Roles in Worship

1Imitate herein my example as I do that of Christ.

2now I commend you, brethren, for remembring all my orders, and for keeping the rules I delivered to you. 3but I would have you take notice, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the wife, is the man; and the head of Christ, is God. 4every man who prays or prophesies having his head covered, dishonoureth him who is his head: but every woman who prays 5or prophesies with her head uncovered, dishonoureth the man who is her head: for it is the same thing as if her head was shav'd. 6a woman may as well have the tonsure, as not wear her veil: the one is as indecent as the other. 7A man ought not to be veil'd: he has the honour of being invested with authority from God, and may glory in his priority to the woman. 8for the man was not taken from the woman: but the woman from the man. 9nor was the man copied from the woman: but the woman from the man. 10therefore the woman ought to be veil'd, out of regard to the angels. 11however, the man and the woman are equal with respect to the Lord. 12for as the woman was taken from the man, so man is born of the woman: and all are from God. 13Be you yourselves judges: is it decent for a woman to pray to God without a veil? 14does not settled custom show it is a shame for a man to have long hair? 15on the contrary, such is an ornament to a woman: because it was given her as a sort of veil. 16but if any man has a mind to be contentious, I answer, we have no such custom, nor any of the churches of God.

Sharing in the Lord’s Supper
(Matthew 26:20–30; Mark 14:17–26; Luke 22:14–23)

17Now in what I am going to say, I do not commend you, because your assemblies are not to your advantage, but to your prejudice. 18for first, I hear, that when you come together in the church, you fall into parties; and I believe it is true of some of you. 19for there must be factions among you, whereby it will appear who among you are the approved. 20when you thus assemble therefore, this is not eating the Lord's supper. 21for in eating every one strives to take his own supper first, and while one is hungry, another is surfeited. 22what, have you no houses to eat and drink in? or have ye a contempt for the church of God, or is it to insult those who are in want? what shall I say to you? shall I commend such behaviour? I do not approve of it.

23For I received it from the Lord, and I inform'd you of it: that the Lord Jesus, the night in which he was betrayed, took bread: 24and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, "take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." 25in the same manner he took the cup, after supper, and said, "this cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 26As often then as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye make a declaration of the Lord's death till he come.

27so that whosoever eats this bread, and drinks this cup without respect to the Lord, does make a criminal use of the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let a man then sift and approve himself, and accordingly let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29for he that eats and drinks in a disrespectful manner, not discriminating the Lord's body, eateth and drinketh to his own punishment. 30hence it is, that many are weak and sickly among you, and no small number now sleep in their graves. 31for if we made such a discrimination, we should not be punished. 32but when we are punished, we are chastised by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

33wherefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, stay for one another. 34and if any one is press'd with hunger, let him eat at home; that ye may not otherwise meet with punishment, as for other matters, I will set them in order when I come.