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TEXT.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

PARAPHRASE.

night, the dark state of this world, wherein the good and the bad can scarce be distinguished, is far spent. The day, that will show every one in his own dress and colours, is at hand. Let us, therefore, put away the works that we should be ashamed of, but in the dark; and let us put on the dress and ornaments that we should be willing to appear in, in the 13 light. Let our behaviour be decent, and our carriage such as fears not the light, nor the eyes of men; not in disorderly feastings and drunkenness; nor in dalliance and wan14 tonness: nor in strife and envy. But walk in newness of life, in obedience to the precepts of the Gospel, as becomes those who are baptized into the faith of Christ, and let not the great employment of your thoughts and cares be wholly in making provision for the body, that you may have wherewithal to satisfy your carnal lusts.

NOTES.

12 "Onλα, "armour." The word in the Greek is often used for the apparel, cloathing, and accoutrements of the body.

13 These he seems to name with reference to the night, which he had mentioned, these being the disorders to which the night is usually set apart.

These probably were set down, with regard to universal love and good-will, which he was principally here pressing them to.

SECTION XIII.

CHAPTER XIV. 1-XV. 13.

CONTENTS.

ST. Paul instructs both the strong and the weak, in their mutual duties one to another, in respect of things indifferent, teaching them, that the strong should not use their liberty, where it might offend a weak brother: nor the weak censure the strong, for using their liberty.

TEXT.

1 Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations.

2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.

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.

4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master

PARAPHRASE.

1 Him that is weak in the faith, i. e. not fully persuaded of his Christian liberty, in the use of some indifferent thing, receive you into your friendship and conversation, without any coldness or distinction, but do not engage him in 2 disputes and controversies about it. For such variety is there in men's persuasions, about their Christian liberty, that one believeth that he may, without restraint, eat all things; another is so scrupulous, that he eateth nothing but herbs. 3 Let not him, that is persuaded of his liberty, and eateth, despise him that, through scruple, eateth not: And let not him, that is more doubtful, and eateth not, judge or censure him that eateth, for God hath received him into his church and 4 family And who art thou, that takest upon thee to judge

NOTES.

1 That the reception, here spoken of, is the receiving into familiar and ordinary conversation, is evident from chap. xv. 7, where he, directing them to receive one another mutually, uses the same word wpooλaubaveode, i. e. live together in a free and friendly manner, the weak with the strong, and the strong with the weak, without any regard to the differences among you, about the lawfulness of any indifferent things. Let those that agree, or differ, concerning the use of any indifferent thing, live together all alike.

3, 4" By him that eateth," ver. 3, St. Paul seems to mean the Gentiles, who were less scrupulous, in the use of indifferent things; and, by "him that eateth not," the Jews, who made a great distinction of meats and drinks and days, and placed in them a great, and, as they thought, necessary part of the worship of the true God. To the Gentiles the apostle gives this caution, that they should not contemn the Jews, as weak, narrow-minded men, that laid so much stress on matters of so small moment, and thought religion so much concerned in those indifferent things. On the other side, he exhorts the Jews, not to judge that those, who neglected the Jewish observances of meats and days, were still heathens, or would soon apostatize to heathenism again: no, says he; God has received them, and they are of his family: and thou hast nothing to do to judge, whether they are, or will continue, of his family, or no; that belongs only to him, the Master of the family, to judge, whether they shall stay, or leave his family or no. But, notwithstanding thy censure, or hard thoughts, of them, they shall not fall off, or apostatize; for God is able to continue them in his family, in his church, notwithstanding thou suspectest, from their free use of things indifferent, they incline too much or approach too near to Gentilism.

TEXT.

he standeth or falleth, Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he 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. 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

PARAPHRASE.

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the domestic of another, whether he be of his family, or no? It is his own master alone, who is to judge whether he be, or shall continue, his domestic, or no: what hast thou to do, to meddle in the case? But trouble not thyself; he shall stand and stay in the family. For God is able to confirm and 5 establish him there". One man judgeth one day to be set apart to God more than another: another man judgeth every day to be God's alike. Let every one take care to he satisfied in his own mind, touching the matter. But let him not cen6 sured another in what he doth. He that observeth a day, observeth it as the Lord's servant, in obedience to him; and he that observeth it not, passes by that observance, as the Lord's servant, in obedience also to the Lord. He that eateth what another out of scruple forbears, eateth it as the Lord's servant: for he giveth God thanks. And he that, out of scruple, forbeareth to eat, does it also as the Lord's servant : for he giveth God thanks, even for that which he doth, and 7 thinks he may not eat. For no one of us Christians liveth, as if he were his own man, perfectly at his own disposal: and 8 no one of us dies so. For whether we live, our life is

NOTES.

5 The apostle having, in the foregoing verse, used xpívɛiv aλλóτpiov oixétny, for judging any one to be or not to be another man's servant or domestic, he seems here to continue the use of the word xpive in the same signification, i. e. for judging a day to be more peculiarly God's.

This may be concluded to be the apostle's sense, because the thing, he is upon here, is to keep them from censuring one another, in the use of things indifferent; particularly the Jews, from judging the Gentiles, in their neglect of the observance of days or meats. This judging being what St. Paul principally endeavoured here to restrain, as being opposite to the liberty of the Gospel, which favoured a neglect of these rituals of the law, which were now antiquated. See Gal. iv. 9-11, and v. 1, 2.

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7 Ouses should, I suppose, be taken here with the same limitation it hath in the former part of the verse, with the pronoun μv; and so should here, as there, be rendered in English, "no one of us," and not, 66 no man," St. Paul speaking here only of Christians: this sense of oudels the next verse seems to confirm.

TEXT.

8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.

9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

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. 11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. 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 brother's way.

PARAPHRASE.

appropriated to the Lord; or whether we die, to him we die, as his servants. For whether we live or die, we are his, 9 in his family, his domestics, appropriated to him. For to this end Christ died, and rose, and lived again, that he might 10 be Lord and proprietor of us, both dead and living. What hast thou then to do, to judge thy brother, who is none of thy servant, but thy equal? Or how darest thou to think contemptibly of him? For we shall, thou, and he, and all of us, be brought before the judgment-seat of Christ, and there we shall answer, every one for himself, to our Lord and Master. 11 For it is written, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee

shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 12 So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to 13 God. Let us not, therefore, take upon us to judge one ano

ther; but rather come to this judgment, or determination of mind, that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion of

NOTES.

8 These words, "we are the Lord's," give an easy interpretation to these phrases of "eating and living, &c. to the Lord;" for they make them plainly refer to what he had said at the latter end of ver. 3. "For God hath received him;" signifying, that God had received all those who profess the Gospel, and had given their names up to Jesus Christ, into his family, and had made them his domestics. And, therefore, we should not judge or censure one another, for that every Christian was the Lord's domestic, appropriated to him, as his menial servant ; and, therefore, all that he did, in that state, was to be looked on, as done to the Lord, and not to be accounted for to any body else.

9 8 Κυριεύση, "might be Lord;" must be taken so, here, as to make this agree with the foregoing verse. There it was 66 we," i. e. we Christians, whether we live or die, are the Lord's propriety for the Lord died and rose again that we, whether living or dying, should be his.

13h He had, before, reproved the weak, that censured the strong in the use of their liberty. He comes, now, to restrain the strong from offending their weak brethren, by a too free use of their liberty, in not forbearing the use of it, where it might give offence to the weak.

TEXT.

14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

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.

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

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.

PARAPHRASE.

14 falling, in his brother's way. I know and am fully assured by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean, or unlawful to be eaten, of itself. But to him that accounts any thing 15 to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be

grieved with thy meat, thy carriage is uncharitable to him. 16 Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let

not then your liberty, which is a good you enjoy under the 17 Gospel, be evil spoken of. For the privileges and advantages of the kingdom of God do not consist in the enjoyment of greater variety of meats and drinks, but in uprightness of life, peace of all kinds, and joy in the gifts and benefits of the 18 Holy Ghost under the Gospel. For he that in these things pays his allegiance and service to Jesus Christ, as a dutiful subject of his kingdom, is acceptable to God, and approved 19 of men. The things therefore that we set our hearts upon to pursue and promote, let them be such as tend to peace and 20 good-will, and the mutual edification of one another. Do not, for a little meat, destroy a man that is the work' of God, and no ordinary piece of workmanship. It is true all sort of wholesome food is pure, and defileth not a man's conscience; but yet it is evil to him who eateth any thing

NOTES.

15 "Grieved" does not here signify simply made sorrowful for what thou doest, but brought into trouble and discomposure, or receives an hurt, or wound, as every one does who, by another's example, does what he supposes to be unlawful. This sense is confirmed in the words, "destroy not him with thy meat:" and also by what he says, 1 Cor. viii. 9-13, in the like case.

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20 The force of this argument, see Matth. vi. 25, “The life is more than meat.”

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