Laudator Temporis Acti

Augustine, Sermons 137.7 (Patrologia Latina, vol. 38, col. 758; on Mt 23:2-3; tr. Edmund Hill):

When bad members of the clergy hear this that is said against them in this text, they try to twist the meaning. Yes, I've actually heard some of them trying to twist the meaning of this judgment. If they were allowed to, wouldn't they simply delete it from the gospel? But because they can't delete it, they look for ways of twisting its meaning. But the grace and mercy of the Lord is at hand, and he doesn't let them do so, because he has hedged all his judgments round with his truth, and balanced them. Thus no matter who tries to cut something out or to tamper with it by reading or interpreting it wrongly, the person of sound and solid sense should join to scripture what has been cut out of scripture, and read what goes before or comes after, and they will find the true meaning which the others tried to explain away wrongly.

Quando illud audiunt clerici mali quod in ipsos dicitur, volunt pervertere. Nam audivi quosdam pervertere velle istam sententiam. Numquid non, si illis liceret, non delerent illam de Evangelio? Quia vero delere illam non possunt, pervertere illam quaerunt. Sed adest Domini gratia et misericordia, nec sinit eos facere; quia circumsepsit veritate sua omnes sententias suas, et libravit; ut quisquis inde aliquid praecidere voluerit, aut inducere male legendo vel interpretando, ille qui cor habet, quod praecisum est de Scriptura iungat Scripturae, et legat superiora vel inferiora, et inveniet sensum quem volebat ille male interpretari.