HOMILY VIII.] HOMILIES ON TIMOTHY. 507 pened to Abraham, yet he was not affected at it. He had heard, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Gen. xxi. 12) ; and he was com manded to sacrifice Isaac, yet he was not troubled nor dismayed. Let no one be offended because of the wicked. This the Scripture taught from the beginning. What then, if the good be in prosperity, and the wicked be punished ? The one is likely to happen, the other not so. For the wicked will possibly be punished, but the good cannot always be rejoicing. No one was equal to Paul, yet he passed all his life in afflictions, in tears and groanings night and day. " For the space of three years," he says, " I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." (Acts xx. 31.) And again: "That which cometh upon me daily." (i Cor. xi. 28.) He did not re joice to-day, and grieve to-morrow, but he ceased not daily to grieve. How then does he say, "Evil men shall wax worse and worse"? He has not said, they shall find rest, but " they shall wax worse and worse." Their progress is for the worse. He has not said, they shall be in prosperity. But if they are punished, they are punished that thou mayest not suppose their sins are unavenged. For since we are not de terred from wickedness by the fear of hell, in very tenderness He rouses us from our insensi bility, and awakens us. If no wicked man was ever punished, no one would believe that God presides over human affairs. If all were pun ished, no one would expect a future resurrection, since all had received their due here. On this account He both punishes, and forbears to pun ish. On this account the righteous suffer tribu lation here, because they are sojourners, and strangers, and are in a foreign country. The just therefore endure these things for the pur pose of trial. For hear what God said to Job : " Thinkest thou that I have warned thee other wise, than that thou mightest appear just?" 1 (Job xl. 3, Gr.) But sinners when they endure any affliction, suffer but the punishment of their sins. Under all circumstances, therefore, whether afflictive or otherwise, let us give thanks to God. For both are beneficial. He does nothing in hatred or enmity to us, but all things from care and consideration for us. " Knowing that from a child thou hast known the sacred writings." The holy Scriptures he calls " sacred writings." In these thou wast nurtured, so that through them thy faith ought to be firm and unshaken. For the root was laid deep, and nourished by length of time,2 nor will anything subvert it. 1 This corresponds to Job xl. 8, in our version, which stands thus: "Wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous?" Still he was approved, c. xlii. 8. 1 B. has iv for oi>, which must be right. And speaking of the holy Scriptures, he has added, " Which are able to make thee wise," that is, they will not suffer thee to have any foolish feeling, such as most men have. For he who knows the Scriptures as he ought, is not offended at anything that happens ; he endures all things manfully, referring them partly to faith, and to the incomprehensible nature of the divine dispensation, and partly knowing rea sons for them, and finding examples in the Scriptures. Since it is a great sign of knowl edge not to be curious about everything, nor to wish to know all things. And if you will allow me, I will explain myself by an example. Let us suppose a river, or rather rivers, (I ask no allowance, I only speak of what rivers really are,) all are not of the same depth. Some have a shallow bed, others one deep enough to drown one unacquainted with it. In one part there are whirlpools, and not in another. It is good therefore to forbear to make trial of all,3 and it is no small proof of knowledge not to wish to sound all the depths : whereas he that would venture on every part of the river, is really most ignorant of the peculiar nature of rivers, and will often be in danger of perishing, from ven turing into the deeper parts with the same bold ness with which he crossed the shallows. So it is in the things of God. He that will know all things, and ventures to intrude into everything, he it is that is most ignorant what God is. And of rivers indeed, the greater part is safe, and the depths and whirlpools few, but with respect to the things of God, the greater part is hidden, and it is not possible to trace out His works. Why then art thou bent on drowning thyself in those depths? Know this, however, that God dispenses all things, that He provides for. all, that we are free agents, that some things He works, and some things He permits ; that He wills nothing evil to be done ; that all things are not done by His will, but some by ours also ; all evil things by ours alone, all good things by our will conjointly with His influence ; and that nothing is without His knowledge. Therefore He worketh all things. 4 Thou then knowing this canst reckon what things are good, what are evil, and what are indifferent. Thus virtue is good, vice is evil ; but riches and poverty, life and death, are things indifferent. If thou knowest this, thou wilt know thereby, that the righteous are afflicted that they may be crowned, the wicked, that they may re ceive the punishment of their sins. But all sin ners are not punished here, lest the generality 3 Instead of " It is good," &c., one MS. has, " So also of the questions concerning God, some are such as to present a solution at once to the enquirer, but others so secret and hidden as even to cause the destruction of those who are too curiously eager to get knowledge." 4 i.e. even what He permits is, to us, His appointment.