Seventh Sunday After Pentecost The Gospel Mat. 7.v.15 Friday Meditation: A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634

ANGELICO, Fra 

Crucifixion with the Virgin, John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdelene 

1419-20

GOSPEL Matthew 7:15-21 

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not every one that saith to Me: Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven 

Friday Meditation 

Our Saviour Christ doth not without cause compare Heresy, to thorns, saying: Do men gather grapes of thorns prick non bu those that come at them, and handle them: but Heresy will creep to us from foreign Countries we know not how, as the heresy of Luther out of Germany, of Calvin out of France,together with the vices & sins attending upon them, as drunkenness, riotousness, liberty from the yoke of obedience to the Churches laws, especially such as belong to penance and strictness of life,as keeping of the lent & the like,wherewith many Catholic are much infected: and as the heretics of other countries are busy,craftily to convey their heresies into our country, so are our no less industrious to disseminate and disperse it.

Wherein we may note likewise their industry, fury, and vehemency,which they falsely call Zeal,wherewith they do it, more commonly then Catholics do, to plant and propagate the Catholic Religion, that as Christ observed and told his disciples of worldings which he called , the children of this world, that they were more prudent in their kind then the children of God: