, son of Beor, that
is, of a fool. A fool is his father. So are these, also, blind, dull
and foolish people, who must yet needs rule; such a people as the
flesh bears, for the spirit makes men of another stamp. So God has
given these in the Scripture their own name, and therein they are so
painted to the life, that we may know in what account they are to be
held.

Now the dumb beast of burden, the ass, signifies the people that lets
itself be bridled and ridden, and goes as it is led, like the ass,
who was forced and beaten cruelly when he went out of the way into
the ditch, and must neither give place before the angel in the way so
long as it could help, nor turn aside, and so must fall down. For in
the same way have these seducers also urged on the people, until
these last have become sensible that it is a thing not to be endured,
and that they deal unfairly with them, and have wished to turn them
aside from the way. But the harshness has been so gross whereby they
have troubled the people, that at length God has opened our lips and
given words into our mouths, so that even the children speak of it;
whereby their folly is made plain, so that they must be ashamed. In
this way we ought to meet them when they go about, and give out that
it belongs not to the laity to read the Scripture, and therefore say,
we must hear what the Councils determine. For then you may answer,
Has not God spoken even by an ass? Be content with our knowing that
ye, in times past, preached the word of God; but now ye have become
fools, and are possessed by avarice, what wonder is it that now the
common people have been roused and impelled by God to speak the
truth, though it has been so burdened and oppressed like a dumb beast
of burden. This is their likeness, taken from the prophet Balaam. Now
St. Peter says further of these false teachers:

V. 17. _They are wells without water, and clouds driven about by the
whirlwind._ In like manner Solomon presents us a comparison, in Prov.
xxv., and says, "As when a great cloud and strong wind go forth, and
yet no rain follows, so is a man who makes high boastings of himself,
and does not make good his words." So Peter says here, also, _they
are wells without water, and clouds driven about by the whirlwind_;
that is, they make great show, and have nothing beside. They are like
the dry, false and exhausted wells, although they have the fame and
title of being true wells. For Scripture calls those who t