from his mouth hold fast this salvation. Be not thou the judge of his heart. If thou seest that
he is seeking after other things, what is that to thee? Hear Him who is Salvation;3293 “What
they say, do.”3294 He has given thee assurance who hath said, “What they say, do.” Do they
evil? “Do not what they do.” Do they good. They do not “salute by the way,” they do not
preach the Gospel by occasion; “be ye followers of them, even as they also are of Christ.”3295
A good man preaches to thee; pluck the grape from the vine. A bad man preaches to thee,
pluck the grape as it hangs in the hedge. The cluster has grown on the vine-branch entangled
among the thorns, but it has not grown from the thorns. By all means when thou seest any
such thing as this and art hungry, be careful as thou pluckest it, lest when thou puttest forth
thy hand to the grape, thou be torn by the thorns. This is what I say; in such wise hear what
is good, as that thou imitate not the evil of the character. Let him preach “by occasion,” salute
by the way; it will injure him because he has not given ear to the precept of Christ, “Salute
no man by the way;” it will not injure thee, who, whether thou dost hear of salvation3296
from a passer by, or from one who comes direct to thee, dost hold fast that salvation. Hear
the Apostle, who as I have said already gives us to understand this. “What then?” “So that
in every way, whether by occasion or in truth, Christ is preached; and herein I do rejoice,
yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer.”3297
11. Let then such as these, the Apostles of Christ, the preachers of the Gospel, who “salute
not by the way,” that is, who do not seek or do any other thing, but who in genuine charity
preach the Gospel, let them come into the house, and say, “Peace to this house.” They speak
not with the mouth only; they pour out that of which they are full; they preach peace, and
they have peace. They are not as those of whom it was said, “Peace, Peace, and there is no
peace.” 3298 What is, “Peace, Peace, and there is no peace”? They preach it, but they have it
not; they praise it and they love it not; they say, and do not. But yet do thou receive the
peace, “whether by occasion or in truth Christ be preached.” Whoso then is full of peace,
and salutes, saying, “Peace to this house, if the son of peace be there, his peace shall rest
upon him; if not,” for peradventure there is no one of peace there, yet he who saluted has
lost nothing, “it shall return,” says he, “to you again.” It shall return to thee, though it never
departed from thee. For this He would mean to say, It profiteth thee that thou hast declared
it, it hath not profited him at all who hath not received it; thou hast not lost thy reward,
because he hath remained empty; it is rendered thee for thy good will, it is rendered thee
3293 Salutem.
3294 Matt. xxiii. 3.
3295 1 Cor. iv. 16, xi. 1; Sermon xxiv. (lxxiv. Ben.) 4.
3296 Salutem.
3297 Phil i. 18, 19. προφάσει; per occasionem, Vulgate.
3298 Jer. viii. 11.
886
On the words of the Gospel, Luke x. 2, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous,’…