diseased conscience is the very height of inhumanity To wound the soule of a Brother with sorrow is a breach of charity If thy Brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably Rom. 14.15 And hence we may reason in a way of comparison à minori ad majus that to wound the soule of a Brother with sinne violates Christian love in a farre higher measure for the wound of the least sinne is in its own nature mortall and therefore scandall is not onely of a wounding but of a killing and destroying nature it is a soule murder Destroy not him with thy meat Rom. 14.15 Indeed the weak that were scandalized might by Gods mercy and Christ's merit escape an actuall destroying and damning But the Apostles meaning is that the strongs scandalizing of them carried in it's nature a tendency towards their destruction for it drew them into sinne and sinne without repentance will destroy the soule This malignant and destructive efficacy of scandall the Apostle urgeth also unto the Corinthians Epistle 1. chapt 8. v. 11. And through thy knowledg shall thy weake brother perish that is through thy scandalous abuse of thy knowledg of thy liberty in eating things offered unto idols thou shalt doe what lieth in thee to farther the perishing of thy weake Brother This cruelty that is in scandall towards the soules of our Brethren is aggravated from Christs Redemption Gods Creation of their soules 1. From Christs Redemption of their soules Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died Rom. 14.15 And through thy knowledg shall the weake brother perish for whom Christ died But when ye sin so against the Brethren and wound their weak conscience ye sinne against Christ 1 Cor. 8.11 12. In the judgment of charity thou art to rank thy weake Brother in the number of those for whom Christ dyed Christ died for his salvation and how darest thou oppose his worke by doing that which tends unto his damnation Christ parted with his life to save him and wilt not thou for that end abridg thy selfe of thy liberty in a few indifferent things 2. From Gods creation of their soules for meat destroy not the worke of God Rom. 14.20 that is the soule of thy brother for that is stiled Gods worke in a way of eminency because it was one of the choycest chiefest and most eminent workes of the Creation made as it were with the consultation of the whole Trinity and had in it engraven the very Image of God himselfe Therefore not only the defacing but the very attempting to deface this would redound very much unto the dishonour of the worker God And he will doubtlesse accordingly resent the despising of his workmanship Some interpreters expound the place of the work of Gods grace in the sanctification or regeneration of the soule wherein faith is begotten and that faith in a peculiar manner is the worke of God we have Christs own testimony John 6.29 Jesus answered and said unto them this is the worke of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent But even so the words display the horrid malignancy of scandall for they shew that he who scandalizeth his brother fighteth against God that he goeth about to demolish that which hath God alone for the builder It was a part of Christs character not to breake a bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax Mat. 12.20 How unsuitable unto this is the disposition of those by whom offences come For they doe what lieth in them to quench the very beginnings of grace and goodnesse Indeed the worke of Gods grace is so all-powerfull as that it will finally prevaile against all resistance If God have begunne a good worke he will performe it untill the day of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 And the gates of hell shall never be able to prevaile against it Matth. 16.18 But yet the gates of hell will be ever hindering of it and in especiall by the spreadth of scandals And this very opposition is a warre against heaven in the language of the Scripture a destroying of the worke of God There is one sequele more of active scandals of this nature that our Apostle mentioneth Rom. 14. and 1 Cor. 10. which deserveth also our consideration and it is the blot of infamy which they will contract unto our names and the very Christian liberty which we abuse A scandall in this case tending unto sinne is usually accompanied with a scandall tending unto disgrace or defamation And how carefull we should be to decline scandall even in this English sense of the word the vehemency of the Apostles interrogations will sufficiently informe us 1 Cor. 10.29 30. Conscience I say not thine own but of the others for why is my liberty judged of another mans conscience for if I by grace be a partaker why am I evill spoken of for that for which I give thanks Unto these interrogations adde we the Apostles precept also Rom. 14.16 Let not then your good be evill spoken of that is give none occasion for this great priviledg of your Christian liberty to be traduced Before I take my leave of this restraint of our liberty by Charity in the case of scandall I shall examine the restraints that some have put upon it without any warrant from scripture Those in which they most confide are two 1. They limit it unto the scandall of the weake and 2. Vnto matters that are undetermined by Authority 1. They limit it unto the scandall of the weake for the scandall of the malicious and presumptuous persons The scandall of Pharises say they may be neglected Mat. 15.12 14. whether in our Ceremonies there was an active scandall a scandall given will be largely disputed in the next treatise for the present therefore we shall only prove that we are to avoid such an active scandall in the malicious as well as the weake For First Such a scandall is of a soule destroying nature Destroy not him with thy meate Rom. 14.15 And who so wicked and malicious upon the face of the earth whose soule a true Christian charity will exclude from it's care mercy and compassion Secondly The Apostles motive reacheth unto the wicked and malicious Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died Rom. 14.15 for they may be in the number of those for whom Christ died who for their present state and condition may be most wicked and malicious such as oppose themselves such as are in the snare of the Devill taken captive by him at his will 3. The Apostles prohibition 1 Cor. 10.32 extendeth unto the malicious as well as the weake Give none offence neither to the Jewes nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God where Jewes and Gentiles are distinguished from the Church of God and therefore by them are meant such as were unconverted and as yet enemies unto the faith of Christ and Church of God And the things wherein the Apostle would have their offence to be avoided were
rejoynder of Dr John Burgesse The sixth and last restraint which I shall mention that is to be put upon the outward exercise of our Christian liberty in things indifferent is by Charity and that 1. Vnto our selves 2. Vnto others 1. Vnto our selves He that truly loves himselfe will deny himselfe the use of things indifferent if he think it will hazard the health of his better part his spirituall and immortall soule He will forbeare those sports and Pastimes he most delights in if he find that they usually tempt him to Choler or covetousnesse He will not so much as step into a Taverne Inne or Alehouse if he find himselfe prone unto excesse According unto the advice that Solomon gives in the like case Prov. 23.2 Put a knife unto thy throat if thou be a man given unto appetite Our Saviour exhorts us to pluck out our right eye and to cut off our right hand when they offend us Matth. 5.29 30. And Maldonate supposeth that he speaks literally of a true eye and hand indeed neither saith he is there any absurdity in such a sense because the plucking out of the right eye and the cutting off the right hand is mentioned only in a way of hyperbolicall exaggeration In which there is understood such an exception as is usuall in the like cases if it might be if it were lawfull He parallels it with a hyperbole of the same nature in Gal. 4.15 I beare you record that if it had been possible yee would have pluckt out your own eyes and have given them unto me If it had been possible that is as Estius glosseth it si natura permitteret If nature would give way unto such a mutilation Our Saviour therefore signifieth that we must incurre the greatest losse rather then expose our selves unto the danger of sinne And from this we may conclude that we must cast away our most beloved indifferences when once they scandalize us that is when they prove occasions of and incentives unto sinne 2. Charity towards others should put a restraint upon the use of our Christian liberty in things indifferent and make us to forbeare all indifferent things whatsoever that may destroy the soules weaken or wound the Consciences of others 1 Cor. 8.12 Vse not liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another Gal. 5.13 Where the Antithesis implied in the particle but plainly sheweth that we use our liberty for an occasion unto the flesh if we do not by love serve one another in the exercise thereof Knowledg puffeth up but charity edifieth 1 Cor. 8.1 that is a firme and full knowledg of our liberty in things indifferent if it be separated from Charity is apt to swell the mind with pride and make men to despise or set at naught weak doubting and scrupulous Brethren But Charity edifieth that is it is carefull to build up others as living stones in the spirituall house of God the Church It inclineth to promote their graces and gracious practises and to avoide whatsoever is of a destroying nature unto their soules that is every thing that may occasion their fall into sin Now that indifferent things may sometimes be of an unedifying and destroying nature the Apostle affirmeth 1 Cor. 10.23 All things are lawfull for me but all things edifie not do not build up our brethren in truth faith and holinesse do not farther them in their Religion charity and justice for that the Apostle speaks of the edification of others is plaine by what followeth in the next verse Let no man seek his own that is only but every man anothers wealth that is spirituall the edification and salvation of anothers soule And therefore indifferent things are to be forborne in case of scandall when they prove to be of a destructive nature unto the soules of men when they weaken their graces hinder their duties and lead them into sin This course the Apostle prescribes unto the Romanes in the case of things legally uncleane before the coming of Christ Those that were strong in the faith among them well instructed in the doctrine of Christian liberty knew very well that the legall uncleanesse of meates and drinkes all Jewish festivalls and fasts were removed by Christs death and that nothing was now of it selfe uncleane but all things indifferent and lawfull yet the Apostle would have them in the use of this point of Christian liberty not to scandalize those that are weak in the faith that is such as being newly wonne from Judaisme to Christianity were as yet uninstructed about the cessation of Ceremonialls Rom. 14.13 Judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or occasion to fall in his brothers way that is in the use of meats and drinkes that were before the Gospell Levitically uncleane and neglect of Jewish Festivalls and fasts the observation of which was for a while indifferent untill the interrement of the Ceremoniall law For however the words run generally yet if we look to the coherence backwards the foregoing part of the chapter speaks onely of such things meates drinkes and daies and if we look to the coherence forwards it speaks onely of such things meats and drinks vers 15. Destroy not him with thy meate for whom Christ died ver 17. for the kingdome of God is not meat and drinke v. 20. for meate destroyes not the worke of God it is evill for that man who eateth with offence It is evill not simply in it selfe but accidentally by scandall And therefore I shall conclude that the place is in a speciall manner appliable against scandalizing by abuse of liberty in things indifferent Interpreters ghesse at three things wherein the practise of the strong amongst the Romanes might scandalize the weake 1. It might unsettle them in and distast them against the Christian Religion for they might hereupon think it to be contrary unto the Law of Moses which they so highly reverenced and so at last it might occasion their relapse unto Judaisme 2. It might embolden them to sinne against their consciences by eating that which they thought to be uncleane And 3dly it might grievously exassperate them and provoke them to powre out many a bitter uncharitable and sinfull censure upon the actions and state of those that were strong in the faith In vers 21. The Apostle proceedeth to inlarge his doctrine touching this particular beyond the controversy that occasioned this his discourse for as Estius well noteth He teacheth that to avoid the scandall and offence of our Brethren we are to abstaine not onely from things prohibited by the law but also from things not prohibited from flesh wine and any indifferent thing whatsoever It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drinke wine nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth or is offended or is made weake It is good that is it is morally good 1. Good in regard of God a thing very acceptable and pleasing unto him 2. Good in regard of our Brethren profitable
Convocation one Deane three Archdeacons and one chosen by the Chapter of Wells and to ballance these there were but two Clarkes chosen by the Ministry of the whole Diocesse Now what impartiall man but will determine that these seaven could be no due representation of the Ministers of the Diocesse of Bathe and Wells as long as five of them were members of the Cathedrall in whose election the Ministers of the Diocesse had no hand at all A second paralell shall be betwixt our convocation and a civill assembly wherein we will suppose that the Prince chooseth three hundred who are his Courtiers or else such as have their dependance either wholy or in great part upon him and the nation choose only a hundred you may call this assembly a Parliament or what you will but surely no rationall man can thinke it to be a representation of the nation and as irrationall were it to call the Convocation a representation of the Ministers of England seeing those chosen by the Ministers were an inconsiderable part of the Convocation And unto this we may adde that there was seldome a due and regular choice made of the Clerks of the Convocation I was present at the last election that was at Wells and then Bishop Pâ—irce told us that it was an unquestionable priviledge due unto his See for him to propound unto us the Clerkes that we should chuse unto which he expected our conformity tacitly menacing all that dissented And when yet by all this violence he was unlikely to carry it for such as he had nominated why then he had another shift that was I believe never heard of before he enabled the Pluralists of whom either all or most were his favorites to voice it in severall capacities to give as many double voices as they had dignities and benefices his Son gave at that time eight single voices two as he was Archdeacon of Bath two as he was Prebend of Cudworth two as he was Parson of Bucklan-Mary two as he was Vicar of Kingsbury Now to say that such an election was regular and lawfull is as ridiculous and senselesse as if a man should say that in the Choice of Knights of the Shire for Parliament men may give as many double voices as they have Farmes and Livings A second thing I shall take notice of in the now mentioned discourse is my misinterpretation of the 1 Cor. 10.32 Upon which I thus descanted as Paul exhorts to give none offence neither to Jew nor Gentile so he addes in a further specialty nor to the Church of God The Jewes and Gentiles were but parts the Church of God the whole they but brethren she the mother Here was a grosse mistake in thinking that the Jewes and Gentiles here spoken of were members of the Church whereas by the Apostles distinction of them from the Church of God it is plaine that they were not as yet converted unto the Christian faith but were as yet enemies thereunto and consequently strangers unto the Church And thus having finished my examination of the two limitations that I gave in a former edition of this treatise I shall goe on to that which followeth But suppose the action in which this appearance of evill is imagined to be as indifferent in it felfe so also not annexed unto a necessary duty and we also left to the use of our liberty what then Two-things are here especially to be considered first the quality of the action excepted at secondly the difference of times and places To beginne with the first the action at which thy brother is scandalized by his groundlesse imagination that 't is evill or carrieth a reall appearance of evill is either of none or great importance to thee If it be of none importance but weightlesse as affording thee either none or but small benefit offend not thy brother by an unseasonable exercise of thy liberty Know that as authority so charity should also restraine it consider that by this undue use of thy liberty thou sinnest against thy brother and by sinning against him thou sinnest against Christ 1 Cor. 8.12 But now if it be of some weight and moment as yeelding thee some great profit why thou must a while forbeare it untill thy brother may be better informed and to informe him that the action is lawfull which offends him thou must take care too otherwise thou wilt prejudice the truth through thy regardlesse silence and also continue his weaknesse and foment in him a negative superstition Let every one of us saith the Apostle Rom. 15.2 please his neighbour for his good unto edification And for a man to humour his neighbour in an erroneous and superstitious opinion however it may please him yet not for his good unto edification Upon which ground I take it that the Apostle Paul as he refused maintenance at Corinth to avoid appearance of a coveteous intention and mercenary affection in preaching so also his just title and unquestionable right thereunto he at large both professeth and proveth But now if thy brother refuse and contemne information Tunc desinit esse scandalum pusilli ex insirmitate aut simplici ignorantiâ et incipit esse scandalum Pharisaei ex purâ malitiâ aut ignorantiâ affectatâ crassâ The shelter of weakenesse is thereby taken from him his judgment being now overshadowed no longer with a meere weakenesse arising out of simple ignorance but with a proud and wayward if not envious and malitious perversnesse that is accompanied with a grosse willfull affected ignorance He is no longer then to be accounted a weak one but a proud and wilfull one and for his peevishnesse thou mayest choose whether thou wilt forgoe thy liberty Calvin upon the 1 Cor. 8.13 tells us of some foollish interpreters that leave unto Christians almost noe use at all of thinges indifferent upon pretext to avoide the offence of superstitious persons inepti sunt inquit qui nullum prope usum rerum indifferentium reliquum faciont Christianis nè superstitiosos offendant And he discovers the ground of their mistake to be because they do not consider that Paul here inveigheth against those who unseasonably abuse their knowledg before such weake ones whom they neglect to informe or instruct concerning the matter at which they are scandalized therefore there will be no place for reprehension if such information preceed In hoc hallucinantur inquit quod non considerant Paulum hic invehi adversus eos qui scientiâ suâ intempestivè abutuntur coram infirmis quos docere negligunt Ergò reprehensioni amplius locus non erit si praecedat doctrina Mr Tombes in his treatise of scandalizing pag. 233 234. quotes Peter Martyr and Bucane for the same purpose and this what they say is generally ordinarily or for the most part true for if we are to forbeare all our conveniences and matters of expediency when men are scandalized at them after we have given them or offered to give them full information our