10. And he comes back again, and in all ways, over and over again, enforceth what he hath the right to do, yet doeth not. “Do ye not know,” saith he, “that they which work in the temple, eat of the things which are in the temple? they which serve the altar, have their share with the altar? So hath the Lord ordained for them which preach the Gospel, to live of the Gospel. But I have used none of these things.”25    1 Cor. ix. 13–15 What more open than this? what more clear? I fear lest haply, while I discourse wishing to expound this, that become obscure which in itself is bright and clear. For they who understand not these words, or feign not to understand, do much less understand mine, or profess to understand: unless perchance they do therefore quickly understand ours, because it is allowed them to deride them being understood; but concerning the Apostle’s words this same is not allowed. For this reason, where they cannot interpret them otherwise according to their own sentence, be it ever so clear and manifest, they answer that it is obscure and uncertain because wrong and perverse they dare not call it. Cries the man of God, “The Lord hath ordained for them which preach the Gospel, of this Gospel to live; but I have used none of these things;” and flesh and blood essayeth to make crooked what is straight; what open, to shut; what serene, to cloud over. “It was,” saith it, “spiritual work that he was doing, and thereof did he live.” If it be so, of the Gospel did he live: why then doth he say, “The Lord hath ordained for them which preach the Gospel, of the Gospel to live; but I have used none of these things?” Or if this very word, “to live” which is here used, they will needs also interpret in respect of spiritual life, then had the Apostle no hope towards God, in that he did not live by the Gospel, because he hath said, “I have used none of these things.” Wherefore, that he should have certain hope of life eternal the Apostle did of the Gospel in any wise spiritually live. What therefore he saith, “But I have used none of these things,” doth without doubt make to be understood of this life which is in the flesh, that which he hath said of the Lord’s ordaining to them which preach the Gospel, that of the Gospel they should live; that is, this life which hath need of food and clothing, they by the Gospel shall sustain; as above he said of his fellow-apostles; of whom the Lord Himself saith, “The workman is worthy of his meat;” and, “The workman is worthy of his hire.” This meat, then, and this hire of the sustenance of this life, due to evangelists, this of them to whom he evangelized the Apostle accepted not, saying a true thing, “I have used none of these things.”

10. Apertius et clarius id esse ex consequentibus. Et redit rursus, modisque omnibus etiam atque etiam commendat quid sibi liceat, et tamen non faciat. Nescitis, inquit, quoniam qui in templo operantur, quae de templo sunt edunt? qui altario deserviunt, altario compartiuntur ? Sic et Dominus ordinavit iis qui Evangelium annuntiant, de Evangelio vivere: ego autem nullius horum usus sum. Quid hoc apertius? quid clarius? Vereor ne forte cum dissero volens id exponere, obscurum fiat quod per se lucet et claret . Qui enim haec verba non intelligunt, aut se non intelligere fingunt, mea multo minus intelligunt vel se intelligere profitentur: nisi forte propterea cito intelligant nostra, quia conceditur eis intellecta deridere, de Apostoli autem verbis non idem conceditur. Propterea ubi aliter ea secundum suam sententiam interpretari non possunt, etiam clara et manifesta, obscura et incerta esse respondent, quia prava et perversa non audent. Clamat homo Dei, Dominus ordinavit iis qui Evangelium annuntiant, de Evangelio vivere; ego autem nullius horum usus sum; et conatur caro et sanguis recta depravare, aperta claudere, serena obnubilare. Spirituale, inquit, opus faciebat, et inde vivebat. Si ita est, de Evangelio vivebat: cur ergo dicit, Dominus ordinavit iis qui Evangelium annuntiant, de Evangelio vivere; ego autem nullius horum usus sum? Aut si et hoc ipsum quod hic dictum est vivere, secundum spiritualem vitam volunt interpretari, nullam spem habebat Apostolus ad Deum qui de Evangelio non vivebat, quia dixit, Nullius horum usus sum. Quapropter ut spes illi certa esset vitae aeternae, de Evangelio utique spiritualiter vivebat Apostolus. Quod ergo ait, Ego autem nullius horum usus sum, de vita ista quae in carne agitur sine dubitatione facit intelligi, quod dixit Dominum ordinasse iis qui Evangelium annuntiant de Evangelio vivere, id est, vitam istam cui opus est victu et tegumento de Evangelio transigere; sicut superius de suis coapostolis dixit: unde ipse Dominus ait, Dignus est operarius cibo suo; et, dignus est operarius mercede sua. Hunc itaque cibum et hanc mercedem sustentandae hujus vitae debitam evangelistis , ab eis quibus evangelizabat non accepit Apostolus, verum dicens, Ego autem nullius horum usus sum.