The 1. part.
Of Schismes that were about their Baptizers & Preachers.
After salutation, 4. hauing acknowledged the graces of their Church, 10. he dehorteth them
from their Schismatical boasting against one another in their Baptizers (telling them that they
must boast only in Christ for their Baptisme) 17. and in their Preachers, who had the wisedom
of words: telling them that it is the preaching of the Crosse, whereby God saueth the world, and
wherein only Christians should boast: 26. seeing God of purpose chose the contemptible, that so
himself might haue the glorie.
1.
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The Epistle vpon the 10. Sunday after Pentecost.
PAVL called to be an Apostle of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ, by the wil of God, and Sosthenes
a Brother,
2. to the Church of God that is at Corinth, to the sanctified in Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ,
called to be Saints, with al that inuocate the name of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ in euery place
of theirs and ours.
3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ.
4. I giue thanks to my God alwaies for you for the grace of God that is giuen you in
Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ,
5. that in al things you be made rich in him, in al vtterance, and
In al knowledge.
Faith commeth by hearing rather then reading.
Obserue that the Apostles neuer wrote their letters but to such as were conuerted to
Christes faith before. For men can not lightly learne the Christian religion by
reading Scriptures, but by hearing and by the presence of their Teachers, which may
instruct them at large and particularly of euery Apostle, as clerely and breefely by
letters they could not doe. Neither doth now any man learne his faith first but by
hearing of his parents and Maisters. For if we should when we come to yeares of
discretion, be set to picke our faith out of the Scriptures, there would be a mad
worke and many faiths among vs.
in al knowledge,
6. (as the testimonie of Christ is confirmed in you,)
7. so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace, expecting the reuelation of our
Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ,
8. who also wil confirme you vnto the end without crime, in the day of the comming of
our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ.
9. God is faithful; by whom you are called into the societie of his Sonne Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ
Christ our Lord.
10. And I beseech you, Brethren, by the name of our Lord Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Christ, that you
al say one thing, and that there be no schismes among you: but that you be perfect in one sense, &
in one knowledge.
11. For it is signified vnto me (my Brethren) of you, by them that are of Chloe, that
there be contentions among you.
12. And I meane this, for that euery one of you saith,
✟
The begining of al Schismes is ouer much admiring & addicting mens selues to
their owne particular Maisters.
I certes am Paules, & I
Apollo's, but I Cepha's, and I Christ's.
13. Is Christ deuided? Why, was Paul crucified for you? or in the name of Paul were
you baptized?
14. I giue God thanks, that I baptized none of you, but
*
Act. 18,8.
Crispus and Caius:
15. lest any man say that in my name you were baptized.
16. And I baptized also the house of Stephanas. But I know not if I haue baptized
any other.
17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to euangelize: not in wisedom of speach,
that the crosse of Christ be not made void.
18. For the word of the crosse, to them indeed that perish, is foolishnes; but to
them that are saued, that is, to vs, it is the power of God.
19. For it is written:
*
Isai. 33,18.
I wil destroy the wisedom of the wise; and the prudence of
the prudent I wil reiect.
20. where is the wise? where is the Scribe? where is the disputer of this world?
Hath not God made the wisedom of this world foolish?
21. For because in the wisedom of God the world did not by wisedom know God; it
pleased God by the foolishnes of the preaching to saue them that beleeue.
22. For both the Iewes aske signes, and the Greeks seeke wisedom:
23. but we preach Christ crucified, to the Iewes certes a scandal, and to the
Gentils, foolishnes:
24. but to the called Iewes & Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisedom of God.
25.
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The Epistle for S. Agatha, Febr. 5.
For that which is the foolish of God, is wiser then men; and that which is the
infirme of God, is stronger then men.
26. For see your vocation, Brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not
many mightie, not many noble:
27. but the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise;
and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong:
28. and the base things of the world and the contemptible hath God chosen, and those
things which are not, that he might destroy those things which are;
29. that no flesh may glorie in his sight.
30. And of him you are in Christ Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ,
Who is made.
Christ is made our iustice, because he is the Authour of the iustice in vs.
He meaneth not, as our Aduersaries captiously take it, that we haue no iustice,
sapience, nor sanctity of our owne, other then Christes imputed to vs: but the sense
is, that he is made the Authour, giuer, and meritorious cause of al these vertues in
vs. For so the Apostle interpreteth himself plainly in the 6. Chapter following, when
he writeth thus: You be washed, you be iustified, you be sanctified in the same of
our Lord IESVS CHRIST and in the Spirit of our God.
who is made vnto vs wisedom from God, &
iustice, sanctification, and redemption:
31. that as it is written:
*
Ier. 9,23.
He that doth glorie, may glorie in our Lord.