The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Loue forbeareth the thinge that she maye do ••y the lawe. He exhorteth them to t••nne on forth in the course that they ha•••• begonne.

CAPI. IX.

AM I not an Apostle? am I not fre? * 1.1 [unspec A] haue I not sene Iesus Chrst our Lor∣de? Are ye not my worke in the Lorde? If I be not an Apostle vnto other, yet am I vn∣to you. For the seale of myne Apostleshyppe are ye in the Lorde. Myne answere to them that aske me, is this. Haue we not power to eate and to dryncke? Haue we not power to leade aboute a syster to wyfe, as as well as

other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lorde, and Cephas? Ether onely I & Bar∣nabas haue not power this to do? Who goeth a warfare any tyme at his owne cost? who plā••eth a vyneyarde, and eateth not of the frute therof? Or who fedeth a flocke and eateth not of the mylcke of the flocke?

Saye I these thynges after the maner of men? Sayth not the lawe the same also? For it is wrytten in the lawe of Moses. * 1.2 Thou shalt not mossel the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take [unspec B] thought for oxen? Sayth he it not all toge∣ther for oure sakes? For our sakes no doute this is wrytten: that he whiche eareth, shuld eare in hope, and that he whiche thressheth in hope, shulde be partaker of hys hope. * 1.3 If we sowe vnto you spirituall thynges, is it a greate thynge yf we reape youre bodely thynges? If other be partakers of this po∣wer ouer you, wherfore are not we rather?

Neuerthelesse * 1.4 we haue not vsed this power: but suffre all thynges, lest we shulde hynder the Gospell of Christe. Do ye not knowe, how that they which minister about [unspec C] holy thynges lyue of the sacryfyce? They whiche wayte of the temple, are partakers of the temple. Euen so also dyd the Lorde ordayne: * 1.5 that they whiche preache the Gospell, shulde lyue of the Gospell. ‡ 1.6 But I haue vsed none of these thynges.

Neuertheles I wrote not these thynges, that it shuld be so done vnto me. For it were better for me to dye, then that any mā shuld take this reioysinge frō me. For yt I preach the Gospell, I haue nothynge to reioyce of. For necessyte is put vnto me. But wo is it vnto me, yf I preache not the Gospell. If I do it with a good wyll I haue a rewarde. But yf I do it agaynst my wyll, an offyce is commytted vnto me. What is my rewarde then? Uerely that whē I preach the Gospel, I make the Gospell of Chryste fre, that I misuse not myne auctorite in the Gospel.

For though I be fre frō all men, yet haue I made my selte seruaunte vnto all men, that, I myght wynne the mo. * 1.7 Unto the Iewes, I became as a Iewe, to wynne the Iewes. To them that were vnder the lawe, [unspec D] was I made as though I had bene vnder the lawe, {fleur-de-lys} (when I was not vnder the lawe) to wynne thē that were vnder the lawe. To them that were without lawe, became I as though I had vene without lawe (when I was not without lawe as perteyninge to God, but vnder the lawe of Christ) to wynne thē that were without lawe. To the weake became I as weake, to wynne the weake. In all thynges * 1.8 I fasshyoned my selfe to all men to saue at the least waye some. And this I do for the gospels sake, that I might haue my parte therof.

✚ Perceaue ye not, howe that they which runne in a course, rūne al, but one receaueth the rewarde? So rūne, that ye may obtaine. Euery man that proueth masteryes, abstay neth from all thynges. And they do it to ob¦taine a crowne y^• shal perisshe: but we to ob∣tayne an * 1.9 euerlastynge crowne. I therfore so runne, not as an vncertayne thynge. So fyght I, not as one that beateth the ayer: but I came my bodye, and brynge it into subieccyon, leste by any meanes it come to passe, that whan I haue preached to other, I my selfe shulde be a cast awaye. ⊢

Notes

• * 1.1

  Actes. xi. ••.
• * 1.2

  De••l. 25. ••. 1. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••. ••.
• * 1.3

  Rom••. ••5. ••. Gala. ••i. b.
• * 1.4

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••.
• * 1.5

  Math. ••. ••. A••••••s.
• ‡ 1.6

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••. 〈…〉〈…〉. ••. ••
• * 1.7

  Actes. 16. ••. Gala. 11. ••
• * 1.8

  ••. C••••••. ••. ••.
• * 1.9

  2. Tim. 4. •• i. P••••••. ••. ••