6. Which thing whoso thinks cannot have been done by the Apostles, that with them women of holy conversation should go about wheresoever they preached the Gospel, that of their substance they might minister to their necessities, let him hear the Gospel, and learn how in this they did after the example of the Lord Himself. Our Lord, namely, ac- cording to the wont of His pity, sympathiz- ing with the weak, albeit Angels might minis- ter unto Him, had both a bag in which should be put the money which was bestowed doubt- less by good and believing persons, as neces- sary for their living, (which bag He gave in charge to Judas, that even thieves, if we could not keep clear of such, we might learn to tolerate in the Church. He, namely, as is written of him, "stole1 what was put therein:") and He willed that women should follow Him for the preparing and ministering what was necessary, showing what was due to evangelists and ministers of God as soldiers, from the people of God as the provincials; so that if any should not choose to use that which is due unto him, as Paul the Apostle did not choose, he might bestow the more upon the Church, by not exacting the pay which was due to him, but by earning his daily living of his own labors. For it had been said to the inn-keeper to whom that wounded man was brought, " Whatever thou layest out more, at my coming again I will repay thee." - The Apostle Paul, then, did " lay out more," 3 in i " Au/erebat."
3 i Cor. ix. 7-15; and: Cor.
- Luke x. 35.
that he, as himself witnesseth, did at his own charges go a warfare. In the Gospel, namely, it is written, "Thereafter also Himself was making a journey through cities and villages preaching and evangelizing of the kingdom of God; and the twelve with Him, and cer- tain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who is called Magdalene, out of whom seven devils had gone forth, and Joanna wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered unto Him of their substance."4 This example of the Lord the Apostles did imitate, to receive the meat which was due unto them; of which the same Lord most openly speaketh: "As ye go," saith He, " preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out devils. Freely have ye received, freely give. Possess not gold nor silver nor money in your purses, neither scrip on your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, neither staff: for the workman is worthy of his meat." 5 Lo, where the Lord appointeth the very thing which the Apostle doth mention. For to this end He told them not to carry all those things, namely, that where need should be, they might receive them of them unto whom they preached the kingdom of God.
7. But lest any should fancy that this was granted only to the twelve, see also what Luke relateth: "After these things," saith he, "the Lord chose also other seventy and two, and sent them by two and two before His face into every city and place whither He was about to come. And He said unto them, The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers few: ask ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry neither purse nor scrip nor shoes, and salute no man by the way. Into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: if not, it shall return to you. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as are with them: for the workman is worthy of his hire." 6 Here it appears that these things were not commanded, but permitted, that whoso should choose to use, might use that which was lawful unto him by the Lord's ap- pointment; but if any should not choose to use it, he would not do contrary to a thing commanded, but would be yielding up his own right, by demeaning himself more merci- OF THE WORK OF MONKS.
507 fully and laboriously in the Gospel in. the which he would not accept even the hire which was his due. Otherwise the Apostle did contrary to a command of the Lord: for, after he had shown it to be lawful unto him, he hath straightway subjoined, " But yet have I not used this power."
8. But let us return to the order of our discourse, and the whole of the passage itself of the Epistle let us diligently consider. " Have we not," saith he, " leave ' to eat and to drink? have we not leave to lead about a woman, a sister?" What leave meant he, but what the Lord gave unto them whom He sent to preach the kingdom of heaven, saying, " Those things which are (given) of them, eat ye;3 for the workman is worthy of his hire;" and proposing Himself as an example of the same power, to Whom most faithful women did of their means minister such necessaries? But the Apostle Paul hath done more, from his fellow- Apostles alleging a proof of this license permitted of the Lord. For not as finding fault hath he subjoined, "As do also the other Apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas;" but that hence he might show that this which he would not accept was a thing which, that it was lawful for him to accept was proved by the wont of the rest also his fellow-soldiers. " Or I only and Barnabas, have we not power to forbear working?" Lo, he hath taken away all doubt even from the slowest hearts, that they may understand of what working he speaks. For to what end saith he, " Or I only and Barnabas, have we not power to forbear working? " but for that all evangelists and ministers of God's word had power received of the Lord, not to work with their hands, but to live by the Gospel, working only spiritual works in preaching of the king- dom of heaven and edifying of the peace of the Church? For no man can say that it is of that very spiritual working that the Apostle said, "Or I only and Barnabas, have we not power to forbear working?" For this power to forbear working all those had: let him say then, who essays to deprave and pervert precepts Apostolical; let him say, if he dares, that all evangelists received of the Lord power to forbear preaching the Gospel. But if this is most absurd and mad to say, why will they not understand what is plain to all, that they did indeed receive power not to work, but works bodily, whereby to get a living, because " the workman is worthy of his hire," as the Gospel speaks. It is not therefore that Paul and Barnabas only had not power to forbear 1 Licentiam.
- Luke x. 7. " Ea quce ab ipsis sunt?
working; but that all alike had this power, of which these availed not themselves in " laying out more" upon the Church; so as in those places where they preached the Gospel they judged to be meet for the weak. And for this reason, that he might not seem to have found fault with his fellow-Apostles, he goes on to say: '* Who goeth a warfare at any time at his own charges? Who feedeth a flock, and of the milk of the flock pirtaketh not? Speak I these things as a man? Saith not the Law the same? For in the law of Moses it is written, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God care for oxen? Or saitn he it for our sake altogether? For our sakes truly is it written, because he that plougheth ought to plough in hope, and he that thresheth in hope of partaking of the fruits."3 By these words the Apostle Paul sufficiently indicates, that it was no usurping unto themselves of aught beyond their due on the part of his fellow-Apostles, that they wrought not bodily, whence they might have the things which to this life are necessary, but as the Lord ordained, should, living by the Gospel, eat bread gratuitously given of them unto whom they were preaching a gratuitous grace. Their charges, namely, they did like soldiers receive, and of the fruit of the vineyard by them planted, they did, as need was, freely gather; and of the milk of the flock which they fed, they drank; and of the threshing-floor on which they threshed, they took their meat.
9. But he speaks more openly in the rest which he subjoins, and altogether removes all causes of doubting. "If we. unto you," saith he, " have sown spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? " What are the spiritual things which he sowed, but the word and mystery of the sacrament of the kingdom of heaven? And what the carnal things which he saith he had a right to reap, but these temporal things which are indulged to the life and indigency of the flesh? These however being due to him he declares that he had not sought nor accepted, lest he should cause any impedi- ment to the Gospel of Christ. What work remaineth for us to understand him to have wrought, whereby he should get his living, but bodily work, with his own bodily and visible hands? For if from spiritual work he sought food and clothing, that is, to receive these of them whom he was edifying in the Gospel, he could not, as he does, go on to say, "If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, 5o8 THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
we have not used this power, but tolerate all things that we may not cause any hindrance to the Gospel of Christ."1 What power doth he say he had not used, but that which he had over them, received of the Lord, the power to reap their carnal things, in order to the sustenance of this life which is lived in the flesh? Of which power were others also partakers, who did not at the first announce the Gospel to them, but came thereafter to their Church preaching the self-same. There- fore, when he had said, "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things?" he sub- joined, " If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? " And when he had demonstrated what power they had: ''Nevertheless we have not used," saith he, " this power; but we put up with all things, lest we should cause any impediment to the Gos- pel of Christ." Let therefore these persons say in what way from spiritual work the Apostle had carnal food, when himself openly says that he had not used this power. But if from spiritual work he had not carnal food, it remains that from bodily work he had it, and thereof saith, " Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.2 All tilings," saith he, "we suffer, lest we cause any hin- drance to the Gospel of Christ."
10. And he comes back again, and in all wrays, 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."3 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 there- fore quickly understand ours, because it is allowed them to deride them being under- stood; 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 ob- Cor.
3 1 Cor. ix. 13-15.
scure and uncertain, because wrong and per- verse 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 Gos- pel 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 evan- gelized the Apostle accepted not, saying a true thing, " I have used none of these things."
11. And he goes on, and adjoins, lest per- chance any should imagine that he only there- fore received not, because they had not given: " But I have not written these things that they may be so done unto me: good is it for me rather to die than that any make void my glory."4 What glory, unless that which he wished to have with God, while in Christ suf- fering with the weak? As he is presently about to say most openly; " For if I shall have preached the Gospel, there is not to me any glory: for necessity is laid upon me;"5 that is, of sustaining this life. " For woe will be to me," he saith, " if I preach not the Gospel: " that is, to my own will shall I forbear to preach the Gospel, because I shall be tormented with hunger, and shall not have whereof to live. For he goes on, and says; " For if willingly I do this, I have a reward." By his doing it 4 1 Cor. ix. 15.
OF THE WORK OF MONKS.
509 willingly, he means, if he do it uncompelled by any necessity of supporting this present life; and for this he hath reward, to wit, with God, of glory everlasting. " But if unwill- ing," saith he, "a dispensation is entrusted unto me: " * that is, if being unwilling, I am by necessity of passing through this present life, compelled to preach the Gospel, " a dis- pensation is entrusted unto me; " to wit, that by my dispensation as a steward, because Christ, because the truth, is that which I preach, howsoever because of occasion, how- soever seeking mine own, howsoever by necessity of earthly emolument compelled so to do, other men do profit, but I have not that glorious and everlasting reward with God. " What then," saith he, " shall be my reward?" He saith it as asking a question: therefore the pronunciation must be sus- pended, until he give the answer. Which the more easily to understand, let, as it were, us put the question to him, "What, then, will be thy reward, O Apostle, when that earthly reward due to good evangelists, not for its sake evangelizing, but yet taking it as the consequence and offered to them by the Lord's appointment, thou acceptest not? What shall be thy reward then? " See what he replies: "That, preaching the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without charge; " that is, that the Gospel may not be to believers expensive, lest they account that for this end is the Gospel to be preached to them, that its preachers should seem as it were to sell it. And yet he comes back again and again, that he may show what, by warrant of the Lord, he hath a right unto, yet doeth not: " that I abuse not," saith he, "my power in the Gospel." 2 12. But now, that as bearing with the in- firmity of men he did this, let us hear what follows: " For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. To them that are under the law, I became as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law." 3 Which thing he did, not with craftiness of simulation, but with mercy of compassion with others; that is, not as if to feign himself a Jew, as some have thought, in that he observed at Jerusalem the things prescribed by the old law.4 For he did this in accordance with his free and openly declared sentence, in which he says, " Is any called being; circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised." That is, let him not so live, as though he had become uncircumcised, and covered that which he had laid bare: as in another place he saith, " Thy circumcision is become uncircumcision."5 It was in accord- ance then with this his sentence, in which he saith, "Is any called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circum- cised;'' 6 that he did those things, in which, by persons not understanding and not enough attending, he has been accounted to have feigned. For he was a Jew, and was called being circumcised; therefore he would not become uncircumcised; that is, would not so live as if he had not been circumcised. For this he now had in his power to do. And " under'' the law, indeed, he was not as they who servilely wrought it; but yet "in" the law of God and of Christ. For that law was not one, and the law of God another, as ac- cursed Manicheans are wont to say. Other- wise, if when he did those things he is to be accounted to have feigned, then he feigned himself also a pagan, and sacrificed to idols, because he says that he became to those with- out law, as without law. By whom, doubtless, he would have us to understand no other than Gentiles whom we call Pagans. It is one thing therefore to be under the law, an- other in the law, another without law. " Under the law," the carnal Jews; " in the law," spiritual men, both Jews and Christians; (whence the former kept that custom of their fathers, but did not impose unwonted bur- dens upon the believing Gentiles; and there- fore they also were circumcised;) but " with- out law," are the Gentiles which have not yet believed, to whom yet the Apostle testifieth himself to have become like, through sym- pathy of a merciful heart, not simulation of a changeable exterior; that is, that he might in that way succor carnal Jew or Pagan, in which way himself, if he were that, would have wished to be succored: bearing, to wit, their infirmity, in likeness of compassion, not deceiving in fiction of lying; as he straight- way goes on, and says, " I became to the weak as weak, that I might gain the weak." 7 For it was from this point that he was speak- ing, in saying all those other things. As then, that he became to the weak as weak, was no lie; so all those other things above rehearsed. For what doth he mean his weak- ness towards the weak to have been, but that of suffering with them, insomuch that, lest he should appear to be a seller of the Gospel, and by falling into an ill suspicion with ig- 4 S. Jerome in Ep. inter Augustinianas, 75, n. 9-11.
5 Rom. ii. 25.
Cor.
7 1 Cor. ix. 22.
5io THE WORKS OF ST. AUGUSTIN.
norant men, should hinder the course of God's word, he would not accept what by warrant of the Lord was his due? Which if he were willing to accept, he would not in any wise lie, because it was truly due to him; and for that he would not, he did not in any wise lie. For he did not say, it was not due; but he showed it to be due, and that being due he had not used it, and professed that he would not at all use it, in that very thing be- coming weak; namely, in that he would not use his power; being, to wit, with so merci- ful affection endued, that he thought in what way he should wish to be dealt withal, if him- self also were made so weak, that possibly, if he should see them by whom the Gospel was preached to him, accepting their charges, he might think it a bringing of wares to market, and hold them in suspicion accordingly.
13. Of this weakness of his, he saith in another place, "We made ourselves small among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." * For in that passage the context indicates this: " For neither at any time," saith he, " used we flattering words, as ye know, nor an occasion of covetousness; God is witness: nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others when we might have been burdensome to you as the Apostles of Christ: but we made ourselves small among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children." What therefore he saith to the Corinthians, that he had power of his apostleship, as also the other Apostles, which power he testifieth that he had not used; this also he saith in that place to the Thessalo- nians, " When we might have been burden- some to you as Christ's Apostles: " according to that the Lord saith, "The workman is worthy of his hire." For that of this he speaks, is indicated by that which he above set down, "Neither for occasion of covet- eousness, God is witness." By reason, namely, of this which by right of the Lord's appointment was due to good evangelists, who not for its sake do evangelize but seek the kingdom of God, so that all these things should be added unto them, others were taking advantage thereof, of whom he also saith, " For they that are such serve not God, but their own belly." 2 From whom the Apostle wished so to cut off this occasion, that even what was justly due to him, he would forego. For this himself doth openly show in the second to the Corinthians, speaking of other Churches supplying his necessities. For he had come, as it appears, to so great indi- gence, that from distant Churches were sent Rom. xvi. 16 supplies for his necessities, while yet from them among whom he was, he accepted nothing of that kind. "Have I committed a sin, " saith he, "in humbling myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the Gospel of God freely? Other Churches I despoiled, taking wages of them to minister unto you: and when I was present with you and wanted, to no man was I bur- densome. For that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied, and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and will keep myself. It is the truth of Christ in me, that this glory shall not be infringed in me in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, I also mean to do, that I may cut off oc- casion from them which seek occasion, that wherein they glory they may be found as also we."3 Of this occasion, therefore, which he here saith that he cuts off, he would have that understood which he saith in the former place, " Neither for occasion of covetousness, God is witness." And what he here saith, " In humbling myself that ye might be ex- alted: " this in the first to the same Corinthi- ans, " I became to the weak as weak; " this