you in your belief, all of us labouring, but in Him overcoming the world. What then belongs
to your place I have already said; now I wish to say what belongs to ours. But peradventure
it seems to some of you, that it is something superfluous which I have declared that I wish
to say, and speaking within themselves they are saying in thought, “O that he would now
let us go! He has said already what belongs to our place, as to that which belongs to his, what
is that to us?” I think it is better that in a reciprocal and mutual love, we should belong to
you. Ye are now indeed of one family, we of the same family are dispensers, it is true, but
we all belong to one Lord. Nor what I give, do I give of mine own; but of His from whom I
also receive. For if I should give of mine own, I shall give a lie. “For he that speaketh a lie,
speaketh of his own.”3281 So then ye ought to give ear to that which belongs to the duty of
the dispenser, whether it be that ye may have joy in yourselves, if ye find yourselves to be
such, or whether it be that ye may be even in this very thing instructed. For how many are
there among this people who shall some day be dispensers! I too was once where ye now
are; and I who am seen now to be measuring out to my fellowservants their food from this
higher place, a few years since in a lower place was receiving food with my fellow-servants.
424
I am speaking now a Bishop to lay-men; but I know that in speaking to them I am speaking
to many who will some day be bishops also.
5. Let us see then how we must understand what the Lord enjoined on them whom He
sent to preach the Gospel, and let us consider in our mind this prepared harvest. “Carry,”
He saith, “neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes; and salute no man by the way. And into
whatsoever house ye enter, say, Peace be to this house. If the Son of peace be there, your
peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall return to you again.”3282 If it hath “rested,” hath the
other lost it? This be far from the mind of Saints! So then this is not to be taken in a carnal
sense; and hence it may be neither are the “purse,” nor “shoes,” nor “scrip;” nor above all
that, where if we take it simply without examination, pride seems to be enjoined us, that we
“salute no man by the way.”
6. Let us give heed to our Lord, our True Example and Succour. Let us prove that He is
our Succour; “Without Me ye can do nothing.”3283 Let us prove that He is our Example;
“Christ,” says Peter, “suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow His
steps.”3284 Our Lord Himself had bags in the way, and these bags He entrusted to Judas. It
is true He suffered from the thief; but I as desiring to learn of my Lord say, “O Lord, Thou
didst suffer from the thief, whence hadst Thou that of which he could take away? Me, a
wretched and infirm man Thou hast admonished not even to carry a purse; Thou didst carry
3281 John viii. 44.
3282 Luke x. 4–6.
3283 John xv. 5.
3284 1 Pet. ii. 21.
883
On the words of the Gospel, Luke x. 2, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous,’…