2 The HISTORY of the PURITANS, Chap. IV. ,Tleen " or to miflike that which is good. Now for us to admit the life of Elizabeth, " thefe things, may occafion this.milehief, therefore in contenting to them, r6 " we fhould of offend many of thefe little ones. vw Further, St. Paid faith, IIf any man that is infirm(hall fie thee that " hall knowledge, fitting at meat at the idols table, Will not his confcience be " /lured up to eat that which is leered to idols? And fo the weak bro- " they for whom Cbrild died, Jhall perifh in thy knowledge ; and in finning " after this fort again/l the brethren, and wounding their weak confciences, " ye dofin again/! Chri/i, i Cor. viii. io, 1 t, 1.2. This place proveth, " that whatfoever is done by him that has knowledge, or feems to have it, in fuch fort that he may feem to allow that as good, which in itfelf " cannot be other than evil, is an occafion for the weak, to allow and " approve of the thing that is evil, and to miflike that that is good, " though the doing it be indifferent of itfelf in him that has knowledge. " To Pet at the idols table, or to eat things offered to idols, is in him " that has knowledge a thing indifferent, for he knows that the idol " -is nothing, and that every creature of God is good, and to be received " with thankfgiving, without afking any queftions for confcience fake. But to do this in the pretence of him that thinks that none can do fo, " but he mutt be partaker of idolatry, is to encourage him to like ido- " latry, and to miflike the true fervice of God ; for none can like both. " Now the cafe of eating and drinking, and of wearing apparel, is in this point the fame ; for though to wear the outward and minifiring garments of the pope's church, is in itfelfindifferent, yet to wear them " in pretence of the infirm and weak brethren, who do not underhand " the indifference of them, may occafion them to like the pomp of the " pope's miniftration, which of itfelf is evil, and to miflike the Pimple miniftration of Chrift, which in itfelf is good. Secondly, " We may not ufe any thing that is repugnant to chrillian li- '° berty, nor maintain an opinion of holinefs where none is ; nor con- ' fent to idolatry, nor deny the truth, nor difcourage the godly, and encourage the wicked, nor dettroy the church of God, which we are " bound to edify, nor Phew difobedience where God commanded us to " obey ; all which we fhould do, if we fhould confent to wear the out- " ward and miniftring garments of the pope's church ; as appears by " the following paffages of fcripture ; bySt. Paul's exhortation, Gal. v. i. " Stand fa/t in the liberty wherewith Chri/d has made you free ; by the " example of Chrift, Matth. kv. 2, 3. who would not have Isis difci- " pies maintain an opinion of holinefs which the pharifees had, in waft- " ing hands; by the doftrine of St. Paul, z Cor. vi. r5. where he teacheth, " that there can be no agreement between Chriji and Belial; by the example °' ofDaniel,,ch. vi. who making his prayer to God contrary to the coin- " mandment
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