the body of all these shadows is and next the libertie giuen by God to the Christian Church mentioned by Isaiah as ye heard before For as by the first we are freed from the bondage of the Law and the obseruation of the set times therein prescribed so by the second all times are sanctified to the worship of God in so farre that the Christian Church may make choyce of any time in the weeke any day in the moneth or yeere for their publique meetings to his worship And as for the Lords Day which hath succeeded to the Iewish Sabbath albeit God hath coÌ„manded to sanctifie it by the publike exercise of religioÌ„ yet neither is the whole publike worship nor any part of it appropriated to that time but lawfully the same may be performed vpoÌ„ any other conuenient day of the weeke of the Moneth or of the yere as the Church shall think expedient Vpon this ground Zanchius affirmed Ecclesiae Christi liberuÌ„ esse quos velit praeter dominic dies sibi saÌ„ctificaÌ„dos deligere And by this warrant did the primitiue Church sanctifie these fiue anniuersarie dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion Resurrection Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Ghost Where it is obiected that it is onely proper to God to make holidayes I answer That it is onely proper to God to make times and places holy by appropriating to them a diuine worship which may not bee performed lawfully but in these places and on these times such as the Tabernacle and Temple and the Iewish Festiuities vnder the Law were for vnto them was appropriated by God a worship which might not be performed on another day and so these dayes did not only belong to the worship as meere circumstances but were proper parts or points thereof and could not bee omitted without marring of the whole action In which respect these dayes were holier then other dayes because a part of Gods worship consisted in obseruation of them Such holy dayes the Church cannot make But to make times and places holy by consecration of them to an holy vse the Church hath power for the dayes that she appoints are obserued only for order and policie and haue no relation to the worship performed on them as any Rite or religious Ceremonie belonging necessarily to the integritie thereof The Natiuitie of our Sauiour may bee remembred and publike thankes giuen to God therefore vpon any other time as well as vpon the twentie fiue of December likewise the Passion Ascension and the rest of these benefits yet wee remember them at certaine set-times not because the times require such a worship or the worship such a time to the integritie and lawfulnesse thereof but to the end the worship may be performed orderly once euery yeare in euery place vpon one day that all people wheresoeuer they be at home or abroad may bee instructed and admonished to prayse and magnifie the grace of God and goodnesse of their Sauiour Herein the reformed Churches differ from the Papists who Iudaize in obseruation of those Festiuities because they professe to obserue them not for order only but esteeme them to be sacratiores sanctiores alijs diebus pars diuini cultus which we doe not For the Lords Day it hath succeeded to the Sabbath and is holy by diuine Institution hauing for euidence and confirmation thereof both a morall Precept and the exemplarie practice of Christ and his Apostles in Scripture In the forth command after the labour of six dayes the seuenth is appointed to bee sanctified in memoriall of Gods rest from his six dayes worke and the particular day not being expressed in the command was notified to the people either by the exemplary practice of Moses and the Church in the Wildernesse or by tradition of the Fathers going before if so it be that from the Creation that day was obserued Now after the legall shaddowes are abolished whereof the Iewish Sabbath was one if any will demand what day must bee obserued in the Christian Church wee answere that questionlesse for the quotient of the number the day cannot bee altered which by the Law is appointed Heauen and Earth shall perish but one iot of the Law shall not perish Our Sauiour came not to dissolue the Law but to fulfill it In the Law wee heare that God rested the seuenth Day that he blessed and sanctified it and there is a libertie giuen to labour six dayes but the seuenth is commanded to be kept holy so howbeit the Iewish Sabbath which was the shaddow be materially abolished as touching the particular Day yet the Day commanded in the Law formally must remayne and euer be the seuenth after six dayes worke But if yee will aske seeing the seuenth Day in particular is not expressed in the Law and that day which the Iewes obserued is abolished by Christ as the shaddow by the body how the particular and materiall Day may bee knowne that the Christian Church should obserue Vnto this we answere that the particular Day was demonstrated by our Sauiours Resurrection and his Apparitions made thereon by the Apostolicall practice and the perpetuall obseruation of the Church euer since that time of the Day which in Scripture is called the Lords Day as that which the Iewes obserued was called the Lords Sabbath because as the one was appointed by the Lord for a memoriall of his rest after the Creation so the other was instituted by the Lord for a memoriall of his Resurrection after the Redemption For this wee must hold as a sure ground whatsoeuer the Catholike Church hath obserued in all Ages and is found in Scripâ—ure expresly to haue beene practised by Christ and the Apostles such as the sanctification of the Lords Day the same most certainly was instituted by the Lord to bee obserued and his practice in that is exemplar and hath the strength of a particular precept Hereby it is manifest that the sanctification of the Lords Day is of diuine Institution as well by reason of the diuine Precept commanding the seuenth Day in generall to bee obserued as of the diuine practice of Christ and the Apostles their specifying the Day which hath the force of a particular diuine Precept In respect whereof the obseruation of this Day is a point of diuine Worship and is holy not by Ecclesiasticall Constitution but by diuine Institution Moreouer this Day is holy by appropriation of it to a certaine religious vse whereunto no other Day can be applyed namely to bee a memoriall of the Lords rest after the Creation and of his Resurrection after the Redemption As also to be a signe of our sanctification here and of our glorification hereafter as is manifest by the words of the holy Ghost Exod. 31.13 It shall be a signe betweene me and you that I the Lord doe sanctifie you and that of the fourth to the Hebrewes A rest is left to the people of God wherein we should studie to enter For this wee must hold
onely but as essentiall parts and properties thereof The worship which consisted in sacrificing paying of vowes obseruation 〈…〉 to serue aâ— circâ—msâ—ances but by reason also oâ— their mystiâ—ke signification and of the worshâ—p appropriated vnto them which mâ—ght not aâ— another tâ—me be lawâ—ully performed Other times were onely holy by reason of the vse or dâ—uine worship performed on them and not for any mysterie or solemne worshâ—p appropriated to them such as these which were appointed for solemne humiliation in the day of calamitie After the first manner our Diuines hold That it is onely proper tâ— God to make times and places holy but after the second manner it is a prerogatiue and libertie of the Church to make places and times holy by dedication of them to the seruice of God So the feast of Purim and Dedication were made Holy-dayes by Mordecai Indâ—â— Maâ—chabâ—us and by the Church So times are appoynted by our Church for Morning and Euening Prayers in great Townes houres for preaching on Tuesday Thursday c. Houres for weekely exercises of prophecying which are holy in respect of the vse whereunto they are appoynted And such are the fiue dayes which we esteeme not to be holy for any mysticke signification which they haue either by diuine or ecclesiasticke institution or for any worship which is appropriated vnto them that may not be performed at another time but for the sacred vse whereunto they are appoynted to be employed as circumstances onely and not as mysteries This ye know to be the iudgement and doctrine of our best Diuines yet yee presse to refute it in the Section following PP The obseruers of dayes will say they count not their anniuersary dayes holier then other daâ—es but that they keepe them onely for order and policie that the people may be assembled to religious exercises Ans. The Papists will confesse tâ—at one day is not holier then another in its owne nature no not the Lords day But they affirme that one day is holier then another in respect of the end and vse and so doe we They call them Holy-dayes and so doe we They vse â—â—em as 〈◊〉 sâ—gnes of sacrâ—d mysteâ—ies wherof tâ—ey carrie the names as Natiuâ—tâ—e Passion Ascention c. and so doe wee ANS Antiquum obâ—inâ—â— yee keepe still your old cusâ—ome for bâ—fore yee did â—xteâ—uate the Idolatrie of the Papists in adoring Images that with some appearance yee might prooue these that kneele at the Sacrament to be guiltie of the same abomination and now ye trauell to extenuate their superstition in obseruing dayes that yee may inuolue vs in the same impietie Yet our act in the beginning sayes Wee abhorre the superstitious obseruation of the Festiuall dayes of the Papists Thus we professe our disagreement from them in this poynt which they also acknowledge Bellarmine in the tenth Chapter of his third Booke De cultu Sanctorum rehearses the Doctrine of Luther and Caluine to which wee adhere and reproues the same as erronious in these wordes Tertiò docent dies determinatos ad feriandum non debere haberi caeteris sanctiores quasi mysterij aliquid vel piam significationem continerent sed solum haberi tanquam determinatos Disciplinae ordinis ac politiae causa ita vt cum hac determinatione etiam consistat aequalit as dierum in hoc nos accusont quasi habeamus discrimen dierum Iudaico more He sayes that we teach the dayes appoynted for holy exercises not to bee holier then others or to be esteemed as if they contayned any mysterie or diuine signification but onely as determined for discipline order and policie with which determination the qualitie of dayes may consist And hee sayes that we accuse them for putting difference amongst dayes after the Iewish manner which is the doctrine indeed of our best Diuines Against this Bellarmine setteth downe this proposition Festa Christianorum non solùm ratione ordinis politiae sedetiam ratione mysterij celebrantur suntque dies festi verè alijs saenctiores sacratiores pars quaedam diuini cultus that is The Festiuities of Christians are not onely kept for order and policie but also by reason of a mysterie and the Festiuall dayes are more holy and sacred then other dayes and a part of diuine worshippe This is the Papists opinion which wee with all the reformed Churches abhorre as superstitious and idolatrous But yee take part with Bellarmine against the Doctrine of Luther and Caluine labouring to prooue that the reformed Churches obserue these dayes not onely for discipline order and policie but for memoriall signes of sacred mysteries as Papists doe PP The presence of the Festiuitie putteth a man in minde of the mysterie howbeit he haue not occasion to be present in the holy Assembly ANS It follows not of this that we obserue the dayes for signes of sacred mysteries because they put vs not in minde of Christs birth passion c. as ceremonies significant or sacramentall signes instituted by God or the Church for that effect but as circumstances onely determined for celebration of the religious action whereby the commemoration of these benefits is made And there is nothing more vsuall then by considering the circumstances of times places and persons to remember the actions and businesse whereunto they are destinate PP We are commaunded to obserue them in all poynts as the Lords Day both in publique Assemblies and after the dissoluing of the same ANS This is manifestly false for the Lords Day is commaunded to be obserued of necessitie for conscience of the diuine Ordinance as a day sanctified and blessed by God himselfe These are commanded to be obserued onely for ecclesiasticall order and policie and doe not oblige men in conscience to obedience but for eschewing scandall and contempt Secondly the Lords Day is to be obserued as the Sabbath of IEHOVAH that is not onely for a day wherein we are appointed to rest to God but as a day whereon God himselfe did rest after the Creation So it is obserued as a remembrance and resemblance of Gods rest Thirdly the Lords Day is obserued as is the Lords Supper this in remembrance of his death that in remembrance of his resurrection Fourthly the Lords Day is obserued as a pledge of that rest wherein hee that enters shall rest from his labours as God hath done from his And fiftly we obserue the Lords Day as a perpetuall signe betweene God and vs to signifie and declare that the God who hath sanctified vs to be his people and whom wee adore as IEHOVAH the Father who created the World in sixe dayes and rested the seuenth IEHOVAH the Sonne who redeemed the World and rising that day to life abolished sinne and death and brought life and immortalitie to light and IEHOVAH the Holy Ghost who on that day descended vpon the Twelue Apostles sanctifying them and the whole World by them with the truth of Gods Word In none of these fiue poynts doe we obserue
thing ye haue said that holy dayes were and might bee lawfully kept vnder the Law without any particular warrant from God But put the case that the same might not haue beene done vnder the Law it followes not that the Christian Church hath not libertie to appoint dayes and times for religious exercises without particular direction For vnder the Law God not only set downe the substance of his worship but all the circumstances also as the persons in particular by whom the place where and the times when he should be worshipped so fully as little or nothing was left to the abitrement of the Iewish Church and as yee say these times were so ceremonious that the greatest part of the externall worship consisted in Ceremonies vnder the Gospell it is not so for in the Gospell the substance of these Ceremonies and of the worship of God is perfectly set downe but the circumstantiall Ceremonies of time place persons and formes which are no part of the worship but pertinences only are left to bee determined by the Church according to the generall Rules of Order and Decencie It is true because the Iewes had one place only appointed by God for his worship to wit the Temple and Tabernacle whereunto the people could not resort at all times therefore to their owne election was permitted the appointing of other commodious places for their Synagogues And now vnder the Gospell there is one onely Day of diuine Institution to wit the Lords Day whereunto to tye the worship of God is a Iudaicall Pedagogie against the Christian libertie and practice For the time is now come that from one new Moone to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come and worship before God Isa. 66.23 According to the which Prophesie the Apostolike and Primitiue Church did not only conuene on the Lords Day to worship God but on such other times as they thought commodious to obserue Saint Paul taught often on the Iewish Sabbath and at Ephesus daily for the space of two yeares in the Schoole of one Tyrannus Saint Augustine testifies that in some Churches they conuened daily not onely to preaching praying and Lectures but to the celebration of the Sacrament also Epiphanius in his Epitomie or Abridgement of Christian Faith affirmeth Apostolos instituisse synaxes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Apostles to haue instituted their holy meetings for diuine Seruice on Wednesday Friday and the Lords Day Soâ—rates witnesses that on these dayes through the whole World for the greatest parâ— the holy mysteries were celebrated Hereby it is manifest albeit the Church was tyed to worship God solemnly and publikely on the Lords Day that yet they were not tyed to that Day only but that all dayes weâ—e sanctified by Christ that the Church might chooâ—e and deâ—ermine of them for the Seruice of God as she pleased So to conclude the Church vnder the Gospeâ—l hath power without any particular warrant of Goâ— keeping the general Rules of Pietie Charitâ—e and Decencie to dedicate times and places and set downe formes and orders for the worshâ—p of God The Ceremonies in the Iewes Câ—urch were not only Circumstantiall but Mysticall for the greatest part and a part of diuine worship it selfe such as the Church vnder the Law and vnder the Gospell hath no power to institute but the Ceremonies vnder the Gospell are meerely Circumstantiall for the greater part not Mysticall and a part of the worship it selfe but onely accessorie thereto these the Christian Church hath power to appoint And such are the fiue dayes of old obserued by the Primitiue Church and now restored againe in our Church and such were the dayes of Purim and the Feast of Dedication which were not obserued as a part of religion instituted by God but only for commemoration of Gods benefits bestowed vpon his people in these times PP The obseruation of Anniuersary dayes pertayned to the Ceremoniall Law but so it is that the Ceremoniall Law is abolished Ye confirme the Antecedent by the reasons following First The Anniuersary Dayes were distinguished from the Morall Sabbath many were the preheminences of the ordinary Sabbath aboue the Anniuersary dayes Secondly The Apostle cals them weake beggerly rudiments Gal. 4.9.10 The elements of the world Col. 2.20 Shaddowes of things to come Col. 2.16 17. The Apostle sayes not the obseruation of Iudaicall dayes but simpliciter the obseruation of dayes serued to the people of God for a typicall vse and rudiment of Religion If the obseruation of some anniuersarie dayes was prescribed to the Iewes as elements and rudiments for their instruction it followes that the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes is of it selfe a rudimentarie instruction Otherwise the Apostles reason will not hold Thirdly Dayes and Meates are paralelled therefore as it is Iudaicall to esteeme some meates cleane and some vnclean so to esteeme one day holier then another is Iudaicall Fourthly To substitute other dayes in place of the Iewish as a Christian Pasche and Whitsonday for the Iewish is to substitute rudiments to the Iewish and not to chase them away Fiftly The Iewish anniuersarie dayes were not onely abrogated as shaddowes of things to come but as memorials of by gone benefits In euery respect all their anniuersarie daies are abolished Therefore in euery respect they belong to the Ceremoniall Law ANS These arguments yee vse to prooue the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes to be ceremoniall I answer them one by one First where yee say that anniuersarie dayes in the Law were distinguished from the morall Sabbath if ye will of this conclude that the anniuersarie dayes were not morall but typicall I will not deny it But if yee conclude anniuersarie daies to be therefore simply ceremoniall I say it followes not and that your argument is a caption à dicto secundum quid ad dictum simplicitèr The obseruation of a weekely day amongst the Iewes was not onely morall but a typicall shadow of things to come Is the Lords Day then because it is weekely not onely morall but also typicall But perhaps ye reason thus Anniuersarie dayes are eyther ceremoniall or morall but so it is they are not morall ergo To this I say that your diuision is not full nor perfect for there be anniuersarie dayes that are naturall as the Aequinoctiall and Solstitiall Others that are ciuill as dayes of Markets and Weapon-shewings c. And there be dayes Ecclesiasticall which are neyther morall nor mysticall but meerely circumstantiall to the worship whereunto they are appoynted To the second I answer that anniuersarie dayes are not called by the Apostle Elements and Rudiments otherwise then the New-Moones which are monethly dayes and Sabbaths which were weekely dayes And therefore if the Aposâ—le had called dayes Shadowes by reason of their yeerely reuolution he could not haue concluded that Sabbaths and New-moones were Shaddowes It is neither the weekly nor monethly nor anniuersarie reuolution that made these dayes
ceremoniall for then ciuill and naturall and all kinde of dayes should be ceremoniall but it was the mysticall signification which they had and the ceremoniall worship appropriated vnto them That the Apostle forbiddeth the obseruation of these dayes and not simpliciter of dayes is manifest both by that which goeth before vers 9. and that which followeth vers 21. The dayes whereof hee speakes were Elements of the Law from the which that we might be deliuered Christ was made vnder the Lawe And the obseruation of these dayes was a remayning still vnder the seruile yoake of the Law But there was neuer man before you that did thinke the obseruation prohibited for any naturall respect such as the yeerely weekely or monethly reuolution is but onely for some legall consideration or some heathenish superstition And seeing for these respects onely the religious obseruation of dayes is discharged it is a caption ab accidenti to conclude that the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes is forbidden I answer to the third that to esteeme one day holier then another for any inherent holinesse they haue by nature is superstitious and to esteeme one day holier then another for any sacramentall holinesse that they haue by diuine institution is Iudaicall but for the vse whereunto the day is applied as a meete and commodious circumstance so to esteeme it is no more superstitious and Iudaicall then to esteeme a Temple holier then a priuate house and the instruments vessels and clothes that are vsed in the ministration of Sacraments more holy then other common instruments and vessels These we call holy onely by reason of their separation from a common vse to a religious So this argument is a caption ab homonymia I answer to the fourth That one thing is properly said to be substitute to another when it is applied to the same vse Our Pasche and Pentecost are neyther applied to be memorials of the deliuerance out of Aegypt nor testimonies of our thankfulnesse for the First-fruits of the earth nor to be shaddowes of our spirituall deliuerie to come and of the First-fruits of the Holy Ghost neyther doe wee offer the Passeouer nor the First-fruits nor any legall sacrifice and so in no respect are they substitute to these times but they are dedicated to the commemoration of Christs resurrection and the comming downe of the Holy Ghost not as mysticall and sacramentall ceremonies and a part of the diuine worshippe which the Papists esteeme them to be but as they are fit and meete circumstancess onely for these holy exercises To the fift and last argument I answer That the anniuersarie dayes of the Iewes are abolished in euerie respect for which by them they were obserued and so are the weekely and monethly daies but as the weekly and monthly course was not the respect for which the Sabbath and New-moons are abolished no more is the anniuersarie reuolution of the feasts the respect wherefore they were abrogate but because they were shaddowes of things to come and remembrances of temporall benefits as of their deliuerie out of Aegypt which was also typicall And because they had a legall worship appropriated vnto them which was likewise ceremoniall Now to conclude vpon this that the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes vnder the Gospell is abolished is a caption à non causa pro causa For the anniuersarie daies kept vnder the Gospell are not obserued as any part of diuine worship or as shaddowes of things to come or as memoriall signes and Sacraments of by-past temporall and typicall benefits but they are obserued as commodious circumstances for the worship appointed to be done on them to wit the commemoration of the inestimable benefits of our redemption which are not temporall and peculiar to any People or Nation such as the deliuerance of the Iewes out of Aegypt and their dwelling in Tents remembred by their Pasche and their Feast of Tabernacles but eternall and common to all Nations and People Neither is the worship performed on them legall and ceremoniall but euangelicall and spirituall Thus the obseruation is wholly different The time is appointed to be obserued not as a shadow but as a circumstance onely the wâ—rship is not the sacrificing of beasts or oblation of First-fruits but the Preaching of Christ who is the body the veritie the yea and amen and end of the Lawe and the Oblation of prayers thankesgiuing and praises in his name to the Father and the benefits which are remembred are not temporall and typicall but eternall and spirituall PP The prerogatiue belonging to God in the Old Testament was transferred to Christ God and Man the Law-giuer in the New-Testament one that was faithfull in all the house of God But so it is that Christ neither by his owne commandement nor by direction of his Spirit inspiring the Apostles instituted any other day but the Lords Day c. ANS The Theologie of your Preface or Proposition I vnderstand not I learne in the Scripture that the Prerogatiue of the Father is communicated with the Son and that all power in heauen and in earth is giuen to our Lord Iesus Christ. But I neuer read that God hath made any translation and denuded himselfe of any prerogatiue in the New Testament that belonged to him before in the olde That which ye subioyne that Christ and his Spirit hath instituted no other day but the Lords Day we freely graunt for if it were euident that the fiue dayes had beene instituted by Christ then we behoued to obserue and esteeme them as necessary parts of Gods worship and not circumstances determined by the Church to the worship of God for order and policie which we hold with our best Diuines And therefore wee say in the verie first wordes of our Act Wee abhorre the superstitious obseruation of Festiuall dayes This superstitious obseruation is nothing else but an obseruation of them with opinion of necessitie that is as necessarie parts of Gods worshippe instituted by Christ. So in this wee agree yet I doe not allow of the reasons which yee vse for probation hereof Your first argument is If there had beene any other dayes dedicated to Christ the Apostle spake vnproperly and obscurely when he said Hee was rauished in the Spirit vpon the Lords Day For if there had beene a day for his Natiuitie and another for his Passion he should haue said that he was rauished in the Spirit vpon one of the Lords Dayes This argument is friuolous Although all the Festiuall dayes vnder the Law were dedicated to God and were called Sabbaths yea sometimes Sabbath Sabbathôn yet none of them is called the Sabbath of IEHOVAH or the Lords Sabbath that is reserued to the seuenth day of the Weeke and the seuenth Yeere which resembled Gods rest And although all the Synagogues were Houses dedicated to God yet the Temple is not called one of Gods Houses but the House of God euen so the Day of Christs resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the
had the honour to be appointed by God himselfe This Proposition is yours and is very true I assume But the fiue anniuersarie dayes appointed by the Assembly of Perth are not Iudaicall prescribed in the Ceremoniall Law tolerated by Saint Paul in weake Christians and such as had once the honour to be appointed by God himselfe The Assumption is likewise yours set downe in the last wordes of your Answere and is true also Therefore I conclude That the fiue anniuersarie dayes are not the dayes whereof the Apostle condemnes the obseruation Consequently hee condemnes not the obseruation of dayes simply as a Iudaicall Rite and Pedagogicall instruction contrary to your former Assertion PP 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 seuerall festiuities Ans. It followes not that because Christ did institute the remembrance of one benefit therefore men may institute for other benefits Secondly Christs resurrection was a benefit including the rest of his benefits Thirdly The Lords Day was not appointed to celebrate the memory of Christs resurrection onely for then the resurrection should bee the proper subiect of Diuine seruice euery Lords Day and then it were vnlawfull to fast thereupon Fourthly It is called the Lords Day either because the Lord did institute it as the Communion is called the Lords Supper or else because it was instituted to the Lords honour and worship as the Iewish Sabbath is called the Sabbath of the Lord our God Fiftly Although it may be applyed to the remembrance of Christs resurrection seeing he rose that day and in some sort to be a signe of the heauenly rest yet that is but typus communis factus a common type fitted to resemble such things not typus destinatus that is appointed by God for that end Finally it was appointed for remembrance of all Christs actions and for his worship in generall not in a mysticall manner for the ioyfull remembrance of his resurrection onely So to diuide Christs actions and appoint anniuersary mysticall dayes for their remembrance is superstitious will-worship and a Iudaicall addition to Christs institution in your mind ANS Here onely I haue taken vp the summe of your answere which is this That Chist did not institute the Lords Day for a remembrance of his resurrection in a mysticall manner and therefore wee haue no warrant to appoint mysticall dayes for remembrance of the Natiuitie Passion and the rest of his notable actions Vnto which I answere first generally That it is the iudgement of some recent Diuines that the Lords Day was onely instituted as Ecclesiasticall dayes are for order and policie and hath no further but a circumstantiall vse in the worship of God Others following the Ancients hold that the Lords Day is not onely appointed for order and policie but that it is a memoriall of Christs resurrection and a signe of our eternall rest in hâ—auen Saint August tom 5. de ciuit Dei lib. 22. cap. 30. Dominicus dies Christi resurrectione sacratus aeternam non solùm spiritus sed etiam corporis requiem praefigurat That is The Lords Day which was made holy and sacred by the resurrection of Christ prefigures not onely the eternall rest of the spirit but also of the body Item tom 10. de verbis Apostoli Serm. 15. Domini resurrectio promisit nobis aeternum diem consecrauit nobis Dominicum diem qui Dominicus vocatur quia eo die Dominus resurrexit That is The resurrection of the Lord hath promised vnto vs an eternall day and hath consecrated the Lords Day vnto vs which is so called because the Lord rose vpon that day Item Epist. ad Ianuarium Artic. 119. cap. 13. Dies Domini non Iudaeis sed Christianis resurrectione Domini declaratus est ex illo habere coepiâ— festiuitatem suam Thaâ— is The Lords Day was declared not to the Iewes but to the Christians by the resurrection of the Lord and from that time it beganne to be a festiuall day ibidem cap. 19. Vita prima quae de peregrinatione redeuntibus primam stolam accipientibus redditur per vnam Sabbathi quem diem Dominicum dicimus figuratur That is The first or euerlasting life which is giuen to them that haue ended their peregrination and receiued the glorious robe is figured by the first day of the weeke which we call the Lords Day Iust. Martyr Apol. 2. ad calcem Conuentus autem hos die Solis facimus quia hac die primùm Deus depulsis tenebris formataque materia mundum creauit Iesus Christus quoque noster seruator eadem die resurrexit a mortuis That is We keepe these meetings on the Sonday because on this day first God dispelled darkenesse and formed the matter whereof the world was created our Sauiour Iesus Christ also rose againe from the dead the same day In the iudgement of these Ancients the Lords Day was not onely instituted for the worship of God in generall and in that respect called the Lords Day but because Christ rose vpon that day and by his resurrection stamped it to bee a memoriall as well of his resurrection as of the eternall rest whereunto we shall be raised on the last day In a word it was not onely instituted for order and policie but also for a mysterie and therein differs from Ecclesiasticall dayes which are onely appointed for a circumstantiall and not for a mysticall vse These things being premitâ—ed I come to answere the particulars First where yee say that albeit Christ did institute a day in remembrance of one benefit men may not for other benefits I grant that men maâ— not iâ—â—â—itute a mysticall day to be obserued as â— part of Gods worship yet they may appoint a commodious dâ—y to bâ—e obsâ—râ—ed as a fit time for the worship of God and remembrance of his benefits Next where yee say the resurrection inclâ—dâ—s the rest of Christs benefits it is true in some sense that is either as the beginning or originall of some as the Ascension and sending downe of the holy Ghost or as the perfecâ—ion and consummation of others as of the Natiuitie and Passion And so generally and virtute as wee say in vertue the Resurrection contaynes the rest but it contaynes them not distinctly and expresly as it is necessary we should remember them for then we should not need any moe Articles of our Creede but that one of the Resurrection As the Articles are particular concerning the Natiuitie Passion Resurrection and Ascension so they ought to bee distinctly and seuerally remembred both on the Sabbath and on other conuenient times which the Church shall appoint Thirdly Although the Lords Day was not onely instituted for a memoriall of the Resurrection yet that was one of the principall causes wherefore it was sanctified rather then any other day of the weeke Saint Augustine sayes as before Domini
resurrectio consecrauit nobis diem Dominicum dies Dominicus sacratus est declaratus Christi resurrectione inde coepit habere festiuitatem suam And in Tertullian his time it was indeed esteemed a thing vnlawfull eyther to fast or kneele vpon the Lords Day which custome was confirmed in the Councell of Nice Can. 20. When ye say that if it were appointed for remembrance of Christs Resurrection all the diuine Seruice done on the Lords Day should haue relation only to the Resurrection It is no consequent for albeit God blessed and sanctified the Iewish Sabbath because hee rested thereon there were yet other Scriptures read on their Sabbath then the storie of Creation and God his rest from it Fourthly where ye alledge that it was called the Lords Day because it was instituted by the Lord and for the Lord we will not contend about this prouiding it be not denyed that it is called the Lords Day principally because the Lord rose thereupon as Augustine and other Ancients affirme euery-where The Communion is called the Lords Supper because hee appointed it to be kept for a memoriall of his death till his comming againe The Iewish Sabbath was called the Sabbath of the Lord their God not only because it was consecrated to his worship for then the New-moones and all the other Festiuall Dayes should haue beene so named which they are not but also because it was the signe and memoriall of Gods rest that Day Therefore in the fourth Command it is expressed as the reason why the Lord did blesse and sanctifie the Sabbath He rested the seuenth Day therefore namely because hee rested on it hee blessed and hallowed it euen so is the Sonday sanctified and blessed by our Sauiour and called the Lords Day because it hath imprinted in it by his Institution a perpetuall memoriall of his Resurrection whereby hee abolished all the Sabbaticall shaddowes of the Law as first the strict and precise bodily rest by bringing in the spirituall and eternall Secondly the memoriall of their temporall deliuerance out of Egypt by bringing in the eternall and spirituall deliuery from the tyrannie of Satan the slauerie of sin and the feare of death and thirdly the signe and marke of distinction which separaâ—ed the Iew and Gentile and was a part of the partition wall in respect whereof the Iewes were called Sabbatarij all these shaddowes Christ by his Resurrection â—th abolished and by the obseruation of the Lords Day they are declared to bee abolished which the obseruation of no other day of the weeke could haue done because Christ stamped none of them with the memoriall of his Resurrection but this Day only whereupon he rose Against this ye alledge that it is not typus destinatus but communis factus that is a Type not instituted by God to be a memoriall of Christs Resurrection but a common Type fitted to resemble such a thing the contrary whereof is true For nothing can bee called a common Type but that which hath in it selfe by nature some respect or qualitie wherby it is fitted to make the resemblance of such a thing As in Marriage in the coniunction of the head and members there is a fitnesse naturall to resemble our vnion with Christ So in the Pismire there is a qualitie naturall to resemble the vertuous man and in the Lion and Horse to resemble the strong and stately but in this day by nature there is neither qualitie nor respect more then in any other to make such a resemblance Moreouer common Types are neither memorial prognosticall signes but demonstratiue only all memoriall prognosticall signes which are not naturall are signes destinate either by God or by man If ye affirme that the Lords Day was destinate by man to be a signe of Christs Resurrection then yee must grant that it was instituted by man to bee obserued in remembrance of that benefit and so it shall not be a day of Diuine but humane Institution Lastly all the times which God hath marked with some rare worke or euent and hath therefore appointed to bee obserued solemnely haue euer beene destinate by God to be memoratiue signes of these same things So the seuenth Day marked with Gods rest and therefore blessed and sanctified is a memoriall of Gods rest and is called the Sabbath of Iehouah and it is also a prognosticall signe of the rest of God to be communicated with the faithfull who resemble that rest by a corporall cessation This the Apostle witnesseth Heb. 4.9 There remaynes therefore a rest to the people of God for hee that enters into his rest hee also ceases from his owne workes as God did from his In like manner the fourteenth day of the first Moneth marked with that rare deliuerance from the destroying Angell and their escape out of Egypt and therefore appointed to be solemnly obserued to the honour of God was destinated by God to bee a memoriall of that their deliuerance and called the Passeouer of the Lord. And euen so the Lords Day being marked with that rare and incomparable benefit of the Resurrection and consecrated in the iudgement of all the Ancients to the worship of God insteed of the Iewish Sabbath is a memoriall signe of the Resurrection destinated by the Lord himselfe a demonstratiue signe of our spirituall Resurrection from sinne to newnesse of life and a prognosticall signe of our corporeall Resurrection vnto euerlasting life This Saint Augustine expresseth in the words before cited Dominicus dies Christi resurrectione sacratus aeternam non solum spiritus sed etiam corporis requiem praefigurat In end where yee conclude that the Lords Day was not appointed only for a remembrance of his Resurrection after a mysticall manner but for the remembrance of all his actions and worship in generall if your meaning bee that on the Lords Day all Christs actions may and ought to be orderly remembred as occasion requires and not his Resurrection only it is true that yee say but if your meaning bee that the sanctification of the Lords Day was not ordayned to be a memoriall of Christs Resurrection I deny your assertion preferre to your opinion the iudgement of all the Ancients Vnto that which yee subioyne that it is a superstitious wil-worship and a Iudaicall addition to Christs Institution to diuide Christs actions and appoint Anniuersary and Mysticall dayes for their remembrance I reply that it is a superstitious wil-worship indeed and a Iudaicall addition to Christs Institution so to tye all the worship of God to the Lords Day that no other day nor time may bee appointed for preaching praying or remembring any of Christs benefits seeing vnder the Gospell as Tertullian speakes De Baptismo omnis dies Domini est omnis hora omne tempus habile est baptismo that is euery day is the Lords euery houre and euery time is fit for Baptisme If for Baptisme why not for Doctrine and Prayer and Thankesgiuing and all other parts of Gods
Worship For albeit the Lords Day be consecrated to the Worship of God yet the Worship is not tied to it but from one Sabbath to another and from one New-Moone to another all flesh may appeare before the Lord. That which ye speake of diuiding Christs actions and the appointing of mysticall dayes is partly foolish and partly false Is it not a folly to thinke that the actions of Christ ought not to bee diuided and seuerally remembred in Lectures and Sermons seeing the Spirit of God hath diuided them in this Storie and that it is impossible at once to remember them all And it is false also because for rememberance of them no day is appointed to bee kept mystically as a part of the worship but only circumstantially for order and commoditie which kinde of obseruation is not a superstitious wil-worship but a lawfull determination of commodious times for the worship of God belonging to the power and policie of the Church PP It is thirdly obiected that Paul kept the Feast of Pentecost Act. 20. 1. Cor. 16. I answere it was the Iewish Pentecost c. ANS If it was the Iewish Pentecost then Saint Paul did not only obserue an Anniuersary Day but such also as was legall and abrogated by the Gospell and such as hee discharges the Church to obserue Yet I hope yee will not say that his obseruation was Superstitious or Pedagogicall because he obserued it not as a necessary part of Gods worship prescribed in the Law in respect whereof only it was Pedagogicall but as a fit circumstance and opportunitie for the worke of his Ministerie like as he did often obserue the Iewish Sabbaths which was not onely lawfull but in those times verie expedient to be done by him Hereby it is manifest that the obseruation of dayes is not condemned by the Apostle as a Iewish Rite because Anniuersarie Monethly or Weekly but because it was conioyned with opinion of necessitie and vsed as a Legall worship therefore although vpon the Iewish Sabbath or vpon their Pentecost diuine worship was performed as the Euangell preached the Sacraments celebrated Prayers publikely conceiued c. If these things were done without any mysticall relation or respect had to the day but only because the time was opportune and happily fit for Gods Worke the exercise was lawfull and could not bee condemned So wee finde in some churches that on eueryday the sacrameÌ„t was ministred that on the Iewish Sabbath they had an ordinarie Fast and no well aduised Christian did euer thinke these to be vnlawfull by reason of the day For if to the cleane euery thing be cleane all dayes are cleane and sanctified to euery lawfull exercise of the man who is himselfe made cleane by the bloud of Christ Consequently euery day whether it be Weekly or Anniuersarie is cleane and sanctified by Christ to the exercise of any part of his Worship which shall bee thought meete by the Church to be performed to his honour and the edification of her selfe The Legall Sabbath and Pentecost which were abrogated could not make the Euangelicke Worship which was performed on them by the Apostles vnlawfull farre lesse can the Lords Day such as the Christian Pasche and Whitsonday are or any other day of the Weeke Moneth or Yeare which were neuer legally obserued make the Doctrine Prayers and Sacraments administred on them vnlawfull and superstitious To conclude I finde in this Obiection a Solution to all your Arguments for here I find that there may be a lawfull obseruation of dayes which are abrogated let be of dayes which are not discharged so the obseruation bee not legall with opinion of necessâ—tie or of any mysterie in the time but Euangelicall with knowledge of our Christian libertie and for opportunitie of time onely which both may bee lawfull and expedient So Saint Paul keeped many Sabbaths and the Pentecost whereon Saint Peter also conuerted three thousand by his first preaching This is the obseruation for which only we stand against which ye haue neuer concluded a contradictory but either against the Legall of the Iewish or superstitious of the Gentiles So all your Arguments fall vnder one forme of Caption which wee call ignorantia Elenchi when a contradiction seemes to bee where there is none because the tearmes in the apparant contradiction are not taken in the same sâ—nse PP It is fourthly obiected out of the Epistles of Polycarpus and Polycrates extant in the Historie of Eusebius and out of Beda following Eusebius that the Apostles kept the Feast of Easter Answ. Beda was but a Fabler and a follower of fabulous Reports Eusebius was a little better c. ANS Thus it pleaseth your pride to disdaine these ancient learned and holy Writers because they crosse your Nouelties by the truth of Antiquitie not vnlike the Painter of whom Sadeel writes Qui cum gallum gallinaceum infeliciter pingeret verum gallum á tabula abigebat Hauing drawne a Cocke vnskilfully that his errour should not bee perceiued he chased away the liuing Cocke that stood by him so the Papists forbid the vse of Scriptures that their Errors should not be discouered Nouators cannot sustain the authority of the Ancients But ye make mention of Polycarpus Epistle extant in Eusebius and in Eusebius there is no Epistle of Polycarpus onely Irenaeus in a Letter that hee sends to Victor mentions him The Epistles of Polycrates yee affirme to bee counterfeit and vpon what reason Because ye say that it is said in the Epistles that Saint Iohn bore on his fore-head pontificale petalum that is the golden plate or the High Priests Mitre Polycrates ye thinke would not haue written so because Scaliger sayes that no man will grant that eyther Iohn or Iames did beare it who vnderstand that none of Christs Apostles was a Priest and that it was lawfull to none but the High Priest to beare the golden plate It is true that Polycrates in propertie of speech would not haue written so but what is more frequent amongst the Ancients then by such flowers colours of Rhetorick to describe the Euangelick Ministers amoÌ„gst whom such as Polycarpus Thrasias and others by him named Iohns authoritie was as great as was the High Priests aboue the inferiour vnder the Law Therfore to distinguish him froÌ„ them Polycrates attributes to him the name and ornament of the High Priest So Tertullian de Baptismo distinguisheth the Bishop from the Elder and the Deacon calling him the High Priest Dandi quidem habet ius summus Sacerdos qui est Episcopus dehinc Presbyteri Diaconi Shall wee esteeme this Treatise of Tertullian counterfeite because hee calleth the Bishoppe an High Priest This is too weake a warrant whereon to build an improbation against so strong a partie as Eusebius PP The Bishop of Elie in his Sermon takes needlesse paines to proue the Antiquitie of Easter but when he proues it to be Apostolicall he shoots short his eldest Antiquitie is the counterfeit Epistles
thinks Yet to confirme his opinion yee say that Iustine Martyr mentions no Holy day but the Lords Day What then Hee had not the occasion yet Tertullian who flourished but fortie yeares after him in the second booke directed to his wife hath these wordes Quis denique solennibus Paschae abnoctantem seeurus sustinet And in his booke De Praescriptionib aduers. Haereticos mentions one Blastus whom hee calls an Heretike for maintayning that Pasche should bee kept on the 14. day of the Moone as the Iewish custome was Tertullian flourished in the yeare of our Lord 183. and speaking thus of Pasche not as of a new Constitution but as of a custome long before receiued in the Church does confirme the Bishop of Winchester his iudgement That in all lâ—kelihood this obseruation was Apostolique By Apostolique I meane not a doctrinall point which is to bee obserued as a substantiall part of diuine worship or a condition necessary to saluation but the imitation onely of an Apostolique practice concerning order and policie neither doe I meane such a practice as is expresly set downe in Scripture and vniuersally obserued through the world such as the Lords Day is for such a practice hath the strength of a diuine Precept but I vnderstand such a practice as albeit it be not recorded in Scripture to haue beene done by the Apostles themselues or the Churches in their time yet the same being vniuersally receiued in the world and obserued since the Apostles dayes is most probably presumed to haue beene practised in their times and allowed by them And in this the Lords Day differs from Pasche and the other three dayes mentioned by Saint Augustine that the Lords Day hath not onely the vniuersall and perpetuall obseruation of the Church since the dayes of the Apostles but also the practice of our Sauiour his Apostles and the Church in their times expresly recorded in Scripture The other haue onely an vniuersall and constant practice of the Church since the Apostles time which not the lesse ought to be preferred to any priuate or late particular custome And to returne to the Act of Perth it ordaynes none of these dayes to be kept for Diuine and Apostolique but onely that on them once in the yeare a solemne commemoration be made of the benefits of our Redemption and therefore the Reasons ye bring to proue that these dayes are not Apostolique impugne no wayes the lawfullnesse of the act Where yee say that the obseruation of the Passion day hath brought into the church set dayes of fasting condemned by our Diuines I aske you how yee doe proue that affirmation It is enough yee haue said it But to conclude this point I doe verily thinke That to fast and pray at some set times were lesse offensiue to God then to bee often feasting and surfetting pratling and lying traducing our Brethren and condemning the good order and policie of Gods Church PP If it had beene Gods will that the seuerall acts of Christ should haue beene celebrated with seuerall solemnities the holy Ghost would haue made knowne to vs the dayes wheron they were done Secondly if the actions of Christ aduance the dayes wherein they were wrought as Hooker sayes or consecrate them as Bellarmine sayes they ought to be knowne otherwise it will fall out that we shall keepe the dayes holy that were neuer aduanced nor consecrated by Christs action on institution But so it is the day of Christs Natiuitie is hid from mortall men ANS It is true that if it had beene Gods will to haue aduanced and consecrated the dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion c. by annexing to them some particâ—lar exercise of Religion such as the festiuall dayes of the Iewes had and clothing them with some mysticall signification the holy Ghost had made the dayes knowne otherwise they could not haue beene obserued But from the beginning we haue declared according to the iudgement not of Bellarmine but of our best reformed Churches and Diuines that these dayes are not kept for any relation that the worship hath to them as if by Christs actions or institution they were to be honoured with some religious exercise but for order and policy only as the most meet and oportune occasions in the iudgement of the primitiue Church and in our estimation most meet for testifying our conformitie with her and with the whole Christian world euer since The long discourse and dispute which yee subjoyne to proue the time of Christs Natiuitie to be vncertayne because it is not contradictoriâ— to the Act made at Perth and the practice thereof in our Church I passe it as superfluous Onely to your last words of the Section I answere PP Nay let vs vtter the Truth December Christmasse is a iust imitation of the December Saturnall of the Ethnicke Romanes and so vsed as if Bacchus and not Christ were the God of Christians ANS This protestation yee might haue made and craued licence if your custome were to lye but to the purpose If Christmasse hath beene thus abused I am sure the abuse hath not come by preaching on that day and the exercise of diuine worship thereon for that wee haue lacked these 57. yeares by-past in our Church yet riot profanenesse surfet and drunkennesse hath not beene wanting What hath beene the cause hereof and by what meanes the abuse may be best remedied wise men will easily consider PP It is commonly obiected That wee may aswell keepe a day for the Natiuitie as for the Resurrection of Christ. We haue answered already That Christs day or the Lords Day is the day appointed for remembrance of his Natiuitie and all his actions and benefits aswell as for the Resurrection Next the one is morall and weekely the other is mysticall and anniuersarie The Lords Day it selfe is no longer to vs mysticall but morall sayes Willet and therefore Pasche day is a mysticall Sabbath and anniuersarie whereas the Lords Day it selfe should be onely morall ANS The answere which yee haue already made is already confuted The Lords Day is generally appointed for remembrance of all his actions therefore none of his actions may or should bee remembred at any other set time This consequence is not necessary for then we may not remember his actions in the morning and euening Lectures wee may not remember them in Sermons Exercises on weekly dayes nor may wee remember them in Catechizing the people Your next answere is That the day of the Natiuitie is mysticall This is contrarie to that which yee cited out of Saint Augustine pag. 68. Ille celebratur ob memoriam solùm ideo semper die vigesimo quinto Decembris at iste celebratur ob memoriam Sacramentum But I pray you How proue yee obseruation of the day of Natiuitie to bee mysticall because it is anniuersarie yee say If this be your Argument for I finde no other here it is not good for in the reuolution of time there is no mysterie
but in the signification and we haue often said before that we obserue no day for signification but the Lords Day onely The rest we obserue as times meet and commodious for the worship appointed to be done on them As to Doctor Willets assertion That the Lords Day is not mysticall to vs I oppone to it Saint Augustines iudgement who calls it as yee heard before a figure and type of life eternall which is confirmed by the Apostle in the fourth to the Hebrewes But Doctor Willet I hope takes mysticall for a darke and obscure shadow of things to come such as the festiuall dayes vnder the Law were kept in remembrance not of spirituall and eternall but of temporall benefits which were shadoweâ— of spirituall and eternall benefits to come And in this sense the Lords Day is not mysticall for it is not kept in remembrance of temporall benefits which are shadowes of spirituall and eternall but in remembrance of Christs Resurrection by whom we are put in present possession of our spirituall rest and life and in hope of eternall In respect whereof as it is a memoriall signe of the Resurrection of our Sauiour so is is a demonstratiue signe of the benefit which wee enjoy of spirituall rest and prognosticall of our eternall and therefore is called a figure and type by Saint Augustine Thus taking a mysterie in a large sense for any significant signe in Religion it may be called mysticall The Sacraments of the new Testament are called mysteries by the Ancients not in the sense that the Sacraments of the old Testament were called mysteries for they were so called because they were darke and obscure shadowes of things to come but our Sacraments are the liuely Images of the things themselues by reason of the plaine and manifest Word of the Gospell annexed to them By this distinction Saint Augustine and Doctor Willet may be agreed PP It is still obiected The benefits of God ought to bee remembred specially Christs notable benefits Ans. It is one thing to remember another thing to remember with solâ—â—â—â— â—â—stiuities To remember is a morall dutie and perpetuall for we ought to keepe not onely an anniuersarie but also a weekely and daily remembrance But to celebrate an Anniuersarie solemnitie and to keepe a Sabbath of rest in remembrance it is a pedagogicall ceremonie of the Iewes c. ANS Wee thinke it sufficient to haue made that obiection once because it hath neuer yet beene answered but yee propone it often to assay if yee shall bee able to fall on some solide solution at last yet like an euill Archer the longer yee shoote yee stray the further from the marke Yee thinke an Anniuersarie remembrance may be kept but an Anniuersarie solemnitie should not bee celebrated yee hide your minde from simple people vnder a mysticall solemnitie of words but to speake that plainly which yee call the celebration of an Anniuersarie solemnitie your meaning must be if yee contradict the Act that preaching should not bee made prayers thanksgiuing and prayses should not be offered on certayne set times in the yeare in remembrance of Christs Natiuitie Passion c. If yee will haue no such exercise to bee vsed what Anniuersarie remembrance is it that yee would haue obserued Is it a priuy meditation in our Chambers whereunto neither God nor Man is priuie or some occasionall remembrance in our Lectures and Sermons as they fall out now and then Is this the thankfulnesse that wee are taught by the light of Nature and the Word of God to render for the inestimable benefits of our redemption which God hath vniuersally and publikely bestowed vpon all Oh but to keepe a Sabbath of rest in remembrance say yee is a pedagogicall ceremonie To keepe a mysticall rest such as the rest of the Sabbath was is pedagogicall but to keepe a rest for the more commodious and solemne performance of a great and diuine action such as the commemoration of Christs Birth Death c. is not pedagogicall but necessary for the commoditie and celebritie of the worship which cannot bee well and worthily performed without cessation from other seruile businesse That this is the vse of the rest commanded in his Maiesties Proclamation is manifest by the reasons set downe therein in these words That euery one may the better attend the holy exercises which are to bee kept in the Church on these times Yee are cunning to deceiue the simple with ambiguitie of words There is a rest that is ciuilly kept which is a cessation from our ordinary workes for some other ciuill employment as for marriages triumphs weapon-shewings and such like this rest is lawfull but it is not Sabbaticall There is a rest kept superstitiously as when men ceasse from their labouâ—s for some foolish feares of ill successe by reason of the time this is not called a Sabbath of rest but a superstitious rest There is a rest kept idolatrously for the honour of idols as the Baechanalia Floralia and the holy dayes proclaymed by the Israelites for honour of their golden Calfe These are damnable rests Finally there is a rest that is kept religiously and this rest is kept either for celebritie and commoditie of the religious action onely or mystically for commoditie and celebritie of the religious seruice a rest is kept in all the solemne times of fasting a rest is kept in the houres of Prayers or Preaching and other diuine Seruice And such is the rest that his Maiestie hath appointed to bee obserued The rest kept mystically was a significant rest of some thing by-past present or to come such was the rest of the Iewish Sabbath and of the Legall Festiuities and such Augustine holds and other many good Diuines our rest on the Lords Day to be from the fourth to the Hebrewes This is called a Sabbath of rest such a rest his Maiestie hath not commanded but a rest for commoditie and celebritie of the diuine Seruice only which in nothing is like to the Iewes Frontlets Phylacteries and such other Legall shadowes PP Pope Alexander the third gaue this reason wherefore the Romane Church kept not a Holy day to the Trinitie Quoniam Ecclesia Romana in vsu non habet c. Because sayes he Glorie to the Father and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost and other such like things belonging to the praise of the Trinitie are daily vttered The Popes reason is grounded vpon this rule Whatsoeuer is intreated or remembred in the diuine seruice ordinarie ought not to haue a speciall Holy day to celebrate the memorie of the same beside the day alreadie decerned by the Lord. We assume Christs Natiuitie Death Resurrection c. are not onely the continuall meditation of a Christian in priuate but also a remembred and intreated in the ordinarie and publique seruice Euery Communion Sonday is a Passion Holy day Euery Sabbath that Christs Natiuitie is preached is a time of remembrance of his Natiuitie But to ordayne an Anniuersarie
the priuate custome of any Church or the singularity of any mans opinion and fantasie And therefore ZANCHIVS said well and wisely in the places cited before That albeit the reformed Churches haue liberty to sanctifie what dayes they thinke good yet it is more laudable honest and profitable to sanctifie these which the most pure Apostolick and Primitiue Church sanctified So to conclude we obserue no day for mystery or with opinion of necessitie but only for commodity and policie And this obseruation is approued by the iudgement of the best Diuines in the reformed Church The consent of the Reformed Churches and Diuines for keeping the fiue Holy Dayes Heluetica Confessio de Ferijs Art 24. PRaeterea si Ecclesiae pro Christiana libertate memoriam Dominicae Natiuitatis Circumcisionis Passionis Resurrectionis Ascensionis item in Coelum missionis sancti Spiritus in Discipulos religiosè celebrent maximoperè probamus That is to say If the Churches according to their Christian Libertie doe celebrate religiously the memory of the Lords Natiuitie Circumcision Passion Resurrrection his Ascension to Heauen and the sending downe of the holy Ghost wee doe exceedingly approue it Beza speaking of this Confession in his first Epistle sayes Dico Helueticam Gallicam Confessionem cui innumerabiles paenè Ecclesiae subscripserunt nulla re prorsus differre that is The Church of Heluetia and France differ in nothing and haue but one Confession whereunto innumerable Churches haue subscribed All the reformed Churches did agree in this point of the Confession touching the obseruation of the fiue dayes our Church only excepted which now hauing condescended to a Conformity with the rest by the Ordinance of the Assembly at Perth the same will bee allowed of all that preferre the peace and vnitie of the Reformed Churches to the singularitie of their owne opinions CALVIN Col. 2.16 ATque dicet quispiam nos adhuc retinere aliquam dierum obseruationem Respond Nos dies nequaquam seruare quasi in ferijs esset aliqua religio aut quasi fas non sit tunc laborare sed respectum haberi politiae ordinis non dierum that is Some will say that we yet retayne some obseruation of dayes I answere We keepe not dayes as if there were any Religion in the festiuall time or as if it were not lawfull to labour on them but a respect is had of Policie and Order not of dayes ZANCHIVS in the Confession which hee made to be published when he was seuentie yeares of age in name of himselfe and his Family De Ferijs cap. 15. Sect. 30. POst diem Dominicum non possumus non probare illorum quoque dierum sanctificationem quibus memoria recurrit celebrataque in veteri Ecclesia fuit Natiuitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi Circumcisionis Passionis Resurrectionis Ascensionis in Coelum Missionisque sancti Spiritus in Apostolos that is Next vnto the Lords Day we cannot but allow the Sanctification of these dayes wherein the memory returnes of the Natiuity of our Lord Iesus his Circumcision Passion Resurrection Ascension into Heauen and the sending downe of the Holy Ghost vpon the Apostles which memorie was celebrated in the ancient Church CHEMNITIVS de diebus Festis in examine Concilij Tridentini ATque haec sunt quae in Scriptura noui Testamenti ad festa pertinentia tradita sunt iuxta quam normam vt deuota religiosa Festorum celebratio ad augendam pietatem restituatur nemo improbat sed omnes pij optant that is These are the things which are deliuered in the Scriptures of the new Testament concerning festiuall times according to which rule no man dislikes the deuout and religious celebration of festiuall dayes but all the godly wish it because it serues to encrease godlinesse To this hee subioynes a long Narration of the dayes obserued in the Primitiue Church which he approues BVLLINGERVS ad Rom. 14. APud Veteres quidem Eusebium inprimis Augustinum inuenias memorias quasdam pijs quibusdam institutas fuisse hominibus sed longè alia ratione ac modo nimirum parùm differente à nostro ritu quo adhuc in Ecclesia nostra Tigurina Natiuitatis Circumcisionis Passonis Resurrectionis Ascensionis Domini Missionisque sancti Spiritus Deiparae Virginis Ioannis Baptistae Magdalenae Stephani Apostolorum Domini Festa celebramus neminem eorum interim damnantes qui post Dominicam aliam nesciunt Festiuitatem videmus enim veterum monumenta perlustrantes liberū hoc Ecclesiae semper fuisse vt quisque quod hisce in rebus minutilis videretur optimum ad pietatem commodissimum sequeretur that is Ye shall find in the Ancients specially in Eusebius and Saint Augustine certaine memorials instituted to some holy persons but farre different from the Papall forme and manner not vnlike the rite which we obserue in our Church of Tigurine in the celebration of the Natiuitie Circumcision Passion Ascension Resurrection of the Lord and the sending downe of the Holy Ghost of the Mother of God the Virgin of Iohn the Baptist Magdalene Stephen and the Apostles of the Lord. In the mean-time we condemne none of these that keepe no festiuall day but the Sabbath For when we looke ouer the Monuments of the Fathers wee find this hath euer beene in the liberty of the Church to doe that which seemed best and most commodious for the aduancing of Pietie in these matters of little moment PARAEVS cap. 14. ad Rom. hyp 4. FEria Dominicalis Natiuitatis Resurrectionis Ascensionis Domini Pentècostès rectè obseruantur à Christianis that is The Lords Day the Feast of the Natiuitie Resurrection Ascension of the Lord and Whitsonday are lawfully keeped by Christians Ibidem Vtile institutum primitiuae Ecclesiae ritè obseruatur tale hoc est vtile enim est praecipuas Dei paetefactiones beneficia in Ecclesiam collata stato tempore publice repetere profiteri aduersus haereticos infideles populo inculcare vt sint notissima in perpetua memoria magis enim mouent haerent in memoria iuuentutis populi quae solenniter anniuersariè simul ab omnibus vno consensu fiunt quà m quae aliás ab alijs fiunt dicuntur that is A profitable Statute of the Primitiue Church is rightly obserued such is this of Holy dayes for it is profitable to remember and professe publikely on a set appointed time the chiefe manifestatiōs of God and his benefits bestowed vpon the Church against Heretickes and Infidels beating them in the eares of the people that they may be familiar vnto them and keeped in a perpetuall remembrance For these things moue more and stick faster in the memorie of youth and common people which are solemnely and yeerely done by all together and with one consent then these things which are done at other times by diuers persons seuerally TILENVS Praecep 4. Th. 17. PRaeter hunc Sabbatismum septimo quoque die recurrentem alios dies
of his Fathers house for Isackes sake yet the Apostle calls not Isaack but Ismael the Persecutor In his Booke intituled De Vnitate Ecclesiae against Petilian the Donatist he writeth thus Grauius persequitur filius patrem male viuendo quam pater filium castigando grauius ancilla Saram persecuta est per iniquam superbiam quà m eam Sara per debitam disciplinam grauius Dominum persequebantur propter quos dictum est Zelus domus tuae commedit me quà m ipse eos cum eorum mensas euertit eos flagello de templo expulit that is to say The sonne persecutes the father more grieuously by his wicked liuing then the father doth the sonne by inflicting due chastisement And Agar the Hand-maid did persecute Sara her mistresse more spitefully by her vndutifull pride then Sara did her by vsing due discipline And they of whom it was said The zeale of thine house hath eaten mee vp did persecute the Lord more cruelly then hee did them while as he ouerthrew their Tables and droue them out of the Temple with scourges And a little before in that same place he affirmes that they were the persecutors of themselues by the Apostles words Qui resistit potestati Dei ordinationi resistit qui autem resistunt ipsi sibi iudicium acquirunt that is He that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist draw punishment and iudgement vpon themselues and often repeateth this sentence Non poena sed causa facit martyrem It is not the punishment but the cause that maketh martyrdome To resist a lawfull ordinance is euill to suffer contumeliously for disobedience is worse but by disobedience and contumelious suffering to confirme People in their errours and rend the bowels of the Church our cōmon Mother is worst of all These things I shall beseech you Brethren to ponder and the Lord giue vs all in meekenesse and humilitie to trie what veritie requires and holding that fast to keepe the vnitie of the Spirit in the band of peace The God of veritie and peace knit vs together in his truth by the Spirit of his Sonne Iesus Christ our Peace AMEN Dauid Brechen To the Reader THou hast here gentle and courteous Reader a true and simple narration of the proceedings of the last generall Assembly kept at Perth opposed to the false and lying Discourse made by the Libeller against the same with an answer to his Nullities the Oath and Arguments propounded against the fiue Articles there concluded These paines are chiefly taken for thy information that thou mayest know the truth and vnderstand both the matter and manner of proceeding in the said Assembly Since that time I heare they haue put the Pamphlet in Latine and set forth other Libels full of impious and reproachfull lies against the principall men of our Church These I haue not seene and if I had I would not haue deigned them any answer For when leauing the matter they fall a rayling at the persons of men that are their betters in all respects they shew the weaknesse of their cause deserue nothing of wisemen but contempt This manner of doing is better replyed with the Pillorie then otherwise Wee know the eares of many are open to admit detractions and he liues not that is not hated by some who will readily beleeue the most false things yet Wickednesse hath not so generally preuailed in the world nor are we so vnknowne in it as wee neede any of vs to feare their defamations If thou notwithstanding doest think that such Libels require an answer I aske thee How shall it be done I know no way my selfe but eyther to vse Apologies or recriminations And this last were not difficile to doe for though the Writer goeth namelesse the Faction to whose pleasure he writes is knowne and they that sport themselues with such libels sending them from hand to hand as matters of some worth Their persons we could easily pay home and repone true things vnto them in stead of forged telling them no other matters then haue beene tried confessed and publiquely acknowledged by those that are hottest in this businesse of themselues but these are the weapons of the vulgar which we disdain to vse vltio haec Christiano homini maxime indecora As for Apologies the Wise man saith That they leaue suspitions in the Readers mind plures Sermones prouocant plurium The best Apologie against calumnies is conuitiatores factis refellere Luther Caluine Beza the great lights of the reformed Church and our owne Knox had many foule aspersions cast vpon them whilest they liued yet did they not faint in their course nor do they now heare the worse for them with posteritie Fame is not at mans disposing and if any amongst men haue power of it in nostra manu est as one speakes bene vel secus audire We therefore resting in the goodnesse of our cause and conscience will keepe silence and not vnderstand such things passing little with the Apostle to be iudged of them or of the day of man He that iudges is the Lord who will lighten things that are hidden in darkenesse and make the counsells of the hearts manifest And then shall euerie man haue praise of God To his grace I commend thee for now and euer AN ANSWER TO THE PREFACE DIRECTED TO THE READER THE PAMPHLETER THE externall worship of God and the gouernment of the Church gentle and iudicious Reader are like Hippocrates twins they are sicke together in health together they liue together they die and dwine together ANSWER The externall worship of God and the gouernement of the Church are neuer matched in Scripture as one twin with another But the gouernment whereby the order decency and puritie of the worship is preserued is sometime compared to a Wall or an Hedge wherein breaches may be made either by persecution of open enemies without or by contention of seditious brethren within and thereby the beautie of the worship defaced Thus for a time they may bee sicke and dwine together but they shall neuer die till the world be done all the enemies of God shall perish but this Kingdome shall endure for euer In this they differ from Hippocrates twins and herein standeth the consolation of the Church against her feares without and troubles within PP As long as the gouernment of the Church of Scotland stood in integritie as it was established by Lawes Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall according to Gods Word so long was the worship of God preserued in puritie ANS The gouernment of our Church established by Lawes Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall according to Gods Word standeth now praysed be God in as great integritie and the worship of God in as great puritie as euer it did Sed ructare licet cacostomacho but a windy breast must haue leaue to belch Non nostri faciunt tua quod tibi tempora sordent Sed faciunt mores Caeciliane tui PP Since the former
which forme of receiuing hath continued to our times But to returne againe to your argument where yee say that the proofes made for standing doe euince that for the space of a thousand yeeres kneeling had no place I will let you see how futile your argument iâ— The Church stood on the Lords day at the Sacrament for the space of a thousand yeeres Ergo say yee they kneeled not for the space of a thousand yeeres May you not by the very same reason conclude The Church laboured not nor fasted on the Lords day for the space of a thousand yeeres Ergo they neither fasted nor laboured at alâ— for the space of a thousand yeeres If during all that time the Sacrament had been onely celebrated on the Lords day your argument were probabâ—e but seeing the Sacrament as S. Augustine writes was giuen euery day and to giue it on the first fourth and sixt dayes of the weeke was held to bee an Apostolike constitution Therefore as on the rest of the weeke dayes except the Lords day they prayed fâ—xis in terram genibus with their knees close to the ground so with that same gesture they receiued the Sacrament for the Church did euer receiue with the same gesture which they vsed in prayer as I haue proued by induction The Apostles receiued with the same gesture which they vsed at the thankesgiuing This yee cannot denie except yee ouerthrow all the grounds that yee laid for the example and precept of Christ to bee obserued The Church on the Lords day hath euer vsed to stand at the Sacrament when they stood at prayer and if you can produce one instance to the contrarie I shall pray you doe it or if not suffer mee to conclude against you that as on the Lords day when they stood and prayed they also stood and receiued so at that same time on the weeke dayes when they kneeled and prayed they kneeled and receiued and this is proued by all these testimonies of the Ancients wherein the people are exhorted to humble themselues externally at the Sacrament as by the mâ—st cleare testimony of Chrysostom I cited before Hereby it is manifest that the gesture of kneeling followed not the errour of Transsubstantiation but was receiued and retained in the Church on the Lords day at publike prayer and receiuing of the Sacrament as it had been vsed before on the weeke-dayes at these religious exercises Thus following your owne foot-steps and building on your owne grounds kneeling is proued to haue been in vse in all ages and with your owne hands yee haue thrust sitting to the doore for the space of 1560. yeares An answere to the last Section entituled Kneeling not practised in the Reformed Churches PP THe Lutheran Churches do acknowledge reall presence by way of Consubstantiation it is no wonder therefore that they approue kneeling The Reformed Churches as they damned bodily presence so haue they reiected the gesture of kneeling in the act of receiuing The Church of Bohemia hath retained this gesture since the dayes of Iohn Husse In their Confession exhibited to King Ferdinand anno 1535. it is thus said Ministri verò Dominicae coenae verba referentes plebem ipsam ad hanc fidem hortantur vt corporis Christi praesentiam adessâ— credant The Ministers are willed to stirre vp the people to beleeue that the bodie of Christ is present the purer sort amongst them as they haue reiected the errour of reall presence so depart they from this gesture In our neghbour Church some of their defenders of kneeling will not haue vs inquisitiue of the maner of Christs presence in the Sacrament And the Bishop of Rochester commends the simplicity of the Ancients which disputed not whether Christ was present con sub in or trans in this Supper Sutton in his Appendix to his Meditations on the Lords Supper condemnes likewise this diligent search of the maner of Christs presence If the maner of Christs presence be not determined there can arise no other but a confused worship of such a confused and determinate presence The Papists acknowledge that there ought to be no adoration but where there is acknowledged a bodily presence in the Sacrament Hence it is that they proue mutually the one by the other It will not follow that we may change sitting into kneeling because the ancient Church and some Reformed Churches haue changed sitting into standing because kneeling maketh so many breaches both in the Institution and in the second Commandement and is no wayes a table gesture By standing we accommodate our selues to a table to participate of the dainties set thereon standing was neuer abused to idolatrie as kneeling hath been we are not bound to imitate other Churches further then they imitate Christ. Our sitting is not Scottish Geneuating but a commendable imitation of the Apostolicall Churches and obedience to Christs Institution They flee vp at last to the Church Triumphant and alledge for kneeling the foure and twenty Elders falling downe before the Lambe but how conclude they this that they that are called to the Supper of the Lamb kneele at the Supper of the Lamb And seeing the blessed soules shall not be clothed with their bodies before the Resurrection how can they conclude materiall geniculation of the blessed Saints in heauen All creatures in heauen in earth or vnder the earth are said to bow their knee at the name of Iesus that is to acknowledge his Soueraigne authority howbeit the celestial Angels blessed soules and infernall spirits haue not knees to bow with The euerlasting felicity of the children of God is the Supper of glory Doe they drinke continually of that felicity vpon their knees Thousands thousands stand before him many shall come from the East and from the West and sitte at the heauenly Table with Abraham Isaack and Iacob may we not then conclude sitting and standing as well as they do kneeling if we looke to the letter of parables visions allegories and prophecies but symbolicall theologie is not argumentatiue Lastly how will they prooue euidently that the falling of the foure and twenty Elders before the Lambe is to bee interpreted of the Church Triumphant rather then of the Church Militant ANS To proue that kneeling is not practised in the Reformed Churches yee cut off in the beginning from their number the Lutherans because they acknowledge the Reall presence by way of Consubstantiation This I grant is an error yet is it not directly fundamentall They abhorre as we doe the Bread-worship and they worship Christ in the Sacrament as we should do their errour is onely in the manner of his presence which errour should not debarre them from the Communion of the Reformed Churches with them yee reckon the Church of Bohemia because in their Confession exhibited to King Ferdinand anno 1535. they say Ministri verò coenae Dominicae c. Let the Ministers when they rehearse the words of the Lords Supper exhort the people to this faith that they may beleeue
the Festiuall dayes as the Lords Day PP It is lest free to teach any part of Gods Word on the Lords day but for solemnitie of the festiuall solemne Texts must bee chosen Gospels Epistles Collects Psalmes must bee framed for the particular seruice of these dayes and so the mysticall dayes of mans appointment shall not onely equall but in solemnities surpasse the morall Sabbath appointed by the Lord. ANS If by the solemnitie of the Festiuall yee vnderstand the honour done to the Day wee deny that wee are appointed to choose any Text or frame our Doctrine and Exhortations thereto but if by the solemnitie of the Festiuall yee vnderstand the coÌ„memoration of the benefits made on these daies it is true that euery Minister is ordayned to choose pertinent Texts and frame his Doctrine and Exhortations thereto But vpon this yee will neuer conclude that these dayes which yee falsly call mysticall doe not onely equall but surpasse the morall Sabbath in solemnitie for the whole solemnitie hath onely respect to the benefits which on these times are remembred and no respect at all to the Time The solemnitie not being obserued for the Time but the Time for the solemne remembrance of these benefits The Lords Day otherwise is not onely obserued for the diuine seruice that is performed thereon but the same seruice and publike worship which may bee omitted on all the sixe dayes must be performed on the Lords Day because God hath appointed it to be sanctified with these holy Exercises PP If they were instituted onely for order and policie that the people may assemble to religious exercises wherefore is there but one day appointed betwixt the Passion and the Resurrection Wherefore fortie dayes betweene the Resurrection and Ascension and ten betweene the Ascension and the Pentecost Why follow we the course of the Moone as the Iewes did in our moueable feasts making the Christian Church clothed with the Sunne to walke vnder the Moone as Bonauentura alludes Wherefore is there not a certayne day of the Moneth kept for Easter aswell as for the Natiuitie Does not Bellarmine giue this reason out of Augustine that the day of Natiuitie is celebrated onely for memorie the other both for memorie and for Sacraments ANS Saint Augustines opinion alleadged by Bellarmine is not receiued by the reformed Churches as the reason moouing them to obserue these times for they expresly deny that they keepe these times for any mysterie or Sacrament that is in them but onely for order and policie which directeth all things to bee done to edification and allowes vs to make choyce of such circumstances as are most meet to promoue the spirituall businesse whereunto they are applyed And this is a kinde of Christian prudence and dexteritie for who knowes not what moment there is in the opportunity of Times and Places to aduance actions Now because no times can be found more conuenient for a solemne commemoration of the Birth Passion c. then these which are either he same indeed by reuolution or in coÌ„mon estimation they follow in this the iudgement of the primitiue Church esteeming it pietie to prefer vnitie with the Catholike church in things indifferent and lawfull to the singularitie of any priuate mans opinion or the practice of any particular Church The allegation of Bonauentura his allusion in such a graue point is ridiculous for if the Sunne and the Moone bee taken mystically as they are in the Reuelation in this case the Church clothed with the Sunne that is with the light of the Gospell walkes not vnder the Moone that is according to the opinions and fashions of the world but treading these vnder foote followes the rules of order and decency for edification If by the Sunne and Moone these two Planets be vnderstood which God created for signes seasons dayes and yeares So long as the Church is militant on earth shee must vse the benefiâ— of these Creatures in the determâ—nation of times for all her actions PP If the Anniuersary commemorations were like the weekely preachings Why is the Husband-man forced to leaue his plough at the one and not at the other Why did not Master Galloway curse the people for absence from the one aswell as from the other ANS I answere Although the circumstance of Time whereon the Anniuersary commemoration is made differs not in holinesse or any mysticke signification from the weekly dayes of preaching yet it differres in frequency and raritie for the dayes of weekely preaching doe returne and to astrict the Husband-man to leaue his plough so often were against equitie and charitie but the times of these commemorations being so rare to wit three seruile dayes onely in the yeare and the exercise so profitable Reason would if the Husband-man willingly did not leaue his plough at these times that by authoritie he should be forced aswell for his owne benefit as for eschuing scandall and contempt And Master Galloway had reason to curse these who for contempt and with offence of their Brethren absented themselues from the Sermons of Christs Natiuitie Lastly the difference of the seruice on these dayes from the weekely and ordinary makes them not to differ in holinesse or mysterie from the weekely dayes more then the difference in seruice which is performed on the fift of August and fift of Nouember makes these two dayes to bee mysticke or more holy then other times PP To make solemne commemoration of Christs Natiuitie vpon any other day then vpon the putatiue day of his Natiuitie would be thought a great absurditie ANS If yee haue not fallen into this absurditie yee must grant that yee neuer made in your time any solemne commemoration of Christs Natiuitie And I verily beleeue that in this omission yee haue many companions by whose negligence God hath beene defrauded of the honour due to him for this benefit and the people lacked instruction in a principall Article of Faith This Article is the ground of all the rest for as Chrysostome sayes If our Sauiour had not beene borne he had neither suffered nor risen againe from the dead and thereupon he calls the day of this commemoration Metropolim omnium Festorum Euen for this it was expedient that a certayne time of the yeare should haue beene appointed for this commemoration which otherwise would haue been neglected and as yee say thought absurd But to returne to your Argument The commemoration of Christs Natiuity is no more astricted to the 25. of December then to any other time for although the 25. of December by ordinance of the Church bee dedicated to that religious seruice yet the seruice is not astricted to the time as the seruice of the Iewish festiuities which lawfully might not be performed on any other dayes then the festiuall The commemoration appointed by our Church to bee made on these fiue dayes may lawfully be performed at other conuenient times although on these dayes the same must not bee omitted For the seruice ar I
despise the Lords Sabbath and instead thereof appoint some other as the Machomet hath done it were a presumptuous sinne But this wee are farre from acknowledging the Lords Day to bee holy by his institution and appointing the rest to bee kept only for his worship PP We come from priuiledge to fact as de iure none may so de facto none did appoint holy dayes vnder the Law but God and that eyther by himselfe or by some extraordinary direction Therefore none can bee allowed vnder the Gospell without the like warrant Seeing the times vnder the Gospell are not so ceremonious as the times vnder the Law ANS I answered before that if holy dayes bee taken for times whereunto God did appropriate the exercise of some particular forme of worship or for times clothed with some relatiue and respectiue holinesse as to bee signes or types of things to come God only may make dayes holy but if by holy dayes wee vnderstand times dedicated to Gods worship and the commemoration of his benefits as meete circumstances for Discipline Order and Policie such as our Diuines hold the holy dayes vnder the Gospell to bee I denie that either they might not or did not lawfully appoint such dayes vnder the Law or yet may not be appointed vnder the Gospell The answeres which you make to the dayes of Purim instituted by Queene Estther and Mordecai and the Feast of Dedication instituted by Iudas Mâ—cchaâ—aeus are not solid First where ye say that the obseruation was ciuill because Hospinian sayes they might haue wrought vpon the dayes of Purim his opinion in that is not probable seeing these dayes were instituted to bee dayes of feasting and ioy and sending of portions one to another and giftâ— to the poore because on them God had giuen rest to his people froâ— their enemies It is not probable when â—â—ch and 〈◊〉 did feast in remembrance of the rest that God had 〈◊〉 â—hem from their enemies that they did not rest and 〈◊〉 tâ—e dayes according to the Institution for the Text sayes exprâ—sly Est. 9.17 That they rested and kept a day of feastâ—ng and gladnesse with the which seruile labour sorts not Neiâ—hâ—r will it follow that these dayes were not kept for holy Festiuities albeit in them they might haue wrought some kind of labour for on the sixe dayes of the Passeouer and on the sixe dayes of the Feast of Tabernacles seruile worke was not vtterly prohibited but on the first and eight only yet all these dayes are called Festiuall and holy Finally dayes instituted for Documents and Memorials of holy things as of their Fasting and Prayers by which they obtayned deliuerance such as yee affirme these to haue beene cannot bee called nor counted Ciuill And Willet compares them not euill with the fift dayes of August and Nouember but hee does not say this as counting them Ciuill but because they were not diuinae sed Ecclesiasticae institutionis non mysterij sed politiâ—s and if ye thinke the fift of August and Nouember to be ciuill dayes in so farre as vpon them Commemoration is made of his Maiesties Deliuerances with Preaching Thankesgiuing and Prayer you are in a manifest errour for a day which is dedicated to diuine Seruice and the honour of God not to a ciuill vse cannot be esteemed ciuill but sacred and holy Againe where yee say that these dayes had more then humane warrant because it is thought that Mordecai was the Penman of the Booke of Esther and consequently a Prophet and that it appeares that these dayes might not haue beene altered by the Iewish Church which if they had bin of Ecclesiasticke Constitution might haue bin done thoughts and appearances are not sure probations to conclude a certaintie as yee doe of a more then humane warrant And if they had receiued from God any particular direction concerning them the Prophet of God would not haue omitted the same in the Historie A generall warrant they had such as the Church must haue for the determination of circumstances in the worship of God as that of the hundred and fifth Psalme Giue thankes to the Lord call on his Name make knowne his deeds amongst the people Sing vnto him sing Psalmes vnto him talke of all his wondrous workes that he hath done But to say that they had any particular warrant is to be wise aboue that which is written As to the Feast of Dedication yee answere first that if it were Anniuersary in Salomon and Zorobabels time Iudas Macchabaeus followed the example of these who had Propheticall direction and if it was not Anniuersary as first yee leaue it vncertaine yee thinke the saâ—e was an addition of the Pharisies who inlarged the glory of this Feast as they did their Phylacteries but this is a friuolous coniecture and the interpretation of Iunius words out of the Talmude is no better to wit that the Wisemen who decreed that the eighth dayes of that Feast should bee yeerely dayes of ioy were the Pharisies because they are called Sapientes Israelis for it behoued these that appointed the Festiuities not onely to bee Wisemen but men of Authoritie also And therefore it is more probable that the Wisemen in the Talmude were the Masters of the great Synagogue that had power to appoint such Festiuities But how would our Sauiour who censured the Pharisies for inlarging their Phylacteries and corrected the abuses of the Law brought in by them haue omitted such a grosse Errour and Superstition as the Institution and keeping of these holy dayes vnrebuked if it had beene a Pharisaicall Addition and not a lawfull Constitution Then yee teach your Reader a great cunning to play fast and loose in answering all the instances brought from the Iewish Church and that is whether hee grant or denie them to bee lawfull yet to eschew the dint of the Argument for if hee grant them to bee lawfull then he may flye to this refuge that the Iewes had extraordinarie directions which wee want as Prophets who were only Prophets by the Spirit vnto the dayes of Malachie Vrim and Thummim vnder the first Temple and in place thereof vnder the second a slender voyce sounding from Heauen called Bathcoll But if hee denie the same to haue beene lawfull then to alleadge that they were Pharisaicall Additions and that wee should not imitate the Pharisies and fond Iewes I assure my selfe that no honest-hearted man will either follow the Pharisies in their Superstition nor you in vsing such sophisticall euasions of which none will serue against the instances alledged for if yee say that the obseruation of the dayes of Purâ—m or Dedication were Pharisaicall Additions the exact diligence of our Sauiour in rebuking and correcting all such abuses and superstitious Nouations as were brought into the worship of God by the Pharisies will controll you And if ye say that they had extraordinarie directions yee speake without warrant of Scripture which is presumption in you to doe So it remaines for any
excellencie thereof is called the Lords Day albeit other times had beene appoynted for his honour Your next Argument is false in it yee affirme That the Apostle condemnes not onely the obseruation of Iewish dayes and the Iewish obseruation of the Iewish dayes to a typicall vse for the conuerted Iewes yee say did not obserue them as shadowes of things to come for then they had denyed Christ but he condemnes the obseruation of dayes as a Pedagogicall and rudimentarie instruction not beseeming the Christian Church But howbeit the conuerted Iewes did not obserue the Iewish dayes as shadowes of things to come yet they might haue obserued them as memorialls of by-past temporall and typicall benefits and for present temporall blessings as the benefit of their deliuery out of Egypt and for the Fruits of the earth which vse was also typicall Further they did obserue them with opinion of necessitie as things instituted by God for his worship and their saluation which sort of obseruation was Legall but this proceeding from infirmitie and for want of sufficient instruction was not a denying of Christ as it had beene if the same had proceeded from pertinacy after the knowledge of the Truth receiued And this was it which the false Apostles vrged vpon the Galatians and Saint Paul condemnes in that Epistle written to them and not simply the obseruation of any day for as after shall bee made manifest euery obseruation of the Iewish dayes is not damned by the Apostle who did sometime obserue them in his owne person after a most lawfull manner Neither can the obseruation of all dayes bee a Iewish custome and rite and Pedagogicall or rudimentarie instruction but the obseruation onely of these dayes which are prescribed in the Law otherwise the Festiuities appointed by Ieroboam and the festiuall dayes kept by the Heathen should all bee Iewish Customes and Pedagogicall instructions which yee will not say I hope PP Zanchius speaks to this purpose after this manner Magis consentaneum est cum prima institutione cum scriptis Apostolicis vt vnus tantum dies in septimana sanctificetur It is more agreeable to the first institution and the writings of the Apostles that one day of the weeke onely bee sanctified ANS It is your custome I perceiue to falsifie mutilate and corrupt the Acts of Assemblies and testimonies both of the ancient and moderne Diuines Beza his testimony yee adulterated in the dispute of kneeling here yee mutilate Zanchius his testimonie and bring it directly against his owne minde He writing vpon the fourth Precept of the Law pag. 671. mooues this question An plures habere festos debeat Ecclesia Christi c. for answere to this question he setteth downe two Propositions and confirmes them at length the first whereof is this Tametsi magis consentaneum est cum prima institutione cum scriptis Apostolicis vt vnus tantum dies in septimana sanctificetur cum Scripturis tamen minime pâ—gnat si plures vno sanctificentur modò omnis absit superstitio faciant ad aedificationem that is Albeit it be more agreeable to the first institution and the Apostles writings that one day onely in the weeke be sanctified yet it is not repugnant to the Scripture if moe then one be sanctified prouiding that all superstition bee auoyded and that they serue to edification Hauing confirmed this by the testimonies of the Ancients as Euseb. de vita Constant. lib. 4. Sozom. lib. 1. cap. 8. lib. 2. cap. 19. August tom 2. Epist. 118. Epiphan Tertull. de Idololat and the practice of the reformed Churches he concludeth with these wordes Dubitari igitur non potest quin liceat Ecclesiae plures dies festos constituere sanctificare that is It may not be doubted but the Church may lawfully appoint and sanctifie moe festiuall dayes His second position makes a full answere to the question Quanquam Ecclesiae Christi liberuâ—est quos velit praeter Dominicum dies sibi sanctificandos deligere honestius tamen est laudabilius atque vtilius eos sanctificare quos etiam vetus atque Apostolica puriorque Ecclesia sanctificare solita fuit that is Howbeit the Christian Church hath libertie to make choyce of dayes to sanctifie them besides the Lords Day yet it is more honest commendable and profitable to sanctifie these which the ancient and Apostolique and most incorrupt Church hath beene in vse to keepe holy What dayes these were he shewes in the same place numbering out the dayes of the Natiuitie Passion Resurrection Ascension and Pentecost as principall dayes and after their enumeration subjoynes Atque haec sunt Festa quae sicut à veteribus sanctificabantur sic si nunc sanctificentur non solùm improbari non potest sed etiam laudabile est honestum atque vtile quemadmodum in thesi diximus that is These are the festiuals which were kept holy by the Ancients and if wee should now obserue the same not onely is it not to bee improued but also it were commendable honest and profitable as wee said in the Position Thus Zanchius is directly contrary to your opinion for where yee alleadge that the Apostle condemnes the obseruation of dayes simply Zanchius affirmes the obseruation of some dayes beside the Lords Day not to bee repugnant to Scripture as it behoued to be if the same were condemned by the Apostle for a Iewish rite and Pedagogicall instruction By this let the Reader iudge what credit yee deserue in the rest of your reports where there is no proofe but your owne affirmation PP Against this Argument it is first alleadged That the Apostle comporteth with the obseruation of dayes Rom. 14.5 6. Ans. The Apostle beares with the infirmitie of the weake Iewes who vnderstood not the fulnesse of the Christian libertie And the Ceremoniall Law was not as yet buried But the same Apostle reproues the Galatians who had attayned to this libertie and had once left off the obseruation of dayes Next the Iudaicall dayes had once that honour as to bee appointed by God himselfe but the Anniuersarie dayes appointed by men haue not the like honour ANS After yee haue vsed two Arguments to proue That there is no day of diuine institution but the Lords Day a point not controuerted amongst vs yee labour to answere fiue obiections which yee propone against your selfe and the summe of your answere to the first is this That the dayes wherewith the Apostle comported were not the anniuersarie dayes appointed by men but the Iudaicall dayes which had once that honour to bee appointed of God and therefore were to be tollerated in the weake Iewes as long as the Ceremoniall Law wherein they were commanded was not buried the obseruation whereof notwithstanding hee condemned and reproued in the Galatians Out of this answere I forme this Proposition All the dayes whereof the Apostle condemned the obseruation were Iudaicall dayes prescribed in the Ceremoniall Law tolerated by him in weake Christians and that once
before alleged His proofe out of Scripture Psal. 118.8 1. Cor. 7.8 are very weake for the first testimonie is applyed to euery Lords Day is not to be restrained to Pasche day The other testimonie imports not a CelebratioÌ„ of Easter Feast vpoÌ„ any Anniuersary day but rather the Apostle teaches vs to celebrate this Feast of the Passeouer all the yeare long His last proofe is taken from the custome of Baptisme and the Eucharist ministred vpon Pasche day as if they had beene ministred only vpon that day ANS Ye turne your selfe now against the learned Sermon preached at Whiâ—e Hall by the Bishop then of Elie now of Winchester who prouing the obseruatioÌ„ of Easter to haue bin an old custom obserued in the Church since the Apostles daies yea by the Apostles themselues hits the marke whereat he shoots directly while as ye will proue these Epistles of Polycrates and Irenaeus counterfeit ye shoot short indeed The testimonie of the 118. Psalme yee say should be applyed to euery Lords Day but seeing he rose on the first day of them as yee cannot deny doubtlesse when that day returnes by course once euery yeare vnto it all the prototype and architype of them all of euery congruity saies the Bishop the Resurrection is to be applyed somwhat more This by example he makes plain His Maiesties deliuerance vpon the fift dayes of August and Nouember being Tuesdayes both wee keepe for their remembrance a Sermon on Tuesday euery week of the yeare but when by course of the yeare in their seuerall moneths the very originall dayes theÌ„selues come about shal we not doe wee not celebrate them in much more solemne manner what question is there weigh them well ye shal find the case alike one cannot be but the other also must bee Apostolike These are the words of the learned Bishop which proue his intent so cleerly that ye are forced to flye to another shift as your custome is say If the Prophesie should be applyed to any precise day it should bee applyed to the Lords day But seeing the words are to be vnderstood aswel of Dauid as of Christ the day is taken ye say for the time indefinitely wherin Dauid was made King the corner stone of Gods people This is your shift which cannot auaile you for if it be taken indefinitely for the day wherin Dauid was made the typick corner Stone then much more must it bee taken for the definite day whereon Christ the Veritie was made the true corner Stone of the Church of God If of Dauids Coronation it might be said This is the day which the Lord hath made Let vs reieyce and bee glad in it much more is it to be said of that day whereon CHRIST rose againe from the dead and was crowned with glory and honour and set ouer the workes of Gods hands and had all things put vnder his feet For this day hath euer beene esteemed since the resurrection of our Lord a day made by God not by creation onely but also by institution Thus doe yee not escape the Bishops hand flie where you can When ye entered into combate with such an Antagonist yâ— were not wel aduised Infoe lix puer atque impar coÌ„gressus Achilli In the other testimonie I grant with S. Augustine that by the Feast the course of our Christian Life is to bee vnderstood yet the allusion would import that a Paschall Feast was kept amongst them and the Sacraments celebrated The last proofe that Baptisme and the Eucharist were on this day solemnely ministred yee cannot denie And the Bishoppe affirmes not that they were onely ministred on that day Tertull. de Baptis Diem Baptismo solenniorem Pascha praestat cum passio Domini in qua tingimur adimpleta est c. Exinde Pentecoste ordinandis lauacris laetissimum spacium est quod Domini resurrectio inter Discipulos frequentata est gratia Spiritus sancti dedicata spes aduentus Domini subâ—stâ—nsa c. Caeterùm omnis dies Domini est omnis hora omnâ— tempus habilâ— baptismo Si de solennitate interest de gratia nihil refert that is Easter is the most solemne Day for Baptisme seeing the Passion of our Lord wherein wee are dipped is thereon fulfilled after that Whitsonday is a most ioyfull time for the lauacre of Regeneration because on that Day the resurrection was frequently shewed to the Disciples the grace of the Holy Ghost dedicated and the hope of Christs comming againe insinuated Otherwise euerie day is the Lords euerie houre and euerie time is meete for Baptisme The solemnitie may be lesse but the grace is not diminished So that which ye say that Baptisme was tied of olde to Pentecost and Easter is false But that which the Bishop sayes is true that on these daies the Sacraments were lwaies solemnely ministred PP I will now frame one argument against this conceit of Apostolicall tradition and obseruation of Pasche The Apostles were led all their life-time by the infallible direction of the Spirit If they had accorded on the obseruation of Easter they had not dâ—sagreed on the day But their most ancient Records the baâ—tard-Episâ—les aboue mentioned report that Philâ—p and Iohn kept the fourteenth day of the Moone as the Iewes did And Peter the Lords Day following the fourteenth day of the Moone ANS In these Epistles there is no mention of Peâ—er and so by these Epistles ye cannot proue that Iohn and Peter disagreed on the day It is said that Polycarpus and Aâ—icâ—tus disagreed on the day yet they accorded in the obseruation of the Feast which is directly contrarie to your argument But ye say the Apostles who were gouerned by the Spirit could not disagree on the day Did not Paul and Barnabas agree in planting of the Gospell yet they disagreed in chusing of their Fellow-Labourer Paul Peter agreed on this ground that a man is not iustified by the workes of the Law but by the Faith of Iesus Christ yet in the practise of the workes of the Law they disagreed Gal. 2. They agreed in the substance yet in the matter of circumstance and vse of things in their owne nature indifferent they disagreed But for these diuersities of opinion neither did they cast the substance away nor broke they the bond of charitie amongst themsâ—lues as ye doe who can brooke no man but him who will be sworne to your opinions as if they were Oracles But to be short this argument is answered by the learned Bishop in that Sermon so fully as may giue contentment to any that delights not in contention His words are these Pag 25. Iames Bishop of Ierusalem and others who â—ucceeded him the sooner to win their Brethren the Iewes condescended to keepe Easter 14. Lunae the 14. of the Moone as they did That which by them was done by way of condescension was after by some vrged as a matter of necessitie So we see S. Paul when he came vp
to Ierusalem to the Pentecost was counsailed or not scandalizing the Iewes to carrie himselfe as one that obserued the Law and practise some legall ceremonies to that effect which he did vsing them not as a part of diuine worship but as indifferent things and meanes expedient to win him credite with the Iewes that hee might edifie them in the truth So himselfe sayes He became all things to all men that he might winne some The keeping of the 14. day by Iohn and Iames is not an argument that they disagreed from the rest in iudgement touching the set day if any then was determined more then the practise of other ceremonies proues their disagreeing from S. Paul in the poynt of Christian libertie for this they did onely by way of condescension So the Apostles in these times might haue kept Easter vpon diuerse daies by the direction of the Spirit because the solemne commemoration of our Sauiours resurrection which we call Easter is not to be kept at any set time for any mystery that one day hath more then another by diuine institution The contentions therefore about the day were iustly blamed by the reformed Churches who acknowledge no day except the Christian Sabbath to haue greater prerogatiue then anotheâ— But the greater part of the world keeping the solemnitie of Easter vpon the Lords Day which followed the 14. of the Moone the Churches of Asia being a fewer number did not well to preferre the singularitie of their opinion and custome to vnitie and conformitie with the greater part of Christendome in such a poynt Againe Victor Bishop of Rome cannot bee excused who first did vrge conformitie pressed it by violence vpon the Churches that were without his Iurisdiction and to excommunicate them was an insolent tyrannie seeing they were not subiect to his power Yet after the Nicene Councell had setled that controuersie and determined the day these must iustly be blamed that contentiously troubled the Christian peace disobeyed the Canon of the Councell and were disconforme to the rest of the Churches not by mistaking the day as some were but through wilfulnesse and pride the parents of contention PP Lasâ—ly they reason with Augustine à posteriorâ— That seeing the Lords passion resurrection ascension comming down of the Holy Ghost is celebrated with anniuersary solemnity through all the World they must needs haue beene ordayned eyther by the Apostles or by generall Councels But so it is that these daies were obserued before there was any generall Councell It must follow therefore that the Apostles ordained them Ans. Augustines distinction is not necessarie for many customes crept in and thereafter preuailed vniuersally which were neither ordained by the Apostles nor generall Councels Socrates in his Historie sayes I am of opiniâ—n c. ANS Socrateâ— in the testimonie which yee alledge lib. 5. cap. 22. for probation of your answere sayes that he is of opinion that the Feast of Easter hath preuailed amongst people of a certaine priuate custome and not by Canon He confirmes his opinion by this reason that they who keepe Easter on the 14. day of the Moone bring Iohn the Apostle for their author Such as inhabite Rome and the West parts of the World alledge Peter and Paul and yet there is none of them can shew in Writing any testimonie for confirmation of their custome First here it is to bee marked that Socrates in this testimonie calls his allegation an opinion onely that is a likely and probâ—ble conceit but that is not sufficient to infringe Saint Augustines rule and the probations that he brings are of no force for first it makes nothing against Augustines rule that the Easterne Churches kept the solemnitie on one day and the Westerne on another because Saint Augustine sayes not that the commemoration of these benefits was made vpon one and the selfe-same day onely hee sayes Anniuersaria solennitate celebrantur 〈◊〉 is They are yearely celebrated after a solemne manner The diuersitie of the day confuteth not this assertion but confirmes rather his saying namely that the solemnitie was obserued through all the World seeing in one part it was celebrated for winning of the Iewes according to the practise of S. Iohn and in the rest of the World on Pasche Sonday whereon our Sauiour rose according to the tradition of Saint Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles So this same solemnitie being kept through the whole Church although not on the same day Saint Augustines rule remains good that the solemne commemoration of Christs resurrection is Apostolicke The next probation is no better to wit that there is no testimonie in writing for the confirmation of that custome for by this reason it would follow that the obseruation of Sonday in stead of the Iewish Sabbath hath preuayled by a priuate custome only For in the Apostolique writings we haue no testimonie for the confirmation of that custome In Scripture we reade that our Sauiour rose on that day that on that day he appeared to his Disciples that on that day the Apostle appointed collections to be made for the poore that on that day at Troas the Disciples were assembled to breake bread and that S. Paul preached All these actions make aswell for the obseruation of Pasche Sonday and as the Bishop of Winchester saith somewhat more seeing it is after a sort the same day by reuolution whereon our Sauiour did rise yet all these practises exercises and meetings on the Lords day had not demonstrate the sanctification of it if it had not beene perpetually and vniuersally obserued afterwards by the Church This constant and vniuersall obseruation of the Church hath declared these practises to be exemplarie and that our Sauiour did consecrate that day by his resurrection and apparitions to be in stead of the Sabbath Vpon this ground S. August Epist. ad Ianuar. 118. sayes Illa quae non scripta sed tradita custodimus quae quidem â—oto Terrarum orbe obseruaÌ„tur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel plenarijs Concilijs quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima auctoritas commendata atque statuta retinere Sicuti quod Domini Passio Resurrectio Ascensio in coelum aduentus de coelo Spiritus Sancti anniuersaria solennitaâ—e celebrantur that is Those things which come to vs by Tradition and not by Writing and yet are obserued in the whole world must bee esteemed to haue beene commended vnto vs and instituted either by the Apostles themselues or by generall Councells whose authoritie hath euer beene wholsome to the Church as by example the Passion Resurrection Ascension and the descent of the holy Ghost from heauen which wee solemnely keepe euery yeare This rule of Saint Augustine if it bee not demonstratiue yet it is more probable then Socrates his opinion for it is more like a custome receiued by the vniuersall Church should proceâ—d from the authoritie of the Apostles or some generall Councell rather then from a priuate obseruation as Socrates
non ad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed ad pecâ—liarem Dei beneficiorum commemorationem de communi consensu in Ecclesia Christiana instituere non arbitramur simpliter esse illicitum that is Besides this Sabbath which returneth euery seuenth day wee iudge it not simply vnlawfull by common consent of the Church to institute other dayes not for wil-worship but for a speciall remembrance of the benefites of God PERKINS on the fourth Chapter to the Galatians ECclesiasticall obseruation of time is when set dayes are obserued for orders sake that men might come together to worship God These dayes are eyther dayes of thankesgiuing or dayes of humiliation take the example of the Iewes Ester 9.26 Who obserued yeerely the Feast of Purim for a memory of their deliuerance In like manner they obserued the Feast of Dedication and it seemes that Christ was present at Ierusalem as an obseruer of this Feast Iohn 10.22 And thus for orders sake to obserue certayne dayes of Solemnity is not forbidden WILLET in his six-fold Commentarie vpon the fourteenth to the ROMANS THe Apostle reproues them for the superstitious obseruing of dayes such as then the Iewes practised and now the Papists but to obserue such Holy dayes as God hath appointed such as the Sabbath and others for order and policie not for Religions sake is not within the Apostles reprehension Item The Apostle speakes of the Iewes Festiuals wherein they did clogge their consciences and one iudged another not of the Lords Day which is of Christs appointing and of other Festiuals for Order and Policie and not for a part of the Seruice of God to bind the Conscience An answere to the dispute intituled OF CONFIRMATION and of Bishopping Wherein the Pamphlet penner pretends to impugne the third Article concluded in the Assembly at Perth touching the triall of young childrens education the tenor whereof followes FOr as much as one of the most speciall meanes for staying the encrease of Popery and setling of true Religion in the hearts of the people is that a speciall care be taken in triall of young children their education and how they are catechized which in time of the primitiue Church was most carefully attended as being most profitable to cause young children in their tender yeares drinke in the knowledge of God and his Religion but is now altogether neglected in respect of the great abuse and errors which crept into the Popish Church by making thereof a Sacrament of Confirmation Therefore that all superstitions built thereupon may be rescinded and that the matter it selfe being most necessary for the education of the youth may be reduced to the primitiue integritie it is thought good that the Minister in euery Parish shall catechize all young children of eight yeares of age and see that they haue the knowledge and bee able to make rehearsall of the Lords prayer Beliefe and ten Commandements with answers to the questions of the small Catechisme vsed in our Church And that euery Bishop in his Visitation shall censure the Minister who shall be found remisse therein And the said Bishops shall cause the said children to be presented before them and blesse them with prayer for the encrease of their knowledge and continuance of Gods heauenly graces with euery one of them In the narratiue of this Act the Sacrament of Confirmation is counted amongst the abuses errors and superstitions which crept into the Papistical Church in stead of the profitaâ—le catechizing that the primitiue Church vsed for the tâ—iall of youâ—g childrens education therefore the first part of the dispute wherein the Pamphleter intends to prooue that Confirmation is not a Sacrament contayning nothing that is contrary to the Act shall be passed by In the second part of the dispute intituled Bishopping he contends that the Sacrament of Confirmation and imposition of hands is not proper to Bishops but common to all Presbyters This contention is idle for the Sacrament of Confirmation and imposition of hands being refuted in the former dispute by himselfe and condemned by the Act why should hee striue to haue that common which neither he nor we esteeme to be lawfull But to the end all occasion of debate about this matter might be preuented the Assembly at Perth ordayned that the Bishop after examination should blesse the young children with prayer and purposely omitted the ceremonie of imposition of hands as a thing indifferent to bee vsed or not vsed as the Bishop should thinke most meet Albeit in the primitiue Church this blessing was alwayes giuen with imposition of hands as Caluine affirmes Instit. lib. 4. sect 4. wishing that it were restored to the first integritie in the reformed Churches Yet the Pamphleter to make simple ones beleeue that euery thing concluded in that Assembly was erroneous hee giues out that the Sacrament at least the ceremonie of Confirmation was there allowed and appropriated to Bishops PP We haue abjured Episcopall gouernment and therefore we cannot lawfully admit Episcopall Confirmation giuing and not granting their office were lawfull and that they haue gotten a lawfull calling by the Church to the said office Thirdly that we were free of our oath and fourthly That Confirmation were to be allowed whether as a Ceremonie or as a Sacrament yet it is damnable presumption to appropriate vnto themselues the dutie that belongs to all Pastors ANS If by the Ceremonie or Sacrament of Confirmation yee vnderstand the miraculous imposition of hands vsed by the Apostles or yet the bastard Sacrament of Confirmation vsed in Poperie whereby Bellarmine whom yee afterwards cite sayes That the Lord would honour Episcopalem dignitatem neither of these are allowed by the Act nor appropriated to Bishops Therefore your whole dispute following being directed onely against these two points is idle superfluous But if by Confirmation ye did vnderstand according to the meaning of the Act the dutie which Bishops should performe in trying at their Visitation the diligence of Pastors in catechizing young children and in causing them bee brought before them to bee examined and blessed this part of Episcopall gouernment yee haue not abjured but haue approued by your assertorie oath and obliged your selfe to maintayne and obey by your promissorie oath if so bee yee did sweare to the Policie set downe in the first booke of Discipline Anno 1560. as yee haue often professed For the wordes in that booke touching this point of Bishops dutie are these After the Superintendents haue remayned in their chiefe Townes three or foure moneths at the most they shall be compelled vnlesse by sicknesse onely they be retayned to re-enter in their Visitation In which they shall not onely preach but also examine the life diligence and behauiour of the Ministers as also the order of their Churches and manners of their people They must further consider how the poore are prouided for and the youth instructed By these wordes it is manifest that it was not a thing common to euery Pastor to visite Churches
the resolution we take at this time touching the Articles propounded will giue to the world a testimonie what manner of men wee are whether such as rule their proceedings by iudgement or are carried head-strong with conceits and opinions that wee bee nor misse-led by ignorance for that is the fault of many amongst vs wee inquire not of matters nor take paynes to vnderstand what hath beene the iudgement of the most wise and learned but follow vpon trust the opinions we haue beene bred with and of such as we affect to helpe this I say I will with your patience spend some time in the question of Ceremonies see what warrant they haue and how they should bee appointed then from the generall descend to speake of our particulars touching which I shall freely deliuer my owne minde and so conclude First then concerning Ceremonies howsoeuer some haue imagined them to bee superfluities which might well bee spared and that the Church of Rome hath made the very name of them hatefull aswell because of the multitude of them wherewith she oppressed Christians as for the ridiculous choice she made of most of them are such things as without which no publike action either Ciuill or Ecclesiastique can be rightly performed To this purpose a Politike Writer hath said well That as the flesh couereth the hollow deformity of the bones and beautifieth the bodie with naturall graces so Ceremonies such specially as ancient custome hath made reuerend couer the nakednesse of publike actions and distinguish them from priuate businesse that otherwise should not bee so well knowne The neglect of this in any State breedes confusion and with confusion the ruine and abolishment of the State it selfe whereof the examples were easie to be giuen in the Romane Republike and others if that were our subiect But wee are speaking of Church-Ceremonies concerning which no man will deny this generall truth That in euery publike dutie which God craues at our hands there is besides the matter and forme wherein the substance of the dutie consists a certaine externall forme required to the decent administration of the same As for example God hath commanded his Word to bee preached and the holy Sacraments to be ministred Baptisme by the Element of Water and in a prescript forme of words such as you know wee vse and the Sacrament of his blessed Body and Bloud in the Elements of Bread and Wine with certaine mysticall words added thereunto heere is the dutie to bee done and the substance of it yet for the ministration of the same in a due and decent manner there is place time and other circumstances moe required The substance of the dutie God hath giuen vs in the Word from which we may not goe but for these things that belong to the outward administration Ecclesiasticall wisedome hath to define what is conuenient what not Neque tamen permisit Dominus vagam effrae namque licentiam sayes Caluine sed cancellos vt ita loquar circūdedit That is God hath not giuen his Church an illimited power to establish what Ceremonies she lists but hath enrayled her authoritie within borders which she may not passe and these are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all things bee done honestly and by order Honestly that is after a good fashion in a decent sort and to the right ends namely the aduancement of Gods honour and the edification of his Church This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then they must be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by order that is appointed with deliberation and by such as haue the authoritie to ordaine them and being once appointed and concluded by Constitutions they must bee kept and performed by all that are subiect to the same This as one speakes well is that great Ecclesiasticall Canon by which all other Canons must bee squared this is the true Touch-stone of trying Ceremonies and the ballance wherein all Church Orders must be weighed The Ceremonies of the Church must be decent and comely without vanitie without all meretricious brauerie not superfluous but seruing to edification They must also be done to Gods honour and not be idolatrous or superstitious Generally in the Church all things must be done in order and no confusion be either of persons or proceedings for order hath proceeded from the Throne of the Almightie This fabricke of the World that wee see is vpholden by it States and Kingdomes are maintayned by it and without it nothing can flourish or prosper And if Order should haue place in all things sure the Church of God should not be without Order for our God whom wee serue is the God of Order and not of Confusion as the Apostle speakes These things will be easily condescended vpon I meane that religious duties cannot bee performed without externall Rites that these Rites should bee qualited as I haue said established by Lawes and after they are established obeyed by such as are subiect Si enim velut in medio positae singulorum arbitrio relictae fuerint quoniam nunquam futurum est vt omnibus idem placeat breui futura est rerum omnium confusio This is Caluines saying in the fourth Booke of his Institutions and tenth Chapter which Chapter I would earnestly recommend to your reading for these matters chiefly In such generals it may bee wee all agree but when wee come to particulars Tanta moribus hominum inest diuersitas tanta in animis varietas tanta in iudicijs ingenijsque pugna Such is the varietie of mens minds and opinions that scarce shall they euer bee brought to agree vpon any one thing For the Ceremonie which to one will seeme decent and comely will to another appeare not to be so Now in this case what is to bee done Some would haue vs search into the Apostolike times examine what then was in vse to bee done and follow that But this cannot well be the rule seeing the Apostles haue not deliuered in writing all that they did and diuers of the formes vsed by them which by occasion wee haue recorded are vnfit for these times and inconuenient such as the assembling of people in close and secret meetings their Christnings in Riuers the ministring of the Lords Supper after meate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Church-Feasts the abhorring of leuened Bread abstayning from Bloud and that which is strangled the arbitrary maintenance of Ministers and other more particulars which to bring againe in vse were to alter and change in a sort the state of Christianitie it selfe So it being to vs vncertaine what the formes of the Apostles were in euery thing and the dissimilitude of their times and ours being so great they giue no sure direction that send vs to seeke the resolution of our differences in matters of this nature from them Reade Beza his eight Epistle written to that Reuerend Bishop Edmond Grindall then Bishop of London and you shall finde this to bee his iudgement His words are Scio duplicem esse de Ecclesiarum
the very beginning of the world it hath beene vsed Parents doe yet confer their blessing in this manner to their children and when spirituall blessings are giuen there can bee no offence to doe it with the like ceremonie But I heare that some cannot abide to heare the word of Confirmation the thing it selfe gladly they admit but they would haue examination or some the like word put for it Not onely the abuse but the very name of the thing abused so tender are the hearts of some men must be put away For this shortly I say that the Scriptures neuer taught vs to place Religion in wordes Saint Luke made no scruple speaking of a street in Athens to call it the street of Mars And the ship that Paul sayled in he names by Castor and Pollux though both these were the Idols of Pagans If names were to be stood vpon we should put our selues to great businesse it behoueth to change the names of our Moneths and Dayes which some haue pressed vnto but wise men know this to be folly Besides the word of Confirmation was vsed in the Church long before Popery was hatched as is manifest by Saint Cyprian Saint Augustine Tertullian Eusebius and others And thus much of Confirmation The Festiuities which are the next are impugned by this Argument amongst others That hereby wee conforme our selues to Papists in the keeping of holy dayes But had this Argument beene of any force would the reformed Churches haue agreed so vniformely in the obseruation of them All of them so farre as I know keepe holy the dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion Resurrection and Ascension with the Descent of the holy Ghost The Churches of Bohemie Vngarie Polonia Denmarke Saxonie and high Germany The Heluetian Churches the Belgique and those of the low Countreyes The French English and Geneua it selfe in the beginning of reformation obserued them all The day of Natiuitie they yearely celebrate if I be rightly informed the rest are abrogated and by what occasion reade the 115. and 128. Epistles of Caluin where after he had shewed the occasion of their abolishment hee addes Ego neque suasor neque impulsor fui atque hoc testatum volo si mihi delata optio fuisset quod nunc constitutum est non fuisse pro sententia dicturum For the opinions of the rest of our Diuines in this particular Bucer Martyr Bullinger Zanchius Aretius Polanus Paraeus and Tilenus with all that I haue seene speake manifestly for it Tilenus his words in his Systema which came forth the last yeare are these Alios dies praeter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad peculiarium quorundam Dei beneficiorum Christi gestorum solennem anniuersariam in Ecclesia commemorationem celebrari nulla religio vetat modò prudens cautio accedat Ne videlicet vel vllius rei creatae cultui consecrentur vel insitae diebus illis sanctitatis opinio foueatur vel denique ignauo otio foedisque voluptatibus hac occasione fenestra aperiatur I find in a Synod kept at Middleburgh Anno 1584. a Canon there made that all holy dayes should be abolished except the Lords day and the day of Christs Natiuitie and Ascension But if the Magistrates shall require moe to bee kept then the Ministers shall labour by preaching to turne the peoples idlenesse into godly exercises and businesse These be the wordes of that Canon which I haue cited aswell to shew you what that Church ascribes to Magistrates as because our case in this particular is verie like His Majestie as you know hath charged all his Subiects by Proclamation to abstaine from seruile labour in these times and it should become vs wel as that Act speaks to turn them from idlenes to godly exercises For to dispute of the lawfulnes of the prohibitioÌ„ neque huius fori nor will any Subiect that is in his right wits presume to doe it I doe not vrge the testimonies of the Fathers in this poynt because of them you who were at the last Assembly heard enough And they who eleuate the consent of antiquitie in this matter saying That the mysterie of iniquitie was then begun to worke will reuerence as I trust the iudgement of these reformed Writers who haue laboured to discouer that Mysterie and will thinke it no commendation to them to be dissenting from all the Churches that haue beene and are in the world Of the last Article which requires kneeling as the most reuerend gesture in partaking the holy Sacrament of the Communion I haue neede to say much seeing great stirres are made for this and as I esteeme without any cause The Apostle when he professes to deliuer vnto vs that which hee receyued of the Lord speakes not either of sitting or kneeling or standing by which it is euident That situs vel positus corporis in coena as Zepperus speakes is not of the essence of the Sacrament but to be numbered amongst these circumstances which the Church may alter and change at their pleasure Where it is said that wee ought to conforme our selues to Christs action yee know it is answered That if so were it behoued vs to lye along about the Table to communicate with men and not with women And in the Euening after supper receiue this Sacrament which things were ridiculous to affirme Peter Martyr an excellent witnesse of Gods truth In classe secunda Locâ—rum communium Cap. 4. speakes otherwise Nihil interest saith he si coenae Dominicae sacramentum stantes aut sedentes aut genibus flexis percipiamus modò institutum Domini conseruetur occasio superstitionibus praecidatur And in his Defence of the doctrine of the Eucharist aduersus Gardinerum answering the same argument which Bellarmine brings for reall presence Although in receyuing the Sacrament saith he we adore the Lord by kneeling we doe not thereby testifie the realâ— and corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament for adoration the mind not being applied to the elements but to the things signified may lawfully bee vsed Peter Mouline in defence of his Maiesties Apologie against the Frier Copheteau where the Frier alledges some testimonies out of S. Ambrose S. Augustine and S. Chrysostome to proue the adoration of the consecrated Hoste answers That the Fathers say nothing but that which wee willingly graunt Is there any amongst vs saith he who euer denyed that we ought to adore the flesh of Iesus Christ Who euer doubted that wee ought to adore him in the Eucharist But he that adores Iesus Christ in the Eucharist does not for all that adore that which the Priest holds in his hand but he adores Iesus Christ who is in Heauen These worthie men scorne as yee see Bellarmines argument howbeit wee can take out of an enemies mouth and make somewhat of nothing to beare out our owne conceits Th. Beza did not approue this gesture of kneeling yet did he neuer esteeme it Idolatrie as some of our Spirits doe In his 12. Epistle he writes
is a manifest â—ause moouing him vnto that which doth not concerne 〈…〉 the Paschall Supper 〈◊〉 occasion whereof he was sitting â—efore Therefore to conclude if it bee no â—reach of â—he â—nstitution once to giue thanks and blesse â—he bread and cup at once which Christ Iesus in the Institution is said to haue done at two seuerall times it is without all reason to make that necessary which is not expressed in the Institution and call that a breach of the â—nstitution which neuer was instituted Thus hauing shewed the ground whereupon you build your exemplaâ—e actions to bee a heape of sand scraped together by your selfe without warrant of Scripture Antiquity or any moderne Writer the arguments yee bring afterwards from the sitting of Christ with some of the Disciples after his Resurrection when he was at Emmaus and the sitting of the Apostolike Church after our Sauiours Ascension are to no purpose seeing your rule failes and cannot proue the sitting of Christ and his Apostles at the Sacrament if so they sate to be exemplary more then any of the other circumstances of time place order and persons But that the Reader may see how vncertaine your testimonies and reasons are we will consider them particularly PP Christ after his Resurrection when hee was in Emmaus with some of the Disciples as he sate at meat with them tooke bread blessed it brake it and gaue it vnto them as it is said Luk. 24.30 This place is interpreted by Augustine Paulinus c. But so it is they wete sitting when Christ gaue them the bread whatsoeuer be the interpretation of the Text yee see they acknowledge sitting at the Table ANS I see not that they did acknowledge the Disciples to haue sate at Table when they receiued for as I said before there interuened betweene the taking of the bread by Christ and the receiuing of the same by the Disciples the act of thankesgiuing breaking and giuing the bread in which time the gesture of sitting might haue beene altered Thus it is not certaine that they sate at the Receiuing If yee reply it is not written that they did alter the gesture of sitting to that I answere before and it is the Papists argument against the giuing of the Cup to the Layickes it is not written say they that the Cup was giuen in this place Therefore c. Also yee know that the time of Christ his sitting heere with his Disciples at Emmaus was the night season the place a priuate Inne that the breaking and giuing of that bread was before or after another ordinary supper and that onely men were there present and not women all which points being certaine according to your first reason whereby yee â—â—tended to proue sitting to haue been instituted it will â—ollow that all these circumstances and things were instituted to be obserued as well as sitting because our Sauiour retained all these things hauing no necessity at this â—â—me to celebrate the Sacrament Thirdly I say if the â—acrament was here ministred we haue an expresse warrant for priuate Communion which yee impugne for Iesus heere ministred vnto two onely and yee will not â—â—ntent 〈◊〉 haue 〈◊〉 ministred to â—hree Lastly it is the iudgement of the learned Calume That there was no ceâ—ebration of the Sacrament at that time and that Christ was knowne to these Disciples by an ordinary prayer which he vsed in blessing of the Table and not by the celebration of the Sacrament which opinion he saith although it seeme plausible is no more then a coniecture which leanes to no probable reason Then yee see that 〈◊〉 vncertaine 〈◊〉 Christ gaue this Sacrament at Emmaus and if he did that there sitting at the Receiuing 〈◊〉 also vncertaine And therby your argument is nought and serueth only to establish priuate Communion Thus â—aue you gained nothing by this testimony but lost much PP Last of all after his Ascension and glorification in the â—eauens the Apostolike Church sate at Table The manâ—er of â—he partaking of the table of Diuels was by formaâ—â— sitting at table in the house of the Idoll Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast Amosâ— 8 interpreteth the garments whereon the Vsurer sate beside euery Altar to â—aue been beds prepared in the houses of their gods to sit 〈◊〉 when they feasted vpon things sacrificed to Idols The people of Israel sate downe to eate and drink at the â—dolatrous feast of the golden Calfe The Apostle compareâ—â— the partaking of the Lords Table and the table of Diuels 1. Cor. 10.21 Next they sate at the Loue feasts we cannot thinke that they rose from the Tables to receiue the Sacrament ANS To proue that the Apostolike Church sate at Table you bring the comparison that the Apostle makes betweene the partaking of the Lords Table and the table of Diuels and the partaking of the table of Diuels you say was by a formall sitting at table in the house of the Idoll for which yee alledge Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast vpon the eight verse of the second chapter of Amos but neither the Text nor his interpretation proues the formall sitting yee speake of for the text saith they laid themselues downe vpon clothes by euery Altar and not that they sate And the Paraphrast as Mercerus expounds him saith That those clothes were Parapetasmaâ—a that is couerings or mattes whereupon they laid themselues downe and not sate by euery Altar and not in the Idols house And for the place of the Apostle Yee cannot be partakers of the Table of the Lord and of the table of Diuels there is no materiall or artificiall table vnderstood either by the one Table or the other and by participation formall sitting is not meant This is manifest by these words Yee cannot be partakers for certaine it is that they might haue sitten formally at table in the house of the Idoll and eaten of their sacrifices and might also haue sitten at the Lords Table formally and receiued the external elements But the Apostle saith That these two Tables and the participation of them are so opposed as they could not be partakers of both Therfore by the table of Diuels in that place we vnderstand the sacrifices offered to Diuels and by participation we vnderstand the eating of these sacrifices with a conscience toward the Idoll where euer it was done whether in the Idols Temple as 1. Cor. 8.10 or in the priuate houses of Idolaters as 1. Cor. 10.27.28 And by the Table of the Lord we vnderstand the body and blood of our Sauiour in the Sacrament and by the partaking of the Lords Table the spirituall eating and drinking of his flesh and bloud in the Sacrament by a true and liuely faith These two Tables and partakings could not stand together And so by the Table of the Lord the Apostle meanes not a material table at which the Communicants sate but the body of Christ in the Sacrament According to this Causabone in his Exercitations against Baronius 16.36 citing these words Non
potestis mensae Domini participes esse c. saith Hîc mensa Domini est ipsa Eucharistia quam exemplo Pauli Patresita saepè nominant That is The Table of the Lord in this place is the Eucharist it selfe which the Fathers often call by this name of the table following Saint Pauls example Now where yee adde that the people of Israel sate downe to eate and drinke at the feast of the golden Calfe I am assured yee thinke not that the Israelites had a materiall table at which they sate in that feast so as their sitting will make nothing for the formall sitting which yee would conclude And for that which yee tell vs of the Loue feasts that people sate at them and that yee cannot thinke they rose from the table to receiue the Sacrament yee must know that your thoughts are no probation and whatsoeuer yee thinke it is the Apostles expresse minde that they who discerne not the body of the Lord from that and all other carnall feasts are guilty of his body And if yee thinke these holy mysteries were worthily receiued if after the same manner and at the same time and table they receiued without making discretion between the one feast and the other yee thinke not according to the truth Nam hîc coena à mysterijs toto genere diuersa erat as Causabone speakes in the same booke of his Exercitations 16.31 Then to conclude neither haue yee proued that the Apostles or Apostolike Church receiued the Sacrament sitting formally at a table nor if they sate that their sitting was exemplary for Whatsoeuer is exemplary in Christ his actions or in the Apostles or in the Apostolike Churches is either morall and commanded in the Decalogue generally or then it is some action or circumstantiall ceremony of Religion enioyned by precept in the Gospell But sitting at the Sacrament is neither morall and so commanded in the Decalogue or is it an action or circumstantiall ceremony of Religion enioyned by precept in the Gospell Therefore sitting at the Sacrament is not exemplary and left vs to be imitated by Christ his Apostles or the Apostolike Churches And although yee had demonstrated which neither by Scripture or antiquity yee will euer be able to doe That Christ and his Apostles did sitte at the receiuing of the Sacrament could it oblige vs to the like as I cleared before PP It is obiected that the sitting of Christ and his Apostles was not vpright but sitting with leaning If wee imitate the example of Christ wee should sitte after the same manner Answere It was the custome receiued amongst the Iewes before and in the dayes of Christ descending from the Romanes or as others alledge from the Persians c. ANS The reply yee make to this obiection is long and needeth not to be repeated for the gesture being vncertain wherewith the Apostles receiued and sitting neyther being instituted by Christ nor exemplary to vs as I haue before shewed whether they sate vpright or with leaning none of the formes is necessary to bee vsed So all your following Discourse is idle and to no purpose specially where yee say That sitting was a custome brought into the Church by Christ whose example being seconded with the practise of the Apostles is equiualent vnto a precept and that it is safer for a mans conscience to imitate Christ and his Apostles then to depart from them and imitate the custome of Churches which may erre for yee haue neither proued sitting to be an Apostolike practise not yet to be exemplary and all your reasons brought for that purpose haue appeared to be of no force Yet two things I note in this your answere first yee say That the Iewes did receiue their forme of sitting from the Romanes and Persians and in this yee erre for it is manifest by the sixt of Amos That before they conuersed either with Romanes or Persians that forme of gesture was vsed amongst them Next when yee say that there is little difference betweene the one fashion of sitting and the other that is also false for it differeth as farre from our forme of sitting as lying doth as is cleared by these words of Amos 6.4 They lye vpon beds of Iuory and stretch themselues vpon their couches And by that verse of IVVENAL Sat. 1. Vacuisque thoris tantùm ipse jacebit Looke what difference there is betweene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or betweene sedere and iacere there is as great difference betweene their forme of sitting and ours But because both belonged to one vse the Translators of the Bible for our capacity interpret both by Sitting PP That this gesture may very well bee comprehended vnder the expresse precept of Christ in the Institution hoc facite doe this that is hoc totum facite doe all this ANS Where I pray you shew me what yee call all this will yee haue all to comprehend not the actions only which are set downe in the Institution as the taking the blessing the breaking the giuing c. but the circumstances likewise as the time the place the order the persons the site and position of body and the habit Then hoc facite must import doe this in the night season doe it in an vpper chamber doe it after supper do it with an vpper garment vpon you doe it with faire cleane washen feete doe it with vnleauened bread doe it with men and not with women doe it being thirteene persons in number one Giuer and twelue Receiuers and doe it with this gesture and position of body which now yee vse Heere all being certaine the gesture only is vncertaine some question is made of the number of the Receiuers because some thinke that Iudas went out after he got the soppe before the Sacrament all the rest are expressed in the story but whether the Disciples sate or stood or kneeled at the thankesgiuing in the receiuing no man knowes We were accustomed and still are to kneele at the thankesgiuing if we did imitate the Apostles herein they haue also kneeled and then it is very vncertaine whether they sate at the Receiuing But if wee doe not imitate their gesture in the thankesgiuing it is cleare that we neuer esteemed the imitation of the Apostolike gesture at the thanksgiuing to be comprised in the precept hoc facite which yee interpret doe all this PP Wee must not thinke that nothing belongs to the Institution but that which is mentioned in Pauls narration 1. Cor. 11. for then a Table could not belong to the Institution ANS Whatsoeuer yee thinke the faithfull will beleeue that the Apostle setting downe as hee doth in that place the true forme of keeping the Lords Supper would neuer haue omitted the gesture if the same had been a part of the Institution and if he had receiued any thing touching that from the Lord he had without all question deliuered the same to the Corinthians As for your instance of a Table if yee
vnderstand thereby a materiall table appointed for feasters to sitte at such a table is not necessary as shal be cleared in the answer to the second breach but if by a Table yee vnderstand a commodious part whereon the elements must bee placed then the table must be reckoned amongst the necessary circumstances that accompany the action for when Christ commanded to doe this the command did insinuate That they must conuene in some place to doe it that there must be a Pastor to giue and some persons to receiue that the elements which are giuen and taken must be placed in some commodious part on which they may bee consecrated with thankesgiuing and blessing where they may bee broken and where they may be giuen and receiued such a table is necessary yet what the matter the forme and quality of this table should be is no where expressed in the Scripture but as the time when and the place where and the particular persons to whom and by whom the Sacrament shall bee celebrate so the particular matter and forme of the Table is not mentioned in the Institution but omitted with the rest of the necessary circumstances and left to be determined by the Church according to the rule of edification and decencie and is onely insinuated as a thing necessarily enioyned with the actions prescribed in the command for when the Apostle saith doe this albeit he saith not doe it at night or in the morning or in a priuate or publike place by such a person and congregation and such a part or Table or with such gesture yet the command imports that it should bee done at a conuenient time in a conuenient place by meete and qualified persons with a conuenient gesture and on a conuenient Table or on somewhat in stead of a Table Now what should be conuenient in such things it could not be defined for conueniency changes according to times ages and nations The specification thereof is left to the wise iudgement of the Church according to charitie quam si moderatricem patiemur saith CALVâ—N salua â—runt omnia that is Charity being the moderatrix all shal goe well PP No doubt our Sauiour instructed them how to discerne the Lords body how to eate and drinke before he commanded them to eate and drinke But the Euangeâ—lists and Paul writes of the Sacrament as of a thing knowne to the Church by practise presupposing a Table and the Communicants conuened and sitting at the Table ANS Yee appeare in this place to haue forgotten that which you affirmed in the beginning of your dispute to wit That nothing interuened betweene the celebration of the Sacrament and the eating of the Paschall Supper for now you say That our Sauiour no doubt instructed them how to eate and drinke before they were commanded to eate and drinke that is in your minde he taught them to conuene themselues and set them downe at Table but I alledge he taught them to stand or kneele ar the receiuing which wee know certainly to haue bin the practise of the Churches thereafter What warrant haue you more for the one then I haue for the other The Papists will say that hee taught them the doctrine of Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Masse and all the ceremonies vsed at that action which being after knowne to the Churches by practise are omitted by Saint Paul and the Euangelists when they wrote of the Sacrament because as yee say they presupposed these things to bee knowne So farre are yee miscaried with the loue of your darling Table gesture that for establishing and authorising the same yee dare alledge vnwritten verities whereupon the Church of Rome founds all her heresies But to conclude against your false Assertion I forme you this reason Whatsoeuer is of necessary vse in the Sacrament is expressed in the words of the Institution or then is annexed vnto that which is expressed as a necessary circumstance belonging thereto But sitting is neither expressed in the words of the institution nor is annexed to that which is expressed as a necessary circumstance belonging thereto Therefore sitting is not of necessary vse in the Sacrament PP The second breach of the Institution made by kneeling in the act of receiuing is the taking away the vse of a table Christ and his Apostles sate at Table 1. Cor. 10. Luk. 2â— Wherefore serueth the name of a Table if wee keepe not the proper vse and employment of it The Fathers call it the Lords Table the heauenly Table the sacred Table the mysticall Table the spirituall Table the rationall Table Whereto serue all these commendations if in the meane time it be not vsed as a Table but rather as an Altar if it be not vsed as Christ and his Apostles vsed it that is by sitting at it to receiue the dainties set vpon the Table And a little after The people of God had an Altar for the Sacrifice and a Table for a Feast Such like the Ethnickes so Christians haue an Altar for a Sacrifice to wit Christ who is Priest Altar and Sacrifice Heb. 13.10 And a Table for the Feast after this Sacrifice once made to wit the Sacrament of the Supper As the Israelites and the Ethnickes sate at the table of their feasts so doe we at our sacred Feasts to distinguish betweene an Altar and a Table a Sacrifice and a Supper made of the thing sacrificed a dresser or cupboord may serue as well for the disposing of the elements c. ANS I must take paines heere for clearing your minde to draw your arguments together which are set downe â—anquam scopae dissolutae as loose or euill knit beesomes yee proue that kneeling taketh away the vse of a table because the proper vse of a table is for sitting This yee qualifie because Christ and his Apostles sate at Table And because the Iewes and the Ethnickes sate at their feasts made of things sacrificed And this is your first argument Your next is because sitting makes a distinction betweene an Altar and a Table betweene a Supper and a Sacrifice For answere to your first argument I say it is a meere caption à fallacia consequentis for albeit that Christ and his Apostles the Iewes and the Ethnicks sate at their feasts it followeth not that the proper vse of a table is sitting The proper vse of a table is to hold and sustaine the meat that is set thereon beds in these dayes were ordained for sitting fourmes chaires and bonkers in our times the taking away of sitting takes away the vse of the beds fourmes and seates whereon they sate but not the vse of the table this still remaines if the elements be placed thereon and consecrate in the celebration of the Sacrament albeit no man sitte thereat As to Christ and the Apostles the Iewes and the Ethnicks they sate at their feasts when they did eate their sacrifices because these feasts were sufficient bodily repasts at which they spent long time in eating drinking and
aboue the Church Neither are they obserued in the reformed Churches or ordayned to be obserued in ours according to the intention of the Papall dedication of dayes that is as Bellarmine sayes tanquam sanctiores sacratiores alijs diebus tanquam pars diuini cultus as more holy and sacred then other dayes and a part of diuine worship but onely as fit circumstances for the worship of God appointed to be done vpon them ordinis politias causa for order and policie Further by the words of the Confession and by the Article formed Anno 1581. it is manifest that the dayes abiured are the dayes dedicated to creatures but our dayes are dedicated to Christ and therefore not abiured PP In the Assembly holden in February Anno 1587. it was humbly moued to his Maiestie that Pasche and Zule were superstitiously obserued in Fife and about Drumfreis ANS So would we complaine if any of these dayes were superstitiously obserued for by the act of Perth it is ordayned that Pastors in their Sermons vpon these dayes should rebuke the superstitious obseruation and licentious profanation thereof PP In the Assembly holden 1590. his Maistie in open audience of the Assembly praised God for that he was borne to bee a King in the syncerest Church in the World syncerer then our neighbour Church of England syncerer then Geneua it selfe for they obserued Pasche and Zule ANS His Maiestie from his youth vp hath euer kept these solemne times and wished the same to be kept by all his Subiects without abuse So who will beleeue you that such a speech was vâ—â—ered in that assembly for at that time neither were yee present your selfe not hauing passed aâ— that time your degrees in the Schooles noâ— does it appeare by the matters intreateâ— in that meeâ—ing that the occasion of any such speech was offereâ— And put the case such a saying had beene 〈◊〉 by his 〈◊〉 at that time a young King and of â—â—sse experience in matters 〈◊〉 â—ame should not controll the iudgment of an old wise Monâ—râ—a whom a long time and great experience 〈◊〉 â—aught â—â—comparable prudence You may remember that of the Apostle When I was a child I 〈…〉 and it is a true speec◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latesâ— cogiâ—ationâ— are wisest PP In the Parliament holden Annâ— 1592. The act of King Iameâ— the third about the Saturday and other vigils to bee kept holy from Euen-song to Euen-song was anulled Item the act made by Queene Regent granting licence to keepe Zule and Pasche ANS The licence granted by the Queene Regent did authorise the Papisticall that is the superstitâ—ous obseruation of Zule and Pasche therefore it was rightly annulled But to what purpose alleadge ye the Act of vigils PP In the Assembly holden Anno 1596. when the couenant was renued superstition and idoâ—atrie breaking forth in keeping of festiuall dayes setting out of Bone-fires and singing of Carrols are reckoned amongst the corruptions which were to be amended The Pulpits haue sounded continually against all festiuall dayes The censures of the Church haue beene put in execution in all due forme against the obseruers ANS Yet the commemoration of the inestimable benefits of our redemption vpon these fiue dayes was not reckoned amongst the corruptions to be amended Neither did Pulpits sound nor were censures put in execution against preaching prayers and other holy exercises in these dayes for at that time the Preachers gaue all obedience to the acts of the Church made concerning these things But doe yee not see by the regraite made at this Assembly and by the acts complaints and ordinances by your selfe rehearsed that the abstayning from preaching and reading at these times hath not remoued from people their superstitious opinions of the times nor yet abolished the enormities and abuses committed in them Certainly nothing is so powerfull to abolish prophanenesse and roote out superstition of mens hearts as the exercise of diuine worship in preaching praying and thanksgiuing chiefly then when the superstitious conceits of merit and necessitie are most pregnant in the heads of people as doubtlesse they are when the set times of these solemnities returne for then it is meetest to lance the oposteme when it is ripe Vpon these and such other reasons it pleased his Maiestie to require and our Church to condescend that commemoration of the benefits purchased to vs by the Natiuitie Death Resurrection and Ascension of our Sauiour should be made solemnely on these dayes according to the practise of all other reformed Churches And there is no question the errours of the multitude shall hereby bee farre more easily remoued then by any prohibition that can be made to the contrary and therewithall the people better instructed in the principall grounds of Religion then they could by occasionall Doctrine as also the honour of God more highly aduanced for wee know that ordinary seruices are performed with lesse regard and more coldly then these which come more rarely to bee celebrated Of all these the hope is the greater that now wee owe it to our King vnder God the Churches are planted with able and sufficient Pastors meete to discharge these duties So by the Assembly at Perth there is nothing concluded either contrarious to any former constitution of the Church or to any sound Doctrine deliuered from Pulpits in former times 〈…〉 The Act about Festiuities In the 〈◊〉 of this Act the Assembly professes to abhorre all that was condemned by any Ecclesiasticall Constitution touching the obseruation of these dayes It is therefore consonant to former Acts. In the Conclusion the Pastors are appointed to rebuke all supersâ—â—tious obseruation and liceâ—cious profâ—â—â—tion thereof This agrees with all the sound Doctrine deliuered from Pulpits concerning this point That which is interlaced in the Canon Saint Augustine affirmes to bee Apostolique Epist. 118. ad Ianuarium Illa autem qua non scripta sed traditâ— custodimus quae quidem toto terrarum orbe obseruantur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel à plenarijs Concilijs quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima autoritas commendata atque statuta retinere sicuti quod Domini Passio Resurrectio Ascensio in coelum aduentus de coelo Spiritus Sancti anniuersaria solennitate celebrantur si quid aliud tale occurreret quod seruatur ab vniuersa quacunque se diffundit Ecclesia that is Whatsoeuer things are not written but by Tradition obserued through the whole world must be thought to haue beene prescribed by the Apostles themselues or then to haue beene ordayned by generall Councells whose authoritie hath euer beene great in the Church as namely The anniuersary celebration of the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord with the descending of the holy Ghost or any such like thing that is obserued by the whole Church diffused through the world And in the same Epistle hee affirmes that it is most insolent madnesse to doubt if that should bee obserued which the
that whatsoeuer vse vnder the Law was proper to the Iewes Sabbath wherein now vnder the Gospell both Iew and Gentile haue interest remaynes yet proper to the Lords Day that succeeded thereto And in that respect this Day differs from all other Dayes being obserued not for policie and order only but for diuine institution and the religious vse whereunto it is appropriate that is to bee a memoriall First of the Creation as hath beene said because after our sixe dayes worke we rest on it being the seuenth as God did from the workes of the Creation Secondly of the Redemption because on it the Lord arose and perfected that worke and thirdly to be a signe of our sanctification namely that God who hath chosen and sanctified vs to be his people and whom we worship is God the Creator who in sixe dayes created the World and rested the seuenth and God the Redeemer who rose on this Day and hauing abolished sinne and death did bring in righteousnesse and life and God the holy Ghost by whose power hee did rise and by whose power we hope also to be raised againe Vnto this holy and religious vse this Day is appropriated whereunto no other Day besides can bee applyed That to conclude the Church hath power to appoint times for the publike worship of God and to appoint such a kind of worship as shee thinketh most expedient to bee vsed on these times for edification although shee hath no power to make the obseruation of any time a point of Gods worship or to appropriate thereto any part of his worship Finally to end this point of the power of the Church when the people are conuened in the ordinarie place and at the times appointed the Scripture hath not set downe whereat the Pastour should beginne how hee should proceed and wherewith hee should close vp this Seruice as whether hee should beginne with singing of Psalmes or praying or reading or preaching and when hee prayes with what petition he shall beginne what he shall subioyne next and so forth what order he shall obserue in baptizing and celebration of the Supper in Marriage in censuring of notorious offenders by Excommunication in Absolution and to bee short in all such other points of Doctrine Discipline and Diuine Seruice there is nothing particularly prescribed Although the substance of all be in the Word yet the order disposition forme and manner are left to be determined by the Church Many of which points are of farre greater moment then any of the Articles concluded at Perth Thus much for the power of the Church We come now to the extent of this power It is certaine that this power cannot reach to any thing essentiall or materiall in the worship of God but to the decencie and order only which is to bee obserued for edification in the circumstances aboue specified Let all things bee done decently and in order saith the Apostle The things themselues that are to be done are partly specified in that same Chapter where this rule is giuen and in the word else-where they are fully and particularly expressed and not left to be prescribed according to the will and iudgement of the Church but by this Precept a power is giuen only to the Church to prescribe the decent manner forme and order how they should be done And so to determine the circumstances which are in the generall necessary to bee vsed in diuine worship but not particularly defined in the Word So by warrant of this Precept the Church hath no power to forme new Articles of Faith new Precepts of Obedience new Petitions of Prayer new Sacraments or new Rites and Ceremonies such as Salt Oyle Spittle Chrisme Ashes holy Water Lights and innumerable such other things which cannot be reduced to any circumstances that in the generall are of necessary vse wherein the Church of Rome abusing her libertie hath laid vpon the Christian Church a burthen of Rites no lesse intollerable then the Legall Ceremonies yea and haue imposed them to bee obserued not onely as things belonging to policie and order but as parts of diuine worship which we of the reformed Church reiect esteeming all that to bee will-worship which men impose to be obserued as necessarie points of the seruice of God which himselfe hath ordayned in his Word Further because the Ceremonies and circumstances left to the determination of the Church cannot alwayes be one and the same by reason of the diuersity of Ages Times People and Nations touching them no constant Law can bee set downe as is acknowledged in the one and twentieth Article of the Confession of our Faith confirmed by Parliament but altered they may be and altered they should be when necessitie requires In which case Charitie sayes Caluine can best iudge what is most expedient Hanc si moderatricem patiemur salua erunt omnia The power of the Church being thus limited it is without controuersie that the Canons made by her touching the circumstances that in the generall are necessary for the worship of God ought to bee obeyed so long as they stand vnchanged or abrogated not because they contayne in them any substantiall or materiall part of Religion or that they haue in them any diuine Authoritie as the Commandements of God which in conscience bind to obedience but because in them an order is established tending to vnitie and peace whereby confusion scandall and Schisme is eschewed and because the power of the Church whereby these Lawes are made is the Ordinance of God and confirmed by the authoritie of his Word commanding vs to obey them that are set ouer vs in the Lord the Canons of the Church must be obeyed for reuerence of the Ordinance and Commandement of God which is the onely direct and immediate obiect of our conscience and the religious band that tyes vs to the obedience of euery humane ordinance for conscience sake But because many excuse their disobedience with a pretext of conscience I will shortly set downe the rules of conscience that by the Word of God we are obliged to follow in our actions The first is whatsoeuer is commanded or forbidden in the Word expresly or by necessary consequence ought to be obeyed The next is whatsoeuer is commanded or forbidden by the Lawes and Ordinances of our Superiours Ciuill or Ecclesiastique the same if it be not contrarie to Gods Word should be obeyed by reason of his expresse command Obey them that haue the rule ouer you and submit your selues Heb. 13. And againe Submit your selfe to euery ordinance of man for the Lords sake 1. Pet. 2.13 To this appertaynes lawfull customs hauing the force of a Law where there is no written Law Thirdly touching things that are free and are neither determined by Ciuill nor Ecclesiasticall Constitutions we haue this rule Let euery man stand fully perswaded in his owne minde that he may doe or omit that which hee intends without the offence of God or his Neighbour but