10. And he comes back again,
and in all ways, over and over again, enforceth what he hath the
right to do, yet doeth not. “Do ye not know,” saith he, “that
they which work in the temple, eat of the things which are in the
temple? they which serve the altar, have their share with the
altar? So hath the Lord ordained for them which preach the Gospel,
to live of the Gospel. But I have used none of these things.”2500
What more
open than this? what more clear? I
fear lest haply, while I
discourse wishing to
expound this, that become obscure which in
itself is bright and clear. For they who understand not these
words, or
feign not to understand, do much less understand mine, or
profess to understand: unless perchance they do therefore quickly
understand ours, because it is allowed them to
deride them being
understood; but concerning the
Apostle’s words this same is not
allowed. For this reason, where they cannot
interpret them
otherwise according to their own sentence, be it ever so clear and
manifest, they answer that it is obscure and uncertain because
wrong and
perverse they
dare not call it.
Cries the man of
God,
“The
Lord hath
ordained for them which
preach the
Gospel, of this
Gospel to
live; but I have used none of these things;” and
flesh
and
blood essayeth to make
crooked what is straight; what open, to
shut; what serene, to
cloud over. “It was,” saith it,
“
spiritual work that he was doing, and thereof did he
live.” If
it be so, of the
Gospel did he
live: why then doth he say, “The
Lord hath
ordained for them which
preach the
Gospel, of the
Gospel
to
live; but I have used none of these things?” Or if this very
word, “to
live” which is here used, they will needs also
interpret in respect of
spiritual life, then had the
Apostle no
hope towards
God, in that he did not
live by the
Gospel, because he
hath said, “I have used none of these things.” Wherefore, that
he should have certain
hope of
life eternal the
Apostle did of the
Gospel in any
wise spiritually
live. What therefore he saith,
“But I have used none of these things,” doth without doubt make
to be understood of this
life which is in the
flesh, that which he
hath said of the
Lord’s ordaining to them which
preach the
Gospel, that of the
Gospel they should
live; that is, this
life
which hath need of
food and
clothing, they by the
Gospel shall
sustain; as above he said of his fellow-
apostles; of whom the
Lord
Himself saith, “The workman is worthy of his
meat;” and, “The
workman is worthy of his
hire.” This
meat, then, and this
hire of
the sustenance of this life, due to evangelists, this of them to
whom he evangelized the Apostle accepted not, saying a true thing,
“I have used none of these things.”
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
