Rites and Ceremonies which they had us'd fo long; that they very weakly and foolishly endeavoured to re-inforce and confirm them, even under that Gospel Difpenfation which effectually put an End to, and difannulled them. On this Reason they took it very ill of St. Paul and his Affiftants, because they would not lay the Yoke of the Mofaick Law, as well as the Yoke of the Law of Chrift upon the Converted Gentiles. And from hence again, it was, that thofe HeartBurnings arose between the two Parties of believing Jews and believing Gentiles; which St. Paul endeavours to temper and allay in this Chapter. The believing Gentiles were ready to upbraid the believing Jews with their impertinent and infignificant Superftitions; and the believing Jews were as apt to reproach the Gentiles again with their Libertinism and Profaneness. Our Apostle pities the Jews, who labour'd under fuch ftrong and feemingly well grounded Prejudices: But, at the fame Time he ftands by the Gentiles in maintaining their juft Liberties in Chrift. And he teaches thefe believing Gentiles, how to act a prudent Part, and to mafter the Weakness of the mistaken Jews by Degrees; and the believing Jews, how to grow every Day wifer and more charitable. And this is his general Meaning and Defign thro' this whole Chapter: And this Advice was more than likely to prevent any Separation of the Believing Jews and Gentiles from one another; which otherwise, in all human Probability, muft have been the unhappy Confequences of their growing Feuds and Animofities.

But still there is nothing mention'd in all this Chapter, that has any relation to Divine Wor

fhip. Every one will acknowledge, that, to put a Difference between Meats clean and unclean, has nothing of that Nature in it: And many Nations wholly Heathenifh at this Day, obferve fuch Differences between Meats and Drinks, upon Fancies peculiar ro themselves; or it may be, from fome Notices traditionally deriv'd to them of what Rules had been given to the Jewish Nation by their God, And as for a Difference between Days and Times; the Gentile Chriftians had no Reason to reproach the Jews for obferving them, fince the unqueftoinable Records of the Church inform us, that the Christian Society, from the very beginning had their religious Fafts and Festivals, fuch in particular as the Paffion-Week, and the Feaft of Eafter. But he who looks accurately into the Law of Moses, will find, that as the Jews at all Times were obliged to distinguish between Things clean and unclean; fo there were fome particular Seafons, when those very Meats which were free for them to eat at other Times as clean, were yet abfolutely and under the fevereft Penalties forbidden them for a while, as if they had been polluted and unclean. To prove this Obfervation, I need not refer to any thing but the Feast of unleavened Bread, the Days of which were to commence immediately with the Feast of the Paffover. It was lawful for the People of Ifrael to eat Leavened Bread at all other Times; but at that Time and for Seven Days together, no fuch Thing was to be found in any of their Houses upon the feverest Exod. 12. Penalty: No; For fays God Himself, Whosoever in that Space of Time eateth that which is leavened, even that Soul fhall be cut off from the Congregation of Ifrael, whether he be a Stranger, or one

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born in the Land. This Feast of unleavened Bread, as it was a Typical Ceremony, fo it was fuperfeded by the Settlement of the Chriftian Law: And all Meats, after the Afcenfion of our Saviour into Heaven, might be as freely eaten on those Days' as on any other: And on this Reafon our Apoftle in the Chapter before us joins the Obfervation of Days, according to the Jewish Mode, and the Diftin&tion of Meats together. One Exod.xii. Man, fays he, efteemeth one Day above another, i. e. 5. one Jew following the Mofaic Prescriptions obferves fuch or fuch a particular Day in a religious Manner, and for the better folemnizing the Day, refrains from fuch or fuch Meats at that Time, as not fit or lawful to be eaten on fuch a Holiday; Another Man efteems every Day alike; i.e. he thinks, as being better inform'd in the Point, that fuch Days give no Occafion of making a Difference between Meats of one, and of another Kind; but all were alike free, and might be as lawfully eaten at all Times, as if they had been at all Times Legally clean. Let every Man endeavour to clear himself from all Doubts and Scruples in fuch Cafes. And whether any Man think fo or fo, let him remember at all Times, and in all Things to aim at the Glory of God, which ought to be the great End of all human Converfation, as well as of religious of divine Worship.

He who regards the Day, or he who regards it not muft ftill do it to the Lord. And he who is very nice about Meats and Drinks at fome particular Times and Seafons, and he who eats of all Things indifferently at all Times, must do fo too, and give God Thanks. From whence by the Way, we may observe, that Days of

Feaft

Feafting, or of Abftinence, are not in themselves of fo very indifferent a Nature as fome would perfuade us. It is good, it is religious, it is Chriftian-like to keep particular Days of Thankf giving to Almighty God for Mercies receiv'd: It is pious at fome Times to abftain from all Meats and Drinks; at other Times from fome particular Things, fuch efpecially as fmell of Luxury and Epicurifm: Tho' it may be granted, that whether we do this out of a miftaken Conceit, that there is fomething of Purity or Impurity in fuch or fuch a Diet, or as a Matter abfolutely indifferent; fo long as we keep our Conceits private, within our own Breasts, there is no great Danger in them. Men ought not to condemn or to feparate from one another, upon Account of any fuch peculiar and mistaken Notions. Again, whether we obferve fuch Feftivals, or Days of Abftinence out of a Belief that it is our abfolute and indispensable Duty toward God to do fo, or out of a Senfe of our Duty to our Lawful Governors Civil or Ecclefiaftical, who have appointed fuch particular Days or Times to be kept; these Grounds of our PraЯices are of a very indifferent Nature; provided always that we don't conclude from thence that the Works or Duties of Thanksgiving and Mortification are Matters of Indifference too. This whole Chapter confifts of Advices agreeable to these Observations, but meddles not at all with our Management of our felves in the Worship of God: Whence it must needs be a very impertinent Thing, to go about to prove, that Nothing can lawfully be done in Divine Worship, but of which every particular Perfon concern'd in it is throughly convinced, that it is lawful:

Nay,

Nay, fuppofing, but not granting, that that Supposition were true, yet this Chapter has no Reterence to it, nor can ever prove it.

2. We are to obferve, that the Word Faith made use of in the Text, it it does any where elfe, yet here does not fignify the meer inward Perfuafion and Satisfaction of every particular Perfon's Mind, which muft always in several Men be very different, as thofe feveral Men are of very different Capacities. But by the Word Faith in the Text the Apoftle means the whole Doctrine of the Gofpel; fo the Words, Whatfoever is not of Faith, is Sin; which bear no other Senfe but this, Whatsoever is done by Christians as fuch, and is not agreeable to the Faith, which is profefs'd by Chriftians, according to the Doctrine of Faith, that is Sin. But to cenfure or condemn any for their Indifference as to the Jewish Customs in the Ufe of Times, or of Meats or Drinks, as it is extreamly uncharitable, fo it is directly contrary to that Doctrine, which contains the Faith of Chriftians, and therefore fuch cenfuring muft be Sin. And this Interpretation of the Words affords us an infallible, and therefore an undeniable Truth. That the Word Faith frequently carries this Meaning, which I have put upon it, in Scripture, we may learn by that of the Evangelift, A great Number Acs 8.74 of the Priefts were obedient to the Faith, i. e. They were obedient to, or readily embraced the Do&rine of Faith, or the whole glad Tydings of Salvation by Jefus Chrift, as held forth by the Preachers of the Gofpel, or the Apoftles. So we are told again of Elymas the Sorcerer, that he withstood the Preaching of St. Paul and his VOL. II.

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