HOMILY XII.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 445 springing up of the tares. But here admire with me the prophetic gift of Paul, who, before the times in which they were to appear, specifies the time itself. As if he had said, Do not won der, if, at the commencement of the faith, some endeavor to bring in these pernicious doctrines ; since, after it has been established for a length of time, many shall depart from the faith. " For bidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats." Why then has he mentioned no other heresies? Though not particularized, they are implied by the expressions of " seducing spirits and doctrines of demons." But he did not wish to instill these things into the minds of men before the time ; but that which had already commenced, the case of meats, he speci fies. " Which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth." Why did he not say, by the unbelievers too? How by the unbelievers, when they exclude themselves from them by their own rules? But is not luxury forbidden? Certainly it is. But why? if good things are created to be received. Because He created bread, and yet too much is forbidden ; and wine also, and yet excess is forbidden ; and we are not com manded to avoid dainties as if they were unclean in themselves, but as they corrupt the soul by excess. Ver. 4. " For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving." If it be the creature of God, it is good. For " all things," it is said, " were very good." (Gen. i. 31.) By speaking thus of things eatable, he by anticipation impugns the heresy of those who introduce an uncreated matter, and assert that these things proceed from it. But if it is good, why is it " sanctified by the word of God and prayers"? For it must be unclean, if it is to be sanctified? Not so, here he is speaking to those who thought that some of these things were common ; therefore he lays down two posi tions : first, that no creature of God is unclean : secondly, that if it were become so, you have a remedy, seal it, 1 give thanks, and glorify God, and all the uncleanness passes away. Can we then so cleanse that which is offered to an idol ? If you know not that it was so offered. But if, knowing this, you partake of it, you will be unclean ; not because it was- offered to an idol, but because contrary to an express command, you thereby communicate with devils. So that it is not unclean by nature, but becomes so through your wilful disobedience. What then, is not swine s flesh unclean? By no means, when it is received with thanksgiving, and with the seal ; nor is anything else. It is your un thankful disposition to God that is unclean. 1 i.e. with the sign of the cross, crfypdyicrov. Ver. 6. "If thou put the brethren in remem brance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." What are the things here meant? The same which he had before mentioned, that " great is the mystery " ; that to abstain from meats is the doctrine of devils, that they are " cleansed by the word of God and prayer." Ver. 7. " But refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto god liness." " Putting them in remembrance," he says ; here you observe no authority ; but all is con descension : he does not say " commanding " or " enjoining," but reminding them : that is, sug gest these things as matter of advice, and so enter into discourses with them concerning the faith, " being nourished up," he says, meaning to imply constancy in application to these things. For as we set before us day by day this bodily nourishment, so he means, let us be continually receiving discourses concerning the faith, and ever be nourished with them. What is this, " being nourished up " ? Ruminating upon them ; attending ever to the same things, and prac ticing ever the same, for it is no common nour ishment that they supply. " But refuse profane and old wives fables." By these are meant Jewish traditions, and he calls them " fables," either because of their falsehood or their unseasonableness. For what is seasonable is useful, but what is unseasonable is not only useless but injurious. Suppose a man of adult age to be suckled by a nurse, would he not be ridiculous, because it is un seasonable ? " Profane and old wives fables," he calls them, partly because of their obsolete ness, and partly because they are impediments to faith. For to bring souls under fear, that are raised above these things, is an impious com mandment. " Exercise thyself unto godliness." That is, unto a pure faith and a moral life ; for this is godliness. So then we need "exercise." Ver. 8. " For bodily exercise 2 profiteth little." This has by some been referred to fasting ; but away with such a notion ! for that is not a bodily but a spiritual exercise. If it were bodily it would nourish the body, whereas it wastes and makes it lean, so that it is not bodily. Hence he is not speaking of the discipline 3 of the body. What we need, therefore, is the exercise 4 of the soul. For the exercise of the body hath no profit, but may benefit the body a little, but the exercise 6 of godliness yields fruit and advantage both here and hereafter. a<TK7)c7is, the proper word for spiritual exercise. St. Paul usesthe other, because bodily exercise for bodily purposes was familiar to all Greeks.