that they who are in a state of life should not live at their own discretion, but to the service of him who died for them, and rose again.

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.

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.

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.

having this proof of you by such a supply, they will glorify God for your profess'd subjection to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution to them as well as others;

to level all the barriers they contrive for obstructing the divine doctrine, and to make their pride captive to the authority of Christ.

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.

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.

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.

as if I was inferior to them. but whatever they pretend to, (I must be so vain) I pretend to the like.

Are they Hebrews? so am I: are they Israelites? so am I: are they of the race of Abraham?

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.