purchafing the meat offered in the market to public fale, left it might have been part of some victim to a Heathen god, and should, as they imagined, involve them in the guilt of partaking in an idolatrous facrifice. The apostle, with his usual good fenfe and liberality of mind, acknowledges the juftnefs of their opinion, who held most strongly the vanity of idols; but adds, that in this, as every other cafe, each man's conduct was to be regulated by the perfuafion of his own conscience." As concerning therefore, fays "he, the eating of thofe things which are offered "unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the "world; and that there is no other God but one. "Howbeit, there is not in every man that know"ledge; for fome, with confcience of the idol unto "this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol, " and their confcience being weak, is offended."Here also he inculcates the neceffity of acting in fuch a manner as should not offend the prejudices, or entangle the consciences of weak brethren, however intrinfically indifferent the action may be. " Meat

66

(fays he) commendeth us not to God; for neither "if we eat are we the better; neither if we eat not "are we the worfe: but take heed left by any "means this liberty of yours become a stumbling "block to them that are weak; for if any man fee "thee, who haft knowledge, fit at meat in the idols temple, fhall not the conscience of him which is

66

a

1 Cor. viii. and x. which should also be read over to illuf trate the apostle's reafoning.

"weak

"weak be emboldened to eat those things which are "offered unto idols, and through thy knowledge "shall thy weak brother perifh, for whom Christ "died; but when ye fo fin against the brethren, ❝ and wound their weak conscience, ye fin against "Chrift."-In another paffage, where he warns the Corinthians against partaking in idolatrous rites, he diftinguishes carefully between the general principle of Christian liberty which he had laid down, and the errors or temptations to which its abuse might lead. "What fay I then? that the idol is any thing, or "that which is offered in facrifice to idols is any "thing? but I fay, that the things which the Gen“tiles facrifice, they facrifice unto devils, and not "unto God and I would not that ye fhould have "fellowship with devils."-To close our obfervation on this point, how admirably does the apostle distinguish between the full extent of Christian liberty confidered in general, and the expediency of exercifing that liberty in particular cafes; and how clearly does he lay down, both by precept, and by reference to his own example, the principles which should determine that expediency.-"All things are "lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: "all things are lawful for me, but all things edify Let no man seek his own, (advantage folely) "but (alfo) that of others. Whatsoever is fold in the * shambles, that eat, asking no question for confci

❝ not.

b

I Cor. x. 19, 20.

с I Cor. x. 23.

ence

"ence fake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the "fullness thereof. If any of them that believe bid 66 you, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is fet be. "fore you eat, afking no question for confcience "fake. But if any man fay unto you this is offered "in facrifice unto idols, eat not for his fake that "fhewed it, and for confcience fake. Conscience, I "fay, not thine own, but of the other. Whether "therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do "all to the glory of God,

Thus in the gofpel pure intention-the heartrectitude of principle-humility-fincerity, are all in all the humble publican is justified above the selfrighteous Pharifee; the mite of the widow is accepted beyond the oftentatious display of donations accumulated by the rich; the minuter duties of religion are to be fincerely discharged; but never can they excuse or atone for our neglecting the weightier matters of the law, "justice, judgement and truth." Thus in the Christian scheme every thing has its value, place and order, affigned to it, with the most confummate wisdom, and the most perfect knowledge of the human heart; now can such a system originate from the wild extravagance of fanaticism? As well might we fuppofe the ravings of the mad-man should, in order and regularity, excel the fpeculations of the philofopher :-no; fuch doctrines are certainly the offspring of truth and fobernefs alone.

Another

Another character of Chriftian morality, directly contrary to the genius both of fanaticism and imposture, is the manner in which it inculcates the obligation, and explains the duties which arise from the different relations of civil fociety. Every religious fyftem, founded on impofture, has had for its chief object, to employ the power obtained by fpiritual delufions, in acquiring or maintaining political authority; it confecrates the legislator, the sovereign, or the magistrate, by investing them with the characters, or fupporting them by the fanction of the prophet and the priest. In this respect Christianity, in its original fimplicity, ftands totally free from every fufpicion. The kingdom of our Saviour and his apostles, was moft literally "not of this world;" in no one instance did they claim or exercise any degree of political power, or encroach in the least on the authority of the magiftrate, either by their precept or their practice. They did not make religion a pretext for divifion or confufion; the fovereign and fubject, the husband and wife, the master and servant, altered not their mutual relations from the reception of Christianity; none were released from the ties of marriage, the bonds of allegiance, or the stipulations of service, by the new religious character which they affumed; they were still to continue in their respective states, and to discharge their various duties, but with more strict fidelity, and more exalted views: no longer as pleasers of men, but as fervants of

a Col. iii. 22.

"God."

"God." Thus anxious only for the religious and moral improvement of men, to this alone did they confine their attention: furely this is the conduct of difinterested fincerity.

But their caution and forbearance in this re

fpect, was not more decidedly free from the interested ambition of imposture, than from the violence of fanaticism; this, in almost every instance where it has been exhibited, has carried with it a levelling principle in political affairs. The enthufiaft exalted, as he conceives himself, by the peculiar favour of God, fcorns to yield homage to man; he tramples on the claims of established authority; he despises the relation of citizen and fubject as mean and worldly, and fometimes, even as impious and profane. The extravagancies which flow from fuch wild tenets too frequently difgrace the pages of ecclefiaftical history, to require they should be here recited; but it is important to remark, how entirely Christianity is free from them. How admirably does our Saviour point out the perfect confistency between civil obedience to men, and pious homage to God. "Render unto Cæfar the "things that are Cæfar's, and to God the things "that are God's." How carefully did he guard during his whole ministry, and especially in the last awful scene of his trial and his fufferings, against giving the least pretext for suspecting him of claiming any political power for himself, or for his followers;

• Matt. xxii. 21.

and