410 Of .Abjiaining from the .Appearance qf Evil. · the Apoples did, All! 4- I 9· Whether it be right btfore the L.rt! to ol~ty Mm, ra. ther than God, jtdge Jt· To perform a Duty, can be but a Scandal eo rnen at the mofi, and rhofe alfo ufually of the prophaner fort; bur to omit a Dury for fear of Scandalizing men, is a Scandal and an Offence even unto God him. felf. It is moft prepofoerous Charity to run upon Sin in our f(:Ives, onlv eo prevem Scandal in others. Though all the World cenfure Holinds and .riClnefs of Life to be only a four and rigid humour? a~d an at:fectadon of Singularity; yet rnuil we not, upon any pretence of graufymg, theu humour, or winning upon them, remit the leafi part of that teverity chat ·the Law of God and our Con.. fciences require from us. Bur, 1vhat if [uppofe, tn too often it hnpptm, th(I t this jlriElnt/s and holy [t. verity proves to be an occajion of Sin unto others accidemally, " Jhat mujl we do in that cafe? What is it that m~ke~ fo many hate R7ligion, and fcoff at the Pro. feKors thereof, but only rheu L1ves are too moro!e and referved; Duties are too frequent a.nd tedious; fO that forn.e laugh and mock, othersfiorm and rage, and all are fnghted from the embracmg of that Profeffion that rcquirert fo much Rigour and Severity. Why>be it fo> yet we muft not<!baceany thing of our Duty nor fin our felves, to keep others from finning. Js it your duty to pray or ar~ you call'd to any other Duty? Though you are affured that all that he~r you will fcoff at you, yet you ought not therefore for fear of it, to forbear rha; Duty, or to leffen your Fervency and Affed:ion in it. Here indeed is required much Spi~itual Prudence and Difcretion! to difcern the Seafon of our Duty for feveral Ctrcurnftances; and among tho!e Offences that wicked Men rna}' rake it may make that ceafe from being a Duty that at other times is our Duty; And therefore the U:ife Man in Prov. 26. ~ bids us, not to 1mbver a Fool Pct(Jrdmg to his Folly; and yet t.n the next V ~rfe he btds us, t!nj1v~r a Fool according to hi; Follr; Two Commands qutte contrary m two Ver[es followmg one anorher: Now this is to note to us, That according to feveral Circumfiances and feveral Opportunities it may be our duty to abftain at one time from that, that at another tfme it i; our duty to do; it is our duty fometimes not to reprove a Fool, bur to anfwer him ~J.ccording to his Folly ; and according to divers Circumfiances, at another time jt is our duty to reprove him; and not to anfwer him according to his Folly. Eut yet notwithftanding that which is our duty in its particular feafon, and which we are convinced to be fo, we ought to perform it, though all the World be of.. fended at it; yea,andif it werepoffihle that it fhoulrl prove an occafion of Sin unto all the World, for as we muft not do evil, out of hope that ic may prove an occafion of good; fo neither muft we forbear the doing of good, that evil m~y oocafionally enfue thereupon. Our Saviour Jefus Chrift was, as it was prophefied of him, to be a Stone of jlt1mhiing, t~nd a Rock of fffince; almoft all were fcandalizedat bim; fome at hisboOrine, as a defpiferofthe L~wof Mrfts> others at his Convtr· f.rtion, as being a Glutton, a 1Vine-bibbtr, and a Frimd ojPublict~ nJand Si11mu; but yet for all thefe Out-cries, he alters nothing either m his Teaching, or his Living; but whilfi they are clamouring again it him, and fpeakingcvil of him, he ftill goes about doing good :.And truly thofe that will be the Dikiples and Followers of Chrifi, though the way in which they are toworfhip and ferve God, be generally decried,and every.where fpoken againfi,and carp'd at,asneedlefs PeevHhnefs; yet if it be a known Duty ,they mufi not,they ought not to put themfelves out of the way of their obedince, to put orhers out of their groundlefs.Offences. Only let me add a neceffary Caution to this Particular alfo ; for we cannot be too exact in fiaring this Cafe of giving offence to others, and chat is this. If that appear a Duty to us that bath an App~arance of Evil in ic to the genera· lity of the moll foher and ferious Chrillians, (let us fuppofe that} why now though this Jhou1d not prefently fway our Con{cienca, yet it lhould eng~ge us to make a ftritl: Search and Enquiry, whether it he our duty or not ; if it is that which js contrary to the Opinion and Pratl:ice of holy and pious ChrHlians, ic ought to have th1s Authority with us, to put us to a fiand, and eo make us to examine whetherrhat which we account a Duty, be indeed a Duty, or not: As for inftance, fome among us at this day are perfwaded that they ought to worfhip God one way and feme another; and what appears a Duty to one, haththe appearance of Evil in it to anorher: Why now follow neither ofthefe; hecaufe it is their Judgment and PraClice ; but yet if thy perfwafion he contrary
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