowned
without reason, He adds, Be ye therefore wise as serpents,
simple as doves. JEROME ; Wise, that they might escape
VER. 16 18. ST. MATTHEW. 381
snares ; simple, that they might not do evil to others. The
craft of the serpent is set before them as an example, for he
hides his head with all the rest of his body, that he may
protect the part in which life is. So ought we to expose
our whole body, that we may guard our head which is
Christ ; that is, that we study to keep the faith whole and
uncorrupt. RABAN, The serpent moreover seeks out narrow
chinks through which it crawls to draw off its old skin ;
so the preacher passing through the narrow way lays
aside the old man. REMIG. Beautifully the Lord bids
the preacher have the wisdom of the serpent ; because
the first man was beguiled by a serpent; as though He
had said, The foe is subtle to deceive, be ye therefore wise
to rescue ; he commended the tree, do ye also commend the
tree of the Cross. HILAKY ; He first attempted the softer
sex, allured her by hope, and promised a share of immor
tality. Do you in like manner seize every opportunity,
look well into each man s nature and inclination, use wisdom
of speech, reveal hope of good things to come ; that what he
promised falsely we may preach truly according to God s
promise, that they that believe shall be like to the Angels.
CHRYS. But as we ought to have the wisdom of the serpent,
that we should not be hurt in any deadly part, so also we
should have the simplicity of the dove, not to retaliate when
we are hurt, nor to avenge ourselves on those who have
designed aught against us. REMIG. The Lord unites these
two things ; because simplicity without wisdom might
be easily deceived, and w r isdom is dangerous unless it be
tempered with simplicity that does no man hurt. JEROME;
The harmlessness of doves is shewn by the assumption
of that form by the Holy Spirit; as the Apostle speaks,
In malice be ye children. CHRYS. What is harder than
these commands ? It is not enough that we suffer ill, but we
must not be angry thereat, as is the dove s nature, for anger
is extinguished not by anger, but by meekness. RABAN.
That by the wolves above He intended men, He shews
when He adds, Take heed of men. GLOSS. Ye have indeed Gloss,
need to be wise as serpents, for, as they are wont to do, they ^ m An
will deliver you to councils, forbidding you to preach in My
name ; then if ye be not corrected, they will scourge you,
382 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
and at length ye shall be brought before kings and governors,
HILARY ; Who will endeavour to extort from you either to
be silent or to temporize. CHRYS. How wonderful that
men who had never been beyond the lake in which they
fished, did not straightway depart from Him on hearing
these things. It was not only of their goodness, but of the
wisdom of their Teacher. For to each evil He attaches
somewhat of alleviation; as here He adds, for my sake;
for it is no light consolation to suffer for Christ s sake, for
they did not suffer as evil or wrong doers. Again He adds,
Greg, for a testimony against them. GREG. Either that they had
inEv. persecuted to the death, or that they had seen and were not
xxxv. 2. changed. For the death of the saints is to the good an aid,
to the bad a testimony; that thus the wicked may perish without
excuse in that from which the elect take example and live.
CHRYS. This was matter of consolation to them, not that
they sought the punishment of others, but that they were
confident that in all things they had One present with them,
and all-knowing. HILARY; And by this their testimony not
only was all excuse of ignorance of His divinity taken away
from their persecutors, but also to the Gentiles was opened
the way of believing on Christ, who was thus devotedly
preached by the voices of the confessors among the flames
of persecution ; and this is that He adds, and the Gentiles.
1 9. But when they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak : for it shall be given you
in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of
your Father which speaketh in you.
CHRYS. To the foregoing topics of consolation, He adds
another not a little one; that they should not say, How shall
we be able to persuade such men as these, when they shall
persecute us ? He bids them be of good courage respecting
their answer, saying, When they shall deliver you up> take
no thought how or what ye shall speak. REMIG. How or what,
one refers to the substance, the other to the expression in
words. And because both of these would be supplied by Him,
VER. 21, 22. ST. MATTHEW. 383
there was no need for the holy preachers to be anxious about
either. JEROME; When then we are brought before judges
for Christ s sake, we ought to offer only pur will for Christ.
But Christ who dwelleth in us speaks for Himself, and the
grace of the Holy Spirit will minister in our answer.
HILARY; For our faith, observing all the precepts of the
Divine will, will be instructed with an answer according to
knowledge, after the example of Abraham, to whom when
he had given up Isaac, there was not wanting a ram for a
victim. For it is not ye who speak, but the Spirit of your
Father that speaketh in you. REMIG. Meaning, Ye indeed Remig.
go out to the battle, but it is I who fight; you utter the words, Raban.
but it is I who speak. Hence Paul speaks, Seek ye a proof i cor.
of Christ who speaketh in me? CHRYS. Thus He raises 13 3
them to the dignity of the Prophets, who have spoken by
the Spirit of God. He who says here, Take no thoughts Pet.
what ye shall speak, has said in another place, Be ye
always ready to give an answer to him that demandeth a
reason of the hope that is in you. When it is a dispute
among friends, we are commanded to be ready; but before
the awful judgment, and the raging people, aid is ministered
by Christ, that they may speak boldly and not be dismayed.
21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother
to death, and the father the child ; and the children
shall rise up against their parents, and cause them
to be put to death.
22. And ye shall be hated of all men for my
name s sake : but he that endureth to the end shall
be saved.
GLOSS. Having placed the comfort first, He adds the Gloss,
more alarming perils ; Brother shall deliver up brother to ^J ^ n
death, and the father the son; children shall rise against
parents, to put them to death. GREG. Wrongs which we Greg,
suffer from strangers, pain us less than those we suffer i n Ev.
from men on whose affections we had counted ; for besides xxx v. 3.
the bodily affliction, there is then the pain of lost affection.
JEROME ; This we see often happen in persecutions, nor is there
384 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
any true affection between those whose faith is different.
CHRYS. What follows is yet more dreadful, Ye shall be hated
of all men ; they sought to exterminate them as common
enemies of all the world. To this again is added the con
solation, For my name s sake ; and yet further to cheer them,
Whosoever shall endure to the end, he shall be saved. For
many are hot and zealous in the beginning, but afterwards
grow cool, for these, He says, I look at the end. For where
is the profit of seeds that only sprout at first? wherefore
He requires a sufficient endurance from them. JEROME;
For virtue is not to begin but to complete. REMIG. And
the reward is not for those that begin, but for those that
bring to an end. CHRYS. But that no man should say,
that Christ wrought all things in His Apostles, and therefore
it is nothing wonderful that they were made such as they
were, since they did not bear the burden of these things,
therefore He says, that perseverance was their work. For
though they were rescued from their first perils, they are
preserved for still harder trials, which again shall be followed
by others, and they shall be in danger of snares as long as
they live. This He covertly intimates when he says, Who
soever shall endure to the end, he shall be saved. REMIG.
That is, He who shall not let go the commands of the faith,
nor fall away in persecution, shall be saved ; he shall receive
the reward of the heavenly kingdom for his earthly per
secutions. And note that the end does not always mean
Rom. destruction, but sometimes perfection, as in that, Christ is
the end of the Law. So the sense here may be, Whosoever
Aug. De shall endure to the end, that is, in Christ. AUG. To endure
xxl ^5 1 in Christ, is to abide in His faith which worketh by love.
23. But when they persecute you in this city, flee
ye into another : for verily I say unto you, Ye shall
not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of
man be come.
Chrys. CHRYS. Having foretold the fearful things which should
come upon them after His Cross, resurrection, and ascension,
He leads them to gentler prospects ; He does not bid them
presumptuously to offer themselves for persecution, but to
VER. 23. ST. MATTHEW. 385
fly from it; When they persecute you in this city, flee ye
\to another. For because this was the first beginning of
their conversion, He adapts His words to their state.
JEROME; This must be referred to the time when the
Apostles were sent to preach, when it was said to them,
<Go not into the way of the Gentiles ; they should not fear,
but may shun persecution. This we see the believers did
in the beginning, when on a persecution arising in Jerusalem
they were scattered throughout all Judea, and thus the
season of tribulation was made the seedtime of the Gospel.
AUG. Not that the Saviour was unable to protect His disciples, Aug.
does He here bid them fly, and Himself give them anp au j t
^example of it, but He instructed man s weakness, that he xxii - 36 -
>should not presume to tempt God, when he has any thing
ithat he can do for himself, but should shun all evils. ID. Aug.De
He might have suffered them to lay violent hands upon ^^ 6I>
Ithemselves, that they might not fall into the hands of their
(persecutors. Therefore if He neither commanded nor allowed
i this mode of departure from this world to His own, for
whom He Himself had promised that He would prepare
an eternal mansion; whatever instances may be brought
! Iby the Gentiles who know not God, it is clear that this
is not lawful for those who believe one true God. CHRYS.
But that they should not say, What then if we fly from
(persecution, and again they cast us out thence whither we
ihave fled ? To remove this fear, He says, Verily I say unto
you, ye shall not have completed, 8$c. that is, ye shall not have
imade the circuit of Palestine and return to Me, before I
shall take you to Me. RABAN. Or ; He foretels that they
shall not have brought all the cities of Israel to the faith
; Iby their preaching, before the Lord s resurrection be accom
plished, and a commission given them to preach the Gospel
throughout the world. HILARY ; Otherwise ; He exhorts
to fly from place to place ; for His preaching driven from
Judaea, first passed into Greece ; then, wearied with divers
sufferings of the Apostles up and down the cities of Greece,
it takes an abiding refuge in the rest of the Gentile world.
But to shew that the Gentiles would believe the preaching
of the Apostles, but that the remnant of Israel should only
believe at His second coming, He adds, Ye shall not have
VOL. i. 2 c
386 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
completed the cities of Israel ; i. e. After the fulness of the
Gentiles is brought in, that which remains of Israel to fill
lip the number of the Saints shall be called into the Church
Aug. in Christ s future coming to glory. AUG. Let the servants of
E P- 228 - Christ then do as He commanded, or permitted them;
as He fled into Egypt, let them fly from city to city, when
ever any one of them is marked out for persecution ; that
the Church be not deserted, it will be filled by those who
are not so sought after ; and let these give sustenance to
their fellow-servants whom they know cannot live by any
other means. But when the threatening danger is common
to all, Bishops, clergy, and laity, let not those who have
need of aid be deserted by those whose aid they require.
Either therefore let them all pass to some stronghold, or
let those who are obliged to remain, not be deserted by
those whose province it is to supply their ecclesiastical
needs ; that they may either all live, or all suffer whatever
their Master will have them to suffer. REMIG. Be it known
moreover, that as this precept respecting endurance under
persecution specially belongs to the Apostles and their
successors, men of fortitude, so the permission to fly is
sufficiently proper for the weak in the faith, to whom the
tender Master condescends, lest if they should offer them
selves for martyrdom, under the pain they should deny the
faith ; and the sin of flight is lighter than that of denial
But though by their flight they shewed that they had not
the constancy of perfect faith, yet their desert was great
seeing they were ready to leave all for Christ. So that i
He had not given them permission to fly, some would have
said that they were aliens from the glory of the heavenlj
kingdom. JEROME ; Spiritually we may say ; When thej
shall persecute you in one book or one passage of Scripture
let us flee to other volumes, for however contentious th<
adversary may be, protection will come from the Saviou:
before the victory is yielded to the enemy.
24. The disciple is not above his master, nor th<
servant above his lord.
25. It is enough for the disciple that he be as hi
VER. 24, 25. ST. MATTHEW. 387
master, and the servant as his lord. If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much
more shall they call them of his household ?
CHRYS. Because it should come to pass that His disciples
among their other persecutions should suffer loss of character,
which to many is the most grievous of all calamities. He con
soles them from His own example, and those things that were
spoken of Him ; a comfort to which no other can be com
pared. HILARY ; For the Lord, the Light eternal, the Captain
of the faithful, the Parent of immortality, set before His
disciples this solace of the sufferings that should come upon
them, that we should embrace it as our glory when we are
made like to our Lord in suffering ; whence He says, The
disciple is not above his master, nor the slave above his lord.
CHRYS. Understand, so long as he is a disciple or servant,
he is not above his master or lord by the nature of honour.
And do not here object to me such cases as rarely happen,
but receive this according to the common course of things.
REMIG. He calls Himself master and lord ; by disciple and
servant He denotes His Apostles. GLOSS. As much as to Gloss,
say, Be not indignant that ye suffer things, which I also ord *
suffer, because I am your lord, who do what I will, and
your master, who teach you what I know to be profitable for
you. REMIG. And because this sentence seemed not to
agree with the foregoing words, He shews what they mean
by adding, If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more they of his household ? CHRYS.
He said not here slaves, but those of his household, to
shew how dear they were to Him ; as elsewhere He said,
/ will not call you slaves, but my friends. REMIG. As much John 15,
as to say, Ye therefore will not seek worldly honours and
human glory, while you see me pursuing the redemption of
mankind through mocking and contumely. CHRYS. And
He says not only, If they have reviled the master of the
house, but expresses the very words of railing, for they had
called Him Beelzebub. JEROME; Beelzebub is the idol of
Accaron who is called in the book of Kings, the God of 2 Kings
flies; Bel, signifying idol; zebub, a fly. The Prince
of the daemons He calls by the name of the foulest of idols,
2 c 2
388 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAPJST
which is so called because of the uncleanness of the fly,
which destroys the sweetness of ointment.
26. Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that
shall not be known.
27. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye
in light : and what ye hear in the ear, that preach
ye upon the housetops.
28. And fear not them which kill the body, but
are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
REJVIIG. To the foregoing consolation He adds another
no less, saying, Fear ye not them, namely, the persecutors.
And why they were not to fear, He adds, For there is
nothing hid which shall not be revealed, nothing secret which
shall not be known. JEROME ; How is it then that in the
present world, the sins of so many are unknown? It is of
the time to come that this is said ; the time when God shall
judge the hidden things of men, shall enlighten the hidden
places of darkness, and shall make manifest the secrets of
hearts. The sense is, Fear not the cruelty of the persecutor,
or the rage of the blasphemer, for there shall come a day
of judgment in which your virtue and their wickedness will
be made known. HILARY ; Therefore neither threatening,
nor evil speaking, nor power of their enemies should move
them, seeing the judgment-day will disclose how empty,
how nought all these were. CHRYS. Otherwise ; It might
seem that what is here said should be applied generally ;
but it is by no means intended as a general maxim, but is
spoken solely with reference to what had gone before with
this meaning; If you are grieved when men revile you,
think that in a little time you will be delivered from this
evil. They call you indeed impostors, sorcerers, seducers,
but have a little patience, and all men shall call you the
saviours of the world, when in the course of things you shall
be found to have been their benefactors, for men will not
judge by their words but by the truth of things. REMIG.
VER. 26 28. ST. MATTHEW. 389
Some indeed think that these words convey a promise from
our Lord to His disciples, that through them all hidden
mysteries should be revealed, which lay beneath the veil
of the letter of the Law ; whence the Apostle speaks, When 2 Cor.
they have turned to Christ, then the veil shall be taken away.
So the sense would be, Ought you to fear your persecutors,
when you are thought worthy that by you the hidden mys
teries of the Law and the Prophets should be made manifest?
CHRYS. Then having delivered them from all fear, and set
them above all calumny, He follows this up appropriately
with commanding that their preaching should be free and
unreserved ; What I say to you in darkness, that speak ye
in the light ; what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon
the housetops. JEROME ; We do not read that the Lord
was wont to discourse to them by night, or to deliver his
doctrine in the dark ; but Pie said this because all His
discourse is dark to the carnal, and His word night to the
unbelieving. What had been spoken by Him they were
to deliver again with the confidence of faith and confession.
REMIG. The meaning therefore is, What I say to you in
darkness, that is, among the unbelieving Jews, that speak
ye in the light, that is, preach it to the believing ; what ye
hear in the ear, that is, what I say unto you secretly, that
preach ye upon the housetops, that is, openly before all men.
It is a common phrase, To speak in one s ear, that is, to speak
to him privately. RABAN. And what He says, Preach ye
upon the housetops, is spoken after the manner of the pro
vince of Palestine, where they use to sit upon the roofs of
the houses, which are not pointed but flat. That then may
be said to be preached upon the housetops which is spoken
in the hearing of all men. GLOSS. Otherwise; Vvhat I say Gloss,
unto you while you are yet held under carnal fear, that ord "
speak ye in the confidence of truth, after ye shall be en
lightened by the Holy Spirit; what you have only heard,
that preach by doing the same, being raised above your
bodies, which are the dwellings of your souls. JEROME ;
Otherwise ; What you hear in mystery, that teach in plain
ness of speech ; what I have taught you in a corner of Judaea,
that proclaim boldly in all quarters of the world. CHRYS. As
He said, He that believeth on me, the works that I do he shall John 14,
12.
390 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
do also, and greater things than these shall he do ; so here He
shews that He works all things through them more than
through Himself; as though He had said, I have made a be
ginning, but what is beyond, that I will to complete through
your means. So that this is not a command but a prediction,
shewing them that they shall overcome all things. HILARY ;
Therefore they ought to inculcate constantly the knowledge
of God, and the profound secret of evangelic doctrine, to be re
vealed by the light of preaching ; having no fear of those who
have power only over the body, but cannot reach the soul; Fear
not those that kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. CHRYS.
Observe how He sets them above all others, encouraging them
to set at nought cares, reproaches, perils, yea even the most
terrible of all things, death itself, in comparison of the fear of
God. But rather fear him, who can destroy both soul and
body in hell. JEROME ; This word is not found in the Old
Scriptures, but it is first used by the Saviour. Let us enquire
then into its origin. We read in more than one place that
the idol Baal was near Jerusalem, at the foot of Mount
Moriah, by which the brook Siloe flows. This valley and
a small level plain was watered and woody, a delightful spot,
and a grove in it was consecrated to the idol. To so great
folly and madness had the people of Israel come, that, for
saking the neighbourhood of the Temple, they offered their
sacrifices there, and concealing an austere ritual under a
voluptuous life, they burned their sons in honour of a daemon.
This place was called Gehennom, that is, The valley of the
children of Hinnom. These things are fully described in
2 Kings Kings and Chronicles, and the Prophet Jeremiah. God
QO -i r\
2 Chron. threatens that He will fill the place with the carcases of the dead,
28 > 3 - that it be no more called Tophet and Baal, but Polyandrion,
32; 32, i- e. The tomb of the dead. Hence the torments and eternal
pains with which sinners shall be punished are signified by
Aug. De this word. AUG. This cannot be before the soul is so joined
x iii, 2. 61 to the body, that nothing may sever them. Yet it is rightly
called the death of the soul, because it does not live of God;
and the death of the body, because though man does not
cease to feel, yet because this his feeling has neither pleasure,
nor health, but is a pain and a punishment, it is better
named death than life. CHRYS. Note also, that He does
VER. 29 31. ST. MATTHEW. 391
not hold out to them deliverance from death, but encourages
them to despise it; which is a much greater thing than to
be rescued from death ; also this discourse aids in fixing
in their minds the doctrine of immortality.
29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
and one of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father.
30. But the very hairs of your head are all num
bered.
31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value
than many sparrows.
CHRYS. Having set aside fear of death, that the Apostles
should not think that if they were put to death they were
deserted by God, He passes to discourse of God s providence,
saying, Are not two sparrows sold for a far -thing r , and one
of them does not fall to the ground without your Father?
JEROME ; If these little creations fall not without God s
superintendence and providence, and if things made to
perish, perish not without God s will, you who are immortal
ought not to fear that you live without His providence.
HILARY; Figuratively; That which is sold is our soul and
body,^md that to which it is sold, is sin. They then who
sell two sparrows for a farthing, are they who sell themselves
for the smallest jdn, born for flight, and for reaching heaven vid. Ps.
with spiritual wings. Caught by the bait of present pleasures, 124> 7
and sold to the enjoyment of the world, they barter away
their whole selves in such a market. It is of the will of God
that one of them rather soar aloft; but the law proceeding ac
cording to God s appointment decrees that one of them should
fall. In like manner as, if they soared aloft they would become
one spiritual body ; so, when sold under sin, the soul gathers
earthly matter from the pollution of vice, and there is made
of them one body which is committed to earth. JEROME ; That
He says, The hairs of your head are all numbered, shews
the boundless providence of God towards man, and a care
unspeakable that nothing of ours is hid from God. HILARY;
For when any thing is numbered it is carefully watched
392 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
over. CHRYS. Not that God reckons our hairs, but to
shew His diligent knowledge, and great carefulness over us.
JEROME. Those who deny the resurrection of the flesh
ridicule the sense of the Church on this place, as if we
affirmed that every hair that has ever been cut off by the
razor rises again, when the Saviour says, Every hair of
your head not is saved, but is it umbered. Where there
is number, knowledge of that number is implied, but not
Aug. De preservation of the same hairs. AUG. Though we may fairly
xxH. 19 enquire concerning our hair, whether all that has ever been
shorn from us will return ; for who would not dread such
disfigurement. When it is once understood that nothing
of our body shall be lost, so as that the form and perfectness
of all the parts should be preserved, we at the same time
understand that all that would have disfigured our body
is to be united or taken up by the whole mass, not affixed
to particular parts so as to destroy the frame of the limbs ;
just as a vessel made of clay, and again reduced to clay,
is once more reformed into a vessel, it needs not that that
portion of clay which had formed the handle should again
form it, or that which had composed the bottom, should
again go to the bottom, so long as the whole was remoulded
into the whole, the whole clay into the whole vessel, no part
being lost. Wherefore if the hair so often shorn away
would be a deformity if restored to the place it had been
taken from, it will not be restored to that place, but all
the materials of the old body will be revived in the new,
whatever place they may occupy so as to preserve the
mutual fitness of parts. Though what is said in Luke,
Luke 21, Not a hair of your head shall fall to the ground, may be
taken of the number, not the length of the hairs, as here also it
is said, The hairs of your head are all numbered. HILARY ;
For it is an unworthy task to number things that are to
perish. Therefore that we should know that nothing of us
should perish, we are told that our very hairs are numbered.
No accident then that can befal our bodies is to be feared ;
thus He adds, Fear not, ye are letter than many sparrows.
JEROME ; This expresses still more clearly the sense as it
was above explained, that they should not fear those who
can kill the body, for if the least animal falls not without
VER. 32, 33. ST. MATTHEW. 393
God s knowledge, how much less a man who is dignified
with the Apostolic rank ? HILARY ; Or this, ye are better
than many sparroivs, teaches that the elect faithful are
better than the multitude of the. unbelieving, for the one
fall to earth, the other fly to heaven. REMIG. Figuratively ;
Christ is the head, the Apostles the hairs, who are well
said to be numbered, because the names of the saints are
written in heaven.
32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father which
is in heaven.
33. But whosoever shall deny me before men,
him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven.
CHRYS. The Lord having banished that fear which haunted
the minds of His disciples, adds further comfort in what
follows, not only casting out fear, but by hope of greater
rewards encouraging them to a free proclamation of the
truth, saying, Every man who shall confess me before men,
I also will confess him before my Father which is in heaven.
And it is not properly shall confess me, but as it is in the
Greek, shall confess in me, shewing that it is not by your own
strength but by grace from above, that you confess Him
whom you do confess. PIiLARY; This He says in con
clusion, because it behoves them after being confirmed by
such teaching, to have a confident freedom in confessing
God. REMIG. Here is to be understood that confession
of which the Apostle speaks, With the heart men believe^* -
unto justification, with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. That none therefore might suppose that he could
be saved without confession of the mouth, He says not only,
He that shall confess me, but adds, before men ; and again,
He that shall deny me before men, him will I also deny
before my Father which is in heaven. HILARY ; This
teaches us, that in what measure we have borne witness to
Him upon earth, in the same shall we have Him to bear
witness to us in heaven before the face of God the Father.
394 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
CHRYS. Here observe that the punishment is manifold more
than the evil done, and the reward more than the good done.
As much as to say, your deed was more abundant in con
fessing or denying Me here ; so shall My deed to you-ward
be more abundant in confessing or denying you there.
Wherefore if you have done any good thing, and have
not received retribution, be not troubled, for a manifold
reward awaits you in the time to come. And if you have
done any evil, and have not paid the punishment thereof,
do not think that you have escaped, for punishment
will overtake you, unless you are changed and become
better. RABAN. It should be known that not even Pagans
can deny the existence of God, but the infidels may
deny that the Son as well as the Father is God. The
Son confesses men before the Father, because by the
Son we have access to the Father, and because the Son
Mat. 25, saith, Come, ye blessed of my Father. REMIG. And thus
He will deny the man that hath denied Him, in that he
shall not have access to the Father through Him, and shall
be banished from seeing either the Son or the Father in
their divine nature. CHRYS. He not only requires faith
which is of the mind, but confession which is by the mouth,
that He may exalt us higher, and raise us to a more open
utterance, and a larger measure of love. For this is spoken
not to the Apostles only, but to all ; He gives strength not
to them only, but to their disciples. And he that observes
this precept will not only teach with free utterance, but
will easily convince all ; for the observance of this command
drew many to the Apostles. RABAN. Or, He confesses Jesus
who by that faith that worketh by love, obediently fulfils
His commands ; he denies Him who is disobedient.
34. Think not that I am come to send peace on
earth : I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35. For I am come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter in law against her mother
in law.
VER. 34 36. ST. MATTHEW. 395
36. And a man s foes shall be they of his own
household.
JEROME ; He had before said, What I say to you in
darkness, that speak ye in the light ; He now tells them what
will follow upon that preaching, saying, Think not that
I am come to send peace npon earth ; I am not come to
send peace, but a sword. GLOSS. Or connect it with what Gloss,
has gone before, As the fear of death ought not to draw you
away, so neither ought carnal affection. CHRYS. How then Chrys.
did He enjoin them, that when they should enter any house xxxv [
they should say, Peace be to this house, as also the Angels
sung, Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace to men. Luke 2,
That is the most perfect peace when that which is diseased is
lopped off, when that which introduces strife is taken away,
for so only is it possible that heaven should be joined to
earth. For so does the physician save the rest of the body,
namely by cutting off that which cannot be healed. So it
came to pass at the tower of Babel ; a happy discord broke
up their bad union. So also Paul divided those who were
conspired together against him. For concord is not in all
cases good; for there is honour among thieves. And this
combat is not of His setting before them, but of the plots
of the world. JEROME ; For in the matter of belief in
Christ, the whole world was divided against itself; each
house had its believers and its unbelievers ; and therefore
was this holy war sent, that an unholy peace might be
broken through. CHRYS. This He said as it were com
forting His disciples, as much as to say, Be not troubled as
though these things fell upon you unexpectedly ; for, for
this cause I came that I might send war upon the earth nay
He says not i war, but what is yet harder, a sword. For
He sought by sharpness of speech so to rouse their attention,
that they should not fall off in time of trial and difficulty,
or say that He had told them smooth things, and had hid
the difficulties. For it is better to meet with softness in
deeds than in words ; and therefore He stayed not in words,
but shewing them the nature of their warfare, He taught
them that it was more perilous than a civil war; saying,
/ am come to set a man against his father, and daughter
396 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
against her mother, and daughter-in-law against her mother-
in-law. So this warfare will be between not acquaintances
merely, but the nearest and dearest kindred ; and this shews
Christ s very great power; that His disciples after having
heard this, yet undertook the mission, and brought over
others. Yet was it not Christ who made this division, but
the evil nature of the parties ; when He says that it is He
that does it, He speaks according to the manner of Scripture.
Is. 6, 10. As it is written, God hath given them eyes that they should*
not see. Here is also a great proof that the Old Testament
is like the New. For among the Jews a man was to put
his neighbour to death if he found him making a calf, or
sacrificing to Baalphegor ; so here to shew that it was the
same God who ordained both that and these precepts, He
reminds them of the prophecy, A man s foes are they of his
household. For this same thing happened among the Jews ^
there were Prophets, and false Prophets ; there the multitude
was divided, and houses were set against themselves ; there
some believed one part, and some another. JEKOME ; These
Mic.7,6. are almost the words of the Prophet Micah. We should
always take note when a passage is cited out of the Old
Testament, whether the sense only, or the very words are
given. HILARY ; Mystically; A sword is the sharpest of all
weapons, and thence it is the emblem of the right of au
thority, the impartiality of justice, the correction of offenders.
Eph. 6, The word of God, we may remember, is likened to a sword ^
* so here the sword that is sent upon the earth is His preaching
poured into the heart of man. The five inhabiting one
house, whom He divides three against two, and two against
three, we may explain thus ; The three are the three parts
of man, the body, the soul, and the will ; for as the soul is<
bestowed in the body, so the will has power of using both
in any way it chooses ; and thence when a law is given it
is given to the will. But this is only found in those who
were first formed by God. By the sin and unbelief of the
first parent, all the generations of men since have had sin for
the father of their body, and unbelief for the mother of their
soul. And as each man has his will within him, there are
thus five in one house. When then we are renewed in the
laver of baptism, by virtue of the word we are set apart from
VER. 37 39. ST. MATTHEW. 397
our original guilt, and severed, as it were, by the sword of
God, from the lusts of this our father and mother., and thus
there is great discord made in one house; the new man
finding his foes within, he seeks with joy to live in newness
of spirit ; they which are derived from the old stock, lust to
remain in their old pleasures. AUG. Otherwise; / am cow6>Aug.
to set a man against his father ; for he renounces the Devil
who was his son ; the daughter against her mother, that is, <! 3 *
the people of God against the city of the world, that is, the
wicked society of mankind, which is spoken of in Scripture
under the names of Babylon, Egypt, Sodom, and other names.
The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, that is, the
Church against the Synagogue, which according to the flesh,
brought forth Christ the spouse of the Church. They are
severed by the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And a man s foes are they of his household, those, that is, with
whom he before lived as intimates. RABAN. For no other
mutual rights can be preserved between those who are at
war in their creeds. GLOSS. Otherwise ; He means, I am Gloss.
not come among men to strengthen their carnal affections, 1111
but to cut them off with the sword of the Spirit ; whence it
is rightly added, And a man s foes are they of his household.
GREG. For the subtle enemy when he sees himself driven Greg.
out of the hearts of the good, seeks out those who most^g
love them, and speaking by the mouth of those who are
dearest, endeavours while the heart is penetrated by love,
that the sword of conviction may pierce to the inmost
bulwarks of virtue.
37. He that loveth father or mother more than
me is not worthy of me : and he that loveth son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38. And he that taketh not his cross, and folio weth
after me, is not worthy of me.
39. He that findeth his life shall lose it : and he
that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
JEROMEJ Because of what He had said, / am not come to
send peace but a sivord, 8$c. that none might suppose that
398 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
family affection was banished from His religion, He now
adds, He that loves father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me. So in the Song of Songs we read,
c. 2, 4. Order love in me. For this order is needed in every
affection; after God love thy father, thy mother, and thy
children; but if a necessity should occur that the love of
parents and children comes into competition with the love
of God, and w T here both cannot be preserved, remember that
hatred of our kindred becomes then love to God. He forbids
not to love parent or child, but adds emphatically, more
than me. HILARY; For they who have esteemed domestic
affection of relations higher than God, are unworthy to inherit
good things to come. CHRYS. Yet when Paul bids us obey our
parents in all things, we are not to marvel ; for we are only
to obey in such things as are not hurtful to our piety to God.
It is holy to render them every other honour, but when they
demand more than is due, we ought not to yield. This is
likewise agreeable to the Old Testament ; in it the Lord
commands that all who worshipped idols, should not only
be held in abhorrence, but should be stoned. And in
Deut. Deuteronomy it is said, He who saith to his father and his
33, 9. mother, I know you not ; and to his brethren, Ye are
Gloss, strangers ; he hath kept thy saying. GLOSS. It seems to
non occ. } ia pp en j n many cases that the parents love the children
more than the children love the parents ; therefore having
taught that His love is to be preferred to the love of parents,
as in an ascending scale, He next teaches that it is to be
preferred to the love of children, saying, And whoso loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. RABAN.
He is unworthy of the divine communion who prefers the
carnal affection of kindred to the spiritual love of God.
CHRYS. Then that those to whom the love of God is pre
ferred should not be offended thereat. He leads them to
a higher doctrine. Nothing is nearer to a man than his
oul, and yet He enjoins that this should not only be hated,
but that a man should be ready to deliver it up to death,
and blood ; not to death only, but to a violent and most
disgraceful death, namely, the death of the cross ; therefore
it follows, And tvhoso taketh not up his cross and followeth
me y is not worthy of me. He had as yet said nothing to
VER. 37 39. ST. MATTHEW. 399
them respecting his own sufferings, but instructs them in the
meanwhile in these things, that they may the more readily
receive His words concerning His passion. HILARY; Or;
They that are Christ s have crucified the body with its vices Gal. 5,
and lusts. And he is unworthy of Christ who does not take
up His cross, in which we suffer with Him, die with Him,
are buried and rise again with Him, and follow his Lord,
purposing to live in newness of spirit in this sacrament of
the faith. GREG. The cross is so called from torment; Greg,
and there are two ways in which we bear the Lord s E m in
cross ; either when we afflict the flesh by abstinence ; x xxii. 3.
, . f -11 ii- 1 crucia-
or_when m compassion for our neighbour we make histus
afflictions our own. But it should be known that there are
some who make a shew of abstinence not for God, but for
ostentation; and some there are who shew compassion to
their neighbour, not spiritually but carnally, not that they
may encourage him in virtue, but rather countenancing him
in faults. These indeed seem to bear their cross, but do not
follow the Lord ; therefore He adds, And followeth me
CHRYS. Because these commands seemed burdensome, He
proceeds to shew their great use and benefit, saying, He
that Jindeth his life shall lose it. As much as to say, Not
only do these things that I have inculcated do no harm, but
they are of great advantage to a man; and the contrary
thereof shall do him great hurt and this is His manner
every where. He uses those things which men s affections
are set upon as a means of bringing them to their duty.
Thus : Why are you loath to contemn your life ? Because
you love it ? For that very reason contemn it, and you will
do it the highest service. REMIG. The life in this place is
not to be understood as the substance, (the soul,) but as this
present state of being ; and the sense is, He who findeth
his life, i. e. this present life, he who so loves this light,
its joys and pleasures, as to desire that he may always find
them ; he shall lose that which he wishes always to keep, and
prepare his soul for eternal damnation. RABAN. Otherwise ;
He who seeks an immortal life, does not hesitate to lose his
life, that is, to offer it to death. But either sense suits equally
well with that which follows, And whoso shall lose his life
for my sake shall find it. REMIG. That is, he who in con-
400 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. X.
fession of My name in time of persecution despises this
temporal world, its joys, and pleasures, shall find eternal
salvation for his soul. HILARY; Thus the gain of life brings
death, the loss of life brings salvation ; for by the sacrifice
of this short life we gain the reward of immortality.
40. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he
that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
41. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a
prophet shall receive a prophet s reward ; and he that
receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous
man shall receive a righteous man s reward.
42. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one
of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in
no wise lose his reward.
JEROME ; The Lord when He sends forth His disciples to
preach, teaches them that dangers are not to be feared, that
natural affection is to be postponed to religion gold He had
above taken from them, brass He had shaken out of their
purses hard then surely the condition of the preachers !
Whence their living ? Whence their food and necessaries ?
Therefore He tempers the rigour of His precepts by the
following promises, that in entertaining the Apostles each
believer may consider that he entertains the Lord. CHRYS.
Enough had been said above to persuade those who should
have to entertain the Apostles. For who would not with
all willingness take in to his house men who were so
courageous, that they despised all dangers that others might
be saved ? Above He had threatened punishment to those
who should not receive them, He now promises reward to
such as should receive them. And first He holds out to
those who should entertain them the honour, that in so doing
they were entertaining Christ, and even the Father ; He who
receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. What honour to
be compared to this of receiving the Father and the Son ?
HILARY; These words shew that He has a Mediator s office,
and since He came from God, when He is received by us,
VER. 40 42. ST. MATTHEW. 401
through Him God is transfused into us ; and by this dispo
sition of grace to have received the Apostles is no other
than to have received God ; for Christ dwells in them, and
God in Christ. CHRYS. A further reward also He promises,
saying, He who receiveth a prophet in the name of a
prophet, shall receive a prophet s reward. He said not
merely, Whoso receiveth a prophet, or a righteous man,
but in the name of a prophet, and in the name of a
righteous man; that is, not for any greatness in this life,
or other temporal account, but because he is a prophet,
or a righteous man. JEROME; Otherwise; To this His
exhortation to the disciple to entertain his teacher, there
might a secret objection arise among the faithful ; then
shall we have to support the false prophets, or Judas the
traitor. To this end it is that the Lord instructs them
in these words, that it is not the person but the office that
they should look to ; and that the entertainer loses not his
reward, though he whom he entertains be unworthy. CHRYS.
A prophet s reward, and a righteous man s reward, are such
rewards as it is fitting he should have who entertains a
prophet, or a righteous man : or, such a reward as a prophet
or righteous man should have. GREG, He says not, a reward Greg.
from a prophet, or righteous man, but the reward of a prophet E ^."x
or righteous man. For the prophet is perhaps a righteous man. 12 -
and the less he possesses in this world, the greater confidence
has he in speaking in behalf of righteousness. He who hath of
this world s goods, in supporting such a man, makes himself
a free partaker in his righteousness, and shall receive the
reward of righteousness together with him whom he has
aided by supporting him. He is full of the spirit of pro
phecy, but he lacks bodily sustenance, and if the body be
not supported, it is certain that the voice will fail. Whoso
then gives a prophet food, gives him strength for speaking,
therefore together with the prophet he shall receive the pro
phet s reward, when he shews before the face of God what
bounty he shewed him. JEROME; Mystically; He who
receives a prophet as a prophet, and understands him speak
ing of things to come, he shall receive reward of that prophet.
The Jews therefore, who understand the prophets carnally,
do not receive the prophet s reward. REMIG. Some under-
VOL. i. *2 D
Q53QU2
402 GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. CHAP. X.
stand by the prophet here, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom
Deut. Moses says, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up
unto you ; and the same also by the righteous man, because
he is beyond comparison righteous. He then who shall
receive a prophet or righteous man in the name of the
prophet or righteous man, i. e. of Christ, shall receive
reward from Him for love of whom he received Him.
JEROME; That none should say, I am poor and therefore
cannot be hospitable, He takes away even this plea by the
instance of a cup of cold water, given with good will. He
says cold water, because in hot, poverty and lack of fuel
might be pleaded. And whosoever shall give to drink to
one of the least of these a cup of cold water only in the
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose
his reward. REMIG. The least of these, that is, not a prophet,
Gloss, or a righteous man, but one of these least. GLOSS. Note, that
>cc God looks more to the pious mind of the giver, than to the
Gloss, abundance of the thing given. GLOSS. Or, the least are they
who have nothing at all in this world, and shall be judges
with Christ. HILARY; Or; Seeing beforehand that there
would be many who would only glory in the name of
Apostleship, but in their whole life and walk would be
unworthy of it, He does not therefore deprive of its reward
that service which might be rendered to them in belief
of their religious life. For though they were the very least,
that is, the greatest of sinners, yet even small offices of
mercy shewn them, such as are denoted by the cup of cold
water, should not be shewn in vain. For the honour is not
done to a man that is a sinner, but to his title of disciple.
BS 2555 .A2 T513 1841 V.I
pt.l SMC
Thomas, Aquinas
Catena aurea
