Matthew — Chapter 15

8. With their lips.) This is to be vnderstood properly of such as haue euer God in their mouth, the Word of our Lord, the Scriptures, the Ghospel, but in their hart and al their life be in deed Godles. It may be applied also to such as say their prayers without attention or eleuation of mind to God, whether he vnderstand the prayers or no, that saith them. For many a poore Christian man that vnderstandeth not the wordes he speaketh, hath his hart neerer Heauen, more feruor & deuotion, more edification to himself, more profit in spirit (*as the Apostle speaketh) & lesse distractions, then not only al Heretikes which haue no true feeling of such things, but then many learned Catholikes. And therefore it is not to be vnderstood of praying in vnknown tongues, as Heretikes sometime expound it, farre wide from the circumstance of the place and Christes intention, speaking of the hypocritical Iewes. 1 Cor. 14.

9. Commandements of men.) The difference between the Iewish traditions here reprehended, and the Churches Apostolical traditions. Such only are here called traditions, doctrines, or commandements of men, which be either repugnant to Gods lawes, as this of defrauding their parents vnder pretense of religion: or which at the lest be friuolous, unprofitable, and impertinent to pietie or true worship, as that other sort of so often washing hands, and vessels, without regard of inward puritie of hart and mind. Let no man therefore be abused with the Protestants peruerse application of this place against the holy lawes, canons, and precepts of the Church and our spiritual Gouernours, concerning fastes, festiuities, and other rules of discipline, and due order in life, and in the seruice of God. For such are not repugnant but consonant to Gods Word & al pietie, & our Lord is truly honoured, worshiped, and serued both by the making and also by the obseruing of them. *S. Paul gaue commandement both by his epistles, and by word of mouth, euen in such matters wherin Christ had prescribed nothing at al, & he chargeth the Faithful to obserue the same. **The Apostles & Priests at Hierusalem made lawes, and the Christians were bound to obey them. a The keeping of Sunday in steed of the Sabboth is the tradition of the Apostles: and dare the Heretikes deny the due obseruation therof to be an acceptable worship of God? They prescribed the Feastes of Easter, and whitsontide, and other Solemnities of Christ, and his Saints, which the Protestants them selves obserue. c They appointed the Lent & Imber fastes and other, as wel to chastise the concupiscence of man, as to serue and please God therby, as is plaine in the fasting of ***Anna, Tobie, Iudith, Esther; who serued and pleased God therby. Therefore neither these nor other such Apostolike Ordinances, nor any precepts of the holy Church, or of our lawful Pastours, are implied in these Pharisaical traditions here reprehended; nor to be counted or called the doctrines and commandements of men, because they are not made by mere humane power, but by Christes warrant and authoritie, and by such as he hath placed to rule his Church, of whom he saith: ****He that heareth you, heareth me: he that dispiseth you, despiseth me. They are made by the Holy Ghost, ioyning with our Pastours in the regiment of the Faithful. They are made by our Mother the Church, which whosoever obeieth not, *****we are warned to take him as an Heathen. But on the other side, al lawes, doctrines, seruices , and iniunctions of Heretikes, how soeuer pretended to be consonant to the Scriptures, be commandements of men: because both the things by them prescribed are impious, and the Authours haue neither sending nor commission from God. b *2 Thes. 2, 15. 1 Cor. 11. **Act. 15. a Aug. Ser. de temp. See 1 Cor. 16,2. b Epiph. hær. 75. c Hiero. ep. 54 ad Marcel. contra Mont. ***Lu. 2,37. Tob. 12. Jud. c. 8. Est. 4. ****Luke 10,16. *****Mat. 18,17.

11. Not that which entereth.) Difference of meates. The Catholikes doe not abstaine from certaine meates, for that they esteeme any meate vncleane, either by creation, or by Iudaical obseruation: they abstaine for chasticement of their concupiscences. Aug. li. de. mor. Ec. Cath. c. 33.

18. Defile a man.) Catholike abstinence. It is sinne only, which properly defileth man, and meates of them selues or of their owne nature doe not defile, but so farre as by accident they make a man to sinne, as the disobedience of Gods commandement, or of our Superiours, who forbid some meates for certaine times, and causes, is a sinne. As the apple which our first parents did eate of, though of itself it did not defile them, yet being eaten against the precept, it did defile. So neither flesh nor fish of itself doth defile, but the breach of the Churches precept defileth.