the honour of idols,
but also publicly and commonly used and employed in idolatrous worship;
surely whosoever useth such idolothites, gives great occasion to his
brother to suspect some evil of him, because of such evil-favoured
appearances. And thus we see how great appearance of evil is more than
manifest in the ceremonies, which maketh the scandal active, if there were
no more; but afterwards we shall see the ceremonies to be evil and
unlawful in themselves, and so to be in the worst kind of active scandal.

_Sect._ 7. Two things are objected here by our adversaries, to make it
appear that the scandal of conformity is not active nor faulty upon their
part. 1. They say they are blameless, because they render a reason of that
which they do, so that we may know the lawfulness of it. To this
sufficient answer hath been made already by one whose answers I may well
produce to provoke Conformists therewith, because no reply hath ever been
made to them. "This (saith he(387)), if it be true, then see we an end of
all the duty of bearing with the weak; of forbearing our own liberty,
power, and authority in things indifferent, for their supportance; yea, an
end of all the care to prevent their offence, by giving them occasion _aut
condemnandi factum nostrum, aut illud imitandi contra conscientiam_,(388)
which we have so often,(389) so seriously, with so many reasons,
obtestations, yea, woes and threatenings, commanded to us throughout the
word. What needed Paul to write so much against the scandal of meats, and
against the scandal of idolothious meats? This one precept might have
sufficed, let the strong give a reason for his eating, &c. Though he hath
given many reasons to them of Corinth for the lawfulness of taking wages;
though he hath given divers reasons for the lawfulness of all sorts of
meats to them of Rome, yet neither will take wages himself, nor suffer
others to eat all sorts of meats, when others are offended. And what is
that which he writeth Rom. x.? Take and receive the weak for their
supportance, and not for controversy and disputation," &c.

It will be said that they are to be thought obstinate, who, after a reason
given, are still scandalised. But the answer is in readiness: _Fieri
potest ut quidam nondum sint capaces rationis redditae, qui idcirco quamvis
ratio sit illis reddita, habendi sunt adhuc propusillis_.(390) They are
rather to be thought obstinate in scandalising, who, perceiving the
scandal to rem