HOMILY II.] HOMILIES ON THESSALONIANS. 329 unto you the Gospel of God in much con flict." Great indeed were your actions also, but yet neither did we have recourse to human speech. But what he says above, that also he repeats here, that from both sides is shown what was the nature of the Preaching, from the miracles, and from the resolution of the preachers, and from the zeal and fervor of those who received it. " For yourselves," he says, " know our enter ing in unto you, that it hath not been found vain," that is, that it was not according to man, nor of any common kind. For being fresh from great dangers, and deaths, and stripes, we im mediately fell into dangers. " But," he says, " having suffered before, and been shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our God." Do you see how again he refers the whole to God ? " To speak unto you," says he, " the Gospel of God in much conflict." 1 It is not possible to say, that there indeed we were in danger, but here we are not ; yourselves also know, how great was the danger, with how much contention we were among you. Which also he says in his Epistle to the Corin thians ; " And I was with you in weakness," and in labor, " and in fear, and in much trembling." (i Cor. ii. 3.) Ver. 3, 4. " For our exhortation is not of error nor of uncleanness, nor in guile : but even as we have been approved of God to be en trusted with the Gospel, so we speak ; not as pleasing men, but God which proveth our hearts." Do you see that, as I said, from their perse verance he makes a proof that the Preaching is divine? For, if it were not so, if it were a deceit, we should not have endured so many dangers, which allowed us not even to take breath. You were in tribulation, we were in tribulation. What then was it ? Unless some what of things future had excited us, unless we had been persuaded that there is a good hope, we should not have been filled with the more alacrity by suffering. For who would have chosen for the sake of what we have here to endure so many sufferings, and to live a life of anxiety, and full of dangers ? For whom would they persuade? For are not these things of themselves enough to trouble the disciples, when they see their teachers in dangers? But this was not your case. " For our exhortation," that is, our teaching, " is not of error." The matter, he says, is not guile nor deceit, that we should give it up. It is not for things abominable, as the tricks of jugglers and sorcerers. " And of uncleanness," says he, " nor in guile," nor for any insurrection, like what Theudas did. " But even as we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God." Do you see, that it is not vainglory? " But God," he says, " which proveth our hearts." We do nothing for the sake of pleasing men, he says. For on whose account should we do these things? Then having praised them, he says, Not as wishing to please men, nor seeking the honors that are from men, he adds, " But as we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the Gospel." Unless He had seen that we were free from every worldly consideration, He would not have chosen us. As therefore He approved us, such we remain, as having been " approved of God." Whence did he approve us, and entrust us with the Gos pel? We appeared to God approved, so we remain. It is a proof of our virtue, that we are entrusted with the Gospel ; if there had been anything bad in us, God would not have ap proved us. But the expression that He approved us, does not here imply search. But what we do upon proving, that he does without proving. That is, as he found us proof, and trusted us, so we speak ; as it is reasonable that those should, who are approved and entrusted to be worthy of the Gospel, so we speak, " not as pleasing men," that is, not on your account do we do all these things. 2 Because previously he had praised them, that he might not bring his speech under suspicion, he says, Ver. 5,6. " For neither at any time were we found using words of flattery, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness, God is witness ; nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we might have been burdensome, as Apostles of Christ." For "neither at any time," he says, "were we found using words of flattery"; that is, we did not flatter, which is the part of deceivers,, who wish to get possession and to domineer. No one can say that we flattered in order to rule, nor that we had recourse to it for the sake of wealth. Of this, which was manifest, he after wards calls them to be witnesses. " Whether we flattered," he says, " ye know." But as to what was uncertain, namely, whether it were in the way of covetousness, he calls God to wit ness. " Nor seeking glory of men, neither from you, nor from others, when we might have been burdensome, as Apostles of Christ ; " that is, not seeking after honors either, nor boasting ourselves, nor requiring attendance of guards. And yet even if we had done this, we should have done nothing out of character. For if per sons sent forth by kings are nevertheless 3 in 2 [This sentence, after Field s text, is awkward; but the manifest alterations introduced into the text followed in most editions do not really mend matters. J. A. B.] 3 i.e. though sent by mere earthly kings. The Catena omits the word.