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."

of which the graceful have no need: but God has contrived the symmetry of the body, by bestowing an additional advantage where it seem'd to want it.

For tho' I should speak with the eloquence of men, and of angels, and not have social affection, I should be like sounding brass, or a noisy cymbal.

and tho' I distribute my whole substance to the poor, and give my body to be burned, and have not social affection, it profits me nothing.

Social affection is patient, is kind; is a stranger to envy; is not insolently vain, nor arrogant: does not behave indecently,

is not self-interested, is not easily provoked, nor suspects any ill;

it does not countenance injustice, but smiles upon virtue;

for he that speaks in an unknown tongue, speaks not to men, but to God: for no man can understand the mysteries he delivers by the spirit.

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.

thy thanksgiving indeed is right, but the other is not all edified by it.

Brethren, be not childish in understanding: be as innocent as babes, but use your understanding like men.

in the law it is written, " with men of other tongues and other lips, will I speak unto this people: and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord."

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?

for God is not the God of confusion, but of peace, in all christian assemblies.

Let your women be silent in your assemblies: for they are not allowed to discourse there; but are to observe orders, as indeed the law implies:

and if they desire to have information about any point, let them consult their husbands at home: for it does not become women to ask questions in the church.

for I am the meanest of the apostles, not worthy the name of an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

it is by the divine favour that I am what I am: and his favour to me was not in vain; no, I laboured more than they all: yet it was not I, it was the divine favour which assisted me.

for if there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

and if Christ be not risen, then our preaching is empty talk, and your faith even meer amusement.

for if the dead are not raised, then was not Christ raised:

and if Christ was not raised, your faith is meer illusion, your sins are not yet forgiven.

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?

be not deceived : "vicious conversation corrupts good morals."

rouze from your sins, as is but just; for some of you have not the knowledge of God: I speak it to your shame.

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

All flesh is not of the same kind: but there is one kind that belongs to men, another to beasts, another to fishes, and another to birds.

but the spiritual body was not first, but the animal; and afterwards the spiritual.

I shall now tell you a very great secret: we shall not all of us sleep, but we shall all be changed,

therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye inflexibly steady, and continually surpass others in the work of the Lord, knowing that he will not leave your christian labour unrewarded.

pass thro' Macedonia) and perhaps I shall make some stay, if not pass the winter with you, that you may forward me on my journey, wherever I go.

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.

as to brother Apollos, I earnestly entreat him to make you a visit, with the brethren: but he has not the least mind to it at present; however, he will be with you when a fit occasion offers.

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accurst.

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.

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.

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

for what I, and Timothy, and Silvanus preached concerning Jesus Christ, the son of God, is not inconsistent, but invariably the same.

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.

not that I would arbitrarily prescribe what you should believe, but rather encourage you to go on: for 'tis by faith you have stood.

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