God, how do you turn again to the weak and imperfect rudiments, which you wish again to serve ? Do you observe days, and months, and times, and years? I am afraid of you, lest I have expended labor on you in vain.

7 I beseech you, brothers, be as I am, for I am as you [ought to be]. You did not injure me; but you knew I preached the gospel to you on my former [visit] in weakness of the flesh, and my trial in my flesh you despised not nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. What then was your blessedness? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have dug out your eyes and have given them to me. Have I therefore become your enemy, by telling you the truth? They are zealous for you, but not well, but they wish to exclude you that you may be zealous for them. It is good to be zealous for a good object always, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, with whom I am again in pain till Christ is formed in you, I wish to be present with you now and change my voice with you, for I am in doubt of you.

8 Tell me, you that wish to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by a servant woman, and the other by a free woman. But he by the servant woman was born of the flesh, and he by the free woman, by the promise. These things are allegorical, for those [women] are two covenants, one from Mount Sinai, bearing children for servitude, which is Hagar; for Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; and the present Jerusalem answers to her, for she is in servitude with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us; for it is written, Rejoice, barren woman, that did not bear, break forth and cry, woman that had no pain, for the children of the desolate are more numerous than those of her who had a husband. But we, brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise. But as then he that was born of the flesh persecuted him that was born of the Spirit, so also now. But what says the Scripture? Cast out the servant-woman and her son; for the son of the servant woman shall not be an heir, with the son of the free. Wherefore, brothers, we are not children of the servant woman, but of the free.

23*

CHAPTER III.

MORAL DUTIES.

1 STAND firm in the liberty with which Christ has made you free, and be not again subject to a yoke of servitude. Behold, I Paul tell you, that if you are circumcised Christ will not profit you. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is bound to perform the whole law. You have departed from Christ, whoever of you are justified by the law, you have fallen from the grace. For we wait in spirit for the hope of righteousness, by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing nor uncircumcision, but faith which works by love.

2 You ran well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not of him that calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole mass. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will not be of another mind; but he that troubles you shall bear his sin, whoever he is. And I, brothers, if I preach circumcision, why am I yet persecuted? Then has the offense of the cross ceased. I would that they were cut off that disturb you. For you are called to liberty, brothers, only make not your liberty an occasion for the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fully contained in one precept; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, see that you be not consumed one by another.

3 And I say, walk in the Spirit and perform not the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are opposed one to another, so that you do not what you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. For the works of the flesh are manifest, which are, fornication, impurity, lewdness, idolatry, magic, enmities, strife, envy, anger, contentions, dissensions, heresies, murders, drunkenness, revellings and the like, of which I tell you before, as I have also previously told you, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And the [subjects] of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its affections and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not

be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

4 Brothers, if a man is overtaken with any fault, do you that are spiritual restore such a one with a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tried. Bear one another's burdens, and

so perform the law of Christ.
thing, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
prove his work, and then shall he have joy in himself alone and
not in another, for every one shall bear his own burden.

For if any one thinks he is some-
But let each one

5 Let him that is taught the word communicate with him that teaches of all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what a man sows, that shall he also reap; for he that sows for his flesh, shall of the flesh reap destruction; but he that sows for the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life eternal. Let us not be weary of well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have opportunity, therefore, let us do good to all, but especially to the members of the family of the faith.

6 You see with how long a letter I have written to you. Those who wish to make a fair appearance in the flesh compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For the circumcised themselves do not keep the law, but they wish you to be circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither is circumcision any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And whoever walk by this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God.

7 Finally, let no man trouble me; for I bear in my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers; amen.

FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.

EPHESUS, A.D. 57. (Acts, 19: 10.)

CHAPTER I.

SALUTATION, EXHORTATION TO UNITY, THE MYSTERY OF THE GOSPEL, ETC.

1 PAUL, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes the brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, to the sanctified in Jesus Christ, called to be saints, with all that call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours. Grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 I thank my God always for you, for the grace of God given you in Christ Jesus, that in every thing you are enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge, as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who also will confirm you to the end, without blame, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you are called into the society of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

3 I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected in the same mind and the same will. For I have been informed of you, my brothers, by the family of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. I mean this; that each one of you says I indeed am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius; that no one may say that I baptized in my name. And I also baptized the family of Stephanus; besides I do not know that I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the good news, not with a wisdom of speech lest the cross of Christ should be without effect. For the word of the cross is to the lost foolishness, but to the saved the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the intelligent. Where is the

wise? where the scribe? where the disputer of this life? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, God was pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save those that believe; and since the Jews seek signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom, we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed an offense, and to the gentiles foolishness, but to the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and wisdom of God; for the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble [are called]; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world has God chosen to put to shame the mighty, and the ignoble things of the world and things that are despised has God chosen, and things that are not, to destroy things that are, that no flesh may glory in the sight of God. But you are of him in Christ Jesus, who has become to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption, that as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

4 And when I came to you, brothers, I came not with excellency of speech, or wisdom, declaring to you the mystery of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and with fear and with much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the spirit and power, that your faith might not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

5 But we speak wisdom among the perfect, but not the wisdom of this life, nor of the rulers of this life, who are destroyed; but we speak a wisdom of God hid in mystery, which God appointed from eternity for our glory, which none of the rulers of this life knew, for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but as it is written, An eye has not seen, an ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love him; but God has revealed them to us by his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who knows the [things] of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? So also no one knows the