e, Justinian forbiddeth(1130)
civil men to be joined with ecclesiastical men in judgment. They are
ecclesiastical things or causes which are handled and examined by the High
Commission in the process of deposing ministers; and a shame it is to
ecclesiastical men, if they cannot, without the help and joining of
temporal men, judge and decide things of this quality.

4. As in the matters to be judged, so in the censures and punishments to
be inflicted, ecclesiastical and civil men have, in this commission, alike
power and authority; for ecclesiastical men therein have power of fining,
confining, warding, &c., common to them with the temporal men; and, again,
the temporal men have power of excommunication, suspension, deprivation,
&c., common to them with the ecclesiastical men. For they all sit there as
the king's commissioners, and _eo nomine_, they exercise this
jurisdiction; which commission being alike discharged by them all, it is
manifest that both temporal men take hold of the keys and ecclesiastical
men take hold of the civil sword. And this monstrous confusion and mixture
giveth sufficient demonstration that such a form of judgment is not from
the God of order.

Of the abuses and irregularities of the High Commission we may not now
speak at greater length, but are hasted to make forward.

CHAPTER IX.

THAT THE LAWFULNESS OF THE CEREMONIES CANNOT BE WARRANTED BY THE LAW OF
NATURE.

_Sect._ 1. What our opposites have alleged for the ceremonies, either from
the law of God, or the law of man, we have hitherto answered; but we heard
the law of nature also alleged(1131) for holidays, and for kneeling at the
communion. And when Hooker(1132) goeth about to commend and defend such
visible signs, "which, being used in performance of holy actions, are
undoubtedly most effectual to open such matter, as men, when they know and
remember carefully, must needs be a great deal the better informed to what
effect such duties serve," he subjoineth: "We must not think but that
there is some ground of reason even in nature," &c. This is a smoke to
blind the eyes of the unlearned. Our opposites have taken no pains nor
travail to make us see any deduction of those ceremonies from the law of
nature: we desire proofs, not words. In the meanwhile, for giving further
evidence to the truth, we will express our own mind touching things
warranted by the law of nature.

_Sect._ 2. And, first, we must