Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	age_n	write_v	year_n	1,957	5	4.7409	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44242	The Holy time of Christmas defended against non-conformists and all others its prophaners and opposers, or, A discourse shewing that a religious observation of Christmas is apostolical and worthy every good Christian		1676 (1676)	Wing H2529; ESTC R28109	8,613	14

away the whole New Testament For how can he tell St. Matthew wrote this Book St. Luke that and so of the rest but by the universal immemorial Testimony of several Christian Countrys If Almighty God will Oblige me to keep such Daies Holy as were so appointed and reverence such Books as Divine as were by Divine Inspiration written sixteen Hundred Years before I was born he cannot reasonably expect I should know and distinguish either the one or the other but by the immemorial Testimonys of my Ancestors in several Countries But how at the Day of Iudgment I should Answer the refusal of such a Book or the Non-Observance of such a Day So immemorially recommended by my Ancestors I cannot tell It belongs to the providence of our Blessed Saviour to take care that no Age should be so devilishly malitious universally to tell their Children a Book of their own forging the like may be said of a Holy-Day or other Ritual Observance was written by a Holy Apostle of Jesus Christ some hundred of Years before One Man may be presumed to be so Malicious whole Nations never did nor ever can do any such thing Nor does the Church of England in this differ from the Church of Rome as if she thought what the Apostles VVrit was of greater Authority then what they Taught or Ordained She willingly admits all Traditions of which she can have good proof that they come from the Apostles Such are the Observations of Christmass Lent Easter c. But if Christmas Day was taught the VVorld by the Apostles how comes it to pass we have no mention of it in all the New Testament VVhat daies were to be Observed by the Jews are made mention of over and over in the old Testament how comes it to pass if Christmas Day or other Days be to be Observed by Christians we find no mention of them in any of the Books of the New Scripture Reflect upon the nature of the Books of the two Testaments and the Reason is Manifest For if you consider the Old Testament you will find not only Historical Books such are the books of Judges the Kings c. and moral Books which treat of good Life c. such are the Proverbs Ecclesiastes others But besides these there are Ritual Books which by the very subject of them every one sees their Design was to describe the external Mosaical VVorship as to Observation of Daies Priestly Garments Sacrifices c. Such are the Books of Exodus Leviticus and Deuteronomy And therefore no wonder if you find exactly set down what Daies that people was to keep Holy How their Priests were to be Consecrated and how Vested in time of Divine Service c. But now cast your Eye upon all the Books of the New-Testament and you 'l not find one that you can reasonably presume the Author of it had a Design in it to Describe the External VVorship of the Gospel VVhat daies for Example we Christians are to observe in memory of Christian Mercies and Misters what Garments our Priests are to use in Divine Service c. And yet the Light of God within us tells us such Institutions are very useful to increase Piety when Religiously Observed and all History tells us that immemorially in all Nations there have been certain external Christian Rites not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures ever since the first planting of Christianity amongst them The four Gospels are a History of our Blessed Saviours Life and Death who lived as to the external Rites of Religion according to the Jewish Law and so we cannot reasonably in any of them expect what Days we Christians are to observe in the time of the Gospel Indeed had the Acts of the Apostles been intended as an exact Narration how the Apostles lived as to the whole course of their Life what Days they kept Holy and what Days they Fasted c. VVe might reasonably have expected some mention there of Christmas Day and Lent But that Holy Book making mention only of some few particular passages of two or three of the Apostles Lives the Apostles might well keep Christmas Day and Lent too and teach them also to their first Converts and yet there be a profound silence of such Observations in the Book of their Acts. As for St. Johns Prophetical Book it were no ways proper in it to treat either of Christmas Day or Lent Though I must tell you for ought you or I know when St. John says he was in the Spirit on the Lords Day he may mean the Day of our Lords Birth or the yearly Easter Day of his Resurrection as well as our VVeekly Sunday The rest of the New Testament are certain Epistles or Letters of spiritual Counsels written by St. Paul or some other Apostle to particular Persons or whole Cities already instructed in the Christian way of VVorship But why they should needs make mention therein of Christmas Day I understand not unless perchance the Persons they wrote unto had been deficient in keeping it Holy But does not St. Paul expresly deery the keeping of Christmass-Day in one of his Epistles and tells the Christians he wrote to he was afraid he had laboured in vain amongst them by reason of their Superstitious Observation of Dayes Gal. 4.9 10. How are ye Converted again to weak and beggarly Elements which you will Serve again Ye observe Dayes and Months and Times and Years I am afraid of you lest I should have laboured amongst you in Vain Was then the Holy Apostle afraid lest the Galations should leave Christianity and return to Judaism or Paganism because of their Observing Christmass-Day in Memory of our Blessed Saviour's Birth or Lent in Memory of his Fasting forty Dayes or Easter in Memory of his Resurrection Is this a likely Story Or is it not evident from the Context Of their returning again to weak and poor Elements that because of their returning to the Observation of Jewish-Dayes Commanded by Moses or Pagan Dayes in honour of Jupiter Mars or Saturn he was afraid they would Relinquish the Gospel by them Received and become Jews again or Pagans But still methinks I am afraid of Superstition and Will-Worship by observing a Day which I fear God has never Commanded me But you have more reason to be afraid of Prophaners in neglecting a Day which you have all reason to think God has Commanded you to keep Holy if you Reflect well upon what I have said above Seeing you are Commanded to keep Holy Christmass-Day by doing only such Actions as you acknowledge to be Christianly and Good What danger can there be of Superstition Especially when you are not Taught neither that such Actions are then more acceptable to God Almighty than at another times Only you are Commanded at that Set-Time to do them lest otherwise you should wholly omit Them My deerest Relations whom I pity with my Soul take heed whilst under pretence of Opposing Anti-Christ you be not one day