for Christ did not send me to baptize: but to preach the gospel: tho' not with the preaching of the wise, lest the cross of Christ should have been hinder'd in its efficacy.

where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputant of this age? has not God prov'd the wisdom of this world to be downright folly.

for whereas the world, with all their learning, did not distinguish the characters of his divine wisdom, in his works, it pleased God to save those who believe, by preaching, which they counted folly.

for consider, brethren, that not many worldly wise, not many men of power, not many men of birth are among you that are called.

As for me, my brethren, when I appear'd among you, it was not to represent to you the divine mystery in sublime language, and with human literature.

for I did not think I was to have any other knowledge among you, than that of Christ, a crucified saviour.

my discourse, and my preaching did not consist in the persuasive reasonings of human wisdom, but in demonstrating the spiritual meaning of the scriptures:

that your faith might not be owing to human wisdom, but to the divine influence.

However, what we preach is wisdom, to those who are thoroughly instructed: yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who will soon come to nothing.

which none of the rulers of this age understood: for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

but, as it is written, "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

now the spirit which we have received, is not the spirit of this world, but that which comes from God; that we might know what he has graciously bestowed upon us.

this is what we declare, not in the words which human wisdom, but which the holy spirit dictates; explaining spiritual things in a spiritual language.

but the animal man does not receive the effusions of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him; neither can he understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

but they are all expos'd to the judgment of the spiritual, whilst he himself is not subject to the judgment of any man.

for how can he, that does not know the mind of the Lord, instruct another? but as for us, we are acquainted with the mind of the Lord.

However, I could not speak to you, my brethren, as to the spiritual, or as to the dispassionate, but as to novices in christianity.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, nor have you yet sufficient strength.

for you are still subject to your passions. since envy, and strife, and divisions are among you, are you not actuated by the vices of the animal part?

while one cries I am Paul's disciple, and another, I am Apollo's, are ye not vicious?

as for me, it is a matter of no great concern that I should be called to account by you, or any human authority; not that I am my own judge;

(for though I am not conscious to my self of any unfaithfulness, yet am I not hereby absolved:) but he that is my supreme judge, is the Lord.

These things, my brethren, I have represented to you in my own person, and that of Apollos, out of respect to you: to show you how to moderate your esteem by the rule prescrib'd, that you may not be transported in favour of one rather than another.

for who has distinguish'd thee above another? or what have you, that you did not receive? now if you did receive it, why do you glory as if you had not received it?

Some make their boast as if I would not come to you.

but if the Lord pleases, I will visit you very soon; and then I shall try, not what these boasters can say, but what they can do:

for the gospel dispensation does not consist in talk, but in power.

we have it from all quarters, that incest is practis'd among you, and such as is not among the Gentiles, that of a man's having his father's wife.

therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with unaffected sincerity and truth.

When I formerly writ to you, not to keep company with the vicious:

I did not mean the vicious Gentiles, the misers, the raparees, or with idolaters; for then you must have gone out of the world.

but my meaning was, not to keep company with any christian known to be vicious, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or rapacious, no not even to eat with such a one.

for what have I to do to judge those who are without the church; but are not you to judge those that are within?

When any controversy arises among you, will any one presume to appeal to the Gentiles, and not to Christians?

don't you know that these are to judge the world? if the world is to be judg'd by you, are not you qualify'd to decide your petty causes?

what, is there not a man of experience amongst you, capable of being arbitrator between his brethren?

beside, you are absolutely in the wrong in going to law with one another at all: why don't you rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer loss?

Know you not that the unjust shall not inherit the kingdom of God? be not deceived: neither the licentious, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor the brutal,

Are all things lawful for me? however, all things are not expedient: are all things lawful for me? however, I will not be a slave to any.

"meat is design'd for the belly, and the belly for meat:" true, yet God has design'd both for destruction. now the body is not design'd for licentiousness, but for the glory of the Lord; since the Lord died for the glorification of the body:

what! know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the holy spirit, which is in you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Now as to the question you writ to me about; "whether it is best for a man not to marry?"

the wife has not the right of her own person, but the husband: and so likewise the husband has not the right of his own person, but the wife.

but as for the rest, I speak it by way of counsel, and not of command.

but if they have not the gift, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to be in pain.

as to the married, I enjoin this rule, not as from my self, but from the Lord, that a woman should not leave her husband:

but if she has separated herself, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

But as to the other cases, which were not decided by the Lord; I say, if any brother has a pagan wife, who likes to live with him, let him not put her away.

and if a woman has a pagan husband, who likes to live with her, let her not leave him.

but if the infidel will separate, let him go: a brother or a sister is not inslaved in such cases. but God has called us to peace; for how do you know,

does a Jew turn Christian? let him not pretend to be uncircumcised: does a Gentile turn Christian? let him not become circumcised.

were you called being a slave? be not perplex'd about it; but if you can obtain your freedom, don't refuse it.

are you contracted to a wife? seek not to be disengag'd. are you disengag'd from your wife? don't look out for another;

not that it is a sin for you to marry; nor is it so if a virgin marry; but they that do, will be troubled for their relations, and that I would prevent.

and they that weep, as those that are unconcern'd; and they that rejoice, as those that do not; and they that buy, as those that have no possessions;

And this I say for your particular advantage, not to lay any constraint upon you, but as that which is most suitable to a state of uninterrupted attendance upon religion.

But every one has not this knowledge: for some still imagine the idol represents a deity: and eat the meat under the notion of an offering to such a being: by which erroneous opinion they are infected with idolatry.

meat does not recommend us to God: if we eat, we are not the better men; if we don't eat, we are not the worse.

but take care that this liberty of yours does not prove a scandal to the weak.

for if any man see you who have a just notion of idols, sitting at table in their temple, will not the person who is wrong in his notions be incouraged to eat what is offered to idols, tho' contrary to his own opinion?

Am I not free? am I not an apostle? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not you become christians by my labour?

if I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you: for your being christians is the proof of my apostleship.

have we not a right to meat and drink?

have not we the liberty to take a christian woman with us in our travels, as well as the rest of the apostles, as the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas did?

or I and Barnabas, are we only excluded the privilege of not working?

who ever serves in war at his own charges? who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of the fruit? or who feeds a flock, and eats not of the milk of the flock?

is this only the voice of reason? does not the law express the same too?

for it is written in the law of Moses, "thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn." are oxen the objects of divine care?

if others partake of your substance, have not I a better title? nevertheless, I have not made use of this privilege; but bear with any thing rather than obstruct the gospel of Christ.

but I have not made use of these advantages. neither have I writ this to obtain such maintenance: for I had rather die for want, than be deprived of such matter of glorying.

for in barely preaching the gospel, I have nothing to glory in: because I am under an obligation to do it; yea, wo is unto me if I preach not the gospel.

to those who are without the law, as without that law, (not as being under no law to God, but as under the law to Christ) that I might gain those who are without the law.

I therefore so run, not as one that is distanc'd: I fight, but not with the air.

I would not have you ignorant, my brethren, that all our fathers were under the Cloud, all passed thro' the sea:

but with the greater part God was not well pleased: for their carcasses were strown in the wilderness.

be not idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."

you have met with no trials yet, but such as are common to men: and God who is faithful, will not suffer you to be tempted above your strength; but will with the temptation make a way to escape, by enabling you to bear it.

the cup of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

consider the custom of the Jews by descent, are not they which eat of the sacrifices, partakers of the altar? what say I then?

no, but that what the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not have you partake of the sacrifices of demons.

you should not drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: you should not be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons.

are all things lawful for me? yet all things are not expedient: are all things lawful for me? yet all things do not edify.

thus I endeavour to be acceptable to all men in all things, not seeking my own advantage, but that of others, so as they may be saved.

a woman may as well have the tonsure, as not wear her veil: the one is as indecent as the other.

A man ought not to be veil'd: he has the honour of being invested with authority from God, and may glory in his priority to the woman.

for the man was not taken from the woman: but the woman from the man.

does not settled custom show it is a shame for a man to have long hair?

Now in what I am going to say, I do not commend you, because your assemblies are not to your advantage, but to your prejudice.

when you thus assemble therefore, this is not eating the Lord's supper.

what, have you no houses to eat and drink in? or have ye a contempt for the church of God, or is it to insult those who are in want? what shall I say to you? shall I commend such behaviour? I do not approve of it.

For I received it from the Lord, and I inform'd you of it: that the Lord Jesus, the night in which he was betrayed, took bread:

for he that eats and drinks in a disrespectful manner, not discriminating the Lord's body, eateth and drinketh to his own punishment.

for if we made such a discrimination, we should not be punished.

but when we are punished, we are chastised by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

and if any one is press'd with hunger, let him eat at home; that ye may not otherwise meet with punishment. as for other matters, I will set them in order when I come.

Now concerning those who are spiritual, my brethren, I would not have you be mistaken.

the body is not one member, but many.

if the foot should say, "because I am not the hand, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body?

and if the ear should say, "because I am not the eye, I am not of the body;" is it therefore not of the body?

and the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of thee:" nor again, the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."