HOMILY VII.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 429 for himself. If we thus act, we shall be able to reduce to practice this excellent virtue, 1 and so to obtain the promised blessings, through the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. HOMILY VII. i TIMOTHY ii. 2-4. "That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all god- , liness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who willeth that all men should be saved, and come unto the knowl- | edge of the truth." IF in order to put an end to public wars, and tumults, and battles, the Priest is exhorted to offer prayers for kings and governors, much more ought private individuals to do it. For there are three very grievous kinds of war. The one is public, when our soldiers are attacked by foreign armies : The second is, when even in time of peace, we are at war with one another : The third is, when the individual is at war with himself, which is the worst of all. For foreign war will not be able to hurt us greatly. What, I pray, though it slaughters and cuts us off? It injures not the soul. Neither will the second have power to harm us against our will ; for though others be at war with us, we may be peaceable ourselves. For so says the Prophet, " For my love they are myt adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer" (Ps. cix. 4) ; and again, " I was at peace with them that hate peace"; and, " I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war." (Ps. cxx. 6, 7, Sept.) But from the third, we cannot escape without danger. For when the body is at variance with the soul, and raises up evil desires, and arms against it sensual pleasures, or the bad passions of anger, and envy ; we cannot attain the promised blessings, till this war is brought to an end ; who ever does not still this tumult, must fall pierced bywounds that will bring that death that is in hell. We have daily need therefore of care and great anxiety, that this war may not be stirred up within us, or that, if stirred upj it may not last, j but be quelled and laid asleep. For what | advantage is it, that the world enjoys profound peace, if thou art at war with thyself? This then is the peace we should keep. If we have it, nothing from without will be able to harm us. And to this end the public peace contributes no little : whence it is said, " That we may lead a 1 He evidently hints at a higher degree of Christian feeling, in which a man would simply wish well to his enemies, and therefor? pray for them. See on Phil. i. 30, Horn, iv., and on Rom. xii. _o, Horn. xxii. quiet and peaceable life." But if any one is dis turbed when there is quiet, he is a miserable creature. Seest thou that He speaks of this peace which I call the third kind? Therefore when he has said, " that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life," he does not stop there, but adds, " in all godliness and honesty." But we cannot live in godliness and honesty, unless that peace be established. For when curious reasonings disturb our faith, what peace is there ? or when spirits of uncleanness, what peace is there ? For that we may not suppose that he speaks of that sort of life which all men live, when he says, " that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life," he adds, "in all godliness and honesty," since a quiet and peaceable life may be led by heathens, and profligates, and voluptuous and wanton persons may be found living such a life. That this cannot be meant, is plain, from what he adds, "in all godliness and honesty." Such a life is exposed to snares, and conflicts, and the soul is daily wounded by the tumults of its own thoughts. But what sort of life he really means is plain from the sequel, and plain too, in that he speaks not simply of godliness, but adds, of "all godliness." For in saying this he seems to insist on a godliness not only of doc trine, but such as is supported by life, for in both surely must godliness be required. For of what advantage is it to be godly as to doc trine, but ungodly in life? and that it is very possible to be ungodly in life, hear this same blessed Apostle saying elsewhere, "They pro fess that they know God, but in works they deny Him." (Tit. i. 16.) And again, " He hath denied the faith, and is worse than an in fidel." (i Tim. v. 8.) And, " If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater" (i Cor. v. n), such a man honors not God. And, " He that hateth his brother, knoweth not God." (i John ii. 9.) Such are the various ways ofungodliness. There fore he says, "All godliness and good order." 2 For not only is the fornicator not honest, but 2 o-e/ou-oTijTi. Thisword expresses the highest kind of "sobriety." " Honesty," when used for it, has the Latin meaning.