XXI. 292 The Church's Bounty does not excuse us from Almsgiving : HOMIL. begin with, is a grievous sin. However, I will not examine the matter too nicely. Do thou it all in thine own person, and so shalt thou reap a double reward. Since in fact, what we say in behalf of almsgiving, we say not, that thou shouldest offer to us, but that thou shouldest thyself minister by thine own hands. For if thou bringest thine alms to me, perhaps thou mayest even be led captive by vain-glory, and oftentimes likewise thou shalt go away offended through suspicion of something evil: but if ye do all things by yourselves, ye shall both be rid of offences, and of unreasonable suspicion, and (7.) greater is your reward. Not therefore to compel you to bring your money hither, do I say these things; nor from indignation on account of the priests being ill-reported of. For if one must be indignant and grieve, for you should be our grief, who say this ill. Since to them who are spoken ill of falsely and vainly, the reward is greater, but to the speakers the condemnation and punishment is heavier. I say not these things therefore in their behalf, but in solicitude and care for you. For what marvel is it if some in our generation are suspected, when in the case of those holy men who imitated the angels, who possessed nothing of their own, I mean the apostles, there was a 1 Acts 6. murmuring in the ministration to the widows', that the poor were overlooked? when not one said that aught of the things 2 Acts 4. he possessed was his own, but they had all things common?? 1. 32. Let us not then put forward these pretexts, nor account it an excuse, that the Church is wealthy. But when you see the greatness of her substance, bear in mind also the crowds of poor who are on her list, the multitudes of her sick, her occasions of endless expenses. Investigate, scrutinize, there is none to forbid, nay, they are even ready to give you an account. But it is something beyond, which I want you to do. Namely, when we have given in our accounts, and proved that our expenditure is no less than our income, nay, sometimes more, I would gladly ask you this further question: When we depart hence, and shall hear Christ saying, Ye saw me hungry, and gave me no meat; naked, and ye clothed me not; what shall we say? what apology shall we make? Shall we bring forward such and such a person who disobeyed these commands? or some of the priests who were suspected?"Nay, what is this to thee? nor yet the Corruption of some of her Ministers. 293 12. for I accuse thee," saith He, "of those things wherein thou 1COR.9. hast thyself sinned. And the apology for these would be, to have washed away thine own offences, not to point to others whose errors have been the same as thine." In fact, the Church, through your meanness, is compelled to have such property as it has now, Since, if men did all things according to the apostolical laws, its revenue should have been your good will, which were both a secure chest, and an inexhaustible treasury. But now when ye lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, and shut up all things in your own stores, while the Church is compelled to be at charges with bands of widows, choirs of virgins, sojournings of strangers, distresses of foreigners, the misfortunes of prisoners, the necessities of the sick and maimed, and other such like causes, what must be done? Turn away from all these, and block up so many ports? Who then could endure the shipwrecks that would ensue; the weepings, the lamentations, the wailings which would reach us from every quarter? Let us not then speak at random what comes into our mind. For now, as I have just said, we are really prepared to render up our accounts to you. But even if it were the reverse, and ye had corrupt teachers, plundering and grasping at every thing, not even so were their wickedness an apology for you. For the Lover of mankind and All-wise, the OnlyBegotten Son of God, seeing all things, and knowing the chance, that in so great length of time, and in so vast a world, there would be many corrupt priests; lest the carelessness of those under their rule, should increase through their neglect, removing every excuse for indifference; In Moses' seat, saith He, sit the Scribes and the Pharisees; all things, therefore, whatsoever they bid you do, do ye, but do not ye after their works: implying that even if thou hast a bad teacher, this will have no power to profit thee, except thou attend to the things which are spoken. For not from what thy teacher hath done, but from what thou hast heard and disobeyed, from that, I say, doth God pass his sentence upon thee. So that if thou doest the things commanded, thou shalt then stand with much boldness: but if thou disobey the things spoken, even though thou shouldest shew ten thousand corrupt priests, 294 No Plea finally good without Obedience. XXI. HOMIL. this will not plead for thee at all. Since Judas also was an apostle, but nevertheless this shall never be any apology for the sacrilegious and covetous. Nor will any be able when accused to say, "Why the Apostle was a thief and sacrilegious, and a traitor;" yea, this very thing shall most of all be our punishment and condemnation, that not even by the evils of others were we corrected. For for this cause also these things were written, that we might shun all emulation of such things. Wherefore leaving this person and that, let us take heed to ourselves. For each of us shall give account of himself to God. In order therefore that we may render up this account with a good defence, let us well order our own lives, and stretch out a liberal hand to the needy, knowing that this only is our defence, the shewing ourselves to have rightly done the things commanded; there is no other whatever. And if we be able to produce this, we shall escape those intolerable pains of hell, and obtain the good things to come; unto which may we all attain, by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom, to the Father and the Holy Ghost, be glory, power, and honour, now and ever, and world without end. Amen. HOMILY XXII. 1 Cor. ix. 13, 14. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. He takes great care to shew that the receiving was not forbidden. Whereupon having said so much before, he was not content, but proceeds also to the Law, furnishing an example closer to the point than the former. For it was not the same thing to bring forward the oxen, and to bring forward the law expressly given concerning priests. But consider, I pray, in this also the wisdom of Paul, how he mentions the matter in a way to give it dignity. For he did not say," They which minister about holy things receive of those who offer them." But what? They eat of the temple: so that neither they who receive may be blamed, nor they who give may be lifted up. Wherefore also what follows he hath set down in the same way. For neither did he say, "They which wait at the altar receive of them which sacrifice," but, are partakers with the altar. For the things offered now no longer belonged to those who offered them, but to the temple and the altar. And he said not, "They receive the holy things," but, they eat of the temple, indicating again their moderation, and that it behoves them not to make money, nor to be rich. And though he say, that they are partakers with the altar, he doth not speak of equal distribution, but of relief given them as their due. And yet the case of the Apostles was much XXII. 296 Priests to be maintained in the Gospel as in the Law. HOMIL. stronger. For in the former instance the priesthood was an honour, but in the latter it was dangers, and slaughters, and violent deaths. Wherefore all the other examples together did not come up to the saying, If we have sown unto you spiritual things since in saying, we have sown, he points out the storms, and the dangers, and the snares, and the unspeakable evils, which they endured in preaching. Nevertheless, though the superiority was so great, he was unwilling either to abase the things of the old law, or to exalt the things which belonged to himself: nay he even contracts his own, reckoning the superiority not from the dangers, but from the greatness of the gift. For he said not, "if we have jeoparded ourselves," or "exposed ourselves to snares," but, if we have sown unto you spiritual things. And the part of the priests, as far as possible, he exalts, saying, They which minister about holy things, and they that wait at the altar, thereby intending to point out their continual servitude and patience. Again, as he had spoken of the priests among the Jews, and both of the Levites and the Chief Priests, so he hath expressed each of the orders, both the inferior and the superior; the one by saying, they which minister in holy things, and the other by saying, they which wait at the altar. For not to all was one work commanded; but some were entrusted with the coarser, others with the more exalted offices. Comprehending therefore all these, lest any should say, why talk to us of the old law? knowest thou not that ours is the time of more perfect commandments?" after all those topics he placed that which is strongest of all, saying, Ver. 14. Even so hath the Lord ordained, that they who preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel. Nor doth he even here say that they are supported by men, but as in the case of the priests, of the temple and of the altar, so likewise here, of the Gospel; and as there he saith, eat, so here, live, not make merchandize, nor lay up treasures. For the labourer, saith He, is worthy of his hire. [2.] Ver. 15. But I have used none of these things: What then, if thou hast not used them now, saith one, but intendest to use them at a future time, and on this account |