boast and glory of your estate, while ye have so foul sins amongst you know ye not that a little leaven of sin soureth the whole lump of your Church?

V. 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:

Purge out therefore this old and sour leaven of offence, that ye may be a holy congregation indeed, as ye are so in profession. Ye know, no leaven may be endured in the Paschal Feast: behold, Christ, our Paschal Lamb, is slain and sacrificed for us:

V. 8. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with &c.

Away, therefore, with all the sinful leaven of our uncleannesses; and let us keep this spiritual passover, not with old leaven, neither with &c.

V. 9, 10. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

I admonished you before, in another Epistle, that ye should not keep company with fornicators; and I do now again second that my needful charge: Yet, then I did not intend to require you to avoid the company of heathenish fornicators, or of covetous, or oppressive, or idolatrous heathens; for then must ye go out of the world: these do so abound every where, that ye can meet with no other.

V. 11. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; with such an one no not to eat.

But now I have written unto you, particularly, not to consort yourselves in the company of inordinate Christians: if any, that is called a brother or professed Christian, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an adulterer, &c. with such a one have not so much familiarity, as to frequent his ordinary conversation.

V. 12. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

As for the rest; what have I to do, to censure or meddle with them, that are without the pale of the Church? Is not this the power, that God hath committed unto you, to judge and censure those, that are within?

V. 13. But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

But, as for those that are without, we must leave them to the censure of God. Therefore, let the issue of this my exhortation and charge be this; put away from yourselves that wicked person.

VI. 1. Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Dare any of you, having a suit or quarrel against his fellow Christian, go to law before heathen judges, and not before those of his own holy profession?

VI. 2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, &c.?

Know ye not, that God's faithful and holy ones, which are his saints here on earth, shall have the honour one day, to be admitted to sit on thrones, in assistance of Christ, to judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, &c.?

VI. 3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Know ye not, that we shall sit on judgment upon the very Angels themselves; even upon those evil and apostate spirits, which do now sway so much in the world? how much more should we be thought worthy to pass our judgment upon the trivial and base things, that pertain to this life!

VI. 11. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

But ye are now cleansed and purged from these your sins, in that ye are both justified and sanctified: justified, by the power and merits of Christ; sanctified, by the Spirit of our God; applying to you the efficacy of his passion and obedience.

VI. 12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Do not think, that ye may safely take your free scope and liberty in things indifferent: it is true, all things of that nature are lawful to be done, but yet they are not all meet and expedient to be done: we Christians must follow another rule, even of charity also, in the use hereof.

VI. 13. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

It is not for you, to strive about matter of meats: meat is ordained for the filling of the belly, and the belly is ordained to be the receptacle of those meats for the nourishing of the body; but they are, both, of a perishing and transitory condition; not worthy to take up our thoughts, and to be the grounds of contention in God's Church. But, as for fornication, that is of another rank: let no man think, that, as the belly is for meat, so also the body is for fornication: howsoever that sin hath, in the time of your inconversion, been but of slight account, yet know now, that it is a heinous offence against God; for the body is not to be prostituted to lust, but to be consecrated to the Lord; and the Lord challenges the

VOL. IV.

A a

members of the body, to be the propriety of himself, who is their head.

VI. 14. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

And God hath both raised up from the dead the Lord Christ, whose our bodies are; and will also, by his own mighty power, raise up these bodies of ours from corruption and mortality.

VI. 15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take &c.?

Know ye not, that, by reason of that perfect union which is betwixt Christ and his Church, your bodies are the members of the mystical body of Christ? shall I then take &c.?

VI. 16. What? know ye not that he which is joined to a harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

Know ye not, that he, which is joined with a harlot, in an unclean and unlawful society, becomes, as it were, one body? for that, which was spoken of the lawful copulation of man and wife, That they two shall be one flesh, holds also of the corruption and violation of this holy institution of God: here is an impure and sinful unity, contracted in this unlawful and wicked conjunction.

VI. 17. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

But he, that cleaves to the Lord with all his heart, and is wholly devoted to his service, is, as it were, one spirit with God: not in essence, but in consent of will; in love; in all those graces, that may make him heavenly and divine.

VI. 18. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

Flee fornication. Every sin of a man, though it defile the committer, yet leaves not a direct blemish or taint upon the body; but rather staineth the soul primarily, and the body only by relation: but he, that commits this sin of fornication, doth directly and immediately sin against his own body, in making it one with a harlot.

VII. 1. Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

As concerning those questions, which you propounded to me in your letters, concerning single life and marriage; I answer thus: It were better for a man, if he could contain, not to touch a woman: the single life is very expedient, profitable, commendable to those that are fit for it.

VII. 2. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Nevertheless, because every man is not able to contain; to avoid fornication, let every such man, as cannot attain hereto,

have his own wife; and let every such woman have her own husband.

VII. 3. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence and likewise also the wife unto the husband.

And let every such husband, in a sober and modest manner, render unto his wife those due respects, which pertain to the marriage-bed; and, likewise, the wife unto the husband.

VII. 4. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: &c.

The wife hath not power of her own body, to withhold and deny the lawful use thereof to her husband, or to impart it unto any other; but the husband only, as he is her head, hath power thereof, &c.

VII. 5. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Refuse not to give unto each other those dues of conjugal benevolence, which ye owe one to other, being thereto required: neither do ye estrange yourselves from matrimonial conversation, except it be with consent, for a time; that ye may give yourselves to the solemn exercise of fasting and prayer; and then converse together again, lest Satan take occasion and advantage by over long refraining, to tempt you to incontinency. VII. 6. But I speak this by permission, and not of command

ment.

But this, that I have spoken, concerning the speedy return to the use of the marriage-bed, I have not said by way of command; for if any find themselves able, without danger of incontinency, longer to abstain, I impose no necessity upon them of hasting to this remedy; but only, I speak this by way of permission, out of respect to the weakness of those, which are not able to contain.

VII. 7. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God.

For I could wish that all men were even as I myself am; free from these desires, and from these troubles of a married estate: But every man must do as he may; each one hath his proper gift of God.

VII. 8. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.

I say then to those that are virgins or widows, It is good for them to continue in the state of single life, as I do; and this is to be laboured for, and carefully endeavoured.

VII. 9. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it

is better to marry than to burn.

But if, after earnest endeavour, they find themselves not able to contain, let them use that remedy of marriage, which God.

hath ordained: it is better for them to betake themselves to lawful and honest matrimony, than to burn and boil with inordinate lusts and desires.

VII. 10. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband.

And, as for those that are married persons, I command them, and yet it is not so much my charge, as an Apostle of Christ, as it is God's own command in the Law and Christ's in the Gospel, let not the wife, upon any pretence, voluntarily depart from her husband.

VII. 12. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife &c.

But, to the rest, that are unequally matched with infidels, I speak, as an Apostle of Christ; having otherwise no express charge for it, either in the law, or in the words of Christ: If any brother have, &c.

VII. 14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

For, however it might seem, that the infidelity or paganism of the husband makes the marriage utterly unclean; yet so doth God respect the piety of the believing wife, as that, by virtue thereof, the marriage is to all purposes accounted as holy; and such, as whereto the benefit of the promises and privileges of believing matches doth appertain; and so also is it in the case of an unbelieving wife: else, if the marriage were unholy, the children therein begotten should be unclean also ; but now, they are so far holy, as to be accounted, by virtue of such parentage, within the Church, and those to whom the benefit of the covenant of God belongeth.

VII. 15. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

But if the unbelieving husband or wife will needs depart, and forsake and renounce communion and matrimonial society with the party believing; let them depart: do not ye find yourselves perplexed herein. A brother or sister is not hereupon so to be held in bondage to an infidel wife or husband, as that he or she must be forced to abstain from marriage with another: for God's calling doth not enforce upon us any necessary perplexedness, but rather opens us a way to peace of conscience.

VII. 16. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

But if the unbelieving party will abide, it is fit, by all means, for the Christian husband or wife, to continue their matrimonial conversation: for what knowest thou, O man, whether