5th Sunday After Epiphany The Gospel Matt.13:24-30. Wednesday Meditation


GOSPEL Matt. 13:24-30 
At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming said to him. 'Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it cockle?' And he said to them: 'An enemy hath done this.' And the servants said to him: 'Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?' And he said: 'No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: 'Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.' "

WEDNESDAY MEDITATION

The field, where in this good seed is soon, is (as Christ expoundeth it here) the world; and the good seed, the children of the Kingdom; who are not only good seed themselves, but being mortified, and buried in the world; being in the world but not of the world; do bring forth, and make by their instruction, and good example of life, other children of the Kingdom of God, like themselves: not only of their own children, but of others, and they of others, and so successively, till the end of the world. These be good seed or children of the Kingdom of of God, for whose sake God doth tolerate the evil, who are her called cockle: whom otherwise, he would destroy as he once did the whole world with a general flood, except just Noe, and his small family, which were the good seed, & children of the Kingdom of God: Sodom & Gomorrah with fire from heaven, saving just Lot, and his small company, who were likewise the good seed: and so likewise he doth now tolerate the Cockle, to wit, the evil, for two causes: one for the just, to make themselves more just by diverse occasions of patience, or praying for them, being sorry for them, helping them to be good seed, in what they can; another is to expect their amendment, and to see if that good see, which is in them (as no man is so bad, but there is some good in him) may in time grow up, and overcome the bad; so good is almighty God, the sower of good seed; that he desireth nothing more, then that his good seed grow up, and prevail above the Cockle: and he expecteth it, a long time, even unto the time of harvest, that is to say, even to the time of a mans last end.

And because (as I said before in the meditation for Monday) these explications do not digress from the doctrine of the Catholic Church. And tend to piety, and edification: So may I expound the good seed, also diverse ways, though Christ expound it but one, as aforesaid, and in particular to be grace, and the seedman that soweth it, to be God.

This seed of grace, if we receive it before any merit or desert of ours, as before baptism. Or after we are fallen into mortal sin, is called Gods preventing grace: if afterwards, we cooperate with this preventing grace, out of our own free will, it is by the help of a second grace he addeth there unto, called his concomitant or concurring grace; yea our freewill, or any good natural gift whereby, together with this supernatural grace, as by an instrument we work our salvation, may be the good seed here meant, in the gospel: so that God is the seedman of all goodness in us, that helpeth towards acquiring, and getting of the Kingdom of heaven; it is God (as Saint Paul saith) that worketh in us, both to will, and to do that which is good, and this he doeth for us so willingly, and lovingly, that he calleth himself here in that respect , the son of man, that is, to say, one that is ours, and at our service, in sowing his good seed in our souls; as if he were our own son, which is more then to be our Servant: because a son will serve his parents with more love, fidelity, and diligence then a servant.

If God serveth us as if he were the son of man: shall not we serve him as if we were the sons of God? especially considering the service we do him, is not for him in deed (he having no need of our service) but for ourselves, yet will he reward it as if we did it for him, not with the reward of servants, but of sons, making us heirs of his heavenly kingdom.

A Plaine Path-way To Heaven Thomas Hill 1634 


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