8. Hear also what he says in his charge to his disciple:178 “Give heed to reading, to ex- hortation, to teaching,” and he goes on to show the usefulness of this by adding, “For in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.”179 And again he says, “The Lord’s servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing;”180 and he proceeds to say, “But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation,”181 and again, “Every Scripture is inspired of God, and also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete.”182 Hear what he adds further in his directions to Titus about the appointment of bishops. “The bishop,” he says, “must be holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to convict the gainsayers.”183 But how shall any one who is unskillful as these men pretend, be able to convict the gainsayers and stop their mouths? or what need is there to give attention to reading and to the Holy Scriptures, if such a state of unskillfulness is to be welcome among us? Such arguments are mere makeshifts and pretexts, the marks of idleness and sloth. But some one will say, “it is to the priests that these charges are giv- en:”—certainly, for they are the subjects of our discourse. But that the apostle gives the same charge to the laity, hear what he says in another epistle to other than the priesthood: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,”184 and again, “Let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one,”185 and there is a general charge to all that they “be ready to”186 render an account of their faith, and to the Thessalonians, he gives the following command: “Build each other up, even as also ye do.”187 But when he speaks of priests he says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word, and in teaching.”188 For this is the perfection of teaching when the teachers both by what they do, and by what they 178 1 Tim. iv. 13. 179 1 Tim. iv. 16. 180 2 Tim. ii. 24. 181 2 Tim. iii. 14, 15. 182 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17, or “every Scripture inspired of God is also profitable,” etc., so rendered in the Revised Version. 183 Titus i. 7, 9. Revised Version. 184 Col. iii. 16. 185 Col. iv. 6. 186 1 Peter iii. 15. 187 1 Thess. v. 11. 188 1 Tim. v. 17. 99 Book IV