ordinance then is required,
not only that the thing ordained be lawful in itself, but also that it be
not inexpedient, so that a thing may be lawful in itself, yet not lawfully
ordained, because the ordinance commandeth the doing of it, whereas there
are many things lawful which ought not to be done, because they are not
expedient, 1 Cor. vi. 12.

3. Since it cannot be a lawful ordinance which ordaineth a thing
inexpedient, it cannot be a lawful obedience which is yielded to such an
ordinance.

4. If by a lawful ordinance he mean (as it seems he doth) an ordinance
prescribing that which is lawful in itself, then his answer is false. What
if an ordinance of superiors had ordained the Corinthians to eat freely of
all meats which were in themselves clean? Durst the Bishop say that this
ordinance of superiors had been of greater weight and superior reason than
the law of charity, which is God's law? Had no man given scandal by
obedience to this ordinance? And would not the Apostle for all that have
forbidden, as he did, the using of this liberty with the offence of
others?

5. When any man is offended at a thing lawful, prescribed by an ordinance,
the cause thereof is indeed in himself (yet it is not always his
perverseness, but oftimes weakness), but the occasion of it is the thing
at which he offendeth, which occasion should ever be removed when it is
not a thing necessary, as I showed already.

6. As for that sentence of Tertullian, it must admit the exception of a
reverend divine. He signifieth, saith Pareus,(402) scandal not to be
properly committed, save in things evil in themselves, or else indifferent
_quanquam interdum cuma bonas intempestive factas, etiam committi possit_.

_Sect._ 11. In the third place, we will look what weapons of war Dr
Forbesse produceth in his _Irenicum_,(403) falsely so called. And first,
he will not hear us touching scandal, except we first acknowledge the
ceremonies not to be evil in themselves otherwise he thinks we debate in
vain about scandal, since we have a more convenient way to exterminate the
ceremonies, by proving them to be evil in themselves, and also because,
when we are pressed with the weight of arguments, we will still run back
to this point, that nothing which in itself is unlawful can be done
without scandal.

_Ans._ 1. The argument of scandal is not vainly or idly debated, for
though we prove the ceremonies to be evil in themselves, yet fitly we
argument also from