16. For he himself also, with
an eye to the like necessities of saints, who, although they obey
his precepts, “that with silence they work and eat their own
bread,” may yet from many causes stand in need of somewhat by way
of supplement to the like sustenance, therefore, after he had thus
said, teaching and premonishing, “Now them which are such we
command and beseech in our Lord Jesus Christ, that with silence
they work and eat their own bread;”2521
yet, lest they which had whereof
they might supply the needs of the
servants of
God, should hence
take occasion to
wax lazy,
providing against this he hath
straightway added, “But ye,
brethren, become not
weak in showing
beneficence.”
2522
| 2522 Infirmari
benefacientes |
And when
he was writing to Titus, saying, “Zenas the
lawyer and
Apollos do
thou diligently send forward, that nothing may be wanting to
them;”
2523
that he
might show from what quarter nothing ought to be wanting to them,
he straightway subjoined, “But let ours also
learn to maintain
good works
2524
| 2524 Bonis operibus
præesse, καλῶν ἔργων
προΐστασθαι. E.V. in margin,
“profess honest trades.” |
for
necessary use, that they be not
unfruitful.” In the case of
Timothy also,
2525
whom he
calls his own most true
2526
son, because he knew him
weak of
body, (as he shows, in advising him not to drink
water, but to use
a little
wine for his
stomach’s sake and his often
infirmities,)
lest then haply, because in bodily
work he could not
labor, he
being
unwilling to stand in need of
daily food at their
hands,
unto whom he
ministered the
Gospel, should
seek some
business
in which the stress of his
mind would become
entangled; (for it is
one thing to
labor in body, with the
mind free, as does a
handicraftsman, if he be not fraudulent and avaricious and
greedy
of his own private
gain; but another thing, to occupy the
mind
itself with cares of collecting
money without the body’s
labor,
as do either dealers, or bailiffs, or undertakers, for these with
care of the
mind conduct their
business, not with their
hands do
work, and in that regard occupy their
mind itself with solicitude
of getting;) lest then Timothy should fall upon such like ways,
because from
weakness of body he could not
work with his
hands, he
thus
exhorts,
admonishes, and
comforts him: “
Labor,” saith he,
“as a good
soldier of
Jesus Christ. No man, going a
warfare for
God, entangleth himself with secular
business; that he may please
Him to whom he hath
proved himself.
2527
For he that striveth for
masteries, is not
crowned except he
strive lawfully.”
2528
Hereupon,
lest the other should be put to straits, saying, “
Dig I cannot,
to beg I am
ashamed,”
2529
he adjoined, “The
husbandman
that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits:” according to
that which he had said to the Corinthians, “Who goeth a
warfare
any time at his own charges? Who planteth a
vineyard, and eateth
not of the fruit thereof? Who feedeth a
flock, and partaketh not of
the
milk of the
flock?”
2530
Thus did he make to be without
care a
chaste evangelist, not to that end working as an
evangelist
that he might sell the
Gospel, but yet not, having
strength to
supply unto himself with his own
hands the necessities of this
life; for that he should understand whatever being necessary for
himself he was taking of them whom as provincials he as a soldier
was serving, and whom as a vineyard he was culturing, or as a flock
was feeding, to be not matter of mendicity, but of
power.
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