These passages show a yet more decided opposition as to the letter; we must therefore now bring forward the solution. What then must be our reply? That to “take no thought,” doth not mean “not to work,” but “not to be nailed to the things of this life”; that is, to take no care for to-morrow’s ease, but to deem that superfluous. For a man may do no work, and (yet) lay up treasure for the morrow; and a man may work, yet be careful for nothing; for carefulness and work are not the same thing; it is not as trusting to his work that a man worketh, but, “that he may impart to him that needeth.” And that too which was said to Martha refers not to works and working, but to this, that it is our duty to know the right season, and not to spend on carnal things the time proper for listening. Thus Christ spake not the words as urging her to “idleness,” but to rivet her to listening. “I came,” saith He, “to teach you needful things, but thou art anxious about a meal. Dost thou desire to receive Me, and to provide for Me a costly table? Provide another sort of entertainment, by giving me a ready hearing, and by imitating thy sister’s longing for instruction.” He said not this to forbid her hospitality, (away with the thought! how could that be?) but to show that she ought not in the season for listening be busy about other matters. For to say, “Labor not for the meat that perisheth,” is not the expression of one implying that we ought to be idle; (in fact, this most especially is “meat that perisheth,” for idleness is wont to teach all wickedness;) but that we ought to work, and to impart. This is meat that never perisheth; but if any be idle and gluttonous, and careth for luxury, that man worketh for “the meat that perisheth.” So too, if a man by his labor should feed Christ, and give Him drink, and clothe Him, who so senseless and mad as to say that such an one labors for the meat that perisheth, when there is for this the promise of the kingdom that is to come, and of those good things? This meat endureth forever. But at that time, since the multitudes made no account of filth, nor sought to learn who it was that did these things, and by what power, but desired one thing only, to fill their bellies without working; Christ with good reason called such food, “meat that perisheth.” “I fed,” He saith, “your bodies, that after this ye might seek that other food which endureth, which nourisheth the soul; but ye again run after that which is earthy. Therefore ye do not understand that I lead you not to this imperfect food, but to that which giveth not temporal but eternal life, which nourisheth not the body but the soul.” Then when He had uttered such great words concerning Himself, and had said that He would give this food, in order that what was spoken might not stand in their way, to make His saying credible He attributeth the supply to the Father. For after saying, “Which the Son of Man shall give you”; He addeth, “Him hath God the Father sealed,” that is, “hath sent Him for this purpose, that He might bring the food to you.” The saying also admits of another interpretation; for in another place Christ saith, “He that heareth My words, hath set to his seal that God is true” ( c. iii. 33 ), that is, hath “showed forth undeniably.” Which indeed the expression seems to me to hint at even in this place, for “the Father hath sealed,” is nothing else than “hath declared,” “hath revealed by His testimony.” He in fact declared Himself too, but since He was speaking to Jews, He brought forward the testimony of the Father.