The Mischief and Misery of Scandals, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
The Coherence and Reſolution of the Text.
THe drift of our Sauiour in his former Diſcourſe was to exhort to the receiuing of little ones. Verſe 5. And who ſo ſhall receiue one ſuch little childe in my name, receiueth mee. A ſtrong motiue to receiue ſuch. The Apoſtles argument to hoſpitalitie, Heb. 13. 2 is ſtrong. Be not forgetfull to entertaine ſtrangers, for thereby ſome hauehave entertained Angels vnawares. But heere the argument carries more ſtrength, Be willing and readie to doe all Chriſtian Offices of louelove, and ſhew tender reſpect to little ones, and ſo receiue them, and you ſhall receiue not Angels, but Chriſt himſelfe. How willingly would men receiue Chriſt? Receiue theſe, and you receiue him. And if little ones muſt be thus tenderly receiued and regarded, how warie ſhould men bee of doing any thing that may offend them? Therfore our Sauiour doth not onelyonly aduiſe to receiue ſuch, but alſo to take heed of doing any thing that may proue vntounto young belieuers, matter of offence & ſcandal. And ſo he takes occaſion to enter vponupon a large diſcourſe concerning ſcandal. This Verſe is part of that diſcourſe, and in it there be two principall points.
1. The neceſsitie
of ſcandals.
2. The miſchiefe
1. The neceſsitie of ſcandals, for it muſt needs be that offences come.
2. The Miſchiefe and the miſerie that comes by them. And that is a twofold woe.
1. A woe to ſuch as are ſcandalized, that doe ſtumble and are offended; Woe to the World becauſe of offences. Offences ſhall come, and muſt come, but to the ſorrow, and ſmart of ſome men ſhal they come; They ſhall come to make way for the greater woe to ſome perſons. Such euents ſhall be, but yet they will proue euents of woe to men of the world.
2. A woe to ſuch as do cauſe and giuegive the offence. But woe to the man by whom the offence commeth. As if he had ſaid. It is neceſſarie that offences come, and infallibly they will fall out, but yet this neceſſitie of the euent ſhall no whit at all excuſe, or protect the offender, but as a woe to them that take the offence, ſo a woe to them that giuegive the offence, Woe to him by whom the offence commeth.
To make way for what followes it is fit to conſider what is heere meant by Scandal or Offence. That we call a ſcandal, which is or may be in it ſelfe an occaſion of falling vntounto another. Any thing whereby wee ſo offend another, as that hee is hindred from Good, drawne into, or confirmed in euill, is a ſcandal. Now a ſcandal may be. 1. Firſt, in doctrine, and this is ſcandal giuen in hereſies, falſe doctrines. Secondly, by the abuſe or the vnſeaſonable vſe of Chriſtian libertie, of which kinde of ſcandals the Apoſtle ſpeakes, Rom. 14. 1. Cor. 8. 10. Thirdly, Scandal may be giuen by mens lifes, when their lifes and actions are ſuch as croſſe, and thwart the Religion profeſſed by vsus, and diſhonours the Name of God, which we hauehave taken vp. As when a man profeſſes the Name & Faith of Chriſt, and profeſſes it zealouſly, and yet fals into vncleanneſſe, drunkenneſſe, into groſſe and notorious acts of fraude and coozenage, theſe bee ſcandals and offences becauſe they be occaſions to make others fall, they hinder ſome from comming towards goodneſſe and Religion, and they harden and confirme ſome in their ſinfull and euill courſes. Thus Dauids murther and adultery, Noahs drunkenneſſe, the inceſtuous Corinthians marriage were ſcandalous actions. Now though this text reach to offences of all kinds, yet I will onelyonly meddle with offences of this laſt kinde, ſuch as bee the groſſe and foule courſes and practices of any ſuch as hauehave taken vponupon them the profeſſion of the Goſpell, and the Name of Chriſt.
To come then to the firſt point. The Neceſsitie of ſcandals. It muſt needs bee that offences come. The…e muſt and there ſhall aſſuredly fall out ſcandalous and offenſiue actions in the Church of God, euen amongſt thoſe that profeſſe Religion and godlineſſe. For that our Sauiour ſpeakes of the ſinnes of thoſe that are in the Church, it is plaine by that Verſe 15, 16, 17. If thy brother ſhall treſpaſſe, &c. therefore he ſpeakes of the offences of brethren. If hee ſhall neglect to heare them tell it to the Church. Now if not of the Church, why ſhould he be complained of to the Church. What hath the Church to do to iudge thoſe, and exerciſe diſcipline vponupon thoſe that are without. And againe ſcandals properly ſo called can be no where but in the Church, and amongſt ſuch as profeſſe the Truth of God.