De arte praedicatoria

Having said whose office preaching ought to be, and what sort of men preachers ought to be, it remains to show to whom preaching ought to be addressed. Namely, to the faithful, who with a certain appetite of mind desire to hear the word of God; of whom the Lord says: Lift up your eyes, and see that the regions are already white for harvest.¹ The regions white for harvest are called the minds of men, prepared to receive the word of God. This is the good earth, which receives the seed and makes fruit. But from the unworthy and the obstinate, preaching ought to be withheld, because those who reject the word of God make themselves unworthy. Whence also the apostles said to the Jews who rejected their preaching: Because you have rejected the word of God, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.² For he diminishes the majesty of secrets who divulges secrets to the unworthy; and the vessels of the Lord are not to be exposed to Babylon. To lesser people it is fitting to speak in parables, to greater ones to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Little ones are to be nourished with liquid food, adults strengthened with solid food; lest the little one be choked by the solid, and the adult loathe the liquid, so that each thing may fittingly hold its own place.

It belongs to the preacher to bear the office of a bodily physician, or doctor. For just as the bodily physician varies the kinds of remedies according to the diversity of diseases, so the preacher must apply remedies of admonition. So that, if he preaches to the lustful, he should bring forward authorities against lust, adduce reasons; show that it is abominable before God and before men; how it stinks with infamy, stinks in one's own flesh, stinks before one's neighbor, stinks before God. Now let him cut with the iron through threat, now let him soothe through consolation. In like manner let him dispute against other vices, according to what vices he sees the hearers entangled in.

If he preaches to the poor, let him discourse on poverty, commending poverty; taking his example from our head Jesus Christ. Who, though he was rich in heaven, was made poor for us on earth, that by his poverty he might make us rich. Let the ancient Fathers also come as an example, who followed the naked Christ in nakedness. Let him show how blessed are the poor in spirit,³ not rich in wealth. If he preaches to the rich, let him invite them to almsgiving, to contempt of riches, to love of heavenly talents; so that if riches flow in abundance, they should not set their heart on them; if they have them, they should not seek after them; for to have is a matter of substance, to seek after is a matter of guilt.

If he preaches to soldiers, let him move them to be content with their own wages, not encroaching on those of others; let them exact nothing by violence, let them shake down no one, let them be defenders of the fatherland, guardians of orphans and widows; thus let them outwardly bear the weapons of the world, so that inwardly they may be armed with the breastplate of faith.

If to advocates, let him warn them not to favor an unjust cause for a bribe, or weaken a just one out of the bitterness of hatred, not to sell their tongue, not to prostitute wisdom, nor to pursue false things, nor to venerate lies.

If he preaches to teachers, let him warn them to teach with regard to God, to make God the sole end of their labor; not to hunt after popular favor or earthly reward; let them demonstrate in deed what they propose in word.

If he directs his sermon to prelates, let him exhort them concerning the governance of their subjects, that he may raise them up by hope of heavenly things, correct them by threat, guide them by gentleness.

If he preaches to princes of the earth, let him warn them to pursue prudence, to abhor avarice, not to depart from the path of justice, to temper rigor with gentleness.

If he speaks to men of the cloister and religious, let him bring for their instruction the examples of the ancient Fathers, who led their present life in excessive chastisement of the body: let him show that it is of little worth to begin, unless what is begun is concluded with a good end, because no one putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.⁴ And Lot's wife, looking back, was changed into a statue of salt.⁵

If he addresses a sermon to married people, let the state of marriage be commended, the fidelity of the marriage bed, the virtue of the sacrament. Let him show how marriage had its beginning in paradise, how the ancient Fathers in the married state merited to attain eternal life.

If to widows, let the burdens of marriage be shown, in the care of children, in the acquisition of necessities, in the management of household affairs; how glorious it is to avoid the proven excesses of the flesh, and to serve God freely.

If to virgins, let them be commended for cleanness of body, for purity of mind, through which a man is above man, overcoming the flesh, and bearing the likeness of angels.