A Christian duty composed by B. Bernard Francis.

DISCOVRS XXXV. OF THE FIFTH COMMANDEMENT. (Book 35)

Thou shalt not kill. (Book 35)

AS the reasonable soul is incomparably more noble than the body: So the Spirituall mur∣ther is much more pernicious and damnable than the corporall. That which I call Spiritual murther, is Scandal; for S. Paul speaking to a corinthian who scandalized his neighbor, * 1.1 sayd to him, You are the cause that your chri∣stian Brother, for whome Christ hath dyed, does perish. This word of that great Apostle is enough to oblige us to speake all our words, and to do all our actions with great circumspection, that we may never give ill example, nor scandalize so many who have their eyes upon us: and who more usually and willingly do imitate our evill, than our good. By the same Word also we may learn, that scandal is not a word or action, which gives occasion of dishonour, infamy, or confusion: that to scandalize another is not to discover his Vice, to publish and make it known to the world: this is not to scandalize him properly speaking, 'tis to diffame and dishonour him: Scandal is a word, or an action, that is not so right as it should be, which gives occasion to our neihgbor to commit a sin; So S. Thomas, and after him all the school: Dictum, vel factum minus rectum praebens alicui occasionem ruinae.

To have a perfect knowledg of this Definition▪ we must weigh

all the words of it: the defect whereof makes men to be decei∣ved often, and to remain in ignorance.

2. Dictum: scandal is sometimes a word; for the body is poy∣soned by the mouth, and the soul by the eares sayd Plato; and S. Paul who cites but seldom profane Authours, alledges to this purpose the saying of the greek Poet: corrumpunt bonos * 1.2 mores colloquia prava, evill discourses corrupt good manners; David seem'd to fear the contagion of them when he prayed Lord deliver my soul from vniust lipps and from the deceitfull tongue: and we have greater reason to do the like: you will find many who will not speak openly against the faith, lest they should be accounted im∣pious, or Atheists; But they will say, one might object such a thing against our beliefe: or Infidells propose to us this ar∣gument; Deceitfull tongue. They move not manifestly their neighbour to dissention, but slyly and secretly: I wonder, say they, how you endure that: you are too patient: he will tread upon you: one sayd such a thing of you; Deceitfull tongue. They speake not words openly impure, but cover'd, equivocal, and of a double meaning: Deceitfull tongue. such words are usually more hurtfull, than the other; these are sharp arrows which enter more deeply into the mark; and the wit and subtility which is in these co∣ver'd words, makes them enter more easily into the imagination, and to remain there longer. These are the burning coales which desolate and ruine the purity, charity, and simplicity of Christian soules.

3. Dictum vel factum; Scandal is a word or worke and action, which may be the cause of sin; and workes or actions are more scandalous than words: these move indeed: but those draw: 'tis enough to draw another to what is naught, if others do it: if it be the mode: if but one only considerable persone do it: if it be the custome: so inclin'd are men to what is naught! they are like goates or Sheep: if one pass a place, the rest follow, not regarding the danger of it.

What do I say follow? Men do not only follow others in what is naught: but they will with tooth and naile endeavour to justify the following of them; They say, we must accommodate our selves to the place in which we are, and live according to the world, since we are in the world. To which I oppose this of the

S. Paul Be ye not conform'd to this wordl. and this of S. Iohn. Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world; and this of the * 1.3 Son of God speaking of his disciples to his Father, they are in the world, but they are not of the world. Christians, Disciples of Christ, have been sanctifyd in Baptisme, and in the other Sacraments: they are oblig'd to be holy, 'tis their vocation and profession: they are called to be Saints, says S. Paul to the Romans; and to the Thessa••onians, God hath called us into Sanctification. And S. Peter. But you are an elect Gene∣ration. a holy people. To be holy, and to be common, are two op∣posite Termes: what God hath Sanctifyd, do not thou call common. Christians shal judg the world, says S. Paul in his 1. Epistle to the Corinthians; they must nor then be Complices or Companions in the actions, customs, and proceedings of the world. Reason it self forbids us to follow them; We know, that there is nothing so erroneous as the opinion of the world: nothing so corrupted and per∣verted as the judgement of men; there are but few that know in what true vertue does consist; and amongst those that know it, there are but few, that live according to this knowledg: because their Passions oversway their judgments, and corrupt their actions; and therefore a wise man ought to steere a quite contrary cours.

But ought we not to avoyd singularity? yes, that which you af∣fect of your own head, and by the spirit of Vanity; but not that which you accept from the will of God, and by the spirit of sanctity.

Are not the high and common wayes the more sure? yes, to go to a place on earth: but not to go to heaven; our Saviour tells us so in express termes, Enter by the narrow gate: becaus broad is the gate, and large is the way that leads to perdition, and many there bes that enter by it. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that lead * 1.4 to life: and few there are that find it?

But if I leave the usuall way of men, what will they say? I shal pass for a scrupulous, a melancholy person, or a hypocrite, and they will laugh at me. And who will laugh at you? Libertines, Impious, and Atheists; but God, Angells, and vertuous Persons will esteem and praise you. Will it not be much honor to you, to be blam'd by those that are worthy of blame, and to be esteem'd by those who merit to be esteem'd? The conscience also of Liber∣tines themselves will be forced to admire what their mouth con∣demnes;

for vertue sends forth such bright rayes, that they strike a holy terrour into the soules of her greatest enemies: and she receives praises from those, who at the first sight of her, did bur∣den her with reproaches.

But suppose, that you are really laught at and derided. What vertuous Person hath not passed this tryal? Tobias and Iob, were they not mocked, as Idiots and simple men? S. Charles, did he not pass amongst worldly soule•• for a man too stiff and ob∣stinate in his way? S. Chrysostome, for too austere? Granado and Avila for scrupulous? and what is most considerable, the Saint of Saints IESVS-CHRIST, hath he not passed for a foole or madman, for a friend of good cheer, for a hlasphemer and for a magitian? We must then have the courage, sayes great S. Francis Sales, to make the world know by our manner of living, that we are not of this world, but the servants of God, that the lights of the Gospell, and not the maximes and the customs of the world, are the rules of our life; so we shal tye the tongues of the impudent: and draw many to the same manner of living, by the examples of our vertues. Let us after this not unprofitable digression, return to the definition.

5. Dictum, vel factum, a word or action. In this word Action, is couched Omission: when you can do an action which would hinder the offence of God, and you do it not. IESVS being required to pay tribute, declares himself not oblig'd, and nevertheless he pay'd it, lest He should scandalize the farmers. So the Virgin circumcised her Son, and submitted herself to the law of purification, for fear of giving ill example. So S. Paul says, the Ancient Philosophers having known the true God by the light of nature: and having not communicated this knowledg to the rest of men, to draw them from Idolatry, in∣curr'd the anger of God, and were guilty of all sins the peo∣ple committed for want of that knowledg. We are then culpa∣ble, when we ought to correct, reprehend, or punish the de∣fects of others, and do not: we scandalise them: for they say, there is no ill in this, my Parents, Confessor, Superior, say no∣thing to me of it.

6. Minus rectum. This word teaches us that if an action be

good and laudable, commanded by God or his Church, we ought not to omit it, though our neighbor be scandalized by it; if one is scandalized when you say the truth, 'tis better to permit scandal then to oppose Verity says S. Gregory; Tis a Pharisaical scandal, a * 1.5 passive scandal, not an active, a scandal taken not given.

7. And if the action be good and laudable, but not of obliga∣tion: ought we to omit it, if one will be scandalized by it? S. Thomas answers learnedly with a distinction. either our nei∣ghbour is scandalized maliciously and out of a spirit of con∣tradiction: * 1.6 or is scandalised through ignorance, or infirmity; if he be scandalised maliciously; we ought not to omit our good worke; for 'tis his own fault, and not ours. He does as the Pharesees, who were scandalized maliciously by the predications of IESUS; But IESUS contemn'd their scandal, and left not off his prea∣ching. If he be scandalized through ignorance, or through weak∣ness: 'tis better to do your good worke in private, or to omit it for a time, than to give an occasion to your neighbor to fall into any sin. And with much more reason, if the action be of it self indifferent, neither good, nor evill, charity obli∣ges us to omit it, when it would be an occasion of sin, or temptation to our neighbor. If you offend your neighbor giving him occasion of sin through his weakness, you offend our Lord: and therefore If I know my brother is scandalized to see me eate flesh, I will never eate it, lest I scandalize my hrother, says S. Paul. * 1.7 And again, do not with thy meat destroy him, for whom CHRIST dyed. Destroy not the worke of God for meat. Though then an action be permitted, if it be not commanded, we must abstain from it, if it be a snare or stumblingblock to infirme and weak soules.

8. Prebens alicui: giving occasion to our neighbor. Some may ima∣gin, that 'tis not to be scandalous, if they do not a publick action, which is manifest to many. But our Saviour says, if you move * 1.8 to sin but one only, you are scandalous. You say, they are simple and weak people, that are tempted by such an action or such a word: the wise and well grounded in vertue are not mo∣ved by it; IESUS says you must not scandalize one of the les∣ser ones, unum de pusillis; and S. Paul tells us that in scan dalizing the weak ones, we sin against IESUS-CHRIST; And

the Son of God adds: Voe mundo a scandalis, Woe to the world for scandalls; He Speakes so, becaus the world is full of them; and becaus they destroy so many souls, so dear and precious to him.

9. It seems that soules are more dear to IESUS than his in∣nocent blood; He willed it should be prophan'd, and trod under feet, for the ransome of these beloved soules. I leave you to think, what punishment, and what reproches we shal receive from him: if by our bad exemple, or by our negligence, we let any one of these soules fall into sin, and damnation?

Believe, that in the houre of your death, nothing will cause you more regret: nor afflict you more, than the sight of the soules which by your fault are lost; You will acknowledg this truth, and feel the weight of these dreadfull words: Vae homini illi per quem scandalum venit: woe to the persone by whom * 1.9 Scandal coms.

You will see all the graces God had given to soules through your fault lost: all the merits they had gotten: all that our Saviour did and suffered for their salvation: and you will with sorrow, and sighing say; Ha! I have destroy'd soules for which JESUS CHRIST dyed; how shal I restore to him the blood which He hath shed? vae homini illi: wo be to that person! It were better for you one had tyed a milstone about your neck and thrown you into the Sea.

You will see the excellency and the value of the soules you have cast away: and this will oppress you with griefe, as if you had a milstone upon your heart.

You will see that those who learnt of you the vanities of the world, will teach their children them: these will derive them to their descendents unto the third or fourth generation, all wh∣ich will be imputed to you: this sight will cast you even into despaire.

Will you avoyd▪ this miserable condition: Do not by bad examples, indiscreet words, or negligence destroy a soul, for whom IESUS CHRIST dyed. But if you have been so unhappy: do judgment, and justice; punish your fault by true penance repair the loss as much as lies in you; bring back the lost sheep

to IESUS: or if you cannot: gain another in his stead: by prayers instructions, a••d good examples; so you may be confident of pardon: God hath promised it. Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Cor. 8.
• * 1.2

  1. Cor. 15 33. Psal. 118
• * 1.3

  Rom. 12. 2. 1. Iohd. 2. 15. S. Iohn. 17. Rom. 1. 7. Thess. 1. 4. And 7. S. Pet. 1. 3. And 9. Acts. 10 15. 1. Cor. 6. 2.
• * 1.4

  Matt. 7. 13.
• * 1.5

  S. Greg. hom. 7. in Ezec.
• * 1.6

  2. 2. q. 43. ar. 7.
• * 1.7

  1. Cor. 8. 12. Rom. 14. 15. 20.
• * 1.8

  Matt. 18.
• * 1.9

  Matt. 18. 7.