the better; neither if we

196 They should not then lay a Stumbling-block before others. Sect. 15. for neither are we the better, if we eat, nor the neither if we eat, are we worse, if we eat not. The great God does not eat not, are we the worse. 1 Cor. VIII, fo much efteem a Man for being, or difapprove him for not being, fuperior to fuch little Scruples: But the Tenderness of his Confcience, together with the Zeal and Charity of his Heart, are the grand Qualities he regards.

8.

9 But take Heed, left by any Means this Liberty of yours become a Stumbling block to them that are weak.

a

10 For if any Man fee thee which haft Knowledge, fit at Meat in the Idol's Temple, fhall not the Confcience of him which is thofe Things which are of fered to Idols:

weak be emboldened to eat

But take Heed, left this Power, and Liberty of
yours, be by any Means a Stumbling-block, and Oc-
cafion of Sin, to the Weak, with whom you con-
verse, or who obferve your Conduct, perhaps with
more Regard, than you pay to it yourselves.
10 For if any one fee thee, who baft this boafted
Knowledge, fitting down to an Entertainment in
an Idol's Temple (e), as freely as thou wouldft in
thine own House, and partaking of his Sacrifices as
chearfully, as if they were the common Provifions
of thine own Table; tho' this may indeed arife
from that fovereign Contempt, in which thou
holdeft that idle Fiction of Deity; can he know
that Situation of thy Mind? And will not the indive simb
Confcience of him, that is thus weak, and who per-
haps feels fome Scruples in his own Mind about
it, be encouraged by thy Example to eat of the
Idol-Sacrifice with fome Sentiments of fuperfti-
II tious Regard? And fo fall the weak Brother,
for whom the Lord Jefus Chrift himself died, be
liable to perish by thy Knowledge, in this Inftance,
mifchievous rather than ufeful; fo that when
thou makeft a vain Oftentation of it, thou doft
in Effect pride thyfelf in thy Brother's Ruin.
12 Imagine not this to be an inconfiderable Evil;
but on the contrary, rather know, that when
thus fin against your Brethren, and wound their
weak Confciences, leading them into Guilt, and
hazard-

you

II And through thy
Knowledge fhall the weak
Chrift died?
Brother perifh, for whom

12 But when ye fin fo against the Brethren, and wound

1

(e) Sitting down to an Entertainment in an Idol's Temple.] How commonly Entertainments among the Heathen confifted of what had been facrificed to their fictitious Deities, and how religiously the Chriftians abftained from them, even when moft rigorously impofed, Elfner has fhewn by many very appofite Citations, (Obferv. Vol. ii. pag. 96.) And no Doubt the Apofle's Decifion here had great Weight with them. That thefe Feafts were often celebrated in their Temples, the fame learned Critick has abundantly fhewn in his Notes on this Claufe ; and 'tis ftrange that Chemnitius, and Erafmus, fhould ever have doubted it or

(e) As

wound their weak Confci ence, ye fin against Christ.

297

St. Paul would never eat Flesh, if it fcandalized his Brother. hazarding their Salvation, you greatly fin against Sect. 15. Chrift; who had fuch a Tenderness for Souls, that he died to redeem them, and hath done all I Cor. VIII. that Example, or Precept, can do, to make his Followers enter into fuch humane and compalfionate Views.

13 Wherefore if Meat make my Brother to offend, I will eat no Flesh while the World standeth, left I make my Brother to offend.

L

any

Therefore it is a determined Point with me, 13
Kind
upon thefe Principles, that if Meat of
fcandalize my Brother, and lead him into Sin,, I
would not only abftain, now and then, from this
or that agreeable Food, but would never as long
as I live (f), eat any Sort of Flefb. I would
fubfift entirely on Vegetables, that I may not fcan-
dalize and enfnare my Brother; if there be no
other Way of avoiding it. Of fuch Importance
stem of who bould I efteem the Prefervation of one endan-
gered Soul. And herein I wish that Gop may
give you the like Self-denial, both for your own
Sakes, and for the Peace and Honour of the
Chriftian Church.

IMPROVEMENT.

12.

ET us learn from this short, but excellent Chapter, to estimate the true Value of Knowledge, and to fee how worthless and dangerous Ver. t. it is, when instead of discovering to us our own Ignorance and Weaknefs, it ferves only to puff up the Mind. Let us rather labour and pray, for that Love and Charity, which edifieth ourselves and others; taking Heed, that we do not demonstrate our Ignorance, by a high Conceit of our Ver. 2. Attainments in Knowledge; for nothing can more evidently fhew, how small those Attainments are, than not to know their Limits, when these Limits fo foon meet us, on what Side foever we attempt to make an Excurfion. "Give us, Oh Lord, that Love to thee, which is the best "Proof of our Knowledge, and the surest Way to its highest Improve

"ments.

Let us always remember the grand Principle of the Unity of GOD; and with the one GOD and Father of all adore the one Lord Jefus Chrift,

by

(f) As long as I live: Tor alara.] We render it, as long as the World ftands. But the Senfe plainly limits the Expreffion, (which might simply have been rendered never,) to the Senfe here given.

Ver. 3.

Ver. 4, 5.

1298

Reflections on Condefcenfion to the Weakness of our Brethren. Sect. 15. by whom we exift; fetting him in our Eftimation far above all the Powers, Dignities, and Glories of created Nature.

Vei. 8.

Ver. 9:

Ver. 11.

Ver. 12.

Ver. 13.

Belonging to fo divine a Mafter, let us endeavour to learn the most generous Principles of true Religion. Let us not found our Confidence on admitting, and contending for, or defpifing, or deriding, this or that particular Obfervance, by which, as it may happen to be circumftanced, GOD is neither honoured, nor difhonoured, pleafed, nor difpleafed. But let us ever maintain the tendereft Concern for the Edification and Comfort of our Brethren; and guard against whatever might either grieve, or enfnare them. Let us remember, that Chrift died for the weakest, as well as the ftrongeft; and let their Relation to him, and his tender and compaffionate Regard for them, melt down our Hearts, when feized with that cold Infenfibility, which alas, is too ready to prevail amongst Chriftians! Tis Chrift we wound, in wounding our Brethren; and in fmiting them, we fmite him.

av that rafh Hand, which

Let us then is fo ready in mere Wantonnefs to do Mifchief; and be willing to deny ourfelves in any Defire, for ever fo long a Time, rather than by our Indulgence to difhonour God, and injure others. This is the excellent Leffon St. Paul often inculcates, of which he was an eminent and illuftrious Example. But Oh, how low are Multitudes of Chriftians, Multitudes of Minifters fallen, when they cannot deny themfelves, in what is unneceffary, and even unlawful, where either Intereft, or Pleafure, folicit the Gratification!

He appeals to them, that he was an Apostle of Chrift :

The Apoftle, propofing to illuftrate his Condefcenfion to the Weak, by his waving to accept of a Maintenance from the Corinthians, introduces what he had to fay on that Head with a fhort Difcourfe on the Right, which as a Gofpel - Minifter be really bad, to be fupported by thofe among whom he laboured; which he argues both from natural Equity, and Scripture Principles. 1 Cor. IX.

I CORINTHIANS IX. I.

299

WHILE I thus fpeak of the Concern I Sect. 16.

to avoid what may prove an Oc Occafion of Injury to weak Brethren, it leads my Thoughts to the Part I have acted, while I re, fided among you, in declining to take that Maintenance from you, which I might very juftly have expected and demanded. And here

you

muft give me Leave to exprefs, my Surprize, as
well as my Concern, to hear, that fo unkind and
Didom unnatural a Construction has been put upon my
Generofity and Tenderness, as if I had declined
to accept your Contributions, from a Consciouf-
nefs of not being entitled to them, as well as
my Brethren. But can you really imagine that
to be the Cafe? Am not I, ás truly as any
y as any Man
living, an Apoftle of Jefus Chrift? Am not. I as
free in this Inftance, as any other, and, may I
not as juftly as they, expect to be maintained
by you, while I am ferving your best Interests?
Have not I, tho' called fo much later than my
Brethren, feen Jefus Christ our Lord (a), after his

Refur

(a) Have I not feen the Lord, &c.] That this was neceffary, in order to his being an Apoftle, that is, a Witness of Chrift's Refurrection, has before been obferved. See Vol. ii. pag. 643. Note (g). Compare Acts xxii. 14, 15. Chap. xxvi. 16.1 Cor. xv. 8,

1 Cor. IX. I.

:

366

And had all the Rights of the other Apoftles:

Sect. 16. Refurrection, fo as to be able to teftify the im- Lord? Are you not my portant Fact on my own Knowledge, as confi- Work in the Lord?

1 Cor.IX. 1. dently, as thofe that were earlier acquainted with

2

3

him? And to urge fo plain a Point no farther,
are not ye Corinthians, particularly, my Work in
the Lord, and the evident Token of his Bleffing
on my Apoftolical Labours? On this Account,
if I am not an Apoftle to fome others, yet I doubt-
lefs am fo to you, who of all People in the World
can fhew the leaft Excufe for queftioning my
Miffion: For ye are indeed the Seal of my Apof-
tleship in the Lord; and the extraordinary Suc-
cefs I have had among you, if others should
doubt of my Commiffion, might furnish out a
Proof of it also, to them.

2 If I be not an Apoftle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: For the Seal of mine Apostleship are ye in the Lord.

This therefore is my Apology to thofe, who examine and cenfure me, as to this Part of my Con- that do examine me, is this, duct. Does my waving the Ufe of a Priviledge

14 Have we not Power to

5 Have we not Power to lead about a Sifter a tles, and as the Brethren of Wife as well as other Apofthe Lord, and Cephas?

4 prove, that I have it not? Have we not, both
in natural Equity, and according to the Divine eat and to drink?
Conftitution, the fame Power, as others in the
fame Office, to eat and to drink, and to fubfift
ourfelves at the Expence of thofe among whom
5 we labour? Yea; have we not Power to lead
about [with us] in our Apoftolical Travels, (if we
think it néceffary,) a Sifter, whom we might
take for a Wife (b), as fome of the other Apofides
and the Brethren of the Lord do, and Peter (c)
In particular; and to expect, that the likewife;
as well as ourselves, thould be provided for by
thole, to whom we have done fuch important
Services, as nothing of this Kind can ever requite?
6 Or can it be thought, there is any Thing fingu
lar in my Cafe, or in that of my prefent Compa-

nions,

6 Or I only and Barna

bas,

(b) A Sifter, a Wife.] The Word yovana, has no Force at all here, if it be rendered a Woman: A Sifter muft undoubtedly be a Woman: Not to fay, how improbable it is that the Apoftle hould have carried about with him, in thefe facred Peregrinations, a Woman to whom he was not married. So that the Anfwer which the Papifts generally make to the Argument, often brought from thefe Words, in Favour of a married Clergy, is abfolutely inconclufive.

(c) And Peter.] This is an important Claufe, both as it declares in Effect, that St. Peter continued to live with his Wife after he became an Apofle, and alfo that St. Peter had no Rights, as an Apoft, which were not common to St. Paul. A Remark utterly fubverfive of Popery, if traced to its obvious Confequences.

6.

(d) I only