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If, however, he cannot do even this, let his life be such as shall
not only secure a reward for himself, but afford an example to others;
and let his manner of living be an eloquent sermon in itself.
63. There are, indeed, some men who have a good delivery, but
cannot compose anything to deliver. Now, if such men take what has
been written with wisdom and eloquence by others, and commit it to
memory, and deliver it to the people, they cannot be blamed,
supposing them to do it without deception For in this way many become
preachers of the truth (which is certainly desirable), and yet not
many teachers; for all deliver the discourse which one real teacher has
composed, and there are no divisions among them. Nor are such men to
be alarmed by the words of Jeremiah the prophet, through whom God
denounces those who steal His words every one from his neighbor. For
those who steal take what does not belong to them, but the word of God
belongs to all who obey it; and it is the man who speaks well, but
lives badly, who really takes the words that belong to another, For
the good things he says seem to be the result of his own thought, and
yet they have nothing in common with his manner of life. And so God
has said that they steal His words who would appear good by speaking
God's words, but are in fact bad, as they follow their own ways.
And if you look closely into the matter, it is not really themselves
who say the good things they say. For how can they say in words what
they deny in deeds? It is not for nothing that the apostle says of
such men: "They profess that they know God, but in works they deny
Him." In one sense, then, they do say the things, and in another
sense they do not say them; for both these statements must be true,
both being made by Him who is the Truth. Speaking of such men, in
one place He says, "Whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe
and do; but do not ye after their works;" that is to say, what ye
hear from. their lips, that do; what ye see in their lives, that do
ye not; "for they say and do not." And so, though they do not,
yet they say. but in another place, upbraiding such men, He says,
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good
things?" And from this it would appear that even what they say, when
they say what is good, it is not themselves who say, for in wil;l and
in deed they deny what they say. Hence it happens that a wicked man
who is eloquent may compose a discourse in which the truth is set forth
to be delivered by a good man who is not eloquent; and when this takes
place, the former draws from himself what does not belong to him, and
the latter receives from another what really belongs to himself. But
when true believers render this service to true believers, both parties
speak what is their own, for God is theirs, to whom belongs all that
they say; and even those who could not compose what they say make it
their own by composing their lives in harmony with it.
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