8t Sca11dals Jig1lijied from tiJe means, a11d ejfe8s. Thefmje of Scandal in the New Tcft. - - ----- §. 14 , S· And what wordr will not do, the ungodly think to do by forct: And it enrageth them that any fhould tdifi their wills, and that their force is patiently endured. What cruel torments j What various forts of heavy fufferings have the Devil and his inflruments devifcd, ro be flumbling blocks to the weak, to affright them into fin ? Feb. I!. 26. §. 1 S· 6. Giftr alfo have blinded the eyes of fome who feemed wife, Exod. 23. 8. As opprrffion mak.fth a wift man mad, fo a gift dcjfroyeth the heart. Wh2r fcandals have preferments proved to the world, and how many have they ruined ? :Few are able to etlecm the reproach ofChrijf to be grea– ter riches than the hcafures of the world. ~· 16. 7• And evil examples are the commondl fort of [candalr; not. as they o/ftnd or grieve, or are app.Jrcntly fiuful; but as they {tem good, and therefore are temptations t'O the weak to irnirare rhe:m. So apt are men to imitation, cfpecially in evil, that they will do what they fee another do withOut ,x ~mining whether it be jufiitiable or not. Efpecially if it be the example citht:r ofGrea; men, or of Lc.Jrncdmen, or of men reputed eminently Godly, or of a Multitude, any of thefe the people are apt to imitate: This therefore is the common way of fc:tndJl ! When people do that which is evil as if it were godd, and thereby draw the ignorant to think it gnod, and 10 imi~ rate them ! Or etfc when they do that which is lawful it felf, in fuch a manner as renderh fo deceive another, and draw him to that which is indeed unlawful; or to hinder him in any thing that is good. ~· 17. 8. Laf\ly, Ev<n Sil<nct and Omiffiont alfo may be fcandalous, and draw another into er– ror and fin. If by filwce you fcem to confent to faiCe doCtrine, or to wicked works, when you 'have opportunity ro controll them, hereby you draw-others to confcnt alfo to the fin: Or if you omit thofe publick or private duties, whkh others may be wirnelfes of, you tempt them to the like omiffion, and to think they are no duties, ~ut indifferent things: For in tvil rhcy will cafily reil in your judgement, and fay that you are WifCI than they : But they are not fo dud:Ilc and flexible to good. ~· I8. S· Sc~ndalr alfo are diflinguiiliablo by the efft/1t: which are fuch asthefe: 1 .Some Sca11dalt do tempt men to actual infidelity, and to deny or doubt of the truth of the Gofpel. 2 • Some fcandals would draw men but into fame particular enor, and from fvmeparticular Truth, while he holds the refl. 3 •Some fcandals draw men to diflike and diflafle the way ofGodlinefs; and fome to diflike the fcrvants of God. 4 •Some fcandals tend to confound men, and bring them to utter uncertainties in Rdigion. S· Some tend to terrifie men from the way of Godlinefs. 6. Some only flop them for a 'time, and difcourage or hinder them in their way. 7· Scme cend to draw them to fomc parti_cular fin. 8. And lame to draw them from fome particular duty. 9 . And fame tend to break and weaken their fpirits, by grief or perplexity of mind. 10 • And as the word_ is ta_kcn in the Old Tefiament, the fnares that malirious men lay to entrap others .in their lives, or l•bcrucs) or d\ates, or names are called foandalt. And all [hcfe wayes a man may finfully fcandalize another. ~· , 9 , And that youmay fee that the fcaHdal forbidden in the N'w T cflament,. is alwaycs of this nature, Jet us take nottce of the pantcular T exts w~ere the word IS ufcd : And hdl to fcandaliz.c is ufed atlivcly in thcfe follo~ing Tdxts. In Matth. ~· before cited, and in. rhc or~cr Evan£;tliHs cidng the fame words, the fcn~c JS ~!ear; l h~t the offendmp. of a hand or rye, 1~ not diftleajing, nor [erkJng of ill report; but hlndenng our falvJtJOn by drawmg us to tin. So m M,mh. 18. 8. & Mar. 9· 4 2 4 3. where the fenfe is thefame. In Matth. 17· 27. [ Ltjl m jhould offwd them, &c. J is nor on– ly [ Lfjl wt dijpleafe them J but lefl we give them occalion to difl•k< Religion, 01 think hardly of the Gofj>el, and lo lay a fiumbhng block to the d311ger of th<Ir fouls. So Matth. I8. 6. & Mark,9. [ Who fo jhaU offmd one of thefe little oner that believe in me, &c. J that is, not who !ball difplra{c them bur who fo by threats, perfecutions, cruelties, flrany mhcr means, fhall go about to turn rhem froU: the faith of Chrifi, or Hcp them in their way to Heaven, or hinder them in a holy life: Thollgh thefe two T exts feem nearefi to the denyed fenfe, yet that is nor indeed their meaning. So in Joh.6.6. Dotb tbiJ offendyou ? rhat is, Doth this ftem incredible to you, or hard to bt believed, or d1gefied? Doth it flop your faith, and makeyou' diflafle my do6l:rinr' So 1 Cor. S. 13· If meat fc•nda!iu my brother, our Tranflators htvc turned it, Ifmeat mtJk.! my brother 1o offtnd: So it was nm dif· pleafing him only, but tempting him to fin, which is the fc.Jn~aliZ:ing here reproved. . . . ~· 20. View alfo the placts where the word [ Scand11l J ts utcd : Mat. 13· 4 l· •IU'7" 7tt Ul'.:~.,ft~.'hrt. aV fcandalt, tra11flated [ aU thingt that offend ] , doth 110t fignifie all that i's dijflc.•frng; but all temptatilJtlS to fin, and hinderances or flumbling blocks that would have flopr men in the way to He"· ven. So in MattiJ, x6. 23. ( a Ttxt ac; like as any to be near the denyed fenfe, yet indeed ) .[ Tbou art a fcandal to me J (tranflated an njfence,) doth not only fignitie, Thou di(ple.:Jjift me, but Thou goejt abnut to IJiP.der me in my undertaken Office, [r9m fotjferin;{ for the redemption of the world: It was an Aptitudinal fcand•l, though not cffctt~ta/. So Mmh. J8. 7. It mujl be that fcandalr come ( tranflated OjftHeeJ) that is, that there be many Humbling blocks fer betore men in their way to Heaven : So Lu~e •7·1· to thefamefenle. And Rom.9. 33· I layinZion ajlumbling j/01te andaroclzoffcan– d.•J ( tranflated [of n!fence J ): _chat ts, fuchas will not only be di[pletJfing, but an occafion of urrcr rumc to the unbc:hcvmg pcnccutmg Jews; acco1dmg to that of Simton) Luke 2· 34· 1hi1 cbi!d i1 fit for
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=