The texte.

AGayne ye that are maisters abuse not the authori∣tie gyuen you by mennes lawes, & not for any per∣feccion of nature, to exercise tyranny vpō your ser∣uauntes, but gyue them that is iust and lawfull, departyng with them sufficiently, in suche thynges as are for naturall vses necessarye, & make not for your pleasure to muche of some, intollerablye op∣pressing other, assuring your selues, that ye are ra∣ther with them felowes in seruice, thā maisters, for asmuche as ye haue with them one commen maister in heauen, at whose hāde ye shal fīde like fauer, as your selues haue shewed to your seruātes.

The texte.

And because I would ye should be more worthie mēbres of Christes bo∣dy, continue in prayer, not as dull & heauy people by reason of any surfet∣tyng, but as sober & wakefull, in the same also geuyng god thankes, so y^• ye not only desyer of god thinges to saluaciō profitable, but also gyue him thankes for his dayly giftes, to the intēt that whē he seeth you both thāk∣full & mindefull, he maye be towarde you more beneficiall. In the meane tyme ye shal also desyre god for vs, y^t it maye please his goodnes in suche sorte to take awaye al impedimentes, that his gospel maye freely be prea∣ched, y^• he through faith openyng mennes heartes the misterie maye enter into al mennes mindes which beyng hitherto hidden, y^• father would now haueknowen vnto all, as touchyng Christe, through whom without helpe of the law he offereth vnto al people saluacion, for preaching wherof I lye in these bondes, so y^t nothing lette me among al men to publish & sprede a∣brode y^• gospel of Christ, which am desirouse so to do freely & w^tout feare, euē as he cōmaūded me.

The texte.

Vse your selues soberly & discretly with suche, as are to Christes religiō straungers, so that in your maners nothing appeare, y^• maye either moue them to persecute you, or withdrawe theyr myndes & fauer from the gos∣pel. For synce it can not be auoyded, but that ye must nedes with Heathēs, be conuersaūt, and with them liue familierly, let them in you fynde, that through your new profession ye are in all poyntes becommē therby better & more courteyse, namely yf any suche thing chaūce, wherin w^tout breache of religion ye maye do them pleasure. Nowe must we specially for the pre∣sent tyme endeuour, that all be allured to the profession of the gospell. Page  [unnumbered] The oportunitie wherof must not with ianglyng and vayne contencions be loste, but be bought rather with all the precious goodes and treasures that we haue. For this gyue ouer your honoure, departe with youre mo∣neye, for this awaye wrth your desyer to reuenge. Yf with the losse of suche thinges the gospell be furthered, then thinke as it is in dede that your ad∣uauntage is great.

The texte.

Let not your speache to them be reprochefull and roughe, but let it sa∣uoure of courtesy and gentlenes, & be poudred with the salte of wysdome, remēbryng that gentle speache rather soupleth fierse stomackes, & disc•e∣cion teacheth, what, to whome, & with what sobernes we ought to answer. We must otherwise vse our selfe towarde princes and gouernours of the worlde, otherwyse with meane men, & otherwise with lowe persons, after one sorte with suche as are gentle, & after an other sorte with suche as are fumishe, otherwise with learned, otherwise with vnlearned. After suche sorte muste oure language be tempered vnto euery mānes condicion, that it may further & promote the gospel. Some time better is it to gyue place when he whome ye intende to teache, with reprochefull wordes gayusayth your teachyng, or he whome thou speakest vnto, goeth couertly aboute to hutte thy doctriue.

The texte.

Of my state I wryte not vnto you, but of that shal Tichicus, the bearer of these letters, certifie you, through one cōmen profession, my well belo∣ued brother, faithfull minister, & felowe seruaunt in preaching the gospel, whome I for this purpose sente thither, both to the intent that by hym ye shoulde knowe, what is here done among vs, and by hym to be certified, howe ye doe, that youre myndes maye through his communicacion be re∣freshed, and myne also by his good reporte made of you. And with Tychi∣chus haue I lent Onesimus, whome I would ye shoulde not esteme and iudge by his olde kynde of lyfe, synce he is nowe my faythful, and beloued brother, whome for this cause ye oughte to make the more of, because he is a Gentile as ye be, and of an vncircumcised one, tourned to Christe. These two shall to you make faythfull reporte, of suche thinges as are here done among vs, as ferre as is expedient for you to knowe.

The texte.

Aristarchus saluteth you, and albeit he be a Iew, yet for his like faith, ye should make muche of hym. For hym haue I for Christes gospels sake of my enprisonment felow and pertaker. Marcus also, Barnabas systers fo•ne whom ye wel knowe, saluteth you, whome I at an other tyme com∣mended vnto you, cōmaunding you than, as we no we do, that if he come to you, that ye with al gentlenes receyue and enterteyne him. Iesus also, whose surname is Iustus greteth you.

Page  xThese are in dede, to you of a straunge nacion, I saye of the Iewes, and yet of you worthie to be fauoured, because they in preachyng the kyngdō of god are my workefelowes, and were vnto me in the affliccions, whiche I suffer, very cherefull.

The texte.

Epaphras greeteth you, whiche is one of you, not only by the profes∣sion of Christes name, but also one of the same countrey, who so hartelye fauoreth you, that he moste feruently for you maketh his prayer to god, y^• ye by his helpe maye stedfastly continew in that ye haue begunne, and not be vnperfit christiās, but in doing al suche thinges, as god requireth, per∣fite and full. For in this I beare hym recorde, that he hath a feruent loue towarde you, and not toward you onely, but also towarde all them, that are of Laodicia and Hierapolis, whiche border nigh vnto you.

The texte.

Lucas the physicion, whō I singulerly loue, greteth you, & so doth also Demas, whiche as yet is with me. Salute aswell other brethren, that be at Laodicia, as also especially Nympha, with all the congregacion, that is in his house.

The texte;

Assone as this epistle is rehearsed among you, cause that the same also be read in the congregacion of the Laodicians, and agayne read ye the E∣pistle, which from Laodicia I wrote to Timothie, that they maye profite more.

The texte.

Saye in my name these wordes to Archippus your ruler: loke about and take hede, what charge thou hast taken in hande. It is no mannes busy∣nes* and cure, but gods, which is cōmitted vnto the. See thou perfourme that thou haste vndertaken, as whiche shalte therof to the lorde yelde ac∣coumpte. But because this Epistle with you shoulde be of more credite, lo I subscribe gretynges to you all with myne owne hande, with Paules hande (I saye) whome ye wel knowe. Remēber my bondes, whom I beare for your sake, and lyue after suche sorte, that I of them be not made asha∣med. The grace of Iesus be alwayes with you.