HOMILY V.] HOMILIES ON COLOSSIANS. 279 So that one would not be wrong in calling Moses both a teacher, and a nursing-father, and a conductor (Ex. xvi. 3; Num. xi. 4, 5); the man s wisdom was great. Howbeit it is not the same thing to guide men who are already philos ophers, and to rule unreasoning children. And, if you are inclined to hear yet another particular ; as the nurse says to the child, When thou easest thyself, take up thy garments, and for as long as thou sittest, so also did Moses. ^Deut. xxiii. 13.) For all the passions are tyrannous in children (for as yet they have not that which is to bri dle them), vainglory, desire, irrationality, anger, envy ; just as in children, so they prevailed ; they spat upon, they beat, Moses. And as a child takes up a stone, and we all exclaim, O do not throw it ; so did they also take up stones against their father ; and he fled from them. And as, if a father have any ornament, the child, being fond of ornament, asks him for it, in like man ner, truly, did the party of Dathan and Abiram act,when they rebelled for the priesthood. (Num. xvi.) And besides, they were of all people the most envious, and little-minded, and in all re spects imperfect. Ought then Christ, tell me, to have appeared at that time, at that time to have given them these teachings of true wisdom, when they were raging with lust, when they were as horses mad for the mare, when theywere the slaves of money, of the belly? Nay, He would but have wasted his lessons of wisdom in discoursing with those of no understanding ; and they would have nei ther learnt one thing nor the other. And as he who teaches to read before he has taught the alphabet, will never teach even so much as the alphabet ; so indeed would it then have been also. But not so now, for by the grace of God much forbearance, much virtue, hath been planted everywhere. Let us give thanks then for all things, and not be over curious. For it is not we that know the due time, but He, The Maker of the time, and The Creator of the ages. In everything then yield we to Him : for this is to glorify God, not to demand of Him an account of what He doeth. In this way too did Abraham give glory to God; "And being fully persuaded," we read, " that what He had promised, He was able to perform." (Rom. iv. 21.) He did not ask about the future even; but we scrutinize the account even of the past. See how great folly, how great ingratitude, is here. But let us for the future have done, for no gain comes of it, but much harm even ; and let our minds be gratefully disposed towards our Master, and let us send up glory to God, that making for all things an offering of thanksgiving, we may be counted worthy of His lovingkind- ness, through the grace and love toward man of His Only-begotten, with whom, &c. HOMILY V. COLOSSIANS i. 26-28. " Even the mystery which hath been hid from all- ages and generations : but now hath it been manifested to His saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mys tery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we proclaim, admonishing every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ." HAVING said what we have come to, and showed the lovingkindness of God and the honor, by the greatness of the things given, he introduces yet another consideration that heightens them, namely, that neither before us did any one know Him. 1 As he doth also in the Epistle to the Ephesians, saying, neither Angels, nor principalities, nor any other created power, but only the Son of God knew. (Eph. iii. 5, 9, 1 [Or, " know it," a reading having some support, and adopted by Field. J. A. B.] 10.) And he said, not simply hid, but "quite hid," and that even if it hath but now come to pass, yet it is of old, and from the beginning God willed these things, and they were so planned out ; but why, he saith not yet. " From the ages," from the beginning, as one might say. And with reason he calleth that a mystery, which none knew, save God. And where hid? In Christ ; as he saith in the Epistle to the Ephe sians (Eph. iii. 9), or as when the Prophet saith, " From everlasting even to everlasting Thou art." (Ps. xc. 2.) But now hath been manifested, he saith, " to His saints." So that it is altogether of the dispensation of God. " But now hath been manifested," he saith. He saith not, " is come to pass," but, " hath been mani fested to His saints." So that it is even now still hid, since it hath been manifested to His saints alone.