The Nevv Testament of Iesus Christ, translated faithfully into English, out of the authentical Latin, according to the best corrected copies of the same, diligently conferred vvith the Greeke and other editions in diuers languages; vvith arguments of bookes and chapters, annotations, and other necessarie helpes, for the better vnderstanding of the text, and specially for the discouerie of the corruptions of diuers late translations, and for cleering the controversies in religion, of these daies: in the English College of Rhemes

CHAP. III.

He desireth their praiers, 4 and inculcateth his precepts and traditions, namely of vvorking quietly for their ovvne liuing, commaunding to excommunicate the disobedient.

[verse 1] FOR the rest, brethren, pray for vs, that the vvord of God may haue course and be glorified,* 1.1 as also vvith you:* 1.2 ✝ [rightJustify 2] and that vve may be deliuered from impor∣tunate and naughtie men.* 1.3 for al men haue not faith. ✝ [rightJustify 3] But our Lord is faith∣ful, vvho vvil confirme and keepe you from euil. ✝ [rightJustify 4] And vve haue confidence of you in our Lord, that the things vvhich vve commaund, both you doe, and vvil doe. ✝ [rightJustify 5] And our Lord direct your hartes in the charitie of God, and patience of Christ.

✝ [rightJustify 6] And vve denounce vnto you, brethren, in the name of our Lord IESVS Christ, that you vvithdravv your selues frō euery brother vvalking inordinarly, and not according to the c 1.4 traditiō vvhich they haue receiued of vs. ✝ [rightJustify 7] For your selues knovv hovv you ought to imitate vs: for vve haue not been

vnquiet among you:* 1.5 ✝ [leftJustify 8] * neither haue vve eaten bread of any man gratis,* 1.6 but in labour & in toile night and day vvor∣king, * 1.7 lest vve should burden any of you. ✝ [leftJustify 9] * Not as though vve had not authoritie:* 1.8 but that vve might giue our selues a paterne vnto you for to imitate vs. ✝ [leftJustify 10] For also vvhen vve vvere vvith you, this vve denounced to you, that if any vvil not vvorke, •• neither let him eate. ✝ [leftJustify 11] For vve haue heard of certaine amōg you that vvalke vnquietly, vvorking nothing, but curiously meddling. ✝ [leftJustify 12] And to them that be such vve denounce, & beseeche them in our Lord IESVS Christ, that vvorking vvith silence, they eate their ovvne bread.

✝ [leftJustify 13] But you brethren * fainte not vvel-doing.* 1.9 ✝ [leftJustify 14] And if any •• obey not our vvord, •• note him by an epistle: ✝ [leftJustify 15] and do not companie vvith him, that he may be confounded: and do not esteeme him as an enemie, but admonish him as a brother. ✝ [leftJustify 16] And the Lord of peace him self giue you euerla∣sting peace in euery place. Our Lord be vvith you al. ✝ [leftJustify 17] The saluation, vvith mine ovvne hand, Paules: vvhich is a signe in euery epistle. so I vvrite. ✝ [leftJustify 18] The grace of our Lord IESVS Christ be vvith you al. Amen.

ANNOTATIONS CHAP. III.

10. Neither let them eate.] It is not a general precept or rule, that euery man should liue by this handvvorke,* 1.10 as the Anabaptistes argue falsely against Gentlemen, and the Cal∣uinistes applie it peruersely against the vacant life of the Clergie, specially of Monkes and other Religious men. But it is a natural admonitiō onely, giuen to such as had not vvhere∣vvith to liue of their ovvne, or any right or good cause vvhy to chalenge their finding of others, and to such as vnder the colour of Christian libertie did passe their time idly, cu∣riously, vnprofitably, and scandalously, refusing to do such vvorkes as vvere agreable to their former calling and bringing vp. Such as these, vvere not tolerable, specially there and then, vvhen the Apostle and others (that might lavvfully haue liued of the altar and their preaching) yet to disburden their hearers, and for the better aduancement of the Gospel,* 1.11 vvrought for their liuing: * protesting neuertheles continually, that they might haue done othervvise, as vvel as S. Peter and the rest did, vvho vvrought not, but vvere found othervvise iustly and lavvfully, as al sortes of the Clergie preaching or seruing the Church and the alter, be and ought to be,* 1.12* 1.13 by the lavv of God and nature. Vvhose spiri∣tual labours far passe al bodily trauailes, where the dueties and functions of that voca∣tion be done accordingly: as S. Augustine affirmeth of his ovvne extraordinarie paines incident to the Ecclesiastical affaires and regiment: in steede of vvhich, if the vse of the Church and his infirmitie vvould haue permitted it,* 1.14 he vvisheth he might haue laboured vvith his handes some houres of the day. as some of the Clergie did euer voluntarily occupie them selues in teaching, vvriting, grauing, painting, planting, sovving, embro∣dering, or such like seemely and innocent labours. See S. Hierom ep. 114 seu praef. in Iob. and in vit. Hilario.

And Monkes for the most part in the primitiue Church (fevv of them being Priests, and many taken from seruile vvorkes and handicraftes, yea often times professed of bond∣men, made free by their maisters to enter into religiō) vvere appointed by their Superiors to vvorke certaine houres of the day, to supply the lackes of their Monasteries: as yet the

Religious do (vvomen specially) in many places, vvhich standeth vvell vvith their profes∣sion. And S. Augustine vvriteth a vvhole booke (de opera Monachorum to. 3.) against the er∣rour of certaine disordered Monkes that abused these vvordes, (Nolite esse soliciti, he not careful &c. and Respicite v••latilia cali, behold the foules of the aire &c.) to proue that they should not labour at al, but pray only and commit their finding to God: not only so excusing their idlenes, but preferring them selues in holines aboue other their fellowes that did worke,* 1.15 and erroneously expounding the said Scriptures for their defence: as they did other Scriptures, to proue they should not be shauen after the maner of Monkes. Vvhich letting their heads to grow he much blameth also in them, See li. 2. Retract. c. 21. & •• op. Monach. c. 31. and S. Hieromes. ep. 48. c. 3. of Nonnes cutting their heare.

Vvhere by the vvay you see that the Religious vvere shauen euen in S. Augustines time, vvho reprocheth them for their heare, calling them Crinitos, Hearelings, as the Here∣tikes novv contrarievvise deride them by the vvord Rasos, Shauelings. So that there is a great difference betvvene the auncient Fathers and the nevv Protestant. And as for hand la∣bours, as S. Augustine in the booke alleaged, would not haue Religious folke to refuse them, vvhere necessitie, bodily strength, and the order of the Church or Monasterie permit or require them:* 1.16 so he expresly vvriteth, that al can not nor are not bound to vvorke, and that vvho so euer preacheth or ministreth the Sacraments to the people or serueth the altar (as al Religious men commonly now do) may chalenge their liuing of them vvhom they serue,* 1.17 and are not bound to vvorke, * no nor such neither as haue been brought vp before in state of Gentlemen, and haue giuen avvay their lands or goods, and made them selues poore for Christes sake. Vvhich is to be noted, because the Heretikes affirme the said Scripture and S. Augustine to condemne al such for idle persons.

14. Obey not.]* 1.18 Our Pastors must be obied, and not onely secular Princes, and such as vvill not be obedient to their spiritual gouernours, the Apostle (as S. Augustine saith) giueth order and commaundement that they be corrected by correption or admonition, By degradation, excommunication, and other lavvful kindes of punishments. Cont. Donatist. post collat. c. 4. 20. Read also this holy fathers answer to such as said, Let our Prelates commaund vs onely vvhat vve ought to do, and pray for vs that vve may do it: but let them not correct vs. Vvhere he proueth that Prelates must not onely commaund and pray, but punish also if that be not done vvhich is commaunded. Li. de correp. & grat. c. 3.

14. Note him.]* 1.19 Disobedient person to be excommunicated, and the excommunicated to be separated from the companie of other Christians, and the faithful not to keepe any companie or haue conuersation vvith excommunicated person, neither to be partaker vvith them in the fault for vvhich they are excommunicated, nor in any other act of reli∣gion or office of life, except cases or mere necessitie and other prescribed and permitted by the law: al this is here insinuated, and that al the Churches censures be grounded in Scriptures and the examples of the Apostles.

Notes

• * 1.1

  •• Here also 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as is noted before 2 Thess. 2. 15.) the aduersaries in their transla∣tiōs auoid the vvord, Tradi∣tion, being plaine in the Greeke, lest them selues might seeme to be noted as men vvalking inordinately, and not accor∣ding to Apo∣stolical Tra∣dition, as al Schismatikes, Heretikes, and rebels to Gods Church doe.
• * 1.2

  Ep. 6, 18.
• * 1.3

  Col. 4, 3.
• c 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• * 1.5

  Act. 20.
• * 1.6

  1. Cor. 4.
• * 1.7

  1. Th. 2.
• * 1.8

  1. Cor. 9, 6.
• * 1.9

  Gal. 6, 9.
• * 1.10

  The heretikes cauillation against Reli∣gious mē that vvorke not, ansvvered.
• * 1.11

  1 Cor. 9.
• * 1.12

  The spiritual trauailes of the Clergie.
• * 1.13

  See S. Cypr. ep. 66.
• * 1.14

  Religious mē working with their handes.
• * 1.15

  Monkes were shauen in the primitiue Church, and Nonnes clip∣ped of their heare.
• * 1.16

  S. Augustines opinion con∣cerning Reli∣gious mens working or not working.
• * 1.17

  li. de ••p Monach. c. 21.
• * 1.18

  Ecclesiastical censures a∣gainst the dis∣obedient.
• * 1.19

  Not to com∣municate with excōmunicate persons but in certaine cases.