Indeed he did not compelle the Iues to worshipp Idolles / but yet did he permit and suffer his wyues and concubines, wich were straungiers, to haue their Chapells amonge the Iues / in which they worshipped Astaroth / Chamos ãd such idolls / For which cause the lorde was so angrie wyth him / that as he suffered his true worshippe to be parted ãd diuided / as he suffered seruice to be done partlie to God and partlie to Idolles. Euẽ so was his kingdõ diuided / parte of it came vnto his sõne / ãd parte to Ieroboã the sõne of Nabat. And agayn for doing of this / Achaz / ãd other wicked kĩges wer reproued of the prophetes. Magistrates are apoĩted to be the defẽders / ãd executours of the first table of the lawe as well as of the secõde: with what obseruatiõ thẽ of iustice cã a magistrate graũte or suffer Idolatrie to be vsed? It is writõ that he hathe the sworde to punishe euill thĩges and vices. If it be his part to punishe theues / ãd not to permitt them / the same must he do to Idolatrours. Or ells we must saie that Idolatrie is no such synne ãd vice as theft is / or that with other vices it is not to be punished. And that theis prĩces maye do this the better / they muste thẽ selues take hede that they be cleare frõ these Idolatries ãd supersticiõs. Augustine writĩg againste the donatistes dothe ĩ manye places notablie intreate ãd hãdle this sentẽce of the psalme.
And nowe ye kĩges be wise be warned ye that iudge the earthe. Serue the lorde wyth feare. &c. It is reasõ ãd semyng faithe he that kinges sholde serue the lorde / neither is it spokẽ of kinges in respecte that they are mẽ / for so are they boũde to obserue cõmen lawes euẽ as other mẽ are / but as kĩges they be admonished to vse their power giuẽ thẽ of God / ãd their sword to defẽde the catholike truithe / and to represse the wicked which do oppugne the church ãd truithe of Christ: wherfore it is not lawfull for prĩces to graũt vnto the wicked and vnbeleuers their euill and vngodlie Godds seruice and Idolatries / but they muste maynteyn to their power / those holy rites ãd ordinaũces of godds seruice which do agree with the worde of God / ãd forbid those which are cõtrarie to yt. I do not saie that they must be to curius in ceremonies / as many are / which wolde that ĩ any wise all rites ãd ceremonies sholde be throughli ãd in all places of oone sorte / ãd manier: But this theis princes shold prouide / that the ceremonies vsed in ther churches sholde not be contrarie to godds worde / yea and that they sholde most neerely agre therwith / ãd shuld make for godly edyfyinge and decẽt and comelye ordre in the churche: But of their liknes / ãd that ĩ all places the rites / ãd ceremonies shold be of one forme / I do not thinke it a thing worthie the labor. For what matter maketh it if some men do receyue the sacramẽt stõding / other sittinge / other kneling. And if in some places whilest the bretherẽ do cõmunicat / a place of the scripture be redd / or some psalmes be sõg of the people / or other songes of thankes geuing. Nether is it any great matter / when a corps is caried to the buriall / whether that mẽ do followe the hearce holdĩg their peace / or singing of psalmes / or suche other thinges as maye edifie them that do stãde by. These thinges are to be lefte so free that in the churches suche maie be vsed / as shall seme most meete for the edyfyinge of the people. Yea I suppose that this varietye and chaunge in rytes / and ceremonies / dothe not a lytell profyte ãd helpe to bring in a true opiniõ of ceremonies / and to haue it kepte also: that is / that mẽ shuld beleue that all those ceremonies which the holie scripure doth not apoint / are not necessarie vnto saluaciõ / but maye be chaũged accordinge to the estate of tyme / ãd as shall serue for edifyĩg / as they shall thĩk Godd which haue in their hand the orderinge the churche. That moste worthie commen wealthe of the venetians / which haue vnder their dominions / many Cities and places in Grece / they do in eche of them permit and suffer the rytes / and ceremonies / bothe of the Greke churche / and of the Latin churche / for those wise men do thincke / that the dyuersytie in outward ceremonies which are not taught in Godds worde is not hurtefull. I do not alledg this to allowe all such ceremonies as they do permitt in thos places / but only to shew that they thincke it not a matter of necessite to haue all one forme of ceremonies: The verie same thinge before thẽ did Augustine iudge as in his epistles to Ianuarius / and Cassulanus it dothe apeare.