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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62878	Væ scandalizantium, or, A treatise of scandalizing wherein the necessity, nature, sorts, and evills of scandalizing, are handled, with resolution of many questions thereto pertaining / preached at Lemster, in Herefordshire by Iohn Tombes ...	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1641 (1641)	Wing T1827; ESTC R21407	96,654	466

have a forme of godlinesse but deny the power of it 2. Tim. 3. 6. And those that receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved but have pleasure in unrighteousnesse are not onely by Gods just judgement but also by their owne propensitie ensnared by signes lying wonders deceaveablenesse of unrighteousnesse and strong delusions to believe lies 2. Thessal 2. 9. 10. 11. 12. Corrupt qualities make men like straw or tinder the least sparke of evill example or counsell will set them on fire Yea bare objects if seen or heard of will overthrow them A voluptuous man shall not need to be invited to sports merriments c. Sponte sua properat he runnes of his own accord he will smell them out himselfe as a vultur doth a Carcase Even as sores of the body will draw corrupt humors to them so will vitious hearts make scandals to themselves Secondly In speciall some particular sinnes make some accidents to become a stumbling block to them Enmity against our Lord Christ his person impatience to be rebuked false opinions from example of others common conceit weaknesse from ignorance dulnesse to conceive mistakes of his speeches caused the Pharises and others to stumble at Christ and his words Math. 13. 57. Mat. 15. 12. Ioh. 6. 61. Ioh. 7. 3. 48. spirituall pride made the Iewes Rom. 9. 32. to stumble at Christ ignorance of their brethrens liberty made those weake ones mentioned Rom. 14. to stumble at their brethrens lawfull practise fearfulnesse of heart caused Peter and the Disciples to be offended upon Christs apprehension Mat. 26. 31. Even as a mist afore the eyes mistake of the unevenesse of the way hasty going a sudden weaknesse and many more such accidents may cause the body to stumble that otherwise hath not any setled debilitating sicknesse so in the minde many scandals may arise from alienations of minde mis-reportes mistakes c. both of them that are habitually depraved by a corrupt lust and also of them that are otherwise right hearted 3 Nor may we forget the agency or working of Satan in assigning the causes of Scandalls For he is the primus motor the first mover the incendiary in all these mischievous things It is his imployment to walke about seeking whom he may overthrow and devoure He hath a trap for a Iudas a snare for a Simon Magus a gin for Ananias and Sapphira And he wants not a stumbling block for a David a Peter or any of the best of Gods Saints And these he laies thick with much art and cunning baiting each with his peculiar baite that were it not for the wonderfull care of the Almighty by his preventing and sustaining grace no man could escape overthrow by them so that if we consider the second causes we see reason enough of the multitude of Scandalls Let us raise our thoughts higher from earth to heaven from second to the first from the subordinate to the supreme Cause and from thence we shall see a reason of the necessity of Scandalls The prediction of them by God proves the necessity of them for Gods prescience cannot be deceived But these following texts of Scripture doe import more then a necessity by prescience to wit a necessity by appointment or ordinance of Gods will And voluntas Dei est rerum necessitas it 's an axiom in the Schooles Gods will is the necessity of things Christ is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they are appointed saith S. Peter 1. Ep. ch 2. 8. Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence Rom. 9. 33. God hath given them the spirit of slumber c. Rom. 11. 8. 9. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye 2. Thes. 2. 11. So that what ever be the way it is from God that Scandalls fall out and therefore there is a necessity of them But we may here aske with the Apostle Rom. 11. 11. Have they stumbled that they should fall Are scandals ordered by God onely for the ruine of men Doubtlesse no There are other ends aimed at by God in the event of scandals both in respect of him selfe of men In respect of himselfe he orders the happening of scandals to become subservient to the fulfilling of his owne counsell Pharoahs stumbling was made an occasion to shew Gods power Exod. 9. 16. and the disobedience of Hophni and Phinehas for the inflicting of Gods just vengeance 1. Sam. 2. 25. the unbeliefe of the Iewes the shewing mercy to the Gentiles Rom. 11. 31. 32. In all of them there is a depth of wisdome riches of knowledge in God who by unsearchable judgements and undiscernable paths brings his owne counsells to passe v. 33. Though wee know not how nor why God doth permit such pernicious evils as scandals in thēselves be yet the Almighty whose thoughts are above our thoughts whose waies are higher then our waies doth know This wee are to hold as certaine God lets nothing no not scandals to fall out without excellent though unsearchable wisdome for righteous and good though undiscernable ends And yet God doth not so conceale this matter but that wee so far know his minde that hee intends scandals as for the intrapping of false hearted disobedient persons so for the probation of thē that are sincere The wōders and signes of false Prophets and Dreamers of dreames were permitted sometimes to come to passe to try whether wee love the Lord our God with all our heart with all our soule Deut. 13. 3. And oportet esse haereses there must be also heresies that they which are approved may be made manifest 1. Cor. 11. 19. And in the businesse of the Embassadours of the Princes of Babylon who sent unto Hezekiah to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart 2. Chron. 32. 31. So that one while God discovers a secret Hypocrite another while manifests the hidden corruption or weaknesse that is evē in a godly person Here he lets a stumbling block be the destruction of an obdurate sinner there it becomes to bee the witnesse of the faith obedience patience aud constancy of an upright believer S. Augustines saying is received in schooles Nisi esset hoc bonum ut essent mala nullo modo esse sinerentur ab omnipotente bono unlesse this were good that there should be evills they would by no means be suffered to be by the omnipotent good Nor is the laying of scandals lesse evill in man because God permits them to be for righteous good ends For however they bee ordered by good intendmēts in God yet they proceed from evill principles in men and therefore are no whit the lesse vitious in men because by accident to their intentions good is willed by God As when

of persecution which are chiefly meant in this place Of whom the Apostle saies 2. Thess. 1. 6. It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble such To cleare this truth I shall distinctly answer these 3 questions 1. wherein persecution is exercised and how believers are persecuted 2. how scandalized by persecution 3. What woe belongs to such as thus scandalize them For an answer to the first of these questions persecution in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth most properly signify an eager swift motion as in running a race or in the chasing of an enemy flying with an hostile mind by translation it signifies any eager pursuit or seeking after a thing which wee would obtaine as when we are commanded Heb. 12. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 follow after peace the Apostle Phil. 3. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I pursue if I may comprehend or attaine to hee meanes the knowlgdge and grace of Christ. But in the Ecclesiasticall use of this word it is appropriated to those afflictions which unbeleiving and ungodly men doe set themselves to inflict on the godly and believers In this sense it is used Mark 10. 30. where our Saviour sayes that the losse of things left for him shall bee recompenced with an hundred fold in this time yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not without persecutions that is afflictions and hard usages from evill men And S. Paul 2. Tim. 3. 12. They that live godly in Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall be persecuted that is be ill handled by the ungodly which thing they doe many wayes Sometimes by seeking after their lives so that nothing will satisfy them but the shedding of their blood as if nothing else could quench their thirst but a draught of a godly Christians blood Yet not all in the like cruell manner To some it 's enough that they can destroy them to others it 's not sufficient unlesse they can cause them sensim mori to dye a lingring death by torture so as to be long a dying or that if it be shorter for the time it may be with the extreamest paine or with the extreamest ignominy Nor are the impulsive causes the same in all it 's in all hatred of the godly but not for the same reason and therefore the bitternesse of this hatred is in some greater and more lasting in others lesse and sooner removed S. Paul persecuted the Church of God but he did it out of ignorance and unbeliefe and therefore was the more capeable of repentance and mercy 1. Tim. 1. 13. Iezabel persecuted the Prophet Elijah out of zeale for her Idolatry 1. Kings 19. 2. Herodias because Iohn Baptist had preached against her companying with Herod Mark 6. Herod persecuted Iames and Peter that hee might please the people Acts 12. In all there 's malice but upon different reasons And for the kind of death which they inflict on them it is different according to the divers degrees of their malice wit and power some they stone others they saw in two others they slay with the sword Heb. 11. 37. some they hang on a crosse some they cast to wild beasts some they drowne in the sea some they boyle in oyle to death some they broyle on a greediron some they burne at a stake some they make away in secret as the Histories of the Church doe abundantly testify Sometimes persecution reacheth not to the taking away the life but to bonds and imprisonment as it befell Paul and Silas Acts 16. to banishment losse of goods as it befell the Saints Heb. 11. 37. to excommunications and casting out of the Synagogue as our Saviour foretold Ioh. 16. 2. to threatnings and hard speeches Iude 15. to slanders and false accusations Mat. 5. 11. to scoffes insulting Sarcasmes which are called cruell mockings Heb. 11. 36. and with which it is said Ismael persecuted Isaak Gal. 4. 29. In a word all those wayes of inflicting evill whereby the malignant spirits of wicked men doe harme the godly in their bodies outward estates name are acts of persecution Such kind of evills sometimes happen to the godly by voluntary vndertakings as death and danger and wants by reason of travaile to promote the Gospell or the like cause but then they are acts of persecution when they are by others inflicted on them to doe them mischiefe It falls out sometimes that believers and godly persons doe molest and practise one against another by reason of private discord and grudges from corruption prevayling although they agree in the worship of the same Lord. Sometimes such kinde of practises are betweene unbeleivers themselves who seekes one anothers lives vexe spoyle expell one another by reason of private enmities sometimes they doe the like to beleevers upon private quarrells arising from ambition covetousnesse or the like cause By all which there may harming and scandalizing come But it is then in the usuall Ecclesiasticall acception of the word persecution when ungodly men inflict those evills on godly and beleiving persons quî tales as they are such for their piety or faiths sake for righteousnesse sake Mat. 6. 10. 1. Pet. 3. 14. For Christs sake and the Gospells Mark 10. 29. More distinctly when men inflict evill on others for their profession of Christ and his Gospell for not serving Idols as when the Emperour did put to death Christians for refusing to offer incense to their heathen Gods And Nebuchadnezzar cast into a fiery fornace three Iewes for not bowing downe to his golden Image or when they bring evill on them for doing their duty the reproving of sin delivering Gods message as when Ahab and Iesabel made Elijah to fly Micajah to lye in prison Herod cast Iohn Baptist in prison for declaring their sins to them and foretelling ther judgment when the Princes of Darius procured Daniel to bee cast into a den of Lions for praying to God three times aday when the Iewes drave the Apostles from one citty to another for preaching the Gospell then it is persecution And thus even at this day those that have power doe persecute christians in some places by cruell torments in some by expulsion from their dwellings spoyling their goods in some by tauntes mockes threates disgracings slanders c. For their embracing the word of life rejection of Idolatry publishing of the truth non-conformity to the vices of the world For it is the lot of Gods people which our Saviour requires us to remember Iohn 16. 20. The servant is no greater then the Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you Now these persecutions doe scandalize as our Saviour tells us Mat. 13. 21. And the reason of their scandalizing may be gathered from our Saviours words who tells us that the good hearers persevere because they bring forth fruit with patience Wherefore on the contrary the scandall of the temporary beleivers is for want of patience Defect of patience to beare the assaults of

it is said of Iosephs brethren Gen. 50. 20. they thought evill against him though God meant it unto good their sin was not the lesse because Gods goodnesse was the greater For application of this truth 1. From hence we may frame some answer to those that accuse religion by reason of the Scandalls that are given by them that professe it If Scandals fall out among Protestants presently the Papists inferre that we are not the true Church the Separatist that we are but an Antichristian Synagogue the Libertine and Carnall worldling that those that professe more piety then themselves affect are but a sort of hypocrites As if where there fall out any dissentions between the Teachers any evill practises in the Schollers there could be no true doctrine nor good men nor holy society But these inferences are indeed nothing else but the unjust accusations of malitious minds For if malice did not blind them they might by the same medium conclude against themselves there being no sort of men among whom evill practises doe not happen Even among the disciples of Christ there was a theefe in the first Church of Christians there were a paire of Sacrilegious hypocrites in the best Churches there were dissentions variances and Corruptions The worst that can be hence inferred is that no Church on earth is pure without mixture of drosse that wheat and tares grow together untill the harvest They that imagine a Church on earth without Scandalls in life without corruption in discipline doe but fancy an Vtopia an Idea of a Church in their braines which neither is nor ever will be in rerum naturâ We have wherewith abundantly to justify our Religion and Church notwithstanding the accidents of Scandalls in that they are condemned in our doctrine punished in our governement disclaimed by most practised by few But that they are necessary by reason of mens corruptions and Satans working even where there is true religion true Church true Godlinesse it 's enough to answer them that from the event of Scandals would argue that our Religion is not true or our Church false or our piety hypocrisy 2 A better use of this point is to take occasion to acknowledge magnify the wise and gratious providence of God in ordering of Scandalls That there should be multitudes and multiplicities of Scandals in the world that every where Satan should I say not lay but sow and that thick too snares and gins to catch the Saints by the heeles that over and besides the world both good and bad should cast stumbling-blocks in our way either wittingly or by imprudence withall naturall corruption be so apt to be busy with them and yet the Saints escape hell get to heaven sometimes without any dangerous falls sometimes without any wounds this is the admirable and gratious providence of God alone It 's a thousand times more then to passe by the mouth of a hundred pieces of ordinance discharged against a man and yet be unhurte to break through the host of Philistins with safety to walk on high pinacles not to fall downe headlong to saile in the most rough and dangerous seas to shoote the most perilous gulfs and yet arrive in safety at the haven The Psalmist Psal. 107. extolles the immense goodnesse of God in his preservation of men from many dangers but none of them all is equall to this of the delivery of his people from Scandalls therefore none deserves greater thanks on the other side that the Almighty so orders it that the obdurate sinner is insnared by Scandalls to his perdition yet no injustice no fault in God this is the wonder of Gods providence to be entertained by us with the Apostles exclamation O altitudo O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God Rom. 11. 33. 3 But then though it be the ever-vigilant providence of God that preserves the saints from ruine by Scandalls and his just judgemēt that leaves the wicked to his own perdition to be caught by them yet this excludes not but requires care in the Godly to take heed of them and condemnes the impiety of the wicked in yeelding themselves to stumble at thē For it is the vitiousnesse of the one that makes scandalls to be actually such to him the holy wisdome of the other whereby God keeps him from being overthrown by them wherefore it behoves them to learne to walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise Ephe. 5. 15. And to this end 1. to get as much spirituall prudence as they can to discerne them to be acquainted with their own hearts by frequent examination by through-knowledge of their naturall corruption to be well seen in the wils and methods and artifices of Satan whereby he seekes to deceive and devoure to know the dispositions of wicked men and weaknesse of good men whom Satan may work by 2. To be ever sober and watchfull not laid a sleep by any lust of our hearts any pride selfe-confidence or the like as David Hezekiah Peter c. were when they were scandalized 3. That we study constantly in Gods law and cleave to it with upright hearts which is a sure antidote against this poison of scandalls For great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them Psal. 119. 165. 4 That as we have one eye still to our way that we stūble not so the other still on God in fervent praier to him who alone can and will keep us when we seek him 4 Lastly sith notwithstanding all the vigilancy and warinesse of a Christian scandals will be till the sonne of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdome all things that offend and them which doe iniquity Mat. 13. 41. The righteous must learne with patience and longing desire to expect the comming of the son of man Even as the husband-man waiteth for the pretious fruit of the earth so must they be patient unto the comming of the Lord. Iames 5. 7. Till then there will be cause for them to be exercised in humbling themselves and mourning for the dishonour of God by scandalls as Lot vexed his righteous soule with hearing and seeing the deeds of the Sodomites to possesse their soules in hope and assurance that Christ will come and bind up Satan remove all scandalls and perfect his Church that they may follow the Lambe whither soever he goeth CAP. 2. Of the woe belonging to Scandalizers in generall HAving handled the first proposition concerning the necessity of Scandalls the second followes concerning the woefull condition of Scandalizers which is delivered elleiptically by S. Luke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Saint Matthew fully 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Woe be to that man by whom the scandall cometh or is for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which proposition the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neverthelesse shews to be added

Americanes to abhorre Christian religion As a holy life in the professors is a great attractive inducement to draw mens hearts to the love of it so an ungodly and unrighteous conversation is a certaine impediment and disswasive from it Partly because as Seneca saith plus oculis quam auribus credunt men are guided by their eyes more then their eares partly because good religion and vertue of men that doe evill things is taken to be either non-ens or nullius pretii either nothing or of no worth even as a pearle or gold covered with dirt is passed by as if it were not or of no value For the third quaere The reason why such woe as hath been said belongs to this scandalizing by sinfull example is 1 Because in every scandall by sinfull example there is a double iniquity one in that it is against the precept of cleaveing onely to that which is good Rom. 12. 9. an other in that it is against the precept of good example in which wee are enjoyned that our light should so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorify our Father which is in heaven Mat. 5. vers 16. 2. Because it produceth two great evills one in that thereby the name of God is dishonoured so is against the love that is due to God the other in that it becomes the ruine of his brother and so is against the love that is due to him Yet for as much as all sinfull example is not alike grievous but some sinfull examples crosse the precept of love to God more some lesse some dishonour God more some lesse nor alike scandall some being more against the love we owe to men some lesse some harming them more some lesse therefore the same degree of misery is not awarded to all scandalizers by sinfull example There are some that by a continued evill practise doe scandalize others who are accustomed to doe evill as if it were their occupation others that scandalize by a foule sinne but into which they were brought by infirmity as Noah when he was overtaken with drūkennesse Whose woe is doubtlesse lesse then the formers Some there be that scandalize by totall and finall Apostasy others by a grievous fall but so as they recover by repentance as S. Peter and their woe is lesse Some break out into sinfull example after warning given them to take heed of it others because they wanted a Monitour to warne them and their woe is lesse Some there be whose scandalls by reason of their eminency of place gifts or profession are more notorious and more heinous others whose evill exāple reacheth not farre and their woe is lesse Some that overthrow many by their evill example some but few their woe is lesse Some that overthrow by their evill example their own children their own naturall brethren their own flocks of whom they ought to be most tender others overthrow strangers only and their woe is lesse Thus by variety of circumstāces the scandalls of some may bee worse then others and their woe greater however there be a woe allotted to every one that scādalizeth by sinfull example For application of this truth 1. Hence men are to bee advertised what reason there is they should bewaile mourn for such scandalls as they have caused by sinfull example The greatnesse of the sinne and the greatnesse of the danger should both cause this humiliation If S. Paul saw cause to mourne to be humbled for the uncleannesse fornication and lasciviousnesse of the Corinthians how much more cause had the Corinthians to mourne for themselves Every one that tenders Gods honour his own peace is to shew his hatred of sinne by mourning for the abominations he sees acted by others such are marked and observed by God Ezek. 9. 4. Greater cause there is that the Actors themselves should mourn who have harmed others and destroyed themselves suo gladio by their own sword T is true there are no small number of men that make a sport of sinne that rejoyce to doe evill and that they cause some to fall It were fitter for them to learne S. Iames his lesson Ch. 5. 1. to weep and howle for their miseries that shall come upon them For as all sinnes are mischievous so doubtlesse scandalls by evill example will be very mischievous to the layers of them You then that by your evill example have made others dissolute debaucht quarrelsome brawlers fighters murderers lascivious prodigall gamesters drunkards lyers common prophaners of Gods holy name and time deriders of Gods word holy services servants idle undutifull to superiors froward factious cōtentious deceitfull injurious superstitious c. oh goe bewaile these sins as a double evill dishonouring God destroying men overthrowing them and bringing woe on your selves and therefore requiring double treble mourning for such mischiefes 2 It concernes likewise all persons for the same reasons to take heed of giving evill example to the scandall of others specially of those that should be neare and deare to them It much imports every Christian for the comfort of his owne soule the glory of God the good of others to have his conversation honest among men that they which speak against him as an evill doer may by his good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of their visitation 1. Pet. 2. 12. It is exacted even of women the weaker sexe that their conversation should be such in their subjectiō to their husbands that their lives should have the effect of a Sermon to win others to godlines 1. Pet. 3. 1. 2. The reaping of such fruite by well doeing should be a great motive to make Christians abundant in good works much more should the certainty of eternall life assured to those that patiently continue in well doing Rom. 2. 7. provoke them to love and to good works However humane commiseration should move us to take heed of destroying our brethren by our evill life Should it not bee a griefe to thee to destroy him whō thou art bound to help Can a man take delight to damne his Child his friend to enjoy his lust Should it not be a joy to a man to lead others towards heaven to keep them from hell Oh what a blessed condition would it be to every man that of him it may be said as the Apostle of the Corinthians 2. Cor. 9. 2. that his zeale had provoked very many his life had been a light to guide others into the way of peace 3 And as it concernes all men to take heed of scandalizing others by evill example so likewise to take heed of being scandalized by such example It is their sin that scandalize it may be also their ruine that are provoked by them They shall receive more punishment that lead into evill they also shall have misery that follow marke our Saviours words Mat. 15. 14. If the blind lead the blind both fall into the