SClaundre is or synifieeh an offence / whereby mans mynd is sore disquietid or trobled : that is to say / it is other discouraged or couraged to or from the imitacyon or folowynge of a thing . ii . maner of sclaundres . one phariscycall / another called sclaundre taken . leaf ; There is a double kynde of sclaundre / one is pharisaycall / which comenly they call sclaundre taken : and that is whan that ypocrytes be offended other with right doctryne / or with necessary doyng / & therupon cometh hatred of the gospell and of godly men : as the pharisyes hated the gospel and the teachers of the same / & pretended gret causes of their grefe & hatered taken of mans Mat. xv wytte & reason : for what man endued but with a meane wyt wolde not be greued / that the facyon of relygion shulde any thing decay / that comen peace shuld be disquyeted / that sysmes shulde ryse in the church / that hye powers and commen welthes shulde be brought to nought . They sawe that their relygion & maner of worshipping of god was lytle estemed and that the comen welth was hyndred / and the auctoritye of superyoures contempned : But although these be great causes / which worthely doth moue men / yet it is mete to know / that before these causes yea / before all thynges / that the commaundement of god be prefarred after this rule : It is necessary rather to obeye God than men . Actu . v. Therfore this pharisaycall sclaunder or offence is not to be eschewed / for the commaundement of god excuseth vs . But it is necessary the doctryne be true certayne & profytable to the church . For it is a very greuous syn to troble the church with euyll / vncertayne or vnprofytable disputacions .

leaf ; There is another kynde of sclaundre / which they call sclaundre gyuen . Sclaundre gyuen And it is vngodly doctryne or euyl example which hurteth / other bycause they folowe it / or bycause it scarreth men from the gospell . All wycked doctrynes ar sclaundres & offences of this kynde . Also idolatrers worshippynge and mens inuencyons / which can not be obserued & kept without synne : as worshippyng of ymages / goyng on pylgrymages / purchasyng of popysshe pardons for remissyon of synnes . Christ threat the auctors of these sclaunders chefely .

leaf ; Wo be to the men by whom sclaundre cometh . Mathei . xviii . &ce . Than these sclaundres and offences with great dilygence must be eschewed / lest we be other auctours or alowers of vngodly doctryne & folowers of suche wycked worshippyng . &c.

A rule of the vse of lybertye . leaf ; There is also another kynd of sclaundre to be eschewed / that is / whan that a work which is indyfferent / is done out of tyme : as the vntymely vse of christyan lyberte . Of this lyberte / there is often dysputacyons and reasonyng / whan it is lawfull / and whan it is not lawfull . It is synne to breake mens tradicyons / in case that the brekyng of them shulde be occasyon of sclaundre or offence to any man . Therfore the rule of Poule is to be holden as touchyng the vse of lyberte . Rom. xv Poul commaundeth the lerned men to bere th infyrmyte of the vnlerned and weke / & folowe their myndes / and certify them for their good & for their edifyeng that is / that through their gentylnes they may courage them to the Gospell and not skarte them : For not alonly ipocryts and the vngodly sorte / but also godly men / & men of sobre lyuyng / specyally they that be not taught nor suffyciently instructe whan they se auncyent customes broken / they iudge by that maner of doctryne / men to be gyuen to a wylde lyberte / and become all vngodly and so be skarred from the knowledge of the gospell . Therfore lybertye is not to be vsed afore them which haue not yet herd this maner of doctryne / as afore / men not yet suffycyently confyrmed / but the● ample of saynt Poule is to be folowed : I haue ben weke to them that are weke : i. Corin. viii . If my meate doth offende my brother / I wyl neuer eate flesshe / lest I offende my brother . But now where as the gospell is clerely preached / and the church meanely confirmed in the same / the greuous obseruacyon of vnprofytable tradicyons is not gretly to be requyred . yea / Poul for to shew example of lyberte / he wolde not syrcumcyse Tyte. Gala. ii . And Christ excused his Apostles / brekyng the tradicyons of the fathers / and sayth : Mathei . xxb. Let them alone / they be blynd / and gydes of the blynde . &ce . Mat. xb xx .iii. But yet in this thyng it is good to vse sobrenesse and dyscrecyon / for euen amonge enemyes ther be some that rather shulde be reconsyled than styred & prouoked / and it becommeth christen men to refarre all their doingis not to their owne affectyons & lustes / but vnto the profyte of other / & to the glory of Christ . Apoc. v. But many there be that breke auncyent customes / not to profyte or do seruyce to other / or to do better thynges / but bycause this lyberte delyteth them . This is a wycked thynge to dyspyce auncyent customes & lawes / it is no christyan thing Furthermore / the brekynge of comen customes / redily stores vp gret vprore / and commocions ought not rasshely to be excyted : for it is an harde thynge afterward to haue conscyence that thou hast gyuen occasyon of comen calamytes & myseres

The second rule The second rule . Also in churches ryghtly instructe / there is to be had a consyderacyon of sclaundre / lest our example do hurte other / as these be : Ofte tymes not to force of the comen customes / & to shew any contempte / & to cause other to be forceles / or to gyue occasyon to dyssencyons / sysmes / sectes or factions without necessary cause . If any man after this maner breketh tradicyons / certaynly he doth synne . Without suche occasyon of sclaundres / we vndrestande tradicyons to be free . This moderacyon & equytye in tradicyons is very good to hold / for it kepeth the auctoryte of tradicyons & conserueth the comen customes & good ordre / and it delyuereth mens conscyences from that old tyranny / whan that they knowe that tradicyons be outwarde thynges & indyfferent / & maye be omytted & lefte without syn except it be in case of sclaundre .

Sclaundre of doctryne . Furthermore / the sclaundres and offences of doctrynes / be moche worse than euyll examples in maners . Therfore with great dilygence / a man must be ware / fyrst that he teche no vngodly thynges / vncertayne or vnprofytable . Furthermore whan ye teache true thynges / that ye set theym not forthe so confusely and doutefully / that the herers conceyue any euyll opinyons in suche confused and doutfull doctryne : as we se howe moche it profyteth the people to be monysshed after what maner mens tradicyons may be reproued : and agayne for what purpose / and to what vse tradicions ought to be kept and loued . Excepte these thinges be aptly & discretly expressed / they that be vnlerned conceyue a contempte of al lawes and customes . Thus also in other artycles / excepte they be aptly & clerely expressed / there ryse opinyons very perylous .

Whan that men be iustifyed by fayth / how detestable opynyons doth there ryse / excepte the herers be monysshed what thing is entreated of / and that the persone is reconcyled by fayth / and after that / our obedyence is necessary / & in men reconcyled / is ryghtousnesse . Rom. v. Lyke wyse of free wyll / that god is not the cause of euyll / and many other thynges / that deseruynge is not taken from workes / bycause we can do no thynge that can deserue out of god / but bycause the promyse of god is our forgyuenes / that the remissyon of synne may be certayne . Fre●yll Ephe. ii . Actus . ii More ouer in men reconcyled / good workes be also merytoryous . ●●ot . x. So in all places dilygence must be gyuen / that without sofestry or craft / they be expressed aptly & distynctly Therfore wolde Paule that a bysshop shuld be apte to teche that he shuld teche aptely and distynctly . Titua . i And Christ wolde that a lerned man / instructe in the kyngdome of god / shulde belyke vnto a good father of houshold / which in his teching can vse discrecyon in vttryng both newe thynges and olde . For excepte prechers vse this diserecyon & dilygence / many mens conscyences be sore trobled / and euyll opinyons ryse in their myndes / whiche wyll hurte religyon and maners / and than springe vprores and many other maters of sclaundre and offence . Therfore let vs beware and do oure dilygence that our maners beutyfye the gospell . Moreouer also / that the waye of prechyng and playnesse of the same may conforte mennes conscyences / ryd them of all doutes / and redresse their erroures .