0 ! After that S. Paul had preached at Corinthus a yere and an half, he was compelled
0 ! After that S. Paul had preached at Corinthus a yere and an halfe, he was compelled by the wickednes of the Jewes to saile into Syria. In whose absence false Apostles entred into the Church, who being puffed vp with vaine glorie, and affectat eloquence, soght to bring into contempt the simplicitie which Paul vsed in preaching the Gospel. By whose ambition suche factions & schismes sprang vp in the Church, that from opinions in pollicies & ceremonies they fel to false doctrine and heresies, calling into doute the resurrection frm the dead, one of the chiefest points of Christian religion. Against thses euils the Apostle procedeth, preparing the corinthians hearts, & ears with gentle salutations: but sone after he reproueth their contentions and debates, their arrogancie & pride, and exhorteth them to concorde & humilitie, setting before their eyes the spiritual vertue, & heauenlie wisdome of the Gospel, which cannot be persudaded by worldlie wit and eloquent reasons, but is reueiled by Gods Spirit, and so sealed in mens hearts. Therefore this salutation may not be attribute to the ministers, but onley to God whose seruants they are, and haue receiued charge to edifie his Church: wherein S. Paul behaued him self skilfully, buylding according to the fundation (which is Christ) and exhorteth others to make the end proportionable to the beginning, taking diligent hede that they be not polluted with vaine doctrine, seing they are the Temple of God. And as for those which douted of his Apostleship, he sheweth them that he dependeth not on mans judgement, albeit he had declared by manifest signes that he neuer soght his owne glorie, nether yet how he might liue, but onely the glorie of Christ: which thing at his comming he wolde declare more amply, to the shame of those vaine glorious graggers, who soght them selues onely, & therefore suffred moste horrible vices vnreproued & vnpunished, as incest, contentions, pleadings before infideles, fornication & suche like to the great sclander of the Gospel. This done, he answereth to certeine points of the Corinthians letter, as touching single life, duetie of mariage, of discorde & dissension among the maried, of virginitie, & seconde mariage. And because some thoght it nothing to be present at idole seruice, seing in their heart they worshiped the true God, he warneth them to haue respect to their weake brethren, whose faith by that dissembling was hindred, & their consciences wounded, which thing rather then he wolde do, he wolde neuer vse that libertie which God had giuen him. But forasmuche as pride, & self wil was the cause of those great euils, he admonisheth them by the example of the Jewes not to glorie in these ourwarde giftes, whose horrible punishment for the abuse of Gods creatures, oght to be a warning to all men to followe Christ vprightly, without all pollution and offence of others. Then he correcteth diuers abuses in their Church, as touching the behauiour of men, and women in the assemblies: of the Lords Supper, the abuse of the spiritual giftes, which God hathe giuen to mainteine loue and edifie the Church: as concerning the resurrection from the dead, without the which the Gospel serueth to no vse. Last of all he exhorteth the Corinthians to relieue the poor brethren at Jerusalem, to perseuere in the loue of Christ, and wel doing sending his commendations, and wishing them peace.