300 to drink wine, nor a- 22. Haft thou faith? he does. 23. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because be eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of of faith, is fin. and lawful Gratification, than to endanger another Man's Chriftian Principles by it. 22. If you know your Chriftian Liberty, and are clearly_fa¬ tisfy'd about it, keep your Perfuafion to yourself, and don't difturb other People with it. "Tis a Happiness, I own, for a Man to be clear and fatisfy'd in what 23. But if your Cafe were another Man's, and you were as fully perfuaded you ought not to ufe this Liberty, you could not then do it, because you would then act open Violence to your See Note own Confcience, and fin against the immediate Princion Ver. 5. ple of all Duty and Virtue*. CHAP. XV. The CONTENTS. He ftill exhorts the Gentile Chriftians to a prudent Condefcenfion to the weak Scruples of the Jewith Converts, from the Example of Chrift. Prays for their Unanimity and mutual Peace. Owns himself the Apoftle of the Gentiles; glories in his Succefs in their Converfion in Jeveral Countries; and profeffes he wrote this Epifle, chiefly to fatisfy them, they were true Members of the Chriftian Church. Mentions his intended Journey to Jerufalem, and his Hopes of feeing them shortly, for their fuller Satisfaction in the Point he writes about. Defires the Concurrence of their Prayers for his fafe Arrival and Succefs at both Places. Have faid enough in the 4. D. 57.1. WE then that 1. I prove, are frong Qught That ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our felves. That all thofe Chriftians who A. D. 57. know and understand their Religion fo perfectly, as to fee their Liberty from these indifferent Ceremonies, ought yet to bear with, and be tender to fuch as have not fuch right Notions of it; and not to indulge their own Humours and Inclinations, to the Dif guft and Prejudice of other Fellow-Chriftians. 2. Let every one of us please his neigh bour, for his good to edification. Unity, and promote 3, For even Chrift pleafed not himself, but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee, fell on me. 2. Let every one therefore, as far as he can, confult and condefcend to his Neighbour's Infirmities, in order to maintain the the Peace of the Church. 3. By thus doing, you will imitate Chrift our great and perfect Example, whofe Life here upon Earth was fpent not in indulging himself, but in humble Conde fcenfion to the Weakneffes and even in fuffering the Reproaches of Mankind, according to those Words of the Pfalmift, (Pfal. Ixix. 9.) which were most eminently fulfill'd in him, our Meffiah and Saviour. 4. For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were writ ten for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope. 5. Now the God of patience and confolation, grant you to be like minded one towards another, ac 4. Now all the remarkable Examples, and great Expreffions of Patience, Humility, and Condefcenfion that are recorded in any Scriptures of the Old Teftament, are left there for our Imitation; that by following the fame Virtues, we might have the fure annexed to them. 5. And may God the Giver of Patience and Confolation, and of every good Gift, enable you to attain this Unity and Peaceableness of Temper, agreeable to cording to Chrift Je- this Example of CHRIST JESUS, and to the Spirit and Pre fus: cepts of his Religion, 6. That 302 A. D. 57: 6. That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. 6. That being thus free of all Animofities, and join'd in mutual Love and Affections, you may in your publick Affemblies of divine Worship, with united Hearts and Voices, truly glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. 7. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Chrift alfo received us, to the glory of 7. Be perfuaded therefore, notwithstanding fome Differences of Opinion in these ceremonial Matters, to converse with each other God. freely, without any Shynefs and Distance, remembring that Chrift has received us all into one Communion and Fellowship, for the Service and Honour of God. 8. Now I fay, that Jefus Christ was a minifter of the circumcifion for the truth of God, to confirm the promifes made unto the fathers. 8. You Gentile Chriftians ought to be thus tender to your Jewish Brethren, if you confider, that Jefus Chrift was the Meffiah of the Jewish Nation in a primary and peculiar Senfe, was born of them, liv'd and preach'd only a Matth. mong them*, in Perfon; according to the special Promifes made to Abraham and the Patriarchs, from whom that People are fo honourably defcended. XV. 24. 9. And that the unto thy name. tiles, 9, 10, 11 & 12. And you Jewifh Chriftians ought by no Means to defpife and undervalue the Gentile ones, as if the Kingdom and Religion of Chrift were appropriated wholly to your Nation. For, after you, they are taken in too as true Members of his Church; and are to bear their Part in rendring that Glory and Praise to God, which is due to him for fuch a great and univerfal Salva tion; + Ver. 9. For this Caufe will I confess to thee, &c. See the learned Mr. Peirce's Differt, on this Paffage. tiles, and laud him all be a root of Jeffe, and he that fhall rife to reign over the Gen tiles, in him fhall the Gentiles truft. gion, and enjoy the 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, thro' the power of the holy Ghoft. 49. tion; according to those Words 4. D. 57. 13. And may God the Foun- Gifts of the Holy Ghoft conferred upon you, as the 14. And I myself alfo am perfwaded of you, my brethren, that ye alfo are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able alfo to admonish one another. 15. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you, in fomet fort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God, 14. And indeed I give myself great Hopes, that you already have, and will still more endeavour after fuch a true Sense of your Chriftian Profeffion, as will make you encourage one another in this meek and peaceable Difpofition. 15. But yet the better to prevent fuch Difputes as thefe, I thought it proper to exprefs myfelf thus freely in the Points I have handled in this Epiftle, with tile-Chriftians, to fatisfy and cona particular Regard to you + Genfirm you in the Right you have to the Chriftian Religion, and the Gospel Salvation, as well as the Jews; as became my apoftolical Office that God has beftowed upon me; 16. Whereby A. D. 57. 16. That I fhould be the minister of Jefus Chrift to the Gentiles, miniftring the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being fanctified by the holy 16. Whereby I am constituted and appointed of Chrift, the special Minifter of the Gentiles, waiting and attending the Service of converting them to the Gospel, as the Priests did upon the Sacrifices of the Altar. And by thus preof his true Religion, I fhall offer fenting them to God as Members a much more acceptable Sacrifice than was ever offer'd in the Temple; they being fanctify'd and feafon'd, not with Salt, nor purify'd by Fire, but with the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Ghoft. Ghoft. 17. I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jefus Chrift, in those things which pertain to God. ceremonial Priesthood, 18. For I will not dare to fpeak of any of those things, which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed. 19. Thro' mighty figns and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; fo that from Jerufalem and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of 20. Yea, fo have I ftrived to preach the gofpel, not where Chrift was named, left I fhould build upon another mans foundation: 21. But as it is written, 17. As a Chriftian Minifter therefore, I have performed a facred Office, whereof I have much more Reafon to boaft, than any Jewish Priest of his external and 18 & 19. Not to mention my own Pains, and laborious Endeavours towards converting the Gentile World to the Gospel Religion, I only mention what I have done by Virtue of the extraordinary and miraculous Endowments of the Holy Spirit conferr'd on me by Chrift; which enabled me to fpread and propagate the Faith from Jerufalem to Illyricum, i. e. thro' the whole Tracts of Greece and the Leffer Afia, Chrift. 20 & 21. Yet in this long Circuit of my Ministry, I went to no Places that had been preached to, and converted by any other Apoftle, or Chriftian Evangelift; for that might be called building upon another Man's Foundation. My Method |