A37042:121
The dying man's testament to the Church of Scotland, or, A treatise concerning scandal…
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.
Edinburgh: printed by Christopher Higgins, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It may be further moved, what is to be done when1 there seems to be an opposition betwixt the command of a Superior, and the eschewing of offence, so that we must either disobey him or give offence in obeying, as suppose a Magistrate should command to preach upon some pretended holy day: the thing is lawful upon the matter, but the doing of it is offensive, either by grieving many, or strengthening others in the esteeming somewhat of •hat day? Answ. In that case, the Scandal is still active and given, and therefore no command or authority can warrant one in such a deed: for, as these two worthy Divines (Ames in his Cases of Conscience, lib. 5. cap. 11. and Gillespie in his Dispute of Ceremonies, chap. 7. sect. 5.) observe, no man can command either our charity or our consciences, or make up the hazard of a given offence; and therefore none can command us warrantably to hurt the spiritual good of our neighbour, that being contrary to the command of love that God hath laid on. And we may add, that an indifferent action, being involved with offence, cannot but be in its practising sinful as it is complexly considered, and therefore cannot be the object of a Magistrates command more than an action that is sinful in it self. On this ground, many of the Saints in the last persecution, did choose rather to suffer Martyrdom, than to be constructed to have ceded, or delivered the Bible, and therefore they would not redeem their life by giving of any piece of paper at the command of the Officers, lest thereby they should have been by others interpreted to have given up their Bible. It is to be remembered ⟨p. 35⟩that we spake not of displeasing, seeing by a Superiors command that may be done, but of Scandalizing, either by strengthening somewhat that is wrong, or seeming to do so, by wounding the consciences of others, provoking them to judge us, or some such way: And if it were not so, the three children▪ Dan. 3. might have escaped the furnace; for, to fall down at the Kings command, was not simply sinful (and had they done that, no more had been called for) but to fall down at such a time, in such place, &c. had at least the appearance of evil, and therefore there was no room left for obedience.