1 Thess. v. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil.
SIN is a tremendous evil. The consequences of one single sin are beyond all our powers of thought or conception. If one only be hardened by it, who can tell where his influence may extend, or through how many generations it may be transmitted ? To the individual who commits it, who shall say how much evil will accrue ? The Spirit may be grieved ; the conscience seared ; and Satan may get an ad- vantage that shall never be regained. Hence arises the necessity of standing at the remotest distance from evil : for if a thing be not evil, yet, if it appear to be so, it has all the effect of a positive evil to those who behold it. We should therefore " abstain even from all appearance of evil."
In discoursing on this subject, we shall consider,
I. The injunction itself —
This may relate to, 1. The things we do —
[That which is perfectly indifferent in itself, may either appear wrong, or really be so, according to the circumstances under which it is done. The eating of things offered to idols, or the observance of certain days, were indifferent in them- selves ; and a person might either do or forbear these things, without improving or injuring the state of his souR But if the doing or forbearing these things had any influence to ensnare the consciences of others, it was the duty of every person to pursue that line of conduct which was most inoffen- siveb. St. Paul thought, that though " all things were lawful for him, all things were not expedient0;" and therefore exer- cised self-denial with respect to things innocent in themselves, lest his influence should induce others, who were less ac- quainted with Christian liberty, to follow his example, in opposition to the suggestions of their own consciences'1. Ezra might have asked a guard to protect him through the desert e;
a 1 Cor. viii. 8. and Rom. xiv. 2 — 6. b Rom. xiv. 20, 21.
c 1 Cor. x. 23. <• 1 Cor. viii. 13.
e Ezra vii. 16 — 18. with viii. 22.