2. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

2. A Chriftian that knows his 4. D. 57. own Principles never fo perfectly, and yet, in fuch Cafes as these, practifes upon them, without any Regard to the Good or Hurt of others, ufes his Knowledge to a very ill Purpose. 3. But if any man love God, the fame is known of him*.

3. Your Knowledge and Love of the true God and his Religion, is then only acceptable to him, when, for his Sake, it makes you tender of the Welfare of your Brethren. He is the Man that knows God, and his Duty toward him, rightly and truly, who demonftrates his Love to God, by the charitable Edification of his Chriftian Brethren. (Ver. 1.)

4. As concerning therefore the eating of thofe things that are offered in facrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing

4. As to your Question then, Whether a Chriftian may eat of an Idol Entertainment, having at the fame Time no Reverence for the Idol, but doing it in a mere civil Way: I fay, we know, as well as your new Teachers can tell us, that the Heathen Dæmons, or their Images, have no Manner of Divinity in them, nor does any Thing dedicated to them, receive any religious Sanctity thereby; and that there is, and can be but one true God.

in the world, and that there is none other God but one.

5. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many.)

6. But to us there but one God, the Father,

5 & 6. For though the Heathens believe there are several celeftial and fovereign Deities, and feveral inferior ones under them, as Lords, Agents and Presidents of earthly Things, and Mediators for us Men; yet the Chriftian Religion has affured us there is but one fupreme

Ver. 3. But if any Man love God, the fame is known of bim. Note, The ingenious Mr. Peirce has given fo probable a Turn to the Tranflation of this Verfe, by referring to the soy before-going; that I could not forbear adding his Senfe to the Paraphrafe, viz. If any Man love God, the fame (ie, God) is known of him. (i. c. of that. Man) or the Man knows God rightly.

A. D. 57. Father, of whom are
all things, and we in
him; and one Lord
Jefus Chrift, by whom
are all things, and we
by him.

fupreme God the Father, the Author and original Fountain of all Things, to whom we owe our Being, and are ultimately to direct all our Services. And but one Lord Prefident and Mediator, even his Son Jefus Chrift, by whom he created us, and conveys all his Bleffings to us; and through whole Interceffion we are to addrefs and adore him, and are fure to find Acceptance with him.

7. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for fome with confcience of the idol unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their confcience being weak, is defiled.

7. Under Shelter of this true Principle, many of you Gentile Converts go to these Entertainments, and eat of them as common and ordinary Meats. Grant now there were, in itself, no Harm in this; yet you should confider there are several among you newly converted, that may not yet have fhaken off all Notions of the Heathen Divinity. They may be apt to think there may be fomething divine in thefe Damons. And when by your Example they are encouraged to eat of their confecrated Feafts, they may do it with fome Sort of Reverence to them, and fo commit a plain Act of Idolatry by your Means.

from them.

9. But take heed left by any means this liberty of yours become ftumbling

8. Now, what need you give your weaker and more ignorant Brethren this Occafion? You have no Manner of Reason to go to these Feasts; it does you no religious Advantage to be at them, and no Manner of Harm to keep

9. Be it never fo lawful then, even innocent Liberties in indifferent Matters are not to be taken, where you fee they are like to be an Occafion of drawing other more ignorant People into any Thing contrary or prejudicial to your holy Religion.

block to them that are
weak.

10. Thus

10. For if any man fee thee which hatt knowledge, fit at meat in the idols temple, fhall not the confcience of him which is

weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to

idols:

11. And through thy knowledge fhall the weak brother perish, for whom Chrift died?

died to fave and deftroyed *.

12. But when ye fin fo against the brethren, and wound their weak confcience, ye fin against

Christ.

13. Wherefore if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world ftandeth, left I make my brother to offend.

See Rom. xiv. efpecially ver. 19, 20.

10. Thus in the present Cafe. A. D. 57. While you may eat of these Entertainments in a mere friendly and civil Way, without any Honour paid to the falfe Deity, the younger Convert, not fo well able to diftinguish as you are, may take you to do it in a religi ous Manner, and by your Example do fo himself, and commit Idolatry.

11. And fo, by your imprudent Ufe of your Knowledge, your ignorant Brother is emboldened to commit a ruinous Act of Sin, and a Soul that Christ redeem, put into a Hazard of being

CHAP. IX.

The CONTENTS.

St. Paul, upon feveral prudential Confiderations, would not receive Maintenance from the Corinthian Chriftians, but lived either upon his own Labour, or Contributions from other Churches. The Heads of the Faction raife Reflections upon this, to the Disparagement of the Apoftle; nay, infinuated it to be a tacit Confeffion, be was indeed no true Apoftle at all. The well-affected Part of the Church feem plainly to have defired fome Account of his Conduct in this Matter. The Apostle's Anfwer. He claims a Right to a Maintenance from them as much as any other Apoftle could do; and proves it. Gives his Reasons why he did not make Use of that Right in the Corinthian Church. His great Condefcenfion to the Weakness and Prejudices of all Sorts of Chriftian People; illuftrated by a familiar Comparison, and recommended to their Imitation.

A. D. 57. 1· A MI not an A

postle? am I not free? have not I feen Jefus Chrift

our Lord? are not

you my work in the

Lord?

You

I. YOU defire in the next Place to be refolved, why I refused to take my Maintenance from your Church while I preached among you? Which Inftance of my Conduct, among others, fome of your factious Teachers would infinuate to be a Kind of Confeffion, that I am not indeed a true Apofile, and would perfuade you not to own me as fuch. Say they fo? Is not the miraculous Vifion of Jefus Chrift in Perfon, receiving my Commiffion actually from him; nay, is not your Converfion to Christianity by my Miracles and Doctrine, a fufficient Evidence of a true Apostleship? And if it be, why am not I at Liberty to manage my own Way of Maintenance as well as any other Apoftle. 2. What

xv. 8.

Ver. 1. As ix. and xxii. and xxvi. Gal. i. 12. 1 Cer.

+ Ibid. "Oux eiuì éλeúdeç; Am I not free? i. e. To maintain my felf, or to be maintained by others.

2. Whatever other Churches A. D. 57. may fay of me, you, I am fure, have feen, and had that of me that muft be a fufficient Teftimony of my apoftolical Commiffion.

3 & 4. But to answer your Enquiry. Let them that raise these malicious Infinuations from this Part of my Conduct know*, that I claim the fame Right to be maintained by the People I preach

to, as the other Apoftles do.

5. Have we not power to lead about a fifter, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas.

5. And that I and my FellowTraveller Barnabas have the fame Privilege of carrying along with us any neceffary Chriftian Attendants, be they Men or Women, Wife or Servants, that Peter or James the Lord's Brother †, or any Apoftle has, and the fame Right to have them maintained along with

us too.

6. Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?

have no Manner of

7. Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth

6. Unless you can fuppofe us two to be particularly excluded from the Privileges of the reft of Christ's Apoftles. Which you

Ground for.

7. For, to deny us this Right, would be as unreasonable as for a Prince to deny his Soldier his Pay; A a 2

*Ver. 4. Have we not Power, &c. Note, It was one Branch of the Eastern Stile to affert Things for Truths, by way of Interrogation of their Contraries. Which in English are best answered by affirmative Affeverations. Which I accordingly do in feveral Paffages of this Chapter, and in the reft of the Epiftolary Writings.

+ Ver. 5. The Lord's Brethren, or adexport nugis, the Lord's Kinfmen. So James is called, Gal. i. 19. and he is here pointed at.. And fo, perhaps, adenons yuvaina may here fignify, any Chriftian Relation or Kinfwoman.