Kirke There is another reason to proue that there were no other dayes appoynted in the Apostles times The Apostle had occasions to treat of holy dayes reasoning against the observation of Iewish dayes they direct them to no other as the purpose required The Apostle condemneth not onely the observation of the Iewish daies nor the Iewish observation of the Iewish daies to a typicall use For the converted Iewes did not obserue them as shadowes of things to come for then they had denied Christ but he condemneth observation of dayes as a Iewish custome and rite as a pedagogicall and rudimentary instruction not beseeming the Christian Kirke Zanchius speaketh to this purpose after this manner Magis consentaneum est cum prima institutione cum scriptis Apostolicis ut unus tantum dies in septimana sanctisicetur It is more agreeable to the first institution and the writings of the Apostles that one day of the weeke onely be sanctified Against this Argument is first alledged that the Apostle compareth with the observation of dayes Rom. 14.5.6 Answ. The Apostle beareth with the infirmity of the weake Iewes who understood not the fulnesse of the Christian liberty And the ceremoniall law was as yet not buried But the same Apostle reproveth the Galatians who had attained to this libertie and had once left off the observation of daies Next the Iudaicall dayes had once that honour as to be appointed by God himselfe but the anniversary dayes appointed by men haue not the like honour It is secondly obiected that seeing the Lords day was instituted in remembrance of Christs resurrection the other notable acts of Christ ought likewise to be remembred with their severall festivities Answer It followeth not that because Christ did institute in remembrance of one benefite therefore men may institute for other benefites 2. Christs resurrection was a benefite including the rest as an accomplishment of the worke of redemption and answered anagogically to the common benefit of creation by the beginning of a new creation 3. We deny that the Lords day was appointed to celebrate the memory onely of Christs resurrection For then the Lords resurrection the proper subiect of all Homilies Sermons Gospels Epistles Collects Hymnes and Psalmes belonging to the Paschall seruice should be the proper subject of deuine seruice euery Lords day Then the Lords day shovld be a festivall day and it were vnlawfull to fast on it It was instituted for the remembrance of all his actions and generalie for his worship Athanasius sayth In Sabathâ— conuenimus ut Dominum Sabathi Iesum adoremus Wee conuene on the Sabboth that wee may adore Iesus the Lord of the Sabboth Augustin sayth Domineus hic dies idâ—irco dicitur quia eo die Dominus resurrexit vel ut ipso nomine doceret illuÌ„ Domino consecratum esse debere It is called the Lords day because the Lord rose that day or that the name might teach us that it ought to be consecrate to the Lord. It is called the Lords day either becase the Lord did institute it as the dayes of Purim are called Mordecaies dayes in the second of the Maccabees and the communion is called the Lords Supper Or els because it was instituted to the Lords honour and worship The Iewish Sabboth was the Sabboth of the Lord our God The Christian sabboth is the Sabboth of Christ our Lord God and Man The name of Lord was more frequent in the mouths of Christians in the Apostlick times then the name of Christ as Rhenanus hath obserued When it is called commonly the Lords day it is all one as if it were commonly called Christs day Changeing the title but not the purpose If the ordinary sabboth be Christs day appointed by himselfe or his Apostles at his direction for the remembrance of all his actions and for his worship in generall to diuide his actions and appoint anniversary and mysticall dayes for their remembrance is superstitious wil-worship and a Iudaicall addition to Christs institution Christs day answereth analogicallie to the morall sabboth It may be applied to the remembrance of Christs resurrection seeing he rose that day and in some sort to bâ— a signe of the heavenly rest But that is typus communis factus A common type fitted to resemble such things But not typus distinâ—â—us appointed by God for that end It resteth then that Christs day or the Lords day is the Christian sabboth a continuation of the morall sabboth and to be obserued in a morall maner for all the paise of Gods worship in and through Christ and not in a misticall maner for the joyfull remembrance of Christ resurrection onely It is thirdly objected that Paul kept the feast of Pentecost Act. 20. 1. Cor. 16. I answer It was the Iewish Pentecost whereof mention is made in these places Paul needed not to haue travelled to Ierusalem for he might haue observed the Christian Pentecost euery where Bellarmin himself wil not be so bold as to affirme that it was the Christian Pentecost Francolinus putteth it out of doubt and sayth it is against the common exposition of the interpreters for sayeth he Tune temporis non erant celebres christianorum festivitates cum Euangelium non esset ad huc plenè promulgatum the festiuities of Christians were not as yet celebrated for the Gospell was not yet fully published It is fourthly objected out of the Epistles of Policarpus Pollycrates extant in the history of Eusebius and out of Beda following Eusebius that the Apostles kept the feast of Easter Answer Beda was but a fabler and a follower of fabulous reports Eusebius was little better treading vnknowne foot-steps as himself confesseth in the beginning of his storie The Epistles alledged are counterfeit for it is said in these Epistles that Iohn was a Priest and bare on his forehead the Patalum that is the golden plate like that of the high Priests Exod. 37.36 But no man will graunt sayth Scaliger Neutrum concedit quisciverit nullam Christi Apostolum sacerdotem fuisse nulli preterquam Summo Sacerdoti Petalon gestare licuisse That either Iohn or Iames bare it who vnderstand that none of Christs Apostles was a priest and that it was lawfull to none but the hie priest to beare the golden plate And yet these Epistles are the eldest records that Eusebius can ground vpon The Bishop of Elie in his sermon taketh needlesse pains to prove the antiquity of Ester But when he proveth it to be Apostolicall he shooteth short His eldest antiquity is the counterfeit Epistles before alledged His proofe out of scripture Psalm 118.8 1. Cor. 5.7.8 are very weake For the first testimonie is applyed to euery Lords day and is not to be restrained to Pasche day Christ crucified and refused of the builders was demonstrate to be the corner stone For that day he was demonstrate to be the son of God by his resurrection according to Dauids Prophesie To
when it ought not according to other circumstances as it ought not to be exhibited By superfluity he meaneth excesse a vice in all morall vertues To bee short a rite Sacramentall devised by man pretending humility and shouldring out other rites instituted by God cannot be but presumptuous wil-worship Such is the gesture of kneeling as we haue already proued Obiect The Eucharist is a part of Gods worship therefore we ought to kneele in the act of receiuing Answ. In a large sence every act whereby God is honoured may be called the worship of God as oathes vowes sacrifices c. But adoration is the worship of God in a strict sense Kneeling is the gesture of adoration but not of every part of Gods worship Receiving eating drinking in the sacrament are parts of Gods worship but they are not gestures of adoration All the Sacraments both of Iewes and Christians were parts of Gods worship as well as the Eucharist and yet they kneeled not in the act of participation Obiect The Eucharist is a sacrifice and congeries sacrificiorum a heape of sacrifices a commemoratiue sacrifice a sacrifice of a broken and contrite hart of praise of praier of almes therefore this Sacrament should be receaved with kneeling sayeth the B. of Rochester and therfore the gesture of kneling is rightly applyed to such a kinde of worship Answer The actions aforesaid are called sacrifices onely by analogie and metaphoricallie they are not proper sacrifices the invisible Sacrifice by the which a man offereth himselfe by contrition inward devotion mortification is the daily Sacrifice of a christian Rom. 13.1 we offer our selfes to be sacrificed when the word is preached Rom. 15. we kneele not when we giue almes These improper and metaphorical sacrifices are not acts of adoration The paschall lambe was slaine in the maner of a reall sacrifice and yet notwithstanding of this immolation they kneeled not at the eating of the paschall lamb The Sacraments of the old and new Testament were alyke in representation significatition and exhibition Of prayer and praise we spake before in particular Kneeling not practised in the auncient Kirk THE former two breaches are sufficient of them selves howbeit kneeling were otherwaies warranted by the practise of the Kirk but as it had no warrant from Scripture reason so likewise it wanteth the warrant of antiquity When the Arrians denyed Christs true divinitie the orthodoxe Kirk acknowledging his diuinity kneeled not in the act of receiuing which was expedient if it had been lawfull because the Arrians debased the Sonne of God It was the custome of the kirk to stand in time of publick prayer vpon all the Lords dayes in the yeare and euery day from Easter to Pentecost as witnesseth Tertullian Cyprian Basilius Ierome Augustine Hugo de sancto Victore Anselmus the Council of Nice the 6. Council of Carthage The Council of Constantinople Quinisextum the Council of Turone The testimonies are set down in the B. of Rochester his discourse Bellarmin closeth all vp in one generall to wit that in his time fiue hundreth years were not past since the rite to pray standing not kneeling on the Lords day had ceased If they kneeled not in the time of praier where this gesture is most requisit by their own confession because of the joyfull memory of Christs resurrection far lesse did they kneel in the act of banketting and receiving the inestimable giftes offered vnto vs in this sacrament a matter of great joy Wherefore serued the signification of standing in prayer if it was controlled with the gesture of an humble penitentiary at the sacrament The testimonie alledged by the B. of Rochester out of Tertullian that they that were to be baptized must pray with often prayers and fastings and kneelings and watchings proveth neither kneeling on the Lords day in tyme of prayer or the act of baptisme but only declareth what were the exercises of preparation on the dayes preceding baptism In the assembly holden last at S. Andros stāding or kneling in time of publik prayer was left to euery mans liberty In the Assembly holden at Perth they haue tane away this liberty in the act of receiving They left liberty in the act of publick humiliation and hes tane it away in the act of mentall meditation Let any man therfore judge of their intention The authors aboue rehearsed make not all mention of prayer when they speak of standing but generally they speak against kneeling on the Lords day Tertullian sayth generally de geniculis adorare to adore vpon the knees upon the Lords day is vnlawful He sayth not orare but adorare Hierom his testimony also is general against adoration on the knees Pope Alex. the 3. hath their words Quoniā diebus autē dominicis alijs praecipuis sestivitatibus suis inter pascha Pentecosten genuum flexio nequaquam debet fieri nisi aliquis ex deuotione id velit facere in secreto In consecrationibus autē Episcoporum Clericorū ordinationibus consecrans consecratus tantum genua flectere possunt secundum quod consecrationis modus requrit Vpon the Lords day and other cheese festivities and betwen Ester and Pentecost there ought to be no kneeling except one will doe it in secret of devotion In the consecration of Bishops and ordination of clergie-men he that consecrateth and he thet is consecrated may only bow their knees so far as the forme of consecration requireth If this was the only exception it followeth that in no other case they did kneel on these dayes Exceptio firmat regulam in casibus non exceptis They received the communion usually vpon the Lords day and therefore it was called the day of bread Yea and in some places only vpon the Lords day as Iewel observeth out of an Epistle sent from the councell of Alexandria in the defence of one Macarius Tertullian expresly affirmeth that the maner was to stand at the receaving Dionysius Alexandrinus writeth to Xistus concerning one who standing at the table had often receaved the holy food in these words Nonne solennior erit statio tua si ad aram Dei steteris accepto corpore Domini Chrisostome sayth Stemus trementes timidi demissis oculis renata autem anima gementes siue jubilantes corde Let vs stand trembling c. The Alyssines receiue the sacrament standing euen to this day as also the Muscouites howbeit drowned otherwise in great superstition receiue the Sacrament standing Oject the Ethincks objected to Christians that they did honor Bacchus and Ceres and Averroes that they adored that which they did eate Theodoret saith the misticall signes are adored Augustine no man eateth that flesh before he adore it Ambrose we adore the flesh of Christ in the mysteries Chrysostome sayth let us imitate the Barbarians thou beholdst him not in a manger but on an Altar And again they are like Herod who adore
word participation of the sacraments Commemoration of divine misteries may be performed upon the ordinary sabbath but to make up a festival day Bellarm. requireth a determination of a day signification and representation of the misteries wrought on such dayes Scaliger observeth that the ordinary sabbothes were never called Chaggim as the anniversarie solemnities were 1. Reason against festivall dayes Six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to doe These words are either a command to doe the works of our calling as many both Iewish and Christian divines doe interprete or els a permission as others doe interpret If they contein a command no countremand may take it away If a permission no human authority may spoile men of the liberty that God hath granted unto them as long as they haue any maner of worke to doe for the sustentation of this life The Muscovits therefore say very well that it is for Lords to keepe feasts and abstien from labour The Citizens and Artificers amongst them upon the festivall dayes after divine service do betake themselues to their labour and domestick affaires as Gaguinus reporteth It may be objected that Constantine the Emperour made a law that none but the Prince may ferias coÌ„dere erect an idle day the Prince then may inioyne a day of Cessation Answer The Lawes of the â—od are not rules of theologie A Prince may not inioyne Cessation from Oeconomicall and domestick works but for weapon shewing exercise of armes defence of the country or other publick works and affaires But that is not to injoyne a day of simple Cessation but to inioyne a politick work in place of the oeconomicall Every particular member ceassing from their particular work exerciseth another work serving for the preservation of the whole bodie The curse that Adam shall eate with the sweate of his browes is mitigated by the permission of six dayes labour The Lord permitteth unto man six lest he devoure the seventh day which is sanctified What if the Kirk representatiue injoyne a weekly holy day as another sabboth ought the Kirke to be obeyed what power hath the Kirk representatiue to inioyne an anniversary day more then a weekly or hebdomadary holy day If a day of simple Cessation from all maner of work Oeconomicall and politicall may not be inioyned a festivall day may not be inioyned I say further that the poore craftsman can not lawfully be commanded to lay aside his tooles and goe passe his time no not for an houre let be for a day as long as he is willing to worke and perhaps urged with the sharpnes of present necessity And yet farther that he ought not to be compelled to leaue his worke to goe to divine service except on the day that the Lord hath sanctified The second Reason It is the priuiledge of Gods power to appoint a day of rest and to sanctifie it to his honour as our best Divines mainteine Zanchius affirmeth that it is proper to God to choose any person or any thing to consecrate and sanctifie it to himselfe as it belongeth to him alone to justify Catechismus Hollandicus saith no wise man will deny that this sanctification belongeth onely to God that it is manifest sacriledge to attribute these things to men which are onely of divine ordination Willet sayth It belongeth onely to the Creator to sanctifie the Creature In the booke of Ecclesiasticus cap. 33.7.8 it is demanded Why doth one day excell another when as the light of every day of the yeare is of the Sun It is answered By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished and he altered seasons and feasts Some of them hath he made hie dayes and hallowed them Some of them he hath made ordinary dayes The common tenent of the Divines was acknowledged by the pretended Bishop of Galloway in his Sermon at the last Christmas It may offend you sayd he that this is an holy day I say there is no power either civill or Ecclesiasticall can make an holy day no King no Kirk onely the Lord that made the day and distinguished it from the night he hath sanctified the seventh day The like was acknowledged by M. P. Galloway in his Christmas Sermons If the speciall sanctification of a day to an holy use dependeth upon Gods commandement and institution then neither King nor Kirke representatiue may make an holy day The observers of dayes will say they count not their anniverserie daies holier then other dayes but that they keep them only for order and policie that the people may be assembled to religious exercises Answer The Papists will confesse that one day is not holier then another in its owne nature no not the Lords day for then the Sabboth might not haue been changed from the last to the first day of the weeke But they affirme that one day is holier then another in respect of the end and vse And so doe wee They call them holy dayes and so doe wee They vse them as memoriall signes of sacred mysteries whereof they carie the names as Nativitie Passion Ascension c. And so doe wee The presence of the festivitie putteth a man in minde of the mysterie howbeit he haue not occasion to be present in the holy Assembly We are commanded to obserue them in all points as the Lords day both in the publick Assemblies and after the dissoluing of the same Yea it is left free to teach any parte of Gods word on the Lords day but for solemnitie of the festiuall solemne texts must be chosen Gospels Epistles collects Psalmes must be framed for the particular service of these dayes and so the mysticall dayes of mans appointment shall not onely equall but in solemnity surpasse the morall sabboth appointed by the Lord. Doth not Hooker say that the dayes of publick memorials should be cloathed with the outward robes of holines They aledge for the warrant of anniversary festivities the Ancients who call them Sacred and misticall dayes If they were instituted only for order and policie that the people may Assemble to religious exercises Wherefore is there but one day appointed betwixt the Passion and Resurection fortie dayes betwixt the Resurrection and Ascension Ten betwixt the Ascension and Pentecost Wherefore follow we the course of the Moone as the Iewes did in our moveable feasts making the christian Church cloathed with the Sunne to walk vnder the Moone as Bonauentura alludeth Wherefore is there not a certain day of the moneth kept for Easter as well as for the nativitie Doth not Bellarmine giue this reason out of Augustine that the day of the Natiuity is celebrate only for memorie the other both for memorie and for sacraments Ille celebratur solum ob memoriam ideo semper die 25. Decembris at lâ—fe celebratur ob memoriam sacramentum ideo variatur If the anniversarie commemorations were like the weekely preachings as the two forenamed preachers made the comparison why
indured after the dayes of Malachi as Drusius afirmeth They had Vrim and Thummim under the first Temple and in place thereof a slender voyce sounding from the heaven called Bathkol under the second Temple as Tremellius hath observed Next the Pharisees and degenerating Iewes filled their Kalendar with fond feasts of their owne invention as the festivities of the Equinoctiall and festivall dayes other wayes called the feasts of the Tekuphas or converted any ancient order into a solemne feast as the day appointed for carying wood to the Temple to maintein the fire of the altar Nehem. 10.34 they turned into a feast called the feast of Xylophoria A holie day is to be observed not by a few but by all but all were not appointed to bring wood but those only who were designed by lot It is no wonder therefore that they took the like course with the dayes of Purim But wee are not to imitate the Pharises and fond Iewes The fourth Reason The observation of anniversarie dayes pertained to the ceremoniall law but so it is that the ceremoniall law is abolished The anniversarie dayes were distinguished from the morall sabboth Many were the preheminences of the ordinary sabboth aboue the anniversary 1. It was more ancient given to Adam in the state of innocencie 2. vttered by Gods owne mouth 3. Written with Gods owne finger in durable stone 4. The Lord himself in a manner rested on it when as he rained not Manna that day 5. It was more strictly observed then the other holy dayes therefore some say it was called Shabbath Shabbathon Therefore likewayes the Iewes measured unto it a sabboth dayes journey 6. Other holy dayes were celebrated either in remembrance of a by-past benefite or to signify somthing to come It excelled them in both faith Bellarmine 7. Other holy dayes gaue place unto it The Iewes made a Canon that two Sabbothes should not concurre together propter olera propter mortuoâ— that is because they could not keepe in that hote region their sodden meats two dayes together nor the bodies of the dead unburied for stink and putrifaction Therefore they transferred this sabboth of extraordinary solemnity immediatly proceeding the ordinary sabboth to the ordinary sabboth They were drawne to it it was never drawen to them See Causabonus In a word the Iewes held it in greater estimaton then the rest They called it The Queene of the holy dayes and the secrete of the living God The three solemnities called Regalim were Temple feasts They were bound to celebrate them at the Temple the publick theater of all the Iewish ceremonies The Apostle calleth them Weake and beggerly elements Galat. 4.9.10 The elements of the world Coloss. 2.20 Shadowes of things to come Coloss. 2.16.17 The Apostle saith not the observation of Iudaicall dayes but simpliciter the observation of dayes served to the people of God for a typicall use and a rudiment of religion If the observation of some anniversary dayes was prescribed to the Iewes as elements and rudiments for their instruction it followeth that the observation of anniversarie dayes is of it selfe a rudimentary instruction otherwayes the Apostles reason will not hould The Apostle condemneth difference of dayes as he condemneth difference of meats To esteeme some meats cleane and some uncleane is Iudaicall howbeit we obserue not the same difference that the Iewes did Dayes and meats are parallelled together to esteeme one day holier then another not so discerned by the Lords commandement must be also Iudaicall The Kirk vnder the Gospell hath past the rudiments and therefore the observation of anniversary daies doth not beseeme her To substitute other dayes in place of the Iewish a Christian Pasâ—â—e and Pentecost for the Iewish is but to substitute rudiments and elements ro the Iewish not to chase away but to change the Iewish holy dayes as Bellarmine doth Non est sublata sed mutata significatio â—et discretio dierum The Iewish frankincense was a perfume the Popish is a simple frankincense without any other ingredient The Iewish lights were of oyle the popish of wax and yet wee charge them with Iudaizing The Iewes had no anniversary dayes but such as were abrogate They were abrogate not only as shadowes of things to come but also as memorials of bygone benefites Even as they were dayes of remembrance they belonged to the pedagogy of the law Converted Iewes may not lawfully obserue the Iewish festivities even as remembrances of bygone benefits In every respect all their anniversary dayes are abolished and they had none other but such as were abolished Therefore in every respect they belonged to the ceremoniall Law The observation therefore of anniversary dayes even in respect of remembrance was to the Iewes pedagogicall rudimentary and elementary and counsequently ceremoniall The Bishop of Chester confesseth that all the solemne feasts were of a ceremoniall nature If the Iewes had no anniversary solemnities to indure after Christs comming when they should be converted to Christianisme how can the observation of anniversary dayes be taken up by Christians The fifth Reason The prerogatiue belonging to God in the old Testament was transferred to Christ God and Man the law-giver in the new Testament one that was faihfull in all the house of God But so it is that Christ neither by his own coÌ„mandement nor by direction of his spirit inspiring the Apostles instituted any other day but the Lords day If there had been any other dayes dedicated to Christ the Apostle spoke unproperly and obscurely when he sayd he was ravished in the spirit upon the Lords day If there had been a day for his Nativity another for his passion he should haue sayd he was ravished in the spirit upon one of the Lords dayes Seeing Iohn out-lived the rest of the Apostles It followeth that there was no other holy day observed in the Apostolicall times Neither was the institution of the Lords day so much a new institution as a change of the ordinary Sabboth The extraordinary Sabboths were in every respect ceremoniall The ordinary Sabboth had both substance and ceremony By reason of the substance it was changed into the Lords day answering analogically to it The morall use of the ordinary sabboth was for the service of God in generall both private and publick The mysticall use was to be a memoriall of things by-past and a shadow of things to come The morall use indureth the mysticall uses are evanished Christ appeared the first day of the weeke and every eighth day thereafter untill he ascended saith Iunius And that therefore the Apostles delivered to the Kirke the observation of this day from Christs example and institution which he confirmeth with the iudgement of Cyrillus and Augustine The blessing of the seventh day was translated to this day instituted by Christ because all sanctification floweth to Christians from Christ. But it is sufficient that the Apostles inspired by his Spirit haue recommended this day to the
day haue I begotten thee applied to the resurrection by the Apostle Act. 13.33 The Lords day is the day that the Lord hath created let us exult and reioyce in it Christ instituted it David prophecied of it Psal. 110. where it is called the day of the Lords Assemblies Many memorable things were done under the old Testament upon this day to declare that it should be an excellâ—nt day under the new Testament specially Circumcision was commanded on the eight day as a sacrament of that day saith Iunius Quia Sacramentum fuit diei illius octavi quo dominus Iesus Christus resurrexit following in this conceit the Ancients Cyprian Ambrose c. If it be true that is affirmed by the Councill of Constantinople it would appeare that the Lord hath of purpose heaped his wonderfull works upon this day for there it is said that Christ was born on it The star shined to the wise men on it Christ fed 5000. with 5 loaues and 2 fishes on it Christ was baptized on it rose on it sent down the H. Ghost on it one it the light was created Pope Leo likewise saith Dies dominica tantis disâ—â—nsationuÌ„ mysteriis est consecrata ut quicquid insigne admodum est constitutum in terris in hujus diei dignitatem sit gestum id est that the Lords day is consecrate with so manie misteries dispensed on it that it appeareth that whatsoever potable thing was done on earth was done to the honour of this day So if the prophey of David should be aplied to any precise day it should be applied to the Lords day But seeing the words are to be understood as well of David as of Christ the day is taken for the time indefinitely wherein David was made King and the Corner Stone of Gods people The other testimony importeth not the celebration of Ester feast upon any anniversary day but rather the Apostle teacheth us to celebrate this feast of the Passover all the yeare long with the vnleavened bread of sincerity and turth Doctor Fulk in his answer to the Rhemists upon the same place citeth Augustine referring this feasting not to the celebration of Ester nor to the receiuing of Pasche communion but to our whole life It is therefore onely the Bishops conjècture that the incestuous person was cut of against the feast of Ester that a little leaven might not leaven the whole lump His last proofe is taken from the custome of baptisme and the Eucharist ministred upon Pasch day as if they had been ministred only on that day It was the decree of Pope Innocentius in the Lateran Councill that all should communicate at Ester The Christian Sabboth was called the Lords day the day of light and the day of Bread The day of light because of baptisme ministred ordinarily on the Lords day for the Ancients called baptisme Light or illumination The day of bread because of the administration of the Supper ordinarily upon the Lords day as Iunius proveth out of Chrysostome baptisme was tyed of ould to Pentecost as well as Ester It was an evill custome disallowed both by ancient and moderne Divines It was not so in the Primitiue Kirk as Cassander beareth witnes Apostolorum doctrinae consentientes nullo temporum aut locorum delectu statim post fidei professionem ab Apostolis vel Apostolorum discipulis baptismi sacramento in Ecclesiam Christi captabantur I will now frame an argument against this conceit of Apostolicall tradition and observation of Pafch The Apostles were led all their life time by the infallible direction of the Spirit If they had accorded on the observaton of Ester they had not disagreed on the day But their most ancient records the bastard Epistles aboue mentioned report that Philip and Iohn kept the fourtenth day of the moone as the Iewes did and Peter the Lords day following the fourteenth day of the moone It is well said in the preface to the harmony of confessions that the old contention about the celebrating of Ester tossed very hotly the space of two hundred yeares or thereabout betwixt the Greeks and the Latines was long since of us thought worthy of laughter Whitaker saith Magnam quidem de hoc re olim fuisse contentioneÌ„ sed sine causa ut miruÌ„ sit de re tantilla et pene nullius momenti tantas et tam graves fuisse dissentiones wondring at their frivolous contention The golden number invented to find out the new moone for observing the right day after that they accorded upon one day hath often failed and notwithstanding of all the rules set downe by the Councill of Nice for uniformity in keeping the day it hath been differently observed through mistaking as Bellamine himselfe confesseth So God suffered the Christian world to wander notwithstanding of their golden number to let the world see such customes had not his allowance He suffered not the Iewes to wander in such incertainties after he had appointed them unto the keeping of their Passeover Lastly they reason with Augustine á posteriori that seeing the Lords Passion Resurrection Ascension comming down of the holy Ghost is celebrated with anniversarie solemnity through all the world they must needs haue been ordained either by the Apostles or by generall Councels But so it is that those dayes were solemnly kept before there was any generall Councell It must follow therefore that the Apostles ordained them Answer Augustines dis-junction is not necessary For many customes crept in and prevailed thereafter universally which were neither ordained by the Apostles nor generall Councels Socrates in his History sayth I am of opinion that as many other things crept in of custome in sundry places so the feast of Easter to haue prevailed among all people of a certain private custome and observation insomuch that not one of the Apostles hath any where prescribed so much as one rule of it to any man The successe event hath manifestly declared unto the world that of old it was observed not of Canon but of custome And a little after They that keepe Easter the 14. day of the moneth bring forth Iohn the Apostle for their Authour Such as inhabite Rome and the West parts of the world alledge Peter and Paul for themselues that they should leaue such a tradition yet there is none of them that can shew in writing any testimony of theirs for confirmation and proofe of that custome Thus farre Socrates translated by Doctor Hanmer a formalist for answer to Augustines rule In the dayes of Iustinus Martyr that is in the midst of the second age after the Apostles there is no mention made of any other holy day then the Lords day In his second Apologie he seemeth to affirme that the Christians had onely two times of publicke meetings the one ordinary upon the Lords day the other extraordinary and uncertaine viz. when any was converted to the Christian faith and baptized As for the
to keepe their Station there was no intermission of the daily sacrifice no interruption of the courses till the destruction of the Temple as Scaliger proveth in the end of his booke By the calculation from the 22. of November at the dedication made by Maccabeus he maketh Iohn the Baptist to be conceived after the 28. day of Iuly and consequently Christs birth to fall out about the end of September an hot time of the yeare when the Shepheards were watching in the field Casaubon saith That the custome of the Kirke of Alexandria doth wonderfully confirme the calculation of Scaliger The day of the weeke when Christ was borne can no mortall man know sayth the same Scaliger They who were of one family diuided the services among themselues as it fell by lot some fell to offer Incense some to dresse the lampes some to order the wood on the Altar 1. Chron. 23.28.29.30.31 And the booke of the Iewish Liturgies testifies the same So you see how it fell Zachary to offer up incense and that he was not high Priest If antiquitie erred so grossely in the matter it selfe that is in taking the 25. day of December for the day of Christs nativity might they not haue erred as grossely in appointing any day at all Nay let us utter the truth December-Christmas is a iust imitation of the December-Saturnall of the Ethnicke Romans and so used as if Bacchus and not Christ were the God of Christians It is commonly obiected that we may as well keepe a day for the nativity as for the resurrection of Christ. We haue answered already that Christs day or the Lords day is the day appoynted for remembrance of his nativity and all his actions and benefites as well as for the resurrection Next the one is morall and weekly the other is mysticall and anniversary The Lords day it selfe is no longer to us mysticall but morall sayth Willet and therefore Pasâ—h-day is a mysticall Sabboth and anniversary whereas the Lords Sabboth should be onely morall It is still objected the benefits of God ought to be remembred specially Christs notable benefits Answ. It is one thing to remember another thing to remember with solemne festivities To remember is a morall duety and perpetuall for we ought to keepe not onely an anniuersary but also a weekly and dayly remembrance But to celebrate an anniversary solemnity and to keep a sabboth of rest in remembrance it is a pedagogicall ceremonie of the Iewes The Lord helped there vnderstanding with types and figures their affections with instruments of Musick Their memories with frontelets and Phylacteries to put them in mynd of Gods Law But wee are to keepe sayeth lerome not a literall by outward signes but a spirituall memorie of Gods law Euery thing set vp for remembrance of God is not acceptable to him for so the Lutheran shall defend his images As oft as the Gospell is preached Christ is remembred When the word is preached Christ is crucified and by the same reason hee may be said to be borne to rise againe to ascend c. When the sacrament is ministred Christs death and Passion is remembred and that with solemnity Wee cannot worship Christ privatly or publickly but we must remember his birth and his passion Pope Alexander 3. gaue this reason wherefore the Romane Kirk kept not a holy day to the Trinity Quoniam Ecclesia Romana in usu non habet quod in aliquo tempore buiusmodi celebret specialiter festivitatem cum singulis diebus gloria Patri fâ—â—io Spiritui Sancto coetera simitia dicantur ad laudem pertinentia Trenitalis because faieth hee Glorie to the father and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost and other such like things belonging to the praise of the trinity are uttered daily The Popes reason is grounded vpon this rule Whatsoeuer is intreated or remembred in the ordinary divine service ought not to haue one speciall holy day to celebrat the memory of the same beside the day already discerned by the Lord. We assume Christs nativity death resurrection c. Are not only the continuall meditation of a Christian in private but also are remembred and intreated in the ordinary and publick service Every communion sunday is a passion holy day Euery sabboth that Christs nativity is preached is a time of remembrance of his Natiuity But to ordain an anniversary day or houre of rest for commemoration of his nativity or passion and specially vpon a weeke day is a Iewish rudiment and a prejudice to Christian libertie As for the 5. day of November it is not an holy day It is not a day of cessation from work which is one of the chiefe elements of an holy day The bonefires set out in token of joy are no part of Christian sanctification of the day Bellarmine telleth vs Ignis accendi solet ad letitiam significandam etiam in rebus prophanis that fire vseth to be kindled even in ciuill and prophane things Scaliger calleth the candels and torches lightned vpon Midsomer even the foote steps of auncient gentility Anniversary commemoration of a benefite with a cessation from worke suppose for a part of a day is Iewish To praise God with publick thankesgeving in the instant tyme of receiueing the benefit was our duetie But to appoint an anniuersary houre of cessation and publicke commemoration is not competent to the times of the new Testament Willet compareth this day to the daies of Purim Be it so But these dayes were of a ceremoniall nature as we haue said The seventh Reason Grant the keeping of holy dayes to haue been at the beginning a matter indiffrent and setting aside all the former reasons yet ought they to be abolished because according to the rule of the Fathers commended to us by Zanchius Non malè igitur fecerunt qui omnia praeter diem Dominicum aboleverunt Things indifferent when they are abused and polluted with superstition ought to be abolished In this ranke he placeth holidayes and therefore inferreth that they haue not done evill who haue abolished all other holidayes but the Lords day When he sayth They haue not done evill it is all one as if he had sayd They had done well for they haue done according to that laudable rule Sure it is that in former times holidayes haue not onely been abused to iâ—lenesse and licentiousnesse but also polluted with the opinion of worship merit necessity and Iudaicall conceit that the Divell did not tempt on these dayes as he did on other dayes Therefore the same Zanchius faith in the place aforesayd If any feasts were celebrate before religiously and holily but thereafter were contaminate with superstition and Idolatry that worthily they were taken away by our Reformers who imitate herein the example of Hezekias brusing to powder the brasen Serpent when it was abused to idolatry And againe he sayth The number the abuses the superstitions the false worships the will-worships
of feasts so increased that there is nothing in the Kirke so unsavoury to God so pernicious to men as to sanctifie such and so many dayes We pretend that we place no part of Gods worship in the observation of dayes But how can wee obserue a day to the honour of Christ and not worship him by that observation That were to make his honour no honour Wee vse to reason against the Papists after this manner To dedicate daies to Saints is religious worship Is it not then religious worship to dedicat a day to Christ yea surely and wil-worship And so they were not onely polluted with wil-worship but are at this houre of themselues a meere wil-worship The 8. Reason That which lawfully hath been abolished by civile and Ecclesiasticall lawes and by consent and uniforme practize in the contrary without interruption and beyond the prescription of time allowed to things moueable put the case holy dayes were things moueable and indifferent and hath been borne downe by sermons of all the most reverent Preachers since the reformation corrected with censures and abjured by publick oaths of Preachers and professors cannot lawfully be received and put in practize againe Hooker and Saravia urged for maintenance of their ceremonies Law custome prescription and craveth that the impiety and unlawfulnes of their ceremonies be proved or els that the non-conformists conforme May we not plead after the same manner for our former order so long established and that they proue it was impious and unlawfull before we make a change And so much the rather because we haue sworn Our oath by it selfe bindeth more then Law custome and prescription farre more when it concurreth with them The assumption is evident by that which I haue already set downe in the beginning If Zanchius aproved the abolition of holy dayes in some Kirks where they were because they haue been poluted and grossely abused much more would he and other divines knowing the trueth of our case think it unlawfull to reinduce them amongst us The iudgement of the Reformed Kirkes Of the ancient Kirks I haue spoken before Some excuse the Ancients with good intention because to winne the Gentiles they converted their dayes into Christian holy dayes Others excused them with the circumstance of time that dwelling among Paganes they made profession before their eyes of Christs birth Passion resurrection c. by observing such dayes But the wisdome of their intention has proven folly as the 7. reason maketh manifest The like circumstance of time is not offered Therefore we may not be excused It is grosse ignorance to say that holy dayes were so many hundreth yeares before Papistry For Papistry hath been in the Kirk ever since the dayes of the Apostles yea the mystery of iniquitie was working in their times The errors of the Orthodoxe Kirk were the beginnings of Papistry at length they grew to a great masse So how beit the whole lump was not formed till the Antichrist came to his full strength yet many particulars were entered before and like brooks came into the great river As the Antichrist was borne and did grow in yeares so did Papistry As for the reformed Kirks except our neighbour Kirke they haue abandoned dayes dedicate to Saints Some admit dayes dedicate to Christ some two some fiue But not with the full consent and good liking of the learned But either forced by the authority of the Magistrate or wilfulnes of the people or because remaining in the midst of their enimies they are not permitted otherwayes to do Farrellus and Viret removed all holy dayes out of the Kirk of Geneva as Calvin testifies The same decree which banished Farellus and Caluin out of Geneva brought in other holy dayes They were all again abrogate except the sabboth day Howsoever after came in the keeping of Pasche and the Nativity Caluin was so far from liking of holy dayes that he was flandered of intention to abolish the Lords day The Belgick Kirks in their Synod holden at Dost anno 1578. wished that onely the Lords day might be celebrate Yea Luther himselfe in his booke de bonis operibus set forth anno 1520. wished that there were no feast dayes among Christians but the Lords day And in his booke to the Nobilitie of Germanie he saith Consultum esse ut omnia festa aboleantur solo Dominico die retento It were expedient that all feast dayes were abrogate the Lords day only retained Howsoever forraigne divines in their Epistles Councels speak somtime sparingly against holy dayes when their advice was sought of Kirks newly risen out of Popery and greatly distressed they never advised a Kirke to resume them where they were removed neither had they leasure to consider narrowly the corruption of every errour that prevailed in their time the work of reformation was so painfull to them I wish therefore that the judicious Reader would ponder the reasons set down in this treatise As for our neighbour Kirk standing in the midest betwixt the Roman and reformed Kirks as Bucerus once said is more liberall in their feasts as in other ceremonies then the other reformed Kirks as Gretzerus the Iesuit hath observed Calvino-Papistae Angli ut in aliis quae ad ritus et ceremonias pertinent longe liberaliores sunt quam puritani in Gallia Germania Belgia ita et in festis retinendis longe largiores They obserue not onely the fiue holy dayes already mentioned but other dayes also dedicate to Christ. The feast of circumcision was not remembred in the Kalendars but within this 500. year Nazianzen is the first that maketh mention of the Epiphanie day Neither was it institute at the first for the wise men There is no homily of any farther extent for the feast of purification before the dayes of Iustinian The feast of the Trinitie was not keept at Rome it selfe in the dayes of Alexander the 3. They keepe also a number of Sancts dayes so that their dayes in number are moe then the Iewes themselues observed The reasons already alledged against dayes dedicate to Christ may serue also against dayes dedicate to Sancts and Angels We may looke assuredly that the fiue dayes presently urged will bring in all the rest to make up our Conformity with our neighbour Kirk which to us is not lawfull They were never remoued from amongst them we haue abandoned and abjured them If the Apostle reproved the Galatians so sharply that beginning in the spirit they returned to the flesh that is to the ceremonies of Moses Law some time ordained by God what reproofe deserue we after wee haue begun in the Spirit and runne so well and so long if we returne to human traditions superstitiōs To cōclude then to esteem one day aboue another in respect of any mystery certainly known or commonly reputed to haue been wrought upon that day To testifie this estimation by cessation from worke To devise a particular service to be done upon it accounting that forme or