A Brief Confutation of a Popish Discourse, Part 1 · Reason 2
The second Reason
2. ….THe second reason why a Catholike cannot yeeld to goe to Church, is, because hee cannot goe without scandale, which is a sinne moreLeu. 4. Nu. 31 2. Reg. 12. 1. Esd. 8. Pro. 18. 2. Mach. 6. Math. 17. & 18 Mar. 9. Luk. 17. Rom. 14. 15. 1. Cor. 8. & 10. 2. Cor. 6. 1. Thess. 5. Math. 18. Ibid. mentioned, more forewarned, more forbidden, more detested, more threatned in the Scripture, then any sinne els mentioned in the same, except it bee Idolatrie. But in the new Testament nothing so much exaggerated, or with such vehement speeches prohibited: Christe signifiyng, that the most part of the worlde were to be damned for this sin, when he cryeth out with that cōpassionable voice of his, saying. Wo be to the world by reason of scandales. Wherefore pronoucing as pitifull a sentence, vponupon the authour of these scandales he saith. Woe bee to that man by whome come these scandales. And deuising with himselfe (as it were) how to expresse vntounto our capacities, the intollerablegreatnes of this mans torment in Hell, for scandalizing of other men: he vttereth it in this sort. It were better for that man that a milstone were hanged about his Mark. 9.necke, and that hee were so cast into the Sea. Which saying so terrified Saint Paule that rather then hee woulde scandalize any man in eating a2. Cor. 8. peece of meate (a thing of it selfe lawfull as he saith) he protested that hee woulde neuer eate flesh in his life.
Now this hainous sin of scādale consisteth properly in these three points. First to induce another mā by any meanes to sin: whether it be by life orThree pointes vvherein scandale is committed. doctrine: and this was the scādale of the Priestes in the old law, by their naughtie life, alluring the people to cōmit the same sins. This was the scandale of the daughters of Moabe, who by their speeches & examples brought the Israelits to sacrifice with thē to Idols. Wherof also (as of theLeu. 4. Nu. 25. &. 31 Apoc. 2 like to them) Christ spoke against with great disdaine in the Apocalipse, saying, Thou hast their certaine which hold the doctrine of Balaā, who taught Balaac how to giuegive a scandale, (that is an occasion) for the childrē of Israel to sinne. I will fight against those men with the sword of my mouth. And in this point is the proper signification of (Scandalum)The proper signification of scan…lum. seene, which importeth as much, as a stumbling block, wherby a man maketh another to fall, especially the fall of deadly sin: whereby a man breaketh the necke of his soule. As if a man shoulde induce another by his example, or otherwise, to commit adulterie, to take an oth against his conscience, or the like: and as Ieroboam did by his example, make the tenne tribes forsake the vnitie of the Church of Ierusalem, which sinne of his, is so much noted in the scripture, with this title of scandale, (For that he 3. Reg. 12. Amos 7. 3. Reg. 25.made Israel to sinne) as nothing more. And in reuenge of the same God foretolde him by Amos the Prophe…, that hee woulde destroy his whole house, and so afterwardes perfourmed the same, as it appeareth in the third booke of the kinges. And this first point of scandale, whiche is to induce other men to sinne, is so large and reacheth so far, (because it may be doone, by life, example, wordes, workes, omission, permission, & the like) as men had need to looke better about thē then they do. It were too long to giuegive examples in al: one out of the ancient D. and martyr of christ S. Cyprian shal serue for all: for by that, the rest may be gessed. Hee talketh of parents, which either by their euil examples had drawen their children to heresie or schisme, or at the leastwise had not sufficiently in structed thē, of the true church, and of the sacraments and true seruice of… example for … in … to note. GOD in the same. Wherevppon these children, beeing damned, shall moste pitifully bewaile their miserie (sayeth Sainte Cyprian) and the crueltie of their parentes at the day of iudgement saying thus. Wee hauehave done nothing of our selues, neither for saking the meate and the cuppe of our Lord (the blessed Sacrament) hauehave wee of our owne Ciprian, de lapsis.accord hastened to prophane coutagions (of schisme or heresie.) The perfidiousnesse or infidelitie of other men …ath vndone vsus, we hauehave felte our owne parents to be murtherers vntounto vsus. They hauehave denied vntounto vsus. the Church, which is our mother, and God which is our father, and wee being young & not foreseeing the danger of so heynousan offence, were content to ioyne our selues with others in the soc…etie or participation of the crime, and so by other mens fraude we were deceiued. This that S. Cyprian affirmeth of children, in respect of their parents, we may apply to wyues, brethren, sisters, kinsfolkes, acquaintance, schollers, seruants, subiectes, tenantes, or the like: in respect of any whose wordes, life, or example, hath, or shal do them hurt, by giuing them a scandale, that is, by inducing them to sinne.
The second point of scandale is, not only if I do induce an other manThe second poi… of Scandale. to sinne by doing or saying nought my self, but further, if I doe offend an other mans conscience, in a thing of it selfe lawful: that is, if I do make an other man thinke that I do an vnlawful thing, albeit either I doe it not, or that the thing be lawful in it selfe, yet I commit scandale. As for example, if a Priest should haunt dishonest or suspected houses, albeit hee ment neuer so honestly. And this is, that great scandale wherabout saint Paule makethRom. 14. 15. 1. Cor. …. 10. so muche adoe, as concerning the eating of meates offered to Idols: the which, albeit it be lawful in it selfe (as saint Paule discourseth) to him that hath knowledge, and thereby can iudge that no meate, of his own nature is vncleane before God: and that an Idole is nothing: and consequently, that suche meates offered to Idols are nothing spotted or made vnlawfull thereby. Yet to eate it in such place or presence as the lookers on, beeing weake and simple, may thinke that thou art an idolater, because thou eatest the flesh offered vp to the idoles: …r that they by thine example be edefied or induced to eate the same meates with an e…il conscience: this is dar… nable saieth S. Paule, and a most horrible sinne against Christ himselfe, and1. Cor. 8. such a sin as S. Paul himselfe saieth, That hee would neuer … flesh while he liued, rather then by eating, so to scandalise any man. Vppon the which discourse of S. Paule, the learned father S. …sten, saieth thus. By this, Aug. ep. 154.it is euident, that wee are not only forbidden, to vse any thing in the honour of straunge Gods (as the eating of meates offered to them might seeme to be) but also to doe any thing wherby we may be thought to honour them, doing it in such sort, as that although in heart wee despise them yet wee edefie or induce those that know not our heartes, in deed, to honour the same. This was also the scandale that the worthie old Eleazarus in the booke of Machabies so much detested and resisted, that hee…. Mach. 6. chose rather to dye most cruelly, then to commit it. For whereas the Tyrant did commaund him to …ate of the sacrifized meats, and he refused the same, the vnderunder officers of the Tyrant being mooued with vniust compassion (as the scripture tearmeth it) offered him secretly other fleshe notA notable example of a plaine and vndissembling conscience. offered to Idoles, and of the which hee was not forbidden by his lawe to eate: meaning thereby to deliuer him, and to giuegive out that hee had now satisfied the Prince his commaundement. But the good old man considering2. Mach. 6. what other men might thinke of it, and what Scandale there might ensue of it, answered thus, as the Scripture saieth: That hee would first b… sent downe vntounto hell, before hee would doe it: for (saieth he) it is not conuenient for our age to fayne, whereby perchaunce many young men, thinking that El…azarus, now of ninetie yeares old hath past ouer to the life of the Gentiles, may through my dissimulation be deceiued. This therefore is the second point of scandale which S. Paule forbiddeth when hee saieth. Keepe your selfe from all shewe of euill.
The third point of seandale is, in respect of the enemy, that is, whenThe third point of Scandale. although I doe not induce any man to sin, or offend any mans conscience, yet I do disedefie the enemy, and do that thing wherby the enemy is scandalized, and taketh an occasion to blaspheme God his trueth, his cause, his lawe, or the like. Whereof S. Paule speaketh to the Corinthians. Be 1. Cor. 10.you without offence or scandale to the Iewes, and also to the Gentiles. And in an other place. Giuing offence or scandale to no man, to the end 2. Cor. 6.that our function or ministerie be not blamed thereby. And this is that great scandale that Dauid being a King and a Prophet, gaue to Gods enemies2. Reg. 12. by his fall, and for the which he was sore punished, as it appeareth by the words of the scripture, which are these. And Dauid saide to Nathan the Prophet: I hauehave sinned against my Lord: and Nathan said to Dauid, God hath taken away thy sinne: but yet because thou hast made the enemies of God to blaspheme: for this cause, the sonne which is borne to thee, shal dye the death. This also is the scandale that Esdras comming out of Persia, towards Ierusalem with his countrimen the Iewes, was afraid…. Esd. …. to giuegive to the king of Persia, by causing him to think basely of God, as not able to helpe and defend his seruants, if hee should hauehave asked him aide to conduct himselfe and his companie to Ierusalem: for so hee saith. I was ashamed to aske of the King aide and horsemen to defend vsus from our enemies in the way: because we had saide to the king before, that the hande or defence of our God is ouer all them that seeke him in honestie, & that his Empire, and strength, and …, is vponupon all them that forsake him. Finally, of this scandalement S. Paule and S. Peter also whenRom. 2. 1. Tim. 6. 2. Pet. 2. they said, that the worde of God was blasphemed or spoken euil of by the aduersarie parte, for the euil life of certaine noughtie Christians. Nowe, that a Catholike going to the Churches, seruice, or prayers of them of theA Catholike by going to Church fallen into all … three poi…tes of Scand…. contrarie religion, cannot but commit this great sinne of scandale in the highest degree, that is, in all these three pointes before rehearsed, it is euident to all the worlde. For touching the first point: if hee bee a man of any calling, his example shal induce some other, as wife, children, friendes, seruauntes, or the like, to doe the same. And howsoeuer …ee scape himselfe, they may bee infected and so damned, and their blood layde vppon his soule: but much more if hee exhort or constraine any man to doe the same: as commonly many Schismatiques doe vse. And touching the second point, hee cannot b…t offend many mens consciences: for they that doe know him inwardly to bee a Catholike, wil thinke him to sinne against his owne conscience, and perhaps be induced to doe the like. And they who knowe him not, must needes presume him to goe of conscience, and as a fauourer of that religion, and so bee brought to like the better of that religion, and the worse of the Catholike, by his example. And as concerningMarke this po… ▪ the third and last point, their is no enemy of the Catholike religion in the world, whether he be Gentile, Turke, Iewe, or Heretike, but that he must both thinke, and speake the worst of the saide religion, seeing the professors of the same, are content for worldly pollicy to dissemble it, and leauing their owne Churches, to present them selues to the Churches of their open and professed enemies.
To conclude, in this matter of scandale: men must not flatter andAn impor… admonition. deceiue them selues, thinking that they walke in a net and are not seene, when they giuegive scandale to all the worlde, which fixeth his eyes vppon them, if not for their owne cause, yet for the religions sake. God is not Gala. 6. Ambros. epist. 30.to be mocked. The godly and learned Father Saint Ambrose did accuse Valentinian the Emperour for giuing a publike scandale to the worde, because hee did but permit certaine a…lters to the Gentiles: saying, that men would thinke that hee priuely fauoured them. And his scholler Saint Augustine thinketh it a scandale, if a man shoulde heare a Donatist butAug. Li. de pasto▪ ca. 7. speake, and he to holde his peace: for that the hearer might thinke that if this were euill which the Donatist saieth, the other woulde reproue him. But if saint Ambrose had seene the Emperour to hauehave gone to the Panims Temples, or S. Augustine the other to frequent the Donatistes Churches, what then would they hauehave saide? What excuse then would they hauehave receiued? and this is our verie case.