cur confcience be not pofitively and direct. ly against it, but only wavering, doubting, and not thoroughly clear; for it is an ad. venturing upon that which we dare not confidently deny to be tin, and fo most hazardous; even be who doubteth, is damned if be eat.

III. Our practice of things indifferent becometh finful and unlawful unto us, and matter of ftumbling unto our brother, when thereby our weak brother, who is not fo clear anent the indifferency of the thing as we are, is induced by our example to do that which he is not fully perfuaded to be lawful, but at least doubteth thereof: this is the ground of the reason, that by the eating of the ftronger, he who doubted was constrained or induced to eat by the other's example: He who doubteth; is damned if he eat.

IV. Tho' there were no more to prefs us to forbear the practice of indifferent things, in the cafe of fcandal, the confideration of this fhould move us, viz. the inevitable hazard we bring the foul of our brother into thereby, in moving him, by our example, to do as we do, tho' in confcience he be not fo clear of the indifferency thereof as we are; for this is the apostle's argument, He who doubteth, is damned if he eat.

V. The want of a distinct and clear apprehenfion of the lawfulness of what we do, at least of so much as will banifh away doubting, cafts us in great danger, even tho' the thing we do be lawful in itself: He that doubteth, is damned if he eat; and that because he eateth not of faith.

nent the lawfulness or unlawfulness of what we do, is not brought from the command and authority of fuperiors, or from the practice of others whom we conceive to be better killed and versed in these matters than we are, but allenarly comerh from the word of truth, to which faith muft go for counfel: Because he eateth not of faith; that is, because he has not clearnefs from the word, for that is only the ground that faith walks on, and from which it receiveth light.

VII. To make an action acceptable before God, befide the lawfulness thereof upon the matter, as it is requifite that the man be in the faith, reconciled to Gol thro' Christ, fetching influence thro' faith from Chrift the ftore-house of ftrength, Heb. xi. 6; so it is requifite that the man have the nature of the action cleared to him out of the word, fo that he be diftinct therein, and perfuaded thereof, and that he act upon that ground, otherways this action, how lawful foever upon the matter, is fin to him: For whatsoever is not of faith, is fin...

VIII. Tho' all-fins be not alike heinous : in the fight of God, but fome more, fome lefs; yet all and every fin, even the least, deferveth no lefs than the everlasting curfe and wrath of God, and fentence of condemnation; for the reason why those who eated doubtingly were damned already, was, because it was fin: Whatsoever is not of faith, is fin. And fo the very eating of indifferent meats, though lawful in itself, deferveth damnation, when done with a doubting confcience, and that because it is fin; and fo every fin, even the least,

CHAP

T

Aving in the latter part of the former chapter, preffed the ftronger Chriftians to forbear the fcandalizing and ftumbling of the weak, and fhown the fad inconveniencies that would follow upon their practifing of indifferent things in the cafe of fcandal, in the end of that chapter; he now infereth, as it were, a conclufion, holding forth the duties which he would have them making confcience of at fuch a time when offences did abound; We now therefore that are strong, &c. The duty is preffed in thefe three words; 1. To bear the infirmities of the weak; that is, to take a heartfome lift of them for the ease of the weak; to fympathize with and pity them who are weak of underftanding, and to bear with them in thofe things that flow from weakness of underftanding. 2. And not to please ourselves; not to propose ourselves and our own profit and advantage as our only end in all that we do, and to have refpect to nothing but what maketh for our own advantage;

and this will be a notable mean to help us to condefcend fo far as to bear the infirmities of the weak. 3. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification; We ought fo to carry ourselves, as to propofe the good and advantage of others as our end; we fhould labour what we can to please others, and yet fo to please them, as not to further them in any finful course, but to their good, and their best good, their edification. Now, the main thing which he is driving at here, is, that the ftrong would condefcend unto the weak, and bear with them; and to prefs this he ufeth feveral arguments; and in thefe two verfes there are four couched up: (1.) We ought; that is, we are bound thereunto both by the law of nature, and by the exprefs command of God. (2.) We that are strong ought, &c. I lay no other duty upon you than I take to myself; I put myself under the fame yoke with you; I look up. on myself as bound to this duty no less than you. (3.) And not to please ourselves; If we mind not this duty we fhall be guilty of this fin of pleafing ourfelves, and doing all for ourfelves, as if we had goten all that we have for ourselves alone. (4.) Let every one of us please his neighbour, &c. All of us are bound before God to mind the

everlasting

everlasting good of our neighbour, and to feek his edification by any means, and therefore we should look upon ourselves as obliged to bear the infirmities of the weak.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. As there will ftill be fome weak lambs, who are not fo ftrong in knowledge as others in the church of God; fo there will ftill be infirmities, efcapes, and weakneffes kything by reafon thereof: Infirmities of the weak; the weak ufually have efcapes, and fuch things as fmell of weakness.

II. Tho' thefe infirmities and efcapes of weakness, which weak Chriftians are subject unto, be weighty and burdenfome unto the strong; yet it becometh the strong to be fympathizing with the weak, to be warm and kindly towards them, lending them fome lifts friendly and lovingly, binding them up and ftrengthening them, inftructing them, and helping their underftanding, and tenderly binding up their wounds, feeing they are members of the fame body, and owned of Chrift the head: We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. See Gal. vi. 2.

III. In a time when offences do abound, thro' the practice of indifferent things, it is not the duty of the ftrong, who are clear to act, to undervalue such as are not clear, and think to make them come up to them in practice; but, upon the contrary, they ought to condefcend unto the weak, to be tender towards them as brittle things, and to bear with their infirmities: We then that are strong, ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak. See 1 Cor. ix. 19. 20. IV. As it is encouraging to people to fee minifters taking a lift of the fame yoke which they lay upon their fhoulders; fo it fhould lay an obligation on people to fet about thefe duties more chearfully and chearfully and cordially; therefore he puts in his own fhoulder under the burden, We then that are strong, &c.

V. This fubmiting and condefcending of the ftrong unto the weak, is not an act

of mere courtefy, but a neceffary duty called for at their hands by the law of God, written partly in the dim letters of nature, and partly in the clear volume of the word; and fo fhould the ftrong look upon it as a duty laid upon them by the Lord: We that are ftrong, ought, &c.

VI. When many are taking offence at our walking, and ufing of indifferent things, fo untender are many of us, that we regard little the good and standing of others,' but are fo conceited of our own actings, that we think none needs take exception thereat, and therefore we become stiff and tenacious of our opinions, in maintaining them by our practices, that we lay afide altogether thoughts of peace and condefcenfion; therefore he preffeth them next, not to please themselves; And not to please ourselves.

VII. It is a notable mean to help Chriftians who are firong to bear with the weak in a time when offences abound, and to walk chriftianly at fuch a time, and to withdraw fuel from the fire of ftrife thro' offences, to be laying afide felf-willedness, and a self-pleasing humour, and to be dead to our pleature and inclination, and not to be taken up with our own things, and the eager purfuit after thofe things which fuit our own humour and inclination; therefore he addeth, And not to please ourselves.

VIII. Whoever is tenacious of his own: opinion, and is bewitched with felf-love and a felf-pleafing humour, will walk most unchristianly when offences abound, this being an humour which is ready to blow the coal of divifion, and foment offences, by making him untender towards the weak; and therefore the confideration of the evil of fuch a felf-pleafing humour, defire, and difpofition, fhould make all Chriftians labour to put on bowels of tenderness and fympathy towards the weak, as a difpofition point-blank contrary unto that felfpleafing humour; and therefore to prefs them to bear with the weak, he willeth them next, not to be feeking to please

them-...

*

themfelves, to fhew that thefe two are contrary to each other: And not to pleafe ourfelves.

IX When offences abound, it is a moft faitable difpofition for Chriftians not to be addicted to feek themselves, or what makes for themselves, but to be fearching out what may please other weak honeft Chriftians best; for this will be a notable way to remove the ground of offences taken at their carriage in fome indifferent things, and will help them to a fellow-feeling, fympathizing difpofition: therefore he addeth, Let every one of us please his neigh

bour.

X. In our feeking to please our neighbour Chriftians anent indifferent things, we should not labour to humour and fof ter them in their finful apprehenfions, but fhould propofe their edification and fpiritual good as our end, and feek to pleafe them best in those things which will tend to promote their fpiritual good in Chrift: Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.

VERSE 3. For even Chrift pleafed not himfelf; but as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

'Hat which the apostle preffed former ly, viz. That we fhould not labour fo much to please ourselves, but should feek to please our neighbour, he preffeth here from Chrift's example; For even Chrift pleafed not bimfelf: And, withall, it holdeth forth a firit argument to enforce the main thing, viz. that the ftrong fhould bear the infirmities of the weak, becaufe Chrift laid afide the care of his own particular, that he might promote the good and falvation of others, which is further cleared from the text cited, But as it is written, viz. Pfalm lxix. 9. The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me; Where David, as a type of Chrift, uttereth thefe words, (fee John ii. 17.) being then wrestling with God by prayer, he tells,

that the ill carriage, and particularly the reproaches of his enemies against God, lay near his heart, and was a burden on his fpirit, under which he walked chriftianly, minding ftill his duty to God; and what David here uttereth, agreeth more fully with Chrift the antitype, who bore with the vile and bafe reproaches that his enemies vomited out against God, and had pity on many, not withstanding of thefe, laying down his life a ransom for such finners and fins; and if fo, much more ought we to bear with the infirmities of our weak brethren, seeing, 1. their infirmities are not reproaches; 2. their weaknefs, tho' a burden to us, yet are not reproaches against God; 3. they are brethren, these were enemies; 4. and weak brethren, these malicious and bitter adverfaries. So then, feeing Chrift laid aside his glory for a while, and took a lift of the malicious reproaches, and finful carriage of his very enemies, and notwithstanding thereof, fought their good by laying down his life a ransom for them, and so taking away their fins and their reproaches, much more ought we to lay afide our own felfpleafing humour, and condefcend to the weak, and take a lift of their weakness and infirmities, and labour chriftianly to remove them.

OBSERVATIONS.

I. Such was the love that Chrift had unto the glory of God, and the falvation of poor finners, that to gain that he was content to lay afide his glory, fplendor, and majefty, and become of no reputation, Phil. ii. 7. and to be dead to the pleatures, honours, and profits of the world, and to quit with life and all, Phil. ii. 8. He did not please himself.

II. It is a fhame for believers, who ought to be followres of Chrift as their Lord and Captain, and imitators of him as their pat tern and copy in all their moral duties, 1 Cor. xi. 1. Eph. v. 1. 2. 25. and iv. 33. Heb. xii. 2. 1. Pet. ii. 21. and iii. 18. Phil.

ii.

5. to be looking unlike Chrift in this duty, of felf-denial; but though we cannot win up to conformity to our example, in being dead and crucified to our pleasures and delights in a world, yet it is our duty to be imitating him, and whatever difficulties ly in the way, to be drawing encouragement from his example, denying our own pleasures, profits, and carnal advantages in a world, and poftponing all these to the glory of God, and edification of our neighbours: Even as Chrift pleafed not himself. III. So fully did Chrift Jefus, the fon of Mary, fulfil and aufwer all things which was prophefied of him as the Meffias, before he came into the world, that, to prove what he did, we need no more but look what was foretold of him; therefore the apostle proves that Christ pleased not him felf, by a paffage out of the Old Teftamen, which foretold what he would do; As it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

IV. It is good and useful for us fo to read over and acquaint ourselves with what was Chrift's carriage in the world, as to fee in it his fulfilling of all the prophefies that were made concerning him, and anfwering all that was typified of him, and anfwering all that was either faid or done by others as types of him: therefore doth Paul cite this paffage of David's, who in it was a type of Chrift, and fo leads them up to fee how fully that which typified of him was verified in him: As it is written, The reproaches of them, &c.

V. Tho' the church of God under the Old Teftament, had not that clear difcovery of the Mediator of the world, and of his actions; yet the fame Mediator was held forth to them under types and figures, and his actions and deportment pointed out to them in others who typified him: Thus in David they might have feen and read the meeknefs, love, and felf-denial of the Meffias, when he faid, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

VI. Whatever we find spoken of fuch

in fcripture as were types of our Lord Jefus Chrift, doth more fully agree to him; and we are allowed to expone them of him, with an amplification; they being but fhadows could not fully and thoroughly to the life reprefent the fubftance: for what agreed to David as type, in his fuffering by the reproaches of others, doth many more ways agree to Chrift, and is much more fully verified of him than it could have been of David; for Chrift did otherways fuffer by the reproaches of the wicked than David did: As it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

VII. It is no uncommon thing to see the wicked breaking out in vile reproachful language against God, his work, his intereft, and his people, and venting the malicioufnefs and wickedness of their hearts; The reproaches of them that reproached thee: This carriage of the wicked is but too ordinary; fee Ifa. xxxvii. Pfalm xliv. 16. and lxxiv. 22.

VIII. Tho' wicked and graceless finners think little to reproach the people of God, 1 Pet. iv. 14. and fpeak bitterly against their confidence in God, Ifa. xxxvii. 10. &c. and their adhering to him, Pfalm Ixix. 7. against his ordinances, verfe 9. and himfelf and attributes, Pfalm xliv. 16.; yet in fo doing they are opening their mouths against the God of heaven, and their reproaches do directly ftrike against the Almighty: The reproaches of them that reproached thee: They make God their party.

IX. There is no tender gracious foul, but will be much affected and moved with the reproaches that maliciously and defperately wicked wretches are uttering and belching out against the work, ordinances, grace, intereft, and people of God; these will ly heavy upon their fpirit, and will be matter of mourning unto them: The reproaches of them that reproachrd thee fell on me, fays David. See Pfalm lxix. 20. and lxxxix. 50. 4 A X. As