doctrine, showing uncorruptness.”501 For what, tell me, is corruption of the body? Is it not the dissolution of the whole frame, and of its union? This then is what takes place also in the soul when sin enters. The beauty of the soul is temperance, and righteousness; the health of the soul is courage, and prudence; for the base man is hideous in our eyes, so is the cov- etous, so is the man who gives himself up to evil practices, and so the coward and unmanly man is sick, and the foolish man is out of health. Now that sins work corruption, is evident from this, that they render men base, and weak, and cause them to be sick and diseased. Nay, and when we say that a virgin is corrupted, we say so, strictly speaking, on this account also, not only because the body is defiled, but because of the transgression. For the mere act is natural; and if in that consisted the “corruption,” then were marriage corruption. Hence is it not the act that is corruption, but the sin, for it dishonors and puts her to shame. And again, what would be corruption in the case of a house? Its dissolution. And so, universally, corruption is a change which takes place for the worse, a change into another state, to the utter extinction of the former one. For hear what the Scripture saith, “All flesh had corrupted his way” (Gen. vi. 12.); and again, “In intolerable corruption”502 (Ex. xviii. 18.); and again, “Men corrupted in mind.” (2 Tim. iii. 8.) Our body is corruptible, but our soul is incorrupt- ible. Oh then, let us not make that corruptible also. This, the corruption of the body, was the work of former sin;503 but sin which is after the Laver, has the power also to render the soul corruptible, and to make it an easy prey to “the worm that dieth not.” For never had that worm touched it, had it not found the soul corruptible. The worm touches not adamant, and even if he touches it, he can do it no harm. Oh then, corrupt not the soul; for that which is corrupted is full of foul stench; for hearken to the Prophet who saith, “My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.” (Ps. xxxviii. 5.) 172 However, “this corruption” of the body “shall put on incorruption” (1 Cor. xv. 53.), but the other of the soul, never; for where incorruption is, there is no504 corruption. Thus is it a corruption which is incorruptible, which hath no end, a deathless death; which would have been, had the body remained deathless. Now if we shall depart into the next world having not corruption, we have that corruption incorruptible and endless; for to be ever burning, and not burnt up, ever wasted by the worm, is corruption incorruptible; like as 501 [Tit. ii. 7, where ἀφθορία is used, which, according to Meyer, does mean uncorruptedness, while ἀφθαρσία in our passage means imperishableness.—G.A.] 502 [φθορᾷ καταφθαρήσῃ ἀνυπομονήτῳ for Hebrew , Rev. Ver., “Thou wilt surely wear away.”—G.A.] 503 [Comp. Rom. v. 12: “As through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed unto all men.”—G.A.] 504 [Field's text has ἔνθα γὰρ ἀφθαρσία, φθορά ἐστιν, which seems a contradiction, whereas Savile's text, with four mss., has οὐκ ἔστιν.—G.A.] 317 Ephesians 6:14-17