name, he will give you." The Lord's name is Jesus, that is, Saviour, and he prays in the name of the Saviour, who prays for that which appertains to true happiness. If any one prays for that which will not profit him, he prays not in the name of the Saviour. Paul the apostle prayed of God that he would remove the devil's persecution from him, but this prayer was not granted him, because the temporary persecution forwarded his eternal salvation. When we pray against our own need, then the merciful God forewarns us that we pray indiscreetly. Again, the man who turns his ear, that he may not hear God's law, his prayer will be hateful to God. If we pray for sinful men, and they are unworthy of that intercession, we shall, nevertheless, not be deprived of the reward of good will, though we may not intercede for the guilty. No man should, however, intercede too rashly for fordone men, as the apostle has warned us in these words, "Est peccatum ad mortem, pro quo rogo ne quis oret;" "There is sin which bringeth to death, I beseech that no man pray for it." But if we pray for that which forwards us to everlasting happiness, this the good and heavenly Father will grant us through his Son, who with him liveth and reigneth ever in unity with the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever. Amen.

ON THE NATIVITY OF SEVERAL APOSTLES.

DESIGNAVIT Dominus et alios septuaginta duos: et reliqua. "Jesus chose to him, besides the twelve apostles, seventy-two disciples, and sent them by two and two before him, to each of those cities and places to which he himself was to come," etc.

Gregory has spoken manifoldly of this reading, and said, that our Lord exhorts us sometimes with words, sometimes with works. Behold, he sent his disciples before him by two

HOM. VOL. II.

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foran, twain and twám, fordan de twa beboda synd þære soðan lufe, Godes lufu and manna. Se sceal beon Godes bydel sepe hæfð lufe to Gode and to mannum, elles hề ne sceal nateshwōn ða þenunge underfon. pis godspell belimpð to eallum halgum láreowum, þe on Godes gelaðunge his folc læran sceolon. Pa twelf apostolas and da twa and hundseofontig leorning-cnihta synd da heafod-wyrhtan þyssere getimbrunge, and we sceolon him geefenlæcan. Drihten sende his bydelas ætforan him, and he sylf com æfter, forðan de seo bodung forestæp, and Drihten cymð syþþan to þæs mannes mode pe da bodunge gehyrd. Be dissum cwæð se witega Isaias, "Gearciað Drihtnes weg, dod rihte his siðfætu." Se lareow gearcad Godes weg, ponne hé mannum bodað lífes word, and, æfter ðære bodunge, God sylf, ðurh andwerdnysse his lufe, þæra manna heortan onliht.

Drihten cwæð," pat gerip is micel, and ða rifteras feawa.” Ɖis we ne magon secgan butan micelre gnornunge. Efne nu þes middaneard is mid sacerdum afylled, ac swa-peah on Godes geripe feawa heora beod wyrcende. He cwæð, “ Biddað þæs geripes hlaford, þæt hê asende wyrhtan to his geripe." Symle sceal pæt læwede folc gewilnian, and æt Gode biddan, þæt hề him gode lareowas foresceawige, pe magon ðurh halwende lâre hí tihtan to pam ecan life, Gelōme bið þam folce seo lár oftōgen for heora lífes Owyrnysse, swa swa God cwæð to pam witegan Ezechiel, “Linguam tuam adherescere faciam palato tuo, et eris mutus, nec quasi uir obiurgans, quia domus exasperans est:" "Ic do pæt þín tunge clifað to ðinum gồman, and þu bist dumb, na swa swa dreagende wer, forðan þe seo híwræden is swide dwyr." Swilce he openlice cwæde, 'Ɖe bið seo bodung oftōgen, forðan de þæt folc me mid yfelum dædum tyrigð, and nis wyrde pære soðfæstnysse tihtinge.' Eac hwilon for þæs láreowes yfelnysse him bið seo lár oftōgen, swa swa se sealm-sceop cwæð, "Peccatori autem dixit Deus, Quare tu enarras iustitias meas:" et reliqua: "God cwæd to dam synfullum, Hwí

and two, because there are two commandments of true love, the love of God and of men. He should be God's messenger who has love to God and to men, else he should not undertake the service. This gospel has reference to all holy teachers, who in God's church have to instruct his folk. The twelve apostles and the seventy-two disciples are the head workmen of this structure, and them we should imitate. The Lord sent his messengers before him, and he himself came after, because the preaching precedes, and the Lord comes afterwards to the mind of the man that hears the preaching. Of this the prophet Isaiah said, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make right his paths." The teacher prepares the way of God, when he preaches the words of life to men, and, after the preaching, God himself, through the presence of his love, enlightens the hearts of men.

The Lord said, "The reaping is great, and the reapers few." This we cannot say without great sorrow. Lo, now this world is filled with priests, but, nevertheless, in God's reaping few of them are working. He said, "Pray to the lord of the reaping, that he send workmen to his reaping." Ever should the lay folk desire, and to God pray, that he provide them good teachers, who by salutary instruction may stimulate them to the everlasting life. Frequently is instruction withdrawn from the folk, for the perverseness of their lives, as God said to the prophet Ezekiel, “Linguam tuam adhærescere faciam palato tuo, et eris mutus, nec quasi vir objurgans, quia domus exasperans est:" "I will make thy tongue to cleave to thy palate, and thou shalt be dumb, not as a reproving man, because the household is very perverse." As if he had openly said, ' Preaching shall be withdrawn from thee, because the folk provoke me with evil deeds, and are not worthy of the incitement of truth.' Sometimes also for the teacher's evilness is instruction withdrawn from him, as the psalmist said, "Peccatori autem dixit Deus, Quare tu enarras justitias meas" et reliqua: "God hath said to the sinful,

bodast du mine rihtwisnyssa and mine gecyonysse purh pinne muð? pu soðlice hatast deawfæstnysse, and du awurpe mine word underbæc." Dam lareowe sylfum derað hwílon his swigen, ac heo derað symle his under deoddum, gif him bið seo heofenlice lár oftōgen.

Drihten cwæð, "Farað, efne ic sende eow swa swa lamb betwux wulfum." Lamb is unscæddig nyten, and Godes lareow sceal healdan unscæððignysse on his lifes deawum betwux dam repan folce. Ne sceal hê teran ne bitan swa swa wulf, ac sceal forberan reðra manna angin, þæt he ðurh his liðnesse heora graman gelidewæce. Gif he hwîltidum þam receleasum styrd, ponne sceal his steor beōn mid lufe gemetegod, na mid wælhreawnysse oferdón. Wel deð se de unwittigum styrd mid swinglum, gif hế mid wordum ne mæg. Hit is awriten, "Ne bio se stunta mid wordum gerihtlæced." Gif se sacerd ne mæg dam læwedum mannum lárspel secgan, huru he sceal, þurh his lifes unscæððignysse, him wel bysnian.

"Nolite portare sacculum neque peram :" "Ne bere ge mid eow pusan, odde codd, ne gescý." Swa micelne truwan sceal se lareow habban on God, þæt he wile foresceawian his lifes neode, dy-læs þe he sylf ymbe pa hwilwendlican ding hogie, and hwōnlice da ecan oprum mannum foresceawige. Hwæt mænd se pusa buton woruldlice byrðene? Hwæt mænað þa gescŷ butan deadra manna gebysnunga? Se lareow de bodunge underfeho, ne sceal hê hine sylfne mid worldþingum bysnian, and Godes teolunge to gymeleaste don. Him gedafenað þæt he hogie hú manegra manna sawla hé mæge Gode gestrynan ðurh pa godspellican lare, na hú micel he mæge mid his ricetere him to geteón. Ne sceal hé yfele bysne nîman æt forðfarenum mannum, ne his ágene weorc mid deadum fellum ymbtrymman. Sume menn willað heora agene Owyrnysse bewerian þurh oðra manna yfelnysse, and wenað þæt hí magon butan pleo þa unalyfedan dæda gefrem

Why preachest thou my righteousnesses and my covenant through thy mouth? Thou verily hatest obedience, and thou hast cast my words behind." Sometimes his silence injures the teacher himself, but it always injures those under his direction, if heavenly instruction be withdrawn from him.

The Lord said, "Go, behold I send you as lambs among wolves." A lamb is an innocent animal, and God's teacher should hold innocence in his life's practices among the barbarous people. He should not tear nor bite as a wolf, but should bear the designs of barbarous men, that he through his meekness may mitigate their fierceness. If he sometimes correct the reckless, his correction shall be moderated with love, not overdone with barbarity. He does well who corrects the witless with stripes, if he cannot with words. It is written, "The foolish will not be corrected with words." If the priest cannot say a homily to the lay folk, he should, at least, through the innocence of his life, set them a good example.

"Nolite portare sacculum neque peram :" " Bear not with you purse, or scrip, or shoes." So great trust should the teacher have in God, that he will provide his life's need, lest he himself be solicitous about transitory things, and but little provide the eternal ones for other men. What means the purse but a worldly burthen? What mean the shoes but the examples of dead men? The teacher who undertakes preaching should not busy himself with worldly things, and neglect God's culture. It befits him that he feel anxious how he may gain to God the souls of many men by evangelic lore, not how much he may draw to him by his power. He should not take an evil example from men departed, nor surround his own works with dead skins. Some men desire to defend their own perversity by the evilness of other men, and ween that they may without peril perpetrate unallowed deeds, be