Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	eat_v	idol_n	weak_a	2,180	5	9.3570	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53959	A practical discourse upon charity in its several branches and of the reasonableness and useful nature of this great Christian virtue / by Edward Pelling ...	Pelling, Edward, d. 1718.	1693 (1693)	Wing P1086; ESTC R21750	75,615	304

Christian Liberty as to both Now though St. Paul gave this Rule to each Party Rom. 14. 3. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth Yet the Apostle seems most inclined as Charitable Men are apt to be to the weaker side and that Charity might have the casting Hand in the whole Controversie He directed those who were throughly Instructed not to use their full lawful Liberty in the presence of a weak Brother lest he should be tempted either to do as others did though against his Conscience or else to forsake the Christian Communion either of which would have been a deadly Sin Judge this saith the Apostle that no Man put a stumbling Block or an occasion to fall in his Brother's way Rom. 14. 13. And again If thy Brother be grieved or scandalized by thy Meat now walkest thou not Charitably destroy not him with thy Meat for whom Christ died V. 15. And again For Meat destroy not the Work of Gods all Things indeed are pure but it is evil for that Man who eateth with Offence It is good neither to eat Flesh nor to drink Wine nor any thing whereby thy Brother stumbleth or is offended or made weak V. 20 21. The other Case related to those Proselites who had been brought over to Christianity from Heathenism Whereas there was an old General Custom among the Heathens to eat part of those Sacrifices which had been offered to their supposed Deities many of them though they had received the Christian Faith continued this Custom nevertheless believing still that the Things they Worshipped were Real Beings and that they themselves were better by much for partaking of those their Sacrifices Others knew that these were grosly mistaken and were convinced that those Idols were nothing but Fictitious and Imaginary Deities However these too resorted to the Idol-Feasts for Compliance-sake yet believing them not to be Religious but ordinary Friendly Meals Now this was a very Shameful and Evil Practice For though the eating of those Meats abstractedly and simply considered was a Thing indifferent yet the Scandal it gave made it utterly unlawful because it was a Violation of Charity it confirmed others in their old Heathenish Opinion and encouraged them to go on still in their old Heathenish sinful Course To rectifie this Matter therefore St. Paul discourseth in 1 Cor. 8. shewing that though he and others had a very vile Opinion of the Heathen-Idols yet it was a most shameful and wicked thing to lay a stumbling Block in their Brethren's way that is the Expression again that is to Minister unto them any occasion of falling into or of continuing in a sinful Practice Meat commendeth us not unto God for neither if we eat are we the better neither if we eat not are we the worse But take heed lest by any means this Liberty of yours become a stumbling Block to them that are weak For if a Man see thee who hast knowledge sit at Meat in the Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him that is weak be embolden'd to eat those Things which are offered to Idols And through thy knowledge shall the weak Brother perish for whom Christ died Vers 8 9 10 11. And at the close of that Chapter he declared his own Peremptory Resolution That if Meat made his Brother to offend he would eat no Flesh while the World stood lest he should make his Brother to offend Here then is a noble Rule of Charity for us all to go by viz. To be very careful that we do not at any time encourage others to do Evil by our Indecent and Scandalous Examples in any case Not so much as in the use of Things purely Indifferent much less by doing Things that have a Moral and Natural Turpitude in them Such Things are of a most shameful Nature and of very dangerous Consequence and therefore we should always beware of them lest we be answerable for other Men's Blood and Ruine as well as our own St. Chrysostom understands the Apostle thus Charity is not ashamed and he instanceth in our Blessed Saviour who was not at all ashamed when the Harlot washed his Feet with Tears and wiped them with the Hairs of her Head kiss'd his Feet and anointed them nor when he was spit upon and abused by base Fellows nor when he carried a Thief and Murderer with him into Paradise The meaning of that great Man is That true Charity doth not permit one to do a foul Thing a Thing which he hath just Reason to be ashamed of The Lord Jesus did all Things with a Charitable Purpose and to Charitable Ends And we that are his Followers should follow him in this To win as many Souls to him as we can in stead of Discouraging or Offending any to gain all that are about us at least to endeavour it This is Christian Charity indeed to become ones Brother's Keeper to lift him himself out of the Pit whatever becomes of his Ox or Ass to save his Soul from Death to be tenderly concerned for that Immortal Part to Convert him from the Error of his Way to take him up like a wandring Lost Sheep upon the Shoulders and by a Good Example and Charitable Directions to shew him the Way to Everlasting Life IX 9. The Reason why Charity requires these and the like Offices at our hands is because it is a publick-spirited Grace And that is another noble Character the Apostle gives of a Charitable Person that he seeketh not his own not his own Private Advantage only but the Profit of others too and especially the good of the whole Community to which he stands related This is included in the very Notion of Charity for it is a kind benevolent Disposition that makes us lend an helping hand wherever it is wanting The truth is this is Charity to ones self too as well as to others if you consider the Matter rightly That we may be tied and linked and bound close together by mutual Love and Kindness God hath so ordered the State of this World that all Men have a necessary Dependance one upon another nor would there be such a shiftless pitiful miserable Creature in the World as a Man were he to live alone and by himself Every one of us stands in need of the Society and Help of others as much as we need Food or Air. He needs the Magistrate to Protect him under God the Statesman to Consult and Advise for him the Divine to Instruct him the Tradesman to Supply him with a World of Necessities the Soldier to Fight for him the painful Husbandman to find him Bread the poor Servant to Work and Sweat for him nay the Greatest and Richest Man on Earth needs the very Beggar to do him good too He needs even the Blind and the Lame the Hungry and Naked the comfortless Mother and her sucking Child For what Why to lay up his Treasure in Heaven for him for