Chapter 26

§ 1.

If a man therefore read the Scriptures attentively, he will find in the same the word concerning Christ, and the prefiguring of the New Calling. For Christ is the treasure hid in the field—i.e., in this world:¹ for the field is the world:—and Christ in the Scriptures is a hidden treasure,² because He was indicated by types and parables. Wherefore what relates to Him as Man could not be understood, before the fulfilment of the predictions had arrived; which is the Coming of the Lord. And therefore it was said to the Prophet Daniel,³ Hide away the discourses, and seal the Book until the time of the consummation:—until many shall learn, and knowledge be completed.⁴ For in the time when the dispersion shall be accomplished, they shall know all these things.⁵ Yea, and Jeremiah saith, In the last days they shall know them.

Because every prophecy, before the event,⁶ is a riddle and a strife unto men: but when the time is come, and the thing foretold takes place, then it admits of the most exact commentary. And therefore the Law at this present time, when read by Jews, is like a mere legend, for they have not that which is the comment on all that is there, viz., the coming of the Son of God as Man. But when read by Christians,⁷ it is a treasure, hidden indeed in a field, but to them disclosed by Christ’s Cross, and made plain; which also enriches the minds of men, and sets forth the wisdom of God, and declares His providential dealings with man, and shadows beforehand the Kingdom of Christ, and anticipates the preaching⁸ of the heritage of the holy Jerusalem; it announces also, that man loving God shall improve⁹ so far, as even to see God, and hear His speech, and from the hearing of what He saith come to be so highly glorified, that others shall not be able to look steadily on the face of his glory: as is said by Daniel,¹⁰ That men of understanding shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and there shall be of many righteous men as it were stars for ever and ever.

Therefore, as we have shewn, if a man read the Scriptures (for so the Lord also discoursed unto His Disciples after His resurrection from the dead, shewing them from the same Scriptures, that Christ should suffer,¹¹ and enter into His Glory,¹² and that in His Name remission of sins should be preached in the whole world): he will be even a perfect disciple,¹³ and like unto a householder, who bringeth out of his treasure things new and old.

§ 2.

Wherefore we should hearken to those Presbyters who are in the Church;¹⁴ those who have their succession from the Apostles, as we have pointed out; who with their succession in the Episcopate received a sure gift of the Truth, at the good pleasure of the Father: but the rest, who withdraw from the primitive succession, and gather in any place whatever, we must hold in suspicion, either as heretics and evil minded¹⁵; or as making division, and lifted up, and pleasing themselves; or again as hypocrites, so behaving for gain and vain glory’s sake. But all these have fallen from the truth.

And as for the Heretics, offering as they do strange fire at the Altar of God, i.e., strange doctrines, they shall be burned up by fire from Heaven, as Nadab and Abihu.¹⁶ But such as rise up against the Truth,¹⁷ and stir up others to oppose the Church of God, remain in the lower regions, swallowed by an eddy of the earth: as Korah, Dathan and Abiron and their party. And such as rend and part in sunder the unity of the Church receive from God the same punishment as Jeroboam.

§ 3.

But those who are counted indeed by many as Presbyters,¹⁸ yet are slaves to their own pleasures, and prefer not the fear of God in their hearts, but harass others with reproaches, and are elated with the pomp of that original grant, and do ill in secret and say, No man seeth us; will be rebuked by the Word, Who judges not by fair shew, nor looks to the countenance, but upon the heart: and they will have those words said to them which were spoken by the Prophet Daniel:¹⁹ O seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, beauty hath beguiled thee, and lust hath turned thy heart upside down:²⁰ O thou grown old in evil days, now are thy sins come upon thee which thou didst work before, in judging unrighteous judgments; and the innocent thou didst condemn, but didst free the guilty, whereas the Lord saith, The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay. Of whom the Lord also said, But if the evil servant say in his heart, My Lord delayeth,²¹ and begin to beat the servants and handmaids, and to eat and drink and to be drunken: the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he knoweth not, and in an hour when he doth not expect; and will cut him asunder, and set his portion with the unbelievers.

§ 4.

From all such then we must withdraw;²² and cleave to those who both guard, as we said before, the doctrine of the Apostles, and with their order as Presbyters exhibit sound speech and conversation without offence, for the confirmation and reproof of the rest. As Moses, to whom was entrusted so high a command, relying on a good conscience,²³ purged himself before God, saying, I have not in inordinate desire taken anything of any one of them, neither have I done harm to any of them.

As Samuel, so many years a judge of the people, and governing Israel without any arrogance, did in the end clear himself,²⁴ saying, I have had my conversation in your sight from my first age until now: answer me before God and before His Anointed, of which of you have I received ox or ass, or whom have I domineered over, or whom have I oppressed; or if I have received from any man’s hand a gift to win favour, or a sandal, say it against me, and I will restore it unto you. And when the people had said, Thou hast neither domineered nor oppressed us,²⁵ nor hast thou received aught from any man’s hand; he called the Lord to witness,²⁶ saying, The Lord is witness, and His Anointed is witness this day, that ye have found nothing in my hand. And they said unto him, He is witness.

As Paul also the Apostle, being of good conscience, made his plea to the Corinthians,²⁷ For we are not as the many, making merchandise of the word of God, but of sincerity, but of God, before God speak we in Christ:²⁸ we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

§ 5.

Of such Presbyters the Church is the nurse; of whom also a Prophet saith,²⁹ I will give thy princes in peace, and thy Bishops in righteousness. Of whom also the Lord said, Who then will be a faithful steward³⁰, good,³¹ and wise, whom the Lord will set over his household, to give them portions of meat in season? Blessed is that servant whom the Lord when He cometh shall find so doing.

Now where one may find such, Paul teaches, saying, God hath set in the church, first Apostles,³² then Prophets, thirdly Teachers. Then, where the Lord’s free gifts are set, there we must learn the Truth:³³ with those who have the Church succession from the Apostles, and what makes up a sound and irreproachable conversation; and purity and incorruption of discourse is known to abide. For these both guard that Faith of ours, the object of which is one God, Who made all things: and increase that love which points to the Son of God, Who hath done so great works of providence for us: and expound to us the Scriptures without any danger, neither blaspheming God, nor dishonouring Patriarchs, nor despising Prophets.