think not that I cannot, under any circumstances, extend my kingdom on earth;] nay, my strength is shewn forth the more, made perfect, in the weakness of my instruments [of the means I employ]; therefore I Paul do most gladly the rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ, not my power, may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak in myself, then I am strong in his grace.

11 I am become a fool in my boasting; ye have compelled me; for instead of being thought little of [accused of not being a true apostle], I ought to have been commended of you; for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostle, though I be in reality of myself nothing.

12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you by me, with all patience, by signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

13 For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except that ye had not a minister to maintain ? I was not burdensome to you. Ye can surely forgive me this wrong.

14 Behold, I was with you once; a second time, but that I would spare you, [chap. i. 23,] I should have been with you; and now a third time I am ready to come; and I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not yours, [your worldly goods, support, maintenance,] but you—the good of your souls; for as a father I provide for you [spiritual food], not you for me.

15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent [give up my worldly substance, and my bodily strength] for you; even though the more I love you, [the more I exert myself for you,] the less I be loved by you.

16 Well, be it so; you allow I was not burdensome to you; yet you say that being crafty, I sent others to get money of you in my namee-that I caught you

with guile.

17 Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?

18 I desired Titus to come to you, and with him I sent a brother: did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? [conducted we not ourselves in the same way?] walked we not in the same steps? [preached we not the same doctrine ?]

19 Again: think ye we say all this by way of making excuses to you for our own sakes? do we not give an account to God and Christ? No, dearly beloved brethren, we excuse ourselves, that we may be pure, without blame in your sight, and that ye may account us faithful ministers for your edifying.

20 For even now I fear, that when I come I shall not find you such as I would, [neither repentant, humble, nor pure;] and that ye will find me more severe than you expect or wish; which I shall be, if I find debates, envyings, wrath, strife, backbitings, whisperings, swellings [pride], tumults.

21 And I fear, lest when I come, God will humble me for the want of success in my ministry among you; and that I shall bewail many who have sinned already, and being warned have not repented of the unclean

ness, and fornication, and lasciviousness which they have committed.

CHAP. XIII.

1 THIS is the third time [chap. xii. 14,] I purposed to come to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word, [of accusation, of reproof among you,] when I come, be established.

2 I told you before, and I now say, as if I were present the second time; and being absent, now I write to them which have heretofore sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, I will not spare.

3 Since ye have doubted the truth of my ministry, and seek a proof that Christ really speaketh in me by that power, which has not been weak, but mighty towards your salvation.

4 For though Christ was crucified through the weakness of his mortal nature, yet he liveth by the power of God. So we are weak even as he was in our bodies; but we shall live, and exercise our ministry towards you with him by the power of God.

5 Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, the true faith of the gospel; prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves, how that salvation is come to you by Jesus Christ, unless ye be obstinate unbelievers?

6 But I trust ye will feel by the effect of our preaching upon you, that we are not false prophets.

7 Now I pray God that ye do no evil; not for the honour of our apostleship, but that ye should do that

which is honest, even though ye despise us; for we have your interest at heart more than our own honour. 8 For our whole desire is to work for the sake of the truth [the spreading of the gospel].

9 For we rejoice, even when we are weak, [cast down, despised, disheartened,] if so be our work in you is but strengthened: our wish is for your advancement even unto perfection.

10 Therefore I write these things being absent, that ye may amend, lest when I come I should be compelled to use sharpness [severity], according to the power [authority as an apostle] which the Lord hath given me for your improvement, and not unto de

struction.

11 Finally brethren, farewell. Be perfect in the faith, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 12 Greet one another with an holy kiss.

13 All the saints [holy Christians] salute you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

The second Epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by the hands of Titus and Lucas.

THE

EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

This Epistle was written by Paul the Apostle, with his own hand, (contrary to the usual custom,) about the year of our Lord 51 or 52, or as some suppose, five or six years later. The church in Galatia was planted by Paul himself. It contains six chapters.

CHAP. I.

1 PAUL, an apostle, (not called [appointed, chosen] of men or by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead,)

2 And all the brethren in Christ, [helpers in the work of the ministry,] which are with me; writing unto the churches of Galatia, in Asia Minor ;

3 Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ;

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from the corruption [danger, sin, contagion] of this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: