Matthew — Chapter 6

1. Iustice.) Good workes iustice. Hereby it is plaine that good workes be iustice, and that man doing them doth iustice, and is thereby iust & iustified, & not be faith only. Al which iustice of a Christian man, our Sauiour here compriseth in these three workes, in Almes, fasting, and prayers. Aug. li. perf. iust. c. 8. So that to giue almes, is to do iustice, and the workes of mercie are iustice. Aug. in Psal. 49 v. 5.

4. Repay.] Merites. This repaying and rewarding of good workes in heauen, often mentioned here by our Sauiour, declareth that the sayd workes are meritorious, and that we may do them in respect of that reward.

5. Hypocrites.) Hypocrisie. Hypocrisie is forbidden in al these three workes of iustice, and not the doing of them openly to the glorie of God, and the profite of our neighbour, & our owne saluation: for Christ before (c. 5.) biddeth, saying: Let your light so shine before men &c. And in al such workes S. Gregories rule is to be followed, The worke so to be in publike, that the intention remayne in secrete. Ho. 11. in Evang. c. 10.

7. Much speaking.) Long prayer is not forbid, for Christ *himself himself spent whole nights in prayer; and he sayth, **we must pray alwayes; and ***the Apostle exhorteth to pray without intermission; and the holy Church ****from the beginning hath had her Canonical houres of prayer: but idle and voluntary babling, either of the Heathens to their gods, or of Heretikes, that by long Rhetorical prayers thinke to persuade God: wheras the Collects of the Church are most breefe & most effectual. See S. Augustine ep. 121, c. 8 9 10. *Luke 6,12. **Luke 18,1. 21,36. ***1 Thes. 5,17. ****Cypr. de orat. Do. in fine.

11. supersubstiantial bread.) τὸν ἐπιούσιον. The B. Sacrament. By this bread so called here according to the Latin word & the Greeke, we aske not only al necessarie sustenance for the bodie, but much more al spiritual food, namely the blessed Sacrament itself, which is Christ the true bread that came from Heauen, & the bread of life to vs that eate his bodie. Cypr. de orat. Do. Aug. ep. 121 c. 11. And therfore it is called here Supersubstantial, that is, the bread that passeth and excelleth al creatures. Hiero. in. 2. Tit. In 6 Mat. Amb. li. 5 de Sacr. c. 4. Aug. ser. 18 de Verb. Do. sec. Mat. S. Germanus in Theoria.

12. Debts.) Venial sinnes. These debts do signifie not only mortal sinnes, but also venial, as S. Augustine often teacheth: and therfore euery man, be he neuer so iust, yet because he can not liue without venial sinnes, may very truly and ought to say this prayer. Aug. cont. duas. ep. Pelag. li. 1 c. 14 li. 21 de Civit. c. 27.

13. Leade vs not.) God is not authour of euil. S. Cypr. readeth, *Ne patiaris nos induci. Suffer vs not to be led, as S. Augustine noteth li. de bo. persev. c. 6 and so the holy Church vnderstandeth it, because God (**as S. Iames sayth) tempteth no man: though for our sinnes, or for our probation and crowne, he permit vs to be tempted. Beware then of Beza’s exposition vpon this place, who (according to the Caluinists opinion) saith, that God leadeth them into tentation, into whom himself bringeth in Satan for to fil their harts: so making God the authour of sinne. *In Expos. orat. Do. **Iames. 1.

14. If you forgiue.) This poynt, of forgiuing our Brother, when we aske forgiuenes of God, our Sauiour repeateth agayne, as a thing much to be considered: and therfore commended in the parable also of the seruant that would not forgiue his felow seruant, Mat. 18.

16. Fast.) Publike fast. He forbiddeth not open and publike fasts, which in the *Scriptures were commanded and proclamed to the people of God; and the Niniuites by such fasting appeased Gods wrath: but to fast for vaine glorie and praise of men, and to be desirous by the very face and look to be taken for a faster, that is forbidden, & that is hypocrisie. *Iud. 20,26. 2 Esd. 9. Ioel 2,15. Ion. 3.

20. Treasures in Heauen.) Meritorious workes. Treasures layd vp in Heauen, must needs signifie, not faith only, but plentiful almes, and deeds of mercie and other good workes, which God keeping, as in a booke, wil reward them accordingly: as of the contrarie the Apostle saith: He that soweth sparingly, shal reape sparingly. 2 Cor. 9.

24. Two Masters.) Meritorious workes. Two religions, God and Baal, Christ and Caluin, Masse and Communion, the Catholike Church and Heretical Conuenticles. Let them marke this lesson of our Sauiour, that thinke they may serue al masters, al times, al religions. Agayne, these two masters do signifie, God and the world, the flesh and the spirit, iustice and sinne.

25. Careful.) Prudent provision is not prohibited, but too much doubtfulnes and feare of Gods prouision for vs: to whom we ought with patience to commit the rest, when we haue done sufficiently for our part.