shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require of thy hand." Here Jerome says: "The priest is bound to preach, and let him see to it that fear of man does not make him to keep silence. There is a great difference in the keeping of the words of God silent for three causes—namely, out of fear, stupidity or flattery." Likewise is this clear from Gregory, Pastoral Theology, 15: 43, sit rector [Nic. Fathers, 2d Ser., 12: 27, Friedberg, 1: 154], where he gives most solemn proof from many Scripture texts and, among other things, says: "Indeed it is written that 'the sound shall be heard when he [Aaron] enters into the holy place in the presence of the Lord . . . that he die not' [Ex. 28:33–35]. For the priest, going in or coming out dies if a sound is not heard from him, because he gets to himself the anger of the hidden judge, if he goes in without the sound of preaching." The same is clear from St. Isidore, who says, de Summo Bono, III: "Priests are condemned for the people's iniquity if they do not instruct the ignorant or convict sinners."
When, therefore, in view of what has been said, any one who has reached the priesthood has accepted as of commandment the office of preacher, it is clear that that commandment ought to be executed, a pretended excommunication to the contrary notwithstanding.
Likewise for no true catholic ought it to become a matter of doubt that a man if he be adequately trained in knowledge is more obligated to teach the ignorant, to advise the uncertain, to punish the unbridled, to remit sins to those committing injury, than he is to do any works of mercy. Since, therefore, when he is fitted for the ministry of alms for the body, he is bound to do these things under pain of damnation, as appears from Matt. 25—much more when he is fitted to administer spiritual alms [is he under obligation to do spiritual ministries]. From this it is evident that preaching for the priest and giving alms for the rich are not things intermediate but commandments.
