5. But what are we to say of the hireling? He is not mentioned here among the good. “The good Shepherd,” He says, “giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the Shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.” The hireling does not here bear a good character, and yet in some respects is useful; nor would he be called an hireling, did he not receive hire from his employer. Who then is this hireling, that is both blameworthy and needful? And here, brethren, let the Lord Himself give us light, that we may know who the hirelings are, and be not hirelings ourselves. Who then is the hireling? There are some in office in the church, of whom the Apostle Paul saith, “Who seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ’s.” What means that, “Who seek their own”? Who do not love Christ freely, who do not seek after God for His own sake; who are pursuing after temporal advantages, gaping for gain, coveting honors from men. When such things are loved by an overseer, and for such things God is served, whoever such an one may be, he is an hireling who cannot count himself among the children. For of such also the Lord saith: “Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.”889    Matt. vi. 5. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says of St. Timothy: “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your circumstances; for I have no man like-minded, who will naturally890    Germane, like a brother. care for you. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.”891    Phil. ii. 19–21. The shepherd mourned in the midst of hirelings. He sought some one who sincerely loved the flock of Christ, and round about him, amongst those who were with him at that time, he found not one. Not that there was no one then in the Church of Christ but the Apostle Paul and Timothy, who had a brother’s892    Germane, like a brother. concern for the flock; but it so happened at the time of his sending Timothy, that he had none else of his sons about him; only hirelings were with him, “who sought their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.” And yet he himself, with a brother’s anxiety for the flock, preferred sending his son, and remaining himself amongst hirelings. Hirelings are also found among ourselves, but the Lord alone distinguisheth them. He that searcheth the heart, distinguisheth them; and yet sometimes we know them ourselves. For it was not without a purpose that the Lord Himself said also of the wolves: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”893    Matt. vii. 16. Temptations put many to the question, and then their thoughts are made manifest; but many remain undiscovered. The Lord’s fold must have as overseers, both those who are children and those who are hirelings. But the overseers, who are sons, are the shepherds. If they are shepherds, how is there but one Shepherd, save that all of them are members of the one Shepherd, to whom the sheep belong? For they are also members of Himself as the one sheep; because “as a sheep he was led to the slaughter.”

5. De mercenario autem quid dicimus? Non in bonis hic commemoratus est. Pastor bonus, ait, animam suam dat pro ovibus. Mercenarius, et qui non est pastor, cujus non sunt oves propriae, videt lupum venientem, et dimittit oves, et fugit; et lupus rapit, et dispergit oves. Non hic bonam personam mercenarius gerit, et tamen in aliquo utilis est: nec mercenarius diceretur, nisi acciperet a conducente mercedem. Quis est ergo iste mercenarius, et culpabilis et necessarius? Hic vero, fratres, luceat nobis ipse Dominus, ut et mercenarios intelligamus, et mercenarii non simus. Quis est ergo mercenarius? Sunt in Ecclesia quidam praepositi, de quibus Paulus apostolus dicit: Sua quaerentes, non quae Jesu Christi. Quid est, sua quaerentes? Non Christum gratis diligentes, non Deum propter Deum quaerentes; temporalia commoda consectantes, lucris inhiantes, honores ab hominibus appetentes. Haec quando amantur a praeposito, et propter haec servitur Deo; quisquis est talis, mercenarius est, inter filios se non computet. De talibus enim et Dominus dicit: Amen dico vobis, perceperunt mercedem suam (Matth. VI, 5). Audi de Timotheo sancto quid dicat apostolus Paulus: «Spero autem in Domino Jesu Timotheum cito mittere vobis, ut et ego bono animo sim, cum cognovero quae circa vos sint: neminem enim habeo unanimem , qui germane de vobis sollicitus sit. Omnes enim sua quaerunt, non quae 1730 Jesu Christi» (Philipp. II, 19-21). Inter mercenarios pastor ingemuit: Quaesivit aliquem qui sinceriter diligeret gregem Christi, et circa se in eis qui cum illo eo tempore fuerant, non invenit. Non enim in Ecclesia Christi tunc praeter Paulum apostolum et Timotheum nemo erat qui germane de grege sollicitus esset: sed contigerat ut eo tempore quo Timotheum misit, circa se alium de filiis non haberet; sed soli mercenarii cum illo essent, sua quaerentes, non quae Jesu Christi. Et tamen ipse germane de grege sollicitus, maluit filium mittere, et inter mercenarios remanere. Invenimus et mercenarios, non eos discutit nisi Dominus; qui cor inspicit, ipse discutit: tamen aliquando intelliguntur a nobis. Non enim frustra dixit ipse Dominus etiam de lupis: Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos (Matth. VII, 16). Multos interrogant tentationes, et tunc apparent cogitationes: multi autem latent. Habeat ovile Domini praepositos, et filios et mercenarios. Praepositi autem qui filii sunt, pastores sunt. Si pastores sunt, quomodo unus pastor, nisi quia sunt illi omnes unius membra pastoris, cujus sunt oves propriae? Nam et ipsi membra sunt ipsius unius ovis; quia sicut ovis ad immolandum ductus est.