The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ The consolacion of God in trouble. The loue of Paul towarde the Corinthians, and his excuse that he came not vnto them.

CAPI. I.

PAule Apostle of Iesu [ A] Chryste by the wyll of God, and brother Timotheus.

Vnto the congregacion of God, whiche is at Corinthen with all the sayntes whiche are in all Achaia. Grace with you, and peax frome God our father, and frome the Lorde Iesu Chryste.

Blessed be God the father of our Lorde Ie∣su Chryst, the father of mercy, and the God of all comforte, whiche comforteth vs in all our tribulacion, in so moche that we are hable to comforte them whiche are troubled, in what so euer trouble it be, with the same comforte wherwith we oure selues are comforted of God. For as theφ afflictions of Chryste are plenteous in vs, euen so is oure consolacyon plenteous by Chryst.

Whether we be troubled for your consola∣cion, and saluacion, whiche saluacion sheweth [ B] her power, in that ye suffre the same afflicti∣ons, whiche we also suffre: or whether we be comforted for youre consolacion and saluaci∣on: yet our hope is stedfast for you, in asmoche as we knowe that as ye haue youre parte in afflictions, so shall ye be partakers of conso∣lacion.

Brethren, I wolde not haue you ignoraunt of our trouble, which happened vnto vs in A∣sia. For we were greued out of measure, pas∣sing strength, so greatly, that we dispayred euē of lyfe. Yea, we receyued an answere of deth in oure selues, and that bycause we sholde not put our trust in our selues, but in God, which rayseth the deed to lyfe agayne, and which de∣liuered vs from so great a deth, and doth dely∣uer. On whome we trust, that yet hereafter he wyl deliuer, by the helpe of your prayer for vs, that by the meanes of many occasions, thākes may be gyuen of many on our behalfe, for the grace gyuen vnto vs.

Our reioysynge is this, the testimony of our [ C] conscience, that in synglenes and godly pure∣nes, and not in flesshly wysdome, but by the grace of God, we haue had our conuersacion in the worlde, and moost of all towardes you. we wryte none other thynges vnto you, then that ye rede, and also knowe. Yea and I trust ye shall fynde vs vnto thende, euen as ye haue found vs in parte: for we are your reioysing, euen as ye are oures, in the daye of the Lorde Iesus.

And in this confydence was I mynded the other tyme to haue come vnto you, y^t ye might haue hadde yet one pleasure more, and to haue passed by you in to Macedonia, and to

haue come agayne oute of Macedonia vnto [ D] you, and to haue ben led forth to Iury warde of you. When I thus wyse was mynded: dyd I vse lyghtnes? Or thynke I carnally those thinges which I thynke? that with me sholde be φ ye ye, and naye naye. God is faythful / for our preachynge to you, was not ye and naye. For Gods sonne Iesus Chryste whiche was preached amonge you by vs (that is to saye, by me and Syluanus and Timotheus) was not ye and naye: but in him it was ye. For all the [ E] promyses of God, in him are ye, & are in hym, Amen, vnto the laude of God thorow vs. For it is God whiche stablysshed vs and you in Chryst, and hathe anoynted vs, whiche hathe also sealed vs, and hathe gyuen the ernest of the spiryte in to our hertes. I call God for a recorde vnto my soule, that for to fauour you withall I came not any more vnto Corinthe. Not that we be lordes ouer your faythe: but helpers of your ioye. For by fayth ye stande.

Notes

• φ

  Affliccions or passions of Chryste are suche suffrin∣ges as Christ suffred.
• Conscience.
• 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉, naye, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 put ••••stable∣•• constāt ••••yninge ••••••ng of ••ordes
• ••et .v. a