24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.



Ver. 24. Judge not according to the appearance] Nothing is more ordinary with many than to precipitate a censure, to exercise their critics, and to reprehend that which they do not comprehend. Arbitror saith Augustine (de Trim i. 3), nonnullos opinaturos me sensisse quod non sensi, aut non sensisse quod sensi, I suppose that several in reading some places in my books will think that I thought that which never came into my mind to think, and the contrary. This was his fear, and this befell him, as Baronius witnesseth. Compertum est, saith Erasmus. It is well known that many points are condemned as heretical in Luther’s books, which in Augustine’s and Bernard’s books are read and received for good and orthodox. {a} Hill, in his Quartern of Reasons, saith, the Catholics follow the Bible, but the Protestants force the Bible to follow them. And the author of the Gag for the New Gospel assures his Catholics, that our condemnation is so expressly set down in our own Bibles, and is so clear to all the world, that nothing more needs hereto than that they know to read, and to have their eyes in their heads, at the opening of our Bible. This is their judgment of us. But what among themselves! He that tastes an egg, saith Erasmus, at an undue time, is cast into prison, and made to answer for his heresy; but he that spends all the Lord’s day in drinking, drabbing, dicing, is called a good fellow, and passeth unpunished. Qui totam diem Dominicam vacat temulentiae scortis et aleae audit bellus homo, &c.



{a} Erasm. epist, ad Cardinal. Maguntin.