The Rights of an Apostle
(Deuteronomy 18:1–8)

1Am I not an Apostle? am I not free? haue I not seene Iesus Christe our Lord: Are ye not my worke in the Lorde? 2If I be not an Apostle vnto other, yet doubtlesse am I vnto you: For the seale of myne Apostleship are ye in the Lorde.

3Myne aunswere to them that aske me, is this, 4Haue we not power to eate and to drinke? 5Haue we not power to leade about a sister a woman as well as other Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? 6Either only I and Barnabas haue not power this to do? 7Who goeth a warfare any time at his owne cost? Who planteth a vineyarde, and eateth not of the fruite therof? Or who feedeth a flocke, and eateth not of the milke of the flocke?

8Say I these thinges after the maner of men? or saith not the law the same also? 9For it is written in the law of Moyses: Thou shalt not moosell the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne. Doth God take care for Oxen? 10Either sayth he it not altogether for our sakes? For our sakes no doubt this is written, that he which eareth, should eare in hope: & that he which tressheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope. 11If we haue sowen vnto you spirituall thinges, is it a great thing if we reape your carnall thinges? 12If others be partakers of this power wherfore are not we rather? Neuerthelesse, we haue not vsed this power: but suffer all thinges, lest we shoulde hinder the Gospel of Christ. 13Do ye not knowe that they which minister about holy thynges, eate of the thinges of the temple? And they whiche wayte at the aulter, are partakers with the aulter? 14Euen so hath the Lord ordayned, that they which preache the Gospell, shoulde lyue of the Gospell.

15But I haue vsed none of these thinges. Neuerthelesse, I wrote not these thinges, that it shoulde be so done vnto me: For it were better for me to die, then that any man should make my reioycing vayne. 16For if I preache the Gospell, I haue nothyng to reioyce of: for necessitie is layde vpon me. But wo is vnto me if I preache not the Gospell. 17For if I do it with a good wil, I haue a reward: but if I do it against my wil, the dispensatio is committed vnto me. 18What is my reward then? Uerily that when I preache the Gospell, I make the Gospell of Christ free, that I misuse not myne aucthoritie in the Gospell.

Paul the Servant to All

19For though I be free from all men, yet haue I made my selfe seruaunt vnto all men, that I might win the mo. 20Unto the Iewes, I become as a Iewe, that I might win the Iewes: To them that are vnder the lawe, I become as though I were vnder the lawe, that I might win them that are vnder the lawe: 21To them that are without lawe, become as though I were without lawe, (when I was not without law as parteyning to the lawe of God, but in the lawe of Christe) to winne them that are without lawe. 22To the weake became I as weake, that I might winne the weake. I am made all thinges to all men, that I might at the least way saue some. 23And this I do for the Gospels sake, that I might haue my part therof.

Run Your Race to Win

24Perceaue ye not howe that they which run in a race, run all, but one receaueth the rewarde? So run that ye may obtayne. 25Euery man that proueth maisteries, abstayneth from all thynges, and they do it to obtayne a crowne that shall perishe: but we to obtayne an euerlasting crowne. 26I therfore so run, not as at an vncertayne thing: So fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre. 27But I tame my body, and bryng it into subiection, lest by any meanes, that when I haue preached to other, I my selfe shoulde be a castaway.