27. As it is,
however, they, against the Apostle of Christ, recite a Gospel of
Christ. For so marvellous are the works of the sluggards, hindered
that they want to have that very thing by Gospel, which the Apostle
enjoined and did on purpose that the Gospel itself should not be
hindered. And yet, if from the very words of the Gospel we should
compel them to live agreeably with their way of understanding it,
they will be the first to endeavor to persuade us how they are not
to be understood so as they do understand them. For certainly, they
say that they therefore ought not to work, for that the birds of
the air neither sow nor reap, of which the Lord hath given us a
similitude that we should take no thought about such necessaries.
Then why do they not attend to that which follows? For it is not
only said, that “they sow not, neither reap;”2565
but there
is added, “nor
gather in apothecas.” Now “apothecæ” may be
called either “
barns,” or word for word, “repositories.”
Then why do these persons want to have idle
hands and full
repositories? Why do they lay by and keep what they receive of the
labors of others, that thereof may be every day somewhat
forthcoming? Why, in short, do they
grind and cook? For the
birds
do not this. Or, if they find some whom they may
persuade to this
work also, namely, to bring unto them day by day viands ready made;
at least their
water they either fetch them from springs, or from
cisterns and wells draw and set it by: this the
fowls do not. But
if so please them, let it be the study of good
believers and most
devoted subjects of the
Eternal King, to carry their service to His
most valiant
soldiers even to that length, that they shall not be
forced even to fill a
vessel of
water for themselves, if now-a-days
people have
surpassed even them which at that time were at
Jerusalem, in a new grade of
righteousness, stepping out beyond
them. To them, namely, by reason of
famine being imminent, and
foretold by the
Prophets which were at that time,
2566
good
believers sent out of Greece supplies of corn; of which I suppose
they made them
bread, or at least procured to be made; which thing
the
birds do not. But if now-a-days these persons, as I began to
say, have
surpassed these in some grade of
righteousness, and do
altogether in things pertaining to the maintenance of this
life, as
do the
birds; let them show us men doing such service unto
birds as
they wish to be done unto them, except indeed
birds caught and
caged because they are not trusted, lest if they
fly they come not
back: and yet these would rather enjoy liberty and receive from the
fields what is enough, than take their food by men laid before them
and made ready.
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