ee MATTHEW X. 10-16 45 not even taking anything from other men, the greatness of Him who took care of them would be known; that therefore when the Passion was near He said to them, When I sent you without purses, or bags, or shoes, lacked ye anything? reminding them how copiously He had supplied their needs; and this is the purpose of the command of our Lord ; for He did not command us to get rid of our needs, for this would not have been ourselves, that is to say, our will; but nature itself is lord. Ile has done well to add this, that the labourer ts worthy of his food, to say, that wherever ye enter ye shall receive like workmen the food that is due to you, but I pay a wage in the time of judgment. For this, Go not inte the way of the Gentiles, and into the cities of the Samaritans enter ye nol, was very useful at that time; for because the Jews did not mix with the heathen, so that they might not have any defence to offer for their want of faith, that they preached equally to those who were without the Law and to us, therefore we are justly excused from it. He com- manded about this but for an hour, that they should not go among the heathen; whilst after His resurrection He commanded them to go to all nations. Those who were baptized by our Lord before His Passion, the disciples did not baptize before the Passion. Nevertheless those who had been baptized by John and [his] disciples they baptized afresh after the Resurrection. But He commanded them about those who would not receive them, to shake off upon them the dust of their feet, a sign, therefore, of the labour of the way which they had borne because of them; for it is clear that with the Gospel of the kingdom of Heaven they also preached Him by means of whom it was revealed, who He is; that He is the Messiah and the Son of God; and it is evident that they also baptized in His name those who believed, and they also baptized those who had been baptized by John. But it is not said that our Lord baptized, because there was no other except Himself in whom He should baptize; it was not becoming that He should mention Himself about baptism, and it was out- side of the custom, Be ye therefore wise like serpents, and innocent like doves; for the serpent possesses four qualities, according to the Physiologists; onc, that when its skin oppresses it, and when it gets old and its eyes are blinded, it fasts for forty days, until its body is relaxcd; then it secks a cleft or fissure, straight and narrow, and presses in a penetrating way into that cleft, and casts off that old skin of its, and is made young, and acquires strength and health; so therefore our Lord also signified by this illustration to the preachers of His Gospel, that they should go in by the narrow door ‘Luke22, 35 pom Matt.28.19