Chapter XXV: The Poor 389 (7)

The second lesson is that we must ever use our Christian liberty with Christian consideration of others. Love must mingle with all we do. There are many things which are lawful for a Christian, but which are not compulsory or obligatory, and which he may refrain from doing on cause shown. Duties he must of course discharge, regardless of the effect his conduct may have on others. He may be quite sure he will be misunderstood; he may be sure evil motives will be imputed to him; he may be sure disastrous consequences will be the first result of his action; but if conscience says this or that _must_ be done, then all thought of consequences must be thrown to the winds. But where conscience says, not "You must," but only "You may," then we must consider the effect our using our liberty will have on others. We lie as Christians under an obligation to consider others, to lay aside all pride of advanced ideas, and this not merely that we may submit ourselves to those who know better than we, but that we may not offend those who are bound by prejudices of which we are rid. We must limit our liberty by the scrupulosity of prejudiced, narrow-minded, weak people. We must forego our liberty to do this or that if by doing it we should shock or disturb a weak brother or encourage him to overstep his conscience. As the Arctic voyager who has been frozen up all winter does not seize the first opportunity to escape, but waits till his weaker companions gain strength enough to accompany him, so must the Christian accommodate himself to the weaknesses of others, lest by using his liberty he should injure him for whom Christ died. Never was there a man who more fully understood the freedom of the Christian position than Paul; no man was ever more entirely lifted out of the mist of superstition and formalism into the clear light of free, eternal life: but with this freedom he carried a sympathy with weak and entangled beginners which prompted him to exclaim, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend."

Our conduct must be limited and to a certain extent regulated by the narrow-mindedness, the scruples, the prejudices, the weakness in short, of others. We cannot say, I see my way to do so-and-so, let my friend think what he pleases; I am not to be trammelled by his superstition or ignorance; let my conduct have what effect it will on him; I am not responsible for that; if he does not see it to be right, I do, and I will act accordingly. We cannot speak thus if the matter be indifferent; if it be a matter we can lawfully abstain from, then abstain we must if we would follow the Apostle who followed Christ. This is the practical law which stands in the forefront of Christ's teaching and was sealed by every day of His life. It is enounced not only by St. Paul: "Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died;" "Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died," but also in our Lord's still more emphatic words, "Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Paul could not look on his weak brethren as narrow-minded bigots, could not call them hard names and ride rough-shod over their scruples; and to this delicate consideration he was aided by the remembrance that these were the persons for whom Christ died. For them Christ sacrificed, not merely a little feeling or a little of His own way, but His own will and self entirely. And the spirit of Christ is still manifested in all in whom He dwells, specially in a humility and yieldingness of disposition which is not led by self-interest or self-complacency, but seeks the weal of other men. Nothing shows us more distinctly the thorough manner in which St. Paul partook of the spirit of Christ than his ability to say, "I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ."

_MAINTENANCE OF THE MINISTRY._

"Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ
our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle
unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine
apostleship are ye in the Lord. Mine answer to them that do
examine me is this, Have we not power to eat and to drink? Have
we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other
Apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only
and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working? Who goeth a
warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and
eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and
eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man?
or saith not the Law the same also? For it is written in the law
of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth
out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith He it
altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is
written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he
that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have
sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall
reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power
over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this
power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the Gospel of
Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things
live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the
altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord
ordained that they which preach the Gospel should live of the
Gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I
written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it
were better for me to die, than that any man should make my
glorying void. For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to
glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if
I preach not the Gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have
a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the Gospel is
committed unto me. What is my reward then? Verily that, when I
preach the Gospel, I may make the Gospel of Christ without
charge, that I abuse not my power in the Gospel. For though I be
free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that
I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that
I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the Law, as under
the Law, that I might gain them that are under the Law; to them
that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to
God, but under the Law to Christ,) that I might gain them that
are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain
the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all
means save some."--1 COR. ix. 1-22.