are to be borne in sharing in one’s infirmity, the other to the burdens borne in the rendering
of an account of our own actions to God: the former are burdens to be borne in our [duties
of] fellowship with brethren; the latter are those peculiar to ourselves, and borne by every
man for himself. And in the same way, once more, the “rod” of which the apostle spoke in
the words, “Shall I come unto you with a rod?”983 is meant in a spiritual sense; while the
same term bears the literal meaning when it occurs of the rod applied to a horse, or used
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for some other purpose of the kind, not to mention, in the meantime, also other metaphor-
ical significations of this phrase.
73. Both these counsels, therefore, must be accepted as having been spoken by the Lord
to the apostles; namely, at once that they should not take a staff, and that they should take
nothing save a staff only. For when He said to them, according to Matthew, “Provide neither
gold nor silver, nor money in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats,
neither shoes, nor yet a staff,” He added immediately, “for the workman is worthy of his
meat.” And by this He makes it sufficiently obvious why it is that He would have them
provide and carry none of these things. He shows that His reason was, not that these things
are not necessary for the sustenance of this life, but because He was sending them in such
a manner as to declare plainly that these things were due to them by those very persons who
were to hear believingly the gospel preached by them; just as wages are the soldier’s due,
and as the fruit of the vine is the right of the planters, and the milk of the flock the right of
the shepherds. For which reason Paul also speaks in this wise: “Who goeth a warfare any
time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? who
feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?”984 For under these figures he was
speaking of those things which are necessary to the preachers of the gospel. And so, a little
further on, he says: “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall
reap your carnal things? If others are partakers of this power over you, are not we rather?
Nevertheless we have not used this power.”985 This makes it apparent that by these instruc-
tions the Lord did not mean that the evangelists should not seek their support in any other
way than by depending on what was offered them by those to whom they preached the
gospel (otherwise this very apostle acted contrary to this precept when he acquired a liveli-
hood for himself by the labours of his own hands, because he would not be chargeable to
any of them986), but that He gave them a power in the exercise of which they should know
such things to be their due. Now, when any commandment is given by the Lord, there is
the guilt of non-obedience if it is not observed; but when any power is given, any one is at
983 1 Cor. iv. 21.
984 1 Cor. ix. 7.
985 1 Cor. ix. 11, 12.
986 1 Thess. ii. 9.
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Of the Section Where It is Recorded, that Being Moved with Compassion for…