The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 426

who II plcnsed not himself," if he spontaneously renounces part of his i:,rivilec,es, 0 in onler ,thnt ho may remove a possible stumbling-block from his brother's path. And thora 1s e. danger of man's natural tendency to eelf-asserUon leading him to a violation of conscience, "Happy is he that condemneth not himself in the thin"0 which he alloweth" implies the possibility of Insisting on freedom with low motives. An instruc- tive trru:lition of Christ is recorded by Codex Bezre after ver. 4 in Luke vi.: "On the snme day he beheld a man working on the sabbatb, and said unto him, Blel!BP,d art thou if thou knowest what thou doest: but if thou knowest not, thou art cur3ed and a transgressor of the Law." To disregard days and unclean food without a perception of the reason found in Christ's universal cleansing and sanctification is not to justify, but to aggravate, the offence. To act against a conscientious feeling is always wrong. Many e. mau who boasts of his ability to pass unscathed through a fiery ordeal is bein"' 0 sincred 0 e.nd maimed by his recklessness, III, To DARM A BROTHER IB TO WOUND OHRIBT. "Destroy not thy brother, for whom Christ died." See in the weakest member of the community the face and form of thy Lord I 'l'he essence of Christianity is self-abnegation; love makes the sacrifice welcome. Obrist in us is our better self, and self-love wards off self-injury. The leader of a band anxious for its prosperity and progress feels a pang when any element of discord or weakness is introduced. Je:;us Christ is the sensitive Head of the Church, and the inefficiency of any member is a grief to him; the suffering of any limb impairs his joy. Could we more often place ourselves in thought in his position, we should quickly abate aught that lessens the unity and power of the body of Christ. Every pastor of a flock, every teacher of a class, has to think of the effect of his example, lest what he might enjoy without risk himself should exert a dangerous influence on others. It is more blessed to yield than to receive a concession.-S. R. A. Vere. 1-12.-The risffi Saviour as Lord of the conscience. The apostle, as we have just seen, has been discussing the neighbourly character of Christian living, and show- ing that the Christ-like soul will love his neighbour as himself, and do no ill to him. And this leads by an easy transition to the whole class of weak consciences, and how they are to be dealt with. For there are people painfully scrupulous, who have come, for example, to fancy that vegetarianism is the only lawful system of diet; or to fancy that holy days ought to be strictly kept; and there is a terrible temptation for strong- minded people to judge harshly the weaker brethren, and so to bring about endleM friction in Church and private relations. It is with this whole practical qu~stion th::it the apostle here deals. Differences of opinion upon non-essentials must not break up the brotherly feeling ; and Paul shows with wonderful power where the safety lies. It is in the assertion of Christ's Lordship over the conscience. J. LET UB BE 0LEAll A.BOUT WHO ABE THE WEAK A.ND WHO ABE THE STRONG. (Vers. l-,...6,) We are all creatures of association, and so some of these primitive Christians came to think that meat which had been offered to an idol mis thereby polluted, and so unfit for Christian use. Not knowing, therefore, whero the meat offered for sale in the shambles had previously been, and naturally suspecting that it may have been in the idol's temple, they thought it prudent to become strict vegetarians, rather thil.Il run tho risk of defilement. They would not touch, taste, or hnndle flesh-meat, but confined themselves to vegetables. Others had no such scruples, but nte whatever was laid before them, asking no questions for conscienco' sake. Now, the apostle manifestly regnrds the scrupulous vegetnrinns as weaker in conscience than the Christian who allowed none of these scruples to affect him, Age.in, some were scrupulous about holy days, New moons and set feasts, charnoteristio of paganism as well as of J ud:i.ism, claimed re"ard from weak and uncertain consciences; while others of stronger make regarded ali dnys as alike. The question as to the Lord's day docs not seem to be here involved at all, though Robertson of Brighton has bn.sed a whole sermon on the sup- position.I The over-scrupulous in theso instances were the toNk; the others, m,,re certain of their line of action, wore tho strong. II, THERE 18 A GREAT 'l'EMPTATION IN THE STRONG TO BIDR.'LE THE WEAK. The strong aro tempted to despiso the weak, to judge nnd ridicule their scruples; 11n,l, if • Soe • The Sydenhnm Palace nnd the Roligious Nou-Obscrvance of tho Sabbath,' in the 2nd series, No. xiv.  THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [otl. XIt', 1-98.