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ANNOTATIONS C. XVII

2. Transfigured.) Mark in this Transfiguration many marvelous points: as, that he made not only his owne body, which then was mortal, but also the bodies of Moyses & Elias, the one dead, the other to die, for the time as it were immortal; therby to represent the state and glorie of his body and his Saints in Heaven. By which marvelous transfiguring of his body, you may the lesse marvel that he can exhibit his body under the forme of bread and wine, or otherwise as he list.

3. Appeared Moyses.) By this that Moyses personally appeared and was present with Christ, it is plaine that the Saints departed may in Person be present at the affaires of the living. August. de cura pro mort. c. 15. 16. For even as Angels els where, so here the Saints also served our Saviour; and therfore as Angels both in the old Testament & the new, were present often at the affaires of men, so may Saints.

9. Mount.) This mount (commonly esteemed and named of the ancient Fathers Thabor) S. Peter calleth the holy Mount because of this wonderful vision, like as in the old Testament, where God appeared to Moyses in the bush, and els where to others, he calleth the place of such Apparitions, holy ground. Wherby it is evident that by such Apparitions, places are sanctified, and therupon groweth a religion and devotion in the Faithful toward such places, and namely to this Mount Thabor (called in S. Hierom ''Itabirium Ep. 17.) there was great Pilgrimage in the Primitive Church, as unto al those places which our Saviour had sanctified with his presence and miracles: and therfore to the whole land of promise, for that cause called the holy Land. See S. Hiero. in Epitap. Paulæ. & ep. 17. & 18 ad Mercellam''.

11. Elias shal come.) He distinguisheth here plainly between Elias in Person, who is yet to come before the judgement; and Elias in name, to wit, John the Baptist, who is come already in the spirit and vertue of Elias. So that it is not John Baptist only, nor principally of whom Malachie prophecieth (as our Adversaries say) but Elias also himself in Person.

19. Why could not we.) No marvel if the Exorcists of the Catholike Church which have power to cast out Divels, yet doe it not alwayes when they wil, and many times with much adoe; wheras the Apostles having receaved this power * before over uncleane Spirits, yet here cannot cast them out. But as for Heretikes, they can never doe it, nor any other true miracle, to confirme their false faith.

20. Faith as mustard seed.) This is the Catholike faith, by which only al miracles are wrought: yet not of every one that hath the Catholike faith, but of such as have a great and forcible faith, and withal the gift of miracles. These are able, as here we see by Christes warrant, not only to doe other wonderful miracles here signified by this one, but also this very same, that is, to move mountaines indeed, as S. Paul also presupposeth, and S. Hierom affirmeth, and Ecclesiastical histories namely telleth of Gregorius Neocæsariensis, that he moved a mountaine to make roome for the foundation of a Church; called therfore, and for other his wonderful miracles, Thaumaturgus. And yet faithlesse Heretikes laugh at al such things and beleeve them not.

21. Prayer and fasting.) The force of fasting and praying; whereby also we may see that the holy Church in Exorcismes doth according to the Scriptures, when she useth beside the name of JESUS, many prayers, and much fasting, to drive out Divels, because these also are here required beside faith.

26. The Children free.) Though Christ to avoid scandal, payed tribute, yet indeed he sheweth that both him self ought to be free from such payments (as being the Kings Sonne, as wel by his eternal birth of God the Father, as temporal of David) and also his Apostles, as being of his familie, and in them their successours the whole Clergie, who are called in Scripture the lot and portion of our Lord. Which exemption and privilege being grounded upon the very law of nature itself, and therfore practised even among the Heathen (Gen. 42, 27.) good Christian Princes have confirmed and ratified by their lawes, in the honour of Christ, whose ministers they are, and as it were the Kings Sonnes, as S. Hierom declareth plainly in these words: We for his honour pay not tributes, Rh