SERMON I

Of the GLORY of GOD.

I COR. X. 31.

Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God.

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HE Design of the Apostle in SER Mị this chapter, is to prefs upon Chriftians the great Obliga tion they are under, to walk worthy of their holy vocation; to walk worthy of God, as he elsewhere expreffes it, (1 Th. ii. 12.) to live as becometh the Gospel of Chrift; to behave themfelves in fuch a manner, as may do bonour to their religion, may give Credit VOL. II.

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SER M. and Reputation to their Profeffion; In a I. word, that they be follicitous above all things to promote the Glory of God, and the Salvation of Men; to bring over Unbe lievers to the acknowledgment of the Truth; and to prevent, as far as poffible, those who Do believe, from being in any manner offended and difcouraged in their Duty, or by any means tempted and fe

duced into Sin..

THE Great Temptation in the Apostles. days, was that of relapfing into the Heathen Idolatry; either directly, into the gross Acts of this Sin, through Fear of Perfecution; or confequentially, into the Snare of a defiled Confcience, by prefumptuously mifunderstanding the true Bounds of what was lawful and innocent. Against Both thefe, St Paul gives diligent Caution in This chapter. Against falling into direct Idolatry through fear of Perfecution, he exhorts the Corinthians by the following. Argument, ver. 13. There has no Tempta tion, fays he, taken you, but fuch as is common to Man: But God is Faithful who will not fuffer you to be tempted above what ye are able; but will with the Temptation alfo make a way to escape, that

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may

I.

may be able to bear it: Wherefore, my dear- SER M. ly beloved, flee from Idolatry. To ftrengthen which Argument, he proceeds in the next Verses, to reprefent to them the Greatness of the Sin; by fhowing them diftinctly, under a plain and obvious Similitude, what Idolatry was. Ver. 15. I Speak, faith he, as to Wife men; judge ye what I fay. He does not infift merely upon his own Authority, though it was no lefs than Apoftolical, as Others, who have no fuch Claim, are frequently too apt to do: He does not require of them to fubmit implicitly to what he fays, without first confidering whether it was right or no: But he exhorts them to make ufe of their own Reafon and Understanding: I fpeak, fays he, as to Wife, (that is,) to Senfible and Reasonable Men; Judge ye what I fay: Confider, if what I now propose to you, be not a reasonable and conclufive Argument. The Bread which we break, is it not the Communion of the Body of Chrift? that is, is it not a profesfing ourselves to be Difciples of Chrift? to be Members of his Body? ver. 16. For we, fays he, being Many, are one Bread and one Body. In like manner, he speaks of Ifrael af

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SERM.ter the flesh, Are not they whish eat of the Sacrifices partakers of the Altar? that is, is not This a declaring themselves to be Difciples of Mofes? ver. 18. By the fame Argument therefore; being partakers, faith he, of the Table of Devils, by eating of the Sacrifices in the Idol-Temple, ver. 21; is, in reality, to communicate in the Guilt of the Heathen-Idolatry.

AGAINST the next danger, viz. that of falling confequentially into the Snare of a defiled Confcience, by prefumptuoufly misunderstanding the true Bounds of what was lawful and innocent; Against This, he cautions them in the remaining part of the chapter. An Idol, every well inftructed Chriftian knew to be Nothing in the World: As to Meats therefore offered in facrifice to Idols; the good Creatures of God could not be defiled by the imaginary Superftitions of vain Men. And therefore Chriftians, provided They themfelves bore no part in the Heathenworship, were not obliged to make any Inquiry, whether Meats fold in the Markets, or fet before them at any Friend's house, had by Others been dedicated to Superftitious Ufe, ver. 25, 27.

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theless, though as to Those who had this SER M. Understanding, the Matter was yet, if any fcrupulous and weaker Brother was diffatisfied as to the Lawfulness of This Practice, in fuch cafe they were bound to abftain: Bound, not by any obligation upon their own Confcience, but out of Tenderness and Regard to His, ver. 28, 29. left by Their needleffly doing what was innocent to Themfelves, He fhould be incouraged to do the fame thing which was not innocent to Him: In which cafe, it was much more material, and of greater importance to the Honour of Religion, that they fhould avoid offending his Confcience, than that they should unfeasonably affert their own Liberty. Ver. 23. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. The Meaning is; All things that are lawful for a man to do, 'tis not confequently for the Intereft of Religion that he should do them, if it fo happens that other Mens Confciences be not therein fatisfied as well as his own. For That is moft for the True intereft of Religion, which tends most towards making all men act with a good B 3 confcience.