HOMILY V.] HOMILIES ON THESSALONIANS. 395 me, but "note that man." This is no slight chastisement. " Have no company with him." Then again he says, " that he may be ashamed." And he does not permit them to proceed farther. For as he had said, " if any does not work neither let him eat," fearing lest they should perish by hunger, he has added, " But in doing good, be not ye weary." Thus having said, " Withdraw yourselves, and have no company with him," then fearing lest this very thing might cut him off from the brotherhood for he who gives himself up to despair, will quickly be lost if he is not admitted to freedom of con versation he has added, Ver. 15. "Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." By this he shows that he has assigned a heavy punishment against him, in depriving him of freedom of conversation. For if to be a receiver even with many others is worthy of disgrace, when they even reprove whilst they offer it, and withdraw themselves, how great is the reproach, quite sufficient to sting the soul. For if only giving rather tardily, and with murmuring, they inflame the receivers for tell me not of impudent beggars, but of the faithful if they were to reprove whilst they give, what would they not do? to what punish ment would it not be equal ? We do not do so, but as ifwe had been greatly injured, we so in sult and turn away from those who beg of us. Thou dost not give, but why dost thou also grieve him? "Admonish them," he says, "as brethren," do not insult them as enemies. He who admonishes his brother, does it not publicly. He does not make an open show of the insult, but he does it privately and with much address, and grieving, as hurt, and weeping and lament ing. Let us bestow therefore with the disposi tion of a brother, let us admonish with the good will of a brother, not as ifwe grieved at giving, but as if we grieved for his transgressing the commandment. Since what is the advantage? For if, even after giving, you insult, you destroy the pleasure of giving. But when you do not give and yet insult, what wrong do you not do to that wretched and unfortunate man? He came to you, to receive pity from you, but he goes away having received a deadly blow, and weeps the more. For when by reason of his poverty he is compelled to beg, and is insulted on account of his begging, think how great will be the punishment of those who insult him. " He that dishonoreth the poor," it says, " pro- voketh his Maker." (Prov. xiv. 12, 31, Sept.) For tell me, did He suffer him to be poor for thy sake, that thou mightest be able to heal thyself and dost thou insult him who for thy sake is poor? What obstinacy is this ! what an act of ingratitude is it ! " Admonish him as a brother," he says, and after having given, he orders you to admonish him. But if even with out giving we insult him, what excuse shall we have? Ver. 16. "Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in all ways." See how, when he mentions the things that are to be done, he sets his mark upon them by prayer, adding prayer and supplication, like certain marks set upon things that are laid up. " Give you peace," he says, "at all times, in all ways." For since it was likely that contentions would arise from these things, those men be coming exasperated, and the others not supply ing such persons so readily as formerly, he with good reason now offered this prayer for them, saying, " Give you peace at all times." For this is what is sought, that they may ever have it. " In every way," says he. What is, " in every " ? So that they may have no occasion of conten tion from any quarter. For everywhere peace is a good thing, even towards those who are without. For hear him elsewhere saying, " If it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men." (Rom. xii. 18.) For nothing is so conducive to the right performance of the things which we wish, as to be peaceable and undisturbed, and to be free from all hatred, and to have no enemy. "The Lord be with you all." Ver. 17, 1 8. "The salutation ofme Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every Epistle : so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." This he says that he writes in every Epistle, that no one may be able to counterfeit them, his subscription being subjoined as a great token. And he calls the prayer a salutation, showing that everything they then did was spiritual ; even when it was proper to offer salutation, the thing was attended with advantage ; and it was prayer, not merely a symbol of friendship. With this he began, and with it he ended, guarding with strong walls what he had said elsewhere, and laying safe foundations, he brought it also to a safe end. " Grace be unto you and peace," he says ; and again, " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." This the Lord also promised, saying to His disciples, " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (Matt, xxviii. 20.) But this takes place when we are willing. For He will not be altogether with us, if we place ourselves at a distance. " I will be with you," He says, " always." Let us not therefore drive away grace. He tells us to withdraw from every brother that walketh disorderly. This was then a great evil, to be separated from the whole body of the brethren. By this indeed he punishes all, as elsewhere in his Epistle to the