PERTH ASSEMBLY CONTAINING 1 The Proceedings thereof 2 The Proofe of the Nullitie thereof 2 Reasons presented thereto against the receiving the fiue new Articles imposed 4 The oppositenesse of it to the proceedings and oath of the whole state of the Land An. 1581. 5 Proofes of the unlawfulnesse of the said fiue Articles viz. 1. Kneeling in the act of Receiving the Lords Supper 2. Holy daies 3. Bishopping 4. Private Baptisme 5. Private Communion EXOD. 20.7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine for the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine COLOS. 2.8 Beware lest there be any that spoyle you through Philosophy vain deceit through the traditions of men according to the rudiments of the World and not of Christ. MDCXIX TO THE READER THE externall worship of God and the government of the Church Gentle and indicious reader are like Hippocrates twins they are sick together in health together they liue together they die and dwine together As long as the government of the Church of Scotland stood in integritie as it was established by lawes civill and ecclesiasticall according to Gods word so long was the worship of God preserved in puritie Since the former government was altered and the insolent domination of Prelates hath entered in by unlawfull meanes amongst us popish rites and superstitious Ceremonies have followed and are like to prevaile universally They haue verified in their persons their common tenent No Ceremony no Bishop The libertie graunted to our Church to indict and hold generall assemblies from yeare to yeare and oftner pro re nata was the cheife bulwarke of our discipline This bulwarke was broken down to the end a more patent way might be made for their exaltation When vote in Parliament the needle to draw in the threede of Episcopall authoritie was concluded to the great griefe of the sincerer sort many protestations were made that no alteration in discipline or divine service was intended many cautions and limitations were made to bound the power of the minister voter in Parliament They were ordayned to be countable to the generall Assemblies for the manner of their entrie and behaviour in this new office But like bankrupts not being able to render accompt they laboured that no accompt should bee made at all that is that there should be no ordinary generall assemblie to take accompt Some few extraordinary Assemblies haue been convocated of late yeeres at their pleasures for their purposes and according to their device constituted as they thought good wherein they procured or rather extorted with terror and authoritie a sort of preheminence aboue their bretheren They were Lords in Parliament Councell Session Checker Lords of Regalities Lords of temporall lands Presenters to benefices modifiers of Ministers stipends grand-Commissioners in the high Commission Was it wonder then if so great Commanders commanded the Assemblies constituted as is said and carved to themselues a spirituall Lordship when their worthy brethren were banished imprisoned confined or deteyned at Court that they might the more easily effectuate their purpose They haue broken the caveats made with their owne consent violated their promises and haue sought preheminence both in Church and Common wealth with the ruine of others and the renting of their mothers belly Wee haue notwithstanding been so silent hitherto that the world hath iudged our silence rather slumbring and slothfulnesse then true patience They are not satisfied with the wrongs already committed but do still provoke us with new irritant occasions and specially by obtruding upon us superstitious will-worships and polluted inventions of men It behooveth us therefore to set pen to paper and say somewhat for the surer stay and better information of professors tenderly affected to the sincerity of religion lest they bee deluded with the glorious name of a pretended and null-Assemblie or seduced with temporizers swallowing up all abhominations or corruptions whatsoever The meanes of printing and publishing are to us very difficill wee wish therefore every good Christian to take in good part our meane travels and not impute unto us want of good will but of meanes if they be not served hereafter continually after this manner Wee shall bee ready God willing for our owne part as need shall require and opportunitie will serue to defend the cause we maintaine against any of our opposites their answers or replies whatsoever worthy of answer Wee haue seene of late some Pamphlets which haue rather exposed their authors to laughter and contempt then deserved any serious Confutation In the Epistle before Basilicon Doron his Maiestie protesteth upon his honour that hee misliketh not generally all Preachers or others who like better of the single forme of Policie in our Church then of the many Ceremonies in the Church of England and are perswaded that their Bishops smell of a papall Supremacie that the surplesse the corner cap and such like are the outward badges of popish errours And that he doth equally loue and honour the learned and graue men of either of these opinions His Maiestie useth this Provision that where the Law is otherwise they presse by Patience and well grounded reasons either to perswade all the rest to like of their iudgement or where they see better grounds on the other part not to be ashamed peaceably to incline therunto laying aside all preoccupied opinions Wee are able to proue that no Ecclesiasticall law hath been made in any free and formall Assemblie for the alterations by-past or presently intended either in Government or Ceremonies The ratification of civill Lawes already made or to be made cannot rectifie the Ecclesiasticall as long as wee are able by good reason to impugne their authority and evince the vicious constitution the informall and unlawfull proceedings of these Assemblies where the said Ecclesiasticall Lawes are said to haue been made Put the case that no exception might be made against the Law his Maiesties provision permitteth us to perswade others with well grounded reasons The verity of our relations and validity of our reasons we refer to the tryall of every iudicious Reader making conscience of his oath promise subscription and puritie of his profession THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASSEMBLIE HOLden at PERTH in August Anno Dom. 1618. TVesday the 25 of August 1618 the first day of the Assemblie The generall Assemblie was indicted by his Majestie to be holden at Perth the 25. day of August 1618. Intimation was made twentie dayes before by open proclamation with sound of trumpet For obedience to the proclamation and his Majesties particular missiues the persons following conveined at the said Burgh the appointed day his Majesties Commissioners my Lord Binning Secretary Lord Skoone Lord Carnegie Their Assessours Sir Gideon Murray Treasurer Deputy Sir Andrew Ker of Pharnihirst Captaine of the guard Sir William Olphant the kings Advocate and Sir Wil. Livingstoun of Kilsyth Noble men the Earls of Louthiane Lord Ochiltrie Lord Sanquhar Lord Boyde Barons Waughtoun
more sure easie information of the assemblies The pretended moderator reiected this also as impertinent He proceeded at his owne pleasure without advice or information of the provinces or presbyteries to the nomination of the priuy conference before that the Clark had received the commissions Hee nominated besides his Majesties commissioners their assessours and the noble men all the Barons except three all the Bishops the Commissioners of Edinburgh Perth Dundie 37 Doctours and other ministers The most parte was such as were already resolved to yeeld Others were not experienced in the state of our Church some few of the other opinion were taken in to try the force of their arguments in private that in publick they might either be evaded or suppressed After the said nomination the conference was appointed to convein at 3. afternoone and the assembly at 8. hours in the morning So endeth the first session The conference convenied at 3. afternoon His Majesties letter was read again The Moderator aforesaid seconded the same with many terrours To make them goe quickly to worke he affirmed that foure articles were already concluded in the Assemblies holden last at Aberdine and S. Andrewes respectiue howbeit not in forme as his Maiesty required that kneeling allanerly rested to be consented unto For assisting of his declaration a minute was read containing the poynts conferred upon at the places foresayd And no further evidence was produced for probation of the alledged agreement But particularly mention was made that his Highnesse altogether refused cautions and conditions added by the said Assemblies as frustrations of his Highnesse intentions And as was affirmed by the said Moderator his Maiestie was still offended at that Assembly holden at S. Andrewes For removing of that offence the Moderator aforesaid would haue had the Article of kneeling voted in the conference without reasoning But after much businesse and earnest dealing the said Article by plurality of votes was put to reasoning For clearing the state of the question the Ministers defenders of the established order required againe that the sayd Articles might be extended to the full and put in perfect forme 2. That the party of the other iudgement would proue them necessary and expedient for our Church according to the revealed rule Affirmanti incumbit probatio or otherwaies improue our former order already established as defectiue superfluous or confused 3. That time and place might be granted to all having calling and interest to reason freely and heare reasoning in presence of the Assembly for their better direction 4. That the reasons of moment might be proponed and answered in writing and some few of either side appointed to put them in due forme and order The Moderator notwithstanding of the reference of these conditions to the privy conference reiected them and as for the party pursuer and party defender in the reasoning he determined by himselfe that the Ministers defenders of the established order must either proue the Articles to be impious and unlawfull or else they must proue disobedient to his Maiesty It was replied That poore subiects neither ought nor conveniently could dispute a question so affected with disobedience to their Soveraigne as was there alledged But if reformation be intended and the truth of the Articles proponed be sincerely to be searched so farre forth as they may proue good and expedient for this Church the order agreed upon by his Maiestie at Perth 1597. cannot of reason be refused viz. That matters touching reformation of external government be proponed ordine decenter animo aedificandi non tentandi for searching the truth the undoubted ground of true unity Notwithstanding of whatsoever could be alledged the Ministers standing for their possession were forced to be persuers and either to obiect against the said Articles or else to be reputed disobedient to his Maiesty and to haue no reason on their side The time being spent some few reasons were alledged by the Ministers which were cut off rather by cavilling and quarrelling at mens persons then solidly answered The conference was appointed in the morning at eight houres notwithstanding the said houre had been appointed for the second Session of the Assembly Wednesday the 26. of August the second day of the Assembâ—y THE privy conference convened at 8 houre in the morning Much time was spent with the Bishops discourses and other preparations for making way to summary reasoning Some few Arguments were proponed by the Ministers against kneeling in the act of receiving the sacramentall elements of bread and wine but answered as before The pretended Moderator to cut off reasoning instantly required that kneeling might bee voted in the conference The Ministers alledged that the proper use of the conference is to prepare and put in order matters that are to be intreated in the face of the Assembly and therefore required that the Articles might be formed and after long debait it was concluded by plurality of votes that they should be formed The rest of this short time was spent in naming of Bishops and Doctors for forming and extending the Articles and Acts that were to passe thereupon The conference was appointed to conveine at 4. afternoone The Assembly being frustrate of their diet in the morning assembled at 4. afternoone at the call of the Bell by the Moderators expectation He shewed unto them that that houre was appointed for the conference allanerly But seeing they conveined hee thought good to make known to them that the foure Articleâ— formerly condescended upon at Aberdine and S. Andrewes as also the fift Article against kneeling after long reasoning were concluded in the conference and ordained to be formed and produced before them And so hee desired them to depart to the end that matters might be exped for ending the Assembly the morne But opposition was made in the contrary that kneeling was not voted and the other foure Articles were neither reasoned nor voted After the removall of the Assembly the act of kneeling as it was formed was read in presence of the conference The pretended Moderator urged that kneeling should be voted It was answerd that it was an intolerable novelty in this Church a great prejudice to persons purposes and priviledges and a presumptuous usurpation of a few to vote and conclude under the colourable pretence of a conference matters of weight belonging to the whole Church They required therefore that according to order reasoning and voting might be reserved to the full Assembly The pretended Moderator answered First that it was the custome of the Lords of the Articles in parliament to proceed after that manner Next that he would not spare to commit twenty preiudices to please the King And thus kneeling was put in voting without regard of the Assembly and concluded by plurality of votes The rest of this short time was spent in talking upon Symony the planting of the Church of Edinburgh and order to bee taken with beggars The conference appointed the Assembly to conveine the morne after
when it approcheth most neare to Christs owne action but plaine it is that at that supper Christ Iesus sat with his disciples and therefore wee doe iudgeâ—punc that sitting at a table is most convenient to that holy action In the generall Assembly holden in December 1562. It was ordeined That one uniforme order be observed in the ministration of the Sacraments according to the order of Geneva And in December Anno 1564. It was ordeined That Ministers in ministration of the Sacraments shall use the order set downe in the Psalme bookes In the Assembly holden anno 1591 it was ordained That an Article should be formed and presented to his Maiesty and the estates craving order to bee taken with them who give or receive the sacrament after the Papisticall manner In the Kings confession of faith subscribed and sworne by persons of all estates are contained these words We detest all the ceremonies of the Romane Antichrist added to the ministration of the Sacraments we detest all his rites signes and traditions This laudable order was altered at the pretended Assembly holden last at Perth in August anno 1618. The tenour of the Act followeth as it was formed by some of the Bishops and their followers Since we are commanded by God himselfe that when we come to worship him wee fall downe and kneele before the Lord our Maker and considering withall that there is no part of divine worship more heavenly and spirituall then is the holy receiving of the blessed body and bloud of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ like as the most humble and reverend gesture of the body in our meditation and lifting up of our hearts best becommeth so divine and sacred an action Therefore notwithstanding that our Church hath used since the reformation of religion to celebrate the holy communion to the people sitting by reason of the great abuse of kneeling at the worshipping of the Sacrament by the Papists yet now seeing all memory of by past superstition is past and no perill of the same againe is feared In reverence of so divine a mystery and in remembrance of so mysticall an union as we are made partakers of thereby doe ordaine that that blessed Sacrament be celebrated hereafter meekely and reverently upon their knees This alteration is to us unlawfull for that which hath been established by so many lawes Civill and Ecclesiasticall by so long custome and prescription of time confirmed by our oathes and subscriptions wee may not lawfully alter But so it is that sitting at the table in the act of receaving hath been established by lawes custome long prescription of time and confirmed by oathes and subscriptions as is evident by the former diduction It is notwithstanding expedient to descend further in opening up the unlawfulnes of kneeling 1. as it is a breach of the institution 2. as it is a breach of the second commandment 3. as it is with out example and practise of the ancient Kirk 4. as it disagreeth from the practise of the reformed Kirks Kneeling considered as it is a breach of the institution THE manner of Christs proceeding from the paschall supper to the Eucaristicall is to be observed for the better understanding of the Institution Before and in the dayes of Christ the Paschall supper consisted of two services or suppers and a conclusion After the ordinary washing of their hands they sat downe to the first service and eate the Paschall lamb with unleavened bread Then they rose to the washing of their feet thereafter they sat downe againe to the second supper or service and did eate of a sallet made of soure hearbs and dipped in a composed liquor as thick as mustard Iudas after he gat a sop of this second service he went out immediatly In the conclusion of the second service of the Paschall supper the Lord of the house took an unleavened cake of bread and blessed it after this maner Blessed art thou o Lord our God King of the World who hast sanctified us by thy precepts and hast given us a commandement concerning the eating of unleavened bread Christ likewise took the bread and gaue thanks The Lord of the house after thanks-giving brake the bread and gaue it unto the company saying This is the bread of misery which our fathers eat in Egipt whosoever hungreth let him come neare and eat whosoever hath need let him come neare and celebrate the Passeover Christ after thanks-giving brak the bread and gaue it to his disciples saying take yee eat yee this is my body that is broken for you Therafter the Lord of the house tooke the cup and blessed it after this manner Blessed art thou O Lord who hast created the fruit of the vine after he had tasted the cup he gaue it to the nearest and so it was caried from hand to hand This cup was called the cup of praise and thanks-giving because they sung a Psalme after it Christ took the cup likewise and after he had given thanks gaue it to the nearest of his disciples saying take ye drink ye all of this for this cup is the new-testament of my blood c. the cup was caried from hand to hand the supper ended they sung a Psalme Morneus and Beza do set downe this maner of proceeding as observed before by Munsterus Paulus Burgensis Tremellius Cassander and Iosephus Scaliger Iosephus Scaliger setteth downe a paschall canon forbidding to take any meat or drink after the cup of thanks-giving This discourse being premitted the breaches of the institution are to be considered The first breach of the institution made by kneeling is the taking away of that commendable gesture of sitting used by Christ and his Apostles at and after the Institution Christ and his Apostles sate at table after the forme of their usuall sitting at ordinary bankets and feastes They sat at the first service of the Paschall supper Baradius Swarez Iansenius and others affirme that there is no circumstance in the text Exod. 12 to inforce standing at the Passeover Next suppose the circumstances there expressed did import standing yet it was not inioyned as an ordinary rite but as many other circumstances belonged only to the first Passeover in Egipt as to eate with haste and with loynes girded up and to sprinkle the lintill and two sideposts of the doore with blood as Beza hath observed and Scaliger in the late edition of his books de emendatione temporum sayeth the like put the case that this gesture continued longer yet long before the dayes of Christ this gesture was changed Scaliger produceth out of the rituals of the Iewes their words Quam diversa haec nox à ceteris noctibus quod in aliijs noctibus semel tantum lâ—vamus in hac autem bis Quod in reliquis noctibus comedimus sive fermentum sive Azimum in hac autem onmino azyma Quod in reliquis noctibus vescimur oleribus omne genus in hoc autem intybis Quod in
is objected and said that wee may pray in the act of receaving therefore wee may kneele in the act of receaving Answer This objection insinuates that kneeling is the proper and onely commendable gesture of prayer and therefore the Bishop of Rochester exponeth the standing of the publican Luk. 18.11.13 to haue been kneeling because sayeth he the Iewish custome was to pray kneeling But if he had remembred the Lords owne saying Ierem. 15. though Moses and Samuell stood before me c. he might haue understood that they prayed standing as wel as kneeling Drusius observeth that of old they prayed standing that therfore prayers were called stations or standings And Rabbi Iuda had a saying that the world could not subsist without statioÌ„s or standings And where it is said Abram stood before the lord Manabem an Hebrew Rabine expoundeth it he prayed before the Lord. Next the prayer meant of is either some publicke prayer uttered by the Minister or the mentall prayer of the communicant As for the prayer of the Minister in the act of distribution it is flat against the institution as I haue already sayd The Minister is ordained by the institution to act the person of Christ and pronounce the words of promise This is my body as if Christ himselfe were pronouncing these words and not change the promise into a prayer Fenner in his principles of Religion layeth this down as a ground That in the second commandement we are forbidden the practise and use of any other rite or outward meanes used in the worship or service of God then he hath ordained Ioh. 4.22 2 King 18.4 and that by the contrary we are commanded to practise all those parts of his worship which he in his word hath commanded and to acknowledge onely the proper use of every rite and outward meanes which the Lord hath ordained Deut. 12.32 2. King 17.26 Further we are forbidden by the second commandement to pray by direction before any creature This publicke prayer is but a pretended cause of kneeling as the Ministers of Lincolne make manifest in their abridgement for no Canon of our neighbour Kirke hath directed any part of this kneeling in the act of receiving to be assigned to the said prayer In populous congregations where there is but one Minister the communicants sit a quarter of an houre before the Minister repaire to them with the sacrament And last the prayer is ended before the delivery of the elements As for our Kirk no such prayer is ordained to be uttered by the Minister therefore no such prayer can be pretended In the late Canon it is sayd That the most reverent and humble gesture of the body in our meditation and lifting up of our hearts best becommeth so divine an action Meditation is not prayer and the heart may be lifted up by the act of faith and contemplation as well as by the action of prayer so that neither publick nor mentall prayer is expressed in our act But let the words be interpreted of mentall prayer even mentall prayer is not the principall exercise of the soule in the act of receiving the sacramentall elements the minde attending on the audible words the visible elements the mysticall actions and making present use of them men should not be diverted from their principall worke and meditation upon the Analogie betwixt the signes and things signified The soule may send up in the meane time some short ejaculations and darts of prayer to heaven to strengthen her owne weaknesse and returne to her principall worke of meditation and application of the benefites represented These short ejaculations of the minde are onely occasionall as a Christian feeleth his owne present estate and are incident to all our actions both civill and religious In the act of receiving our earthly food in going out the way in hearing the word If a man be moved inwardly when he heareth that the word was made flesh shall he kneele as they do in the Romane Kirke If a man should kneele at every inward motion of the minde when he heareth the word what confusion would there be in the congregation A man looking occasionally to a crucifix may remember Christ and send up some ejaculations shall he therefore kneele The three children prayed mentally no doubt when they were brought before the golden Image but lawfully they might not kneele before it Perkins destinguisheth notably betwixt publick private and secret worship the secret and mentall worship must be yeelded to God and the signes thereof concealed from the eyes and hearing of men as Nehemiah when he prayed in presence of the King Nehem. 2.4 In a word the Institution and the second commandement hinder kneeling at this time suppose mentall prayer were the principall exercise of the soule I heare there is alledged a third sort of prayer to wit that the very act of receiving is of it selfe a reall prayer Is not this as much as to say that craving and receiving is all one Bellarmine sayth That prayer of iâ— selfe and of the own proper office doth impetrate and that a sacrifice hath the force and power of obtaining or impetrating because it is Quaedam oratio realis non verbalis a certaine reall prayer not a verball We may forgiue him to say this of the sacrifice of the Masse where there is an offering of a sacrifice to God But Bellarmine was never so absurd as to call the act of receiving from God a reall prayer to God Their other obiection that we may praise God in the act of receiving therefore we may kneele may be answered after the same manner There is no publicke thankesgiving ordained to be made at the delivery of the elements mentall praise therefore must be meant Mentall praise is no more the principall worke of the soule then mentall prayer what was sayd of the ejaculations of the one let it be applied to the short eâ—aculations of the other The name of Eucharist given to this Sacrament helpeth them nothing for it is a name given by Ancients and not by the Scripture Next as it is called Eucharistia so it is called Eulogia for the words he gaue thankes and he blessed are indifferently used by the Evangelists Some parts of this holy celebration stand in thankesgiuing as the beginning and the end and therefore is the whole action denominated from a part saith Causaubon Eulogia Eucharistia utraque vox à parte una totum Domini actionem designat It followeth not that all the parts of this holy ministration are actions of thankesgiving Obiect What we may craue of God upon our knees we may receiue on our knees Ans. It is false I may on my knees Giue us this day our daily bread but I may not receiue it on my knees The people of Israel prayed for food yet they were not esteemed unthankfull for not kneeling when they received the Manna It is again objected that in the act of receauing we receaue
word participation of the sacraments Commemoration of divine misteries may be performed upon the ordinary sabbath but to make up a festival day Bellarm. requireth a determination of a day signification and representation of the misteries wrought on such dayes Scaliger observeth that the ordinary sabbothes were never called Chaggim as the anniversarie solemnities were 1. Reason against festivall dayes Six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to doe These words are either a command to doe the works of our calling as many both Iewish and Christian divines doe interprete or els a permission as others doe interpret If they contein a command no countremand may take it away If a permission no human authority may spoile men of the liberty that God hath granted unto them as long as they haue any maner of worke to doe for the sustentation of this life The Muscovits therefore say very well that it is for Lords to keepe feasts and abstien from labour The Citizens and Artificers amongst them upon the festivall dayes after divine service do betake themselues to their labour and domestick affaires as Gaguinus reporteth It may be objected that Constantine the Emperour made a law that none but the Prince may ferias coÌ„dere erect an idle day the Prince then may inioyne a day of Cessation Answer The Lawes of the â—od are not rules of theologie A Prince may not inioyne Cessation from Oeconomicall and domestick works but for weapon shewing exercise of armes defence of the country or other publick works and affaires But that is not to injoyne a day of simple Cessation but to inioyne a politick work in place of the oeconomicall Every particular member ceassing from their particular work exerciseth another work serving for the preservation of the whole bodie The curse that Adam shall eate with the sweate of his browes is mitigated by the permission of six dayes labour The Lord permitteth unto man six lest he devoure the seventh day which is sanctified What if the Kirk representatiue injoyne a weekly holy day as another sabboth ought the Kirke to be obeyed what power hath the Kirk representatiue to inioyne an anniversary day more then a weekly or hebdomadary holy day If a day of simple Cessation from all maner of work Oeconomicall and politicall may not be inioyned a festivall day may not be inioyned I say further that the poore craftsman can not lawfully be commanded to lay aside his tooles and goe passe his time no not for an houre let be for a day as long as he is willing to worke and perhaps urged with the sharpnes of present necessity And yet farther that he ought not to be compelled to leaue his worke to goe to divine service except on the day that the Lord hath sanctified The second Reason It is the priuiledge of Gods power to appoint a day of rest and to sanctifie it to his honour as our best Divines mainteine Zanchius affirmeth that it is proper to God to choose any person or any thing to consecrate and sanctifie it to himselfe as it belongeth to him alone to justify Catechismus Hollandicus saith no wise man will deny that this sanctification belongeth onely to God that it is manifest sacriledge to attribute these things to men which are onely of divine ordination Willet sayth It belongeth onely to the Creator to sanctifie the Creature In the booke of Ecclesiasticus cap. 33.7.8 it is demanded Why doth one day excell another when as the light of every day of the yeare is of the Sun It is answered By the knowledge of the Lord they were distinguished and he altered seasons and feasts Some of them hath he made hie dayes and hallowed them Some of them he hath made ordinary dayes The common tenent of the Divines was acknowledged by the pretended Bishop of Galloway in his Sermon at the last Christmas It may offend you sayd he that this is an holy day I say there is no power either civill or Ecclesiasticall can make an holy day no King no Kirk onely the Lord that made the day and distinguished it from the night he hath sanctified the seventh day The like was acknowledged by M. P. Galloway in his Christmas Sermons If the speciall sanctification of a day to an holy use dependeth upon Gods commandement and institution then neither King nor Kirke representatiue may make an holy day The observers of dayes will say they count not their anniverserie daies holier then other dayes but that they keep them only for order and policie that the people may be assembled to religious exercises Answer The Papists will confesse that one day is not holier then another in its owne nature no not the Lords day for then the Sabboth might not haue been changed from the last to the first day of the weeke But they affirme that one day is holier then another in respect of the end and vse And so doe wee They call them holy dayes and so doe wee They vse them as memoriall signes of sacred mysteries whereof they carie the names as Nativitie Passion Ascension c. And so doe wee The presence of the festivitie putteth a man in minde of the mysterie howbeit he haue not occasion to be present in the holy Assembly We are commanded to obserue them in all points as the Lords day both in the publick Assemblies and after the dissoluing of the same Yea it is left free to teach any parte of Gods word on the Lords day but for solemnitie of the festiuall solemne texts must be chosen Gospels Epistles collects Psalmes must be framed for the particular service of these dayes and so the mysticall dayes of mans appointment shall not onely equall but in solemnity surpasse the morall sabboth appointed by the Lord. Doth not Hooker say that the dayes of publick memorials should be cloathed with the outward robes of holines They aledge for the warrant of anniversary festivities the Ancients who call them Sacred and misticall dayes If they were instituted only for order and policie that the people may Assemble to religious exercises Wherefore is there but one day appointed betwixt the Passion and Resurection fortie dayes betwixt the Resurrection and Ascension Ten betwixt the Ascension and Pentecost Wherefore follow we the course of the Moone as the Iewes did in our moveable feasts making the christian Church cloathed with the Sunne to walk vnder the Moone as Bonauentura alludeth Wherefore is there not a certain day of the moneth kept for Easter as well as for the nativitie Doth not Bellarmine giue this reason out of Augustine that the day of the Natiuity is celebrate only for memorie the other both for memorie and for sacraments Ille celebratur solum ob memoriam ideo semper die 25. Decembris at lâ—fe celebratur ob memoriam sacramentum ideo variatur If the anniversarie commemorations were like the weekely preachings as the two forenamed preachers made the comparison why
day haue I begotten thee applied to the resurrection by the Apostle Act. 13.33 The Lords day is the day that the Lord hath created let us exult and reioyce in it Christ instituted it David prophecied of it Psal. 110. where it is called the day of the Lords Assemblies Many memorable things were done under the old Testament upon this day to declare that it should be an excellâ—nt day under the new Testament specially Circumcision was commanded on the eight day as a sacrament of that day saith Iunius Quia Sacramentum fuit diei illius octavi quo dominus Iesus Christus resurrexit following in this conceit the Ancients Cyprian Ambrose c. If it be true that is affirmed by the Councill of Constantinople it would appeare that the Lord hath of purpose heaped his wonderfull works upon this day for there it is said that Christ was born on it The star shined to the wise men on it Christ fed 5000. with 5 loaues and 2 fishes on it Christ was baptized on it rose on it sent down the H. Ghost on it one it the light was created Pope Leo likewise saith Dies dominica tantis disâ—â—nsationuÌ„ mysteriis est consecrata ut quicquid insigne admodum est constitutum in terris in hujus diei dignitatem sit gestum id est that the Lords day is consecrate with so manie misteries dispensed on it that it appeareth that whatsoever potable thing was done on earth was done to the honour of this day So if the prophey of David should be aplied to any precise day it should be applied to the Lords day But seeing the words are to be understood as well of David as of Christ the day is taken for the time indefinitely wherein David was made King and the Corner Stone of Gods people The other testimony importeth not the celebration of Ester feast upon any anniversary day but rather the Apostle teacheth us to celebrate this feast of the Passover all the yeare long with the vnleavened bread of sincerity and turth Doctor Fulk in his answer to the Rhemists upon the same place citeth Augustine referring this feasting not to the celebration of Ester nor to the receiuing of Pasche communion but to our whole life It is therefore onely the Bishops conjècture that the incestuous person was cut of against the feast of Ester that a little leaven might not leaven the whole lump His last proofe is taken from the custome of baptisme and the Eucharist ministred upon Pasch day as if they had been ministred only on that day It was the decree of Pope Innocentius in the Lateran Councill that all should communicate at Ester The Christian Sabboth was called the Lords day the day of light and the day of Bread The day of light because of baptisme ministred ordinarily on the Lords day for the Ancients called baptisme Light or illumination The day of bread because of the administration of the Supper ordinarily upon the Lords day as Iunius proveth out of Chrysostome baptisme was tyed of ould to Pentecost as well as Ester It was an evill custome disallowed both by ancient and moderne Divines It was not so in the Primitiue Kirk as Cassander beareth witnes Apostolorum doctrinae consentientes nullo temporum aut locorum delectu statim post fidei professionem ab Apostolis vel Apostolorum discipulis baptismi sacramento in Ecclesiam Christi captabantur I will now frame an argument against this conceit of Apostolicall tradition and observation of Pafch The Apostles were led all their life time by the infallible direction of the Spirit If they had accorded on the observaton of Ester they had not disagreed on the day But their most ancient records the bastard Epistles aboue mentioned report that Philip and Iohn kept the fourtenth day of the moone as the Iewes did and Peter the Lords day following the fourteenth day of the moone It is well said in the preface to the harmony of confessions that the old contention about the celebrating of Ester tossed very hotly the space of two hundred yeares or thereabout betwixt the Greeks and the Latines was long since of us thought worthy of laughter Whitaker saith Magnam quidem de hoc re olim fuisse contentioneÌ„ sed sine causa ut miruÌ„ sit de re tantilla et pene nullius momenti tantas et tam graves fuisse dissentiones wondring at their frivolous contention The golden number invented to find out the new moone for observing the right day after that they accorded upon one day hath often failed and notwithstanding of all the rules set downe by the Councill of Nice for uniformity in keeping the day it hath been differently observed through mistaking as Bellamine himselfe confesseth So God suffered the Christian world to wander notwithstanding of their golden number to let the world see such customes had not his allowance He suffered not the Iewes to wander in such incertainties after he had appointed them unto the keeping of their Passeover Lastly they reason with Augustine á posteriori that seeing the Lords Passion Resurrection Ascension comming down of the holy Ghost is celebrated with anniversarie solemnity through all the world they must needs haue been ordained either by the Apostles or by generall Councels But so it is that those dayes were solemnly kept before there was any generall Councell It must follow therefore that the Apostles ordained them Answer Augustines dis-junction is not necessary For many customes crept in and prevailed thereafter universally which were neither ordained by the Apostles nor generall Councels Socrates in his History sayth I am of opinion that as many other things crept in of custome in sundry places so the feast of Easter to haue prevailed among all people of a certain private custome and observation insomuch that not one of the Apostles hath any where prescribed so much as one rule of it to any man The successe event hath manifestly declared unto the world that of old it was observed not of Canon but of custome And a little after They that keepe Easter the 14. day of the moneth bring forth Iohn the Apostle for their Authour Such as inhabite Rome and the West parts of the world alledge Peter and Paul for themselues that they should leaue such a tradition yet there is none of them that can shew in writing any testimony of theirs for confirmation and proofe of that custome Thus farre Socrates translated by Doctor Hanmer a formalist for answer to Augustines rule In the dayes of Iustinus Martyr that is in the midst of the second age after the Apostles there is no mention made of any other holy day then the Lords day In his second Apologie he seemeth to affirme that the Christians had onely two times of publicke meetings the one ordinary upon the Lords day the other extraordinary and uncertaine viz. when any was converted to the Christian faith and baptized As for the