cen Given In of God Lerd given the Father j» 27, By AJ Pings "As mad; : us the dr. Father by on created,
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; Yet every hath beenx ey may have
r conſcience at this day as ages, and [n. d moſt know. Yration to the p the true and ake uſe of the 7 to Gol for 1erher in out ture before vs Mediator but -ounr that the \ Chriſtians to profeſſed, that
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{f:red ro Idels; ; as not the chink jot the betterif he Apoſtle hits odom of God wi 4 joy in the Bi
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he a means tO harm and to deſtroy, but to do good, and fave "hers ; it is a moſt abſurd thing for any to uſe their knowledge therefore to the deſtruQtion of others. « By periſhing is here meant, being led into ſia, by afting contrary to the judgment of his own conſcience ; for ( as the Apoſtle ſaith elſewhere ) He that doubr- his damned if he eateth , for whatſoever 1s not of faith, that is, Jone out of a firm perſwaſion in theparty doing, that it 1s lawful, fn. » Though he be weak, yer if he be a true Believer, Chriſt tied for him,and there can be nothing more contrary to the duty of 1 charitable Chriſtian, than to be a means to damn him whom Chriſt came down from Heaven, and died for, that he might ſave him.
12 But when ye ſin ſo againſt the brethren x, nd wound their weak conſcience », ye lin againſt Chriſt 2.
« Sin is properly againſt God, for it is a breach of the Divine Law ; but the violations of that part of the Divine Lawywhich con- ceneth our duty to our Neighbour, are called fins againſt our Brethren, that is, fins againſt God, in matters which concern our duty towards our Brethren. y Thegiving the weak judgments of others, by your examples, an occaſion of fin, by venturing upon tions which they think ſinful ; is that which 1s here called a ating , or a wounding their weak conſciences. becauſe it is indeed nn hurting and defiling ofthem. z This the Apoſtle determinerh tobe a ſnning againſt Chriſt, both againſt the Law of Chriſt, con- c:ming loving one another, and againſt the love of Chrilt, who in dying for the weakeſt Believers , hath ſhewed the higheſt degree of love imaginable ro them, whom they are very far from follow- ing, who willnot abate themſelves a ſmall matter of liberty, where the uſe of it this or that way may very probably be an occaſion of ſn, and ruine to their brethrens Souls.
13 Wherefore * if meat make my brother to offend a, Iwill eat no fleſh while the world ſtandeth, left I make ny brother to offend 5.
« Suppoſe therefore it were lawful for me to eat fleſh offered to Idols, yet if T cannot do ir bur I ſhall make my brother ſin,” I mill forbear. Others underſtand it more generally, not of the meit before mentioned, but of all #:/þ, I will rather live upon bread adberts : by which expreſſion the Apoſtle doth not ſuppoſe, that there can ever be ſuch acaſe when there ſhall be any ſuch need , but only deciares how much a good Chriſtian ſhould do, to pre- rent þis brother's ſinning againſt God. 5 Thoſe expreſſions, Marr, 5. 29. of plucking out the right cye, and cutting off the right hand , ae much of the ſame nature ; both thoſe phraſes and this phraſe lignifie only, that we ought to do any thing, and to deny our ſelves in any thing, rather than our ſelves to ſin, or be wilful occaſions to others of fin. From this diſcourſe of the Apoſtleir 1s very plain, but it is the dury of Chriſtians in any matters where they are by the Law of God at liberty , whether they will do a thing or Þ, to take that part, which they ſee will give leaſt occaſion of in unto their brethren, and to avoid that part, which if they
ll rake, they ſee they ſhall by taking it give occaſion to others
L CORINTHIANS
Here the Apoſtle ſheweth how they ſinned in eating meat in he Idols Temple, which had been before offered to the Ido), ad- | "ring the ching in it ſelf lawful (which indeed it was not) w7z. identally , by laying |. block before their brethren,
1s certain, that the Corinthians were at a perfe& liberty, and had no Supertors that commanded them ſoro eat ( bad the thing bzen in it ſelf lawful) neither were they under any neceſſity, either to eat that meat, or to ſtarve themſelves or families. They had other fleſh beſides rhar to eat. In this caſe the Duty of Chriſtians is ' plainly determined by the Apoſtle.
CHAP. IX.
The Signs of an Apoſtle. 1. they were the Seals of his Off-e. 2. his Ex- ample might teach them the right uſe of indifferent things 1—=5, He might expetft his maintenance from them : this proved by theſs whe ſerve in War : who plant a Vineyard: and fecd a Foc: of an Oz that threſheth : of @ Sower : of them that ſerrye the T-mple : and th:s our Lord ordained. 1=—=—=14. he might therefore require it , but of his own. accord forbear it : not judging it for Eaifi:ation among
' them: inwhich Caſe it would be an Abuſe of his power : which us de- ſigned to gain both Jew and Gentile, and help the weak : for the Go < Jpel's ſake. 16——23. Sobriety and diligent Progreſs in Goalineſs ne- ceſſary unto all, both Miniſter and People. 24 —— 27.
not you my work in the Lord? &,
In the greater part of this Chapter, the Apoſtle proceedeth in his for mer diſcourſe , not ſpeaking particularly to the caſe of eating mea- offered to Idols, but to the general point, viz. That it is our duty tt abate of our liberty , when we ſee we cannot ſe it without harm tio
0: hey Chriſtians. And here he propoſeth to them his own example, wha
had reſtrained himſelf in three things, to two of which he had a liver:y,
and yer avoided it, and that not to prevent their ſming , but on.y their ſuffering , and that too only by 6ting by him owver-burthened ;
1 as to cating and drinking. 2 Abſtaining from marriage, by which
h: might have been more chargeableto them. 3. requiring maintc=
mance of them for his labour amongſt them. As to both which he dc-
clares he had from God's Law a liverty, but had forborn touſe that part from which the Church in that ſtate might be prejudiced.