ined 4, * th 1d live of!
Lament thatit® poſ | þ er of liberty," gh ; . "6 af
Miniſters or Vhat then is the ground of my expeCtation of a greater re- "i Will of Go vard ? Or wherein is the glorying[ before mentioned ? Not in the the i Pertormance of the work ; for as to that I am under a neceſſity to ; be houl 1 hay tr, 2nd under a penalty, if InegleC it : # but 1t liech here, rhar ſpe}, When [ preach the Goſpel], I do it freely, and make it without
Marge; a thing, which as to the ſubſtance of the work, he was at by any Law of God bound to do ; yet was not this in Paul a Work of Supererogation ; for circumſtances might ſo rule, and (doubtleſs Pan apprehended they did fo) chat it might be his duty todo, Forthough the Miniſter may lawfully take maintenance om the people, where be cannot ſupport himſelf without their Ulſtance; yer if rhe caſe be ſuch, that he can ſubſiſt without ir, and the people be ſo poor, that they are not able to give it, or l he eeth ir. will hinder the Goſpel, keeping many from coming Fithin the found of what muſt be chargeable to them, and open We mouths.of Enemies ; it is matter of duty to him , under ſuch Ora topreach freely, Though conſidering the thing in
nos þ, Net ep be ſo d0 o die, then
Co well as others, whom I pre®® now write f0f on you fo 72 ome,as if by pr . and advantafh 8. of this Chal can reach che han loſe tals *7 and for ths *
Paul, 48s 19. 9. judged himſelf bound to preach in the School of
fr to beguided by their own prudence according to circumſtances;
butif againſt my will, * adiſpenſation of the goſpel is com. |
Gy, Thar the Precepts commanding Miniſters to preach, concer- | the pains he beſtowed amongſt them. » Yet (ſaith he) oblery2 ned che ApoſtJes only, or that there is now no ſuch Order of Men | my praQtice ; that I might gain men to Chriſt (fo the Apoſtle ſe. as Miniſters (both which are indeed ſaid by Socinians.) If there be | veral times calleth coverting Souls, bringing them in love with ſuch an Ordinance of God as the Miniſtry, Miniſters are under |the Goſpel, and into a road thatmay briag them to Heaven, which the Precepts given to Miniſters, oneof which is to preach; if they | we ought to account the greateſt gain in the world; as it appeareth be under the ſame Precepts, there is the ſame necetiity upon them from Dan. 12. 3.) Ihave become, or made my ſ-1f, the ferwant of of obeying them, that was upon Paul, and they are, in caſe of dif: ['2/ ; nor the Servant of their luſtsand corruptions (taat 1s the way obedience, ſubje&ed to the ſame Woes and Penalties. Indeedevery | to loſe Mens Souls, and deſtroy them, nor to gain them ) bur 2 Miniſter is not bound to go up and down theWorld to preach, his| Servant to their weakneſſes and infirmities ſo far, as they were nor relation is toa particular flock ; that travelling to carry the Goſpel | ſinful : I have denied my ſelf in my liberty, and determined my about the World, was peculiar to the Apoſtles for the firſt planta-
ſelf ro thar part in my ations, which I ſaw would moſt oblige; profit, and indear them to me, and to bring them more in love with the Goſpel. 29 And * unto the Jews I became as a Jew o, that + AS 18
I might gain the Jews : to them that are under the; * © Law, as under the Law, that I might gain them that are under the Law p.
0 The Ceremonial Law died with Chriſt, £4. 2. 15, 16. where. fore Chriſtians were not obliged to the performance and obſcryati- on of it after thedeath of Chriſt ; bur ic pleaſed God for a time to indulge the Jews the obſervance of thoſe Rites, until they could Clearly ſee, and be fully perſuaded of their liberty from ir, with which Chrift hath made them free, and it was ſome good time be. fore all thoſe, who from Judaiſm-had turned co Chriſtianity, could be this perſuaded, as we may learn from Gal: 4. 21. they deſired to be under the Law. Toſuch (faith the Apoſtle) 1 became as a Jew. that is, I obſerved ſome Rites, which the Ceremonial Law (pecu- {liar to the Jews) required ; an inſtance of which we have 4s 21. | | 23, 24. where we find Paul purifying himſelf (according to the Rites = 'ofthe Ceremonial Law) with four men which had a vom upon the; [/p The Jews before Chriſt's death were undec the Law ; - ma- [oY of them, though converted to the Chriſtian Religion afrer the [death of Chriſt, apprehended themſelves under the Law, nor as 'yet ſeeing the liberty with which Chriſt had made them free ; ' (faith the Apoſtle) I knowing the Will of God, that for a time the Jews ſhould be indulged as to their weakneſs, became as one of them under the Law ; that 1 might gain them, that is, reconcilz them to the Chriſtian Religion, and in ſome meaſure prepare them for receiving ths Goſpel. We have an inſtance of this in Pau!'s 'PraQtice, A#s 16. 3. where he circumciſed Timothy, becauſe his | mother was a Jew, that he might not irritate the Jews in thoſe quarters, not eſtrange them from the DoQrine of the Goſpel. In all this Pau! did nothing that was ſinful, but only determined him- ſelf as to the liberty which God hadgiven him, when he might do or forbear, either doing or forbearing to do, as he ſaw the one or the other, made moſt for the honour and Glory of God in the win- ning of Souls. 21 * To them that are without Law, as without
Law q, ( * being not without Law to, God, but EE
der the Law to Chriſt) that I might gain them that
are without Law r.