Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsJames 5

The hire.

^◦ To withhold from the poor or labourer the hire or wages that is due or promised to him for his service or work done, is a great iniquity, and one of those five sins which in holy Writ be said to call for vengeance at God's hand, as we see here. They be called in the Catechism, Sins crying to heaven. The other four be, Murder, Gen. 18. v. 20. Usury, Exod. 22. v. 27. The sin against nature, Gen. 18. v. 20. The oppression and vexation of widows, pupils, strangers, and such like. Ib. & Exod. 3. v. 9.

• ◦ The sins crying to heaven.

Swear not.

^◦ He forbiddeth not all oaths, as the Anabaptists falsely say, for in justice and judgement we may be by our lawful Magistrate put to swear, and may lawfully take an oath, as also for the advantaging of any necessary truth when time and place require. but the custom of swearing, and all vain, light, and unnecessary oaths in our daily speech do displease God highly, and are here forbidden by the Apostle, as also by our Saviour. Mat. 5.

• ◦ What oaths are lawful, what are not.

Let him bring in the Priests.

^[1] The Protestants for their special hatred of the Holy Order of Priesthood, as else-where often, so here they corrupt the text evidently, translating Presbyteros, Elders. As though the Apostle had meant men of age, and not such as were by holy office, Priests. S. Chrysostom who knew the sense and signification of the Greek word according to the Ecclesiastical use and the whole Church's judgement, better than any protestant alive, taketh it plainly for Sacerdotes, that is, Priests li. 3. de Sacerdotio prope initium. ^[2] And if they confess that it is a word of office with them also, though they call them Elders, and not Priests: then we demand whether the Apostle mean here men of that function which they in their new Churches call Elders. If they say no, as they must needs (for Elders with them are not deputed specially to public praying or administration of the Sacraments, such as the Apostle here requireth to be sent for) then they must needs grant, that their Elders answer not to the function of those which in the new Testament are called Presbyteri in Greek and Latin, and therefore both their translation to be false and fraudulent, and also their naming of their new degrees or orders to be fond and incongruous. ^[1] If they say their Ministers be correspondent to such as were called Presbyteri in holy writ and in the Primitive Church, and that they are men whom the Apostle willeth to be called for to anoil the sick & to pray for him, why do they not then translate Presbyteros, Ministers? Which they might do with as good reason, as call such as they have taken in stead of our Catholic Priests, Ministers. Which word being in large acception common to all that have to do about the celebration of divine things, was never appropriated by the use either of Scripture or of the holy Church, to that higher function of public administration of the Sacraments and Service, which is Priesthood: but to the order next under it, which is Deaconship. ^[2] And therefore if any should be called Ministers, their Deacons properly should be so termed. And the Protestants have no more reason to keep the ancient Greek word of Deacon, appropriated to that office by the use of antiquity, than to keep the word Priest, being made no less peculiar to the state of such only as minister the holy Sacraments, & offer the Sacrifice of the Altar. But these fellows follow neither God's word nor Ecclesiastical use, nor any reason, but mere phantasy, novelty, and hatred of God's Church. ^[3] And how little they follow any good rule or reason in these things may appear by this, that here they avoid to translate Priests, and yet in their communion book, in their order of visiting the sick, they commonly name the Minister, Priest.

• 1 Heretical translation against Priesthood.
• 1 They have no reason to call their Ministers by that name.
• 2 Neither their Elders (so called) nor their Ministers, can be those whom the Apostle here calleth, Presbyteros.
• 2 Their Deacons should rather be called Ministers.
• 3 They should keep the name Priest, as well as Deacon.

Anoiling with oil.

^◦ Here is the Sacrament of extreme Unction so plainly promulgated (for it was instituted, as all other Sacraments of the new Testament, by our Saviour Christ himself, and, as Venerable Bede thinketh and other ancient writers, the anoiling of the sick with oil Marc. 6. pertaineth thereunto) that some Heretics, for the evidence of this place also (as of the other for good works) deny the Epistle. Other (as the Calvinists) through their confidence of cunning shifts and glosses, confessing that S. James is the author, yet condemn the Church of God for using and taking it for a Sacrament. But what dishonour to God is it (we pray them) that a Sacrament should be instituted in the matter of oil, more than in the element of water? Why may not grace & remission of sins be annexed to the one as well as to the other, without derogation to God?

• ◦ The Sacrament of EXTREME UNCTION.

^◦

But they say, Sacraments endure for ever in the Church, this but for a season in the Primitive Church. What Scripture telleth them that this general and absolute prescription of the Apostle in this case, should endure but for a season? When was it taken away, abrogated, or altered? They see the Church of God hath always used it upon this warrant of the Apostle, who knew Christ's meaning and institution of it better than these deceived men, who make more of their own fond guesses and conjectures, grounded neither on Scripture nor upon any circumstance of the text, nor any one authentical author that ever wrote, than of the express word of God. It was (say the) a miraculous practice of healing the sick, during only in the Apostles' time, and not long after. We ask them whether Christ appointed any certain creature or external element unto the Apostles generally to work miracles by. Himself used sometimes clay and spittle, sometimes he sent them that were diseased, to wash themselves in waters: But that he appointed any of those or the like things for a general medicine or miraculous healing only, that we read not. for in the beginning. for the better inducing of the people to faith and devotion, Christ would have miracles to be wrought by sundry of the Sacraments also. Which miraculous works ceasing, yet the Sacraments remain still unto the world's end.

Again we demand, whether ever they read or heard that men were generally commanded to seek for their health by miraculous means. Thirdly, whether all Priests, or (as they call them) Elders, had the gift of miracles in the primitive Church? No, it cannot be, for though some had, yet all these indifferently of whom the Apostle speaketh, had not the gift: and many that were no Priests, had it, both men and women, which yet could not be called for, as Priests were in this case. And though the Apostle and others could both cure men and revive them again, yet there was no such general precept for sick or dead men, as this, to call for the Apostles to heal or restore them to life again. ^[1] Lastly, had any external element or miraculous practice, unless it were a Sacrament, the promise of remission of all kind of actual sins joined unto it? or could S. James institute such a ceremony himself, that could save both body and soul, by giving health to the one, and grace and remission to the other? At other times these contentious wranglers rail at God's Church, for annexing only the remission of venial sins to the element of ^[2] water, made holy by the Priest's blessing thereof in the name of Christ, and his word: and lo here they are driven to hold that S. James prescribed a miraculous oil or creature which had much more power and efficacy. Into these straits are such miscreants brought that will not believe the express word of God, interpreted by the practice of God's universal Church.

• 1 Remission of sins annexed to creatures.
• 2 Holy water.
• ◦ The Heretics' objections against the said Sacrament, answered: and withal it is proved to be a Sacrament.

^[1]

Venerable Bede in 9. Luc. saith thus. It is clear that this custom Was delivered to the holy Church by the Apostles themselves, that the sick should be anointed with oil consecrated by the Bishop's blessing. See for this, and for the assertion & use of this Sacrament, S. Innocentius ep. 1. ad Decentium Eugubinum cap. 8. to. 1. Conc. & Lib. 2. de visitatione infirmorum in S. Augustine cap. 4. Concil. Cabilonense 2. cap. 48. Conc. Wormatiense cap. 72. to. 3. conc. Aquisgra. c. 8. Florentinum, and other later Councels. S. Bernard in the life of Malachie in fine. ^[2] This holy oil because the faithful saw to have such virtue in the primitive Church, diverse carried it home and occupied it in their infirmities, not using it in the Sacramental sort which the Apostle prescribeth, as the Adversaries unlearnedly object unto us; but as Christians now do (and then also did) concerning the water of Baptism, which they used to take home with them after it was hallowed, and to give it their diseased to drink.

• 1 Holy oil blessed by the Bishop.
• 2 The people's devotion toward such hallowed creatures.

The prayer of faith.

^◦ He meaneth the form of the Sacrament, that is, the words spoken at the same time when the party is anoiled, which no doubt are most ancient and Apostolic. Not that the word or prayer alone should have that great effect here mentioned, but joined with the foresaid unction, as is plain.

• ◦ The Sacramental words.

Shall save.

^◦ The first effect of this Sacrament is, to save the soul, by giving grace and comfort to withstand the terrors and tentations of the enemy, going about (specially in that extremity of death) to drive men to desperation or distress of mind and other damnable inconveniences. the which effect is signified in the matter of this Sacrament specially.

• ◦ The three effects of this Sacrament.

Shall lift him up.

When it shall be good for the salvation of the party, or agreeable to God's honour, this Sacrament restoreth also a man to bodily health again, as experience often teacheth us. Which yet is not done by way of miracle, to make the party suddenly whole, but by God's ordinary providence and use of second causes, which otherwise should not have had that effect, but for the said Sacrament. This is the second effect.

They shall be remitted him.

What sins soever remain unremitted, they shall in this Sacrament and by the grace thereof be remitted, if the persons worthily receive it. This is the third effect. S. Chrysostom of this effect saith thus: They (speaking of Priests) do not only remit sins in baptism, but afterward also, according to the saying of S. James, If any be sick, let him bring in the Priests &c. Li. 3 de Sacerd. prope initium. ^[1] Let the Protestants mark that he calleth Presbyteros, sacerdotes: that is, Priests, and maketh them the only ministers of this Sacrament, and not elders or other lay men. By all which you see this Sacrament of all other to be marvelous plainly set forth by the Apostle. Only sick men and (as ^[2] the Greek word giveth) men very weak must receive it: only Priests must be the ministers of it: the matter of it is holy oil: the form is prayer, in such sort as we see now used: the effects be as is aforesaid. Yet this so plain a matter and so profitable a Sacrament, the enemy by Heretics would wholly abolish.

• 1 Priests (and not Elders) are the Ministers of this Sacrament.
• 2 * ἀσθενεῖτις.

Confess therefore.

It is not certain that he speaketh here of sacramental Confession: yet the circumstance of the letter well beareth it, and very probable it is that he meaneth of it: and Origen doth so expound it ho. 2. in Levit. & Venerable Bede writeth thus, In this sentence (saith he ^[1] ) there must be this discretion, that our daily and little sins we ^[2] confess one to another, unto our equals, and believe to be saved by their daily prayer, but the uncleanness of the greater leprosy let us according to the law open to the Priest, and at his pleasure in what manner and how long time he shall command, let us be careful to be purified. But the Protestants fleeing from the very word confession in despite of the Sacrament, translate thus, Acknowledge your faults one to another. They do not well like to have in one sentence, Priests, praying over the sick, anoiling them, forgiving them their sins, confession, and the like.

• 1 In hunc locum.
• 2 Confession.

He prayed.

^◦ The Scriptures to which the Apostle alludeth, make no mention of Elias' prayer. Therefore he knew it by tradition or revelation. Whereby we see that many things unwritten be of equal truth with the things written.

• ◦ Truths unwritten and known by tradition.

Maketh to be converted.

^◦ Here we see the great reward of such as seek to convert Heretics or other sinners from error and wickedness: and how necessary an office it is, specially for a Priest.

• ◦ Converting of souls.

Shall save.

^◦ We see. it derogateth not from God, to attribute our salvation to any man or Angel in heaven or earth, as to the workers thereof under God, by their prayers, preaching, correction, counsel, or otherwise. Yet the Heretics are so foolish and captious in this kind, that they cannot hear patiently, that our B. Lady or others should be counted means or workers of our salvation.

• ◦ Our salvation attributed to men, without derogation to Christ.