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was.

A. D. 57. thereby declare themselves to be in Communion with God, as his Church and Worfhippers, whofe Altar it By the fame Reafon therefore, your partaking of an Idol Feaft, fuppofes, or will be fuppofed, and interpreted by others, that you hold a Communion with the falfe God, and with those that worship him.

19. What fay I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in facrifice to idols is any thing? 20. But I say, that the things which the Gentiles facrifice,they facrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye fhould have fellowship with devils.

19 & 20. Not that any of those Heathen Deities have the leaft Divinity in them; for 'tis certain they have none, being only imaginary Demons, or the Delufions of Evil Spirits; nor can any Thing confecrated to them be, in itself, of any Virtue to benefit their Worfhippers, or defile you. only fay, that all kind of Feafting upon Sacrifices, fupposes a Fellowfhip and Communion with him they are confecrated to, be it a true or falfe God. And I would not for the World have you hold Communion with Demons or wicked Spirits, nor give Occafion to others to think that you do so.

21. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lords table, and of the table of

devils.

Damon and idolatrous

22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealoufy? are we ftronger than

he?

23. All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

I

21. So that it is impoffible you can be worthy Communicants in the Chriftian Sacrament, and partake of Sacrifices offered to Heathen Dæmons at the fame Time. For the very Defign of Chriftianity was to abolish and deftroy all Worship.

22. Take Heed how you provoke God, who is jealous of his Honour, and irrefiftible in his Power.

23. And as to that Plea, that if you have no religious Respect at all to the Heathen Idol, there can then be no Harm in it; confider that though, with fuch a Circumftance, it had no abfolute

Evil in it to your felves, yet in refpect to others, it may A. D. 57. be very inconvenient and dangerous; it may embolden the more ignorant Gentile Converts to keep their Remains of Veneration to Idols; and it may vex and prejudice the Jewish Chriftians against you, and the Chrif tian Religion for your Sakes, and fo do Mischief to the whole Church.

24. Let no man seek his own but every man anothers wealth.

24. No Chriftians, in Things never so indifferent, ought to confult barely their own Humour and Gratification, but to be tender toward the Weakness, and confult the Good of their Fellow-Chriftians.

25: Whatsoever is fold in the fhambles, that eat, asking no queftion for confci

ence fake.

26. For the earth

is the Lords, and the

fulnefs thereof.

25 & 26. Farther, 'tis ufual, I know, for fome of the Meats that are confecrated in Heathen Tem

ples, to be afterward fold in the Markets. And the Jewish Chriftians may be very fcrupulous about buying or eating them. Now, as they cannot know these from any other Meats, they are not bound to ask fcrupulous Queftions about them, but may buy and eat them as the ordinary Food that Providence has provided for Mankind.

27. If any of them that believe not, bid you to a feaft, and ye be difpofed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no queftion for confcience fake.

28. But if any man. fay unto you, This is offered in facrifice unto idols, eat not, for his fake that fhewed it, and for conscience the Lords, and the

fake. The earth is

fulness thereof.

27. And whenever a Heathen Neighbour invites you to an Entertainment at his Houfe, never enquire, out of Confcience, whether any Part of his Entertainment had been dedicated to an Idol, but eat like others, without any Scruple.

28. But if he that invites you, gives you Notice before-hand, that fuch or fuch a Dish has been confecrated to an Idol, and so expects, that if you eat of it, you in fome Measure own the false God, and countenance his WorShip; then you must not by any Means touch it; your Confcience

A. D. 57. is concerned to fhow him your utter Averfion to all Heathen Worfhip. Nor need you eat of it, fince Providence has furnished out fufficient to fatisfy your Appetite without it.

29. Confcience, I fay, not thine own, but of the others: for why is my liberty judged of another mans confcience?

29 & 30. When I fay your Confcience is concerned, I do not mean it fo much of your own, as that of the Perfon that invited you, and of your Fellow Chriftians, who with you at the Table, or may may be either present hear of your Behaviour there. For I may allow, if it were not for prejudicing and offending them, the Thing it self might have no Evil in it. For if you thankfully fed upon it, only like other common Food provided by Providence for us, there is no true Reason you should be cenfured and condemned for it *.

30. For, if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that, for which I give thanks?

31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of

God.

terest and Credit of
moft at Heart.

32. Give none of-
fence, neither to the
Jews, nor to the Gen-
tiles, nor to the church
of God.

31. But as the Cafe is, 'tis your Duty to use your Liberties in these, and all other Matters, fo prudently and tenderly, as to fhow you have the common Inyour Chriftian Religion always and

32. Endeavour not any Way to vex and prejudice the Jewish Chriftians, who you know have fo utter an Averfion to any Thing that can be poffibly conftrued into Idol Worship; and give not the leaft Encouragement to the young Gentile Converts to retain any Regard to Heathen Idols; nor, finally, do any Thing whatever, that may be a Means to pervert or difcourage any Member of the Church from their Chriftian Profeffion.

33. But

*Ver. 30. I take this to be the intended Sense and Connexion of these two Verfes, tho' Interpreters generally give it another Turn, viz. For why should I use my Liberty in eating fo imprudently, as to be liable to the Cenfure and Prejudice of others? Let the critical Reader take his Choice.

33. Even as I please all men in all things, not feeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be faved.

33. But imitate my Example, who, as far as ever I can, reftrain my own Humour, and conform myfelf to all Perfons, to keep them the fteadier to their Religion.

СНАР. XI.

The CONTENTS.

The next Question proposed to the Apostle, viz. About the decent and modeft Behaviour of Women that were at any Time infpir'd to pray, or fing divine Hymns in the publick Affemblies of Worship. It seems they took the Freedom at fuch Times to appear uncover'd, by laying afide their Veils, which in thofe Countries were worn as a Token of the Modefty and Subjection of that Sex. The Apoftle confirms the natural Superiority of the one, and the Subjection of the other Sex; and the Fitness and Decency of preferving the external Signs and Tokens of both; but especially in the publick Affemblies. This Chapter alfo contains a fevere Reproof of their partial and irreverent Manner of celebrating their Love-Feafts at the Holy Sacrament; by which they defpifed the Poor, fcandalized the Church, and prophaned the holy Ordinance. He shows them the End and Defign of its original Inftitution, and the Danger of fo irreverent and unworthy a Manner of communicating in it.

1.BE ye followers

of me, even as

I also am of Chrift.

I.

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Ollow my Example* then, A. D. 57; in condescending to the Weakneffes of your FellowChriftians; wherein I imitate no less Pattern than that of Jefus Christ himself.

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Chap. x. 33. And note, That this Verfe plainly belongs to that last Verfe of the foregoing Chapter, and ought by no Means to be feparated from it.

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A. D. 57: 2. Now I praise
you, brethren, that
you remember me in
all things, and keep
the ordinances, as I
delivered them to you.
for divine Worship.

3. But I would have
you know, that the
head of every man is
Chrift: and the head
of the woman is the
man, and the head of
Chrift is God.

2. I am always ready to commend and praise you, dear Brethren, for every Inftance in which you obferve the Rules and Directions I give you, relating to your Conduct in the publick Affemblies

3. And as to your Question about the Behaviour of Women that are fometimes infpir'd to pray, or fing divine Hymns in your Affemblies, Whether they ought to keep their Veil on at thofe, as well as other Times, as a Token of their Submiffion to the better Sex: Let me obferve to you, that as Chrift himfelf acts in Subordination to God the Father, and all Mankind is fubject to Chrift as their Head and immediate Governor; fo was it the original Defign of God, that Women fhould be fubject to Men, and own them as their Heads and Superiors.

4. Every man praying or prophefying, having his head covered, difhonoureth his head.

4. Now, you know, the Man's going with his Head open and unveiled, and the Woman's wearing a Veil, is an external Sign of the Subordination of the one to the other. So that for a Man to perform any facred Office in publick, in a Garb that betokens Subjection, would be a Difhonour to CHRIST his Head, by whose Authority he is made the chief Creature and Lord of this lower World.

5. But every woman that prayeth or prophefieth with her head uncovered, difhonoureth her head: for that is even all

5. On the other Side, for a Woman to perform any Thing in publick, with her Head unveiled, is a Kind of Difrefpect to Man, her proper Head and Lord under Christ, by throwing off the Tokens of her Subjection. And the might as well cut off her Hair, or wear it short, which you know is the proper Drefs of the fuperior Sex in your Country.

one as if he were
fhaven.

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