Am I not an Apostle? am I not fre? have I not sene Iesus Christ oure lorde? Are not ye my worke in the lorde. Yf I be not an Apostle vnto other yet am I vnto you. For the seale of myne Apostleshippe are ye in the lorde. Myne answer to them that axe me is this. Have we not power to eate and to drynke? Ether have we not power to leade about a sister to wyfe as wel as other Apostles and as the brethren of the lorde and Cephas? Ether only I and Barnabas have not power this to do? who goeth a warfare eny tyme at his awne cost? who planteth a vynearde and eateth not of the frute? Who fedeth a flocke and eateth not of the mylke? Saye I these thinges after the manner of men? Or sayth not the lawe the same also? For it ys written in the lawe of Moses. Thou shall not mosell the mouth of the oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take thought for oxen? Ether sayth he it not all to gedder for oure sakes? For oure sakes no doute this is written: that he which eareth shuld eare in hope: and that he which thressheth in hope shuld be parttaker of his hope. Yf we sowe vnto you spirituall thynges: is it a greate thynge yf we reepe youre carnall thynges Yf other be parttakers of this power over you? wherfore are not we rather. Neverthelesse we have not vsed this power: but suffre all thinges lest we shuld hynder the gospell of Christ. Do ye not vnderstoder how that they which minister in the temple have their fyndynge of the temple? And they which wayte at the aulter are partakers with the aultre? Even so also dyd the lorde ordayne that they which preache the gospell shuld live of the gospell. But I have vsed none of these thinges. Nether wrote I these thinges that it shuld be so done vnto me. For it were better for me to dye the that eny man should take this reioysinge from me. In that I preache the gospell I have nothinge to reioyce of. For necessite is put vnto me. Wo is it vnto me yf I preache not the gospell. If I do it with a good will I have a rewarde. But yf I do it agaynst my will an office is committed vnto me. What is my rewarde then? Verely that when I preache the gospell I make the gospell of Christ fre that I misvse not myne auctorite in the gospel For though I be fre from all men yet have I made my silfe servaunt vnto all men that I myght wynne the moo. Vnto the Iewes I became as a Iewe to winne the Iewes. To the that were vnder the lawe was I made as though I had bene vnder the lawe to wynne the that were vnder the lawe. To them that were without lawe became I as though I had bene without lawe (when I was not without lawe as perteyninge to god but vnder a lawe as concerninge Christ) to wynne the that were without lawe. To the weake became I as weake to wynne the weake. In all thinge I fassioned my silfe to all men to save at the lest waye some. And this I do for the gospels sake that I might have my parte therof. Perceave ye not how that they which runne in a course runne all yet but one receaveth the rewarde. So runne that ye maye obtayne. Euery man that proveth masteryes abstaineth from all thinges. And they do it to obtayne a corruptible croune: but we to obtayne an vncorruptible croune: I therfore so runne not as at an vncertayne thinge. So fyght I not as one that beateth the ayer: but I tame my body and bringe it into subieccion lest after that I have preached to other I my silfe shuld be a castawaye.
FIND YOUR PASSAGE
Search the Scriptures

A LIBRARY TO EXPLORE
A moment.
A passage.
A new perspective.
Read the Bible, discover the Apocrypha, and explore early Christian writings.
About this collection
This library includes complete Bibles, portions, historical variants, Apocrypha, and separately labeled early writings. Different traditions recognize different canons. Manuscript gaps and editorial reconstructions retain their source labels.
Source records assess public-domain status in the United States. Rights can differ by territory, including King James Version conditions in the United Kingdom. Read the source and rights record for each edition.
YOUR READING LIFE
Saved passages
Saved on this browser. Export a copy to keep your notes when changing devices or clearing browser data.
MAKE ROOM TO READ
Your reading space
Appearance
Reading
Listen
Offline reading
Keep an edition on this device for reading and searching while disconnected. Installed voices can read it aloud. Browser background playback varies by device.
Your privacy
Reading preferences, progress, bookmarks, highlights and notes stay in this browser using functional storage. Online reading and search send the requested edition, passage or query to the server. Prepared narration requests identify the edition, book and chapter. Ordinary hosting access and security logs can include IP addresses, requested URLs, times and basic client information. The website is free, account-free and analytics-free.