Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsMatthew 13

One an hundred.

^◦ This difference of fruits is the difference of merits in this life, and rewards for them in the next life, according to the diversities of states, or other differences. Of states, as that the hundred-fold agreeth to virgins professed, threescore-fold to religious widows, thirty-fold to the married. Aug. li. de Virginit. c. 44. & seq. which truth the old Heretic Jovinian denied (as ours do at this day) affirming that there is no difference of merits or rewards. Hiero. li. 2. adv. Iovin. Ambros. ep. 82. Aug. hær. 82.

• ◦ Difference of merits and rewards.

To you it is given.

To the Apostles and such as have the guiding and teaching of others, deeper knowledge of God's word and mysteries is given, than to the common people. As also to Christians generally, that which was not given to the obstinate Jews.

They have shut.

In saying that they shut their own eyes, which S. Paul also repeateth Act. 28. he teacheth us the true understanding of all other places, where it might seem by the bare words that God is the very author and worker of this induration, and blindness, and of other sins: ^{[1] [2]} which was an old condemned blasphemy, and is now the Heresy of ^[3] Calvin: whereas our Saviour here teacheth us, that they shut their own eyes, and are the cause of their own sin and damnation, God not doing, but permitting it, and suffering them to fall further because of their former sins, as S. Paul declareth of the reprobate Gentiles. Ro. 1.

• 1 God is not the author of evil.
• 2 Iren. apud Euseb. li. 5. c. 19.
• 3 Calv. li. 2. Instit. c. 4.

Oversowed.

First by Christ and his Apostles was planted the truth, and falsehood came afterward, and was oversown by the enemy the Devil, and not by Christ, who is not the author of evil. Tertul. de præscript.

Lest perhaps you pluck up also.

The good must tolerate the evil, when it is so strong that it cannot be redressed without danger and disturbance of the whole Church, and commit the matter to God's judgement in the later day. Otherwise where ill men (be they Heretics or other malefactors) may be punished or suppressed without disturbance and hazard of the good, they may and ought by public authority either Spiritual or temporal to be chastised or executed.

Suffer both to grow.

^◦ The good and bad (we see here) are mingled together in the Church. Which maketh against certain Heretics and Schismatics, which severed themselves of old from the rest of the whole world, under pretence that themselves only were pure, and all others both Priests and people sinners: and against some Heretics of this time also, which say that evil men are not of, or in the Church.

• ◦ Good and evil in the Church.

The least of all seeds.

The Church of Christ had a small beginning, but afterward became the most glorious and known common-wealth in earth: the greatest powers and the most wise of the world putting themselves into the same.

Carpenter's son.

Hereupon Iulian the Apostata and his flatterer Libanius took their scoff against our Saviour, saying (at his going against the Persians) to the Christians, what doeth the Carpenter's son now? And threatening that after his return, the Carpenter's son should not be able to save them from his fury. Whereunto a godly man answered by the Spirit of Prophecy, He whom Iulian calleth the Carpenter's son, is making a wooden coffin for him against his death. And indeed not long after, there came news that in that battail he died miserably. Sozo. li. 6. c. 2. Theodo. li. 3. c. 18. The very like scoff use Heretics that call the body of Christ in the B. Sacrament, baker's bread. It seemeth indeed to the senses to be so, as Christ seemed to be Joseph's natural son, but faith telleth us the contrary as well in the one as in the other.