forward him on in peace, that he may come to me; for I wait 12 for him with the brethren. Now with respect to Apollos the brother, I importuned him much to go to you with the brethren. Though upon the whole it was not his will to go now, yet he will go when there shall be a favourable opportunity. 13 Watch; stand firm in the faith; acquit yourselves like 14 men; be strong; let all your affairs be transacted with love. 15 And I intreat you, brethren, (you know the household of Ste

phanas, that it is the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have 16 addicted themselves to the service of the saints;) that you submit yourselves to such, and to every fellow worker and labourer.

17

Now I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas, and Fortunatus, and Achaicus, because they have supplied to the full 18 what was wanting on your part. For they have quieted my spirit as well as yours. Have regard therefore to such as these. The congregations of Asia salute you. Aquilas, and Priscilla; and the congregation at their house, salute you with 20 much affection in the Lord. All the brethren salute you. Salute ye one another with a holy kiss.

19

21

The salutation of me Paul with my own hand-If any one loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be an Anathema. Maranatha.* The favour of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The words Anathema, Maranatha, were terms used by the Jews when they excommunicated a person.

THE SECOND EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL,

TO THE

CORINTHIANS.

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy the brother, to the congregation of God which 2 is at Corinth, together with all the saints who are in all Achaia. Favour be to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who comforteth us in all our affliction, to the end that we may be able to comfort them who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God.

5

Because in proportion as the sufferings of the Christ 6 abound towards us, so by means of Christ our consolation also aboundeth; and whether we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectually wrought out by a patient enduring of the same sufferings which we suffer; or 7 if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation; therefore our hope of you is stedfast, as we know, that as 8 you are partakers of the sufferings, so will you be also of the consolation. For we do not, brethren, wish you to be igno rant with respect to that affliction of ours which befel us in 9 Asia-that we were exceedingly pressed beyond our strength, so that we had indeed no hopes of life; but had in ourselves the sentence of death, that we might not trust in ourselves, 10 but in God who raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so

11 great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will still deliver us, you joining the assistance of your prayers for us, that the favour granted to us for the sake of many may 12 be acknowledged by many with thanksgiving on our behalf. For this is the matter of our boasting-the testimony of our conscience, that with simplicity and godly sincerity, not with carnal wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have conducted 13 ourselves in the world, and more especially towards you. For 14 we write nothing to you but what you clearly understand or have acknowledged, and will, I hope, even to the end acknow. ledge, as some of you have acknowledged us, that we are 15 your boast, as you indeed will be ours, in the day of the Lord 16 Jesus. And in this confidence I purposed to come to you first, that you might have a second benefit; and through you to proceed on to Macedonia, and from Macedonia to come to you 17 again, and be by you forwarded on to Judea. Did I then, in purposing this, use fickleness? Or what I purpose do I pur18 pose according to the flesh, so that with me there may be the yes, yes; and the no, no? Now as God is faithful, our word to 19 you was not yes and no. For the Son of God, [namely] Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us [namely] by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy, was not yes and no; but by 20 him hath been made yes. For all the promises of God are in him yes, and in him Amen, for glory to God through us. 21 Now, he who keepeth us together with you firm for Christ, 22 and anointed us, is God, who hath sealed us, and given us the 23 earnest of the spirit in our hearts; and I appeal to God, as a

witness on my life, that with a view to spare you I have not 24 yet come to Corinth: not that we have dominion over your II. faith; but are joint promoters of your joy; for in this faith

you have continued; but I determined this with myself, that 2 my coming again should not be the occasion of grief to you. For if I grieve you, who is there to gladden me? None, but 3 he whom I have made sorrowful: and I wrote to you for this very purpose, that, when I come, I may not have grief on account of them for whom I ought to rejoice; as I have a confi4 dence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For in great affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears-not that you should be grieved, but that you might

5 know that overflowing love which I have for you. Now if any one hath occasioned grief, he hath grieved me only as a part

ner in it; that I may not continue a burden on you all; suffi6 cient for such a one is the censure which hath been passed by 7 the majority; so that, on the contrary, I rather wish you to

forgive and comfort him, that such a one may not be over8 whelmed with an excess of sorrow. Therefore I intreat you 9 to authorise love for him. For this was one purpose of my

writing, that I might have this proof of you, whether you are 10 obedient in all things. And to whomsoever you forgive any thing, I do so too. For with regard to myself, if I have forgiven any one whatever any thing, I have forgiven him for 11 your sakes, in the presence of Christ, that Satan may not get an advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Now when I came to Troas for the purpose of proclaiming the glad tidings of the Christ, though the Lord opened a 13 door for me, I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus; but taking leave of them, I set out for Ma14 cedonia. But thanks be to God who causeth us always to triumph in the Christ, and who manifesteth by us, in every place, 15 the odour of the knowledge of him. Because we are for God a

12

strong odour of the Christ among them who are saved, and 16 among them who perish (to these indeed an odour of death

for death, but to those an odour of life for life) who therefore 17 is sufficient for this? For we do not like the many, adulterate the word of God, but as men of sincerity, but as men of God, in the presence of God in Christ we speak.

III.

"Are we beginning again to commend ourselves to you? Do we only want, like certain persons, commendatory letters to 2 you, or letters of recommendation from you?*" You yourselves are our letter. It hath been written in our hearts; it is 3 known and read by all men. You are shewn publickly because you are the letter of Christ which we make use of. It is written, not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God; not on 4 tables of stone, but on fleshly tables of the heart. Such is the

* These, it is presumed, were reflections cast upon the apostle by his opposers.

confidence which we have through Christ in regard to God; 5 not that we are of ourselves sufficient to reckon any thing as proceeding from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who hath qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant; not of letter but of spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit 7 giveth life. (Now if the ministration of death engraven in letters, on stones, was attended with such glory that the children. of Israel could not look steadily on the face of Moses, because 8 of the temporary glory of his countenance; shall not the mi9 nistration of the spirit be much more attended with glory? For if that ministration of condemnation was attended with glory, much more doth this ministration of justification abound in 10 glory. For that indeed which was glorious, is in this respect 11 not glorious because of this super-excellent glory. For if that which was temporary was with glory, much more shall this 12 which is permanent be attended with glory. Having therefore

such a hope, we use great plainness of speech, and do not [act] 13 as Moses. He put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel might not look stedfastly to the end of that which is abolished. 14 Their minds were indeed blinded, for even to this day that

very veil at the reading of the old covenant remaineth. That 15 which is abolished by Christ is not unveiled, but even at this day 16 when Moses is read there is a veil upon their heart, but when

ever it shall turn to the Lord that veil will be taken away.) 17 Now the Lord is the spirit? And where the spirit of the Lord 18 is, there is liberty; and we all with an unveiled face viewing, as in a mirrour, the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord of spirit.*

IV.

Having therefore this ministration, as we have obtained 2 mercy, we do not falter, but have renounced the secrets of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor dealing deceitfully with the word of God, but by the clear manifestation of the truth recommending ourselves to every man's conscience in the 3 sight of God. If then these glad tidings of ours are veiled,

*In order to understand this it is necessary to keep in mind what is said in verse 6, 7. that he was qualified to be a minister of a new covenant not of letter, but of spirit.