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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62865	Christs commination against scandalizers, or, A treatise wherein the necessitie, nature, sorts, and evils of scandalizing are clearly and fully handled with resolution of many questions, especially touching the abuse of Christian liberty, shewing that vengeance is awarded against such as use it to the grievance of their weake brethren / by Iohn Tombes ...	Tombes, John, 1603?-1676.	1641 (1641)	Wing T1802; ESTC R1928	96,775	467

I saith he to God 2. Sam. 7. 18. and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto And Psal. 131. 1. c. Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty neither doe I exercise my selfe in great matters or in things too high for me Surely I have behaved and quieted my selfe as a child that is weaned of his mother my soule is even as a weaned child The reasons hereof are 1. Because by faith they behold Gods infinite greatnesse and then comparing themselves with him they cannot but thinke themselves as nothing Abraham was a great man in his time he had great wealth and was so potent that by the forces of his owne houshold hee overthrew foure conquering Kings yet when he comes to speake with God hee doth in most humble manner acknowledge his owne meane condition Behold now I have taken upon mee to speake unto the Lord who am but dust and ashes Gen. 18. 27. When a man surveyes the earth by it self it is a great and vast body but when it is compared with the heavens it is instar puncti but as a small point that hath no quantity So for those men that looke on themselves or compare themselves with other men or inferiour creatures they are apt to imagine themselves to bee some great ones as Simon Magus vaunted himselfe Acts 8. 9. But those that acquaint themselves with God walke and converse with him they find such an infinite disproportion betweene God and themselves that they conceive themselves as nothing even lighter then vanity it selfe 2. As by faith they behold Gods infinite greatnesse and thereby find themselves as nothing So by faith they behold Gods infinite power riches and soveraignty and thereby see that they have nothing that the things they have are not their owne but Gods that they have them from him not by any merit of their owne But ex dono of free gift Nebuchadnezzar he swels when hee lookes on his greatnesse as his owne Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majesty Dan. 4. 30. But holy David is in another tune Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all But who am I and what is my people c. 1. Chron 29. 11 12 14. And godly Iacob Gen 32. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am little the phrase of my text in respect of all the mercies all the truth which thou hast done to thy servant All was mercy and all the truth of God which he had and therefore he was but little the apprehension of this that all was to bee ascribed to Gods truth and mercy caused him to see nothing hee had that might puffe him up though hee had much to be thankfull for He doth not say this is my house my land my dignity my wit c. But these are the lands the children c. which God hath given that hee hath lent me He doth not take himselfe to bee a proprietary but a borrower not a gayner of them but a receiver And therefore as a borrower thinks not himselfe rich because hee hath much substance in his hands of other mens so neither doe beleivers thinke themselves to bee great because that which they have they know it is but borrowed For application of this truth 1. We may hereby bee advertised what is the estate of beleivers in this life some are lesse then others and all little in this world so accounted by others and by themselves The present condition in which they are is not the estate of men come to ripe yeares but of children in their minority of whom the Apostle sayes Gal. 4. 1. that though they be heyres yet as long as they are children they differ nothing from a servant though they be Lords of all It is so with the Saints in this life all things are theirs they are Christs Christ is Gods 1. Cor. 3. 22 23. yet they have command of nothing nor perhaps the use of so much as wicked men As it is with the heire of all his fathers goods while he is young he is set to schoole there corrected fares harder and hath lesse money in his purse lesse to mannage then many of his Fathers servants and yet all is his and for him so it is with Gods children they are held hard to it they have little in hand they are low in the eyes of men and in their owne and yet this is no impediment to their future glory it 's a preparative to their receiving their inheritance The men of this world doe grossely mistake the case of Gods people they imagine God neglects thē because they are not in high places and great power on earth but this is their folly while they measure Gods love and care of his people by their owne affections not by Gods judgement they imagine those unhappy who are most blessed and themselves happy who are most accursed 2. Christs little ones should bee wiser they should know that their present condition is to be little and accordingly to bee contented with small things not mind great things in this world as if they could not be happy without them It was the end wherefore our Saviour used the Embleme of a little child Mat. 18. 2. to which the phrase of little ones in my text alludeth that he might admonish his Disciples not to strive for dignities and precedencies in this world And S. Paul Rom. 12. 16. changeth christians not to mind high things but to condescend to men of low estate Excellent was the advice of Ieremiah to Baruch Jerem. 4. 55. Seekest thou great things for thy selfe Seek them not Wee must remember for the present our condition is to have our allowance and to bee stinted by God and therefore ought to bee contented with it though it seeme little sith wee know God is our Father and though now wee bee little yet hereafter hee will make us great though now we be humbled yet hereafter wee shall bee exalted though wee bee now poore in this world yet wee are rich in God and heyres of all things 3. Answerably hereto it concernes them to quicken their hope and to excite their endeavours after those great things which God hath prepared for them The lesse beleivers in Christ are now the more should they long for and pant after their greatnesse in heaven By this they must comfort and support their soules in their present condition If they looke for great things on earth they shall bee sure to misse

tels us that hee that loveth his brother abideth in the light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a scandall is not in him that is hee doth not make his neighbours prosperity his brothers preferment c. to be a stumbling block to him to make him covetous envious c. For the antithesis v. 11. and the coherence of the text shew it to be meant not of scādall whereby through defect of love a mā causeth another to stumble but of scandall whereby a man may cause himself to fall for want of light in himselfe And to the same purpose it is said in that parallel place Psal. 119. 165. Great peace have they which love thy law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and there is no stumbling blocke to them that is by reason of their adhering to Gods law outward objects become not scandall to them 2 Sometimes the hurting of the soule is by the action of another which I therefore call effective scandall as Ieroboams setting up the golden Calves was a scādall to Israel Davids sin a scandall in causing the enimies of the Lord to blaspheme Now such actions may bee scandall three waies 1. In potentia in possibility onely when the action is in it's nature scandalous or in the intention of the agent but not so in the event because of the stedfastnesse and uprightnes of the person tempted So was the action of Iosephs Mistris to Ioseph Peters persuasion to our Lord Christ Mat. 16. 23. and this is termed Scandalum datum sed non acceptum given but not taken 2. In actu actually In the event but not frō the nature of the action or intent of the agent but by accident by reason of the erroneous judgement or evill disposition of the person scandalized as Christ's preaching of eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood was a scandall Iohn 6. 60. 61. and the preaching of Christ crucified is to carnall men 1. Cor. 1. 23. and is termed Scandalum acceptū sed non datum a scandall taken though not given 3. In actu per se actually in the event and of it selfe that is from the nature of the action as in Davids sinne 1. Sam. 12. 14. Or intent of the agent as in Balaams fact Rev. 2. 14. In Ieroboam's fact 1. Kings 12. 29. 30. and this is termed Scandalum datum acceptū a scandall both taken and given Now although I conceive our Saviour intended specially this last sort of Sandalls in this place they being the scandals by which a woe comes to the world and a woe belongs to the authors of thē yet I know no absurdity in it to extend this proposition in the handling of it to all those sorts of scandalls by which the soules or minds of men are hurt According to which the sense is this It is impossible or it cannot bee otherwise but that mens minds or soules will bee hurt with displicency griefe anger enmities sinns occasioned by outward objects actions of men which either by accident or of themselves become scandalls to them So that our Saviours assertion is in briefe this That while men live on earth there will certainly be offences and scandalls to the harm of mens soules When our Saviour tels us Mat. 13. 41. That in the Consummation or end of the world the sonne of man shall send his Angells and they shall gather out of his kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all scandalls hee doth plainely intimate that till then there will bee scandals even in his Church that the Church in it's present condition on earth is but as a field in which wheat and tares grow together scandals and good example that it is a mixt company of good and bad wise and foolish weake strong and therefore scandalls will arise This necessitie of scandalls is 1. In respect of the second causes 2. In respect of the first supreme cause of al things The second causes are 1. The persons scandalizing 2. Scandalized 3. Satan who hath ever a finger in all mischievous things 1. A necessity of Scandalls is from Scandalizers first in generall from vitiousnesse of life which every where abounding makes scandals to abound All sin against God is venemous it being the very poyson of the old Serpent And all open sins are like the Basilisk infecting those that come within the sight of them unlesse well fenced with Antidotes It is so connatural to men that they are ready not onely to take but even to suck in the infection Faciles imitandis turpibus ac pravis omnes sumus In opē sins scarse any man sins alone specially if their persons bee eminent either in authoritie dignitie or any other reputed excellencie One Ieroboam is sufficient to make a whole kingdome to sin the prophanenesse of one Hophni is enough to cause a whole Church to abhorre the offerings of the Lord. And if persons be not scandalized with infectiou of open sinnes yet doubtlesse they will be with griefe of minde so that one way or another all open sins sinnes will beget scandalls and therefore such sins being so many and so certaine it cannot bee but that there should bee an innumerous brood of scandalls 2. But besides vitiousnesse of life in generall there are some speciall evills by which scandalls are multiplied As 1. by malice There are that doe data opera of set purpose lay snares for their brethren It is the delight of some to be Satans agents to harm the soules of their brethren they sleep not except they have done mischiefe and their sleepe is taken away unlesse they cause some to fall Prov. 4. 16. Balak hires Balaam Balaam deviseth and teacheth Balak to lay a stūbling block before the children of Israel Rev. 2. 14. Ionadab the sonne of Shimeah directs Ammon how to commit Incest with his sister 2. Sam. 13 5. And these promoters of scandalls are likely none of the dullest but the most active and subtill Satan hath wit enough to choose the ablest instruments for his purpose They use craft eloquence diligence usque ad extremum virium to the utmost of their power to further evill So devoted they are to the divells service that he can have them ready to serue his turne at small wages magna merces quieta movere It 's wages enough for thē to doe hurt Their own disposition makes them active of their own accord And this cause must needs be a fruitfull mother of scandalls Secondly proud contempt of their brethren causeth many scandalls while men sleight the harme of their brethren that they may have their own wills As those Rom. 14. 3. that despised thē that did not eat as themselves those whose knowledge puffed up as the Apostle speakes Cor. 8. 1. Thirdly Imprudence in many causeth scandalls for so it may bee that men may by their speech and actions scandalize through ignorance as S. Peter did Mat. 16. 23. 2 Nor are scandalls more avoidable if wee consider the qualities of persons

build up the Divells kingdome The adulteresse with much faire speech drawes the simple young man to cōmit lewdnes with her only to satisfy her immoderate Lust Pr. 7. 21. These are very grievous scandalizers harming and destroying their brethrens soules to further their sin and to make others children of hell like themselves And it shewes in them a wicked disposition that loves and delights in evill Yet because it is out of some ignorance though it bee such as is pravae dispositionis of an evill disposition it is therefore lesse voluntary then the former and thereby lesse evill and lesse obnoxious to woe 3. some doe scandalize others by faire words out of misguided love to the persons they scandalize so that the motive hereof is an affection of love compounded with ignorance and imprudence Thus Peter advised Christ to decline his sufferings out of love as he thought but ignorantly and therefore our Saviour rejected counsell as savouring of a meere carnall and humane affection Mat. 16. 23. telling him that hee was a scandall to him In this manner many carnall parents have disswaded their children from Martyrdome from zeale and forwardnesse in Religion least they should bee lost as they thinke become melancholy unfashionable misse their preferment be mocked by men of the world c. wherein they thinke they shew much love to thē but do indeed scandalize or harme their soules as Peter did Christ. But the woe due to this is lesse then the former because it is lesse voluntary as being not out of a love to the evill but to the persons they perswade through simple ignorance of the evill to which they perswade Thirdly difference is to be made of scandalizeing in this kind according to the matter or thing wherein they scandalize them For sometimes men doe lay a stumbling block by seducing men from the truth in credendis in matters of faith As those of whom S. Peter speakes 2. Pet. 2. 1. that brought in damnable heresies or heresies of perdition and those of whom S. Paul speaks that sought to deprive Christians of their liberty in Christ that they might bring them into bondage Gal. 2. 4. those that corrupted mens minds from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2. Cor. 11. 3. Some doe scandalize others in agendis in matters of practise whether pertaining to Religion or to civill conversation As Balaam that corrupted the Israelites in both and all others that draw men to superstition intemperance and the like sinnes Now the former are caeteris paribus other things being alike the worse sort of scandalizers for as much as a pernitious errour in matters of faith is more dangerous as more easily spreading and infecting the minds then a corrupt practise that hath lesse colour for it and likely more resistance The reasons why a woe belongs to such Scandalizers are 1. Because they are plaine and manifest agents and factors for Satan and his Kingdome Our Lord Christ called Peter Satan when he was a Scandall to him though but out of imprudence Mat. 16. 23. much more justly may the title be fastened on him that scandalizeth out of craft who is ingeniosè nequam wittily wicked For this reason S. Paule styled Elymas the Sorcerer a Child of the Divell because he did not cease to pervert the right waies of the Lord Act. 13. 8. For what doe such but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with open face declare themselves for Satan and associate themselves to him in promoting his worke which is the devouring of soules and therefore may expect his pay to whose service they have addicted themselves 2. because they are direct enemies to God S. Paul stiled Elymas an enimy to all righteousnesse Acts 13. 8. And what is an enemy to righteousnesse but an enemy to God Who loveth righteousnesse and hateth iniquity what doe such Scandalizers but apply themselves to seduce men from their subjection to Gods kingdome and as much as in them lies overthrow his dominion Now such as shew enmity against God may justly expect hostility from him against them wrath in requitall of their unrighteousnesse and that in proportionable measure answerable to the measure of their iniquity For application of this truth 1. We may hereby discover the great guilt that lies on them that by this way scandalize others and the great misery that belongs to them Surely there are every where many who at least through imprudence doe scandalize men to their ruine by insinuating practises many carnall parents that relish not the word of life themselves out of prejudice against Godlinesse and holy zeale disswade their Children from diligence in duties of godlinesse prayer reading hearing meditating on Gods word as conceiving that these things will make them silly unfashionable unsociable dejected melancholick opinionative that it will hinder their credit and preferment And therefore divert the current of their minds to the reading of Poems play-bookes amorous writings acquaint them with merry company pregnant wits that they may learne gallantry of behaviour whet their wits erect their spirits But instead of learning these things they learne for the most part the damnable Arts of swearing whoring sighting drinking riot scoffing at religion and the rest of those hellish courses which are in these daies vailed under the name of bravery of spirit and gallantry of carriage And this falls out by Gods just judgement that while parents are enemies to that noble service which their children by their godlinesse and holy zeale might doe for God the soveraigne Lord to that Heroicall fortitude of minde in contemning the world and bearing the extreamest evills for Christs sake which faith produceth that incomparable joy that true liberty which a holy life begetteth that surpassing wisdome and usefull worth that attend the knowledge of God and an upright heart towards him their children should fall into the basest services of their own lusts of Satans will enslave themselves to whores and drinke and such like effaeminating things be filled with meere vanity empty of reall worth and prove a griefe to their parents a burden to their countrey the ruine of their houses and which is yet worst Children of hell And as this is the course of too many ill-advised parents so it is the manner of too many unfaithfull friends and misguided masters who being led by the same spirit endeavour to quench the beginnings of new birth in their friends and servants by their counsells if they perceive in them any sense of sin any degree of humiliation any application of their minds to religion any alienation of their minds from the prophanenes vanity of the world they set their wits on worke how to prevent them conceiving they shall doe them a pleasure when as their Counsells tend to their perdition And thus they doe as they say apes doe to their young ones amplexando strangulant by hugging them they kill them Unhappy men that thinking to doe good destroy those whō they love and procure a

malefactors in the deepe of the sea with a milstone hanged about their necke Casaubon in his notes on Matthew 18. 6. proves by a passage or two which he cites out of Diodorus Siculus and Athenaeus that the Greekes used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 drowning in the Sea as a punishment among them but he finds not that it was by tying a stone to their necke but rather by putting the malefactor into leade And it may seeme by a passage which he cites out of Polybius that it was rather reckoned among the easier then more grievous sorts of punishment Maldonate conceives it might bee that our Saviour in using this resemblance did allude unto the pride which hee here censures as he did Math 11. 23. when hee said And thou Capernaum which art exalted to heaven shalt be brought down to hell What ever the allusion be Saint Hierome rightly notes that our Saviour meant hereby to let us understand that it were better for scandalizers to receive a short punishment here then eternall torments Or that though to be cast into the sea with a milstone about the necke be a certaine grievous irrecoverable destruction yet the woe of scandalizers is more certaine more grievous more irrecoverable And it is considerable that the Emphasis of our Saviours words in averring this seemes to intimate that He spake this with some vehemency as if he had said to this purpose though it bee that those that beleive in me are litle ones in their owne and others eyes yet I tell you it will be more tolerable for a man to bee thus dolefully cast into the sea then for him to incurre the punishment of offending these litle ones as little as they be yea though hee offend but one of these little ones Now from this speech of our Saviour wee may observe that those that beleive in Christ are litle ones which is true whether we compare them among themselves or with others for Magnum parvum are relatives as Aristotle observes in his Categories in the chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now compared among themselves they are some lesse then others Our Saviour Math 25 40. by saying In as much as yee have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren yee have done it unto mee Intimates that some of his brethren are lesse then others And indeed so it is 1 In respect of spirituall gifts and graces some are lesse then others Our Saviour in his charge to Peter concerning his pastorall office distinguisheth betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his little Lambes and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his sheepe Ioh. 21. 15 16. and requires Peter to doe as it was foretold of himselfe Isay 40. 11. that he should feed his flocke like a shepheard that hee should gather the Lambes with his armes and carry them in his bosome and should gently leade those that are with young The Apostle distinguisheth between the strong in faith and the weak in faith Rom. 14. 1. and 15. 1. Thus it hath beene and it is still Some are Christians come to maturity others are in the blossome and bud some are novices Catechumeni yongling in Christ some are confirmed Christians strong men in Christ. Which thing happens First because of the sutablenesse of it to the condition of a body For as it is in the naturall body all members are not of equall growth so it is in the mysticall body of Christ it is fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of each part Ephes. 4. 16. There is a different measure of each part that there may be a meete Symmetry in the whole Secōdly Besides all members have not the same office And therefore Gods spirit gives not to all a like measure of knowledge and other gifts Rom. 12. 4 6. Thirdly Againe all parts have not a like meanes for growth not a like instruction and nurture not a like time for growth There is a different working in the severall parts and accordingly a different growth Ephes. 4. 16. Fourthly If all Christians were of equall strength Faith wisdome and other graces there would be a subtraction of the matter of sundry principall duties there would be no need one Christian should edifie one another beare with one another avoyd the offence of another give helpe to another restore one another c. Wheras God hath so tempered the parts of the mysticall body as well as the naturall that the members should have the same care one of another 1. Cor. 12. 25. 2. In power dignity authority wealth c. Both in the Church and in the world some believers in Christ exceed others Among many meane Christians some are noble in birth and dignity among many Christian subjects there are some soveraigne Kings and Princes that are Christians among many illiterate believers there are some learned believers In which thing God hath admirably ordered that as there should be some nobles some Princes some learned among his people that they may help defend his Church so there are not many nobles not many mighty not many wise after the flesh that the support and raising of his Church may appeare not to be by an arme of flesh not by might but by his spirit that no flesh should glory in his presence 1. Cor. 1. 26 29. If wee compare them with others they are but little I meane in dignity secular honour power strength among men Except a David or a Constantine and some other christian Kings how few of Gods people have injoyed any eminent degree of worldy glory the triumphant Cōquerors the mighty Monarchs of the world have been most of them Infidels The Almighty that intends a better inheritance for his Saints even a kingdome that cannot be shaken Heb. 12. 28. bestowes not on them the great Monarchies Dominions and dignities of this world which are meaner gifts And accordingly the world makes small account of beleivers as if they were but contemptible persons For the men of this world have eyes of flesh and fleshly minds they magnify and admire the world and the pompe thereof sumptuous palaces gorgeous attire great command great observance and attendance But the worth of spirituall excellencies the glorious priviledges and endowments of Gods sons they know not even as Christ was unknowne in the world so are his members 1. Iohn 3. 1 2. Lastly those that believe in Christ are little in their owne eyes that is humble which it's likely was chiefly here meant by our Saviour For to this Christ specially applyes the Embleme of a little child Math. 18. 4. And in this sense Saul is said to have been little in his own eyes 1. Sam. 15. 17. Thus certainly are all the Saints David was as great in the eye of others as any man in the world in his age yet he was not so great in the eyes of others but he was as small in his owne Who am