Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The IX. Chapter.

AM I not an Apostle? Am I not fre? [ A] * 1.1 Haue I not sene Iesus Christ oure LORDE? Are not ye my worke in the LORDE? Yf I be not an Apostle vnto other, yet am I youre Apostle: for the seale of my∣ne Apostelshippe are ye in the LORDE. My¦ne answere vnto them that axe me, is this: Haue we not power to eate and drynke? Ha¦ue we not power also to leade aboute a sister to wife, as well as other Apostles, and as the brethren of the LORDE, and * 1.2 Cephas?

Or haue onely I and Barnabas not power this to do? Who goeth a warfare at eny ty¦me vpon his awne wages? Who planteth a vynyarde, and eateth not of the frute ther¦of? Who fedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the mylke of the flocke?

Saye I these thinges after the maner of [ B] men? Sayeth not the lawe the same also? For * 1.3 it is wrytten in the lawe off Moses: Thou shalt not mosell the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take thought for the oxen? Or sayeth he it not alltogether for oure sakes? For no doute it is wryttē for oure sakes. For he that eareth, shulde eare vpon hope: and he y^t throszheth, shulde troszhe vpon hope, y^t he mighte be partaker of his hope. * 1.4 Yf we haue sowne vn¦to you spiritual thinges, is it a greate thīge yf we reape yo bodely thīges? But yf other be partakers of this power on you, wherfo∣re are not we rather?* 1.5 Neuertheles we ha∣ue not vsed this power, but suff••e all thin∣ges, lest we shulde hynder the Gospell off Christ. Knowe ye not that they which la∣boure in the temple, haue their lyuynge of y^e temple: and they that wayte at the altare, enioye the altare? * 1.6 Euen thus also hath y^e LORDE ordeyned, that they which preach the Gospell, shulde lyue of y^e Gospell.* 1.7 But I haue vsed none of these thinges.

[ C] Nether wryte I therof, that it shulde be do¦ne so vnto me: for I had rather dye, thē that eny man shulde brynge my reioysinge to naughte. For in that I preach the Gospell, I neade not boost my selfe, for I must nedes do it. And wo vnto me, yff I preach not the Gospell. Yf I do it with a good wyll, I shall haue my rewarde: but yff I do it agaynst my wyll, yet is the office commyt¦ted vnto me. Wherfore thē shal I be rewar¦ded? (Namely therfore) that I preach the Gospell, and do the same frely for naughte, that I abuse not my libertye in y^e Gospell. For though I am fre from all men, yet ha∣ue I made my selfe euery mans seruaunt, y^t I mighte wynne y^e moo.* 1.8 Vnto the Iewes I am become as a Iewe, to wynne y^e Iew∣es. To them that are vnder the lawe, I am become as though I were vnder the lawe, to wynne them which are vnder the lawe.

[ D] Vnto them that are without lawe, I am become as though I were without lawe (where as yet I am not without the lawe of God, but am in y^e lawe of Christ) to wyn¦ne thē that are without lawe. To the wea∣ke, am I become as weake, to wynne the weake. * 1.9 I am become of all faszhions vnto euery man, to saue some at y^e leest. But this I do for the Gospels sake, that I mighte be partaker therof.

Knowe ye not, that they which runne in a course, runne all, yet but one receaueth the rewarde? Runne ye so, that ye maye optay¦ne. Euery one that proueth mastrye, abstey∣neth from all thinges, and they do it, that they maye optayne a corruptible crowne, but we to optayne an * 1.10 vncorruptible crow¦ne. I therfore so runne, not as at an vncer∣tayne thinge: So fighte I, not as one y^t bea¦teth y^e ayre: but I tame my body, and bryn¦ge it in to subieccion, lest whan I preach vn¦to other: I my selfe be a cast awaye.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. ••
• * 1.2

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••5. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 5. c
• * 1.4

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.5

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.6

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.8

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.9

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••0. d
• * 1.10

  1. Pet. 5. a