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PAul and Timotheus the servaun¦tes of Iesu Christ [ A] To all y• saincte in Christ* 1.1 Iesu which are at Phi∣lippos / with y• Bisshops and Deacons.
Grace be with you and peace from God oure fa∣ther / and from the Lorde Iesus Christ.
I thanke my God with all remembraunce of you / all wayes in all my prayers for you & praye with gladnes / because of the fellow∣shyp which ye have in the gospell from the fyrst daye vnto now: ✚ and am suerly certifi∣ed of this / that he which beganne a good wor¦ke in you / shall go forthe with it vntyll the daye of Iesus Christ / as it becōmeth me so to iudge of you all / because I have you in my her¦te / and have you also every one companiōs of grace with me / even in my bondes / as I defen¦de and stablysshe the gospell.
For God beareth me recorde how great∣ly I longe after you all from the very herte [ B] rote in Iesus Christ. And this I praye / y• you¦re love maye increace more & more in know∣ledge / and in all fealinge / that ye myght accep¦te thinges most excellent / that ye myght be pure and soche as shuld hurte no mānes con¦science / vntyll the daye of Christ / filled with the frutes of rightewesnes / which frutes co∣me by Iesus Christ vnto the glory and la••de of God. ⊢
I wolde ye vnderstode brethern that my busynes is happened vnto the greater furthe¦rynge of the gospell. So that my bondes in Christ are manyfest thorow out all the iud∣gement hall and in all other places: In so moche that many of the brethrē in y• lorde are boldned thorow my bōdes / and dare more lar¦gely speake the worde with out feare. Some ther are which preache Christ of envie & stry∣fe / and some of good wyll. The one parte pre∣acheth
Christ of stryfe & not purely / suppo∣singe to adde more adversitie to my bondes. The other parte of love / because they se that I am set to defend the gospell.
What then? So that Christ be preached [ C] all maner wayes / whether it be by occasion / or of tru•• meaninge / I therin ioye: ye and will ioye. For I knowe that this shall chaunce to my salvacion / thorow youre prayer and mini¦stringe of the sprete of Iesu Christ / as I her¦tely loke for & hope / that in nothinge I shalbe ashamed: but that with all confidence / as all wayes in tymes past / even so now Christ shal be magnified in my body / whether it be tho∣rowelyfe / or els deeth. For Christ is to me ly¦fe / and deeth is to me a vauntage.
Yfit chaunce me to live in the flesshe / that is to me frute full forto worke / & what to cho∣se [ D] I wote not. I am constrayned of two thin∣ges: I desyre to be lowsed & to be with Christ / which thinge is best of all. Neverthelesse to abyde in the flesshe is moare nedfull for you. And this am I sure of / that I shall abyde / & with you all continue / for the furtheraunce and ioye of youre fayth / that ye maye moare aboundantly reioyce in Iesus Christ thoro∣we me / by my comminge to you agayne.
Only let yovre conversacion be / as it be cō¦meth the gospell of Christ: that whether I come & se you / or els be absent / I maye yet hea¦re of you / that ye contynue in one sprete / and in one soule / labouringe as we do / to mayn∣tayne the fayth of the gospell / & in nothynge
fearinge youre adversaries: which is to them a token of perdicion / & to you of salvacion / & that of God. For vnto you it is geven / that not only ye shulde beleve on Christ: but also suffre * 1.2 for his sake / & have evē the same fight which ye sawe me have and now heare of me.
Bissho∣pes. Deaco∣nes.
Tribula¦ciō is a to¦ken of sal¦uacion to the true beleuers.