3 66 Ofdoing all to the Glory ofGod. Vol. II. The firft cafehe fpeaksof from ver. 14.to the 2 3'. Wherefore, mybelovedbrethren, fleefrom idolatry. Ifpeak to wife men: judge what I fay. As if he had faid, you may eafily apprehendwhat it is,Iam going to caution you againft. And firft he tells them in general, that they who communicated in the worfhip of any Deity, or in anykind of Sacrifice offered to him, did, in fo doing, own and acknowledge that for a Deity. To this purpofe he inftanceth in communicating in the Chriftian Sacrament, and in theJewifh Sacrifices, ver. i6. 1.7, i8. The cup of blp'ng which we biefs, is it not the communion of the bloodof aryl ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Chr f ? For we being many areone bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Ifrael after the fle (that is, the yews) are not they which eat of the facrifices, partakers of the altar Thus it is in the Chriftian, and the fewifb worfhip. And the cafe is the fame, . if any Manpartake of the Idol-feafts in their Temples. This he does not exprefs, but takes it for granted they underftoodwhat this Difcourfe aimed at. And then he anfwers anArgument, which it feems was made ufe of by force, particularly the Gnoflicks, of whom theApoftle fpeaks, Chap. 8. and that was this. If an Idol be nothing, and confequently thingsfacrificed to Idols were not to be confidered asSacrifices, then it was lawful to partake of the Idol-feafts, which were celebrated in their Temples. And that the Apoftle fpeaks of thefe, is plain from his Difcourfe againft the Gnoflicks, who made ufe of this Argument for the lawfulnefsof communicating at the Idol feafts, Chap. 8.4. As concerning therefore the eatingof things whichare offer'd in facrifice unto Idols; we know that an Idol is nothing in the world, &c. And ver. io. If any man fee thee zvhich hall knowledge (alluding to the very name of Gnofiicks) if any manfee theewhich hall knowledge, fit at meat in an Idoltemple. This then is that partaking of Idol-feafts, which the Apoftle here fpeaks of which they pretended to be lawful, becaufe an Idol is nothing. This, fays the A- .poftle, I know as well -as. -you, that an Idol is no real Deity, but for all that the Devil is really worfhip'd and ferv'dby -his-means, ver. 20. But Ifay, that the things which the Gentiles facrifice, they facrifice to Devils, andnot to God, and I would not that ye fhouldhave fellowfhip with Devils. Te cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils !yecannot be partakers oftheLord's table, andthetableof Devils. Having declared this way of partakingof things offered to Idols to beunlawful in it felf, and a virtual renouncingof Chriftianity; then he proceeds to theconfedera- tion of the other cafe, ofeating ofthings offered to Idols out of theirTemples, which might happen feveral ways. Sometimes being fold by the Priefts, they were expofed to fale in the Market. Sometimes the Heathens carried force remainders of the Sacrifices to their Houfes, and inviting the Chriftians to a Feaft, might fet thefe Meats before them; What fhould Chriftians do in either of thefe cafes ? Firfl, He determines in general, that out of theTemples it was lawful to eat thefe things, becaufe in fo doing they-communicated in no ad of worfhip with.the. Heathens ; it is lawful, he fays, in it felf; butbecaufe.it might be harmful to o- thers,` and give fcandal, in fuch circumftances, it became unlawful by accident. Yer. 23. All things are lawful to one, but all things arenot expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edifie not. Things which are lawful an themlelves, may in force cafes be very dangerous and deftru&ive to others, and we fhould not only confider our felves, but others alfo. Let no man feek his own: but every man anther's welfare. And then he comes to the particular cafes. Whatever is fold in the fhambles, that eat, rifting no queflionfor confcience fake : for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulnefs thereof Wemay take thefe things fromGod's hand, who is the true Lordof them and of all Creatures. For f ais reafon we may without fcrupulous enquiry, ufe thofe meats which are publickiy expofed to fale. And fo likewife in the other cafe, if we be invited to the Table of a Heathen, we may eat what is fet before us, without enquiring whether it bepart of an Idol- facrifice. But if any Man tell us, that this Meat was offer'd in Sacrifice to Idols, in that cafe we ought to abftain from eating of it; for hir fake that fhewed it, and for confcience fake; that is, out of regard to the opinion of thole, who think 4 thefe
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