75:1
I bid.— Dicebat enim, Ne forte peccaverint Alii mei, et benedixerint Deo in cordibus suis. 31. Maculae a praedicatoribus contracta quomodo di- luenda. — Deo quippe benedicere, id est maledicere, est de ejus munere sibi gloriam praebere. Unde recte sanctis apostolis post praedicationem Dominus pedes lavit ( Joan xiii, 5); ut videlicet aperte monstraret quia plerumque et in bono opere peccati pulvis con- trahitur, et inde inquinantur vestigia loquentium, unde audientium corda mundantur. Nam saepe non- nulli dum exhortationis verba faciunt, quamlibet te- nuiter, sese intrinsecus, quia per b eos purgationis gratia derivatur, extollunt;
The same. — 'For he said, Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God in their hearts.' 31. How the stains contracted by preachers are to be washed away. — For to bless God, that is, to curse, is to take glory to oneself from His gift. Whence rightly did the Lord wash the feet of the holy apostles after their preaching (John xiii, 5); that clearly He might show that very often even in a good work the dust of sin is contracted, and thence are the footsteps of the speakers soiled, whence the hearts of the hearers are cleansed. For often some, while they utter words of exhortation, however slightly, exalt themselves inwardly, because through them the grace of purgation is derived to others;
同上。——「因為他說：恐怕我的兒子犯了罪，心中棄掉神。」三十一。傳道者所沾染的污點當如何洗淨。——因為讚頌神，即咒詛神，就是從祂的恩賜中把榮耀歸於自己。因此主在聖使徒傳道之後適切地洗他們的腳（約十三5）；好叫祂清楚顯明，即使在善工中也常沾染罪的塵埃，使說話者的腳步從那使聽者的心得潔淨之處被玷污。因為當有些人說出勸勉的話語時，無論何等輕微，也往往裡面自高，因為藉著他們，潔淨之恩被引流給別人；
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cumque verbo aliena opera diluunt, quasi ex bono itinere pulverem malae cogitationis sumunt. Quid ergo fuit post praedicatio- nem pedes discipulorum lavare, nisi post praedicatio- nis gloriam, cogitationum pulverem tergere, gres- susque cordis ab interna elatione mundare? Nec ob- stat ab omnimoda Mediatoris scientia quod dicitur: ne forte. Nam cuncta sciens, sed c in locutione sua ignorantiam nostram suscipiens, 28 atque dum sus- cipit docens, nonnunquam quasi ex nostra dubita- tione loquitur, sicut dicit: Filius hominis veniens, putas, inveniet fidem super terram ? ( Luc. xviii, 5.) Expletis ergo conviviis, sacrificium Job pro filiis of- ferens dicebat;
and while by their word they wash away the works of others, they take, as it were from a good journey, the dust of evil thought. What then was it, after preaching, to wash the feet of the disciples, save, after the glory of preaching, to wipe away the dust of thoughts, and to cleanse the steps of the heart from inward elation? Nor does it stand against the wholly complete knowledge of the Mediator, that it is said, 'lest perhaps.' For, knowing all things, but in His speech taking upon Himself our ignorance, and while taking it upon Himself, teaching, He sometimes speaks as it were out of our doubt, just as He says: 'When the Son of man cometh, thinkest thou, shall He find faith upon the earth?' (Luke xviii, 8). The feasts therefore being accomplished, Job, offering a sacrifice for his sons, said:
當他們用言語洗淨別人的行為時，卻彷彿從美好的路程中沾了惡念的塵埃。那麼傳道之後洗門徒的腳，豈非傳道之榮耀之後，拭去思念的塵埃，並潔淨心的步履脫離內在的自高？中保全備的知識也不與「恐怕」這話相牴觸。因為祂雖知曉萬事，卻在言語中擔當我們的無知，並在擔當之際施教，有時彷彿出於我們的疑惑而說話，正如祂說：「人子來的時候，你想，遇得見世上有信德嗎？」（路十八8）。所以筵席既完成，約伯為他兒子們獻祭說：
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Ne forte peccaverint filii mei, et be- nedixerint Deo in cordibus suis; quia Redemptor no- ster postquam praedicatores suos a malis impugnan- tibus diluit, etiam inter bona quae egerant a tentatio- nibus defendit. Sequitur:
'Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God in their hearts'; because our Redeemer, after He had washed His preachers from the evils that assailed them, defended them also, even amid the good things which they had done, from temptations. There follows:
「恐怕我的兒子犯了罪，心中棄掉神」；因為我們的救贖主在洗淨祂的傳道者脫離攻擊他們的惡之後，也在他們所行的善事之中保守他們脫離試探。接下來說：