fbe Aggravations of Scandal. 'DireEfions azainft it. fur the faU and rijing again ofmany in lfrael.] Rom. II· 9· Ler thei~ table be made a fnare, a t"P and a }tumbling bloc~{_: The <!reek word ~' r~~.J.rlttMY doth not fignihe a difpleafiJre only) bur an oc– cafion of ruine. So Rom. 14· 13· cxpoundeth it fell, [ 'that no man put a jlumhlmg block.. or tl1t occafion to faU in his Brothers way : J The Greek word is [or afland:~t]. This is the jun So Rev. 2 • r 4 • expoli[ion of the word in its ordinary ufc in the New Tc~ame~t. So Rom._ t6. 17. MarJt tlum BalM._m diJ. which ctJufo dlvi{to1u and {canda!J ( uanflated offences) ; that ts, whtch Jay llurnblmg blocks in the way ~!I."H' ot:~vofChrifi~ans, and would_ trouble them in it, or turn them _from ir. So r Cor. 1. 23· To tbt J~ws fca~~~: 0~1 4 a jfumblmg blocf<., that ts, a fcandal, (as the Greek word ts) as before expounded. 5;• Gal. 5· 11 • llumblin,; The [candal of the Croji, tranOated the offence, doth fignitie not the bare rrrrollch, but the rrproach as b~ock br~ore it is the u yal, and flumbling block of the world, that maketh believing d1fficult. So 1 John 2. 10 , the Ifr.gr.bm, 1hrrt i1 no fc:Jmlzl in him? tranOaced No occafion of ftt~mbling. Thefe are all the pllces that 1 re- ;~~t t~;io~ to member where the word IS ufed. fin. P ~· 21. The paffive Vetb tn:ct.rl'~,..i~•!-1«'• to be {c.md.zlizecl, is ufed often. As Matth. t I· 6. Bl~'ffed y htth" i1 nor fcand•lized ( tranfhtcd [offended] in me:) that is, who is not difiafied with my per- Luke 7· 'l• fon and doctrine through carnal prejudices: and fo kept in unbelief: There were many things in the pe1fon, life and doCl:rine of Chrifi, which were unfuitable to carnal reafon and expectation: Thefe men thought to be bard andftral$e, and could not digefi them, and fo were hindered by tbem from believing: And this was hei11g Loffended i~ Cbrijl]. So in Matth. 13· 57• & Mar. 6. 3· They were rffcndtd in or at him; that is, took a diflike or difiaf\c to him for his words. And Matrh. 13. 2I· Muk6.J. Whtn ["{tcution arifeth, b1 and by thty are offtnded: that is, they fiumble and fall away ; And Matth. I5· 12. The Pharifec:s were offended (or fc.mrlaliztd) that is, fo offended as ro be more in Mark 4· 17· diflikc of Chriit. And M•tth. 24. 10. Thenfh'O m""J be offended, or fc,,.d, /ized, that is, Chall draw back and fall away from Chtifi. And Met. 26. 31, 33• Mu. 14. 27, 29· [ AN ;•e jha/1 beoffended btcau[t of me, &c. Though aU men jhaUbt offend<d (or fcandalized) yet wiO I never be fca.dalized] that is, brought to d...~ubt ot Chrifi, or to forfake him or deny him, or be hindered from owning their relation to him. So John 16. 1. Tbtfi thingJ havt I [poktn that ye jhould not be offended; that is, rh<t when the time corneth, the unexp<Ch:d trouble may not fo furprize you, as to turn you from the fcith, or Hagger )'OU in your obedience or hop~:. Rom. 14· 21· doth ex1.d'ly expound it. It iJgood 1-lfither totQt ftejb, or drink,_ wine , or mry thing whereby thy br!Jthcr jiumbleth ~ or ir fcand.,Jizcd (or offended,)ormadewea~: It is a makj:ngwe:;"'= SozCor.Jr. 29. 1¥ho i1ojfwdfd, that is, Humbled, or hindered, or ready to apofiatize: i>o much for the nature and forti ot Seanda!. ~· 22· I V. You are next to obfervc the AggravationJ of this fin. Which briefly arc fuch as thcfe. 1. Scandal is a murdering of [oul1 : Ir is a hindt'rJng of mc:ns falva,ion, and an enticing or c.hiving them towards Hell. And therefore in fome refptd worfc than murder, as the foul is better than rhe body. 1. Ssandal is a fighting againfi Jefus Chrifl, in his work ofmans r~tvation. He came to feeJt and to fave that which was /ojl; and the fcand,lizcr fceketh to lofe and deftroy that which Chrifi would fcek and fave. 3· Scandal robbeth God of the hearts and fervice of' his creatures: For it is a raifing in them a djfiafie of his people, and word, and wayes, and of himfclf; and a turning from him,the hearts of thofe that Chould adhere unto him. 4, Scandal is a ferving of the Dc:vil, in hisproper w01k of enmity to Chrill, and perdition of fou1s, Scandaliters do his work in the world, and pwpagate his Caufe and Kingdom. ~· 23. V. The means of avoiding the guilt ofScand~l arc as followeth. ~· 23• Dirt&. 1. Mijlak.! not (with the vulgar) the naturt of fcandal, a1 ifit la;• in that offtitdinf', Dire{/. II men, which i1 nothing but grirving or di{pleafing them ; or in m:zkJng yottr ftlveJ tobe "f rvi.l rcp:Jrt : But remember that Scandal, is that offending men, which tempwh them into fin, f rom Gud and Gud!i– lineji, ana ma~eth them jlumble and faY, or occajioneth them to think,. evil ef a holy life. It is • piti– ful thing to hear religious perfons plead for the lin of man-pltajing, under the name of avoiding {car.dal: yc:a, to hc:ar them fet up a Ufurpcd dominion over the lives of other men, and all by the advantage of the word [fcandal J mifunderftood ! So that all men mull avoid what ever a cenfori~ ous pedOn will call fcandJlous, when he meaneth nothing elf~ himfclf by fcandal, than a thing that is of evil report, with fuch as he : Yea, Pridt it felf is often pleaded for by this mifunderfiandmg of Scandal; and men are taught to overvalue their refutations, and to firain their confcicncts to keep up their eflc:c:rn, and all under pretence of avoiding fcand!Jl: And in the mean time they are rtaUy {cam:lalo~ts even in that action by which they think they are avoiding it. I need no other infiance, than the cafe of unwarrantable f<paration.Sorne will hold communion wirh none but the re-baptized: Some think an impofcd Liturgy is enough to prove communion with fuch a Church unlawtul (at leati in the ufc of it: ) And almoft every Sett do make their differences a reafon for their feparating from otherChurchc:s. And ifany one would hold communion with thofe that they fcparate from,thc:y prefent}y fay, that it is [candaloUI tO do fo, and tO joyn in any WOrfhip Which they think uni.wful ; and by{candal they QlUn no more, but rhar it is among them of tt1il rrport, and is otfenfive or dif– pleafing to them 1 Whc:rc:as indcr:d the argument fromJcand.;l lhould move men to u{e [Hch commu~ nion which enoncous, uncharitable, dividing men do hold unlawful. For elfe by avoiding rhar com– munion I ftlalllay a Rumbling block in the way oflhe wc,k: I fhall t<mpt him to think that a d1rty isa fin, and weaken his charity, and draw him into a finful fcparation, or the n<jlkct of lome Ordinances
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