parted them a sunder he hath disposed by them the times the solemne feasts some of them he hath put among the daies to number some of them hath he chosen sanctified exalted vnto feastes that is some are festival as the Passeouer Pentecost feast of Tabernacles c. and some are numerall the first or second of this or that moneth For God hath dealt with daies as with men for mē are al of the ground and Adam was created out of the earth but the Lord hath distinguished thē by great knowledge made their waies reputations diverse some of them hath he blessed and exalted as kinges and princes some of them he hath sanctified and appropriated to himselfe as Prophets and Priestes but some hee hath cursed and brought lowe and put them in meane estate and place of base calling Now the meanes which God vseth in advancing some daies before their fellowes which are made of the same mettal and substance with them is some excellent worke some admirable blessing performed in them sometimes generally to al mankind sometimes specially to these or these nations And according to the generality or speciality is the quantity of them and according to the nature conditiō of the blessing or benefite is the quality of them For some are such Quae tota per vniver sum orbē frequentas ecclesia which the whole church throughout the whole world doth frequent some are vsed in this country in that kingdome Some are festiuitates magnae high festival daies and some are called the lower feastes That general admirable benefit which was done to al mākind by the creatiō of man the whole world for mās sake is offered perpetually to the memory of al mankind by the institutiō of the Sabboth which although the heathen in truth scorned Iuvenal Sa. 14. as appeareth Iuuenal Sat. 14. Quidam sortiti metuentem Sabbata patrem c. yet the whole world ought now and no doubt in the beginning even before Moses law did obserue it being a part of the decalog and consequenly in some sort of the law of nature it selfe And therefore that of Iob 3.4 Iob. 3.4 Chrysost Dies ille vertatur intenebras non requirat eam Deus de super St. Chrysostome interpreteth Let not God make an holy-day of it Non diem illam tanquam suam vendicet dominus let not the Lord account it as his day learned interpreters vpon that place observe Antiquos patres in lege naturae forte etiam Iobum Sabbatizasse That the auncient fathers vnder the Law of nature and peradventure Iob himselfe observed the Sabboth That general and admirable benefite of our redemption which was sufficient for the whole world but efficient to al the elect of God as it ought so it hath beene time out of mind celebrated in the feasts of the Conception Nativity Circūcision Passion Resurrection and Ascension of Christ by the whole Church of God dispersed farre and neere over the face of the earth to the honor of God with praiers and thankesgiving for the special benefits particularly called to minde and acknowledged vppon those solemne daies Wherefore Erasmus did not onely absurdly Erasmus when he vilified those feasts and falsely when he said Nullus veterum facit vllam festi mentionem No ancient writer maketh mention of any feast though cunningly he season it with Quantum memini As far as I remember but he did amisse also in assigning the reason of the Institution of our Sunday or Dominical day saying Diem dominicū probabili causa maiores nostros festum esse voluisse vt populus conveniret ad audiendum sermonem Evangelij That our forefathers were willing to haue the Lords day a feast for a probable or reasonable cause that the people might assemble togither to heare the word of the gospel preached For that is not the onely end or chiefe end of the Institution of the Lords day much lesse of other feastes seeing God is not onely or chiefely worshipped Evangelici sermonis auditu by hearing the word preached sed latria cultu in praising and magnifying lauding God in the memory of his manifold blessings Seeing latria or the worshippe of God consisteth especially in praying and thanksgiving and is a vertue morall not intellectual Therfore to despise as manie do or neglect as most do cultum latria and gad vp downe to heare the word preached as they cal it is not onely against the lawes of this land the statutes of our colledges but against the chiefe Institutiō of the Lords day Yet wel-fare the wisedome and discretion of our great grandfathers of blessed memory the saints of the primitiue Church who provided that vpon the festival daies the course of the Litargie the Gospell and Epistle the Homile or Sermon shoulde so bee ordered that all shoulde rende to the memorie of that blessing wherevnto that day was sanctified that so God might bee blessed and magnified for them Iuvenal Beloued Christians were any one of those excellēt fathers aliue what thinke you would he saie Quid diceret aut quid non faceret nay what would he not do if he should see the Synagogues of the Iews where Moses was read more frequented vpō the three solemne feasts of Easter Pentecost the Tabernacles then the temple of Ierusalem whither by the law al ought at those times to resorte to offer vp sacrifice vnto God If he should see Oratoria turned into Auditoria Churches into Schooles our people desiring rather to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowers then Seraphim hot zealous crying with the Angels holy holy holy Lord God of hoasts our Sabbothes and Festivities not spent nor anie part of them in cultu latriae in the divine seruice of God but in hearing an exercise as some call it where sometimes the houre is consumed Nihil dicendo in speaking neuer a wise word sometimes aliud dicendo in speaking from the daie from the season from the text and sometimes Male dicendo in speaking ill and slaundring their private governours or publike magistrates But I proceed Not only the forenamed feasts such like which are called by the Divines Solennes Solennes are instituted to the service of God and occasioned by some extraordinary blessing but other feasts there are which are called by Macrobius Satur. 1. ca 16. Imperativae by Vlpian and other Civilians Extraordinariae by certaine Canonists Repentinae which are particular to divers nations Vlpian celebrated to the memoriall of Gods particular blessings bestowed on them Such are they wherein great Kings Monarches haue either Lucis auspicia as the Civilians cal them the daie of their birth or Ortus imperij the beginning of their Raigne The one is the solemnization of their Nativity the other the inauguration into their kingdom such a one is this here mentioned in my text instituted to the honor of God for the great blessing that befel the
of Moses and abrogated also sed non ex vi legis Mosaicae sed ex ratione legis but not by the vertue or force of Moses his law but only in regard of the reason therof and many feasts not in remembrance of the blessings done to the Iewes but by Christ vnto Christians The textes they alleadge are these Coloss 2.16 Col. 2.16 Let no man iudge you in meate or in drinke or in the part of an holyday you obserue daies and moneths and yeares I feare you least I haue laboured in vaine amongst you Gal. 4.10 Gal. 4.10 Alius iudicat inter diem diem alius iudicat omneÌ„ diem Rom 14.5 Rom. 14.5 Some iudge betwixte day and day and some call into iudgement every day But the first and the last are referred to the feasts of the Iewes the second to the solemnities of the Gentiles as appeareth by the natural course of those texts and the exposition of the fathers vpon those places But we haue for the warrant of our holydaies first exemplum legis Mosaicae the example of Moses his law which is alleadged by them that are learned for one reason why our Saviour Christ did institute none then Rationem legis Mosaicae the reason of Moses his lawe to wit a remembrance of Gods blessings And thirdly the practise and authoritie of Christ his Church since his comming fourthly the promise of Christ Mat. 18.4 If two or three hee gathered togither in my name I will be in the midst of them how much more if the whole congregation were assembled which with an army of praiers shoulde enforce his mercy And lastly the counsel of the Apostle 1. Cor. 4. 1. Cor 4. Omnia decenter ordine fiant Everything must be done decently and in order But what order or â—ecencie would be found if everie man should serue God at his owne pleasure at his owne time after his owne manner They who are superstitious in observing of holydaies are of two sorts for either they obserue superstitious feasts or obserue the true feasts superstitiously Papistes Of the former sort are the Papists who obserue the memory of so many fabulous and ridiculous Saints whose Legends are the scoffe and scorne of the world Ebionites And also the old Ebionites heretickes who taught that Christians should obserue the feasts both of the olde and new testament Euseb hist eccle lib 3. cap. 27. Greg. 11. epist 3. both the Sabboth and the Lords daie also as appeareth Euseb hist eccles lib. 3. cap. 27. Which error many would haue reviued in Saint Gregorie his time as appeareth lib. 11. epist 3. and they saie that the Christians which now liue in Ethiopia obserue them both Epiphan haer 30. Iraen l. 1. ca. 26. Now Saint Paule doth so manifestly crosse this opinion of the Ebionites that they therfore refused his writings termed him an Apostata as Eusebius testifieth in the same place Epiphan haer 30. Iraen li. 1. ca. 26. Centuriatores And yet the Centuriatores Magdeburgenses doe not lie as the Iesuits falslie charge them when they saie Apostolum Paulum indifferenter observasse Sabbatha dominicum that the Apostle Paule did indifferentlie obserue both the Sabboth and the Lords day for so he did a long time for the Apostles are noted in the first times after Christ Iudaizare Sabbatizare to be a Iew to a Iew and a Christian to a Gentile to winne both Saint Paul observed the Sabboth Act. 13. That Saint Paule observed the Sabboth appeareth in the 13. of the Acts where Paule and Barnabas are said to enter into the Sinagogue vpon the Sabboth day In the same place they entreate the Gentiles that the next Sabboth they might preach to them Act. 16. and Saint Paule disputed three Sabboths at Thessalonica Act. 16. Act. 20. That hee likewise obserued the Lordes daie appeareth Act. 20. where it is saide that the brethren came togither vno Sabbathorum idest die Dominica ad frangendum paneÌ„ vpoÌ„ the first day of the Sabboth that is the Lords day to breake bread for in a fewe of the first yeares the Apostles observed certaine ceremonial lawes of Moses because of the weake brethren among the Iewes as thinges indifferent and became Iewes to the Iewes to gaine the Iewes but when the obstinate Iewes and false brethren required the obseruation of the lawe as necessary to salvation they resisted them earnestly and stoutly defended the doctrine of the abrogation of the law and liberty of the Gospel yea St. Paule reprooved St. Peter at Antioche when hee did Iudaizare in favour or feare of the false brethren Gal. 2. Gal. 2. taught that the law was so farre abrogated that if any maÌ„ were circumcised or observed other ceremonies of the law as necessary to saluation he could not be saued Gal. 5. Gal. 5. And this was the cause why the Ebionites called St. Paule an Apostata because at the first he observed the ceremonies of the law and afterward refused them vtterly and preached against them They that obserue the true feasts superstitiously are such as doe Iudaizare which wil see their neighbour perish before they wil relieue him on the Sabboth day such was he even of this shire who lately when his fathers ribbes were broken would not ride for a bone-setter on the Sabboth day such a one was he who in my memory went out from among vs and preached in a market towne in this shire that it was a greater sin to doe servile opus in Sabbathe so to violate it then to do murther or commit adultery because the commandement of keeping the Sabboth belonges to the first table and murther and adultery but to the second But to speake briefely to the point for I haue far to goe and little time to spend The reason is of no force but the positioÌ„s be pestelent for the abstaining from labour which is but a ceremonie is de iure humano not de iure divino and therefore the violating of this commaundement in that point is not so grievous a sinne though it pertaine to the first table as murther and adultery which is against Gods expresse law in the second table For may it please you in a worde to vnderstand that in the coÌ„mandement of keeping the Sabboth there is somewhat moral and somewhat ceremonial It is ceremonial that the Sabboth should be on this or that day and therfore it is changed to the Sunday The quantity of observing it is ceremonial as to abstaine from al labour from dressing our meate and kindling our fire Exod. 35. Exod. 35. this also is ceased we being not so streightned in our feasts as the Iewes were 3. It is ceremonial that for one whole day or 24. howers wee should abstain froÌ„ labor 4. It is ceremonial that this should once be done in every seaven daies These two last ceremonies are not changed in Christianity because they had
no special signification those two former were chaÌ„ged Quia vmbra erant futurorum because they were figures of thinges to come and when the truth came the figures did vanish It is moral that some time should be allowed to the service of God that we might remeÌ„ber his benefits magnifie his holy name to breake this law which is de iure diuino that is to dedicate no time to the service of God is worse then adultery worse theÌ„ murther but to breake the ceremonies of it which are de iure humano is not so great a sinne as murther or adultery which are of the second table de iure divino against the expresse law of God himselfe Nowe I come to the enemies of this Solemnity which now we celebrate of which since a right reverend learned brother of ours hath written very religiously D. Holland learnedly and largely I shal neede to say the lesse yet thus much briefely That Reynolds Sanders Stapleton and the rest of the rigide and salt humored Papists take exception especially against two points in this SoleÌ„nity the first is at the InstitutioÌ„ as if it were without auctority for that it is now amoÌ„g our solemnities we wil not deny the second against the manner of solemnizing it as though we preferred it before the feastes of our Sauiour Christ For the former that the magistrate hath had both auctority and practise of instituting holidaies vpon extraordinary occasioÌ„s of Gods blessings hath bin proved both by the examples vnder the Law and vnder the Gospel That the Iewes poterant quotidie instituere festiuitates quaruÌ„ obseruatio duraret singulis annis vel fieret solum semel Abulensiâ—… might daily institute holidaies the observation whereof might either continue every yeare or onely be held once is Abulensis assertion 1. Paral. cap. 16. q. 14. That they appointed annual you haue heard before vnder Mardacheus Nehemias Iudas Machabaeus that they augmented in ceremonies some yeare more then other the feasts appointed in the lawe 2 Esd 8â— appeareth both in Esdras time when the feast of Tabernacles was so royally solemnized that it is said Non feceruÌ„t à diebus Iosua filij Nun talia filii Israel vsque ad diem illum 2. Esà 8. The children of Israell never did such things no not from the daies of Ioshua the sonne of Nun vnto that day and Iosias celebrated such a Passeover in the 18. yeare of his raigne when he had purged the TeÌ„ple of the Idols 4. Reg 2â— Quale non fuerat actum a temporibus Iudicum Israelit arum vsque ad Iosiam 4. Reg. 23. as had not beene from the times of the Iudges of Israel vnto Iosias That they appointed such as are called by the Civilians Repentina instituted for once vpon a suddeine occasion appeareth by David who while the Arke was in his house faciebat omnes dies solennes propter honorem Arca saltem ad observationem ceremoniaruÌ„ made every day a solemne day for the honour of the arke at the least concerning the observation of ceremonies Abulens and solemnised the daie of his inauguration into his kingdome in this Psal That the ChristiaÌ„ magistrate hath at least as much authority in constituting newe festivities and augmenting the olde as the Iewes had cannot with any probability be denied They not only appointed the feastes which concerne our redemption but the memorials of the Apostles some holy Martyres Constantine held a feast for ioy of the setling of the Gospel Christianity in his time Euseb lib. 1. de vita CoÌ„stantini Other Emperors celebrated auspicia lucis the day of their birth other Ortum imperij the beginning of their raigne other festiuitates repentinas suddeine feastes vpoÌ„ ioy for victorie over Gods enemies the Turkes and infidels Al which argue suficient auctority both for the institution and augmentation of this festivity Which although it had his original at the first froÌ„ that of St. Paule 1. Tim. 2. 1. Tim. 2. where he exhorteth supplications praiers thankesgivings intercessions to be made for kings for all that are in auctority Especially seeing we had attained to that end proposed by the Apostle namely by reason of her Maiesties raigne to haue liberty to leade a peaceable and quiet life in all godlines honesty Yet for asmuch as since that time it hath bin confirmed by the consent and approbation of the magistrate and by note in the Calender and by special praiers appointed for it I see no reason Caluino â—…irc l. 2. c. 18. but an high measure of malice only in Reynolds in his Caluine-Tâ—â—es to liken it to the encrease progresse of that Idolatrie mentioned in the 14. of Wisedome ver 14.15.16 Where the father made an image for his dead son and worshipped it as a God and ordained ceremonies and sacrafices which grewe to a custome in processe of time was made a law except peradventure he thinke that there is onely a progresse in sinne not in virtue as in their societies from slaunder to libelling a progresse in Idolatry as in their Churches from an Image to an Idol from an Idol to al heathenish ceremonies superstitioÌ„s but no progresse in true religion either inwardly from faith to faith froÌ„ grace to grace or outwardly from lesse to more worship from fewer to more devour and religious ceremonies which I haue observed before to haue beene the course of Gods Church both in the olde and new Testament To conclude this pointe If the particular Church of England had auctority in Queene Maries daies to appoint two solemne Anniversarie Masses to be yerely celebrated in St. Maries the one on the 18. of Februarie beeing the Nativity of Queene Marie the other on the first of October on which she was crowned at which Masses the whole Vniversity should bee present from the beginning to the end and there devoutly pray for the good estate of the King and the Queene and for the peace of this their graces Realme and moreover appointed two solemne processions vpon the same daies being matters of greater solemnity then now we vse in these our meetings I doubt not to affirme that the particular Church of England hath also auctority sufficient to institute if so it please the celebration of the Nativity and inauguration of her excellent Maiestie with publike sermons common praiers thankesgiving for her godly peaceable raigne the vnspeakeable blessing received by her the chosen instrument of God for our good The other accusation is against the manner of solemnizing it Saunders with ringing and bonfires and anthims and sermons and feastings not onely solemnely but solennissimè most solemnely as though it were preferred before Easter and Christmas the blessed memorials of our Saviour Christ But may it please you to vnderstand that one feast or holiday is said to be more solemne or greater then another for many causes Because wee abstaine more from worke in
it then in anie other in this sense the Sabboth among the Iews was more solemne then other feasts Nowe forasmuch as no man is forbidden bodilie labor this daie which they are on Sundaies and other great Festivities therefore you see that in this respect it is inferiour to them Secondly one feast was more solemne then another because more ceremonies were vsed in it thē in others thus though the Sabboth were absolutely the chiefe feast of the Iewes yet in this respect without preiudice to the honor of the Sabboth every feast among the Iews was greater then the Sabboth in as much as they had al more ceremonies belonging to them by the law of Moses to graunt then that wee had more ceremonies in the divine service this day then on Christmas day doth not argue this solēnitie greater then it Thirdly one feast was more solemne thē another Because more assembled togither for the celebratiō of the feast thus the three feasts of Easter Whit-suntide and the Tabernacles in which al the people were boūd to ascend vp to offer sacrifice in the Temple of Ierusalē were coūted greater then the Sabboth and al other feasts Now forasmuch as no man is forced by law to this solemnity and fewe solemnize it but the better sorte of the people masters of families in this respect it is inferiour to the Sabboth other our solemne feastes to which al men with their families by law are forced to resort Lastly one feast was more solemne then another Because it was celebrated with greater magnificence and iote thus the celebration of the Passeover was most famous in the time of king Iosias who when he had purged the land from al Idolatry celebrated the Passeover so magnificently that the like was not done A diebus Iudicum qui iudicaverunt Israel 4. Reg. 23. from the daies of the Iudges which iudged Israell and in this respect for the ioy and magnificence which is vsed in it this day which now we celebrate is a most solemne day like the day mentioned in my texte the verie end of the institution of it being exultare latari in ea to reioice both inwardlie and outwardlie in it which is the last point I intende to speake of If this then be the end of the institution of this solemnitie laetari exultare in ea to reioice and be glad in it that is gaudere in domino vehementer as S. Paule saith Phil. 4. Phil. 4. to reioice in the Lord greatly gaudere in domino non in dono to reioice in the Lord not in the gift that is Non propter donum finaliter sedde dono materialiter not finallie for the gift but materially of the gift it be done in the highest degree both inwardly delectatione voluntatis in bono acquisito in the gladnes of the minde for the good gotten in this great blessing which we now remember and outwardly per redundationem in exultatione that is in extrasaltatione quia ab anima in corpus salit in abundance of ioy when the delight of our soule doth as it were leap forth into our body so that we doe every one in particular protest with the Prophet David Psal 84. Cor meum caro mea exultaverunt in Deum vivū both my hart inwardly my flesh outwardly haue reioiced in the living God and that in the highest degree with al readines and alacritie evē to dancing as David did when the Arke was brought home or to melodious musicke as in this Psalme in the day of his inauguration seeing it is a rule Facientes ex gaudio faciūt sicut facientes exhabitu those that doe any thing in ioie doe it as if it were done by habit and facilitie what preiudice I beseech you is this to our most Christian solemnities which are soleuniores in many other and greater respectes Psal 73. Wherefore whosoever thou be Priest or Iesuite which saiest in thy hart Quie scere faciamus festivitates eorum à terra as the wickedman in the Psalme let vs take away their feasts and solemnities from the face of the earth either by our treason on her Maiesties person or invasion of her country or by libels and vndermining sophismes take heede what you doe Non est iocandum cum dijs It is ill iesting with Gods Princes are the Gods of the earth Gods immediate lieuetenants to whom hee hath imparted his name and vouchsafed them a great parte of his externall worship it is ill iesting with them to scoffe or to raile at them to libell against thē or their subiects either for their allegeance or religious dueties to God in their behalfe is against that notable rule in the law of God Exod. 22. Principi populi non maledices thou shalte not revile the prince of the people He that curseth his Father or Mother much more hee that curseth the father of his cuntry the Crowes of the vallies will plucke out his eies his flesh shall be foode for the fowles of the aire God himselfe who hath placed thē in his seat to governe the earth and the provinces of it wil defende them with many guardes even as the apple of an eie is defended it is not flying into forraine countries that can deliver you from your alleagiance or from punishment due for the violating of it Coelum non hominem mutant qui trans mare currunt you may flie beyond the seas from the natural aire of your natiue coūtry but not from your selues nor your natural alleagiance no as I may say from that natural or rather supernatural vēgeance which attendeth on you for God either putteth a hooke in your nostrels and brings you backe againe the same way you went to suffer condigne punishment for these lewde and most vnchristian practises or you perish miserably like runagates and vagabonds or exiled malefactours in a forraine countrey But to passe over this sort of malitious cavillers because I hope and verily thinke that not any one ill affected doth heare me this day howsoever we be slandred by our mothers children that we swarme with Papists that wee fall away dayly in great multitudes that our chiefe divines whom some note vnder the name of Formalists are ready to ioine both heart and hand with them to the incredible incouragement of all sortes of Romanistes and to the dishonour of her Maiesties government the discredit of this Christian societie the disparagement of their own iudgements and discretion who wound to the heart that religion they pretend to defend of which vpon farther occasiō surely we will hereafter haue further discourse To passe ouer this come to our selues let vs embrace as wee haue begun the example of this people in the inauguration of king David and this good counsel of the Apostle 2 Pet. 2. Deum timete Regem honorate feare God and honor the king honor him in thy heart honor him with thy handes and substance honor him with thy tongue