who comforteth me in all my tribulations, that I may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith I myself am comforted of God.

For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of that insupportable weight of affliction that over-whelm'd me so in Asia that I despaired even of life:

nay, I abandon'd my self to death, that I might not rely upon my self for deliverance, but on God who raiseth the dead.

and he did deliver me from so terrible a death, and on him I have relied for further deliverance: especially,

being assisted by your prayers for me, so that thanks may be returned by many, for the gracious deliverance procur'd me by their prayers.

for this is to me matter of glorying, the testimony of my conscience, that without artifice, and with religious sincerity, not by worldly wisdom, but by God's favourable assistance I have behaved my self towards all men, but more particularly to you.

In reality, we writ nothing to you, but what you may perceive by the reading, and I trust you ever will perceive.

as some of you have already own'd, that I am matter of joy to you, as you will be to me in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ:

not to call upon you as I pass into Macedonia, but in my return from thence, to be conducted by you toward Judea.

was this design therefore the effect of levity? or do I design first one thing, and then another, as it best suits my worldly interest?

God is my witness, I never prevaricated with you.

now it is God who keeps you fix'd in the doctrine of Christ; who has appointed me,

and mark'd me with his seal, and given me the earnest of the spirit in my heart.

I call God to witness, and may I die if it is not true, that the reason of my not coming yet to Corinth, was to avoid using any severity towards you.

But I purposed in my self, I would not be the occasion of any uneasiness to you when I come again.

why should I make you uneasy, for who then could give me comfort, but those to whom I give uneasiness?

and I wrote to you upon that disagreeable subject, that when I came, I might not receive uneasiness from those from whom I ought to receive comfort, being persuaded that you will all think yourselves interested to promote my satisfaction.

The affliction I have had, comes only from a particular quarter, so that my resentment does not affect the whole church.

When an opportunity was given me by the Lord to preach the gospel of Christ, upon my arrival at Troas,

I was so uneasy in my mind for not finding Titus my brother, that taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

but thanks be to God, who maketh me triumph, thro' Christ, and spreads his healing doctrine by me, in eevery place:

for God is pleased to accept my christian labours, in favour both of those who are in a saving, and of those who are in a ruinous state:

by the one my preaching is taken as a deadly poison, to the other it is a reviving potion. and who is so sufficient for such a commission?

Do I begin again to commend my self? or need I, as some others, commendatory letters to you, or from you?

you are my epistle, your conversion being writ in. my heart, known and read by all men:

which shows you to be the epistle of Christ, written by my ministration, not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God; not on tables of stone, but on living tables of the heart.

not that I am sufficient of myself to effect any thing by the strength of my own reason: but my sufficiency is from God.

who also hath enabled me to be a minister of the new covenant, not of the literal sense, but of the spiritual meaning: it is the letter that denounces death, but the spirit gives life.

Having then such an opinion of my ministry, I use great plainness of speech.

renouncing all secret dishonesty, and void of all artifice, I deliver the word of God unadulterated, and recommend my self by urging the truth home to every man's conscience, as in the presence of God.

but this treasure is lodg'd in such earthen vessels as we are, that the exceeding efficacy of it may appear to be from God, and not from us.

always bearing about in my body the marks of sufferings like those of Jesus, so that Jesus might be plainly prov'd to be alive by the sufferings of my body.

knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise up me also by Jesus, and shall present me with you:

for which cause I am not discouraged, but tho' my body decays, yet my mind is daily renewed.

For I know, that if my body, which is but a tent for my sojourning upon earth, were dissolved, I have what is not fram'd by human art, but by the divine architect, a mansion eternal in the heavens.

we that are in this tabernacle do groan under the burden of it: not that we desire to be divested of it, but we desire to have our celestial body, that this mortal state may vanish into immortality.

(for I regulate my conduct by my future expectations, not by visible enjoyments:

for we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ; that every one may receive the retribution, according as his actions in the body were either good or evil.

Shall I then, who know this terrible judgment of the Lord, endeavour to appease men? as for God, I am approved by him, and I trust also you are convinced of my being so approved.

and this I say, not to commend myself again unto you, but to give you an occasion of glorying on my account, that you may confront those who make a false show of glorying.

for if I glory even to transport, my glorying is in God: if I am moderate, my glorying is for your service.

as for us, we give no occasion of offence, that our ministry may not be blamed:

O Corinthians, my heart is so full, my tongue cannot be silent:

I address myself to you as a parent, be not you wanting in the returns of filial respect to me.

and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, "I will dwell with, and walk among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."

since then, we have these promises, my dear brethren, let us cleanse our selves from all impurity, whether of body or mind, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Receive me as one who has wronged no man, who has corrupted no man, who has defrauded no man.

I use indeed great freedom of speech toward you, yet I greatly glory upon your account: I am filled with comfort, and my joy is still superiour to all my affliction.

for when I came to Macedonia, I had no respit from the trouble that beset me on every side: oppositions from without, and apprehensions within.

nevertheless, God who comforteth those that are cast down, gave me comfort by the arrival of Titus: not barely by his presence,

but by the consolation I received from you by him, when he acquainted me with your earnest desire to see me, with your concern, and your zeal for me; which greatly increas'd my joy.

For tho' I was sorry my letter gave you some uneasiness, I do not repent of it, perceiving, that the uneasiness you had from that letter, did not dwell upon your minds.

wherefore, my writing to you so severely did not proceed from any prejudice to him, that had done the wrong, or from favour to him that suffered wrong, but to show my conscientious regard to your welfare.

so that your comfort was no small satisfaction to me: yea, and I was the more exceedingly pleased for that cheerful tranquillity of mind which Titus received from the behaviour of you all.

so that I am not ashamed of the commendations I have formerly given you to him; but as I have always preached the truth to you, so in my commendation to Titus, I have said nothing but truth of you.

my having therefore such an entire confidence in you, does agreeably affect me.

earnestly intreating me to take the gift, and the charge of conveying it to the converts at Jerusalem:

and in this they out-did my expectation; such was the divine pleasure, they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then made me an offer to go themselves to Corinth.

I don't mean to prescribe to you, but that the zeal of others may show you are as sincerely well-affected.

my meaning is not, that you should be distress'd to relieve others, I only recommend an equality;

that as your present sufficiency supplies their wants, their sufficiency may supply your occasions another way: and thus there will be an equality.

for he not only complyed with my exhortation, but being more than ordinarily concern'd, he voluntarily went to you;

but was chosen by the churches to accompany me with this collection; which service I undertook for the sake of Christ, and to encourage your generous design.

this I did, to prevent any suspicion that might be rais'd from my having the management of so great a sum:

now as to Titus, he is my collegue, and assists me in your affairs: as to our brethren, they are the deputies of the churches, and the glory of the christian profession.

As to the relief of the converts, it is superfluous for me to write to you.

yet have I sent the brethren, that my character of you may not appear to be groundless, with respect to that part wherein I said, ye would be ready:

for if the Macedonians should come with me, and find you unprepared, how shall I, not to say you, be ashamed for having had so little ground to boast of you?

and God is able to make every charitable gift redound to your advantage; that being always sufficiently supply'd in every thing, you may excel in every good work:

so that being enriched in every thing, you may be continually beneficent to the glory of God by our thanksgiving.

I who am a person of a mean presence, when among you, but exert myself upon your account, when absent; I Paul intreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, not to let me exert that authority,

when I am present, which I think to exercise against some, who censure me, as if I was actuated by worldly views.

for though I should more than ever magnify my authority, which the Lord hath given us for your improvement, and not for your ruin, I should have no reason to be ashamed;

but that I may not seem as if I would strike a terror in you by letters:

(for 'tis objected that my letters are weighty and powerful, but my bodily presence weak, and my preaching

contemptible) let such a one depend upon this, that the same authority which appear'd in my letters, when I was absent, will appear in fact, when I am present.

for I dare not rank or compare my self with some who vaunt themselves: but they making their self-conceit the only standard whereby to judge of themselves, show their want of judgment.

I will not boast of any thing done without my province, but confine myself within that line by which God has mark'd out my bounds, and in which you are included.

for I do not stretch beyond my limits to take you in; since in preaching the gospel of Christ, we are advanced even to you.

so that I may preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not assume the credit of things ready prepared to my hand, in another man's province.

Would you could bear with me a little in my vanity, but indeed you do bear with me.

for I am jealous over you with religious jealousy: since I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

if he that is come to you, preaches another Jesus whom I have not preached, or if ye receive other gifts of the spirit, than what ye have received from me, or another gospel, than what you have accepted, you might well bear with his pretensions:

if my language is inelegant, my knowledge is not contemptible; but has been fully display'd among you on all occasions.

by taking wages of other churches, I may have injured them, to do you service.

when I was present among you, and in want, I was chargeable to no man: for the brethren which came from Macedonia, supplied my necessities: and as I have, so I always shall keep myself from being burdensome to you.

I solemnly protest, no man shall hinder me of this applause, in the regions of Achaia.

but this I do, and shall do, to make them drop their hire, who are so bent upon hire: and then indeed they will be as they pretend to be, like me.

and no wonder; for satan himself may put on the appearance of an angel of light.

I say it again, let no man think me vain; but if they do, yet as such, bear with me, that I too may applaud my self a little.

what I say, I say it not as an apostle, but as it were to indulge my vanity in this matter of boasting.

so am I: are they ministers of Christ? is it my vanity? I am more so: in toilsome labours I surpass them, in stripes I am exceedingly beyond them, in prisons I have been oftner, and frequently in the very jaws of death.

in my voyages I have been frequently in perils from rivers, in perils from robbers, in perils from my own countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the country, in perils at sea, in perils among false brethren;

besides these troubles from without, that which crouds upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

If I must be compell'd to glory, I will glory on the account of my sufferings.

in Damascus the governor for king Aretas, posted guards at the city-gates, with a design to apprehend me:

Have not I reason to glory? for now I shall mention my visions and revelations from the Lord.

I might glory in being the man; but I will not glory in any thing relating to myself, unless it be my sufferings.

tho' if I had a mind to glory, I might do it without vanity, for I should say nothing but what is true: but now I forbear, lest any man should ascribe more to me than my actions, or my preaching can justify.