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THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE

CORINTHIANS

PAUL, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will Tim. i. 1. of GOD, and Timothy our brother, to the

church of GOD which is in Corinth, with all the

2 saints who are in all Achaia: Grace to you and
peace from GOD our Father, and from the Lord
Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Eph. i. 3.
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and GOD of

4 all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribu-
lation, that we may be able to comfort those who
are in any trouble, through the comfort where-

5 with we ourselves are comforted by GOD.

For,

as the sufferings of Christ abound towards us, Col. i. 24. so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ. 6 But whether we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your consolation, which worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings

7 which we also suffer. And our hope in your Rom. viii. 17. behalf is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are par

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takers of the sufferings, so ye will be also of the
consolation.

We would not have you ignorant, brethren,

of our trouble which came to pass in Asia, that Acts xix. 23. we were exceedingly pressed, above our strength, 9 insomuch that we despaired even of life; yea, we

ourselves had in ourselves the sentence of death, that we might trust not in ourselves but in GoD IO who raiseth the dead; who delivered us from so 2 Pet. ii. 8. great a death, and will deliver; in whom we trust II that He will yet deliver us, ye also working together for us by your supplication, that for the gift obtained for us by many persons, thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

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For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of 1 Cor. ii. 4. our conscience, that in holiness and God-given

sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace
of GOD, we behaved ourselves in the world, and
more abundantly towards you. For we write 13
no other things to you than those which ye read
or acknowledge; and I trust ye will acknow-
ledge them even to the end; as also ye acknow- 14
ledged us in part, that we are your glorying, even
as ye also will be ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.

And in this confidence I was minded to come 15
to you before, that ye might have a second
benefit and through you to pass into Macedonia; 16
and to come back from Macedonia to you, and
by you to be set forward on my way towards
Judæa. When therefore I was thus minded, did 17
I show levity? or the things which I purpose, do
I purpose according to the flesh, that with me
there should be Yea yea, and Nay nay? But as 18
GOD is faithful, our message to you is not Yea
and Nay. For the Son of GOD, Christ Jesus, 19
who was preached among you by us, even by me
and Silvanus and Timothy, did not prove to be
Yea and Nay; but in him Yea has come to pass.
For all the promises of GoD have their Yea in 20
him; wherefore also through him is the Amen,
to the glory of GOD through us. Now He who 21
establisheth us with you in Christ and anointed
us, is God; who also sealed us, and gave the 22
earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

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BUT unto my soul I call GOD as a witness 23 that, to spare you, I came not again to Corinth. Not that we exercise lordship over your faith, 24 but we are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand. But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. For if I grieve you, who is there to make me glad, but he who is grieved by me? And I wrote this very thing, lest when I came, I should have sorrow from those on whose account I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the more abundant iove which I have for you.

For

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But if any one hath caused grief, he hath Gal. iv. 12. caused it, not to me, but in part (that I press 6 not too heavily) to you all. Sufficient to such a one is the punishment inflicted by the many. 7 So that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up by his over8 much grief. Wherefore I beseech you to assure 9 him of your love. For to this end also I wrote,

that I might prove you, whether ye are obedient Io in all things. But whom ye forgive in any 2 Cor. vii. 15. thing, I also forgive; for if I have forgiven any thing, I have forgiven it for your sakes, in the

II presence of Christ; lest Satan should get an advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

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Now, when I went to Troas to preach the Acts. xvi. 8. gospel of Christ, not a door was opened unto me

13 by the Lord; I had no ease in my spirit, because I found not my brother Titus; but, taking my leave of them, I went thence into Macedonia.

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BUT thanks be to GOD, who always leadeth Rom. viii. 37. us in triumph in Christ, and through us maketh manifest in every place the savour of the know15 ledge of him. For we are to GoD a sweet savour

of Christ, in those who are being saved, and in John ix. 39. 16 those who are perishing; to the one we are a

savour from death unto death; and to the other a savour from life unto life. And who is sufficient 17 for these things? For we do not, as the many, make a base traffic of the word of GOD; but as from sincerity, but as from GOD in the sight of GOD, we speak in Christ.

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Do we begin again to commend ourselves? 2 Cor. v. 12.
or need we, as some may, epistles of commenda-
tion to you or from you?

2 YE are our epistle, written in our hearts,
3 known and read by all men; manifestly declared
to be an epistle of Christ; an epistle set forth
through us, written, not with ink, but with the
Spirit of the Living GOD; not on tablets of stone, Ex. xxiv. 12.
4 but on hearts, even tablets of flesh. And such

Matt. xxvi. 28.

Rom. v. 20.

Ex. xxxiv. 33.

Rom. xi. 7.

Isa. xxv. 7.

2 Cor. ii. 17.

confidence we have through Christ towards GOD;
not that of ourselves we are sufficient to reckon
anything as coming from ourselves; but our
sufficiency is from GOD; who also made us
efficient ministers of a new covenant; not of the
letter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth,
but the spirit giveth life.

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Now, if the ministry of death, which was engraven in letters, on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look upon the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance (which glory was being done away); how much rather will the ministry of 8 the Spirit be with glory? For if the ministry of 9 condemnation is glorious, much more doth the ministry of righteousness excel in glory. For 10 indeed that which was made glorious hath no glory in this respect, namely, by reason of the glory which exceedeth. For if that which is II being done away came with glory, much more that which abideth is encircled with glory.

Having therefore such a hope, we speak with 12 great freedom; not doing as did Moses, who put 13 a veil over his face that the children of Israel might not gaze upon the end of that which was being done away; but their minds were hard- 14 ened; for until this day there remaineth the same veil at the public reading of the old covenant, as it is not revealed that it is done away in Christ (a). But unto this day, whensoever 15 Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. Nevertheless whensoever it shall turn to the 16 Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now, the Lord is the Spirit; and where the 17 Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we 18 all, with unveiled face receiving as on a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.

WHEREFORE having this ministry, according as we obtained mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor corrupting the word (a) Or the same veil unlifted; which veil is taken away in Christ.

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of GOD; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's con3 science in the sight of GOD. But if our gospel is John xii. 31. 4 veiled, it is veiled in those who are perishing; in whom the god of this age hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of GOD, should 5 shine forth. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves as your

6 servants for Jesus' sake. For GOD who said, Gen. i. 3. "Out of darkness light shall shine," shone in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Christ.

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BUT we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the surpassing greatness of the power may 2 Cor. vii. 5. 8 be God's, and not from ourselves. We are

pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are

9 perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

10 always bearing about in the body the dying of Gal. vi. 17. Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made II manifest in our body. For we who are living

are continually being delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be 12 made manifest in our mortal flesh.

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death worketh in us, but life in you.

So then

But having the same spirit of faith, according Psa. cxvi. 10. as it is written, "I believed, and therefore I spoke," -we also believe, and therefore speak;

14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will

raise us also with Jesus, and will present us, to15 gether with you. For all things are for your 1 Cor. iii. 21. sakes, that the grace being increased may abound to the glory of GoD, on account of the 16 thanksgiving of the many. Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is perishing, yet our inward man is being renewed day

17 by day. For the light affliction, which is but Rom. viii. 18. for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceed18 ing and eternal weight of glory; since we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are only for a while; but the things which are not seen are eternal.