A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
All Commentaries on Matthew 12:35 Go To Matthew 12
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Serm., 72, 1: Or this is an admonition to ourselves that we should be good trees that we may be able to bring forth good fruit; “Make the tree good, and its fruit good,” is a precept of health to which obedience is necessary. But what He says, “Make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt,” is not a commandto do, but a warning to take heed, spoken against those who being evil thought that they could speak good things, or have good works; this the Lord declares is impossible. The man must be changed first, that his works may be changed; for if the man remains in that wherein he is evil, he cannot have good works; if he remains in that wherein he is good, he cannot have evil works. Christ found us all corrupt trees, but gave power to become sons of God to them that believe on His name. And observe He said not, How can ye speak good things, seeing ye are a generation of vipers? for these two are not connected together; but He said, “How can ye being evil speak good things? He calls them “generation of vipers,” because they made boast of their forefathers; in order therefore to cut off this their pride, He shuts them out of the race of Abraham, assigning them a parentage corresponding to their characters.
