could not be for the glory of God, not only for that it is offensive to
many of Christ's little ones, but likewise for that it ministereth
occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme; to atheists, because by
these naughty observances they see the commandments of God made of little
or no effect, and many godly both persons and purposes despised and
depressed, whereat they laugh in their sleeve and say, Aha! so would we
have it; to Papists, because as by this our conformity they confirm
themselves in sundry of their errors and superstitions, so perceiving us
so little to abhor the pomp and bravery of their mother of harlots, that
we care not to borrow from her some of her meretricious trinkets, they
promise to themselves that in the end we shall take as great a draught of
the cup of the wine of her fornications as they themselves.

Neither yet can our conforming unto the ceremonies pressed upon us be
profitable for edifying, for we have given sufficient demonstration of
manifold hurts and inconveniences ensuing thereon.

Nor, lastly, can we conform to them in faith; for as our consciences
cannot find, so the word cannot afford, any warrant for them. Of all which
things now I only make mention, because I have spoken of them enough
otherwhere.

_Sect._ 23. The second distinction which may help our light in this
question about the power of princes, is of times; for when the church and
ministers thereof are corrupted and must be reformed, princes may do much
more in making laws about things ecclesiastical than regularly they may,
when ecclesiastical persons are both able and willing to do their duty, in
rightly taking care of all things which ought to be provided for the good
of the church, and conservation or purgation of religion. "For (saith
Junuis(957)) both the church, when the joining of the magistrate faileth,
may extraordinarily do something which ordinarily she cannot; and again,
when the church faileth of her duty, the magistrate may extraordinarily
procure that the church return to her duty; that is, in such a case
extraordinarily happening, these (ecclesiastical persons) and those
(magistrates) may extraordinarily do something which ordinarily they
cannot. For this belongeth to common law and equity, that unto
extraordinary evils, extraordinary remedies must also be applied." We
acknowledge that it belongeth to princes(958) "to reform things in the
church, as often as the ecclesiastical persons shall, either