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But the Shepherd's voice speaks even by such,

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sent Timothy, he had not about him any other of his sons; JOHN only hirelings were with him, men seeking their own, not the 11, 12. things which are Jesus Christ's. And yet he, naturally caring for the flock, chose rather to send his son, and to be left in the midst of hirelings. We too find hirelings: it is only the Lord Who knows them thoroughly: He Who looketh into the heart, He sees through them: yet sometimes they are understood by us. For it is not for nothing that the Lord hath said concerning wolves likewise, By Mat. 7, their fruits ye shall know them. Temptations question many, and then the thoughts appear: but many also remain hidden. Let the Lord's fold have its overseers, both sons and hirelings. Now overseers who are sons, are shepherds. If they be shepherds, how is there but One Shepherd, save as all those are members of the One Shepherd, Whose own the sheep are? For the same are members of Him Who is also the One Sheep; since He was led as a sheep to be Is.53, 7. immolated.

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6. But hear that hirelings also are necessary. Many in Serm. the Church, pursuing earthly advantages, do yet preach 6-15. Christ, and through them the voice of Christ is heard: and the sheep follow, not the hireling, but the voice of the Shepherd through the hireling. Hear the hirelings pointed out by the Lord Himself. The Scribes and the Pharisees Mat. 23, sit in Moses' chair: what they say, do ye; but what they do, do not ye. What other hath He said, but, Through hirelings hear ye the voice of the Shepherd? For as sitting in the chair of Moses, they teach God's Law: therefore by them God doth teach. But if those men want to teach their de own, hear it not, do it not. For though it be true that such Chr. iv. do seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, 59. yet no hireling ever dared to say to the people of Christ, Seek thine own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. The evils which the hireling does, he does not preach from the chair of Christ: he hurts by the evil that he does, not by the good he speaks. Pluck the grape, beware the thorn. 'Tis well, that ye have understood me: yet for the sake of them who are slower of understanding, let me say the same thing more plainly. How said I, Pluck the grape, beware the thorn, when the Lord saith, Do men Matt. 7,

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so long as they preach Christ, however insincerely. HOMIL. gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? This is quite true: yet is that true also which I said, Pluck the grape, beware the thorn. For now and then a bunch of grapes, springing from the root of the vine, hangs upon a hedge, the vinebranch grows, becomes entwined among the thorns, and the thorn bears fruit not its own. It was not that the vine produced the thorn, but that the fruit-bearing branch overhung the thorns. Ask thou only what be the roots: seek the root of the thorn; thou findest it outside, away from the vine: seek the origin of the grape; the vine bore this from its root. So then, the chair of Moses was the vine; the manners of the Pharisees, the thorns. True doctrine by bad men; the vine-branch on the hedge, the cluster among thorns. Gather it cautiously, lest while thou seekest fruit thou tear thine hand and when thou hearest the good words he says, do not imitate the evil things he does. What they say, do ye, but what they do, do not ye: beware the thorns! Even through hirelings, hear ye the voice of the Shepherd, but be not ye hirelings, seeing ye are members of the Shepherd. But as for Paul the holy Apostle, who said, I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state; for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's; hear what the same hath said in another place, making distinction between hirelings and sons: Some of Enarr. envy and strife; but some even of good will do preach Christ ; 115, 1. some out of charity, knowing that I am set for the

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defence of the Gospel; but some even of contumacy do preach Christ, not chastely, thinking that tribulation is thereby raised up for my bonds. These were hirelings; they envied the Apostle Paul. Wherefore envied, but because they sought temporal things? But mark what he adds: What then? so in every way, whether for occasion sake or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Christ is Truth: let Truth be preached by

a Text. recept. transposes the two latter members (viz. some preach Christ of contention ..... some, of love, &c., as in E. V.) obviously for the sake of conformity with v. 15. but against decisive authority of Mss., versions, and Fathers.

b Suscitari, Vulg. se suscitare: the best authorities have yelpew, which is received by Griesbach, Lachmann, and others: text. recept. eripéрew (Theophyl. πроσpéрew) is only a marginal gloss.

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Christ's disciples are allowed to flee from persecution. 619 hirelings for occasion sake, let Truth be preached by sons JOHN in truth: the sons patiently look for the eternal inheritance of the Father; the hirelings eagerly long for the temporal wages of the Employer that hired them: for me, let man's glory, which I see the hirelings envy me, be diminished; and yet by the tongues both of hirelings and of sons let the divine glory of Christ be spread abroad, while, whether for occasion sake, or in truth, Christ is preached.

7. We have seen who is the hireling likewise. Who is the wolf, but the devil? And what is said of the hireling? When he seeth the wolf coming, he fleeth, because the ver. 12. sheep are not his own, and he careth not for the sheep. Was such the Apostle Paul? God forbid! Such Peter? God forbid! Such the other Apostles, save Judas the son of perdition? God forbid! Then were they shepherds? Assuredly shepherds. And how then is there One Shepherd? I have already said, 'Shepherds, because members of the Shepherd.' In that Head they rejoiced, under that Head they were of one heart, by one spirit they lived in the compactness of one body: and hereby all appertained to the One Shepherd. If then they were shepherds, not hirelings, wherefore did they flee when they suffered persecution? Expound to us, O Lord. I have seen Paul fleeing, in his epistle: he was let down by the wall in a 2 Cor. basket, that he might escape the hands of the persecutor. Then say we that he cared not for the sheep, which he deserted when the wolf came? He did care for them, assuredly; but he commended them by his prayers to the Shepherd Who sitteth in heaven, while by fleeing he preserved himself for their good, as he saith in a certain place, To remain in the flesh is necessary for your sakes. For Phil. 1, from the Shepherd Himself they had all heard, If they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another. This question let the 23. Lord deign to expound to us. Lord, Thou hast said to them concerning whom doubtless it was Thy will that they should be faithful shepherds, to them whom Thou wast forming to be Thy members, If they persecute you, flee. Then Thou wrongest them, when Thou reprovest the hirelings, who see the wolf coming, and flee. We beseech Thee, shew us what the height of the question hath in it. Let us knock: He will be

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Unfaithful pastors flee as hirelings,

HOMIL. present to open Himself, Who is the Porter of the Door, Himself the Door.

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8. Who is the hireling that seeth the wolf coming, and fleeth? The man who seeks his own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, that man does not frankly reprove him that sinneth. Lo, some man hath sinned, hath grievously sinned: he must be rebuked, be excommunicated: yea, but excommunicated, he will be an enemy, will plot, will do a mischief when he can. Now the man who seeks his own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's, this man that he may not lose that which he follows after, to wit, the advantage of men's friendship, and incur the annoyance of men's enmity, holds his peace, does not rebuke. Lo, the wolf is griping the sheep by the throat: the devil hath seduced a believer into adultery; thou holdest thy peace, rebukest not: O hireling, thou sawest the wolf coming, and fleddest! Perchance he answers, and says: Lo, here I am; I have not fled. Thou hast fled, becue thou hast held thy peace; thou didst hold thy peace, because thou wast afraid. Fear is the flight of the mind. In body, thou stoodest; in spirit, thou fleddest: which thing 1 Cor. did not he who said, Though I be absent in body, in spirit I am with you. For how could he be said to have fled in spirit, who, even being absent in the body, rebuked fornicators by his epistle? Our affections are the motions of our minds. Joy, is a diffusion of the mind; sorrow, a contraction of the mind; desire, a progression of the mind; fear, a flight of the mind. For thou art diffused abroad in thy mind when thou art delighted; contracted in mind, when thou art in trouble: thou goest forth in the mind, when thou desirest ought; fleest in mind, when thou art afraid. Lo, how it is that the hireling is said to flee at sight of the wolf. Why? Because he careth not for the sheep. Why careth not for the sheep? Because he is an hireling. How is an hireling? Is one seeking temporal hire, and shall not dwell in the house for ever. There are questions here yet to be asked and discussed with you, but it is not our purpose to burden you. For we minister the viands of the Lord to our fellow-servants; in the Lord's pasture we feed the sheep, and ourselves feed with them. As that ought not to be denied you which is needful, so the weak heart must not be weighed down with

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when they are afraid to rebuke and punish sin. 621

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the quantity of food. Then take it not amiss, beloved, that JoHN I do not to-day discuss all that is here still to be discussed; but on the Sermon-day the same Lesson shall, in the name of the Lord, be read to us a second time, and by His aid, more diligently handled.

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