But fornication, and all uncleanness, or
covetousness
The apostle proceeds to dehort from several vices, which are
unbecoming the dear children and followers of God; and which the
love of Christ should constrain them to avoid: the first of
these, which is simple "fornication", is the sin which is
committed between single or unmarried persons; and is contrary to
the law of God, is a work of the flesh, and is against a man's
own body; it renders persons unfit for church communion, brings
many temporal calamities upon them, and exposes them to divine
wrath, and excludes from the kingdom of heaven, without
repentance; and the reason why it is so often taken notice of is,
because it was very frequent among the Gentiles, and not thought
criminal: "all uncleanness" takes in adultery, incest, sodomy,
and every unnatural lust; and "covetousness" seems not so much to
design that sin which is commonly so called, namely, an
immoderate desire after worldly things, as a greedy and
insatiable appetite after the above lusts:
let it not be once named among you,
as becometh saints; that is, neither one or other of them; the
sense is, that they should not be committed; so that there might
be no occasion to speak of them, even though with abhorrence, as
if there were no such vices in being; and much less should they
be named with pleasure, and pleaded for: for thus it becomes such
who are set apart by God the Father, whose sins are expiated by
the blood of Christ, and whose hearts are sanctified by the
Spirit of God; who profess the Gospel of Christ, and have a place
and a name in God's house, better than that of sons and
daughters.