266 Reflections on our indifference to secular concerns. SECT. it is our wisdom to loosen our affections from the things of this xiv. vain world, which are ready to ingross so disproportionate a verse share in them. Let us look upon the world as a transient pa30 geant, and not set our eyes and our hearts on that which is not. 31 We expect, instead of these transitory vanities and empty shews, 32 a kingdom that cannot be moved; in the expectation of which let us be solicitous to please the Lord; making the best of our op portunities, and guarding against all that may unnecessarily divert our minds, and divide our cares, from what will at length appear the one thing needful. Let us attentively reflect upon the advantages and snares of our respective conditions in life; that we may improve the one, and escape, as far as possible, all injury from the other. Let those who are single, employ their leisure for God; and endeavour to collect a stock of Christian experience which may support them, when the duties and difficulties, the cares and sorrows of 33, 34 life, may be multiplied. Let those who are married, with mu tual tender regard endeavour to please each other, and make the relation into which Providence hath conducted them, as comfortable and agreeable as they can. And whatever cares press upon their minds, or demand their attention, let them order their affairs with such discretion, that they may still secure a due proportion of their time for the things of the Lord. 35, 38 If any in their consciences are persuaded, that by continuing single they shall best answer the purposes of religion, and promote the good of their fellow creatures, in conjunction with their own; let them do it. As for those that marry, whether a first, 9 or a second time, let them do it in the Lord; acting in the choice of their most intimate friend and companion, as the servants of Christ; who are desirous that their conduct may be approved by him, and that any avocations and interruptions in his service, which may be occasioned, even in these peaceful times, by marriage, may be, in some measure, balanced, by the united prayers,, prudent counsels, and edifying converse of those with whom they unite in this tender and indissoluble bond. SECT. XV. The apostle proceeds to consider the case of eating things sacrificed to idols; and reminds them, that though all Christians might well be supposed to know the vanity of those imaginary deities to which they were offered, yet it might prove an occasion of grief and scandal, that the professors of Christianity should The apostle treats of their eating things consecrated to idols; 267 partake of these sacrifices in their temple; which therefore charity would require them by all means to avoid. 1 Cor. VIII. throughout. 1 COR. VIII. 1. touch. 1 CORINTHIANS VIII. 1. NOW proceed to consider the other cases SECT. Ning things of Nout you consulted me; particu fered unto idols, we have which XV. 1 Cor. know that we all larly that concerning things sacrificed to idols: feth. some are ready to boast, as if it were an extra- 2 And if any man up the church of Christ. is known of him. 3 But if any man truly ornamental and useful. love God, the same love God, and shew it by a steady regard for the Divine glory, and the good of his brethren, he is indeed known of him this man hath attained the true knowledge of God, and will be sure 4 As concerning Therefore, to 4 therefore the eating of his approbation and favour. of those things that proceed to the question in debate, concerning are offered in sacri- the eating of the things sacrificed to idols; we know that an idol is well know that an idol [is] in itself nothing in nothing in the world, the world, but a mass of senseless matter, and fice unto idols, we Knowledge puffeth up.] Elsner, (Observ. Vol. II. p. 96,) acknowledges that as Bos, and Eramus Schmidius, contend, there is a parenthesis here; but he thinks it begins in the middle of the first verse, and ends after the first clause of the fourth, we have all knowledge-we know that an idol is nothing, &c. He is known of him] Most understand it, he is approved by God; as to know, sometimes undoubtedly signifies. Mr. Locke would render it, he is instructed by him. But I acquiesce in Mr. Pierce's reasoning, in his sixth Dissertation, to prove the con. struction followed in the paraphrase, by a construction like that of the original of Acts x. 36, where 7 plainly refers to the immediate antecedent. We know that an idol is nothing in the world.] Dr. Whitby shews this was a com mon aphorism among the Jewish doctors, to which the words, the name given 268 XV. 1 Cor. He observes, that though they knew an idol was nothing, ny,) SECT. when regarded in a religious view, so empty a and that there is none vanity, that it deserves not to be named among other God but one. the things that exist. And we all know that viii. 4 [there is] indeed no other God, but that one glorious and transcendent Being, to which the gospel hath taught us to appropriate our wor5 ship. For though there are many which are 5 For though there called gods, whether residing in heaven, or on be that are called earth, or even under the earth; for the hea- gods, whether in heaven or in earth, thens have not only their celestial, and terres- (as there be gods trial, but likewise their infernal deities: as many, and lords mathere are many gods, and many lords, who are, in their various subordinations adored by the Gentiles, and have great though very absurd 6 worship paid to them : Nevertheless, to us 6 But to us there [there is but] one God, the Father of angels and is but one God, the men, from whom [are] all things in created na- all things, and we in Father, of whom are ture; and we deriving our being from him, him and one Lord were made for him, and for his glory and Jesus Christ, by there is also but one Lord, even Jesus Christ, and we by him. the only Mediator between God and man, by whom [are] all things created, supported and guided; and we by him, thankfully owning ourselves obliged to his agency and care for all we are, and have or hope to obtain. These are grand principles, in which all intelligent Christians are agreed; and it would be happy, if they kept them steadily and consistently in view. 7 : whom are all things, 7 Howbeit, there You are possessed of these apprehensions of things it is well; But you ought to remem- is not in every man ber, that [there is] not in all men this knowledge. that knowledge: for some, with conSome Christian converts may not sufficiently science of the idol apprehend this; but may imagine there is really unto this hour, eat it some invisible spirit present in the idol, and acting by and upon it. And in consequence of this, some do, even until now, with consciousness of some religious regard to the idol, eat the them did probably allude. Mons. Saurin thinks it so hard to reconcile this with what the apostle says elsewhere, that he judges it necessary to understand this as an objection made by one of the Corinthians, with whom he is disputing, Saur. Disc Vol. II. p. 476-481. But I cannot, from an impartial view of the context, give into his interpretation. See Elsner's learned note here on for and Simulachrum. One God, the Father.] In answer to the argument drawn from hence against the Deity of Christ, see Dr.Guyse on this place; and Dr. Edm. Calamy's Serm. on the Trin ity, p. 25 and 244. The Person, to whom the Son, as Lord or Mediator, introduces us, is undoubtedly the Father; nor is the Son to be considered as another God. But it is not the design of these notes, largely to discuss theological controversies. yet the consciences of weak brethren might be defiled by eating. 269 conscience being weak, is defiled. XV. 1 Cor. as a thing offered un- things in question, as what is sacrificed to the SECT. to an idol; and their idol, intending thereby to pay some homage; and so their conscience being too weak to withstand a temptation, to what in these circumstances is really evil, is defiled, and brought under a grievous and terrifying load of guilt. 8 But meat com God for neither if viii. 7 But why should we occasion this inconven- 8 mendeth us not to ience? For we know, that meat commends us we eat, are we the not, in any degree, to the acceptance and fabetter; neither if we vour of God; for neither are we the better, if we eat not, are we the eat, nor the worse, if we eat not. The great worse. 9 But take heed, lest by any means are weak. God does not so much esteem a man for being, or disapprove him for not being, superior to such little scruples: but the tenderness of his conscience, together with the zeal and charity of his heart, are the grand qualities he regards. But take heed, lest this power and liberty of 9 this liberty of yours yours, be by any means a stumbling block, and become a stumbling. occasion of sin, to the weak, with whom you block to them that converse, or who observe your conduct, perhaps with more regard than you pay to it your10 For if any man selves. For if any one see thee, who hast this 10 see thee, which hast boasted knowledge, sitting down to an enterknowledge, sit at meat in the idol's tainment in an idol's temple, as freely as thou temple, shall not the wouldest in thine own house, and partaking of conscience of him his sacrifices as cheerfully as if they were the emboldened to eat common provisions of thine own table; though those things which this may indeed arise from that sovereign conare offered to idols? tempt in which thou holdest that idle fiction of deity; can he know that situation of thy mind? And will not the conscience of him that is thus weak, and who perhaps feels some scruples in his own mind about it, be encouraged by thy example to eat of the idol sacrifice with some 11 And through sentiments of superstitious regard? And so 11 thy knowledge shall shall the weak brother, for whom the Lord Jesus the weak brother perish, for whom Christ himself died, be liable to perish by thy knowledge, in this instance, mischievous rather than useful; so that when thou makest a vain ostentation of it, thou dost in effect pride thy which is weak be Christ died? e Sitting down to an entertainment in an (Observ Vol. II. p. 96 ;) and no doubt idol's temple] How commonly entertain- the apostle's decision, here had great ments among the heathen consisted of weight with them. That these feasts were what had been sacrificed to their ficti- often celebrated in their temples, the tious deities, and how religiously the same learned critic has abundantly shewn, Christians abstained from them, even in his notes on this clause; and it is strange when most rigorously imposed, Elsner has that Chemnitius, and Erasmus, should shewn by many very apposite citations; ever have doubted it. 270 Reflections on condescension to the weakness of our brethren. 1 Cor. 12 But when ye brethren, and wound weak con. SECT. self in thy brother's ruin. Imagine not this to XV. be an inconsiderable evil; but on the contrary, sin so against the rather know, that when you thus sin against their viii. the brethren, and wound their weak consciences, science, ye sin a12 leading them into guilt, and hazarding their gainst Christ. salvation, you greatly sin against Christ; who had such a tenderness for souls, that he died to redeem them, and hath done all that example, or precept, can do, to make his followers enter into such humane and compassionate views. 13 13 Wherefore, if Therefore it is a determined point with me, upon these principles, that if meat of any kind meat make my brother to offend, I will scandalize my brother, and lead him into sin, I eat no flesh while would not only abstain, now and then, from the world standeth, this or that agreeable food, but would never as lest I make my brolong as I live, eat any sort of flesh, I would ther to offend, subsist entirely on vegetables, that I may not scandalize and insnare my brother; if there be no other way of avoiding it. Of such importance should I esteem the preservation of one endangered soul. And herein I wish that God may give you the like self denial, both for your own sakes, and for the peace and honour of the Christian church, verse IMPROVEMENT. LET us learn from this short, but excellent chapter, to estimate 1 the true value of knowledge, and to see how worthless and dangerous it is, when, instead of discovering to us our own igno rance and weakness, it serves 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 2 our ignorance, by a high conceit of our attainments in knowledge; for nothing can more evidently shew, how small those attain. ments are; than not to know their limits, when these limits so soon meet us, on what side soever we attempt to make an excur 3 sion. "Give us, O Lord, that love to thee which is the best proof of our knowledge, and the surest way to its highest im provements." 4, 5 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 As long as I live as Toy alava.] We (which might simply have been rendered render it, as long as the world stands. But never,) to the sense here given. the sense plainly limits the expression, |