Original Douay–Rheims Annotations1 Corinthians 3
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read 1 Corinthians 3 in the Bible1 Corinthians 3:12
Upon this foundation.
◦ The foundation is Christ, and faith in him working by charity. The upper building may be either pure and perfect matter of gold, silver, and precious stone, which (according to the most authentical and probable exposition) be good works of charity and all Christian justice done by God's grace: or else, wood, hay, stubble, which signify the manifold acts of man's infirmity and his venial sins. Which more or less mixed and meddled with the better matter aforesaid, require more or less punishment or purgation at the day of our death. At which day, if by penance or other means in the Church, the said venial sins be before hand cleansed, there shall need no purging at all, but they shall straight receive the reward due to them.
- ◦ Building of gold, or stubble.
1 Corinthians 3:13
Shall be manifest.
◦ Whether our life and works be pure and need no cleansing, now in this world is hard to judge: but the day of our Lord, which is at our death, will make it plain in what terms every man's life is towards God. For then Purgatory fire shall reveal and prove it. For, whosoever hath any impure matter of venial sins or such other debts, to God's justice payable and purgable, must into that fire, and after due payment and cleansing, be saved through the same. Where the works of the perfect men and such as died with all debts payed, cleansed, or forgiven, are quitted from the fire, and never incur damage, pain, or loss thereby. The places of Fathers expounding this for Purgatory, be very many most evident, which are cited in the last Annotation following.
- ◦ Our works shall be manifested by fire.
The day of our Lord shall declare.
That this purgation rather signifieth the place of God's justice after our death, than any affliction in this life, the Apostle's precise specifying of fire declareth, and of revealing and notifying the difference of men's works by the same: which is not done evidently ever in this life: and namely the word, [1] day of our Lord: which commonly and properly signifieth in Scripture and namely in this Apostle (1. Cor. 5, 5. 2. Cor. 1, 13. Philip. 1, 10. 6. 1. Thes. 5, 2. 2. Thes. 2, 2.) either the particular, or the general judgement: and therefore that the trial spoken of, is not properly nor literally meant any affliction or adversity of this life, as Calvin [2] also confesseth, coining a foolish new construction of his own. Where you may note also in that man's Commentary, that this word, dies Domini, was so prejudicial against him and all other expositions of the trial to be made in this world, that he would gladly have (Domini) out, reading thus, A day shall come which shall open &c. Where understand, that if it were only Dies (as [3] in the Greek) yet thereby also the Scripture is wont to signify the self same thing: as, 2 Tim. 1, 12. 28. and 2. Tim. 4, 8. and Heb. 10, 25. the day, as in this place, with the Greek article only, which is all one with Dies illa, or Dies Domini.
- 1 What is signified by, the day of our Lord.
- 2 Calv. in hunc locum.
- 3 ἡ ἡμέρα
1 Corinthians 3:15
As by fire.
S. Augustine upon these words of the Psalm 37. Lord rebuke me not in thine indignation, nor amend me in thy wrath. For it shall come to pass (saith he) that some be amended in the wrath of God, and be rebuked in his indignation. And not all perhaps that are rebuked, shall be amended, but yet some there shall be saved by amending. It shall be so surely, because amending is named: yet so as by fire. [1] But some there shall be that shall be rebuked, and not amended; to whom he shall say, Go ye into everlasting fire. Fearing therefore these more grievous pains, he desireth that he may neither be rebuked in indignation by eternal fire, nor amended in his wrath; that is to say, Purge me in this life, and make me such as one as shall not need the amending fire, being for them which shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Wherefore? but because here they build upon the foundation, wood, hay, stubble? For if they did build gold, silver, and precious stones, they should be secure from both fires, not only from that eternal which shall torment the impious eternally: but also from that which shall amend them that shall be saved by fire. For it is said: He shall be safe, yet so as by fire. And because it is said, he shall be safe, that fire is contemned. Yea verily though safe by fire, yet that fire shall be more grievous, than whatsoever a man can suffer in this life [2] . And you know how great evils the wicked have suffered, and many suffer: yet they have suffered such as the good also might suffer. For what hath any malefactor suffered by the laws, that a Martyr hath not suffered in the confession of Christ? These evils therefore that are here, be much more easy, and yet see how men, not to suffer them, do whatsoever thou commandest. How much better do they that which God commandeth, that they may not suffer those greater pains? Thus far S. Augustine. See S. Ambr. upon this place 1 Cor. 3. & Ser. 20 in Psal. 118. Hiero. li. 2. c. 13. adv. Iovinianum. Greg. li. 4. Dialog. c. 39. & in Psal. 3. Poenit. in principio. Origen. ho. 6. in c. 15. Exod. and ho. 14. in c. 24. Levit.
- 1 Two fires after this life: one eternal, the other temporal, that is, the purging or amending fire.
- 2 Purgatory fire passeth all the pains of this life.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
1 Corinthians 3:8
Every man shall receive according.
[1] A most plain text for proof that men by their labours, and by the diversities thereof, shall be diversly rewarded in heaven: and therefore that by their works proceeding of grace, they do deserve or merit heaven, and the more or less joy in the same. For though the holy Scripture commonly use not this word merit, yet in places innumerable of the old and new Testament, the very true sense of merit is contained, and so often as the word, merces, and the like be used, they be ever understood as correlatives or correspondent unto it. For if the joy of heaven be retribution, repayment, hire, wages for works (as in infinite places of holy Scripture,) then the works can be none other but the value, desert, price, worth, and merit of the same. And indeed this word, reward, which in our English tongue may signify a voluntary or bountiful gift, doth not so well express the nature of the [2] Latin word, or the [3] Greek, which are rather the very stipend that the hired workman or journeyman covenanteth to have of him whose work he doth, and is a thing equally and justly answering to the time and weight of his travails and works (in which sense the Scripture saith, [4] Dignus est operarius mercede sua. the workman is worthy of his hire) rather than a free gift: though, because faithful men must acknowledge that their merits be the gifts and graces of God, they rather use the word reward, than hire, stipend, or repayment: though indeed it be all one, as you may see by diverse places of holy writ, as, [5] My merces (reward) is with me to render to every one according to his works. And Our Lord will render unto me according to my justice. Ps. 17. And the very word itself merit (equivalent to the Greek [6] ) is used thus, Mercy shall make a place to every one according to the merit of works. Eccle. 16, 15. And If you do your justice before men, you shall not have reward in heaven. Mat. 6. 1. Where you see that the reward of heaven is recompense of justice. And the evasion of the Heretics is frivolous and evidently false, as the former and like words do convince, for they say heaven is our Merces or reward, not because it is due to our works, but to the promise of God: where the words be plain, According to every man's works or labours: upon which works, and for which works conditionally, the promise of heaven was made.