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.

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.

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

'tis own'd I did not put you to any charges myself: but was so crafty, as to over-reach you, by others.

what, did I make a gain of you by any body I sent to you?

I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother: did Titus make a gain of you? didn't we follow the same principles, and take the same measures?

Paul an apostle (not from men, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the father who raised him from the dead) and all the brethren,

that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not thereupon apply my self to any man;

who had only heard, that I, who formerly persecuted them, did now preach the gospel of faith, which I once endeavoured to suppress:

I did not show them the lest compliance by way of submission, that the doctrine of the gospel might remain among you.

for by one law, I am dead to the other law, that I might live unto God:

this one thing I desire to know of you, did you receive the spirit by the works of the law, or by the gospel preach'd to you?

so that it is they who believe, who are blessed with Abraham, who did believe.

When you did not know God, you did service to those, who in reality are no Gods; but now that you know God,

yet you did not despise me for the trial which attended my person, nor treated me with scorn; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

what benedictions did you then pour out upon me! for I bear you witness, that, had it been practicable, you would have pulled out your very eyes, and given them to me.

which he exerted in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at the head of his heavenly kingdom,

did raise us all, who were in that deadly state of sin, to life by Christ, for by grace ye are saved:

wherefore 'tis said, " awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

who tho' he was the image of God, did not affect to appear with divine majesty, but divested himself thereof,

that at the name of Jesus both angels and men, the living and the dead, should pay their adorations,

he himself is the head of the church, which is his body. he is the prince, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might be chief.

which were buried (as Christ was) in your baptism, by virtue of which you rise (as he did) to a new life, through a belief of that divine power, which raised him from the dead.

Even you, who were in a dying sinful state, and were uncircumcised Gentiles, has God raised to life, as he did Christ, having pardoned all your sins:

If then you are dead with Christ, in respect of those shadows of the Jewish state; why do ye, as if you were still in that state, submit to those ordinances?

for you are dead to them, and Christ has secured your life with God.

since the gospel we preach'd, did not consist only of words, but was fully confirm'd by miracles and gifts of the holy spirit, you yourselves being witnesses, what we did among you and for you.

and to expect his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from impending ruin.

Our affection therefore to you being so great, we were as ready to give our lives for you, as we were to communicate the divine gospel to you, so much did you engage our love.

nor do we fail of giving thanks to God continually, that, when you received the word of God, which we preach, you did not receive it as the doctrine of men, but as a doctrine that appears to be truly divine, by the influences it displays in you, who believe.

Now I would not have you, my brethren, be mistaken about the state of the dead, lest you should be as greatly afflicted as those, who have no hope.

for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we must believe that God by Jesus will raise the dead, and assemble them with him.

for one thing I have in charge to tell you from the Lord, that we, who shall be found still alive at the coming of the Lord, shall not get the advance of those that are dead:

for God did not design to make us the objects of his displeasure, but to effect our felicity by the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,

that whether we happen to be alive or dead, we may be secure of living with him.

that we did not eat any man's bread for nothing: but with toil and fatigue work'd night and day to avoid being chargeable to any of you:

the widow of pleasure is dead tho' she lives.

the Lord grant he may obtain mercy from him in that day, for you know very well what services de did me at Ephesus.

Remember that Jesus Christ, who is of the posterity of David, is raised from the dead, according to my gospel,

Moses did not meet with greater opposition from Jannes and Jambres, than truth does from men so corrupted in their mind, and so adulterated in their faith.

my persecutions, and the sufferings that befel me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions did I endure? but the Lord deliver'd me out of them all: yes,

I conjure you in the name of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead, at his appearance in his kingdom,

Alexander the copper-smith did me many injuries: the Lord may reward him according to his actions.

for to which of the angels did he ever say, " thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? and again, I will be his father, and he shall be my son?

But to which of the angels did he ever say, "sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?"

for some when they had heard his voice, did provoke him: however, not all that were brought out of Egypt by Moses did so.

and who were they, who, he sware, should not enter into his rest, but those that did not believe? so we see that they could not enter in,

of which in a certain place relating to the seventh day, 'tis said, "and God did rest the seventh day from all his works."

Since there remains then a rest which some are still to enter into, for they to whom the promise was first made, did not enter in, because of their incredulity;

he pointed out another time in the words, which were spoken by David, a long time after their going into Canaan, in the passage just now quoted, "today since ye hear his voice, harden not your hearts."

then he that enters into divine rest, will indeed rest from his works, as God did from his.

Wherefore Christ himself did not assume the character of an high priest; but it was confirm'd by him that said, "thou art my son, to-day have I begotten thee."

the doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment:

'Tis by faith we learn that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the visible world was not made out of any thing that did appear.

women recovered their children, tho' dead, by their being raised to life again: some expired under torments, refusing to be delivered; that they might obtain a better deliverance at the resurrection.

Tho' these were all celebrated for their faith, they did not receive the reward that was promised:

Take care that you be not deaf to him that speaketh: for if they did not escape, who disregarded the oracles pronounc'd on earth, much less shall we escape, if we turn away from him that delivered the oracles from heaven:

May the God of peace, who has raised from the dead our Lord Jesus (who by the blood of the eternal covenant is become the grand pastor of

you quarrel and go to war, but without success, because you don't petition for it: and if you did,

you have condemn'd the just, you have put him to death, though he did not oppose you.

Elias was only a man, as we are; however, having ardently prayed, that it might not rain, it did not rain in that country for three years and a half:

it is by him that you believe in God, who has raised him from the dead, and invested him with glory, that your faith and your hope might be in God.

who, when he was reviled, did not revile again: when he was in his sufferings, he did not threat, but referr'd his cause to the righteous judge.

Since then Christ has with respect to his mortal nature died for us, arm yourselves with this reflection, that he, who is dead with respect to sensuality, has renounced sin;

but they will be call'd to account by him, who is ready to judge both the living and the dead.

for to this end was the gospel preach'd to those, who are now dead, that after having suffer'd the loss of this frail life from men, they might enjoy an immortal life with God.

for, the information we gave you of the powerful advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, did not proceed from any artfully contriv'd fables, we our selves having been spectators of his majesty.

But you must above all consider, that no prophecy of the scripture did proceed

for since God did not spare the angels, who had sinned, but having precipitated them to hell, confin'd them to chains of darkness, where they are reserv'd for judgment:

since he did not spare the old world, having preserved only eight persons, including Noah, that preacher of virtue, when he brought the deluge upon the impious world:

"where is the promise of his coming? for since our fathers are dead, the state of things is the same it has ever been since the beginning of the world."

not acting like Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother: but why did he slay him? because his own actions were evil, and his brother's were virtuous.

whereas Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, did not take the liberty to inveigh against him, but said, "the Lord rebuke thee."

they are a disgrace to your love-feasts, they indulge themselves at your festivals without reserve: clouds without water, transported with every wind: trees whose fruit soon withers and is useless, twice dead and rooted up:

Of these did Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesy in these words, "see! the Lord is coming with ten thousand of his saints,

and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth: unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins by his own blood,

as soon as I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead: but he laid his right hand upon me, and said, "Fear not; I am the first and the last:

I am he that liveth; I was dead; but now you see I am alive for all eternity, amen; and I have the keys of the grave, and of death."

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna, write, "THESE things saith the first and last, who was dead, and is alive."

I will strike her children dead; and all the churches shall know that I am he who searcheth the reins and the heart: and I will give to every one of you according to your works.

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis, write, "THESE things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast the reputation of being alive, but art dead.

As for the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues, they did not repent of their evil actions, so as to forbear worshipping demons, and idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk:

nor did they repent of their murders, of their poisoning, of their brutality, nor of their robberys.

their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which in the mystical stile is called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified.

the people of different tribes, languages, and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and not suffer them to be buried in the grave.

the nations were enrag'd, but the time of thy vengeance is come, and the time when the dead are to be judged, when thou wilt reward thy servants the prophets, the saints, and those that fear thy name, small and great, and exterminate those who have corrupted the land."

and he deceived the inhabitants of the earth, by the prodigys which he had power to effect by the influence of the beast, by telling the inhabitants of the earth, that he had made an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, but yet did revive.

Then I heard a voice from heaven, saying to me, "write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; yes, from henceforth, saith the spirit, they shall rest from their labours; and the recompence of their labours shall follow them."

The SECOND angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

but the rest of the dead shall not live again until the thousand years are finished. this is the first resurrection.

and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before the throne; the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out. of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

the sea gave up the dead which were in it; death and the grave delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every one according to their works.

I did not see any temple there: for the Lord God almighty, and the lamb are its temple.

the city had no need either of the sun, or of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamb is the luminary thereof.