himself are guilty of an affected departure from the Universall Church If the Church of England at her first Reformation saw cause and had Power to throw away some may not the same Church of England having the same power upon just the same or like reasons cast off the rest If he say Hee speaks it of the Universall Church of all Ages and especially of the first age wee shalll joyne issue with him therein and and say If he can prove which I am confident he cannot that in rejecting or not observing these Festivalls wee have departed from the Universall Church in all ages wee shall be content to let his censure fall upon us till then we are safe And for a closure of the whole matter we shall take into consideration his Rule prescribed in his first Quaerie abour Resolving controversies and be judged by it It is this Quaere 1. Sect. 35 What ever hath the concordant attestation of the Christian Church of the first ages the Scripture remaining obscure or silent in the matter that it was the Doctrine or practise Apostolicall there remains not to any that now lives any imaginable ground of sober or prudent doubting or questioning the truth of it This resolution and Case the Doctor beginns with and intends it as a Rule applicable to all the following cases against Socinians and other Hereticks and Schismaticks Sect. 40. Hee means we thank him those that reject this Festivall as Sect. 12. and 45. of this Quaerie appears But is this Rule universally true Are there no cautions nor exceptions yes three at least 1. It must be in cases where the Scripture is either obscure or silent in the matter 2. That it be not extended any further than to the primitive Antients 3. And again to an accordance of those Testimonies without any considerable opposition that this or that was delivered from the Apostles We shall by his leave apply this rule to the case in hand and dare venture to be judged by it First considering the Rule and then the cautions And first for the Rule it selfe we desire to know again what he means by the Church of the first ages If he take it inclusively to take in the Churches of the Apostolicall time while they were yet alive wee should not stick to grant his rule to be good What ever doctrine or practise hath the concordant attestation of that Church it was Apostolicall The Negative whereof being a surer Rule to jvdge by What ever doctrine or practise wants such concordant universall uniform Attestation is not Apostolical For they being all guided by on Spirit would all agree uniformly in the same Doctrine or practice But there are not many things so attested by the Church of that age On the other side if he meane it exclusively of that age and to include onely the after ages it will prove a Crooked Rule Many Doctrines and practises being taken up which were not Apostolicall but meer Inventions of men which like a Gangreen soon overspead the face of the Church And by the different Timing and observation of them proved by the best Divines not to be Apostolicall Secondly for the concordant attestation of the primitive Antients of the second or third Age without considerable opposition which is one of the Cautions that this was delivered from the Apostles I shall put in a just exception in the words of the learned and honoured Lord Falkland in his discourse Of the infallibility of the Church of Rome who plead the universall Tradition of the Church for their Religion as the Doctor does for his Christmas Thus he writes If the Relation of one Pappias could cozen so farre all the prime Doctors of the Church Christian into a beliefe of the celebration of a thousand years after the Resurrection so as that not one of those two first ages oppose it marke that till Dionysius Alexandrinus who lived at least 250. yeares after Christ nay if those first men did not onely believe it as probable but Justin Martyr saith he holds it and so do all that are in all parts Orthodox Christians Irenaeus sets it down directly for a Tradition and relates the very words that Christ used when he taught this which is plainer than any other Tradition is proved or said to be out of Antiquity by them of Rome If I say these could be so deceived why might not other of the Antients as well be deceived in other points And then what certainty shall the learned have when after much labour they thinke they can make it appear that the Antients thought any thing a Tradition that indeed it was so c. The Doctors wisdome can easily apply this to the case in hand And I perceive he was aware of such an objection and therefore labours to prevent it by saying That Justin Martyr Quaer 1. sect 38. the prime assertor of it that 's a mistake for he and Irenaeus also had it from Pappias who was their Senior confesses other Christians of pure and pious intentions to he otherwise minded But for that let him answer his friend the Lord Falkland Lo. Falk reply p. 73. who saies That Justin Martyr saies that in his time all all Orthodox Christians held it and joynes the opposers with them who denyed the resurrection and esteems them among the Christians like the Saduces among the Jewes and again saies It found no resistance in above two Ages by any one known and esteemed person And what now is become of the Doctors Rule Thirdly the Rule applyed to the case in hand will prove more then the Doctor intended a light to discover his Christmas far from an universall Apostolicall usage For. 1. The Rule must hold onely in things wherein the Scripture is obscure or silent But for Institution of Feasts particularly this of Christmas the Scripture is neither obscure nor silent For the Scripture is cleare and speaks aloud against it both in the Law the fourth Commandement which requires peremptorily but one of seaven for God allowing six for mens occasions and also in the Gospell which clearly speaks against observation of daies except the Lords day the the Christian Sabbath whither Jewish Heathenish or Christian Festivalls of old were part of the Ceremoniall yoke upon the Jewes and therefore to give the Church a power to institute Holydaies is to reduce the yoke again 2. They have not the concordant Testimonie of the Primitive Antients neither of the Apostles themselves nor of those that lived in the same age with them as of Ignatius nor in the second Centurie of Pappias Justin Martyr Irenaeus c. which may the better be believed because the Doctor brings not one instance of any of those so much as mentioning this Festivall except out of the Constitutions of the Apostles falsely so called which Isodorus by Gratians report of him Dist 16. saies Where known to be corrupted by Hereticks under the name of the Apostles This Chemnitius further proves because the
with joy and Feasting in the Citie § 30. The like may be said of the Festivities at marriage which were not indeed instituted by God nor need to be being that Marriage it selfe is a Civill thing and not Religious and in things of that nature if they were soberly and temperately observed Christ was never scrupulous to conform to the customes of the places where he came But Christmas day is made a piece of Religious service and a voluntary oblation to the honour of Christ by others and by the Dr. himselfe sect 28. § 31. These Instances then are both impertinent what hath he more pertinent to the present purpose Why that which I still expected to meet with is his strongest plea for this he saies It must be remembred that the weekly Fast of the Resurrection the Lords day was not instituted by Christ or God himselfe but by the Apostles of Christ and that the mentions of the first day of the week are no prescriptions or Law for the observing of it c. Before we hear more le ts consider this For first there want not learned men who thinke that Christ himselfe did institute or designe the day But secondly if the Apostles did institute it as the Doctor grants that 's more than some of his Colleagues will grant and thank him for it and more than he dare peremptorily say of his Christmas day Hee speaks it doubtingly either of the Apostles or succeeding Church Secondly if the Lords day was instituted by the Apostles of Christ do not their Institutions carry in them a Divine prescription or Law for the observation of it And if they instituted the first day of the week to be the Lords day or Christian Sabbath do not at least some mentions of the first day of the week imply their Institution of that day to be holy and require withall the observation of it as 1 Cor. 16.2 in the judgement of some no great Favourers of the Lords day Sabbath Le ts now hear what hee saies more If any thing of that nature as a law be there sought for it will rather appear to belong to the Annuall than weekly Feasts So 1 Cor. 5.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let us keep the paschall Festivity is annexed immediately to Christ our Passeover c. and to that also the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Lords day Rev. 1.10 is thought to belong To which I say 1. The vulgar Latin authorized by the Church of Rome as willing to make Easter of Apostolick Institution as the Doctor did not find this Law for it in this text That renders it onely epulemur let us keep Feast though the word signifie also festum diem agere and is by some no mean ones glossed thus Because on Festivall daies there were solemn Feasts of slesh observed Estius in locum hence this word is used for to celebrate festum solemne epulum asolemn Feast or Banquet by allusion to the typicall Paschall Feast Before him the learned Aquinas In locum could not find Easter here Epmlemur scilicet manducantes Christum c. let us feast viz. eating Christ not onely Sacramentally but spiritually Before them Saint Chrysostom was not so quick sighted to find a Law for Easter here but an every day Holyday for so he saies The Apostle saying let us keep the Feast he said not because the pasch or Easter or Pentecost was present but shewing that all or every time is a Festivall season to Christians And presently after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every day is a Pestivall to us yea all our life Not much unlike doth Saint Ambrose interpret the word Hoc est laetitiam habentes renovationis facta vetera fugiamus That is having the gladnesse of renovation let us fly our old works c. Serm of Resurr I adde but one thing more The learned Bishop of Winchester who pleads as strongly for this Easter Feast as any yet founds it not upon this text though he had occasion to name it but upon the Custome of the Church 2. It is proved above out of Socrates that the Apostles instituted not any Holydaies except the Lords day therefore nor this of Easter 3. That the Lords day Rev. 1.10 should belong to the Easter day is the fancie of some who of late have laboured to depresse the honour of the Lords day contrary therein to all the antient and modern writers In a word as was said afore the difference in observation of it in the severall Churches argues it not to be Apostolical Which difference the Doctor notes in this Section § 32. It s true that Aerius is by Epiphanius branded as an Heretick for some opinions justly if they be truly charged upon him But it is well known to the learned that all is not Heresie that Epiphanius calls so Nor all Aerius opinions justly censured as Heretical Epit. Hist Cen. 4. cap. 47. as the Doctor or any may see if he consult with Osiander the Epitomizer of the Centuriators And he is found in some of those opinions to be seconded by divers antient Fathers as is asserted by some of our learned Modern Divines if it were not unnecessarie here to manifest 2. As for the Festivities of the Martyrs it is granted they began betimes as Superstition ever attends Religion and Devotion which though they were intended for good ends yet as things of mens Inventions do they produced in time much Superstition not onely in multiplication of Holydaies but in opinion of more Holinesse more * As the Romans did s 67. efficacie of prayers on such daies and at last flat Idolatry both in dedication of the daies to those Saints and Martyrs and to Invocation and praying to them Which at first were onely times of commemoration of their vitues and encouragements of Imitation of them And this might suffice for answer to the next section § 33. Yet when he would inferre from this example of the Martyrs Festivities Where will be no reason to doubt that so the daies of the death or Martyrdome of the Apostles themselves were formerly solemnized by them and that this early c. he presumes too much upon his own reason not able it seemes to produce any Testimonies of those or former times for such observations which I the rather take notice of because the Doctor uses not to wave any Testimonie that doth but look that way and allso because I observe that the learned Chemnitius a man of vast reading having reckoned up the Festivalls Vbi supra p. 263. that were in observation in the first four hundred years can find none by name of any Apostle but referres them to the time of Carolus Magnus Anno 800. or at least to Constantines time which was in the begining of 400. § 35. That Christmas or the Feast of the Nativitie was not Apostolicall hath been made appear before That which he now alledges from the Constitutions called Apostolicall will weaken his cause the more
without offence to God follow their lawful vocations on that day Rest is made an oblation to God placing the worship of God in the observation of the day as a voluntarie oblation and parallel with the Freewill-offerings in the Law which the Doctor takes speciall notice of * were parts of Gods worship Offer it up a voluntary oblation to Christ in the service and to the honour of Christ c. Sect. 28. Fourthly Forbidding labours on that day with greater zeal and severer penalties than on the Lords day It was held and accordingly censured as more Piacular to worke upon this day than on the Lords day Fifthly In the necessitie of the observation of it in so much as hee was esteemed no good Christian that did not observe it Sixthly It became a note of discrimination of people as more or less Religious Just as the Doctor observed * Willworship s 28. of the Hasidaei and makes it part of their Superstition or Will-worship That they first began to add to the law of God voluntary performances of their owne then they made them necessary and laid the obligation of them on others to doe as they did and then not being obeyed discriminated themselves from all others as the onely obedient servants of God and so called themselves Pharisees And was not this exemplified in the Institution of this Festivall At first after an Age or two from the Apostles some began to set up this and other days as a voluntary oblation to Christ and a pious Addition to the Lords day others in time made it necessary as Socrates observed and then laid the obligation of it upon others to doe as they did And if they were not obeyed they discriminated themselves from such as refused as the onely pious and Religious men of the Times That good Father Saint Austin was a little faulty here if that worke was Austins All that acknowledge themselves sonnes of the Church observe the Festivalls of the Church cited by the Doctor § 35. Serm. de Temp. 250 To which the Dr. adds 'T is consequent to this that they which observe them not disclaime this sonship and cast themselves out of this family Pract. Cat. And hear the Doctors owne discrimination of himselfe and his party by the censure of himselfe and his party by the Censure of the Refusers The fastidious rejecting or not observing the Festivalls of the Church universall the great dayes c. must certainly be looked upon by every man as an act of affected departure from the universall Church of Christ in all ages as well as from the reformed Church of England his mother Sect. 45. Which Sect. 12. he had called an Act of Division and Separation from that Church of the first and purest times How justly or truly let the Reader judge by that which hath and shall be said In the meane time the Doctor hath handsomely given or taken the name of Pharisees to himselfe and his parties as volunteeres in worship above the law of God and left the name of honest modest Karaej unto others who dare not venture to goe beyond or before the Law in worship Obj. But he starts an objection It hath a semblance of that Mat. 5.9 Teaching for doctrines the Traditions of men He answers Doctrines there is the affirming a thing to be the pleasure and command of God as if I should put the Kings broad Seale to a deed of my owne but this is no waies chargeable on those that acknowledge this an Ecclesiasticall institution and pretend it not to be prescribed by Christ I reply 1 Teaching for Doctrines here is not the affirming a thing to be a command of God or not that onely but is expounded by Col. 2.22 after the commandements and doctrines of men That is men out of their wisdome prescribe and by their authority command such and such doctrines either as very pious and pleasing or more acceptable to God as a voluntary worship not alwaies affirming them to bee the commandements of God but holding them out as the Traditions of the Elders as the Pharisees did 2. It s so much more chargeable on them that acknowledge it an Ecclesiasticall Institution as a kind of Superstition because those Pharisees and false Teachers as he saies pleaded Gods Command for their doctrines for what they did in matter of worship But these pretend onely the Churches command which is worse then putting the Kings seale to a deed of their owne For it usurps the very throne of God to appoint his worship which is the highest Treason Other things there are concerning this controversie which we shall take notice of hereafter In pract Catechism and now come to consider how he can vindicate this Festivall from the Riot and excesse commonly found there which he acknowledges a sin and a greater sin in a Christian than in a Jew whose promises were of an earthly plenty c. To which we say § 17. The Jewish promises being for the most part of earthly plenty not onely for they had also spirituall promises they were permitted like children fed with milke and hony a weeke of earthly joyes and pleasures But the promises and exhibitions of them by Christ being all Spirituall to Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Spirituall joyes are as the Doctor sayes well the Christians eminent if not onely portion but these are not limited to one or twelve dayes in a year but daily joyes every day is a Christmas to a godly heart Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies againe I say rejoyce § 18. Festivity and hospitality its true are separable from riot but very hardly And if gluttony and drunkennesse were the prescribed worship in Heathenish Feasts wee have found by long experience they were the practised intertainement of this Festivall which many yeares preaching could not reforme The heathenish usages in it almost yeelded sect 2. as they doe imply that the Festivall it selfe was instituted to gratifie the Heathens by imitation of their feasts at the same time of the yeare so God to shew his dislike if not his detestation of it hath fuffered these Humane inventions and institutions in his service to be attended and celebrated with the two extremes of true worship Superstition and Prophanesse we shall heare anone Sect. 21. That in the ancient Church on dayes of Festivitie men began to adorne themselves sumptuously to shew their pride to fare deliciously to surfeting drunkennesse So soone these abuses got into them and all this while for so many hundred years could not be gotten out by all the Fathers Children of the Church The spirituall dainties of a Christian peace with God and joy in the holy Ghost the quotidian Festivall are free from these excesses Be not drunke with wine wherein is excesse but be filled with the Spirit speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs making melody in your hearts to the Lord. Those that have most of these care least for
Fathers of the first Ages doe not so much as intimate any such usage in their times No mention there is amongst the most antient of celebrating the Feast of the Nativitie till Basills Nazianzenes and Chrysostomes time who lived not till the fourth Centurie at least They say indeed it was in practise in some places before their time but that might be some 100. more or lesse years and yet be farre from the first ages of the Church or being Universall 3. Another of the Doctors cautions is it must be attested without any considerable opposition But this his Christmas found in the fourth Centurie as we heard Sect. 44. In Chrysostomes time there was a considerable opposition Many being doubtfull many charging the Festivity with novelty and as of late brought in For a conclusion then of all the Doctors Censure is too harsh and the Character too hard that is set upon the refusing of it That it hath nothing but the Novelty and contempt of Antiquity to recommend it unto any We shall onely put him in mind of two places in his owne writings The one here at Sect. 35. the other Testimony of Nicephorus That Justinus the Emperor first commanded it to be kept Festivall over the world Then say I it was not an Universall usage in all ages of the Church which the Doctor hath so long pleaded for for Justinus lived in the sixt Century I know what hee answers to it That belonging onely to the edict of the Emperour for the universall observation doth no way prejudge the Churches whither Apostolicall or Primitive Institution of it It s enough to prejudge the universall observation of it in all Ages and consequently it is not Apostolicall The other place is in his Practicall Catechisme where he confesses pag. 181. It was not solemnized universally till about 400. yeares after Christ. How often hath he charged us with departure from the Universall Church in rejecting and not observing the Festivities of the Universall Church c. Sect. 12. and in that Sect. 45. I hope upon second thoughts hee will be more moderate in his Censures and find that his rash zeale for the Authority of the Church his Mother and Tradition of the Antients his Fathers hath carried him beyond the bounds of Reason and Religion § 46. The remaining part of the Doctors discourse is spent in answering 16. Quaries propounded by another But most of what hee hath said may be taken away by what hath above beene answered I shall not put my sickle into another mans Corn but leave it to the Author of them or some friend of his to vindicate them § 74. The Doctor now for a conclusion drawes out some Quaeres of his owne to be considered and answered by him that shall undertake this businesse as a shorter way to question and debate the truth or supposed certainty of some of his own principles For an essay this § 75. Whither it be not lawfull for the Church either nationall of one or Universall of all parts of Christendome especially of that age nearest the Apostles of the first and purest time to take upon it to institute one or more daies upon any speciall occasion of some eminent mercy of Gods toward the whole Church to be used yearly in acts of Christian piety and charity Chemnit Exam. de dieb Fest Ames Medul in 4. precept D. Riv. in Exod. 20. p. 206. 6. by all the Children of that Church and to expect obedience from them But under favour this is not the question now between us For not onely the Lutherans but even the most rigid Calvinists and Nonconformists as they were called do grant That the Church or rather the State hath power to set apart any day to the acts of piety and charity not onely upon extraordinary eminent mercies but upon ordinary occasions provided 1. They be not too many for number nor 2. Imposed as necessary to the prejudice of Christian libertie Nor 3. made parts of the worship of God and other like cautions and conditions by them prescribed And if the Superiour Powers shall appoint such daies so qualified this may secure both those that institute them and those that observe them from any crime of Superstition It s more then probable that they who first appointed those daies in memory of the Martyrs in their particular Churches intended no more but on such a day yearly to commemorate the Faith and constancie of those holy Sufferers as with thanks to God for his Graces in them so to the Incouragement of other Christians to imitate their virtues But after Ages soon grew Superstitions in their Number in their use and end Dedicating daies to to Saints Invocating them in their prayers Making the observation of them necessary The daies themselves holy holyer than other daies than the Lords day placing the worship of God in them expecting more acceptance more blessing from the services of those daies as a voluntary worship These abuses were foreseen by the Reformed Churches and thereupon either the Daies were rejected altogether by some or cautioned against by others especially by this Church of England as all doe know But when this last generation of misdevout men began to exceed in the honour estimation and observance of those remaining Festivalls especially this of Christmas equalling them with if not preferring them above the Lords day as was said before c. then those that were conscientious and tender of the Worship of God beganne to oppose such inchroachments upon it who formerly did observe the daies and others that thought they had Power in their hands did lay them aside upon these reasons It were too long to instance the particular Superstitions not onely of the vulgar people but even of many Divines discovered in their Practises and Discourses against the Lords day and for the Holydaies None that I know or have met with have manifested more waies of being Superstitious in this Subject of Holydaies than the Doctor in this discourse of Festivalls as hath beene made appeare at the end of the sixteenth Section to which I referre the Reader and proceede to his second question § 77. Whither such an antient Institution of the Church of Christ by name the anniversarie feast of Christs birth though it be not affirmed to be commanded by Christ or instituted by the Apostles or in it selfe considered without respect to the Institution absolutely necessary to the being of a Church yet being thus more than lawfull pious in it selfe proper in respect of the ground primitively Catholick if not Apostolick in respect of the Institution may be lawfully abolished c. Wherein the Doctor takes for granted these things which he hath not proved 1. That this Festivall is of so antient Institution as primitively Catholick if not Apostolick Seeing it hath beene made appear to be neither 1. Apostolicke or 2. a Primitive Institution nor 3. Of Catholick observation till at least the 400. yeare by his owne confession 2. That it