But I determined this with myself, that my next visit to you should not be in sorrow. For if I make you sorrowful, who is there to make me glad but he that is made sorrowful by me? And I wrote about this very matter, that I might not on my coming have sorrow from those who ought to gladden me, having confidence in all of you, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that ye should be made sorrowful, but that ye might know the exceeding love which I have for you. But if any one hath caused grief, he hath caused it not to me alone, but in a measure, not to be too severe on him, to all of you. Sufficient for such a one is this punishment, which was inflicted by the many; so that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive, and console him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your love toward him. For to this end also I wrote, that I might know by putting it to the proof, whether ye are obedient in all things. But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes I forgave it in the person of Christ, that Satan might not gain an advantage over us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. Now when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and a door had been opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who always exhibiteth us in triumph in Christ, and manifesteth through us the odor of the knowledge of him in every place. For we are to God a sweet odor of Christ among those who are being saved, and those who are perishing; to the latter we are the odor of death, producing death; and to the former the odor of life, producing life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as the many, who adulterate 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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