The ostrich has tvings for show, notforJitght. 433
the conversion of princes she bears with the wicked pre- EJook
tending to be good, which they are not. Whence Ahnighty^
—
'-—
*
God, because IJe stated that this rhinoceros had been
bound with thongs, immediately subjoined the hypocrisy of
the wicked, saying;
Ver. 13. The wing of the ostrich is like the wings of the
heron, and of the hawk.
11. Who can be ignorant how much the heron and the viii.
hawk surpass all other birds in the swiftness of their flight.?
But an ostrich has tlie likeness of their wing, but not the
celerity of their flight. For it cannot in truth rise from the
ground, and raises its wings, in appearance as if to fly, but
yet never raises itself from the earth in flying. Thus, doubt-
less, are all hypocrites, who, while they simidate the conduct
of the good, possess a resemblance of a holy appearance,
but have no reality of holy conduct. They have, in truth,
wings for flight, in appearance, but in their doing they creep
along the ground, because they spread their wings, by the
semblance of sanctity, but, overwhelmed by the weight of
secular cares, they are not at all raised from the earth. For
the Lord in reprobating the appearance of the Pharisees, re-
proves, as it were, the wing of the ostrich, which did one
thing in action, and made a show of another in its colour
;
saying. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ; for Mat. 23^
ye are like unto lohited sepulchres, which indeed appear'^'
''^^'
beautifid to men outwardly, hut are within full of dead
men's bones; even so do ye also outwardly appear righteous
unto men^ but within ye arefidlof covetousnessand iniquity.
As ifHe were saying : The beautifulshow ofyour wings seems
to raise you up, but the weight of your conduct weighs you
down to the lowest depths. Of this weight it is said by the
Prophet, Ye sons ofmen, how long will ye be heavy in heart? Ps. 4, 3.
The Lord promises that He will convert the hypocrisy of
this ostrich, when He says by the Prophet; The beasts ofU.AZ,
the field shall honour Me, the dragons and the ostriches. ^^"
For what is expressed by the word * dragons,' but minds
openly wicked, which ever creep along the earth in most
grovelling thoughts ? But what is designated by the word
' ostriches,' but those,who pretend that they are good, who re-
tain a life ofsanctity in appearance, as a wing for flight, but use