Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsLuke 14

Compel them.

^[1] The vehement persuasion that God useth both externally by force of his word and miracles, and internally by his grace, to bring us unto him, is called compelling: not that he forceth any to come to him against their own wills, but that he can alter and mollify an hard heart, and make him willing that before would not. S. Augustine ^[2] also referreth this compelling to the penal laws which Catholic Princes do justly use against Heretics and Schismatics, proving that they who are by their former profession in Baptism subject to the Catholic Church, and are departed from the same after Sects, may and ought to be compelled ^[3] into the unity and society of the universal Church again. And therefore in this sense, by the two former parts of the parable, the Jews first, and secondly the Gentiles, that never believed before in Christ, were invited by fair sweet means only: but by the third, such are invited as the Church of God hath power over, because they promised in baptism, and therefore are to be revoked not only by gentle means, but by just punishment also.

• 1 Free-will.
• 2 ep. 50. paulo post princip. & ep. 204. & li. 1. cont. ep. Gaudent. c. 25.
• 3 Heretics may by penal laws be compelled to the Catholic faith.