ven liberty--it was to him a prerogative far more precious
to assert the rights of Christian conscience, than to magnify the
privileges of Christian liberty. The scruple may be small and foolish,
but it may be impossible to uproot the scruple without tearing up the
feeling of the sanctity of conscience, and of reverence to the law of
God, associated with this scruple. And therefore the Apostle Paul
counsels these men to abridge their Christian liberty, and not to eat
of those things which had been sacrificed to idols, but to have
compassion upon the scruples of their weaker brethren.

And this, for two reasons. The first of these is a mere reason of
Christian feeling. It might cause exquisite pain to sensitive minds to
see those things which appeared to them to be wrong, done by Christian
brethren. Now you may take a parallel case. It may be, if you will,
mere superstition to bow at the name of Jesus. It may be, and no doubt
is, founded upon a mistaken interpretation of that passage in the
Epistle to the Philippians (ii. 10), which says that "at the name of
Jesus every knee shall bow." But there are many congregations in which
this has been the long-established rule, and there are many Christians
who would feel pained to see such a practice discontinued--as if it
implied a declension from the reverence due to "that name which is
above every name." Now what in this case is the Christian duty? Is it
this--to stand upon our Christian liberty? Or is it not rather
this--to comply with a prejudice which is manifestly a harmless one,
rather than give pain to a Christian brother?

Take another case. It may be a mistaken scruple; but there is no doubt
that it causes much pain to many Christians to see a carriage used on
the Lord's day. But you, with higher views of the spirit of
Christianity, who know that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man
for the Sabbath"--who can enter more deeply into the truth taught by
our blessed Lord, that every day is to be dedicated to Him and
consecrated to His service--upon the high principle of Christian
liberty you can use your carriage--you can exercise your liberty. But
if there are Christian brethren to whom this would give pain--then I
humbly ask you, but most earnestly--What is the duty here? Is it not
this--to abridge your Christian liberty--and to go through rain, and
mud, and snow, rather than give pain to one Christian conscience?

To give one