Apostle If he doubts and yet does what he doubts of he is condemned because whatever is not of Faith is Sin He that is fully perswaded in his own mind to use them may use them and they ought to appear of that Value to him that he can give God thanks for them with understanding for that is one Character of the Apostles Indifferents and a severe Test upon them it is But yet he must not think himself the better for them or that such things can commend him to God He must not use them to the scandalising the weaker than himself even while the World standeth that is while the Reason of Doubt can in the Nature of that Reason remain And he must allow that his Indifferents are as subject to Scandal as the Indifferents the Apostle discourses upon are and if the very reasonably-to be-suppos'd Scandal in these of themselves so harmless Indifferents be well consider'd I doubt there will be found a great and wide Sea for this Leviathan to roll it self in Now that I may make this Consideration more orderly I shall distribute it according to the several Ranges of Persons concern'd and endanger'd by Scandal in these Indifferents And I begin with 1. Those that comply with that side of them which the Strongest chuse that is the Use of them because this is immediately under the Apostles Eye I say that comply but are not fully perswaded in their own mind Now the Apostle imputes their Compliance to the Power of Example which is the freest sort of Compliance For though he had taken notice of Despisings in the former part of the Discourse yet he waves that Impositions by Church-Censures or Penalties were quite out of his Thoughts he arrests them upon Example the most ingenuous sort of Compulsion and submitting to it the most spontaneous Conformity Yet both to the Romans and the Corinths here he places the danger of scandalising and Scandal If thy Brother saith he be grieved with thy Meat that is not grieved that thou eatest but drawn to eat as thou dost yet not perswaded as thou art and so receiving a real Wound and Grief in his Conscience by following thy Example thou walkest not charitably More expresly to this purpose the Apostle speaks to the Corinthians If any Man see thee which hast knowledge sit at Meat in an Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him that is weak be edified to eat those things which are offered to Idols Thus evident it is Example is that which the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the very words points to Now in that he lays this sort of Scandalising so low as in Example he plants his Argument with greater force against any other Way that is more forcible than Example Here then is the Scandal as given The Scandal taken is the rushing against that Principle of Religion That the full sense of a Man 's own Mind and what is to him of Faith is in Indifferent Things the Square of his Actions and the contrary is Sin and Scandal This is most evident in the Apostle to the Romans his whole Discourse runs into this as the Scandal he intends to speak of To the Corinths it may be more Dispute where the Scandal lay because the Sin seems to be a Relapse into Idolatrous eating in an Idols Temple the Meats offered to Idols And that Expression of eating with Conscience of the Idol things offered to Idols as offered to Idols is at the first view almost enforcive of that Sense but by closer attention it appears much otherwise For I observe the Apostle upon the occasion discourses first the Case it self in the eighth Chapter In Chap. 9. in a Figure transferred to himself he treats the necessary Retreat from our own Liberty in some Cases as a motive to all Christians to do the same In the tenth Chapter he discourses the great danger of Idolatry it self which might be drawn as a Snare upon both the weak and the strong by often Converse with Idolaters and their Rites and the intolerable Guilt and Danger of that made forcible by several Arguments and then towards the end of that Chapter resumes the plain Case of the weak who not understanding Gods superiour surmounting Right over the Idols consider'd only the great evil of eating in honour to the Idol and believed the Meat and the Temple irrecoverably defiled by it They had not the knowledge that an Idol was nothing and therefore could not affect things themselves to all that keep themselves pure and know that Gods Right overcomes and his filling all things excludes all others and their Right becomes a Nothing But some not having this knowledge eat in a Temple Meats that had the Idols Superscription and Image upon them as they thought not in any Honour to the Idol but tyded along by Example to communicate in what they yet esteemed defiled and polluted though indeed it was not so but to those that esteemed it so This Point the Apostle plainly enters upon Chap. 10. v. 23. going off from that of Idolatry in these Words All things are lawful c. And ver 28. he thus opens what he intends If any Man as in a fright at so hainous a thing as eating the defiled Meat that had been consecrate to an Idol say unto you This is offered in Sacrifice to Idols eat not for his sake that shewed it and for his Conscience-sake not thy own that was scar'd at it as if unclean in it self and yet might be drawn to eat it as such by thy Example not Idolatrously but with a doubting Conscience And the very same Reason why out of this Case of anothers Scandal a Man might eat even because the Earth is the Lords and the fulness of it his Right cannot be retrench'd nothing can be made unclean in it self that is Gods the very same is given for not eating in case of Scandal The Earth is the Lords and the fulness of it that is We are not tied up to one Thing to assert Gods Right in that only that we must needs run our Brother into Scandal for it The Earth that has room enough and the Fulness of it a full Table besides that suppos'd to be the Idols is the Lords and his Bounty to be enjoyed in all acknowledged praised in all so that we may please All that is consult their truest Good and give no Scandal for that the Apostle means by pleasing and opposes it to grieving and wounding Thus large I have been in bringing the Case to the Romans and to these Corinthians to much the same level and pitch except the Meats be suspected fouler by Dedication to an Idol than by the meer Mosaick Interdict that the main Point of Scandal might be setled For though I shall allow just Consideration to all other Points of Scandal and to the other Interpretation viz. That the Apostle discourses against those Idolatrous Contaminations those Pangs of Devotion and Reverence of the Idol the tender
the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledg of the Lord as the waters cover the sea THIS Context is a high and eloquent Declaration of the excellent peaceable and benign Temper that Christianity introduces into the world under the emblem of a general pacification between the mighty and the weak the armed and unarmed the noxious and innocent the oppressive and oppressed parts of the Creation And whether we look upon it as a description rising out of the Rules and Principles whose natural and genuine effect where ever they take will be such as is here drawn out or whether it be also a Prophecy of what shall in some time at least come universally to pass that there shall be such a noble experiment of true Christianity in the world as we have great reason to believe there shall And so whether the effect shall be throughout to conversion and the truly Christian change or whether it shall only smooth and polish many men who have not the true Grace of God within but shall be asham'd in such a land of light to deal Isa 26. 10. perversly and not to behold the majesty of the Lord in that transcendent Goodness and Grace he appears in both in the Commands and great Exemplar of yet so that there shall be a multitude of sincere Converts to that state However we expound either of these they are both alike to the discourse intended it being undoubted that Christanity alwaies lays the grounds and reasons gives the commands and urges the precepts inspires the temper here describ'd and doth most effectively in all times upon many though few comparatively and in all reasonable hope shall upon the generality in some time so prevail in the world that all that Belluine Ferocious and Salvage Temper of men shall be put off and proscribed the world the hearts of men being either truly chang'd by the Grace of God or universally so far convinced by high considerations and over comming light for the knowledg of the Lord shall cover the earth as waters do the sea that at least they will not discover that Leonine and Wolvish Temper that cruelty and venome so natural to mens hearts in this sinful and degenerate state And this extends not only to the superseding the cruelty of action oppression spoyling of goods imprisonment Massacres martyrdoms and all sort of Tortures but to the taking away that poyson of Asps that is in mens lips the Lyon-like teeth of slanders and invective the swords and knives of cruel mockings and Revilings men offer one to another in the management of Religious Controversies For these things the Prophet speaks of are especially to be understood with respect to Religion as men are upon their hatred to true Religion or the mutual differences in it become Lions Leopards and Tygers in their executions Cockatrices Aspes and Scorpions in their bitter words and Anathema's All which according to the influences of Christianity upon mens minds declared in this Prophecy shall be taken out of the world except upon the account of those things alone which will be causes of mens eternal damnation at the Tribunal of God and Christ if the infliction be Spiritual or such iniquities as God hath indeed commanded to be punished by a Judg in this world if the sentence be temporal Of such a change as is here set out the Apostle Paul was a great and remarkable instance whose conversion as it hath been thought a prophetic Pattern of the calling of the Jews so it may be as well thought of this happy transmutation of the world most probably concurrent with it if either be universal as we have reason to hope for he was taken in the very manner of a fierce and wild beast breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord and immediately Acts 9. 1. turned into a meek merciful tender and compassionate Lamb over whom at his conversion there shone a light round about him in resemblance of this knowledg of the Lord that shall cover the earth at the brightness of which they that journeyed with him stood speechless which might allegorize the making tame even those in such a day of Divine Appearance that are no true Converts Now this Apostle as we know ever after breath'd nothing but the Love Meekness and gentleness of Christ in himself and offers in all his writings to inspire it into others as we shall have abundant occasion in the progress of this discourse to observe severe in nothing but what was irreconcilable with this excellent Christian spirit Object Before I pass on I shall only remove one Objection which may seem a very great one viz. That our Saviour saith by way of surprize upon any such expectations Suppose ye that I am come to send or give peace on the earth Think not so I came not to send peace on the earth I Mat 10. 3 4. c. Luke 12. 51. c. tell you nay but rather division and a sword and a fire For I am come to set a man at variance c. and from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided three against two and two against three c. Answ In answer to this we may easily perceive our Saviour in this place speaks neither his own intention and design nor the proper tendency and rational effect of his Doctrine for in that sense he saith to his Disciples attempting to imitate the fiery zealot spirit Ye know not what spirit ye are of for the Son of man comes not in a Chariot of fire to destroy all that will not be of his Religion for he came not to destroy mens lives but to save them Luk. 9. 55 56. In this place therefore he only signifies what would arise through the great Corruption of man whose lusts and passions would be apt to swell and rage at so excellent a Doctrine so destructive to sin and to all false Religion defended by long possession and ancient Tradition and composed for the Patronage of mens lusts Hence men would be implacably set against the Religion of Christ and would be divided with extreme hate from those that espoused it as their chief interest and happiness and not be drawn to Apostatize from it though it gathered upon them the spite and rabid Inclinations of the world in general and of their nearest Relations in particular Indeed the prophane and enemies of Christianity are wont to cry out against Religion on such occasions as if it wrought all the mischief in such cases when it is their own wickedness that troubles things as Solomon says The foolishness of man perverteth his way and then his heart
Religion in the Word of God as I have proved 2. The Errors suppos'd in such a National Constitution Now Reformation of National Constitutions in Religion are uncontestably in the Supreme Power of a Nation what then shall we do till these suppos'd Errors of such an account as the High Places are remov'd we must either not worship in consent with our Nation which seems as natural as with our Families and much countenanc'd by the Scripture or we must wait the seasons of publick Reformation in the mean time attending publick Worship and avoiding with all the Wisdom and Prudence we can the Dint of Errors in such a Constitution as we suppose The seven thousand in Israel did not in far greater Corruptions omit certainly all sorts of publick Worship besides the Temple-Worship at Jerusalem and yet bowed not their knee to Baal nor kissed him Gross Corruptions are indeed positively to be refused and abhorred such as those of that time such as those of Popery such as are all though not complete Popery yet too near it lesser Dissatisfactions may be waryly avoided and yet National Religion as far own'd as we can without sharing even in those smaller Errors And it is some relief to us herein that allthough it is evident National Laws cannot bind any mans Conscience in Religion any further than they agree in the sense of that mans Conscience with the Word of God for they cannot save him harmless at the last Tribunal and therefore in no Reason can bind him yet I say it is a relief in that Obedience a sober Christian desires to pay to Humane Laws so far as agrees with Scripture and the regards he would yield to National Religion that he may well take the Benefit of any Connivence or Relaxation of Humane Laws in their prosecution as all men how Conscientious soever concerning Humane Laws do we see every day where the Law is not pressing nor the injury any although it be no other but ordinary common liberty that is restrained for if Authority be not despised if publick Good be not incommoded Humane Laws do not bind the Conscience as Divine Laws do and therefore much less in Religion wherein except Natural their Power hath not a further obligation than as the Conscience is sensible of Divine Authority concurring Thus then a man may without offence withdraw himself from such observances and yet joyn in publick Worship 2. There are the Customs and Vsages of a Nation entring into their publick Administrations of Religion as into other National Solemnities there are their Laws and Appointments of what they think Grave Decent Orderly Rationally promoting the Knowledg of Christian Religion with Condescension to the meanest Understandings of their people and security for some parts of Divine Worship to be certainly performed with that Advantage as Liturgies and reading Scripture and it may be added these things may be intended as Cementations of men in civil Government which is a lawful End if it be a Subordinate End and regulated by the Highest Now though there should be a mistake in all this yet upon the account of National Conjunction in Divine Worship we should Tolâ—rate them to the utmost we can or they may be interpreted into the nature of civil Appointments civil Order and Decency or National Custom For if nothing may be Tolerated if nothing may be favourably Interpreted there is no use of Charity 1 Cor. 13. 7. in those Excellent Acts of it the Apostle Records viz. Charity believeth and hopeth all things that can with any Symmetry to Truth and Discretion be hoped or beleived It beareth all things it endureth all things that can be endured without our own sin though sinful in others as commanding with Rigor or over-esteeming things not necessary 3. It seems by our Saviours Command to his Disciples to observe the Pharisees Precepts speaking out of Moses his chair and yet at other times to beware of the leaven of Pharisees which is expresly expounded Mat 23. 1. Mat. 16 12. of the leaven of Doctrine that a man may joyn in publick Acts of Worship where the main part is of Divine Institution and yet not be so immers'd in the whole but that he may separate between the pure and corrupted parts in relation to himself by his own private act And indeed if a man could not do this I know not how he should join in any Humane peformance as I have noted before or how he should allow his own worship of God seeing he must needs condemn himself in Particulars wherein he allows himself in the general every thing Humane being imperfect I know it may be said There is a difference betwixt evils of unavoidable incursion and those that are fram'd and deliberated into a Constitution But even in this case it appears a man is under no necessity when he joins with the solemn actions of others to take all things in the sense they do when there is a good and lawful account of such actions besides their ill ones There is nothing more abhor'd by Scripture than eating things offer'd to Idols in the sense and with the conscience of those that offer d to the Idols And yet the Apostle allows the freedom of eating things so offer'd and even in an Idols Temple where a Christian has the 1 Cor 8. 10. knowledg that an Idol is nothing in the world and there is not any other in danger to be scandaliz'd or drawn into sin that has not that knowledg and yet is imbolden'd to eat with conscience of the Idol 4. A very great good to be donce or received will recommend to us the use of things unnecessary without an eye to that good and in some cases unlawful and forbidden as appears by what the Apostle says That to the Jew he became as a Jew to them under the Law as under the Law c. that by all means he might save some It appears too by what he did in the Circumcising Timothy by his intending and relaxing his Discourse Act. 16. 3. Act. 21. 26. concerning Jewish Rites It appears by our Saviours commanding the Disciples hearing the Pharisees though they endangered themselves with the leaven so that had it not been for the regard and reverence due to Moses his Chair in all proportion of reason our Saviour had not allowed it And whereas our Saviour was at other times very severe as in the Tradition of washing hands as in the young Mat. 15. 1 c. Mat. 19. 17. Gal. 5 2. 4. 9 10. mans calling him good and the Apostle concerning Circumcision and Jewish Rites it was upon great accounts of preserving pure and safe the main points and design of True Religion and Christianity when they were in danger And this is the first Consideration I have propos'd with the several Branches of it not that I have any thing as the Apostle said to accuse my Nation of by all Act. 28. 19. means to be shun'd with
Scandal playing it self upon Indifferents 4. The great Considerations against pressing Indifferent things when they are come into Scandal so much as by Example 5. The Answer of the several Objections that may be used to disparallel Indifferents because of other Circumstances with these Indifferents I begin with the first the stating the Nature of Indifferents with relation to God in these four Characters of them 1. They are things in themselves Lawful Innocent and in their Use as of themselves no way displeasing to God So the Apostle pronounces with great boldness and earnestness of Meats that were forbidden under the Law of Moses I am saith he in respect to them perswaded by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of it self but all things are pure In the Case of Things offered to Idols he declares All things viz. of that kind are lawful that is with regard to the things themselves if they are used aright if they are taken by the right Handle Although Meats have been offered to Idols yet there is no such thing as an Infinite Evil that can taint what God hath made good There is one God the Father of whom all 1 Cor. 8. 6. things are originally and we in him and for him and in or for no Idol or Demon There is one Lord Jesus Christ the Mediator by whom in a reconciled and attoned State after the great Corruption and Curse by Sin are all things and we by him and by no Demon-Mediator or Intercessor This Right Title Claim and Propriety of God and Christ no Demon can expulse God and Christ so fill all things that an Idol can be but a Nothing 2. These Indifferents or the Use of them cannot commend us to God as of themselves we are not the better if we eat or the worse if we eat not Meat commendeth us not to God 3. There may yet be so Religious and Advantageous Use of them as that they may by the observation of all due Circumstances and the elevation of them to the best and worthiest Ends be Occasions I say Occasions onely of Religious Service and Glory to God and that on either side which shews their Indifferency for one side may be made an occasion of Religious Action as well as the other and so neither side obliges us more than other He that eateth eateth to the Lord and giveth God thanks He that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks He that eateth Meat offered to Idols in Gods Right and not in the Right of the Demon is a Partaker by Grace or Divine Bounty through Christ For the Meat is Gods and his Provision and the Idol to him that understands hath nothing to do with it and therefore he giveth God thanks and not the Idol It is in relation to these things the Apostle commands Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do that is or not eat or not drink do all to the Glory of God 4. They may be used amiss both ways In some Circumstances It is good not to eat Flesh or drink Wine even while the World standeth They may in some Circumstances be inexpedients and not edifie that is by a diminutive way of speaking run counter to the Ends of Edification and Scandalise others They that have knowledge concerning their true nature and the best use of them may yet so use them as to sin against the Brethren and wound their righteous Conscience and so sin against Christ But they that Eat without knowledge Eat so as to Eat with Scandal to doubt and be damned in their Eating On the the other side they which use them not that Eat not that will not Eat may so not Eat as to turn them into another sort of Scandal while they grow superstitiously affraid to touch taste or handle and therefore he that useth Indefferent things aright only makes use of that side of them he chooses as an occasion or acting â—o the Glory of God as he desires to do in all he does without placing any weight on either side of the things themselves The Christian fully perswaded in his own mind to eat eateth and giveth God thanks but knows meat commends him not to God makes it no matter of Religion to eat and so in case of Scandal forbears it The Christian that eateth not maketh use of the liberty he hath as in an indifferent thing not to eat either meats unclean according to Moses or things offered to Idols without laying any stress of Religion upon his abstinence in either but only the assurance he is not the worse in not eating and thereby avoiding the inconvenience of either doubting in himself or scandalising any other In the same manner he maketh use of his liberty in distinguishing a Day upon any good occasion that was distinguished under the Law without observing of Days as a point of Religion but only places a Religious Action on that Day according to the liberty he hath in an indifferent thing And so avoids the Doubt in himself of not observing what is Commanded and the scandal to any other But now he that not eating slips unawares into a surmise of Evil in the things themselves and that he does a great act of Religion in not eating and so dares not touch taste handle or he that would gain as he thinks upon God by observing Days he falls into the Scandal of making his Weakness a part of his Religion even as he that for the vaunt of his liberty eats licentiously and carelesly of others or thinks in eating he does God service or in eating slides into his old awes or pangs of Devotion to the Idol and eats in his Right to his Honour and so is defiled or lastly eats when he is in doubt of the lawfulness upon the credit of Example which is the proper Scandal the Apostle aims at Now from all these Characters it is most evident 1. Indifferent Things are far below the Scale of Divine Institutions though these Institutions are but Positive and not of Eternal Goodness and Righteousness All the Appointments of God and Christ are lifted up into that state the Divine Appointment designs them to and shall if used according to those Appointments be made efficacious to those Ends for which they are appointed according to the effectual working of that Power and Grace from which they received their Original So that they do make us better they do commend us to God if we observe the Will and Law of God concerning them and we are the worse in the sinful neglect of them according to the degree of neglect 2. They are not of the Scale of those things wherein that Order of which God by the very laws of Rational Nature is the Author stands and not of Confusion so that though this Order runs or ought to run along and conduct all Humane Actions and so is not in it self a point of Religion yet when it is applyed to Religious Services and Actions doth indeed commend