Luke — Chapter 17
These annotations are from the original 1582 Rheims New Testament, produced by English scholars in exile at the English College of Rheims. The archaic spelling is preserved.
This content was digitized from the original 1609 Douay (Old Testament) and 1582 Rheims (New Testament) print editions by OCR. The OCR process sometimes confused print page numbers with verse numbers, and may have assigned annotations to the wrong chapter. Chapter and verse labels on this page reflect the OCR output from the original print pagination and may not correspond to canonical Scripture chapter/verse numbers. For canonical reference, consult a standard Douay-Rheims edition. The annotation texts themselves are authentic 1609/1582 Douay-Rheims content.
Verse 10
10. Vnprofitable seruants.) How we are vnprofitable and profitable seruants. If our Sauiour had said that the keeping of Gods commandements had bene vnprofitable and not auailable to our selues, then might the Protestant haue truly argued thereby that our workes deserue not Heauen or any reward at Gods hand: but so he said not, but that our seruice is to God vnprofitable, who calleth for it as duty, and not as a thing needful or profitable to himself. And though here our Maister teach vs so humbly to conceiue of our owne doings toward him, yet him self elswhere calleth not his seruants vnprofitable when they haue done their labour, but speaketh thus, *Good and faithful seruant, because thou wast faithful in a litle, I wil place thee ouer much: enter into the ioy of thy Lord. Yea of such as serue him in the grace of the new Testament, he affirmeth that he wil not now **name them seruants but freinds, yea and take them for his owne children, and as his freinds and sonnes he counteth of vs and our workes towards heauen, though we in humilitie and truth must confesse alwayes that we be to him vnprofitable seruants. Yea and S. Paul saith plainly, that by cleansing ourselues from sinful workes we shal be profitable vessels to our lord. 2 Tim. 2,21. *Mat. 25,21. **Iohn 14,15.
Verse 14
14. To the Priests.) Confession to the Priest. This leprosie signifieth sinne, which though God may and can heale without any mans meanes, yet he doth it not ordinarily but by the Priests ministerie: therfore let no man despise Gods ordinance, nor say that it is enough to confesse to God though he neuer come at the Priest. Li. de visit. infirm. apud August.