Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	day_n	lord_n	sabbath_n	1,964	5	9.6405	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89194	Christmas, the Christians grand feast: its original, growth, and observation, also of Easter, Whitsontide, and other holydayes modestly discussed and determined. Also the beginning of the yeare, and other things observable. Where also among other learned men, you have the judgment of those eminent men; Josephus Scaliger, Rodulphus Hospinian, Matthæus Beroaldus, Joh. Causabon, Doct. Fulk, M. Cartwright, Alsted, Hugh Broughton, Master Mead. / By Thomas Mocket; sometimes of Queens Colledge in Cambridge, and Mr. of Arts in both the Universities; and now pastor of Gildeston in Hartfordshire. Novemb. 26, 1650. Imprimatur, Edm. Calamy.	Mocket, Thomas, 1602-1670?.; Scaliger, Joseph Juste, 1540-1609.; Hospinian, Rudolf, 1547-1626.; Beroald, Matthieu, d. 1576.; Fulke, William, 1538-1589.; Alsted, Johann Heinrich, 1588-1638.; Broughton, Hugh, 1549-1612.; Cartwright, Thomas, 1535-1603.; Mede, Joseph, 1586-1638.; Casaubon, Isaac, 1559-1614.	1651 (1651)	Wing M2304; Thomason E619_4; ESTC R202886	21,287	27

of fasting and thankesgiving A. No because to fast on some speciall occasion● we have not onely an old Testament l Joel 1. 14 15. 2. 12. to 18. Isa 58. begin but also a new Testament 1 A Gospell approbation Mat. 6. 16 17 18. 2 A Gospel command Mat. 9. 15. 3 A Gospel example Acts 13. 2 3. So for dayes of thanksgiving we have sufficient warrant from Gods Word Psal 50. 14 15. Exod. 15. 2 Chron. 20. 26 27. Hester 4. 16. and 9. 17 18 19 20. but we have neither Scripture precept approbation nor practise for keeping of this nor the other holy days Ob. But some have said Our fathers and fore-fathers for many hundred years have observed these days especially Christmas Easter and Whitsontide and the observation of them hath been approved by Parliaments Councils and Synods and are now grown wiser than all those that we should now reject them A. I much reverence and honour Parliament Councils and Synods and forefathers but they were but men as we are and did erre fouly witnesse the establishing of Popery the Masse praying for the dead praying to Saints Angels Images Pictures and the Crosse yea and adoring and worshipping of them and of some Saints Saints Bones cloathes and other Reliques 2 They lived in times of lesse meanes of knowledge and more ignorance we of more means and knowledge 3 As godly and learned and wise men have in all ages disallowed and condemned the observation of these dayes as any that allowed approved of them And so hath our late English Assembly of Divines and Parliament also done whom I beleeve are as pious and learned as ever any in any former age in this Nation 4 The matter is not who is most learned pious and judicious but which party hath Gods Word on their side and sound reason and for this let the judicious Reader judge by what I have said I magnifie not my self but desire to prefer the wisedome and Authority of God before and above all mens whatsoever and so far only follow me as I have Gods Word for my warrant homo sum errare possum at haereticus esse nolo Q. But is it not meet that a day should be set a part in hand of Christ our Blessed Saviour A. Yes very fit but it must be only that day which himselfe hath appointed and sanctified to that end and therefore called it by his own name to appropriate it to himselfe viz The Lords day Revel 1. 10. and hath commanded us to remember to keep it holy Ex●d 20. 8 9 10. Remember the Sabboth day to keep it holy is the day of rest the Sabboth of the Lord thy God we may not set dayes a part of our own head and without his minde Neither may any impose the observation of any day for this end least they be found to be Intruders of humane inventions in stead of Gods Commandements on the consciences of Gods people whereof Christ only is King Ob. But many have religiously observed these dayes in preaching hearing praying singing holy conference c. And have gotten much good thereby A. True but ten to one have got more hurt and done more evil in these dayes than on any other time contracted more guilt and done Christ more dishonour than on all other dayes Besides the observation of dayes and times without Gods warrant and greviously abused to supperstition and prophanesse is not lawfull for Christians on pretence of some good gotten by duties of Gods worship on those dayes which may as well be on any other dayes Ob. But some say still I see no hurt in them they offend not me I observe them out of love and duty to my Saviour and with a good intention and well meaning I do no hurt to any man and therefore I hope it is no offence to Christ A. Good intentions and wel meanings cannot justifie any unwarrantable practise as good and well meaning Vzzah found by wofull experience 2 Sam. 6. 6. The action it selfe was good his ayme and end good and the man surely a good man yet he died by the immediate hand of God for touching of the Arke to save it when the Oxen shook it and it was in danger to be broken into pieces because he had no warrant to touch it being not a Le vite 2 Love to God must be shewed in obeying his commands Joh. 14. 15 21. 1 Joh. 2. 3 4. and 5 3. But the observation of this festivall in honour of Christ I thinke hath been clearly proved to be unwarrantable not of Christ's appointment of meer humane institution and therefore no duty to Christ It hath also been extreamly abused to superstition and prophanesse and is not on the day Christ was borne and against the command of the Magistrate and therefore is sinfull offensive to God and men at least to the most godly and judicious knowing Christians sinfull and dangerous to the soul and if thou be convinced that what I have here said is true then thy observation of it is a sin against conscience a presumptuous sin and so a dangerous sin which as David so all good men should carefully watch and pray against Psal 19. 13. Ob. But the poor complain saying This doth put down all good house keeping and hospitality Many Gentlemen hereby take occasion to lay aside all charity whereby the poor formerly had much relief at their tables and doors A. The more is their sin and shame who make that the occasion to withdraw more than is meet and a cloak for their covetousnesse I here speak not against charity but against the unwarrantable observation of this festivall and the superstition great abuses and disorders and prophanesse of the time Rich men may now with much lesse charge and trouble be much more beneficiall to the poor if they please and ought to be free-hearted and free-handed to the poor and to their neighbours And I earnestly intreat them in the fear of God to consider these Scriptures which are exceeding full of pressing arguments to encourage them to charity Pro. 11. 25. The liberall soul shall be made fat Pro. 21. 13. whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor their knowing cryes vvants and necessities though themselves out of shamefac'tnesse do not cry himself shall cry and not be heard 2 Cor. 9. 6. He that soweth sparingly shall reap sharingly but he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully As full or more full are these follovving Eccles 11. 2. Pro. 11. 24 25. and 21. 15 26 and 22. 9. and 25. 21. Mat. 10. 42 43 and 19. 21. Luke 6. 38. Gal. 6. 7 8 9 10. 1 Tim. 6. 17 18. Jam. 5. 1 2 3 4 5. Ob. But then Servants and Touth shall have no time of liberty to refresh themselves visit their friends and mend their apparell A. 1 The Sabbath or Lords day is a day of rest from servile labour appointed by the Lord himself yet may not be spent any part of it in carnall delights but wholly in religious exercises 2 Other time I read of none in the Scripture 3 I am vvell contented there should be sometime allowed by the State for that end and if not sure I am Masters and Governours of families ought to allow some convenient time to their servants for such occasions and do freely do so my self Upon the fore-mentioned grounds and such like the Parliament and Assembly of England and Scotland have abolished and taken away the observation of December 25 and all other holy days forbidden us to observe And I hope no truly conscientious Christian well weighing the premisses will any more plead for the observation of that or any of those Paganish or Popish holy days nor observe them but rather study to honour Jesus Christ by sanctifying his Sabboth sincere obedience to his Commandements living soberly righteously and godly in this present world and labour to abound in all works of charity Howsoever I have discharged my duty and the Lord make his blessing go along vvith his truth FINIS LONDON Printed by R. L. for Richard Wodenothe and are to be sold at his shop at Peters Church in Cornhill 1651.

and riotous feast of Idoll Bacchus and Pan as Hospinian truly saith It is true also that Beroaldus observeth Bercald Chronicorum l. 4. c. 1. that the pretence of celebrating the memory and vertues of some eminent godly Christians brought in holy dayes Primum ad otium d●inde ad nequitiam ad caetera quae otium alit mala inducit and holy days idlenesse and idlenesse prophanenesse and all licentiousnesse but we may say of the observation of holy days as our Saviour in another case from the beginning it was not so The truth is that holy days Monkery Nunnery solitary life Images praying for the dead prayer to Saints departed and Angels as Mediatours were brought in by the factors for Antichrist yet with such specious pretences and seeming devotion and holinesse that even many good men were strangely deceived by them till it was too late to withstand them But by those Christmas sports carnall pleasures and delights God hath in those few holy days been more dishonoured the devill better served evill men more hardned in their wickednesse and good men more grieved and more souls sent head-long to hell than on any other day yea than on all the rest of the year beside Wherefore those godly Fathers Augustine c Augustine the father flourished A. C. 4 o died 433. B●llar de Script Eccles Alst●d Chronolog and others observing those growing evils that followed thereupon wished Pagan festivals had never been turned into Christian feasts but quite abolished the better to avoid all heathenish customes dissolute and prophane practises And although the disorders and abuses of those days were afterward condemned by Councils and Synods as by the Councill of Rhemes A. C. 1583 by the Synod of Toures in France the same year and by others before and since yet all in vain no rooting of them out but by taking away the observation of them wholly as experience sheweth Thus we see who first appointed those holy days we formerly kept as holy festivities viz. the Heathen Pagan Idolaters in honour of their idol devill gods the souls of some dead Heroes which all Christians ought to abominate and that long after such idolatrous use of them some seducing and seduced Christians turned the same days into Christian festivals in honour of Christ and the Saints in complyance with the Heathen Idolaters out of hope to draw them to a Christian Religion but though the corruption of mans nature especially they having no divine warrant from Iesus Christ so to do it turned to the hardning of the Heathens in their Idolatry and the universall and abominable corruption of the Church of Christ 5 Now let it be considered whether Christ was born as on that day which commonly goes under his name or about that time and surely upon inquiry wee shall finde that hee was not born then but rather about the end of September in October d Hospinian de orig fest Christia Matthaei Beroaldi Chron. l. 4 c 12. Hen. Wolphius in Ch●ō The Jews Ch●istian aera or a●coun● 〈◊〉 birth of Christ beginni●g in September Josephus S●aliger de Emend temporum Hugh Broughten in his Consent of Scripture in A. M. 3953. Jo ban Cansabon ●xe●c●t p. 91. Scaliger a so in Canonibus Isagogi●is p. 297. Mr. M●ad ●iatriba 3. part p. 617. c A●sted Praecog T●●ol p. 532 572. Alsted Chronol p. 19. 22 74. 120. Encyclop p 2998. Who addeth further ut docent e●uditi Chronol●gi It is the opinion of the most learned Chronologers saith Mr. Mead Di●triba 3 d. port p. 6. 8. Doctor Drakes sacred Chronog p. 72 73. Scharpius Symphon Veteres animad vert●sse Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum natum fuisse aquinoctio Autumnali quae cansa est ut annos inde sic exorsiprioris aetatis Christiani quos à Domini nativitate solita est inc●oare Vetus Ecclesia B●roaldi Chron. l. 4. p. 236. which I thus clear beside the learned Authors judgment mentioned in the margine First from the time of his conception which was towards the end of December or in Ianuary at the farthest and therefore his birth being full 9 moneths or 40 weeks after must fall about the end of September or in October which I think evident by laying down these Propositions which I believe are manifest truths 1 That the Jews Ecclesiasticall year began in Nisan alias Abib Exod 12. 2. This moneth shall be to you the beginning of moneths the moneth in which Israel came out of Egypt Exod. 13. 4. which contains the latter part of our March and the former part of our Aprill 2 That the Jewish year consisted of twelve moneths 3 That in those 12 monethes were 24 courses for the Priests to serve in the Temple each Priest fourteen days 1 Chron 24. v. 1 and 6. to 20. 4 That in Abiatus course c Alsted Chron. p. 19 20 74. which was the eighth course or fortnight from the beginning of Abib which began on the latter part of our March with our Marchmoon then That mistake that Zechary was high Priest and officiated in September in the feast of Tabernacles may easily be confuted from the text Luke 1. v. 1 8 9. the primitive practise of the Church of Alexandria which was very exact in their accounts they celebrated the birth of Iohn the Baptist Aprill 2● 13 the 28 mensis Pharmutii saith Cyrill in an Homily on that occasion Also by the perpetuall observation of the Jews and is fully done by S●harpius Scaliger Causabon Ber●●ldus Mead * Scharpi Symphon p. 471. Causahon out Scaliger Exercit p. 91. Bercald Chron. l. 4. c. 2. Meads Dia 〈◊〉 triba 3 pa t. p. 620. and others 5 That after Zecharies course of ministring in the Temple was ended and Zechary returned home his wife Elizabeth conceived him who was after called John Luke 1. 5 6 13 19 23 24 After these days that is the end of his course and ministery his wife Elizabeth conceived c. which was in the latter end of our July and John was born in the end of our Aprill f Scharp Sym. phon p. 473. Alsted Chron p. 20. 74. 121. Brough●ons Consent in A. M. 3953. Causabon out of Scaliger de Emendatione temporum in Canonibus Isagogi●is p. 29● Causa●●● Exercitati p 91. or thereabout 6 That our blessed Saviour was conceived in the wombe of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost six moneths after the conception of John the Baptist Luke 1. 7 26 27 to 36. which must fall out about the end of December or in January six moneths after the end of July the time of Johns conception These things being granted which I think cannot be denied it must of necessity follow that Christs birth which was nine moneths or forty weeks after must fall out about the end of September or in October especially he being her first-born Secondly I clear this assertion concerning the time of Christ's birth from the time of his suffering thus

4. l. 19. was for the 8 Kalends of Aprill is March 25 or they that say he was born on December 25. as did Orosius Some of the Ancients held that Christ was born January 6 and they call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some on April 29 some on May 19 or 20 some in September some on December 25 saith Hospinian and I. Causabon ſ Hospin de origine fest Christ Causabon Exercit 1. p 91. some on March 25 then the day of the Vernall Equinoctiall saith Middelburgensis t Middelburg l. 19. c. 4. And accordingly the birth of Christ was celebrated by the Roman or Latine and French Churches on December 25 saith Theophilus Caesariensis Palestinae Episcopus The Aegyptians Graecians and Armenians a people in Asia celebrated his Nativity and Baptisme both together on our Epiphany January 6 saith Cassianus and Hugo u Hugo in Matth. c. 1. others on the 15 day of mensis ●yb and about January 9 some others on the 14 or 15 mensis Pharmuthi that is Aprill the 9 or 10 as Cyrill informs us in an Homily on that * Cyril in hom ejus argumenti occasion The first institution of it cannot be known saith Hospinian and the first mention of its observation that he could finde though a diligent searcher into Antiquities of this kind was by Theophilus In Pasch Epist Saint Theophilus Bishop of Antioch A long time after the Lords Ascension there was no day or certain time appointed for the observation of the birth of Christ saith Beroaldus x Beroa●d Chro. l. 4 p. 238. longo post Ascentionem Domini tempore nullum fuisse festum aut cer●o tempore distinctam diei natalis observationem yea there was no certainty agreed upon in Epiphanius time as himself witnesseth who lived almost 400 years after Christ and it was after the time of Constantine the Great who died about 337 that the 25 of December was chosen and first in the Latine or Roman Church but not in the Greek Church till the days of Chrysostome y Mast●r Mead Diatriba 3. part p. 619. who made an oration yet extant at the first observation of that day which he says they received from the Roman Church he flourished A. C. 400. But Beroaldus saith z Beroald Chron. l. 4. c. 1. p. 236. 238. Hospin de orig sest Christ f. 66 there was nothing certain instituted til A. C. 532 and that as it seems the first Councill that determin'd that day was the Council of Aurelia or Orleans in France A. C. 558 and after that the 10 Councils of Toledo in Spain A C. 621 but it was observed long before that and surely God hath purposely concealed that day of Christs birth that none might superstitiously observe it as he did Moses sepulcher Q. But if Christ's birth was about the end of September or in October why then did the Ancients set that time apart in memory of Christ's birth and not some other neerest to it A. The Ancients who changed that Pagan festivall to Christs Nativity did not therefore pitch on that day because they thought he was then both saith Hospinian Paulus Jovius and others especially J. Causabon a Hospin de orig fest Christ f. 160. Paulus Jovius bist l. 38 Hugo in Matth. c. 2. Causobon Exercit. 1. p. 91. Videntur Pii Patres c. Religionem facilius admissum iri sperabant si eadem opera impias Gentium solemni ates deberent novas inst●tuerent quae ad verum Dei cultum p●rtinent but because they hoped that the turning the Heathens feasts on these days which were observed to christian as they did also some other Pagan holy-days observing the same days still but to a better end and use would be a means to draw the Ethnicks from Paganism to Christianity but it turned to a quite contrary effect to wit the hardning of the Heathens in their idolatry and ways of sin and the great corruption of the Church of God with heathenish customes prophane and superstitious practises through the pronenesse of people generally to carnall pleasures superstitious and prophane customes and practises and especially through the idlenesse luxury pompe power wealth and dissolutenesse of the Popes clergy the superstitious Priests and Monks of Rome Christian now long since turned Antichristian following step by step Rome Heathen who brought in and countenanced Spurcitias Gentilium the filthinesse dishonesty and uncleannesse of the idolatrous Gentiles as many good Authors and b Salvion de Gubern Dei l. 3 Greg. Magnus hom 17. in Evangel Moral l. 6. c. 17. Aug. de Civit. D●i l. 2. c. 20. Franc. de Croy his first conformity Synodus Tironensis sub C●arl Magno A. C. 742. Can. 5 Jeffery Chaucer his Plowmans tale See many others mentioned in Master Prins Histriom p. 760. c. which I have not read Councils inform us Wherefore I conclude this section that conformity unto and retention of the Heathenish customes in the observation of days and perticularly of those days first consecrated to Heathens spurious idoll Deities is not commendable in Christians sutable or agreeable to the Gospell though under pretext of honouring Christ and his worship but to be renounced and cast off for ever with detestation of all Christian pious hearts 6 But suppose it were true and certain that Christ was born in the Winter Solstice on that day we heretofore observed in memory of his birth viz. December 25 the contrary whereunto is I think clearly and fully proved yet now by reason that our year consisteth of 365 days and 6 hours is longer then the true naturall and tropicall year by 11 minutes and 15 seconds or thereabout every 25th day of December is so much later then the former so that the 25 of December this present year 1650 fals out about thirteene days or more later than the true account of time and later than it was then which Julius Caesar instituted the Julian-Yeare the same yeare that is now in use among us about 54 years before Christ was born also later by almost so much then it was on that year Christ was born therefore our 25 of December is not the day but December 11 when the Sun enters into Capricorn though the former supposition were granted which may not be and therefore not to be observed in memory of Christ especially by knowing Christians least by their practise they should teach others also to believe that for truth which is very untrue that Christ was born on that day by which also we may see how untruly though ignorantly many did say the Collect appointed for that day Almighty God which hast given us thine onely begotten son to take our nature upon him and this day to be born c. 7 The celebration of our December the 25 in memory of Christs Nativity supposing further that he was then born M. Cartwrights Annotat. on the Rhem. Test Gal.