Apostle wrought. ''After these things,' it 23. Hence arises another question; for
OF THE WORK OF MONKS.
but either to tell or to hear some new thing,"' falsely pretended: but another so to be deceived and so to deceive, that it shall even be thought a proof of righteousness obtaining more mightily in servants of God, if laziness have gotten power to reign among a set of ignorant men. He, namely, who shows a true infirmity of body, must be humanely dealt withal; he who pretends a false one, and cannot be convicted, must be left unto God: yet neither of them fixeth a pernicious rule; because a good servant of God both serves his manifestly infirm brother; and, when the other deceives, if he believes him because he does not think him a bad man, he does not imitate him that he may be bad; and if he believe him not; he thinks him deceitful, and does, nevertheless, not imitate him, But when a man says, '' This is true righteousness, that by doing no bodily work we imitate the birds of the air, because he who shall do any such work, goes against the Gospel :'' whoso being infirm in mind hears and believes this, that person, not for that he so bestows all his time, but for that he so erreth, must be mourned over.
Let us suppose him all those days that he was at Athens not to have worked: on this account, indeed, was his need supplied from
Macedonia, as he says in the second to the Corinthians: though in fact he could work both at other hours and of nights, because he was so strong in both mind and body. But when he had gone from Athens, let us see what says the Scripture: '' He disputed,'' saith it, "'in the synagogtie every sabbath; ''? this at Corinth. In Troas, however, where through necessity of his departure being close at hand, his discourse was protracted until midnight, it was the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day: whence we understand that he was not with Jews but with Christians; when also the narrator himself saith they were gathered together to break bread. And indeed this same is the' best management, that all things be distributed to their times and be done in order, lest becoming ravelled in perplexing entanglements, they throw our human mind into confusion.
22. There also is said at what work the Apostle wrought. ''After these things,' it says, '"'he departed from Athens and came to Corinth; and having found a certain Jew, by name Aquila, of Pontus by birth, lately come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife, because that Claudius had ordered all Jews to depart from Rome, he came unto them, and because he was of the same craft he abode with them, doing work: for they were tentmakers,''3 This if they shall essay to interpret allegorically, they show what proficients they be in ecclesiastical learning, on which they glory that they bestow all their time. And, at the least, touching those sayings above recited, ''Or I only and Barnabas, have we not power to forbear working ?'' and, "* We have not used this power;''4 and,
23. Hence arises another question; for peradventure one may say, '' What then? did the other Apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas, sin, in that they did not work? Or did they occasion an hindrance to the Gospel, because blessed Paul saith that he had not used this power on purpose that he might not cause any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ? Forif they sinned because they wrought not, then had they not received power not to work, but to live instead by the Gospel. But if they had received this power, by ordinance of the Lord, that they which preach the Gospel should live by the Gospel; and by His saying, '' The workman is worthy of his meat;'' which power Paul, laying out somewhat more,® would not use; then truly they sinned not, If they sinned not, they caused no hindrance. For it is not to be thought no sin to hinder the Gospel.? If this be so, "'to us also,'' say they, '"'it is free either to use or not to use this power."'
When we might be burdensome to you, as Apostles of Christ,''5 and, *' Night and day working that we might not burden any of you;"°® and, '* The Lord hath ordained for them which preach the Gospel, of the Gospel to live; but I have used none of these things:"7 and the rest of this kind, let them either expound otherwise, or if by most clear shining light of truth they be put to it, let them understand and obey; or if to obey they be either unwilling or unable, at least let them own them which be willing, to be better, and them which be also able, to be happier men than they. For it is one thing to plead infirmity of body, either truly alleged, or
24. This question I should briefly solve, if I should say, because I should also justly say, that we must believe the Apostle. For he himself knew why in the Churches of the Gentiles it was not meet that a venal Gospel were carried about; not finding fault with his fellow-apostles, but distinguishing his own ministry; because they, without doubt by admonition of the Holy Ghost, had so distributed among them the provinces of evangelizing, that Paul and Barnabas should go
2 Acts xviii. 4. 3 Acts xviii.
8 Amplius aliquid erogans. 1x Cor. ix. 12.