A Paraphrase on the New Testament, Romans · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
1. HIm that is weak in the faith receive you: but not to doubtful diſputations.
1. And as your ſubjection to Government is neceſſary to a life of Chriſtian Love and Concord, ſo alſo is the mutual forbearance and reception of ſuch brethren, as are weak in the Faith, and differ in diſputable tolerable points. Therefore ſee that you receive ſuch to your Love and Communion, without ſearching their Opinons, and racking them by doubtful diſputations, about the points wherein they differ.
2. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another who is weak eateth herbs.
2. For inſtance, one truly believeth that all meats are now lawful; another either thinks that he ſhould not live on the Life and Fleſh of his fellow Creatures, or that he ſhould at leaſt abſtain from that which by the Law of Moſes was forbidden: This is his weakneſs.
3. Let not him that eateth deſpiſe him that eateth not: and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
3. Let not him that underſtandeth, that eating all things is lawful, ſet at nought or vilifie him (as a humorous, ſcrupulous fool) who is of another opinion and thinks it unlawful to eat fleſh, (as many are too apt to do) and let not him that dare not eat ſuch Fleſh or Meat forbidden by Moſes's Law, take him for an ungodly ſinner that doth otherwiſe, nor ſeparate from him as prophane: For God that is moſt holy, and hateth all ſin, yet receiveth both theſe ſorts; and therefore ſo muſt you, if you will Pleaſe God.
4. Who art thou that judgeſt another mans ſervant? To his own maſter he ſtandeth or falleth: Yea, he ſhall be holden up, for God is able to make him ſtand.
4. Doſt thou know thy ſelf while thou ſo judgeſt others? Who art thou, a ſinful man, that thou preſumeſt to judge and condemn Gods Servants? It is his Sentence and not thine to which they ſhall ſtand or fall, as juſtified or condemned: and theſe differences ſhall not hinder God's acceptance of him and his Salvation: for God that is juſt and merciful can juſtifie, confirm, and ſave him.
5. One man eſteemeth one day above another: another eſteemerh every day alike: Let every man be fully perſwaded in his own mind.
5. So one Man makes Conſcience to keep the Jewiſh Feaſts and Faſts: Another knoweth that Chriſt hath abrogated them. Let every one labour as well as he can to know God's Will, and then be true to his upright Conſcience; as knowing that he may not in theſe things follow the judgment of others againſt his own, which he thinks is according to the mind of God, whom he intendeth herein to obey.
6. He that regardeth a day, regardeth it unto the Lord, and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord be doth not regard it: He that eateth eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks, and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
6. He that maketh Conſcience to keep ſuch Days, and not ſo to eat, he intendeth it as an Act of Obedience to God; and ſo doth he that is contrarily minded; and both of them pray for Gods acceptance, and give him thanks: And dare you for ſuch things diſcourage or reject Men, that as they are able ſtudy to pleaſe God: Is pleaſing God ſo light in your eſteem.
7. For none of us liveth to himſelf, and no man dieth to himſelf.
7. For we are all convinced that we are not our own, and therefore may not do what we liſt our ſelves, and fit our practice to carnal ſelf-intereſts, but to the pleaſing of the Will of God; as all Men die at his Will and into his Hands, and not their own.
8. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lords.
8. For our lives are of God, and muſt be for him to do his Will, and when we die, his Will therein is done, in which we muſt contentedly acquieſce: For living and dying we are his.
9. For to this end Chriſt both died, and roſe, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
9. For this being the very end of Chriſts dying, riſing and reviving, that he might be Lord of all both dead and living, who ſhall preſume to take the governing or judging power out of his Hands, and take Mens Souls and Conſciences from ſubjection to him, and expect to be obeyed or pleaſed before him?
10. But why doſt thou judge thy brother? Or, why doſt thou ſet at nought thy brother? For we ſhall all ſtand before the judgment ſeat of Chriſt.
10. Why then doth one Party call their Brethren ſinners, or prophane, for not being againſt ſuch lawful things as they call unlawful: And why do the other part vilifie their Brethren for Conſcionable ſcrupling and avoiding ſuch a lawful thing. Do you not all know our common imperfection of Knowledge, and that we have no authority for ſuch Judgment or Contempt? And are you not afraid thus to uſurp the Judgment which belongs to Chriſt, and fear leſt he will judge you for your uncharitableneſs to his Servants.
11, 12. For it is written, As I live, ſaith the Lord, every knee ſhall bow to me, and every tongue ſhall confeſs to God. So then every one of us ſhall give account of himſelf to God.
11, 12. God hath told us in his Word that he will be firſt obeyed and pleaſed before all Men: It is he that is our ſupreme abſolute Lord; and to him we muſt all give our great account, and from him receive our final doom: And would you wiſh any then to obey or humour you, when he is perſwaded that it diſpleaſeth God, and would condemn him? Or will you anticipate God's Judgment, and tempt Men out of the fear of ſinning by your fallible cenſures or contempt?
13. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a ſtumbling block, or an occaſion to fall in his brothers way.
13. Let not us therefore (Paſtors or Neighbours) thus uncharitably judge or uſe each other, for ſuch tolerable differences in things that are done Conſcientiouſly as for God: But inſtead of this diſcouraging Conſcience, and the fear of ſin, let this be your true Judgment, that no Man (Clergy or Lay) do either by Command or his own practice, put a Stumbling-block, Scandal, or occaſion of ſinning or hurt in his Brothers way, pretending the lawfulneſs of the thing, or his own authority to impoſe it: Souls muſt not be ſo driven upon ſin.
14. I know, and am perſwaded by the Lord Jeſus, that there is nothing unclean of it ſelf; but to him that eſteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
14. I (that am an Apoſtle, and therefore want not Knowledge, nor Authority to command what ſhould be commanded in ſuch caſes,) do know and am perſwaded in and by the Lord Jeſus, that none of the Meats counted unclean and avoided by the Jewiſh Chriſtians, are unlawful in themſelves, and that they miſtake that think otherwiſe. But it is unclean, and unlawful to him that thinks it ſo, (or elſe Men muſt do that which they think God forbideth, which were formal diſobedience to him.)
15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkeſt thou not charitably: Deſtroy not him with thy meat for whom Chriſt died. 16. Let not then your good be evil ſpoken of.
15, 16. But if by thy unneceſſary practice of an indifferent lawful thing (and much more if by thy compulſion) thy miſtaken Brother be hurt and galled, and diſcouraged in Religion, now thou art guilty of the great ſin of uncharitableneſs, when he was guilty but of a pardonable unwilling miſtake: And ſee to it, that thou do not thus by (the practice or urging of) thy things indifferent deſtroy him for whom Chriſt died, by drawing or driving him to that which to him is ſin: Chriſt purchaſed Souls by a dearer price than things indifferent. It's good in you to know more than he, and lawful to uſe ſuch Meats as he ſcrupleth: But turn not your Knowledge into a ſcandal, and offence, and miſchief.
17. For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteouſneſs and peace, and joy in the holy Ghoſt.
17. For it is not every lawful indifferent thing, (no nor every truth or ſmaller duty) which Chriſtianity and Salvation, and right to our Love and Communion lieth on: Theſe are not eſſential to the acceptable Subjects of Chriſts Kingdom: Think not ſo unworthily of him that came to free us from the Moſaical Ceremonies, that he hath made ſuch things as theſe the neceſſary terms of Love and Communion in his Church. But it is in Righteouſneſs before God and Man, and in the Love and Practice of Peace with all, and in the joyful ſenſe of the love of God and hope of Glory ſhed abroad on our Hearts by the Holy Ghoſt, taking pleaſure to help and comfort our Brethren in the way to Heaven. This is Chriſtianity.
18. For he that in theſe things ſerveth Chriſt is acceptable to God and approved of men.
18. For notwithſtanding ſuch difference in leſſer things, he that is ſuch a one, and in theſe things ſincerely ſerveth Chriſt, is acceptable to God, whoever cenſure him, deſpiſe him, or excommunicate him; and he is approved of Wiſe and Charitable Men, and is one whoſe Life, even the Natural Conſcience of Men will ſecretly be forced to approve, and condemn them that condemn and vilifie him.
19. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edifie another.
19. Inſtead therefore of Excommunicating, Abuſing or Deſpiſing one another for ſuch Ceremonies, or ſmall differences as theſe, if we are Chriſtians, let us lay by theſe matters of contention, and earneſtly purſue the things that make for the Common Peace of all Chriſtians, though thus differing, and the things by which we may further each others Edification and Salvation, and not obtrude our own Opinions, or things unneceſſary, to the hurt of others, and diviſion of the Church.
20. For meat deſtroy not the work of God: All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
20. Obtrude not your ſcrupled Meat, or Ceremonies, or ſmall things, to the deſtroying of Men's Souls by driving or drawing them to ſin. All ſuch indifferent things are pure to the pure; but it is your ſin if you uſe them (much more if you impoſe them) to the ſcandal, offence, or hurt of others.
21. It is good neither to eat fleſh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother ſtumbleth or is offended, or is made weak.
21. It is thy duty to forbear even Fleſh and Wine when they are not neceſſary, if the uſe of them will occaſion ſin or more hurt to thy Brother than good to thee; much more to avoid obtruding thy indifferent things on him who takes them to be ſins.
22. Haſt thou faith? Have it to thy ſelf before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himſelf in that thing which he alloweth.
22. Haſt thou more Knowledge than he, to believe thoſe things to be lawful, which he judgeth ſin. Keep thy knowledge and belief to thy ſelf, to juſtifie thy Judgment to God: but uſe it not to the hurt of others. Happy is he that uſeth not his Knowledge of good and evil to his own condemnation. It's a ſad kind of Knowledge which is uſed to deſtroy others, and condemn thy ſelf.
23. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, becauſe he eateth not of faith: for whatſoever is not of faith is ſin.
23. I may well call it deſtroying thy Brother: For if he do the indifferent thing, who rather thinketh it to be unlawful, it tendeth to his damnation, becauſe it is ſin in his Opinion and Interpretation, while be believeth it to be ſo, or not to be lawful. For what ever a Man doth believing it to be ſin, and not believing that God alloweth it, is certainly a ſin in him.