Letters to the Churches

By honour, and dishonour, by euill report, and good report, as deceiuers, and yet true:

As vnknowen, and yet knowen: as dying, and beholde, we liue: as chastened, and yet not killed:

As sorowing, and yet alway reioycing: as poore, and yet make many riche: as hauing nothing, and yet possessing all things.

O Corinthians, our mouth is open vnto you: our heart is made large.

Ye are not kept strait in vs, but ye are kept strait in your owne bowels.

Nowe for the same recompence, I speake as to my children, Be you also inlarged.

Be not vnequally yoked with the infidels: for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse? and what communion hath light with darkenesse?

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath the beleeuer with the infidell?

And what agreement hath the Temple of God with idols? for ye are the Temple of the liuing God: as God hath said, I will dwell among them, and walke there: and I will be their God, and they shalbe my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and separate your selues, saith the Lord, and touch none vncleane thing, and I wil receiue you.

And I will be a Father vnto you, and ye shalbe my sonnes and daughters, saith the Lord almightie.

Seing then we haue these promises, dearely beloued, let vs clense our selues from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit, and finish our sanctification in the feare of God.

Receiue vs: we haue done wrong to no man: we haue corrupted no man: we haue defrauded no man.

I speake it not to your condemnation: for I haue said before, that ye are in our hearts, to die and liue together.

I vse great boldnesse of speach toward you: I reioyce greatly in you: I am filled with comfort, and am exceeding ioyous in all our tribulation.

For when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on euery side, fightings without, and terrours within.

But God, that comforteth the abiect, comforted vs at the comming of Titus:

And not by his comming onely, but also by the consolation wherewith he was comforted of you, when he tolde vs your great desire, your mourning, your feruent minde to me warde, so that I reioyced much more.

For though I made you sorie with a letter, I repent not, though I did repent: for I perceiue that the same epistle made you sorie, though it were but for a season.

I nowe reioyce, not that ye were sorie, but that ye sorowed to repentance: for ye sorowed godly, so that in nothing ye were hurt by vs.

For godly sorowe causeth repentance vnto saluation, not to be repented of: but the worldly sorowe causeth death.

For beholde, this thing that ye haue bene godly sory, what great care it hath wrought in you: yea, what clearing of yourselues: yea, what indignation: yea, what feare: yea, howe great desire: yea, what a zeale: yea, what reuenge: in all things ye haue shewed your selues, that ye are pure in this matter.

Wherefore, though I wrote vnto you, I did not it for his cause that had done the wrong, neither for his cause that had the iniurie, but that our care toward you in the sight of God might appeare vnto you.

Therefore we were comforted, because ye were comforted: but rather we reioyced much more for the ioye of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

For if that I haue boasted any thing to him of you, I haue not bene ashamed: but as I haue spoken vnto you all things in trueth, euen so our boasting vnto Titus was true.