HOMILY V.] HOMILIES ON THESSALONIANS. 345 they who do not expect that they shall suffer punishment. Ver. 6. " That no man transgress, and wrong his brother in the matter." He has well said, " that no man transgress." To each man God has assigned a wife, he has set bounds to nature, that intercourse with one only : therefore intercourse with another is trans gression, and the taking of more than belongs to one, 1 and robbery ; or rather it is more cruel than any robbery ; for we grieve not so much, when our riches are carried off, as when mar riage is invaded. Dost thou call him brother, and wrongest him, and that in things which are unlawful? Here he speaks concerning adultery, but above also concerning " all fornication." For since he was about to say, " That no man trans gress and wrong his brother," Do not think, he says, that I say this only in the case of brethren ; you must not have the wives of others at all, nor even women that have no husbands, and that are common. You must abstain from " all for nication " ; " Because," he says, " the Lord is an avenger in all these things." He exhorted them first, he shamed them, saying, " even as the Gentiles." Then from reasonings he showed the impropriety of defrauding a brother. After wards he adds the principal thing ; " Because," he says, " the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified." For we do not these things without being pun ished, neither do we enjoy so much pleasure, as we undergo punishment. Ver. 7. " For God called us not for unclean- ness, but in sanctification." Because he had said " his brother," and had also added, that God is the avenger, showing that even if an unbeliever has suffered this, he who has done it shall suffer punishment, he says, it is not as avenging him that He punishes thee, but because thou hast insulted Himself. He Himself called thee, thou hast insulted Him who called thee. On this account, he has added, Ver. 8. " Therefore he that rejecteth, reject- eth not man, but God, who giveth His Holy Spirit unto you." So that even if thou shouldest defile the Em press, he says, or even thine own handmaid, that hath a husband, the crime is the same. Why? Because He avenges not the persons that are injured, but Himself. For thou art equally defiled, thou hast equally insulted God ; for both the one and the other is adultery, as both the one and the other is marriage. And though thou shouldest not commit adultery, but fornication, though the harlot has no husband, yet nevertheless God avenges, for He avenges Him- 1 Tr\eoveia, E. V. " covetousness." [The corresponding verb is here inadequately translated "wrong." It designates a man who is not content with hisown wife, but takes possession of his brother s. -J.A.B.] self. For thou dost this act, not despising the man, 2 so much as God. And it is manifest from this, that thou doest it concealing it from man, but thou pretendest that God doth not see thee. For tell me, if one who was thought worthy of the purple, and of infinite honor from the king (Emperor), and was commanded to live suitably to the honor, should go and defile himself with any woman ; whom has he insulted ? her, or the king who gave him all ? She indeed is insulted too, but not equally. Wherefore, I beseech you, let us guard against this sin. For as we punish women, when, being married to us, they give themselves to others, so also are we punished, though not by the Roman laws, yet by God. For this also is adul tery. For not only is adultery committed in doing so by her who is married to another, but by him also, who is yoked to a wife. Attend carefully to what I say. For although what is said is offensive to many, it is necessary to be said, to set the matter right for the future. Not only is this adultery, when we defile a woman who is married to a man ; but if we ourselves being married to a woman defile one who is free and disengaged, the matter is adultery. For what, if she with whom the adultery is com mitted is not bound? Yet art thou bound. Thou hast transgressed the law. Thou hast injured thine own flesh. For tell me, where fore dost thou punish thy wife, if she commit fornication with a man who is loosed, and has not a wife? Because it is adultery. Why? Yet he who defiled her has not a wife, but she is bound to a husband. Well then, thou also art bound to a wife ; so that in like manner thy offence also is adultery. For it is said, " Every one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, maketh her an adulteress : and whosoever shall marry her when she is put away, committeth adultery." (Matt. v. 32.) If he who marries her who is divorced commits adultery, he who, with a wife of his own, defiles himself also with that other it is manifest to every one. But perhaps to you who are men, enough has been said on this subject. For con cerning them that are such, Christ says, " Their worm will not die and the fire will not be quenched." (Mark ix. 44.) But for the sake of the young it is necessary to speak to you, not to the young themselves so much, but to you. For these things are suitable not to them only, but also to you. And how? I will now tell you. He who has not learnt to commit forni cation, will neither know how to commit adul tery. But he who walloweth among harlots, will quickly also arrive at the other, and will defile himself, if not with the married, yet with those who are disengaged. 2 (<elvov, i.e. the husband.