But now I must beforehand go to Jerusalem, to carry thither those contributions and collections, which the Grecian Churches have made for the relief of the poor Christians there.

XV. 28 When therefore I have performed this, and have sealed to them this fruit.

After I have carefully and faithfully discharged myself of this trust, which was committed unto me; and delivered this contribution to their hands.

XV. 29′ And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. And I am sure, that, when I do come unto you, I shall bring with me unto you abundance of spiritual graces; and shall fill you with the blessings of the Gospel of Christ.

XV. 31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints.

That I may be delivered from the rage and violence of those unbelieving Jews, which are cruelly incensed against me; and that this service of mine, in bringing this collection to Jerusalem, may receive a good construction of those Jews which do believe, and be accepted of them without prejudice of my person or act.

XVI. I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

I commend unto your loving respects and entertainment Phebe our sister, which hath been very helpful to the Church that is at Cenchrea, and hath done many good offices to it:

.

XVI. 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints. That ye receive her in a holy and Christian fashion, as becometh your profession.

XVI. 5 Epenetus, who is the first fruits of Achaia unto Christ. Epenetus, who is one of the first converts unto Christ in the region of Achaia.

XVI. 7 Who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Who are of special note, and in high account with all the Apostles; and who were famous disciples, before my conversion. XVI. 16 Salute one another with a holy kiss.

Since I cannot be personally present, to salute you with a faithful kiss of peace and love, do ye so as from me, salute one another. XVI. 17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences.

Now I beseech you, brethren, to have a careful and vigilant eye upon them, that cause divisions; and, by that means, offences to the Church.

XVI. 18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.

For they, that are such, howsoever they may pretend Christianity, yet indeed they serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own gain and profit, teaching false doctrines for filthy lucre's sake.

I am

XVI. 19 For your obedience is came abroad unto all men. glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.

But, as for you, the fame of your obedience and holy carriage is flown abroad all the world over; and I am therefore glad on your behalf, and rejoice in your constant repulse of these erroneous teachers but I would have you still go on in that holy and Christian course, and be wise to maintain that which is good, and inexpert of and averse from that doctrine which is evil.

XVI. 20 And the God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. And the God of Peace, howsoever he do for your trial suffer both false teachers and persecutors to afflict his Church, yet will shortly crush the power of Satan, and tread him under your feet.

XVI. 22 1 Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

I, Tertius, who was Paul's notary or scribe, to write this his Epistle to you, salute you in the Lord.

XVI. 25, 26, 27 Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Now to Him, that is able to confirm and establish your hearts in the truth of that Gospel, which I have preached unto you, of Jesus Christ; according to the revelation of that great mystery of godliness, which was kept secret, ever since the beginning of the world, and was only shadowed out in certain dim types and figures, But now is clearly made manifest to the world, and, by the full understanding of the scriptures of the ancient prophets, upon the commandment of the everlasting God, made known and published to all nations, to win them to the obedience and cheerful embracing of this holy faith, and to frame their lives and practices answerable thereunto: To God only wise, the author and fountain of all wisdom, who is only able to make us wise to salvation, be glory and praise through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO
THE CORINTHIANS.

I. 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, &c. See Romans i. 1.

I. 5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.

That ye are in every thing richly furnished by him, with all graces, that may serve both for your own knowledge, and for the expression thereof to the good of others.

I. 6, 7 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you:

So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even as that promise, which Christ made in testimony to the truth of the Gospel, was made good and confirmed in you; who were accordingly endowed with many excellent fruits and gifts of his Spirit: So as ye were not wanting in any grace whatsoever, that is requisite for you; until ye shall attain to the full measure thereof, in the revelation of Jesus Christ in his Second Coming.

I. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is most firm and constant to his own decrees and promises; by whom ye are called and graciously admitted into the communion with his Son Jesus Christ: and, being therefore made one with him, your condition must needs be certain and happy.

I. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.

Now I beseech you, brethren, and do, as it were, earnestly adjure you, by the sacred name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as ye love and honour that dear Saviour of ours, that ye all agree together in the truth of one and the same doctrine.

I. 12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Now this I say, that ye are partially affected to your teachers, and make sides, in emulation of your respects to them: so as, one says, I am for Paul; another, I am for Apollos; another, I am for Peter; and another, I am for Christ.

I. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

What? are ye not all then for Christ? Or is Christ one in Paul, another in Apollos, another in Peter? Is Christ divided? Is he not one in all his messengers? Or why make ye mention of Paul or Peter? Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?

I. 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and

Gaius.

If ye be in that mind, I thank God that I have not meddled with you, this way; for I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius. I. 17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

For the main errand, whereupon Christ sent me, was, not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel: not in the pomp and vain ostentation of eloquent speech, as the false teachers affect; lest I should rather seem to gain this way than by the plain simplicity of the laying forth of the sufferings of Christ, and should by this means frustrate that plain and effectual doctrine of the Cross of Christ.

I. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For this homely preaching of the Cross of Christ, is to vain minds of carnal men, which go on securely to their perdition, no better

than foolishness; but unto those that are wrought upon by God's Spirit, and are in the sure way of salvation, it is no other than the strong power of God.

I. 19 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring &c. See Isaiah xxix. 14.

I. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

Where then is the wise and learned Pharisee? where is the Scribe? where is the Philosopher? These all seem great knowers, and deep scholars in their kind: but hath not God made the wisdom of this world mere foolishness, in respect of divine mysteries?

I. 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

For, since that the world, by their natural wisdom, did not, nor could, nor would know God, in that way of divine wisdom, wherein he vouchsafed to declare himself; it pleased God, by this preaching of the Gospel, which the world calls Foolishness, to save them that believe.

I. 22, 23, 24 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

For the Jews look to be convinced by signs from heaven, that they may believe; and the Grecians look to be convinced and won with human reason and philosophical demonstrations, that they may believe; But we care not to satisfy either of them in their own ways; but rather we preach Christ Crucified unto them; which is a stumblingblock to the Jews, who expect a magnificent and temporal Redeemer of Israel; and unto the learned Grecians, no other than foolishness, who cannot conceive how He that is God could die, or how he that did die could redeem us; But unto them, which are truly and effectually called, by the inward voice of the Spirit, whether they be Jews or Greeks, the power of God to save us, and the wisdom of God to inform us.

I. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Because that Gospel of God, which the world misnames Foolishness, is wiser than all the deepest philosophy of men; and that plain word of his, which the world thinks to be weak and forceless, is stronger than the powerfullest arguments of men and thus it is in a generality; whatsoever, in and from God, seems to savour of the least wisdom and reason, or of the most weakness, far surpasseth all the wisdom and strength of men.

I. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many &c.

Ye see, my brethren, the condition of Christianity; how that now, in this entrance of the Gospel, not many that are worldly wise and deep learned, not many mighty &c. are called.

I. 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; &c.

But God hath chosen plain, simple, unlettered Fishermen, to confound the great wise Philosophers of the world; and God hath chosen mean, weak, and silly agents, to confound the powerful and mighty potentates of the earth. So verse 28.

I. 28 Yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

And hath chosen us, that had no being at all, in grace, and seemed to be but as nothing in worldly respects, even us hath he cho sen, to humble and bring down those, that make the most glorious appearance in the world:

presence.

I. 29 That no flesh should glory in his That no man whosoever, being no better than base and contemptible flesh, should arrogate ought to himself, or boast of his parts or privileges, in the presence of God.

I. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

But ye are not mere flesh and blood; neither have reason to stand upon these carnal privileges, since ye are admitted into a happy communion with God through Christ Jesus; who, of God his Father, is made unto us Wisdom, in that, by him we receive true knowledge and illumination; is made unto us Righteousness, in that, both his righteousness is made ours, and we are for his righteousness graciously acquitted and accepted; is made unto us Sanctification, in that, by his Spirit, we are renewed and purged from our sins; is made unto us Redemption, in that, by his pre cious blood we are ransomed from the hands of our spiritual enemics.

I. 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Thus is Christ made All to us; that, according as it is written, He, that glorieth, might not glory at all in himself, but might glory in the Lord.

II. 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

And as for me, brethren, I, when I came unto you to preach the Gospel of God, did not come to you with flourishes of vain eloquence, nor with the persuasions of human wisdom and learning; as I see the false teachers do, to insinuate themselves the better into your minds.

II. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

For, howsoever I were able to know and discourse with the best of them, as having been trained up at the feet of a learned master; yet I resolved to let go all that secular skill, and so to bear myself