Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	resurrection_n	sabbath_n	11,414	5	10.0655	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96885	Christ-mas day, the old heathens feasting day, in honour to Saturn their idol-god. The Papists massing day. The prophane mans ranting day. The superstitious mans idol day. The multitudes idle day. Whereon, because they cannot do nothing: they do worse then nothing. Satans, that adversaries working-day. The true Christian mans fasting-day. Taking to heart, the heathenish customes, Popish superstitions, ranting fashions, fearful provocations, horrible abhominations committed against the Lord, and His Christ, on that day, and days following.	Woodward, Ezekias, 1590-1675.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3482; Thomason E868_3; ESTC R207652	24,177	32

that in all this we do not more obey man then God The State we mean our Ruler or Rulers there may and ought appoint a set and stated day whereon to afflict our soules before God and a day also whereon to rejoyce before him But then they must eye and ●bserve well Gods providence call●ng them forth to all this And so here humbly to give our opinion being called f●rth unto it and pe●●wasion in this matter we are perswaded that our excellent Burroughs was right in this thing That no Christian State should appoint a day once every yeare much lesse once a month to be a fasting day or a feasting day and he gives his reason because they do not know bu● God may call them to rejoycing upon that day which they have appointed for mourning All that the Rulers can do is this when God calleth to fasting they must appoint dayes of fasting and when God calls to rejoycing they must appoint dayes of rejoycing Quest Why then is not for we must tell you that we have Sect. 2. heard to justifie the observation of this f●stival day the five and twentieth of December rightly appointed by man and to bee observed by us thereon to give thanks to God the Father for the marvelous R●d●mp●ion wrought for us by his Son Christ Jesus the Lord I● is alwayes seasonable to give thanks to God for this unspeakable gift and wonderful Salvation wrought by him Is it not Answ 1. It is so But why o●ce in the year which is seasonable yea r●quired of us as we shall hear presently every day do we put no difference betwixt a temporal Saviour as Joshuah was and all those Saviours were and now are which the Lord hath caused to come up on mount Zion to jude the mount of Esau and him that is the Eternal Saviour and everlasting Redeemer no difference betwixt these though the difference be as great as is betwixt the Creature and the Creator in whose strength of hand the Crea●u●e moves and doth all and being laid out of that hand it moves no more then an inst●ument can that is laid out of our hand and now hangs up by the wall All our prayers for our Saviours hands that they may be sufficient for them will prevail nothing unlesse we pray this may be added And be thou an help to them D●ut 33. 7. No difference then betwixt men-Saviours and the Lord God the Salvation of his people upon which bottom God builds up as we may have leave to say all the piles and stories of Salvation What ●o difference betwixt the Salvation of our bodies and outward man and the concernments hereof and the Salvation of ou● Eternal Soules surely the people of God the redeemed of the Lord discern a marvelous difference here and accordingly they behave themselves as to these matters not keeping a day once a yeare for a memoral of these things Answ 2. We say That this is an high presumption to appoint a day once in the year whereon to honour the Son as if man were more regard●ul of the Sons honour then the Father is though he hath commanded that all men should honour the John 5. 23. Son even as they honour the Father Now to doe more then is commanded is as displeasing unto God as to do lesse The Father was honoured by the observation of one day returning once a week whereon his people made his name glorious for the work of Creation And hath appointed his Son to be honoured w●th a day also wherein his people sing the high praises of their God for the glorious work of Redemption making all new Heavens and Earth and all Yea but this is not enough saith presumptious man the Son shall have two dayes the one returning once a week the other once in the year if this be not the highest presumption what is Be we at the allowance of the onely wise God he is all sufficient to provide for his Sons honour and for his Churches honor † 1. too Sons and Daughters adopted in him they shall have a day a stated day return unto them once a week whereon to record the whole hum●liation of Christ his incarnation sorrowfull life cursed death his Resurrection also with his Ascension and Intercession for is Christ divided or have we need of a part and not of the whole we must not parcel out his Redemption wrought for us taking it out by pieces and appoint one day for a memorial of his birth another of his death a third of his resurrecti●n No there is one day appointed for all this to be a memorial of all together the day of his Resurection appointed by God as the old Sabbath wa● to be a sign betwixt the Lord and his people That he is the Lord God that sanctified them affording unto them the means of Sanctification in his Son preached on that stated day wherein we are to sanctifie a Rest that we may attend upon God in the Conscionable use of means for our sanctification whose will and work it is And s●e yet farther how the Father hath provided for his † 2. Sons honour he hath not onely appointed a day wherein by his Herolds to proclaim him to the world and salvation by him but also thus th● Father hath appointed That whensoever we call him Father we must call his Son Lord and through him and his Mediat●on have accesse unto him and acceptance with him So then whensoever we come unto God praying for the supply of what we want as we are still wanting or praising him for what we have we must make hearty mention of the Lord Christ Epist 2. 18. 3. 12. 5. 20. Col. 3. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 21. here or else all is vain every time we come to God we tender up a Mediatour to him else we can have nothing from him but wrath and vengeance O its terrible saith you know who to think of God out of Christ Therefore saith Luther upon Psal 130. I inculcate this to my Hearers that they should shut their eyes and their ears and say we know no God out of Christ nor do we expect the least crumb of mercy but through him and for his sake So now sith in seeking he ●ace of our God the great King we must take up his Son in the a●m of our ●aith to allude to that know● story else we shall ●ev●r ●●e●●s face We have dayly if not hou●ly cause to make m●●●ion of him And besides all this we have a stated day returning ●nce a week whereon we may hear a voice from Heaven the voice of Christ in the Gospel and the voice of the Father again Hear Him It is presumption John 5. 25. Eph. 5. 12. then that reaches to Heaven to appoint a day of our own whereon to celebrate the memorial of all this But now suppose in the last place any of us did as devou●ly serve God and his Christ on that day as the most of the

walked in the Temple c. Now as we conceive here is the very Hinge ●● the Argument from our Lords example observing that novel Feast for that is the force of the word is of the Argument Our Lord and Saviour observed that Feast a novel thing and meerly of mans institution Therefore may we observe the Feast of his Nativity Well It is not a day for mirth but rather in some respects of signing with breaking of the Loyns yet we cannot pass over this without a smile at least though we are serious for the truth and ridentem dicere vere quis negat so we say on and enquire into this farther we mean this Feast of Dedication that so we may try the strength of this H●●e whereon this Argument holds We read the Temple was Dedicated three times First by Solomon in the seventh Moneth 2 Kings 8. that was in the midst of Autum Then after the Temple was restored and built again by Nehemiah and his fellow-workmen It was Dedicated again by him the third day of the twelfth Neh. 12. 27. Moneth which falls out in our twelfth and first Moneths commonly called February and March It was a Festival time with them as we read but it held but that time we mean it was not Anniversary it was not observed the Year after neither by King Solomon nor by that Prince-like Ruler Nehemiah The third time after it was renewed and purged Dedicated by Judas Machabaeus in the Moneth Chisten which answers our tenth Moneth December therefore it was said in the Text And it was Winter It was ordered also that ●he Mac. 4. 59. Feast of Dedication be kept in its season from Year to Year by the space of eight days from the five and twentieth day of that Moneth called with us December Indeed to speak our mind here in passage onely and then to go on This their Feast and th●s your Feast we make bold to call it yours because you seem to own it and to hold for the observation of it falling out pat upon one day would make a wise man after the flesh as surely it doth mad upon that idol-Idol-day to observe it as an holy-day and with more strict and solemn observation then he will or possibly can that onely Holy-Day which hath the stamp of the Lord upon it but of this anon That which is now to be done is to vindicate our Lord going up to that Feast And that in so doing it will not justifie us in our observation of that Festival Day the Church observes all over the Nation or the National Church there First then to justifie our Lords practise 〈◊〉 it needed ou● justification Sect. 3. This we say That our Lord did not observe the Feast but the season or opportu●●●● 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 good As Paul who followed him obs 〈…〉 day of Prince at Jerusalem and afterward ●● Ephes●● Acts 20. 16 Co● 16. 8. See Calvin upon the place There he knew he should find a grea 〈…〉 of people very observant of their ow● days which are devised of their own heart as Jeroboams Feast was and have their own s●a 〈…〉 on them His heart was upon his work the doing 〈…〉 will He did it as chearfully as we eat and drink 〈…〉 the seasons and all advantages to do good the manner of all that walk as he walked He went up to the Feast though of mans institution and as the advise is spragit manum some good might be done some seeds might take as he well knew that knew all things And though i● was winter yet he went up Be it fair or foul Sun-shine or rain Summer or Winter it hinders not a true Christian from doing his duty for he doth in desire and endeavour as Christ did It is natural to the new Creature the divine Nature so to do But now if it be replyed here as we think it will That a Minister is never like to find such a Concourse of people at his meeting place as he may do on that day And therefore if all advantages of doing good may and ought to be taken why may not a Minister preach a good may and ought to be taken why may not a Minister preach a good Sermon on that day and take his Warrant from his Lords practise going up to Jerusalem on that Feast day To this we would briefly reply these things Sect. 4. ¶ 1. It is not always safe to do what we read the Lord did though we may urge him for our example Our Lord went over the Sea on foot he could that made the Sea make the sea solid like the land to bear him up we must not do so unlesse we have a more then his Example his word too as Peter had COME Again the Lord Christ went into a chiefe Pharisees house to dinner Mat. 14. 29. on the Sabbath day where there was great Company and answerably great Cheer probable it is it was a marriage feast Luk. 14. 1. He did not allow of the feast nor of the usage or manners of the guests there nor of our feastings on the Lords day but there he took the season to do good and to correct the ill and being Lord of time and Master of the means and end could remove as pleased him whatever hindered all this which the best Minister in the world is not able to doe which we take to be considerable at this point Secondly we should say granting this that all advantages are to be taken for doing good That as Master Burroughs an excellent preacher in his days saith A Sermon may be preached on that day and another on the following day it being a time of leisure a vacant idle time which no time should be the least minute whereof is too much to give to idleness or sin which is all one the one is the mother the other the daughter his meaning i● A good Minister should take all the advantages to doe good why then take the season give the people their expectation a Sermon on this day so we may do and do well too as he may choose his Text and handle it before the people which will be sure enough if he be a good Minister and a Godly man too to throw out the observation of this day their super●●itions her in and their heathenish customes all that time along which wil not be a good Sermon in the peopl●s eares But if this Sermon be for the holding up of that day the greater the concourse of people shall be the more hurt and mischiese he will do by his Sermon It is the word of institution from the Lord that makes the day holy And the words which the Minister speaks to the people must have a word from God for it else no word of blessing can be expected from the Lord upon it Gods word of blessing goeth along wi●h his word of institution So now we have done with the first undertaking to justifie our Lords pract●se

CHRIST-MAS DAY The old Heathens feasting Day in honour to Saturn their Idol-God The Papists Massing Day The Prophane mans Ranting Day The Superstitious mans Idol Day The Multitudes Idle Day Whereon because they cannot do Nothing They do worse then Nothing Satans That Adversaries working-Working-Day The true Christian Mans fasting-Fasting-Day Taking to Heart the Heathenish Customes Popish Superstitions Ranting Fashions Fearful Provocations Horrible Abhominations committed against the Lord and His Christ on that Day and Days following Ezek. 11. 12. Ye have done after the manner of the Heathen Jer. 7. 31. Which I commanded not neither came it into my heart Gal. 4. 10. 11. Ye observe days I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain Hos 2. 17. compared with Exod. 23. 13. Deut. 12. 3. I will take away the Names of Baalim out of her mouth and they shall no more be remembred by their name London Printed for Henry Cripps and are to be sold at his Shop in Popes-Head-Alley neer Lumbard Street 1656. TO THE READER WE must give out reason though haply you may guesse at it why we put the third Section first Please you to consult the Epistle to the Reverend Ministers there you will find an account of our business and Method of our processe therein and that this of Christmass for we must speak that we may be understood is the third part of enjoyned task But considering that Day is now approaching whereon the God of this world as a world of men have made him and do now as God honour him will be together with the Belly another God of the same make most studiously served with a service well becomming such Gods Riotting and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness considering this time as we said together with thy good now and hereafter we have offered this to thee first least you should run with the multitude that keep Holy-day into all excess of riot whereunto you will feel your selfe driven by a cunning Satan within and another without if a glorious Arm interpose not For so it must needs be where two Gods are served The onely True One is blaspheamed and abhorred Considering we say all this we have done as you see desiring heartily it may be a word well Timed spoken in season and set as upon the Wheel Prov. 15. 23. 25. 11. 12. It is not proper for us now to Charge or to Counsel But wo to that man that will not hear the Charge of the Lord and Counsel from his mouth for so saith the Lord. Therfore indeed of that wo let us pray That we may hear this charged upon us by truely learned and Godly Ministers as deeply as Paul chargeth Timothy upon another account 1. 5. 2. 11. we charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ the Elect Angels That ye enquire into the mind of Christ in reference to the observation of those dayes we very ignorantly and then as boldly if not presumptiously call the Day of his Nativity and Circumcision-No more Then secondly that we hearken what God saith by the said Messengers of the Churches and glory of Christ and as dear children be followers of them as they follow Christ and those truely called Christians who thorow faith and patience inherit the promises And for other guides follow them as they lead to Christ and be commanded by them as they command for him For there is One and but One a Leader Commander for his people Isa 55. 4. He that rules over men should be just and command in the Lord But be that at his peril Look we well to this that we obey in the Lord. The greatest Rulers in the world then much more our petty Rulers in our Towns we will go no higher that we may not out compass our knowledge O how crosse and contrary they are and as they are they run some of them clean crosse to that Onely Leader and Commander stretching out the hand against God and strengthning themselves against the Almighty they run upon him Some yea too many of them even on his neck upon the thick Bosses of his bucklers So Job describes a wicked man in his natural course ch 15. 25. 26. Even so our Rulers in some of our Towns do what they do in Cities we enquire not But we were saying the greatest Rulers in the World are but Rules ruled Jesus Christ alone is the Rule Ruling Beware of him and obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions for my Name is in him saith the Lord Exod. 23. 21. If you shall observe this with all observation you shall do well Farewel SECT III. The Third Query is whether the Day commonly called Christmas-Day is to be kept holy The Negative That it is not to be kept holy is under our Maintenance CHAP. I. WE would promise some things here also very briefly Sect. 1. First to the Reader in common then to the Reverend Minister in special that enjoyned this Task To the Reader That he may be cleared in the progress of our enjoyned and undertaken sa●k which was To hold this forth from sacred Scripture That supp●sing for we may suppose that of which we make no question Christmas-Day is not to be kept holy A godly Minister ought to teach his people so and trouble them ab●ut it and heat them off from that observation whereunto they will feel themselves driven by a cursed thing within them Indeed we hold to this That he ought and must drive his p●ople as he can from the observation of those Times which have not the impression and stamp of God upon them But this we shall n●t meddle with here ●eferring it to its proper place the fift Section This onely as we said falls under our maintenance here That the Day is not to be kept holy And if we are able to make good this Negitive then you may think we have causam facilem no hard task in our hand to cleer this from Scripture That a godly Minist●r must tell his people so as aforesaid and shall we doubt not through Divine Assistance be fully cleered hereafter in the progress of our undertaken task So much to thee Reader And nextly to your self Sir Before we enter upon the debate Sect. 2. and to maintain our undertaking we hold it our duty to cleer you as much as we can in this matter And where we cannot though we do what we can there we will leave you to God to cleer your self before him This we must speak out for your cleering That you did not honour this day while you were amongst us with a Sermon or any other service upon that day though importuned so to do as a sottish brutish people use to do That is all we can say for you that which you say now makes against you as we suppose and now falls under debate for you say That holy men have done it kept the day holy and have maintained their doings in

2 The second is that the feast of Dedication cannot justifie Sect. 5. the observation of this imagenary feast devised of our own heart as Jeroboams was celebrated as a memorial of our Saviours Nativity Our Reason is but one and we a●e not careful to s●ek another for this place This Dedication feast was a known set and stated day returning every year in the return of such a month and of such a day of the month the Temple was reformed purged dedicated It cannot be so said of this day that it was the day on which our blessed Lord and Saviour was born into the world It is true many have been daring this way and one among the rest in some of our hearing from Luk. 2. 11. unto you is born this day the 25. of December But how hath God left them to their own seeking how bewildred have they been how benighted at noon day declaring to all whom the Lord hath instucted to disc●etion that there is no morning in them no light at all except it be that which is in the grave where the light is as darknesse and how great is that darkness we take leave to speak more to this And That it hath posed the best schollers in the world we mean Sect. 6. ¶ 2. best seen in the Records of antient times the two Scaligers the Father and the Son to search out our blessed Saviours birth day and after long search we speak it to our best remembrance as we are helped by one that read it thirty yeares agone and so some mistake may be we were saying after much search to little purpose they gave i● off as impossible to finde it out as to finde the Philosophers stone as Moses his grave whom the Lord God buried there Others not halfe so skilful have adventured on this Search as ever the more blind the more bold and have given us the set and stated day as you finde it in your Almanick mistaken as much in the day as in the weather So as the proverb may be verified of these Searchers as very lyars as the Alman●ck is which for one truth tells us ten lyes The wise Go● befooling the Star-g●zers still as once he did him in antient days so that noble Morneus tells us who foretold a goodly and pleasant year the very year when the flood came that Deluge of wrath which swallowed up ●ll Princes as one saith keep State in their works I● all a mans-actions be level to the lowest his person will be so too Much more the Prince of the Kings of the earth as he doth not love to let the Creature look to ●ha●… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his designs but hideth himselfe and as we may say troubleth and muddeth his foot-steps these are as in the great waters not p●ssi●ly known to us the creature shall not ken them least he should say behold I know them So also this Isa 45. 15. 58. 7. onely Lord of time liketh it not that we should presume to know any more of the times and seasons then he alloweth us to know which is neither more nor lesse then what he hath revealed to us in his word This sufficeth u● to know when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his Son made of a Woman Make we a full stop there But if we will search farther which is our duty to do search we this to the bottom● and h●re we may ●ai●e of the very day to Is he born in our hearts we mean is hee Gal. 4. 19. conceived is he formed in us as our godly Ministers are have we been in travel about it that the sa●ing knowl●dge of Christ may be formed in us till this be we are not forme● for Christians we may have a ●●me we live but we are d●ad And when we are upon this search it will take up so much of our time that we shall not have a minute to spare in s●a●ching out the day he was born in the world Nor shall we regard two straws what others say of it that dares say and do any thing but what they should say and do which should not be a word or a work more but by warrant from his Word and light there which must be the Standard whereat we 〈◊〉 all we say or do in the matters of God the neerest con●e●●●●●●t of his Glory and of our own Souls for you know non loquenaum est de Deo sine lumine We will close this quickly we have bene longer in it because here is something of the Scripture and from the practise of our blessed Saviour to bear out the observation of this day Therefore we would adde this to that before which indeed carrieth much with us 2. That this birth day of Christ in the world lyeth as hidden S●ct 7. ¶ 1. and as we may say buried to us as Moses body was and the same God hid the one who buried the other And wi●l he take it well if we search into that he hath hi● and is it not observable that none of the Evangelists tell us what shape or proportion our Lords body had that none might adventure to picture him sure for he that pictureth him a Man dishonoureth him as much as if he had pictured him a Worm as he that presumeth to shew us the likenesse of God by an Angel dishonoureth God as much as they who made him like a Calfe if we do make him like any thing we make him nothing And so of this day there is altum silentium ne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quidem not a syllable not a title sounding that way And hath the Lord God hid it from us among the secrets of his wisedom He hath Then it is folly and more it is màdnesse for a man to search into those secrets to pluck out that Day thence and shew it openly to the world this is the day The Sun will not be looked into nor gazed upon it is such a vehemens sensibile that it will make the eye stark blind which is ●●eadfastly fixed upon the ou●side of it You may see work and walk by it the light from it but if you wil see ●nto the body of this light you shall neither see it nor your work nor your walk for the Sun will put out the eye that dares so gaze upon it And will the Maker of the Sun the Father of lights suffer man wre●ched man to neglect things revealed for that is th● manner and search into things hidden the secrets of his Wisedome we leave this upon your inmost thoughts We will end with this plaine saying and so the better befitting us Where the Scripture hath no tongus we must have no ears The Scripture is silent here as to the day of Christ birth if we will be speaking to it it is not speaking but prating and talking like Children and foole● or if we shall think that something we Tim. 5 13. 3 Joh. 10. have done we have but magno nisu

them in some heat of spirit for as he had much light so h●d he much heat too much after the rate of those words That if they drank in those da●●nable Doctrines they would spew out Christ or cast their spewings upon him And for the observation of days he speaks much after the same rate They had indeed the stamp of God upon them so hath not this day whereof hereafter and were to be observed with all observatio● holding forth to the eye of faith the Day of Christ to come into the world But when that day came called by the Apostle the fulness of time and he was exhibited and manifest in the flesh then the observation of days must cease and the stamp or institution of God before upon them shall be taken off from them and a curse stampt upon those persons which without repentance shall cleave unto them that will be so daringly bold as to revive the memory of those days and give their observation to them And to all this which we may find through out the Epistle beginning at the first Chapter 8. 9. verses he addeth That if they did observe days they could not observe his words so all his pains was lost upon them he had bestowed upon them labor in vain I●deed Sir This Observation you wot of is not of doubtful construction nor in the number of those matters which may abide leisure for determination We thought it resolved long ago from the Word of God The Day is not to be observed which hath no word or command for it What the State hath done as to the observation of that Day is known to all that would know what the State will do more we know not but this you know for we suppose you have read Christ will not wait the leisure of the State and all true Christians have the mind of Christ so that is their mind too Yet as was said in another case and to allude to it what should the State do after the King of Kings hath so clearly resolved the case as to the observation onely of his Holy-Day returning to us once a Week qui deliberavit desivit He that makes question here is a superstitious person past all question But more necessary truths are to be preached first say you We grant you If there be a more necessary truth then this That what opposeth our Lord Christs his truths must be thrust away as an abomination Let that be preached first but then this must follow for we are peaswaded no one thing more hindreth the Gospel work all the year long then doth the observation of that Idol day once in a year having so many days of cursed observation with it It was smartly spoken by a Heathen man and as wittily for so Heathen Christians were reproved in ancient days rioting in December December mensis erat nune anuus est It was a Moneth returning once a yeer before those Christians came amongst us but now December is all the year long But we will not prevent our selves WHAT did Father Dod in a case very different from ours whose pretious name is like an oyn●ment poured out no sooner named but the place is filled with the savour thereof what did he Thus as we have heard onely a mistake there may be but not considerable betwix your relation and ours being to deal with a great Man that had an head of hair Absolom-like so we read with a Lady so if we mistake not garishly attired you read seeks in the first place to hide pride from his eyes and take down that Idol in the heart A sure way sure for if the Idol within falls it will not stand without This was the way that Luther took also he would not contend with the Popes Miter or the Monks Bellies neither the one nor the other had any cars and it were as if a man would buffet a way the darkness he would preach Christ Jesus the Lord unto them which is as the b●inging of light into a Principate crimen gener is humani summus siculi reasus tota causa judicii Idolatrie It is the principal hainous crime of mankind It is the chief guilt of the world and the onely or whole cause of judgment in the world Idolat Tert. dark place the darkness is gone for the light is come And yet he that shall read his Sermons will find that this was his practise as it was if we mistake not his counse omnis sermo adaptandus est contra Idolatriam every Sermon must be pointed against Idolatry And truly many a by-blow did he lay upon e●rors while he was holding out the truth As a Minister may strike down that day by holding up the Lords Day And yet sometimes he as a good Minister may do may take a Text purposely for the throwi●g down the Idol before the eye as of that in the heart wherefore else have we that choise in the Scriptures Luther had to deal as our Ministers now wi●h no● very intelligent and understanding people being enemies to the Cross of Christ making their Belly their God and their shame their glory Therefore the people at we now were very horn skinned they feel you not till you pierce them to the quick when is that when you strike at their Heathenish Customes and their Belly chear they feel no quick flesh till then And so having in desire and endeavour made the best use of your good counsel we come to make proof from the holy Scriptures That it is the duty of every good Minister to bend his speech when the season is against the observation of this Idol-day CHAP. IV. For the first how else shall he discharge a good conscience Sect. 1. or answer his matters to God The people go on holding fast to their Heathenish Customes and abominable Idolatries and think they do well They never heard their Minister reproving it or restraining them from it The Minister knows if he knows any thing in these matters whence our Feasts as the days of the week and moneths of the year commonly called had their first rise ground or original The first of November a memorial of all their Gods which sounded not well in the ears of those that were newly b●come Christians change therefore the name and for Gods say Saints and keep your Feasts still In December they had their Saturnalia and eight days to celebrate their Feast but being newly turned from Paganism they must not keep the Feast as they did before to the honour of Saturn but of Christ should we mention these things and not with indignation and to gratifie them further upon that score they should have four days added to the number before but eight now twelve very pleasing to the people then as now for who ever heard them say as of the Lords Day what a weariness It is not pleasing to us to proceed to tell you these matters which you must know much better then some of us though you

National Sect. 3. Church do serve the Devil on that day and the twelve dayes following Suppose it so we did pray to God and praise God all day long and night also oh how devout are we on the birth day of ou● bl●ssed Savion●● suppose it so as doub●less such devout persons men and women there may be not a few more devour that day then any day ●or it is a day devised of our own hearts we will be devout on that day how d●ssolu●e so●ver on the L●rds day the manner of these d●vout ones they will do no manner of work on this day as they say the Bird will no carry a straw to i●s nest on Ascension day it will on the Resurrection day though it mour● all good Friday But as we were saying suppose it so we were as devoue as devotion it selfe ou● that day o● on some of the twelved dayes following Hear what that excellently Learned Man D. Owen saith for it is not possible to find words more fit for our purpose The most stopendious endeavours of men the most laborious drudgery of their Souls in duties Pag. 230. not commanded are so far from obedience that they are as high rebellions against God as they can possibly engage themselves into CHAP. VI. WEe will now offer four things to your considerati●n hoping you will allow them some weight in your seriour thoughts God hath abolished his own d●yes Jewish we mean all those festivals that had his own stamp of institution upon them And Sect. 1. can we think and think like men that he will give liberty to man to set up other dayes as they did their Idols of old according to their own understauding If this could be imagined that upon Gods abolishing his own men should have liberty to set up theirs then the Christians were under a more heavy bondage and grievous paedagogue then ever the Jewes were ' for it is better to have an hundred days of Gods ' appointment Vpon Hos 2. 403. then one of mans it is more honourable said excellent Burroughs Consider whether the rising of this day in the heart as to the Sect. 2. observation of it be not the sinking of the Lords day we mean whether the observers of this day are not most notorious profaners of the Lords day and from both the horrible contempt Sect. 3. and prophanation of the Lords day and more then heathenish Bad joy strips God of all No evil carries the heart so totally from God as evil joy It carries away the heart and every heart string A man is very heartily very totally wicke● every faculty every sinnew stretch themselves to sin when sinrul injoys Mr. Lockr Col. 1. p. 234. observation of this day whether a deluge of damnable errors and pernicious opinions threatning a d●luge of wrath be not broken in upon us Be pleased to consider whether the Devil be served by us so affectedly so zealously so industriously so warrantably as the people think taking a command from men and their own lust for a law any season of the year as at this season Not to tell you the observation of the Heathen which was hinted before do men and women so exceed in the pleasures of sin in rioting and drunkenness in chambering and wontonnesse in all excesse of wickedness as they do at this time you call Christmass It is true the Lords day is fearfully profanned as if it had its name from the name Bacchus which was Plutarchs conceit that signifies to live jovially as we say and to speud the day riotously and in mad merriment Yet they onely so spend the Lords day making it the Devils day who are mad upon that Idol day making it as to their observation of it the Lords day So true is that saying we are marvelously pleased with our own inventions specially those that pleaseth flesh as seldom or never do we invent that which crosseth the flesh unlesse upon an after advantage which to our seeming shall reach as high as heaven and so may crosse the flesh at present in hope of after glory the meritorious product of that Crosse You may have read also what a Child in years but a Man in understanding hath written Mans idle time Mr. Ven●ing is the Devils working time he doth most when men do least For as holy Latimer said after his manner The Devil hath more service done him in one day we call holy then in many working dayes Therefore in the last place Consider what you may have read That a whole National Church how is ours declined now tantum non unchurched Sect. 4. her self● some hundred years ago appointed a solemn Fast upon those very dayes we foolishly without a Scripture warrant call the birth and circumcision day of Christ because of the notorious abuses heathenish customes and dam●●ble usages wont to be upon those days we strange that they saw more clearly in their mid-night then we do in our mid-day Are we not dark with light we proceed to tell you our hope and so to an end of this matter CHAP. VII WE believe Sir by this time you see cause enough to improve all your Rhetorick among your people for the throwing down of this Idol day Y●t if you have not enough we will make bold to remember you one thing more and so draw to a close we read the Jewes some of them put this question to themselves What should that sin be which provokes God more against us then ever he was provoked surely said they there is some greater sin then we yet have committed but we cannot finde any offence beside the killing of Christ to be a greater offence then Idolatry surely then the great sin is the rejecting and crucifying the Son of God If we should put this Question to our selves what is the sin which provokes God more against us then ever he was provoked Judge you whether this must not be the answer We reject Christ in the offers and tenders of the Gospel yet pretend to receive him at the Lords Table We have no appetite no desire after him at the hearing place but a Dogs appetite we have to the bread on his Table representing his sacred body there Again we worship him according to our own understanding we for the most part all the National Church over and in every parochial Church there put all the dishonours upon the Lord Christ and his onely holy day such a Church are we so notorious for our brutishness while yet we give honour to this day of his Birth as we call it and serve him all the day long after our own manner Shall not God be avenged of such Idolaters as we are shall not he send a curse upon us will he not curse our blessings yea hath he not cursed them already because we lay it not to heart Hath he not punished us with the sorest punishment what is that A punishment made of sin The Lord hath delivered us up even the greatest part of that bulky body the National Church into a reprobate mind void of judgement we are abominable Idolaters we Idolize days and places and duties and the graces those we have we idolize too we lean to any thing to every thing but him whom onely we should make our ●ean to A just judgement upon such Idolaters as are we and now our eares are seated against instruction Thunder in the eare of an Idolater a strict observer of this day and other dayes of mans institution and he hears no more then doth the deaf stone nor doth he move any more then a Mill-Post A sore judgment upon Idolaters a superstitious Christian a ceremonial Hypocrite he observes a day devised of his own heart he is more hard and Rocky then a Turk is Jews or Pagans are and he is as cruel too as cruelty it self A bloody man if he be a super●●itious man so saith Luther as bloody as Paul while he was in his Cell though my shoulders are weak with fasting yet had he lived in those times he would have carried some Faggots to make the fire wherein John Husse and Hirron of Prague were burnt more burning Idolaters all and every one of them men and women and all are hard-hearted and bloody ones all as Edom was he did pursue his brother with the sword and did cast off all piety his anger did tear perpetually and kept his w●ath for ever So true is that which that excellent man hath upon Jer. 15. 19. Superstition and persecu●ion will-worship and tyranny are inseparable concomitants Therefore Sir bend your Tongue against these superstitious persons else it may be feared you will bend your Tongue the other way and speak to your self in Pauls Language your labour is in vain with your people if you prevail not with them in this thing mind well that learned mans words Docter Owen of Tol. p. 78. in a case not very differing Your not opposing here is providing you allow that you oppose not there being no middle thing betwixt those two Lift up Christ Jesus the Lord and you lift up his day too and throw down man and you throw down his Idol day also where Christ is lifted up self is abased and the rising of his day will be the falling of the other The spirit that stoopeth lowest you have hea●d and we hope you know is best prepared to become a thrown for Christ And to shut up if you know those as sure enough you do that lift up this day which every good man we think will throw down till him or them they have no morning in them their light is like that in the grave where the light is darkness and how great is that darknesse But here is a double comfort 1 The folly of these is now manifest to all m●n they shall not proceed much farther 2 the Devils are Christs prisoners and should not be suffered to walk up and down in the world but that there is need of them And for your sel●e Sir we hope you know your duty and are learning it every day more perfectly and to do what you know looking up to him and calling for his spirit which leadeth us by the light of his word into all necessary truths Amen ERRATA Page 1. line 1 for promised read premised FINIS