Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	eat_v	idol_n	weak_a	2,180	5	9.3570	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37042	The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal divided into four parts ... : in each of which there are not a few choice and useful questions, very shortly and satisfyingly discussed and cleared / by ... Mr. James Durham ... who being dead (by this) yet speaketh ; and published by John Carstares ... ; to which is prefixed an excellent preface of famous Mr. Blair ... ; together with a table of the contents of the several chapters of each part.	Durham, James, 1622-1658.; Blair, Robert, 1593-1666.	1659 (1659)	Wing D2810; ESTC R3845	315,038	466

their spiritual estate wronged or hurt that is to do or abstain for conscience-sake not our own but of him that sitteth with us 1 Cor. 10. 24 and 28. for if charity and love be the end of the Law and men ought not only to seek their own things but the things one of another and love their neighbour as themselves then ought they to seek their neighbours edification as their own and to eschew the prejudging of them Hence Scandal is opposit to that charity and love and also to that respect which we ought to carry to our brother Rom. 14. v. 10 and 15. yea it is a scandal and offence as it is opposite to and inconsistent with love to his spiritual well-being and so in a word that which is apt to make him worse in that respect or that which may impede and hinder his spirituall growth and advancement therein is an offence and scandal Rom. 14. 21. And thus a scandal differeth from an injury for this hurteth his person name or estate or some outward thing that again hurteth his spirituall condition either by wronging his livelinesse or activity or comfort c. though the same thing often which is an injury is an offence also but not contrarily CHAP. III. Concerning the severall wayes that Offence may be given IT is hardly possible to shew how many wayes one may offend another there being so many yea so very many wayes whereby men both wrong themselves and others yet by considering the effects that offence given hath or may have upon others although the effect follow not and by considering that upon which active offence worketh and which usually is offended at in another We may draw them to some heads accordingly As 1. men may be drawn to some sinfull action upon such an occasion thus an action materially lawfull and good in it self becometh a scandall when by our deed another is fostered in some sin or encouraged to commit it as supposing himself to be strengthned therein by our practice Or when it may occasion others to go beyond our intent or to do what we do in another manner which may make it sinfull So zeal inconsiderately vented may strengthen folks in passion and thus eating in Idols temples which in it self was nothing was scandalous when done publickly because it strengthned Idolaters to think somewhat of their ●…ols and made others who were weak to continue some respect to them because they supposed such men by such a practice to do so or made some judge them to have respect to Idols and so to be lesse in their esteem or caused others to eat with respect to the Idol when they themselves did it without it Thus doubtfull expressions in points of Truth and uncircumspectnesse in not abstaining from all appearance of evil or what doth appear to be evil to such a person and at such a time c. may be offensive as suppose one in their apparrel diet or otherwayes should by some be conceived to go beyond their station and what is fit at such a time or be an occasion to some others indeed to exceed when without such misconstructing beholders there might be nothing offensive in the deed it self and thus the deed of one person may be offensive supposing him to be esteemed proud covetous unclean c. which would not be so in another So also a thing will be offensive to one and not to another Wherefore in reference to Offence men would have an eye on themselves and what generally they are reputed to be and so would abstain from the least appearance of what is supposed to be predominant in them as also they would have respect to others that are present or may be hearers or beholders considering what are their thoughts of them or of such deeds c. and accordingly would carry although it were to abstain from such a place apparrel diet c. which in reason abstractly from offence might be pleaded for as becoming Thus one walking abroad on the Sabbath may be sanctifying it yet by his example some other may be provoked to vage and gad and cast off all duties of the day and to neglect what is called-for in secret or in the family in that respect it becometh offensive to go abroad although it be lawfull in it self to meditate abroad in the fields as well as in the house 2. When a lawfull act doth breed or occasion misconstruction or rash judging in an other then it becometh offensive to him As 1. when it maketh him think the thing unlawfull which is lawfull that is Rom. 14. 16. to make our good to be evil spoken of Or 2. when it occasioneth our selves by that deed to be condemned as untender and unconscientious in the performing of such an act that is to make one judge his brother rashly Rom. 14. 10. 1 Cor. 10. 30. Or 3. when it occasioneth our profession or the Gospel to be mistaken and mis-judged or godlinesse to be accounted fancie hypocrisie c. Thus by the indiscreet use of liberty the Gospel was evil spoken of by some as if it had given way to loosnesse for so those that were zealous for the Law did esteem of it 3. The effect of a Scandal is to grieve and make heavie others and so any indifferent action which is apt to do that is a scandal as we may see Rom. 14. 15. because it marreth their spiritual comfort weakneth them in love to us fainteth them in the doing of duty at least marreth their chearfulnesse in it c. and so is against charity and becometh a breach of the sixth Command Rom. 14. 15. This is the notion that most ordinarily we use to take up offence under viz. when it may grieve some to hear that we have done such a thing when it may lessen their esteem of us and so much incapacitate us to be profitable to them or alienate them from us c. 4. We may try Scandal by our hazarding to disquiet the peace of our brother's conscience that is when by our lawfull deed we engage or virtually perswade him to follow our example supposing him to doubt of the lawfulnesse of that practice or to condemn the same Thus 1 Cor. 8. 10. one is emboldene●… to eat of things offered to Idols with respect to them because he beholdeth another that is more strong than he to do the same And so by his eating he giveth ground to his conscience afterward to chal●…enge him for which cause he that gave the example ●…s said to wound his weak conscience The like also is Rom. 14. 22 23. in the case of doubting for supposing one to doubt whether such a thing be lawfull or not meerly by our example to go before him is to put him in that strait either to condemn our deed or doubtingly to follow for the meer example of no man can warrant any other to follow or satisfie a conscience in the lawfulnesse of such and such a deed This also

may be when a weak man having possibly done something in another manner and that lawfully than afterward he beholdeth one that is strong to do which also may be lawful in it self he is brought to look over his own practice and to condemn the same as sinfull meerly because that other did it in another manner For though indifferency in the manner of practices in lawfull things is sometimes edifying yet in such cases when they have not sufficient information joyned with them they drive men on the extremities foresaid and so become offensive especially then when such things are actually doubted of or disputated in their lawfulnesse 5. Things become offensive when they prove obstructive to the edification of others and as the word is Rom. 14. 21. do make them weak or infirmeth them not only by fainting and weighting them as is said before but by confounding them in the Truth or practices of Religion whereby they are either shaken in their former assurances and so weakened or made doubtfull whether such things be Duties and Truths or not or by such and such things are diverted from the more necessary practices of Religion This is the scope of Rom. 14. ver 1 c. and of other Scriptures elswhere wherby the Apostle Paul doth guard against doubtfull disputations which do not profit them that are occupied therein Heb. 13. 9. And thus not only writing and reasoning for what is not Truth but writing and speaking of Truth in a new manner with new expressions and multiplying moulds of these or doing it unseasonably passionatly contentiously c. doth prove offensive Thus what is not actually edifying is offensive and upon this account Paul becometh all things to all that he may gain some as in his circumcising of Timothy that he might have access to edifie the Jews and such like And thus often not condescending in indifferent things to please others doth much incapacitate them to be edified by us or doth give them prejudice at the way of the Gospel whereby their edification is obstructed and they offended 6. An action becometh offensive when it stirreth corruption wakeneth passion or confirmeth jealousie and suspicion c. although that jealousie and suspicion be groundlesse Thus Paul's taking of wages in the Church of Corinth had been offensive because it had confirmed the suspicion of his seeking of himself amongst them and would have strengthened his traducers in their calumnie and given them occasion of venting their carnall cheerfulnesse and insolency And thus when one is unjustly suspected of errour or inclination thereto to dispute for such things even when he disowneth them to converse with persons of that stamp or such like are offensive and are to be shunned though it may be there would be no such construction put upon another doing so CHAP. IV. Concerning that upon which Offence worketh or the several wayes by which it is taken THe considering of the second thing to wit that upon which Offence worketh and by which it is taken will clear this more For sometimes 1. it affecteth the weaknesse of understanding and light So it raiseth doubts misconstructions c. 2. Sometimes through that it affecteth the conscience whence cometh judging and condemning of others and their deeds and the awakening of challenges c. 3. Sometimes it stirreth the affections either by awakening carnal joy or carnal grief 4. It affecteth corruption when men from prejudice are fretted or grieved upon such an occasion Thus often deeds become offensive when they confirm mens jealousie stir their pride emulation c. 5. A deed may have influence on some folks infirmity or impotencie So some that are more given to passion suspicion or such like will be offended sooner than others and some things will be offensive to them that are not so in themselves 6. Men as they are gracious may be offended for though grace as such is not capable sinfully to take offence yet gracious persons may offend or some actions may have an aptitude to offend a gracious zealous person rather than another Thus Peter's dissimulation might be said to be offensive to Paul Gal. 2. though more properly it was a scandal to Barnabas yet it grieved and stirred Paul though in a sanctified manner he did vent that which possibly some other gracious person might either have been irritated with or out of respect to Peter led away as Barnabas was when an ungracious person would not have laid any weight on Peter's deed as to any of these that is either to follow it or be grieved with it From what is said it may be someway clear how an indifferent or lawfull act may become offensive to wit as it doth or is apt to work any of these effects upon others whether they be weak or strong gracious or prophane and whether conscience or corruption doth rise at the offence that is taken for as giving of offence doth imply uncharitablenesse and pride to be in the giver so that he neither loveth nor regardeth his brother as he ought to do neither doth in this as he would have others do unto himself So offence taken doth imply corruption and infirmity at the best to be in him that taketh it and therefore in this matter of offence respect would be had to the infirmity and corruption of others as well as to their graciousnesse and affection The not observing of which maketh us take liberty in giving offence to many because we do either esteem them to be wicked and prophane or not affectionat to us or at the best weak and therefore not much to be regarded whether they be satisfied or not with our practices which doth evidently shew that there is despising and uncharitablenesse in the heart when there is this regardlesnesse in our practice as may be gathered from Rom. 14. ver 2 10 and 15. CHAP. V. Concerning what ought to make men loath and wary as to the giving Offence TO come now to consider those things which ought to make men tender in this we will find first that there is not any duty in the matter thereof more commanded than this of giving no offence nor any sin more condemned than untendernesse in this as we may find from the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians c. wherin whole chapters are spent on this subject Yea Act. 15. The Apostles and Elders thought the regulating of indifferent things for preventing of scandal worthy to be enacted in the first Synod and Council Secondly There is no sin that hath moe woes pronounced against it the Lord Himself denounceth and doubleth a wo against it Matth. 18. 7. and the Apostle confirmeth it Rom. 14. 20 c. Thirdly The hatefulnesse of it may appear in the rise thereof it being 1. an evident sign of dis-respect to God and want of the impression of His dread 2. of inward pride and self-conceitednesse 3. of uncharitablenesse and regardlesnesse of others and setting them at nought which may be gathered from Rom. 14. 1 Cor.