k ones are offended at me for the use of a lawful
thing, before I know of their weakness, and their taking of offence, the
scandal is only passive; and so we see that weak ones may take offence
where none is given, as well as the malicious. Now, their taking of
offence, though it proceed of weakness, yet is sinful; for their weakness
and ignorance is a fault, and doth not excuse them.

7th. A scandal may be at first only passive, and yet afterward become
active. For example, Gideon's ephod and the brazen serpent were monuments
of God's mercies, and were neither evil nor appearances of evil; so that
when people were first scandalised by them the scandal was merely passive,
but the keeping and retaining of them, after that scandal rose out of
them, made the scandal to become active also, because the reserving of
them after that time was not without appearance of evil.

_Sect._ 5. 8th. The occasion of a scandal which is only passive should be
removed, if it be not some necessary thing, and we are not only to shun
that which giveth scandal, but also that whereupon followeth a scandal
taken, whatsoever it be, if it be not necessary. This is so evident, that
Papists themselves subscribe to it; for both Cardinal Cajetan(356) and
Dominicus Bannes say, that we should abstain even _a spiritualibus non
necessariis_ when scandal riseth out of them.

9th. Neither can the indifferency or lawfulness of the thing done, nor the
ordinance of authority commanding the use of it, make the scandal
following upon it to be only passive, which otherwise, _i.e._, in case the
thing were neither lawful nor ordained by authority, should be active. Not
the former; for our divines teach,(357) that _scandalum datum_ riseth
sometimes, _ex facto in se adiaphoro_, when it is done _intempestive,
contra charitatis regulam_. Not the latter; for no human authority can
take away the condition of scandal from that which otherwise should be
scandal, because _nullus homo potest vel charitati, vel conscientiis
nostris imperare, vel periculum scandali dati prestare_, saith a learned
Casuist.(358)

10th. A scandal is passive and taken by the scandalised without the fault
of the doer, only in this case,(359) _cum factum unius est alteri occasio
peccandi praeter intentionem facientis, et conditionem facti_, so that to
the making of the doer blameless, is not only required that he intend not
his brother's fall, but also that the deed be neither evil in itself, nor