of heaven, acknowledge through whom thou obtainedst it. On this account he says, “for their work’s sake, be at peace with them.” Ver. 14. “And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the faint- hearted, support the weak, be long suffering toward all.” Here he addresses those who have rule. Admonish, he says, “the disorderly,” not of imperiousness, he says, nor of self-will rebuke them, but with admonition. “Encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.” For he who is rebuked with harshness, despairing of himself, becomes more bold in contempt.1042 On this account it is necessary by admonition to render the medicine sweet. But who are the disorderly? All those who do what is contrary to the will of God. For this order of the Church is more har- monious than the order of an army; so that the reviler is disorderly, the drunkard is dis- orderly, and the covetous, and all who sin; for they walk not orderly in their rank, but out of the line, wherefore also they are overthrown.1043 But there is also another kind of evils, not such as this indeed, but itself also a vice, little mindedness. For this is destructive equally with sloth. He who cannot bear an insult is feeble-minded. He who cannot endure trial is feeble-minded. This is he who is sown upon the rock. There is also another sort, that of weakness. “Support the weak,” he says; now weakness occurs in regard to faith. But observe how he does not permit them to be despised. And elsewhere also in his Epistles he says, “Them that are weak in the faith receive ye.” (Rom. xiv. 1.) For in our bodies too we do not suffer the weak member to perish. “Be longsuffering toward all,” he says. Even toward the disorderly? Yes, certainly. For there is no medicine equal to this, especially for the teacher, none so suitable to those who are under rule. It can quite shame and put out of countenance him that is fiercer and more shameless than all men. Ver. 15. “See that none render unto any one evil for evil.” If we ought not to render evil for evil, much less evil for good; much less, when evil has not been previously done, to render evil, Such an one, you say, is a bad man, and has ag- grieved me, and done me much injury. Do you wish to revenge yourself upon him? Do not retaliate. Leave him unpunished. Well, is this the stopping-place? By no means; “But alway follow after that which is good, one toward another, and toward all.” This is the higher philosophy, not only not to requite evil with evil, but to render good for evil. For this is truly revenge that brings harm to him and advantage to thyself, or rather 1042 [Field here retains the common text, though supported only by B K, the group found to be in its peculiar readings almost uniformly wrong. This reading seems required by the next sentence, but that of the better mss. is perhaps possible, viz., “For he who is harsh and rebukes, growing desperate, becomes more bold in despising and rebuking.”—J.A.B.] 1043 [Or, by another reading, “turned aside,” perhaps meaning that they abandon the army.—J.A.B.] 648 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13