In Book 4

i. (2 Chronicles 1:5) The house which I build is great and wonderful, for great is our God above all gods. Whereby it clearly appears, that the orders of the Church of God may be acceptable to him, as well being framed suitable to the greatness, and dignity of later, as when they keep the reverend simplicity of more ancient times. S. 2.

ii. (Acts 15:28) And from fornication. We cannot with reason think, that as the former two are positive, so likewise this, being meant as the Apostle does otherwise usually understand it. But very marriage within a number of degrees, being not only by the Law of Moses, but also by the Law of the Sons of Noah (for so they took it) an unlawful discovery of nakedness; by unlawful marriages, such as Moses in the Law reckons up, I think it for mine own part more probable to have been meant in the words of that Canon, than fornication according to the course of the Law of Nature. Saint Paul himself does term incestuous marriage, fornication. If any do rather think that the Christian Gentiles themselves, through the loose and corrupt custom of these times, took simple fornication for no sin, and were in that respect offensive to believing Jews which by the Law had been better taught, our proposing of another conjecture is to theirs no prejudice. S. 11.

iii. The common conceit of the vulgar sort is, whenever they see anything they dislike and are angry at, to think that every such thing is scandalous, and that themselves in this case are the men, concerning whom our Savior spoke in so fearful a manner, saying, (Matthew 18:6) Whoever shall scandalize or offend anyone of those little ones which believe in me [that is, as they construe it, whoever shall anger the meanest and simplest artisan which carries a good mind, by not removing out of the Church such rites and ceremonies as displease him] better he were drowned in the bottom of the sea. But hard were the case of the Church of Christ if this were to scandalize. Men are scandalized, when they are moved, led and provoked to sin. At good things evil men may take occasion to do evil. And so Christ himself was a rock of offense in Israel, they taking occasion at his poor estate and at the ignominy of his cross, to think him unworthy the name of that great and glorious Messiah, whom the prophets describe in such ample and stately terms. S. 12.

iv. (Romans 14:20) All things are clean, all meats are lawful; but evil to that man that eats offensively. But, their use of meats was not like to ours of ceremonies, that being a matter of private action in common life, where every man was free to order that which himself did. But this is a public constitution for the ordering of the Church, and we are not to look that the Church should change her public laws and ordinances, made according to that which is judged ordinarily and commonly fittest for the whole, although it chance that for some particular men the same be found inconvenient; especially when there may be other remedy also against the sores of particular inconveniences. ib.

v. (1 Corinthians 14:36) Has the word of God gone out from you, or has it lit on you alone? Wherein he teaches the Church of Corinth to know, that there was no such great odds between them and the rest of their brethren, that they should think themselves to be gold and the rest to be but copper. Men instructed in the knowledge of Jesus Christ there both were before you, and are besides you in the world. You neither are the fountain from which first, nor yet the river into which alone the word has flowed. S. 13.