18 (for of his appointing that new altar for his own and all the
people's sacrifices, there was nothing heard till after his return from
Damascus, at which time he began to fall back from one degree of defection
to a greater), yet this very innovation of taking the pattern of an altar
from idolaters is marked as a sin and a snare. Last of all, whereas many
of the kings of Judah and Israel did either themselves worship in the
groves and the high places, or else, at least, suffer the people to do so,
howsoever they might have alleged(952) specious reasons for excusing
themselves,--as namely, that they gave not this honour to any strange gods,
but to the Lord only; that they chose these places only to worship in
wherein God was of old seen and worshipped by the patriarchs, that the
groves and the high places added a most amiable splendour and beauty to
the worship of God, and that they did consecrate these places for divine
worship in a good meaning, and with minds wholly devoted to God's
honour,--yet notwithstanding, because this thing was not commanded of God,
neither came it into his heart, he would admit no excuses, but ever
challengeth it as a grievous fault in the government of those kings, that
those high places were not taken away, and that the people still
sacrificed in the high places; from all which examples we learn how highly
God was and is displeased with men for adding any other sacred ceremonies
to those which he himself hath appointed.(953)

_Sect._ 20. Now as touching the other sort of things which we consider in
the worship of God, namely, things merely circumstantial, and such as have
the very same use and respect in civil which they have in sacred actions,
we hold that whensoever it happeneth to be the duty and part of a prince
to institute and enjoin any order or policy in these circumstances of
God's worship, then he may only enjoin such an order as may stand with the
observing and following of the rules of the word, whereunto we are tied in
the use and practice of things which are in their general nature
indifferent.

Of these rules I am to speak in the fourth part of the dispute. And here I
say no more but this: Since the word commandeth us to do all things to the
glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31; to do all things to edifying, 1 Cor. xiv. 29;
and to do all things in faith, and full persuasion of the lawfulness of
that which we do, Rom. xiv. 5, 23, therefore there is no prince in the
world who hath power