of God Come we to our meetings and merriments our carnall rejoycings Deus bone quae sunt nostra gaudia quae sunt nostra prandia Curios simulamus Bacchanalia vivimus Musc our eating and drinking like Epicures when we professe Christians can God be glorified by such irreligious behaviour Our babish and gawdy attire in our apparell being sick of some phantasticall fashion to day and full and weary of it to morrow putting all workmen to their wits end to follow the oft-turning weathercock of our restlesse and unchangable phantasies Our idle pastimes not as a parenthesis to the period of our labours but our labour a poore and short parenthesis to the large and long leaves of our pastimes Our unbrotherly contentions filling all the Courts and Consistories in the kingdome and setting every day a work such swarms of attorneys and advocates as we do are these things indeed think you to the glory of God And not to be infinite though in a subject that will scarcely suffer me to find any end Is it to the glory of God that his great and Divine majestie should be dallied withall in his most holy word that men shall call for sermons and erect exercises with great shew of godlinesse and when all comes to all the Ministers and Preachers of the word shall be of no other use to a great many but as minstrels and pipers are for their delight and pleasure as God saith to the Prophet Ezek. 33.32 Thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice for they heare thy words but they do them not Alas these words of the Apostle willing us to do all to the glory of God do even shame and confound us Our own glory is aloft but the glory of God is under foot everywhere and as if there were no danger to be competitours and corrivals with God in a thing so precious unto him we devest him daily of his glory to invest our selves Well let this Scripture a little school us let us remember that if we be as we should be Plantatio Domini ad glorificandum eum Isai 61.3 we are his workmanship formed and planted by him to the praise of his glory And he is worthy of all our labour and endeavour that can be employed that way But I shall not reach my project if I come not to the second part of the rule namely the end of our actions in respect of our brethren And that must be to edifie them As God must be glorified so our brethren must be edified in all that we do To edifie is to build up And all men are builders but some men do build the wrong way For even he that gives an offence to his brother doth build him up some way he destroyes him and pulls him down in goodnesse Scandalum est aedificatio ad delictum Tertull. but he builds him up and sets him forward in evil Take heed saith the Apostle that you do not so build up one another Give no offence to any man There be two words about this matter differing in sound but in sense and use I think all one Scandall is one and Offence is the other Scandalum is properly and literally tigillum the bridge of a trap which is set for a mouse or such other creature which as soon as the unhappy creature toucheth the trap falls and the poore beast is taken Spiritually and Metaphorically a scandall is any word or act said or done by one man which falls out to the hurt and destruction of another man in the case of conscience and religion Offendiculum the word that the Apostle useth here is a block or stone in a mans way whereupon he stumbleth either out of ignorance as a blind man doth or of weaknesse as aged and infirm persons do In religious use it is every occasion of sinne that one man gives to another either by false doctrine or bad example And this latter is often in the use of indifferent things The poore blind ignorant weak Christian goes on pretily well and cheerfully in the way of godlinesse till he comes to such a block or trap there he stumbles there he is taken either to his utter destruction or to his great hindrance in the way to eternall life Such a stumbling-block was the eating of meats sacrificed to idoles among the Corinthians By which act indiscreetly and uncharitably done of some three sorts of men were offended First the unbelieving Jews seeing the Christians to eat of things offered to idoles which they justly and by the law of God detested they by this thought the worse of Christian religion and were set the further off from it as the Turks and Jews at this day are offended and set off from our religion by the idoles and images of the Papists Secondly the Grecians that is the unconverted Gentiles these were offended likewise though not grieved For they thought the better of their own heathenish and idolatrous religion because the Christians did partake with them in their sacrifices and so were hardened in their superstition Thirdly weak Christians ignorant as yet of the Christian libertie under the Gospel and holding it in conscience a sinne to eat of such things yet were drawn on by example of others to eat against their conscience and so were made guilty of sinne Thus it was amongst the Corinthians in this matter of idolothytes or things sacrificed to idoles which out of the case of scandall or offence might lawfully have been used of them but in the case of offence to a weak brother was a sinne and offence against God also And the like evil as I think falleth out amongst us at this day by the daily abuse of our Christian libertie in other things For First the Papists seeing how loose and lawlesse we are in many things they though well enough pleased yet are truly offended thinking all our religion nothing but a carnall liberty and are ready upon every occasion to blaspheme and say Behold the fruits of your Gospel So they are utterly set off by this block Secondly the carnall Protestants usurers proud and covetous persons they are hardened in their sinnes by the example of our seeming best professours Behold say they these that professe most are as deep in these things as we they think to go to heaven for all this and why should not we Thirdly weak and ignorant Christians who for the most part do not inwardly consider the nature of things nor examine the reasons of their actions but are carried wholly by example they stumble and fall everywhere thinking they may safely do as others do yea though they do things whereof their conscience doth accuse and condemn them To remedie this great evil there is no way but to listen to the counsel and look to this rule of the Apostle Give no offence set no traps lay no blocks in any mans way Let this be a part of your Christian rule which God
about this matter of play and pastime and I mean not to be a stickler between them at this time further then my Text doth thrust me in whether I will or no and that is thus farre Certainly either play must not be used by a Christian at all or if it be it must be done by a rule yea by this rule as all other things ought to be And if any man think his pastime an action not serious enough to hold proportion with the glory of God let him take heed how he meddle with it for how dare a Christian divert or turn from this end in any thing that he doth And thus farre we have seen the generalitie of this doctrine laid open in certain particulars Now one or two things for the use of it Vse 1 First it condemneth the unrulinesse of these times wherein men are become very libertines though not in profession yet in practise and almost in profession too The Apostle's Omnia licent every man taketh by the end but his Non expediunt no man looketh after Every man eateth drinketh playeth apparelleth himself as he listeth saith and doeth what he listeth without any regard of God or his weak brother And that which me thinketh is strange all this irregularitie shrowdeth it self under the protection of Christian libertie Why I you say is it not a part of our Christian libertie to use without scruple of conscience indifferent things I grant it is but how to use them as we list our selves without all regard to the glory of God or the good of our brethren God forbid that any man should once dream that Christ hath made such a purchase for us To use them there is our libertie and this libertie is rather in the conscience then in the outward act but to use them as we list our selves without any regard to God and to our brethren this is more then libertie more then Christian yea more then Civil For even the Civilians themselves if I be not deceived do define their libertie thus Libertie say they is a naturall power whereby a man doeth what he will so farre as the laws do permit And so Christian liberty is a supernaturall power obtained by Christ whereby a Christian doth what he will according to his Christian rule or according to the rule of Gods word We must therefore by this doctrine learn to abhorre that abuse of libertie and unrulinesse which we see to be afoot in these dayes even amongst Christians themselves On the other side this doctrine must teach us for Vse 2 our part whatsoever others do to draw our selves under a rule and to submit and subject our selves thereunto in all that we do Every Christian is a builder and every builder we know goeth by a rule no mason no carpenter works without his rule and if he should what manner of work would he make The obedient and truly regular Rechabites did keep the rule of their father Jonadab and not onely they shall rise up in judgement against us if we will not keep the rule of the Apostle but even their apes and counterfeits the observers of the rules of Dominick and Francis and the rest of them For shall an hypocrite in a cowl observe the rule of one like unto himself and shall not we observe the rule of him that hath made and redeemed us For the rule of the Apostle is Christ's rule and we may not nor cannot without great and damnable disobedience refuse it Well then you say if we must be tied to a rule let us see what that rule is That we shall see by and by In the mean while understand that we must take heed of those crooked and perverse rules that most men do follow The example of the multitude a foolish rule you know how God forbids it unto us The fashion of the world that is of the time and age wherein we live a dangerous rule the Apostle gives us a great charge that we cut not out our conversation after the pattern thereof Nè vos configurate seculo iâ—â—i Rom. 12.2 The profits and pleasures of this life seem golden rules to some but indeed they are naughty rules and the latter of them fitter for beasts then for men Arbitria Judicum Responsa prudentum Nay I go further the decrees of civill Judges and maxims of wisemen which the States-men and Politicians tell us are the grounds of all laws and must over-rule all yet even these are no sufficient rules for a Christian no rules in conscience for these rules may be bent and are bent oftentimes to serve the wills and pleasures of men But we must have such a rule as may be without all exception and variation a rule that must be as some learned speak in the terms of the Schools inobliquabilis indeviabilis a rule that no good man dare nor no wicked man can bend to his private affection Well then what is this rule The Apostle tells us it is this even to do all to the glory of God and the good of our neighbour This must be the continuall and perpetuall end of all our actions And as in shooting a man takes his aim and levell from his mark so a Christian in doing must be ruled by this end Indeed not onely from the end or object is an action alwayes construed to be good the integrity or rectitude of other circumstances must concurre withall but chiefly the end makes or marres all And though a good end doth not wholly warrant an action to be good yet an ill end doth ever vitiate and corrupt it As for example What action can be better then that which now we are in hand with namely the hearing and speaking of the word of God and yet God be mercifull unto us how fowly doth an ill end ofttimes corrupt it If then we will have our actions sound and good indeed we must take heed we do them to a good end be sure of this that the end be good This end as the Apostle here propoundeth it is double one principall and that is the glory of God the other secondary or subordinate and that is the edification of our brethren First and principally do all to the glory of God To this end our Saviour speaketh when he saith Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven To this end David exhorteth the men of his time Psal 29.2 to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name But I will not stand to heap up Scriptures to this purpose let us see what the thing is which the Apostle calleth the glory of God Glory is well defined by a heathen writer thus Frequens de aliquo fama cum laude Wilson dict It is saith he a frequent fame or good report of a man with praise By a Christian writer thus It is praise increased and abundantly published Then
himself hath here conjoyned and therefore must be observed with the respect of his own glory The doctrine of offences in this scandalizing and scandalized age were necessary to be better known then it is But every man cannot sail through a sea of so many and such intricate questions At this time it shall be enough for me to deliver unto you one point of doctrine which as I think doth naturally and necessarily arise out of this Scripture And that is this That how lawfull soever a thing be in it self yet if I see that my using of it at this time and in this manner is like to be a snare a trap or a stumbling-block to my brother that is there is danger lest by this means my brother either fall away utterly from religion or if not so yet fall into some sinne for the present which for ought I know may be deadly unto him or if not so yet the good opinion which he had of me as of a Christian and fellow-member is diminished and so whereas before he went the more cheerfully towards heaven for my company he goeth now for this act of mine the more sadly and heavily In this case how lawfull soever the act be in it self by all other laws of God and men yet now by the law of charitie and by this rule of the Apostle it becometh unlawfull to me and I ought not to do it I say in all indifferent things which are in our own power where our liberty is not justly restrained and limited by a superiour authoritie there a Christian must walk by this rule He must give no offence in any thing that he doth But you will say the action is lawfull why then may I not do it The Apostle telleth thee thou must first see how it will fall out to thy brother the issue or event may be evil to some weak brother though the action be not ill in it self I but I will use my liberty whatsoever becometh of my brother I but now walkest thou not charitably saith the Apostle destroy not him with thy meat with thy pleasure with thy pastime with thy apparell for whom Christ hath died Charitie must ever over-rule our liberty Charitati subjicienda libertas according to that of the Apostle Gal. 5.13 Brethren ye have been called unto libertie onely use not libertie for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another Upon which words that excellent servant of God Mr Calvin hath a saying worthy to be written in letters of gold Ubicunque regnat charitas illic mutua est servitus or rather in the heart of every Christian Wheresoever saith he Charitie beareth rule there men are servants one to another Now this doctrine being true as I make no question but it is it doth first shew us how uncharitable most men are who look no further then to themselves in any thing So they may have their profits their pleasures let other men stand or stumble sink or swim they care not This is no lesse sinne then to destroy a brother For though a brother perish not alwayes in this case yet no thank to him by whom the block was laid Secondly let this perswade good Christians to make conscience of this part of the rule as well as of the former to do all things as to the glory of God so to the edification of our brethren And remember that that which was so dear and precious to Christ cannot be vile to any true Christian And to have a tender care of our brethren especially of our weak brethren who are Christ's little ones is a sweet fruit of our love to Christ and a sure token of his Spirit dwelling in us Thus we see what our Christian rule is Deum ignominiâ afficit gratiâ excidit reus fit irae Divinae donce resipuerit Hemming in locum and let him that refuseth to submit himself to this rule heare how a learned man and a great Divine censureth him He dishonoureth God he falleth in some sort from grace and is made subject to the wrath of God till he repent Now to this rule the Apostle adjoyneth an example even his own Even as I do in all things It were worth our time and attendance if time would suffer us any longer to attend to see how wise how charitable how conscionable the Apostle was ever in all his carriage and behaviour towards others in this respect alwayes binding himself to his own rule and preferring the good of others before his own liberty or commoditie in every thing But to end with the time to what purpose serve examples but to be followed And if neither rule nor example will hold us to our Christian dutie we must look for our reward with libertines and lawlesse hypocrites at the hands of a just and righteous God FINIS