weakness. Therefore I will with the greatest pleasure, rather 10 boast of my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may shelter me. I feel therefore a complacency in weaknesses, in reproaches, in difficulties, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ; for when I am weak, then am I strong.

11

I am become a foolish boaster! you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you. For I am not a whit behind the chiefest apostles, although I am no12 thing. The signs indeed of the apostle have been wrought 13 among you with all patience, with signs and wonders and miracles. For what instance is there of your being inferior to other congregations, unless it be this; that I have not been 14 burthensome to you? Forgive me this injury. Behold I am in preparation to come to you a third time, and I will not be burthensome to you. For I seek not your possessions, but yourselves. For children are not bound to lay up treasures for the 15 parents, but the parents for the children. And as for me, I will, with the greatest pleasure, spend and be spent for your sakes, though the more I love you, the less I be beloved.

16

Now be it so that I did not burthen you, but being crafty I 17 took you in by artifice. Did I take an undue advantage of you 18 by any of them whom I sent to you? I entreated Titus to go,

and with him I sent the brother. Did Titus take any undue advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did 19 we not in the same steps? Do you think we are again making 20 apologies to you? In the presence of God we speak as in Christ.

And all these things, beloved, are for your edification. For I am afraid lest when I come I shall not find you such as I wish, and that you will not find me such as you wish-lest should there be debates, envyings, animosities, strifes, back bitings, 21 whisperings, swellings and tumults, my God humble me when I come to you again, and I cause many of those who have sinned, and have not begun a reformation, to grieve for the impurity, and fornication, and lasciviousness which they have committed.

XIII. This is the third time I am coming to you. By the mouth 2 of two or three witnesses every thing is to be established. I told you before, and I now again forewarn you, as if I were present-being indeed absent, I now write to them who have

3 heretofore sinned, and to all the rest, that when I come again,

I will not spare. Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking by 4 me, who is not weak towards you, but powerful among you: For though from weakness he was crucified, yet by the power of God he is alive, therefore though we are weak in him, yet 5 by the power of God we will be alive with him for you. Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith: prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless 6 you are somehow incapable of standing the test. Now I hope

that you will know that we are not incapable of standing the 7 test. And my prayer to God is, that you may commit no evil

-not that we may be shewn capable of standing the test, but that you may do what is right, and that we may be as if we 8 could not stand the test: for we can do nothing against the 9 truth but for the truth: for we rejoice when we are weak,

and you are strong. And for this also we pray, namely the 10 restoration of you to perfect order. For this cause I, being absent, write these things; that when I am present I may not use severity, according to the power which the Lord hath given me for edification, and not for destruction.

11

Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfectly in order. Be comforted. Have your minds bent on one and the same thing: Be at peace: and the God of love and peace be with you. 12 Salute one another with a holy kiss. All the saints salute

13

you.

The favour of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the holy spirit be with you all. Amen.

THE EPISTLE

OF THE

APOSTLE PAUL

TO THE

GALATIANS.

I.

PAUL, an apostle, not from men, nor by man, but by Je2 sus Christ, and God the Father who raised him from the 3 dead; and all the brethren with me, to the congregations of 4 Galatia; favour be to you and peace from God the father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the present evil age, according 5 to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory for the ages of the ages. Amen.

6

I am astonished that you are so soon carried away, to another message of peace, from him who by the favour of Christ 7 called you: which is owing to nothing but this, that there are some who trouble you, and wish to pervert the glad tidings of 8 the Christ. But if we, or an angel from heaven, proclaim to you as glad tidings any thing different from what we have proclaimed to you, let him be an anathema. As we said before, 9 so I now say again, If any one teach you as glad tidings any thing different from what you have received, let him be au 10 anathema. For do I now conciliate the favour of men rather than of God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11

Now I certify to you, brethren, that the message of glad 12 tidings which I proclaimed is not according to man; for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it; but by a 13 revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my beha

viour formerly in the Jewish religion; that I, in the most vio

lent manner, persecuted the congregation of God, and rava14 ged it; and that I made a greater proficiency in Judaism than

many fellow students of my age, in my own nation, being 15 more abundantly a zealot for the doctrines of my fathers: but when it pleased God, who had set me apart from my birth, 16 and by his special favour called me, to reveal his son to me, that I might proclaim the good tidings of him among the nations immediately; I did not consult flesh and blood, nor did 17 I go up to Jerusalem to them who were apostles before me,

but went away to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, 19 and abode with him fifteen days. But I did not see any other 20 of the apostles, save James the brother* of the Lord. Now as

to what I write to you, behold, God is witness that I do not 21 lie. Then I went to the regions of Syria, and Cilicia, and was 22 personally unknown to the christian congregations of Judea, 23 who had only heard that he who formerly persecuted us is

now proclaiming the glad tidings of that belief which he was 24 formerly destroying, and they glorified God on my account. II. About fourteen years after, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me. I went up indeed ac2 cording to a revelation, and stated to them the glad tidings which I proclaim among the nations-privately indeed to those in high repute, that the race, which I run, or had run, 3 might in no wise be frustrate. But neither Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, nor 4 did I, (on account of the false brethren who had slily introduced themselves, and crept in, to spy out that liberty of ours which we have by Christ Jesus, that they might enslave us) 5 yield for a moment any submission to them, that the truth of 6 the glad tidings might continue with you. And with regard

to those in high repute (what they were formerly doth not concern me: God accepteth not man's person; for these men of repute added nothing to me; but, on the contrary, seeing that 7 I was intrusted with the message of glad tidings for the uncir

* Viz. Cousin German. Among the Jews, sons of brothers or sisters were called brothers.

8 cumcision, as Peter was with that for the circumcision; for he, who had communicated power to Peter for the mission to the circumcision, communicated power also to me for the nations) 9 even James, and Cephas, and John, those eminent pillars, knowing the favour granted to me, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should be for the nations, and 10 they for the circumcision, recommending only that we would

remember the poor, which very thing I had indeed been for11 ward to do. And when Peter came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he was reprehensible. For before certain 12 persons came from James, he had eaten with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew, and kept himself apart, being afraid of them who were of the circumcision. And the 13 rest of the Jews also dissembled with him, insomuch that even Barnabas was carried away with their dissimulation. But 14 when I saw that they were not walking uprightly, according to the truth of the glad tidings, I said to Peter before them all, "If thou being a Jew mayst live after the manner of the Gentiles, and not as the Jews do, why compellest thou the 15 Gentiles to conform to the rites of the Jews? We who are by 16 nature Jews, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by works of law unless by means of a belief in Jesus Christ, even we ourselves have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified for a belief in Christ and not for works of law; because for works of law no flesh can be justified. But if we, seeking to be justified by Christ, have 17 ourselves also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Let not this be supposed."

18

Now if I build up again that which I pulled down I make 19 myself a transgressor. As for me, I by law died to law, that 20 I may live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, never

theless I live-not I myself any more, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in flesh, I live by that belief which I have in the son of God, who loved me and delivered 21 up himself for me. I do not set at naught the favour of God; for if righteousness be by means of law, Christ hath indeed

died to no purpose.

III. O inconsiderate Galatians! who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth-you, before whose eyes Jesus 2 Christ crucified was evidently represented among you? I wish