to the edification of the church,”(258) and that the observation of the same must carry before it a manifest utility,(259) that in rites and ceremonies the church hath no power to destruction, but only to edification?(260) Do they not put this clause in the very definition of ecclesiastical rites,(261) that they be profitably ordained; considering, that otherwise they are but intolerable misorders and abuses? Do they not teach,(262) that no idle ceremony which serveth not unto edifying is to be suffered in the church; and that godly brethren are not holden to subject themselves unto such things as they perceive neither to be right nor profitable?(263) That whatsoever either would scandalise our brother,(264) or not be profitable to him for his edification, Christians for no respect must dare to meddle with it? Do they not stand so much upon expediency, that this tenet is received with them: That the negative precepts of the law, do bind, not only at all times, but likewise to all times (whereupon it followeth, that we may never do that which is inconvenient or scandalous), and that the affirmative precepts though they bind at all times, yet not to all times, but only _quando expedit_, whereupon it followeth, that we are never bound to the practice of any duty commanded in the law of God, except only when it is expedient to be done; but Mr Sprint excepteth against this rule,(265) that it is not generally true; for evidence whereof he allegeth many things, partly false, partly impertinent, upon which I hold it not needful here to insist. As for such examples, objected by him, as carry some show of making against this rule, which he dare not admit, I will make some answer thereto. He saith, that sometimes even negative precepts have been lawfully violated; for these precepts were negative,—none but priests must eat shew-bread, yet David did lawfully violate it; thou shalt do no work upon the Sabbath, yet the priests brake this, and are blameless; let nothing of God’s good creatures be lost, yet Paul and his company did lawfully cast away their goods in the ship, to save their lives, &c. _Ans._ Mr Sprint might easily have understood, that when divines say, the affirmative precepts bind at all times, but not to all times,—the negative precepts both at all times and to all times, they ever mean, _specie actionis manente cadem_; so long as an action forbidden in a negative precept ceaseth not to be evil, as long the negative precept bindeth to all times: whereas even whilst an action commanded in an affirmative precept, ceaseth not to be good, yet the affirmative precept bindeth not to all times. So that the rule is not crossed by the alleged examples; for David’s eating of the shew-bread; the priests’ labour upon the Sabbath; and Paul’s casting of the goods into the sea, were not evil, but good actions (the kind of the action being changed by the circumstances). In the meantime, the foresaid rule still crosseth