Original Douay–Rheims Annotations1 John 5

His commandments are not heavy.

^[1] How can the Protestants say that God's commandments cannot possibly be fulfilled or kept in this life, seeing the Apostle saith, they be not heavy: and Christ saith, ^[2] his yoke is sweet, and his burden light? See for the full understanding of this place. S. Augustine de perfectione justitiæ c. 10. ^[3] The Heretics in favour of their foresaid error, rather translate, His commandments are not ^[4] grievous: than, are not heavy.

• 1 The commandments possible to be kept.
• 2 Mat. 11, 30.
• 3 Heret. translation.
• 4 * βαρεῖαι

Three which give testimony.

^[1] An express place for the distinction of three Persons, & the unity of nature and essence in the B. Trinity; against the Arians and other like Heretics, who have in diverse ages found themselves so pressed with these plain Scriptures, that they have (as it is thought) altered and corrupted ^[2] the text both in Greek and Latin many ways: even as the Protestants handle those texts that make against them. But because we are not now troubled with Arianism so much as with Calvinism, we need not stand upon the variety of readings or expositions of this passage. See S. Hierom in his epistle put before the 7 Canonical or Catholic Epistles.

• 1 Three persons & one substance in the B. Trinity.
• 2 The Arians corrupt the text of Scripture.

A sin to death.

^◦ A sin to death is another thing than a mortal sin. for it is that mortal sin only, whereof a man is never penitent before his death, or in which he continueth till death, and dieth in it. I affirm (saith S. Augustine de correp. & grat. c. 12) that a sin to death is to leave faith working by charity even till death, so likewise in the words before, a sin not to death, is not that which we call a venial sin, but any that a man committeth and continueth not therein till death.

• ◦ What is a sin to death.

For that I say not.

If the sin to death whereof he speaketh, be the sin wherein a man dieth without repentance, according to S. Augustine's words before rehearsed: then the prayer which he speaketh of, must needs be ^[1] prayer for the dead. because he speaketh of praying, or not praying, for them that died in deadly sin, exhorting us to pray, and encouraging us to do it with confidence to be heard, if we pray for them that departed this life not in deadly sin: and contrarywise in manner dissuading & discouraging us from praying for such as continued in wickedness even till their life's end. And S. Augustine setteth down the Church's practice agreeable to the Apostle's meaning, li. 21 c. 24 de Civit. Dei. If there be any (saith he) that persist till death in impenitency of heart, doth the Church now pray for them, that is, for the souls of them that so are departed? So saith he. ^[2] And this is the cause, that Concilium Bracharense primum cap. 34. forbiddeth to pray for such as die in desperation, or kill themselves: and the reason, why the Church forbeareth to pray for Heretics that die in their heresy, or maintain heresy unto death and by their death.

• 1 Prayer for the dead.
• 2 Some of the dead may not be prayed for.

^[1]

And that the place is most properly or only meant of praying for the departed, this convinceth, that neither the Church nor any man is dehorted here from praying for any sinner yet living. nor for the remission of any sin in this life: all sins (of what sort soever) being pardonable, so long as the committers of them be in case and state to repent: as they be, so long as they be in this world. And we see that the Church prayeth, and is often heard, for Heretics, Jews, Turks, Apostates, and what other infidels or ill men soever, during their lives. ^[2] And it is great blasphemy that the Calvinists utter upon this place: to wit, that Apostasy and certain other sins of the reprobate, cannot be forgiven at all in this life. Which they hold, only to avoid the sequel of praying for the dead upon these words of S. John. besides that they must take upon them presumptuously, to know and discern of God's secrets, who be reprobate, and who be not, and according to that, pray for some, and not other-some. all which is most wicked and absurd presumption.

As for their allegation, that S. Jeremie the Prophet was forbidden to pray for the Jews, and warned that he should not be heard, Chap. 7. 11. 14: there is great difference. first, he had a revelation by the words of God, that they would continue in their wickedness, as we have not of any certain person, whereof S. John here speaketh. Secondly, Jeremie was not forbidden to pray for the remission of their sins, nor had denial to be heard therein for any man's particular case, whereof the Apostle here speaketh: but he was told that they should not escape the temporal punishment and affliction which he had designed for them, and that he would not hear him therein.

• 1 It is proved that the Apostle speaketh of praying for the dead.
• 2 The Calvinists' blasphemy, to avoid this sense of the Apostle.

From idols.

^[1] It is so known a treachery of Heretics to translate idola images (as here and in a number of places, specially of the English Bible printed the year 1562) that we need not much to stand upon it. As this also is seen to all the world, that they do it of purpose to seduce the poor ignorant people, and to make them think, that whatsoever in the Scriptures is spoken against the idols of the Gentiles (which the Prophet called ^[2] Simulacra Gentium ) is meant of pictures, sacred images, & holy memories of Christ and his Saints. ^[3] Against such seducers the second sacred Councel of Nice ^[4], called the seventh Synod, decreeth thus Act. 4. pag. 122. Quicunque sententias sacræ scripturæ de Idolis, contra venerandas imagines adducunt, anathema. Qui venerandas imagines idola appellant, anathema. Qui dicunt quod Christiani adorant imagines ut Deos, anathema. that is, Anathema to all them that bring the sentences of holy Scripture touching Idols, against the venerable images. Anathema to them that call the venerable images, idols. Anathema to them that say, Christians adore images as gods.

• 1 Heret. translation against sacred images.
• 2 Psal. 113.
• 3 The 2. Councel of Nice pronounceth anathema, that is, a curse against the Calvinists.
• 4 Edit. Colon. an. 1567.

Now in their later translations the Heretics perceiving that the world seeth their unhonest dealing, corrected themselves in some places, and in this place have put, idols, in the text: but to give the people a watchword that the Church's images are to be comprised in the word, idols, ^[1] they have put, images, in the margent. But concerning this matter, it is most evident that neither every idol is an image, not every image an idol: ^[2] and that, howsoever the origin or etymology of the word, idol, may be taken in the Greek, yet both the words and the things be in truth and by the use of all tongues, far differing. The great dragon that the Babylonians adored ( Dan. 14 ) was an idol, but not an image: the Cherubins in Salomon's temple were images, but not idols: and the face of the Queen in her coin or else-where, as Cæsar's face upon the coin that Christ called for, is an image, but not an idol. and the Heretics dare not translate that text of Scripture thus, whose idol is this superscription? nor call the Queen's image, the idol of the Queen: nor Christ, the idol of his father: nor woman, the idol of the man: nor man, the idol of God. All which in Scripture be named images for all that, and be so indeed, and not idols. which convinceth, that the Heretics be false & corrupt translators in this place and other the like, confounding these two words as if they were all one.

• 1 * The Bible of the year 1577.
• 2 The great difference of idol & image.

^[1] But as for the having of images or portraits of holy things, not only in private houses, but also in Churches, God himself doth warrant us, who ^[2] commanded even the Jews themselves (a people most prone to idolatry, and that after he had given them a special precept of not having, making, or worshipping of idols) to make the images of Angels (the Cherubins) and that in the sovereign holiest places of adoration that was in the Temple, & about the Ark. Yea and in respect of which sacred images partly, they did (as S. Hierom saith ep. 17 c. 3 ) so great reverence to the holy place called Sancta sanctorum. If they then were warranted and commanded to make and have in so great reverence the images of mere spirits or Angels, whose natural shape could not be expressed: how much more may we Christians have and reverence the images of Christ, his B. mother, the Apostles, and other Saints, being men, whose shape may be expressed? So doth the said ^[3] Nicene Councel argue against the Heretics which at that time were the Adversaries of images.

• 1 Sacred images in Churches, by God's own warrant.
• 2 Exod. 25.
• 3 The 2. Councel of Nice was gathered against Image breakers.

^[1]

• 1 The antiquity of holy images.

And note here, that eight hundred years ago, they were straight counted Heretics, that began to speak against images, and that Councel was called purposely for them, and condemned them for Heretics, & confirmed the former ancient reverence and use of sacred images. which began even in our Saviour's time or little after, when good religious folk for love and reverence made his image, namely the woman that he healed of the bloody flux. which image was also approved by miracles, as the Ecclesiastical history telleth, and namely Eusebius Eccl. hist. li. 7. c. 14. ^[2] who also witnesseth that the images of Peter and Paul were in his days, as you may see also in S. Augustine ( li. d. consens. Evangelist. c. 10 ) that their pictures commonly stood together in Rome even as at this day. Of our Lady's image see S. Gregory li. 7. ep. 5. indict. 2. ad Ianuar. & ep. 53. ^[3] In whom also ( li. 7. ep. 109 ) you may see the true use of images, & that they are the books of the unlearned, and that the people ought to be instructed and taught the right use of them, even as at this day good Catholic folk do use them to help & increase their devotion, in all Catholic Churches: yea the Lutherans themselves retain them still. S. Damascene wrote three books in defense of sacred images against the foresaid Heretics.

• 2 * Loco citato.
• 3 The use and fruit of holy images.