so that you will be deficient in no gift; during your expectation of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

for I have been inform'd, my brethren, by some of Chloe's family, that there are contentions among you.

lest any should say, I had baptized into mine own name.

for who knows the thoughts of a man, but the spirit of man which is in him? even so the thoughts of God no one can know, but the spirit of God.

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

so then, neither is he that planted any thing, nor he that watered: it is God only that gives the increase.

if that man's work should be burnt, he will suffer loss: but should he himself escape, it will be as out of the fire.

all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

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:

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.

for as God hath raised up the Lord, so will he likewise raise us up to partake of his own power.

Don't you know, that your bodies are parts of Christ's mystical body? now, how can that which is Christ's, be made the property of a very creature?

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.

As to the unmarried and widows, I say, it is best for them to continue so, as I do.

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.

for the slave that turns christian, is the Lord's freedman: likewise, the freeman that becomes a convert is Christ's servant.

I think therefore it is best, considering the present distress, I say, it is best, for a single person to continue so still.

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.

This I say, brethren, because the time is coming, when they who have wives will be as those that have none;

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.

if any man thinks it would be a reflexion upon his manhood to be a stale batchelor, and so ought to marry; let him follow his bent, he is at liberty, let such marry.

so that he who marries, does well; but he who lives single, may have less trouble.

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?

so that your notions may endanger the life of thy weak brother, for whom Christ died.

if for your benefit we have sown spirituals, is it so extraordinary if we should reap some benefit from your temporals?

even so has the Lord ordained, that they who preach the gospel, should live by the gospel.

and I do all for the gospel's sake, that I may share in the benefits thereof.

You know, that in a race, tho' all run, but one receives the prize: so run, that you may obtain.

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:

and were all baptized into the Mosaical institution by the cloud, and by the sea;

I speak as to knowing men: be you your selves the judges of what I say.

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

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.

for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

but if any man say to you, this is offered in sacrifice to an idol, don't eat, for his sake that mentioned it, and for conscience sake.

when I say conscience, I don't mean your own, but that of the other: for why should I expose my liberty to the censure of another man's conscience?

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.

for as the woman was taken from the man, so man is born of the woman: and all are from God.

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.

As often then as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye make a declaration of the Lord's death till he come.

so that whosoever eats this bread, and drinks this cup without respect to the Lord, does make a criminal use of the body and blood of the Lord.

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

For as the body is one, tho' it has many members, and all the members of that one body, tho' many, are one body: so also is the body of Christ.

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."

so that if one member suffer, they all suffer with it: or if one be honoured, they partake of it.

now we do but indirectly see the faint images of things; but then the objects themselves will be before our eyes; now I have a partial knowledge, but then shall I know, even as I myself am known.

otherwise if you should give thanks by the spirit in an unknown tongue, the hearer cannot but appear unlearned upon this occasion; how then can he say Amen to thy thanksgiving? since he does not conceive what you say.

wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to believers, but to unbelievers: but expounding the prophets, not for unbelievers so much as for those who believe.

when therefore the whole church is assembled, and all speak different languages, if such as are either unlearned, or are unbelievers should come in, will they not say you are all mad?

the secrets of his heart become manifest; and so falling down on his face, he will worship God, and declare that God is certainly amongst you.

by which also you will be saved, if you so retain it as I preached it to you, unless you have believed without sufficient grounds.

for as by Adam all die, even so by Christ shall all be restored to life.

If it be not so, what can they effect who are baptized for the dead? if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?

besides, my engaging with those monsters, as I may say, at Ephesus, what advantage was it to me? if the dead don't rise, "let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."

But some will say, how will the dead be raised? with what kind of body will they appear?

foolish as you are, the grain you sow, is not revived except it die.

and whatever you sow, you don't sow that body which shall afterwards appear, but only the bare grain of wheat, for instance, or of some other grain.

and so it is written, the first man Adam was made an animating soul, the last Adam was made a vivifying spirit.

for as we have born the image of the terrestrial, so we shall bear the image of the celestial.

this I say, my brethren, because the body, as it is at present, cannot possess the kingdom of God; and what is corruptible, can't enjoy incorruptibility.

and if it be so considerable as to induce me to go, they shall accompany me.

for I do not design to see you in my passage thither, yet I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permit.

The churches of Asia, salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you with much christian affection, and so do the church that is in their house.