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ing no queftion for confcience fake: for the earth "is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof." We may take these things from God's hand, who is the true LORD of them and of all creatures. we may without fcrupulous enquiry, which are publickly expofed to fale.

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For this reason use those meats

And fo likewife in the other cafe, if we be invited to the table of an heathen, we may eat what is fet before us, without enquiring whether it be part of an idol-facrifice. But if any man tell us, that this meat was offered in facrifice to idols, in that cafe we ought to abftain from eating of it, " for his fake that fhew"ed it, and for confcience fake;" that is, out of regard to the opinion of those, who think these meats unlawful for the earth is the LORD's, and the "fulness thereof." Alfo in another fenfe, GOD hath made fuch abundant provifion for us, that we may abstrain from this or that meat without any great inconvenience. "Confcience, I fay, not thine own "but another's." He had faid before, we should "eat of what was fet before us, afking no queftion "for confcience fake;" that is, not making it a matter of conscience to ourselves: now he fays, if we be told it was offered to an idol, we should not eat "for confcience fake;" that is, not as making a matter of conscience of it to ourselves, but out of regard to the confcience of another," to whom it might be a scandal. "For why is my liberty judg"ed of another man's confcience? and if I with

thanksgiving be a partaker, why am I evil spoken "of for that which I give thanks ?" that is, why fhould another man's confcience be a prejudice to my liberty? If another makes confcience of it as unlawful, why fhould his confcience govern mine, and make me think so too; or why fhould I be evil spoken of,

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for thinking it lawful to eat any thing fet before me, 8 E-R M. for which I give thanks? This is a little obfcure; but, the plain meaning of the apoftle's reafoning feems to be this; though I have that regard to another man's weak conscience, as to abftain from eating what he thinks unlawful, yet am I not therefore bound to be of his opinion, and think it unlawful in itfelf: I will confider his weakness so far as to forbear that which I am perfuaded is lawful to do, but yet I will still preserve the liberty of my own judgment; and as I am content to give no fcandal to him, fo I expect that he fhould not cenfure and condemn me for thinking that lawful, which he believes not to be fo: and then from all this discourse, the apostle establisheth this general rule in the text, "Wherefore, whether ye eat or "drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of "GOD." To which is parallel that other text, 1 Pet. iv. 11. That God in all things may be glori"fied" So that this general rule lays a duty upon all Chriftians of defigning the glory of GoD in all their actions. All the difficulty is, what is here meant by this of doing all things "to the glory of "GOD." The Jews have a common faying, which feems to be parallel with this phrafe of the apostle, "that all things fhould be done in the name of "GOD." And this they make fo effential to every good action, that it was a received principle among them, that he who obeys any command of GOD, and not in his name, fhall receive no reward. Now that to do things in the name of GOD, and to do them to his glory, are but feveral phrafes fignifying the fame thing, is evident from that precept of the apostle, Col. iii. 17. "And whatsoever ye do in word, or in deed, do all in the name of the LORD JESUS "CHRIST;" that is, to his glory.

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SER M. clear understanding of the fenfe of this phrase of glorifying God, or doing thing's to God's glory; we will confider the various use of it in fcripture, and so descend to the proper and particular fenfe of it here in the text.

"The Glory of GoD" is nothing elfe but the honour which is given to him by his creatures; and confequently the general notion of glorifying God, or doing any thing to his glory, is to defign to honour GoD by fuch and fuch actions: and this phrafe is in fcripture more especially applied to these following particulars..

I. We are faid in fcripture to glorify God by a folemn acknowledgment of him and his perfections; of his goodness and mercy, of his power and wisdom, of his truth and faithfulness, of his fovereign dominion and authority over us:. Hence it is that all folemn actions of religion are called the worship of God, which fignifies that honour and glory which is given to him by his creatures, fignified by fome outward expreffion of reverence and refpect. Thus we are faid to worfhip God, when we fall down before him, and pray to him for mercy and bleffings, or praife him for favours and benefits received from him, or perform any other folemn act of religion. Pfal. lxxxvi. 9. "All nations "whom thou haft made, fhall come and worship be"fore thee, O LORD, and fhall glorify thy name."

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But especially the duty of praise and thanksgiving is moft frequently in fcripture called glorifying of GOD, or giving glory to him. Pfal. lxxxvi. 14. "I will. "praife thee, O LORD my GOD, with all my heart, "and will glorify thy name." Matth. v. 16. "Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee "your good works, and glorify your Father which is " in heaven;" that is, praise him upon that account. Luke v. 25. it is faid of the man fick of the palfy, that when he was healed, "he departed to his own houfe, glorify

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"glorifying GOD; that is, praifing GOD for his SER M.
great mercy to him. And Luke xvii. 18. our SA-
VIOUR speaking of the ten lepers that were healed, fays
that "but one of them returned to give glory to God;"
that is, to return thanks to God for his recovery.

II. Men are faid in fcripture to give glory to God by the acknowledgment of their fins, and repentance of them. Joshua vii. 19. "And Joshua faid to A"chan, My fon, give glory to the LORD GOD of If"rael, and make confeffion to him." In like manner the prophet Jeremiah, exhorting the people to repentance, ufeth this expreffion, Jer. xiii. 16. "Give "glory to the LORD your GOD, before he caufe

darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the "dark mountains." And Rev. xvi. 9. it is faid, that those upon whom great plagues fell," repented "not to give GOD glory." We glorify God by confeffion of our fins and repentance, because in fo doing we acknowledge his authority, and the holiness of thofe righteous laws which we have broken.

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III. We are faid likewife in fcripture to glorify GOD by our holiness and obedience. Thus we are commanded to glorify God by the chastity of our bodies, and the purity of our minds, 1 Cor. vi. 20. Glorify GoD in your body, and in your fpirit, "which are his." Thus our SAVIOUR is faid to have glorified GOD in the world, by his perfect obedience to his will, John xvii. 4. "Father, I have "glorified thee upon earth." And thus he tells us, we may glorify GOD by the fruits of holinefs and obedience in our lives, John xv. 8. Herein is my "Father glorified, if ye bring forth much fruit." So likewife St. Paul prays for the Philippians, that they may be filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs, "which are by JESUS CHRIST unto the glory and praife of GOD." IV. We

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IV. We are faid likewise in an especial manner to glorify God by our fufferings for his cause and truth. John xxi. 19. our SAVIOUR, foretelling St. Peter's martyrdom, expreffeth it by this phrase of glorifying GOD by his death: "this fpake he, fignifying by "what death he should glorify God."

V. and lastly, And because religion is the folemn honour, and public owning and acknowledgment of the Deity. Hence it is that in fcripture we are faid to glorify God in a peculiar and eminent manner, when in all our actions we confult the honour and advantage of religion. Upon this account St. Peter exhorts the ministers of the gospel, fo to preach to the people, and fo to perform the public offices of religion, as may be for the honour of religion; and this he calls glorifying of GOD, I Pet. iv. 11. "If any man fpeak, "let him fpeak as the oracles of GOD; if any man "minister, let him do it as of the ability which GOD "giveth, that GOD in all things may be glorified." And because the peace and unity of Chriftians is fo very much for the honour and advantage of religion, therefore we are said in an especial manner to glorify GOD, by maintaining the peace and unity of the church, Rom. xv. 5, 6. " Now the God of patience " and confolation grant you to be like minded one "toward another, that ye may with one mind and "one mouth glorify GoD, "LORD JESUS CHRIST." we are faid to do all things when in all our actions we have a regard to the promoting and advancing of religion, and the edification of Chriftians. For here by eating and drinking "to "the glory of GoD, the apoftle plainly means, that when things offered to idols are fet before us, we fhould refrain from them, when by our eating, the

even the Father of our

And here in the text, "to the glory of God,"

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