2 One indeed believeth he may eat every thing: but he who is weak IN THE FAITH, (from ver. 1.) eat eth herbs ONLY. 2 3 Let not him who eateth, despise him who eateth not: and let not him who eateth not, (xpireTw) condemn him who eateth; for God hath received him.' 4 Who art thou that condemnest another's household servant: by his own master he standeth or falleth: (ver. 10.) and he shall be made to stand, for 2 The Gentile Christian, indeed, believeth that he may eat every kind of meat; but the Jewish Christian, who is weak in the faith, eats vegetables only in heathen countries, because he cannot find meats which he thinketh clean. 3 Since both act from conscience, Let not the Gentile who eateth every kind of meat, despise the Jew who eateth not certain kinds. And let not the Jew, who eateth not certain kinds, condemn the Gentile who eateth all kinds: for God, by the spiritual gifts bestowed on the Gentile, declareth, that he hath accepted him. 4 Who art thou that condemnest another's household servant? He is accountable to his own master, and not to thee; so that by his own master's sentence he must be acquitted or condemned: and he shall be acquitted: their idolatrous worship; and rather than eat things sacrificed to idols, they lived on vegetables.-Or by the weak in this passage, the apostle may have meant, some Essenes who had embraced the gospel. For that sect thought it unnatural and unlawful to eat any kind of animal food. See Col. ii. 23. note 6. Ver. 3-1. For God hath received him. God hath received both the one and the other into his church, as is evident from his bestowing on both the spiritual gifts; and will receive both the one and the other into his everlasting kingdom, although they may have erred in their opinion about meats and days, provided in that, and in every thing else, they have acted conscientiously This is a powerful argument for our conversing in a friendly manner with each other, notwithstanding we differ in opinion on religious subjects. Ver. 4.-1. By his own master he standeth or falleth. Locke interprets this of one's standing in the church, or of his being excluded from it. See the following note. 2. But he shall be made to stand. Iradneral. Whitby, who translates this, He shall be established, thinks the meaning is, That the weak Jew was to be established in the right faith concerning meats and days, when he should see the temple destroyed, and the law of Moses set aside. But neither this, nor Locke's interpretation, accords with the apostle's reasoning here. The interpretation given in the commentary, I think, is the truq shall be holden up: for δε δυνατος γαρ εςιν ὁ Θεος ζήσαι αυτον. 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 7 Ουδείς γαρ ήμων ἑαυτῷ to himself, and no man ζη, και ουδείς ἑαυτῷ αποδ dieth to himself. νησκει. mearing of the passage. For seeing it appears from ver. 10. that the apos. tle is speaking of Christ's judging his own servants at the last day, the standing, of which he speaks, must be that mentioned, Psal. i. 5. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment; consequently the apostle's meaning is, the servant of Christ, who acts conscientiously, shall be honourably acquitted at the judgment, even though he may have erred through ignorance. Ver. 5.—1. Every day alike. The Jewish holidays only being the subject of controversy, what the apostle hath written concerning them in this passage, cannot be extended to the Sabbath, instituted at the creation, nor to the Christian Sabbath. Ver. 6.1 For he giveth God thanks. By giving God thanks before he eats, he shews himself a religious person, who, in the matter of meats, acts according to what he thinks is the will of God.-The sentiment inculcated in this verse is excellent; as are the rules likewise in verses 3. and 4. Every man ought to believe concerning his neighbour, that in all religious matters, he acts according to conscience, especially if he professes to do so: and though his conscience be ill-informed, he should be left to its direction in these matters.-The Greek commentators affirm, that the rules in this chapter relate to meats and fasting only, and not to doctrines of faith, and matters of great importance. But I see no reason for that limitation. The rights of conscience, and of private judgment, are the more sacred, the more important the affair is about which they are exercised. And therefore in God is able to make him for God hath power to acquit him at stand. the judgment; and will do it, if he hath acted conscientiously. 5 With respect to days, the Jew ́ish Christian, indeed, thinketh one day more holy than another; the new moons, for example, and sabbaths: but the Gentile Christian, better informed, thinketh every day alike holy, because the law of Moses is not the law of Christ's kingdom. Let every one direct himself according to his own conviction, 6 He who observeth the Jewish holy days, observeth them in obedience to Christ, who he thinks hath commanded them. He who doth not observe these days, in obedience to Christ he doth not observe them, knowing that Christ hath abolished them. He who eateth all kinds of meat indiscriminately, eareth them in obedience to Christ, who has permitted them to be eaten; for he giveth God thanks for them, in the persuasion that they are permitted: and he who eateth not every kind, in obedience to Christ he eareth them not, and sheweth his persuasion that they are not permitted, by giving God thanks for the food he is allowed to eat. 7 In thus declaring their subjection to Christ, both of them act properly for none of us liveth by his own will, and none of us is allowed to die by his own will. every thing of importance, as well as in lesser matters, a man's own judgment and conscience, and not the opinion and conscience of another, are appointed by Christ to be the rule of his conduct. Ver. 7.-1. For none of us liveth by himself, and none of us dieth by himself. Zav Tivi, To live to, or by one, is to live at one's p'easure; and Aro&vno21 TIVI, To die to, or by one, is to die at one's pleasure. Thus Sophocles' 1 . 8 For whether we live, 8 Εαν τε γαρ ζωμεν, τῷ we live unto the Lord; Κυρίῳ ζωμεν εαν τε αποθνησ and whether we die, we 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and κωμεν, τῷ Κυρίῳ αποθνησκο μεν· εαν τε ουν ζωμεν, εαν τε αποθνησκωμεν, του Κυρίου εσμεν. 9 Εις τούτο γαρ Χριςος και απέθανε και ανέςη και revived, that he might be ανεζησεν, ἵνα και νεκρων και Lord both of the dead and ζωντων κυριευση. 10 Συ δε τι κρινεις τον αδελφον σου ; η και συ τι εξου δενεις τον αδελφον σου ; παντες γαρ παραςησόμεθα τῷ βηματι του Χρίζου. Ζω 11 Γέγραπται γαρ εγω, λέγει Κύριος, ότι εμοι καμψει σαν γονυ, και πασα γλωσσα εξομολογήσεται τῷ Θεω. Ajax, ver. 990. Θεος τεθνηκεν ουτο; He died by the will of the gods : For the scholiast explains it, εων βελομένων. The apostles argument is, since none of us is his own master, neither hath any right to live as he lists, but all of us are the subjects of Christ, and are obliged to do as he hath commanded, it is an usurpation of Christ's prerogative, to pretend to rule the opinions and actions of others in matters of religion; and no person should submit to such an usurpation. Ver. 91. Liveth again. Ανηζησεν. Many MSS. read here έζησεν, which may be translated, continueth to live, and seems the true reading. 2. That he might rule over both the dead and the living. From this pas. sage, and from Philip. ii. 10. where those under the earth, are said to how the knee to Jesus, it may be inferred, that the souls of men at death, neither sleep nor fall into a state of insensibility. For if that were the case, Christ could not with propriety be said to rule over them, nor they be said to bow the knee to him.-They who hold that the souls of men sleep between death and the resurrection, affirm that the government which Christ exercises over the dead, consists in his maintaining their existence, and in his bringing them to life at the resurrection, in order to be judged. Ver. 11.-1. As I live, saith the Lord. The words saith the Lord, are not in the Hebrew text, but are added by the apostle, to shew that the passage 8 (Tag.) But whether we live, we live by the Lord; and whether we die, we die by the Lord: whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ both died and rose, and liveth again, that he might rule over both dead 2 and the living. 10 But thou, why dost thou condemn thy brother? and thou also, why dost thou despise thy brother? for we shall all be placed before the judgment-seat of Christ. 11 For it is written, (Isa. xlv. 23.) As I live saith the Lord,1 surely to me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess 2 to God. 8 But whether we live, we live by the will of Christ; or whether we die, we die by the will of Christ. Whether we live therefore or die, we are Christ's subjects: and should not, in religious matters, be guided either by our own will, or by the will of others, but by his. 9 To this implicit obedience from all, he hath the completest title: for to this end Christ both died and rose, and liveth again in heaven, that he might rule and judge both the dead and the living. 10 But thou Jew, why dost thou condemn thy Gentile brother, because he neglecteth the distinction of meats and days? Or thou Gentile also, why dost thou despise thy Jewish brother, as a weak bigot, because he observeth these distinctions? In such matters, we should not judge one another: for we shall all be placed before the judgment-seat of Christ, to be judged by him. 11 This was declared to the Jews long ago: "For it is written, I have "sworn by myself, saith the Lord, the "word is gone out of my month," &c. "That unto me every knee shall "bor, and every tongue shall swear." quoted, was spoken by the Lord Messiah, who in the foregoing verse had said, Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. Accordingly the Apostle tells us, Philip. ii. 10, 11. That agreeably to this prophecy, every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus, &c. 2. And every tongue confess to God. Ežquonognoetai T . This is the LXX. translation of the passage. But in the Hebrew it is, unto me every tongue shall swear. But swearing to God, is different from swearing by God. For it signifies, either a vowing to God, or an answering to God upon oath, with respect to our conduct. Now the phrase being used by Isaiah in this latter sense, the LXX. and the apostle have translated it very properly, Every tongue shall confess to God: shall either voluntarily, or by constraint, acknowledge God's sovereign dominion, by giving an account of himself to |