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44. Non est intuendum qnid per se sint Ecclesi doctores, sed quid per gratiam evaserint;- Solent hæretici de justitiæ sum contra nos elatione gloriari, atque opera sua ostentationis inflatione jactare, nosqae iniquos, et diximus, aut esse, aUt fuisse criminantur. Per humillimam ergo confessionem, et veraaem defensionem contra eos vir sanctus loquitur, dicens: Ferrum de terra tollitur. Ac si aperte dicat: Fortes viri, qui acutissimis linguarum gladiis in hac scie defendendæ fidei ferrum fiunt, aliquando terra in infimis actionibus fuerunt. Peccanti quippe homini dictum est: Terra es, et in terram ibis (Genes. III, 19). Sed de terni ferrum tollitur (Dist. L, c.
44. We must not regard what the Church's teachers are in themselves, but what they have become through grace. — Heretics are wont to boast in the exaltation of their own righteousness against us, and to vaunt their own works with the inflation of ostentation, and to accuse us, as we have said, of being or having been wicked. Therefore, through most humble confession and truthful defence, the holy man speaks against them, saying: 'Iron is taken out of the earth' (Job XXVIII, 2). As if he plainly said: Strong men, who with the sharpest swords of their tongues become iron in this battle line of defending the faith, were once earth in their lowest actions. For to sinning man it was said: 'Earth thou art, and unto earth thou shalt go' (Genesis III, 19). But iron is taken out of the earth,
四十四、我們不當看教會的教師本身是何等人，乃當看他們藉恩典成了何等人。——異端者慣於以自己公義的高抬敵對我們而自誇，以誇耀的膨脹炫示自己的行為，並如我們所說，控告我們是、或曾是惡人。因此，聖人藉極謙卑的認罪與真誠的辯護敵對他們說：「鐵從地裡取出」（約伯記二十八章2節）。這彷彿明明地說：那些剛強的人，以其舌頭最鋒利的刀劍在這捍衛信仰的戰陣中成了鐵，從前在其最卑下的行為中卻曾是塵土。因為神對犯罪的人說：「你本是塵土，仍要歸於塵土」（創世記三章19節）。然而鐵是從地裡取出的，
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18), cum forlis propugnator Ecclesiæ a terrena quam prius tenuit arcione separatur. Non ergo ineo debet despici quidquid fuit, qui jam cœpit esse quod non fuit. An non Matthæus in terra iiiventus est, qui terrenis negotiis implicatus It telonii usibus serviebat (Matth. ix, 9)! Sed de terra b sublatus, in fortitudinem ferri convaluit, cujus videlicet Jingu a quasi acutissimo gladio Evangelii administratione Dominus infidelium corda transfixit; et qui infirmus prius despectusque fuerat per terrena negotia, fortis postmodum factus est ad caelestia prædicamenta. Unde adhuc subjungitur:
when the strong defender of the Church is separated from the earthly manner of life which he formerly held. Therefore whatever he was ought not to be despised in him who has already begun to be what he was not. Was not Matthew found in the earth, who, entangled in earthly business, served the uses of the toll-booth (Matthew IX, 9)? But, taken up out of the earth, he grew strong into the strength of iron, with whose tongue, as with a most sharp sword, the Lord, by the ministry of the Gospel, pierced through the hearts of unbelievers; and he who before was weak and despised through earthly business, was afterward made strong for heavenly preachings. Whence there is further subjoined:
就是當教會剛強的護衛者從他先前所持守的屬地生活中被分別出來的時候。因此，凡已開始成為他從前所不是者的人，他從前的樣子就不當在他身上被藐視。馬太豈不是在地裡被尋見的麼？他曾纏繞於屬地的事務，服事稅關的用途（馬太福音九章9節）。但他從地裡被取出，長成剛強如鐵，主藉福音的職事，以他的舌頭如最鋒利的刀劍，刺透了不信者的心；他從前因屬地的事務而軟弱可鄙，後來卻為屬天的宣講被造成剛強的。故此又補充說：