HOMILY IV.] HOMILIES ON TITUS. 533 desire of glory, or any other thing so much solic its the young, as fleshly lust. Therefore pass ing over other things, he directs his admonition to that vital point. Not however that he would have other things neglected ; for what says he ? Ver. 7. "In all things showing thyselfa pattern ofgood works." Let the elder women, he says, teach the younger, but do thou thyself exhort young men to be soberminded. And let the luster of thy life be a common school of instruction, a pattern ofvirtue to all, publicly exhibited, like some orig inal model, containing in itself all beauties, af fording examples whence those who are willing may easily imprint upon themselves any of its excellences. Ver. 7, 8. " In [thy] doctrine showing uncor- ruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech that cannot be condemned ; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." By " him that is of the contrary part," he means the devil, and every one who ministers to him. For when the life is illustrious, and the discourse corresponds to it, being meek and gentle, and affording no handle to the adversa ries, it is of unspeakable advantage. Of great use then is the ministry of the word, not any common word, but that which is approved, and cannot be condemned, affording no pretext to those who are willing to censure it. Ver. 9. " Exhort servants to be obedient to their own masters, and to please them well in all things." Dost thou see what he has previously said, " that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." He therefore is deserving of condemnation, who under pretense of continence separates wives from their husbands, and he who under any other pretext takes away servants from their masters. This is not " speech that cannot be condemned," but it gives great handle to the unbelieving, and opens the mouths of all against us. " Not answering again." Ver. 10. " Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine ofGod our Saviour in all things." Thus he has well said in another place, " Doing service as to the Lord, and not to men." For if thou servest thy master with good will, yet the occasion of this service proceeds from thy fear, 1 and he who with so great fear renders Him ser vice, shall receive the greater reward. For if he restrain not his hand, or his unruly tongue, how shall the Gentile admire the doctrine that is among us? But if they see their slave, who has been taught the philosophy of Christ, dis playing more self-command than their own phi losophers, and serving with all meekness and good will, he will in everyway admire the power of the Gospel. For the Greeks judge not of doctrines by the doctrine itself, but they make the life and conduct the test of the doctrines. Let women therefore and servants be their in structors by their conversation. For both among themselves, and everywhere, it is admitted that the race of servants is passionate, not open to impression, intractable, and not very apt to re ceive instruction in virtue, not from their nature, God forbid, but from their ill breeding, 2 and the neglect of their masters. For those who rule them care about nothing but their own service ; or if they do sometimes attend to their morals, they do it only to spare themselves the trouble that would be caused them by their fornication, their thefts, or their drunkenness, and being thus neglected and having no one to concern himself about them, they naturally sink into the very depths of wickedness. For if under the direction of a father and mother, a guardian, a master, and teacher, with suitable companions, with the honor of a free condition, and many other advantages, it is difficult to escape inti macies with the wicked, what can we expect from those who are destitute of all these, and are mixed up with the wicked, and associate fearlessly with whomsoever they will, no one troubling herself about their friendships ? What sort of persons do we suppose they will be? On this account it is difficult for any servant to be good, especially when they have not the benefit of instruction either from those without or from ourselves. They do not converse with free men of orderly conduct, who have a great regard for their reputation. For all these reasons it is a difficult and surprising thing that there should ever be a good servant. When therefore it is seen that the power of religion, imposing a restraint upon a class natu rally so self-willed, has rendered them singularly well behaved and gentle, their masters, however unreasonable they may be, will form a high opinion of our doctrines. For it is manifest, that having previously infixed in their souls a fear of the Resurrection, of the Judgment, and of all those things which we are taught by our philosophy to expect after death, they have been able to resist wickedness, having in their souls a settled principle to counterbalance the pleasures of sin. So that it is not by chance or without reason, that Paul shows so much consideration for this class of men : since the more wicked they are, the more admirable is the power of that preaching which reforms them. For we 1 i.e. ofGod. 2 Colb. " way of life."