Church vniuersally keepes Similiter etiam si quid horum tota per orbem frequentat Ecclesia nam hoc quin ita faciendum sit disputare insolentissimae insaniae est This conclusion of the Church his Maiesties pleasure was to ratifie by Act of Councell and command cessation from labour vpon these fiue dayes to the end the holy Exercises appointed to be done thereon might be the better attended PP Piscator describes a festiuall day on this manner Festum propriè loquendo est publica solennis ceremonia mandata à Deo vt certo anni tempore cum singulari laetitia obeatur ad gratias agendum Deo pro certo aliquo beneficio in populum suum collato A feast in proper speech is a publique and solemne ceremonie commanded by God to bee celebrated a certayne time of the yeare with singular gladnesse to giue thankes to God for some certayne benefit bestowed on his people Hooker intreating this Argument entitules the subiect Festiuall dayes He makes festiuall solemnities to be nothing else but the due mixture as it were of these three elements Prayses set forth with chearfull alacritie of minde Delight expressed by charitable largenesse more then common bountie and sequestration from ordinary labours By these descriptions wee may see that the Sabbath day is not properly a festiuall day The ordinary Sabbath is weekely The festiuall is Anniuersary Wee may fast vpon the ordinary Sabbath but wee cannot fast and mourne vpon a festiuall day c. Vpon the ordinary Sabbath all the parts of Gods worship may bee performed Vpon festiuall dayes proper Texts Epistles Gospels Homilies and Sermons are framed for the mysterie of that day So that the ordinary Sabbath is morall and for the worship of God in generall the festiuall is mysticall Essentialia festi the essentiall parts of a festiuall day are cessation from worke hearing of the Word participation of the Sacraments commemoration of diuine mysteries may be performed vpon the ordinary Sabbath but to make vp a festiuall day Bellarmine requires a determination of day signification and representation of the mysteries wrought on such dayes ANS The description made by Piscator is proper onely to the festiuall dayes prescribed in Gods Word Hookers is more large and may bee applyed to the Ecclesiasticall Festiuities The Iewish Sabbath according to these descriptions is not properly festiuall yet the Lords day was esteemed such by the primitiue Church and ancient Diuines who held it not lawfull for Christians to fast thereon Proper Texts Epistles Gospels c. are not to bee framed for the mysterie of the festiuall day as yee say but for the benefit and diuine action appointed to be remembred thereon If by the ordinary Sabbath yee vnderstand the Iewish Sabbath it was not onely morall but mysticall as their festiuall dayes were and if by festiuall dayes yee vnderstand the dayes obserued in the Christian Orthodoxe Church we deny them to be mysticall If by essentialia festi yee vnderstand the essentiall parts of the worship performed on the festiuall day wee deny cessation from worke to be an essentiall part of the worship but only concomitant and consequent thereto because it cannot be commodiously performed without cessation from other businesse As to Bellarmines opinion himselfe professes that it is contrarie to the iudgement of our Diuines For they hold as wee doe that our Festiuall dayes are not obserued for signification and representation of our mysteries or memorable workes wrought on these dayes or as a part of diuine worship but for order and policie as meete and commodious circumstances for commemoration of the workes and benefits of God thereon Bellar. de cultu Sanctor l. 3. c. 10. PP Six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to doe These words are either a command to doe the workes of our calling as many both Iewish and Christian Diuines doe interpret or else a permission as others doe interpret If they contayne a command no countermand may take it away If a permission no humane authority may spoyle men of the libertie that God hath granted vnto them as long as they haue any manner of worke to doe for the sustentation of this life The Muscouites therefore say very well that it is for Lords to keepe Feasts and abstaine from labour The Citizens and Artificers amongst them vpon the Festiuall dayes after diuine Seruice to betake themselues to their labor and domestick affaires as Gaguinus reports ANS Whether the words of the command bee preceptine or permissiue I will neither curiously nor contentiously dispute but it seemes they are not preceptiue for if wee were commanded to spend the whole sixe dayes in seruile labour then times could not bee lawfully appointed for publike Prayers in Cities at morne at euening nor ordinary times for preaching on the weeke dayes or for exercise or for catechizing nor times for fasting vpon vrgent occasions without sinne and breach of the Precept Next the precept to the order taken by Superiours for publike actions that by a mutuall harmonie the weale of the whole bodie both temporall and spirituall may be procured Otherwise if by this permission the libertie were granted to euery person which you imagine to attend his own businesse without respect of order or subiection to policie there could be nothing but confusion amongst men The generall libertie granted to men touching the vse of times meats clothing talking sleeping watching c. takes not away the power of Ciuil Ecclesiastick Gouernors to set down Constitutions Canons touching the Dispensation of these things for the weale of the Countrey Neither doe the Lawes and Ordinances touching this Dispensation spoyle men of their libertie but directs them how to vse it profitably and well The Act therefore of Councell and Proclamation made thereupon commanding cessation and abstinence from all handie-worke vpon the fiue dayes that euery one may the better attend the holy exercises appointed for these times cannot bee called a spoliation of the libertie which God hath giuen to men for labour seeing as hath beene said that libertie is not absolute but subiect vnto order Moreouer if we consider the matter it selfe this which yee say will appeare to be a manifest calumnie For if vnder the Law God did not spoyle his people of libertie when hee appointed them to rest two dayes at Pasche one at Whitsonday one at the Feast of Trumpets one at the Feast of Expiation and two at the Feast of Tabernacles how can the Kings Maiestie and the Church be esteemed to spoyle vs of our libertie that command a cessation from labour vpon three dayes only throughout the whole yeere for two of the dayes commanded to wit Easter and Whitsonday are Sondayes Last of all he cannot be said to bee spoyled properly that makes a profitable interchange without any losse but he that changes the exercises of the body which are little worth with the exercises of Pietie which is profitable to all things makes
the Festiuall dayes as the Lords Day PP It is lest free to teach any part of Gods Word on the Lords day but for solemnitie of the festiuall solemne Texts must bee chosen Gospels Epistles Collects Psalmes must bee framed for the particular seruice of these dayes and so the mysticall dayes of mans appointment shall not onely equall but in solemnities surpasse the morall Sabbath appointed by the Lord. ANS If by the solemnitie of the Festiuall yee vnderstand the honour done to the Day wee deny that wee are appointed to choose any Text or frame our Doctrine and Exhortations thereto but if by the solemnitie of the Festiuall yee vnderstand the coÌ„memoration of the benefits made on these daies it is true that euery Minister is ordayned to choose pertinent Texts and frame his Doctrine and Exhortations thereto But vpon this yee will neuer conclude that these dayes which yee falsly call mysticall doe not onely equall but surpasse the morall Sabbath in solemnitie for the whole solemnitie hath onely respect to the benefits which on these times are remembred and no respect at all to the Time The solemnitie not being obserued for the Time but the Time for the solemne remembrance of these benefits The Lords Day otherwise is not onely obserued for the diuine seruice that is performed thereon but the same seruice and publike worship which may bee omitted on all the sixe dayes must be performed on the Lords Day because God hath appointed it to be sanctified with these holy Exercises PP If they were instituted onely for order and policie that the people may assemble to religious exercises wherefore is there but one day appointed betwixt the Passion and the Resurrection Wherefore fortie dayes betweene the Resurrection and Ascension and ten betweene the Ascension and the Pentecost Why follow we the course of the Moone as the Iewes did in our moueable feasts making the Christian Church clothed with the Sunne to walke vnder the Moone as Bonauentura alludes Wherefore is there not a certayne day of the Moneth kept for Easter aswell as for the Natiuitie Does not Bellarmine giue this reason out of Augustine that the day of Natiuitie is celebrated onely for memorie the other both for memorie and for Sacraments ANS Saint Augustines opinion alleadged by Bellarmine is not receiued by the reformed Churches as the reason moouing them to obserue these times for they expresly deny that they keepe these times for any mysterie or Sacrament that is in them but onely for order and policie which directeth all things to bee done to edification and allowes vs to make choyce of such circumstances as are most meet to promoue the spirituall businesse whereunto they are applyed And this is a kinde of Christian prudence and dexteritie for who knowes not what moment there is in the opportunity of Times and Places to aduance actions Now because no times can be found more conuenient for a solemne commemoration of the Birth Passion c. then these which are either he same indeed by reuolution or in coÌ„mon estimation they follow in this the iudgement of the primitiue Church esteeming it pietie to prefer vnitie with the Catholike church in things indifferent and lawfull to the singularitie of any priuate mans opinion or the practice of any particular Church The allegation of Bonauentura his allusion in such a graue point is ridiculous for if the Sunne and the Moone bee taken mystically as they are in the Reuelation in this case the Church clothed with the Sunne that is with the light of the Gospell walkes not vnder the Moone that is according to the opinions and fashions of the world but treading these vnder foote followes the rules of order and decency for edification If by the Sunne and Moone these two Planets be vnderstood which God created for signes seasons dayes and yeares So long as the Church is militant on earth shee must vse the benefiâ— of these Creatures in the determâ—nation of times for all her actions PP If the Anniuersary commemorations were like the weekely preachings Why is the Husband-man forced to leaue his plough at the one and not at the other Why did not Master Galloway curse the people for absence from the one aswell as from the other ANS I answere Although the circumstance of Time whereon the Anniuersary commemoration is made differs not in holinesse or any mysticke signification from the weekly dayes of preaching yet it differres in frequency and raritie for the dayes of weekely preaching doe returne and to astrict the Husband-man to leaue his plough so often were against equitie and charitie but the times of these commemorations being so rare to wit three seruile dayes onely in the yeare and the exercise so profitable Reason would if the Husband-man willingly did not leaue his plough at these times that by authoritie he should be forced aswell for his owne benefit as for eschuing scandall and contempt And Master Galloway had reason to curse these who for contempt and with offence of their Brethren absented themselues from the Sermons of Christs Natiuitie Lastly the difference of the seruice on these dayes from the weekely and ordinary makes them not to differ in holinesse or mysterie from the weekely dayes more then the difference in seruice which is performed on the fift of August and fift of Nouember makes these two dayes to bee mysticke or more holy then other times PP To make solemne commemoration of Christs Natiuitie vpon any other day then vpon the putatiue day of his Natiuitie would be thought a great absurditie ANS If yee haue not fallen into this absurditie yee must grant that yee neuer made in your time any solemne commemoration of Christs Natiuitie And I verily beleeue that in this omission yee haue many companions by whose negligence God hath beene defrauded of the honour due to him for this benefit and the people lacked instruction in a principall Article of Faith This Article is the ground of all the rest for as Chrysostome sayes If our Sauiour had not beene borne he had neither suffered nor risen againe from the dead and thereupon he calls the day of this commemoration Metropolim omnium Festorum Euen for this it was expedient that a certayne time of the yeare should haue beene appointed for this commemoration which otherwise would haue been neglected and as yee say thought absurd But to returne to your Argument The commemoration of Christs Natiuity is no more astricted to the 25. of December then to any other time for although the 25. of December by ordinance of the Church bee dedicated to that religious seruice yet the seruice is not astricted to the time as the seruice of the Iewish festiuities which lawfully might not be performed on any other dayes then the festiuall The commemoration appointed by our Church to bee made on these fiue dayes may lawfully be performed at other conuenient times although on these dayes the same must not bee omitted For the seruice ar I
Superintendent of Glasgow his Diocesse Cliddisdale Renfrow Monteith Lennox and Cunninghame His Residence in Glasgow The Superintendent of Dumfreis his Diocesse Galloway Carrick Niddisdale Annandale with the rest of the Westdales his Residence in Dumfreis These were the bounds of their Iurisdiction their Office is described as followeth The function and power of the Superintendents THey must not be suffered to liue as idle Bishops hitherto haue done neither must they remaine where gladly they would but they must be Preachers themselues Charge and command shall be giuen them to plant and erect Churches to sett order and appoint Ministers as is prescribed in their Countries After they haue remained in their chiefe Towne three or foure monethes at the most they shall enter in Visitation in the which they shall not onely Preach but examine the life diligence and behauiour of the Ministers as also they shall trie the estate of their Churches and the manners of the People They must further consider how the poore are prouided and the youth instructed they must admonish where admonition needs and redresse such things as by good counsell they are able to appease Finally they must note such crimes as be hainous that by the censures of the Church the same may bee corrected After all this the order of election of Superintendents is set downe which we haue more largely before the booke of our Psalmes in meeter This being one of the chiefe points of policie concluded in that booke how is it that yee haue dispensed with your oath hereabout And by what power is your oath loosed concerning this head Shall men bee tyed by the Oath to the ceremonies prescribed in that booke and not to the substance of the policie to alterable circumstances and formes of actions and not to the power of gouernement whereby they should be disposed and ordered What can be answered to this by him that vrges the Oath for the controuerted points consisting in ceremonies gestures and circumstances for the indifferent Reader iudge But because it is true that one mans fault excuses not another leauing you to your consciences we answere for our selues according to the one and twentieth article of the â—onfession of our Faith That we thinke no policie nor order in ceremonies can be established to endure for all ages times and places and that whatsoeuer things are appointed by men they are all temporall and may and ought to be changed when necessitie requireth Hereupon we say That no man 〈◊〉 by the Oath oblige himselfe to obey and defend that part of Discipline which concerneth these alterable things all the dayes of his life but onely that discipline which is vnchangeable and commanded in the Word Yea we further affirme that euery man who sware to the discipline of the Church in generall by vertue of that oath standeth obliged not only to obey and â—eâ—end the constitutions of the Church that were in force at the time of making his oath but also to obey and defend whatsoeuer the Church thereafter hath ordained or shall ordaine to be obserued for edification comlinesse and deâ—encie whether thereby the former constitutions bee established or altered and abrogated euen as they who sweare to obey the gouernment of a Kingdome or Citie are by their oath not onely obliged to obey the present Actes and â—awes but all which shall afterwards bee made for the Common-wealth howbeit the former be thereby discharged as when Lawes are made for exportation and importation of goods for weights and measures for fishing cutting of woods for peace for warre and whatsoeuer constitutions they bee that are made such as haue giuen their oath of obedience are thereby tyed to reject the former and obey the later I conclude this with the doctrine of that learned Diuine Master CALVINE Instit. lib. 4. cap. 10. sect â—0 God would not saith hee in externall ceremonies and discipline prescribe particularly what we ought to follow because he foreâ—aw that to depend on the condition of times neither â—id he iudge â—ne forme agreeable to all ages Heere then saith he we must flie to the generall rules which God hath giuen that according to them may be defined whatsoeuer the necessitie of the Church requires to be appointed for order and decencie Finally seeing God hath set downe nothing of those matters expressely because they are not necessary to saluation and are diuersely to bee applyed to the manners of euery age and for edification of the Church it is lawfull as the vtilitie of the Church shall require as wel to change and abrogate these that haue been in vse as to appoint new ceremonies I confesse indeed that we should not runne rashly and vpon light motions vnto nouation but what may hurt and what may edifie Charity can best iudge which if wee admit to bee moderatrix all shall be in safetie and goe well Thus farre Caluine whereby he doth manifest that the Church hath power to change and innouate as necessity requireth all the particular ordinances shee maketh of things alterable and they who in generall haue sworne to obey the Discipline of the Church are all bound by their oath to kneele at the Communion to obserue the fiue Holy dayes and to obey all the rest of the Articles concluded at Perth That which yee afterwards subjoyne touching the forme and force of the Oath we approue onely we wish you to consider seeing it is a part of Ecclesiasticall Discipline as well to change and abrogate ceremoeies in vse as to appoint new That yee by all these forcible formes of the Oath which cannot be loosed are obliged to follow the Church in the alterations shee makes and to defend and obey the Actes and Constitutions that concerne the same and that all who disobey in their owne persons or by their exemplary practise and perswasions induce others to disobey and rebell to the disgrace of their Mother the Church and the breaking of the bond of peace whereby the vnitie of the Spirit is conserued doe assuredly lye tyed vnder the fearefull cords and chaines of periury except they seriously repent The Libeller hauing ended his foure Considerations propounds some defences vsed by them who submit â—hemselues to the Actes of Perth whom contumesiously 〈◊〉 calleth Temporizers and to other Defences maketh his owne Replies First saith he they make themselues freed 〈◊〉 the Oath because the nouation was made by the King 〈◊〉 the Church their Superiours vnto this he giueth a 〈◊〉 answere 〈…〉 that this nouation could not bee â—â—wfully made by the King because hee himselfe did â—weare the Confession of Faith Next that the Church â—ould not make any such nouation because all of the Church did sweare the Oath either personally or really â—ersonally all who subscribed the Confession of Faith â—hich he reckons to haue been the generall assemblies of 〈◊〉 Church Synods Presbyteries Schollers passing their â—egrees and Burgesses when they obtained their Liberâ—â—es Really Children sweare in the persons of their Paâ—ents and all the
aboue the Church Neither are they obserued in the reformed Churches or ordayned to be obserued in ours according to the intention of the Papall dedication of dayes that is as Bellarmine sayes tanquam sanctiores sacratiores alijs diebus tanquam pars diuini cultus as more holy and sacred then other dayes and a part of diuine worship but onely as fit circumstances for the worship of God appointed to be done vpon them ordinis politias causa for order and policie Further by the words of the Confession and by the Article formed Anno 1581. it is manifest that the dayes abiured are the dayes dedicated to creatures but our dayes are dedicated to Christ and therefore not abiured PP In the Assembly holden in February Anno 1587. it was humbly moued to his Maiestie that Pasche and Zule were superstitiously obserued in Fife and about Drumfreis ANS So would we complaine if any of these dayes were superstitiously obserued for by the act of Perth it is ordayned that Pastors in their Sermons vpon these dayes should rebuke the superstitious obseruation and licentious profanation thereof PP In the Assembly holden 1590. his Maistie in open audience of the Assembly praised God for that he was borne to bee a King in the syncerest Church in the World syncerer then our neighbour Church of England syncerer then Geneua it selfe for they obserued Pasche and Zule ANS His Maiestie from his youth vp hath euer kept these solemne times and wished the same to be kept by all his Subiects without abuse So who will beleeue you that such a speech was vâ—â—ered in that assembly for at that time neither were yee present your selfe not hauing passed aâ— that time your degrees in the Schooles noâ— does it appeare by the matters intreateâ— in that meeâ—ing that the occasion of any such speech was offereâ— And put the case such a saying had beene 〈◊〉 by his 〈◊〉 at that time a young King and of â—â—sse experience in matters 〈◊〉 â—ame should not controll the iudgment of an old wise Monâ—râ—a whom a long time and great experience 〈◊〉 â—aught â—â—comparable prudence You may remember that of the Apostle When I was a child I 〈…〉 and it is a true speec◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latesâ— cogiâ—ationâ— are wisest PP In the Parliament holden Annâ— 1592. The act of King Iameâ— the third about the Saturday and other vigils to bee kept holy from Euen-song to Euen-song was anulled Item the act made by Queene Regent granting licence to keepe Zule and Pasche ANS The licence granted by the Queene Regent did authorise the Papisticall that is the superstitâ—ous obseruation of Zule and Pasche therefore it was rightly annulled But to what purpose alleadge ye the Act of vigils PP In the Assembly holden Anno 1596. when the couenant was renued superstition and idoâ—atrie breaking forth in keeping of festiuall dayes setting out of Bone-fires and singing of Carrols are reckoned amongst the corruptions which were to be amended The Pulpits haue sounded continually against all festiuall dayes The censures of the Church haue beene put in execution in all due forme against the obseruers ANS Yet the commemoration of the inestimable benefits of our redemption vpon these fiue dayes was not reckoned amongst the corruptions to be amended Neither did Pulpits sound nor were censures put in execution against preaching prayers and other holy exercises in these dayes for at that time the Preachers gaue all obedience to the acts of the Church made concerning these things But doe yee not see by the regraite made at this Assembly and by the acts complaints and ordinances by your selfe rehearsed that the abstayning from preaching and reading at these times hath not remoued from people their superstitious opinions of the times nor yet abolished the enormities and abuses committed in them Certainly nothing is so powerfull to abolish prophanenesse and roote out superstition of mens hearts as the exercise of diuine worship in preaching praying and thanksgiuing chiefly then when the superstitious conceits of merit and necessitie are most pregnant in the heads of people as doubtlesse they are when the set times of these solemnities returne for then it is meetest to lance the oposteme when it is ripe Vpon these and such other reasons it pleased his Maiestie to require and our Church to condescend that commemoration of the benefits purchased to vs by the Natiuitie Death Resurrection and Ascension of our Sauiour should be made solemnely on these dayes according to the practise of all other reformed Churches And there is no question the errours of the multitude shall hereby bee farre more easily remoued then by any prohibition that can be made to the contrary and therewithall the people better instructed in the principall grounds of Religion then they could by occasionall Doctrine as also the honour of God more highly aduanced for wee know that ordinary seruices are performed with lesse regard and more coldly then these which come more rarely to bee celebrated Of all these the hope is the greater that now wee owe it to our King vnder God the Churches are planted with able and sufficient Pastors meete to discharge these duties So by the Assembly at Perth there is nothing concluded either contrarious to any former constitution of the Church or to any sound Doctrine deliuered from Pulpits in former times 〈…〉 The Act about Festiuities In the 〈◊〉 of this Act the Assembly professes to abhorre all that was condemned by any Ecclesiasticall Constitution touching the obseruation of these dayes It is therefore consonant to former Acts. In the Conclusion the Pastors are appointed to rebuke all supersâ—â—tious obseruation and liceâ—cious profâ—â—â—tion thereof This agrees with all the sound Doctrine deliuered from Pulpits concerning this point That which is interlaced in the Canon Saint Augustine affirmes to bee Apostolique Epist. 118. ad Ianuarium Illa autem qua non scripta sed traditâ— custodimus quae quidem toto terrarum orbe obseruantur dantur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel à plenarijs Concilijs quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima autoritas commendata atque statuta retinere sicuti quod Domini Passio Resurrectio Ascensio in coelum aduentus de coelo Spiritus Sancti anniuersaria solennitate celebrantur si quid aliud tale occurreret quod seruatur ab vniuersa quacunque se diffundit Ecclesia that is Whatsoeuer things are not written but by Tradition obserued through the whole world must be thought to haue beene prescribed by the Apostles themselues or then to haue beene ordayned by generall Councells whose authoritie hath euer beene great in the Church as namely The anniuersary celebration of the Passion Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord with the descending of the holy Ghost or any such like thing that is obserued by the whole Church diffused through the world And in the same Epistle hee affirmes that it is most insolent madnesse to doubt if that should bee obserued which the
a profitable change without losse therefore hee who makes this change according to the Proclamation is not spoyled of his liberty but maketh vantage by the right vse thereof Here it shall not bee amisse to recite Zanchius opinion in this purpose who defending their opinion that esteeme the words to contayne a command moues a doubt and answers it after this manner Verùm enimuerò videtur cum hac sententia pugnare c. That is But this fights against their opinion that hold the words to be a command that it was euer lawfull to Gods people to assemble themselues on other dayes beside the Sabbath to heare Gods Word to bee present at Prayers to offer Sacrifices and such other things belonging to outward worship which farre lesse can bee denyed to vs and therefore beside the Lords Day other dayes are instituted in the Church ad feriandum ab operibus seruilibus to rest from seruile workes if not for the whole day yet for the morning time He answeres Facilis est horum conciliatio sicut opera diuini cultus praeponenda sunt operibus seruilibus ita haec sunt omittenda quando illis vacandum est c. that is These things may be easily reconciled as the workes of Gods worship are to bee preferred to seruile workes so these must be omitted when those are to bee performed And a little after We sinne not against this precept sayes hee when wee ceasse from our seruile labour to waite on Gods worship quoties ordo Ecclesiae aut necessitas postulat so often as the order of the Church and necessitie requires This is Zanchius iudgement vpon the fourth precept of the Law in the sixe hundred sixty two page of that Worke. And if a precept cannot impede the appointing of solemne times for the worship of God farre lesse can a permission The Muscouites saying that it is for Lords to make Feasts and abstaine from labour is true yet amongst them Festiuall Dayes are obserued That the Citizens after diuine Seruice on these Dayes betake themselues to their labour wee doe not reproue because it is agreeable to their policie PP It may be obiected that Constantine the Emperour made a Law that none but the Prince may ferias condere erect an idle day The Prince then may enioyne a day of cessation Answ. The Lawes of the Cod. are not Rules of Theologie A Prince may not enioyne cessation from Oeconomicall and Domesticke workes but for weapon-shewing exercise of Armes defence of the Countrey or other publike workes and affaires But that is not to enioyne a day of simple cessation but to enioyne a politicke worke in place of the Oeconomicall ANS Though the Lawes of the Cod. bee not Rules of Theologie yet where they are not contrary to Scripture they are good Rules of Gouernment to Princes and of obedience to Subiects That the Prince may enioyne a day of cessation from seruile worke for the worship of God is not only not contrary but most agreeable to Scripture The Festiuall Dayes of Purim kept by the Iewes were confirmed by the Decree of Queene Esther Esth. 9.32 It is written in the Booke of Ionah the third Chapter and seuenth verse That ye the Decree of the King of Niniue and his Nobles a Fast was proclamed The Feast of Dedication graced with the presence of our Sauiour was instituted by Indas Machabaeus and the people 1. Mach. 10. And if the King may command a cessation from Oeconomicall and priuate workes for workes ciuill and publike such as the defence of the Crowne the liberty of the Countrey c. What reason haue yee why hee may not enioyne a day of cessation from all kind of bodily labour for the honour of God and exercise of Religion Is hee not custos vtriusque tabulae If the one may be done as yee grant for the weale of the politicall body much more may and should the other bee done for the weale of the Mysticall especially when the order of the Church so requires PP ANS 〈…〉 dayes agrees with Pâ—etie and Charitie but to enioyne the obâ—eruation of a weekly day besiâ—es the Sabbath were against Chaâ—â—tie Euâ—â—tie Is this a good Argumentâ— The Câ—urch may not doe that which is vnlawfull therefore shee may not enioyne that which is lawfull or this The Kâ—â—g may neyther banish not put to death an honest and peaceable Subiect therefore he may not execute a Traytor or banish a seditious man This kinde of reasoning is more then childish PP I say further that the poore Crafts-man cannot lawfully bee commanded to lay aside his Tooles and goe passe his time no not for an houre let be for a day And yet farther that he ought not to be compelled to leaue his worke to goe to diuine Seruice except on the day that the Lord hath sanctified ANS This is a strong argument confirmed with the great authoritie of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I say further But what say yee to that which is ordayned in the first Booke of Discipline out of which yee tooke your first argument in this dispute of daies In the ninth Chapter thereof we haue these words In euerie notable Towne we require that one day beside the Sonday be appoynted to Sermon and prayers which day during the time of Sermon must be kept free from all exercise of labour aswell to the Maister as to the seruant When yee discussed the oath yee cited the ordinances of this Booke as poynts of Discipline sworne vnto and subscribed If it bee not lawfull to commaund and compell a man to goe to diuine Seruice except vpon the Lords day why did yee sweare in the assertorie oath that it was lawfull But yee will say I sware not that he might be compelled but if he may be lawfully commanded to cease from his labour during the time of diuine seruice he may be as lawfully compelled to obey the coÌ„mand Necessitie ye know excuses the breach of the Sabboth it selfe But the precepts of this Booke ye vse or vse not as they may serue to your purpose Such of them as yee allow must all be obserued vnder the paine of periurie others that are contrarie to your opinion must be reputed reiected as vnlawfull PP It is the priuiledge of Gods power to appoynt a day of rest and to sanctifie it to his honour as our best Diuines maintaine c. If the speciall sanctification of a day to an holy vse depends vpon Gods commandement and institution then neither King nor Church representatiue may make a Holy day ANS Dayes are sanctified and made holy as are places two manner of wayes some places were made holy by annexing to them a peculiar worship instituted by God which lawfully could not be performed in another place such were the Tabernacle and the Temple which were also holy by reason of the typicke and mysticall signification wherewith they were clothed by diuine institution These places did appertaine to the worship not as mere circumstances
ceremoniall for then ciuill and naturall and all kinde of dayes should be ceremoniall but it was the mysticall signification which they had and the ceremoniall worship appropriated vnto them That the Apostle forbiddeth the obseruation of these dayes and not simpliciter of dayes is manifest both by that which goeth before vers 9. and that which followeth vers 21. The dayes whereof hee speakes were Elements of the Law from the which that we might be deliuered Christ was made vnder the Lawe And the obseruation of these dayes was a remayning still vnder the seruile yoake of the Law But there was neuer man before you that did thinke the obseruation prohibited for any naturall respect such as the yeerely weekely or monethly reuolution is but onely for some legall consideration or some heathenish superstition And seeing for these respects onely the religious obseruation of dayes is discharged it is a caption ab accidenti to conclude that the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes is forbidden I answer to the third that to esteeme one day holier then another for any inherent holinesse they haue by nature is superstitious and to esteeme one day holier then another for any sacramentall holinesse that they haue by diuine institution is Iudaicall but for the vse whereunto the day is applied as a meete and commodious circumstance so to esteeme it is no more superstitious and Iudaicall then to esteeme a Temple holier then a priuate house and the instruments vessels and clothes that are vsed in the ministration of Sacraments more holy then other common instruments and vessels These we call holy onely by reason of their separation from a common vse to a religious So this argument is a caption ab homonymia I answer to the fourth That one thing is properly said to be substitute to another when it is applied to the same vse Our Pasche and Pentecost are neyther applied to be memorials of the deliuerance out of Aegypt nor testimonies of our thankfulnesse for the First-fruits of the earth nor to be shaddowes of our spirituall deliuerie to come and of the First-fruits of the Holy Ghost neyther doe wee offer the Passeouer nor the First-fruits nor any legall sacrifice and so in no respect are they substitute to these times but they are dedicated to the commemoration of Christs resurrection and the comming downe of the Holy Ghost not as mysticall and sacramentall ceremonies and a part of the diuine worshippe which the Papists esteeme them to be but as they are fit and meete circumstancess onely for these holy exercises To the fift and last argument I answer That the anniuersarie dayes of the Iewes are abolished in euerie respect for which by them they were obserued and so are the weekely and monethly daies but as the weekly and monthly course was not the respect for which the Sabbath and New-moons are abolished no more is the anniuersarie reuolution of the feasts the respect wherefore they were abrogate but because they were shaddowes of things to come and remembrances of temporall benefits as of their deliuerie out of Aegypt which was also typicall And because they had a legall worship appropriated vnto them which was likewise ceremoniall Now to conclude vpon this that the obseruation of anniuersarie dayes vnder the Gospell is abolished is a caption à non causa pro causa For the anniuersarie daies kept vnder the Gospell are not obserued as any part of diuine worship or as shaddowes of things to come or as memoriall signes and Sacraments of by-past temporall and typicall benefits but they are obserued as commodious circumstances for the worship appointed to be done on them to wit the commemoration of the inestimable benefits of our redemption which are not temporall and peculiar to any People or Nation such as the deliuerance of the Iewes out of Aegypt and their dwelling in Tents remembred by their Pasche and their Feast of Tabernacles but eternall and common to all Nations and People Neither is the worship performed on them legall and ceremoniall but euangelicall and spirituall Thus the obseruation is wholly different The time is appointed to be obserued not as a shadow but as a circumstance onely the wâ—rship is not the sacrificing of beasts or oblation of First-fruits but the Preaching of Christ who is the body the veritie the yea and amen and end of the Lawe and the Oblation of prayers thankesgiuing and praises in his name to the Father and the benefits which are remembred are not temporall and typicall but eternall and spirituall PP The prerogatiue belonging to God in the Old Testament was transferred to Christ God and Man the Law-giuer in the New-Testament one that was faithfull in all the house of God But so it is that Christ neither by his owne commandement nor by direction of his Spirit inspiring the Apostles instituted any other day but the Lords Day c. ANS The Theologie of your Preface or Proposition I vnderstand not I learne in the Scripture that the Prerogatiue of the Father is communicated with the Son and that all power in heauen and in earth is giuen to our Lord Iesus Christ. But I neuer read that God hath made any translation and denuded himselfe of any prerogatiue in the New Testament that belonged to him before in the olde That which ye subioyne that Christ and his Spirit hath instituted no other day but the Lords Day we freely graunt for if it were euident that the fiue dayes had beene instituted by Christ then we behoued to obserue and esteeme them as necessary parts of Gods worship and not circumstances determined by the Church to the worship of God for order and policie which we hold with our best Diuines And therefore wee say in the verie first wordes of our Act Wee abhorre the superstitious obseruation of Festiuall dayes This superstitious obseruation is nothing else but an obseruation of them with opinion of necessitie that is as necessarie parts of Gods worshippe instituted by Christ. So in this wee agree yet I doe not allow of the reasons which yee vse for probation hereof Your first argument is If there had beene any other dayes dedicated to Christ the Apostle spake vnproperly and obscurely when he said Hee was rauished in the Spirit vpon the Lords Day For if there had beene a day for his Natiuitie and another for his Passion he should haue said that he was rauished in the Spirit vpon one of the Lords Dayes This argument is friuolous Although all the Festiuall dayes vnder the Law were dedicated to God and were called Sabbaths yea sometimes Sabbath Sabbathôn yet none of them is called the Sabbath of IEHOVAH or the Lords Sabbath that is reserued to the seuenth day of the Weeke and the seuenth Yeere which resembled Gods rest And although all the Synagogues were Houses dedicated to God yet the Temple is not called one of Gods Houses but the House of God euen so the Day of Christs resurrection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the
the body of all these shadows is and next the libertie giuen by God to the Christian Church mentioned by Isaiah as ye heard before For as by the first we are freed from the bondage of the Law and the obseruation of the set times therein prescribed so by the second all times are sanctified to the worship of God in so farre that the Christian Church may make choyce of any time in the weeke any day in the moneth or yeere for their publique meetings to his worship And as for the Lords Day which hath succeeded to the Iewish Sabbath albeit God hath coÌ„manded to sanctifie it by the publike exercise of religioÌ„ yet neither is the whole publike worship nor any part of it appropriated to that time but lawfully the same may be performed vpoÌ„ any other conuenient day of the weeke of the Moneth or of the yere as the Church shall think expedient Vpon this ground Zanchius affirmed Ecclesiae Christi liberuÌ„ esse quos velit praeter dominic dies sibi saÌ„ctificaÌ„dos deligere And by this warrant did the primitiue Church sanctifie these fiue anniuersarie dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion Resurrection Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Ghost Where it is obiected that it is onely proper to God to make holidayes I answer That it is onely proper to God to make times and places holy by appropriating to them a diuine worship which may not bee performed lawfully but in these places and on these times such as the Tabernacle and Temple and the Iewish Festiuities vnder the Law were for vnto them was appropriated by God a worship which might not be performed on another day and so these dayes did not only belong to the worship as meere circumstances but were proper parts or points thereof and could not bee omitted without marring of the whole action In which respect these dayes were holier then other dayes because a part of Gods worship consisted in obseruation of them Such holy dayes the Church cannot make But to make times and places holy by consecration of them to an holy vse the Church hath power for the dayes that she appoints are obserued only for order and policie and haue no relation to the worship performed on them as any Rite or religious Ceremonie belonging necessarily to the integritie thereof The Natiuitie of our Sauiour may bee remembred and publike thankes giuen to God therefore vpon any other time as well as vpon the twentie fiue of December likewise the Passion Ascension and the rest of these benefits yet wee remember them at certaine set-times not because the times require such a worship or the worship such a time to the integritie and lawfulnesse thereof but to the end the worship may be performed orderly once euery yeare in euery place vpon one day that all people wheresoeuer they be at home or abroad may bee instructed and admonished to prayse and magnifie the grace of God and goodnesse of their Sauiour Herein the reformed Churches differ from the Papists who Iudaize in obseruation of those Festiuities because they professe to obserue them not for order only but esteeme them to be sacratiores sanctiores alijs diebus pars diuini cultus which we doe not For the Lords Day it hath succeeded to the Sabbath and is holy by diuine Institution hauing for euidence and confirmation thereof both a morall Precept and the exemplarie practice of Christ and his Apostles in Scripture In the forth command after the labour of six dayes the seuenth is appointed to bee sanctified in memoriall of Gods rest from his six dayes worke and the particular day not being expressed in the command was notified to the people either by the exemplary practice of Moses and the Church in the Wildernesse or by tradition of the Fathers going before if so it be that from the Creation that day was obserued Now after the legall shaddowes are abolished whereof the Iewish Sabbath was one if any will demand what day must bee obserued in the Christian Church wee answere that questionlesse for the quotient of the number the day cannot bee altered which by the Law is appointed Heauen and Earth shall perish but one iot of the Law shall not perish Our Sauiour came not to dissolue the Law but to fulfill it In the Law wee heare that God rested the seuenth Day that he blessed and sanctified it and there is a libertie giuen to labour six dayes but the seuenth is commanded to be kept holy so howbeit the Iewish Sabbath which was the shaddow be materially abolished as touching the particular Day yet the Day commanded in the Law formally must remayne and euer be the seuenth after six dayes worke But if yee will aske seeing the seuenth Day in particular is not expressed in the Law and that day which the Iewes obserued is abolished by Christ as the shaddow by the body how the particular and materiall Day may bee knowne that the Christian Church should obserue Vnto this we answere that the particular Day was demonstrated by our Sauiours Resurrection and his Apparitions made thereon by the Apostolicall practice and the perpetuall obseruation of the Church euer since that time of the Day which in Scripture is called the Lords Day as that which the Iewes obserued was called the Lords Sabbath because as the one was appointed by the Lord for a memoriall of his rest after the Creation so the other was instituted by the Lord for a memoriall of his Resurrection after the Redemption For this wee must hold as a sure ground whatsoeuer the Catholike Church hath obserued in all Ages and is found in Scripâ—ure expresly to haue beene practised by Christ and the Apostles such as the sanctification of the Lords Day the same most certainly was instituted by the Lord to bee obserued and his practice in that is exemplar and hath the strength of a particular precept Hereby it is manifest that the sanctification of the Lords Day is of diuine Institution as well by reason of the diuine Precept commanding the seuenth Day in generall to bee obserued as of the diuine practice of Christ and the Apostles their specifying the Day which hath the force of a particular diuine Precept In respect whereof the obseruation of this Day is a point of diuine Worship and is holy not by Ecclesiasticall Constitution but by diuine Institution Moreouer this Day is holy by appropriation of it to a certaine religious vse whereunto no other Day can be applyed namely to bee a memoriall of the Lords rest after the Creation and of his Resurrection after the Redemption As also to be a signe of our sanctification here and of our glorification hereafter as is manifest by the words of the holy Ghost Exod. 31.13 It shall be a signe betweene me and you that I the Lord doe sanctifie you and that of the fourth to the Hebrewes A rest is left to the people of God wherein we should studie to enter For this wee must hold
the very beginning of the world it hath beene vsed Parents doe yet confer their blessing in this manner to their children and when spirituall blessings are giuen there can bee no offence to doe it with the like ceremonie But I heare that some cannot abide to heare the word of Confirmation the thing it selfe gladly they admit but they would haue examination or some the like word put for it Not onely the abuse but the very name of the thing abused so tender are the hearts of some men must be put away For this shortly I say that the Scriptures neuer taught vs to place Religion in wordes Saint Luke made no scruple speaking of a street in Athens to call it the street of Mars And the ship that Paul sayled in he names by Castor and Pollux though both these were the Idols of Pagans If names were to be stood vpon we should put our selues to great businesse it behoueth to change the names of our Moneths and Dayes which some haue pressed vnto but wise men know this to be folly Besides the word of Confirmation was vsed in the Church long before Popery was hatched as is manifest by Saint Cyprian Saint Augustine Tertullian Eusebius and others And thus much of Confirmation The Festiuities which are the next are impugned by this Argument amongst others That hereby wee conforme our selues to Papists in the keeping of holy dayes But had this Argument beene of any force would the reformed Churches haue agreed so vniformely in the obseruation of them All of them so farre as I know keepe holy the dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion Resurrection and Ascension with the Descent of the holy Ghost The Churches of Bohemie Vngarie Polonia Denmarke Saxonie and high Germany The Heluetian Churches the Belgique and those of the low Countreyes The French English and Geneua it selfe in the beginning of reformation obserued them all The day of Natiuitie they yearely celebrate if I be rightly informed the rest are abrogated and by what occasion reade the 115. and 128. Epistles of Caluin where after he had shewed the occasion of their abolishment hee addes Ego neque suasor neque impulsor fui atque hoc testatum volo si mihi delata optio fuisset quod nunc constitutum est non fuisse pro sententia dicturum For the opinions of the rest of our Diuines in this particular Bucer Martyr Bullinger Zanchius Aretius Polanus Paraeus and Tilenus with all that I haue seene speake manifestly for it Tilenus his words in his Systema which came forth the last yeare are these Alios dies praeter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad peculiarium quorundam Dei beneficiorum Christi gestorum solennem anniuersariam in Ecclesia commemorationem celebrari nulla religio vetat modò prudens cautio accedat Ne videlicet vel vllius rei creatae cultui consecrentur vel insitae diebus illis sanctitatis opinio foueatur vel denique ignauo otio foedisque voluptatibus hac occasione fenestra aperiatur I find in a Synod kept at Middleburgh Anno 1584. a Canon there made that all holy dayes should be abolished except the Lords day and the day of Christs Natiuitie and Ascension But if the Magistrates shall require moe to bee kept then the Ministers shall labour by preaching to turne the peoples idlenesse into godly exercises and businesse These be the wordes of that Canon which I haue cited aswell to shew you what that Church ascribes to Magistrates as because our case in this particular is verie like His Majestie as you know hath charged all his Subiects by Proclamation to abstaine from seruile labour in these times and it should become vs wel as that Act speaks to turn them from idlenes to godly exercises For to dispute of the lawfulnes of the prohibitioÌ„ neque huius fori nor will any Subiect that is in his right wits presume to doe it I doe not vrge the testimonies of the Fathers in this poynt because of them you who were at the last Assembly heard enough And they who eleuate the consent of antiquitie in this matter saying That the mysterie of iniquitie was then begun to worke will reuerence as I trust the iudgement of these reformed Writers who haue laboured to discouer that Mysterie and will thinke it no commendation to them to be dissenting from all the Churches that haue beene and are in the world Of the last Article which requires kneeling as the most reuerend gesture in partaking the holy Sacrament of the Communion I haue neede to say much seeing great stirres are made for this and as I esteeme without any cause The Apostle when he professes to deliuer vnto vs that which hee receyued of the Lord speakes not either of sitting or kneeling or standing by which it is euident That situs vel positus corporis in coena as Zepperus speakes is not of the essence of the Sacrament but to be numbered amongst these circumstances which the Church may alter and change at their pleasure Where it is said that wee ought to conforme our selues to Christs action yee know it is answered That if so were it behoued vs to lye along about the Table to communicate with men and not with women And in the Euening after supper receiue this Sacrament which things were ridiculous to affirme Peter Martyr an excellent witnesse of Gods truth In classe secunda Locâ—rum communium Cap. 4. speakes otherwise Nihil interest saith he si coenae Dominicae sacramentum stantes aut sedentes aut genibus flexis percipiamus modò institutum Domini conseruetur occasio superstitionibus praecidatur And in his Defence of the doctrine of the Eucharist aduersus Gardinerum answering the same argument which Bellarmine brings for reall presence Although in receyuing the Sacrament saith he we adore the Lord by kneeling we doe not thereby testifie the realâ— and corporall presence of Christ in the Sacrament for adoration the mind not being applied to the elements but to the things signified may lawfully bee vsed Peter Mouline in defence of his Maiesties Apologie against the Frier Copheteau where the Frier alledges some testimonies out of S. Ambrose S. Augustine and S. Chrysostome to proue the adoration of the consecrated Hoste answers That the Fathers say nothing but that which wee willingly graunt Is there any amongst vs saith he who euer denyed that we ought to adore the flesh of Iesus Christ Who euer doubted that wee ought to adore him in the Eucharist But he that adores Iesus Christ in the Eucharist does not for all that adore that which the Priest holds in his hand but he adores Iesus Christ who is in Heauen These worthie men scorne as yee see Bellarmines argument howbeit wee can take out of an enemies mouth and make somewhat of nothing to beare out our owne conceits Th. Beza did not approue this gesture of kneeling yet did he neuer esteeme it Idolatrie as some of our Spirits doe In his 12. Epistle he writes
any inconuenience in the state euen by himselfe it could not bee denyed that in a Church Assembly such as that was his Maiestie might lawfully craue an innouation of any Church Rite which hee esteemed not to be conuenient for the time From this Argument they went to another of Christ and the Disciples sitting at the first institution in discussing whereof they were brought to acknowledge the gesture not to bee of the essence of the Sacrament but alterable at the discretion of the Church Only they held the custome formerly receiued to be the better This was the proceeding of the first Conference wherein because matters could not be brought to any point continuation was made to the morrow after and they warned to meete againe at eight of the clocke in the morning The Libeller affirmes the Propositions made by them touching the order of dispute and the rest to haue beene reiected by the Moderator adding that he determined by himselfe and that the fewer Reasons proponed by the Ministers were cut off by cauilling and quarrelling at mens persons whereas a number are witnesses and can well remember that they were heard with patience to alledge what they could and answered in that which they proponed till themselues could say no more and that nothing was done but according to the custome kept in such cases in all Assemblies Wednesday the 26. of August THe Conference being met as was appointed after inuocation of the Name of God the Reasoners were desired to proceed where they had left the night before and not to trifle time with speeches of small consequence which was the effect of all the discourses the Libeller seemes to complaine of The reasoning continued from eight vnto eleuen of the clocke And when the whole Reasons proponed by the two forenamed were in the iudgement of all men satisfied others were required and had place giuen them to propone their Arguments also which was done in good order and with such modestie as could be wished It were needlesse here to repeate the seuerall Arguments and Answers seeing they are all in the Disputation subsequent at large set downe onely where the Libeller sayes That reasoning was cut off and the Article of kneeling put to voyces It is true that norhing remayning to bee said more in that head then was proponed the Archbishop desired these of the Conference â—o giue their iudgement in the matter reasoned They opponed that the custome was not to vote in Conference any matter before it were brought to the full Assembly but it was proued otherwise by these who had frequented the Assemblies both of old and in the latter times as likewise it was told them that these Conferences resembled the meeting of the Lords of Articles in Parliament where matters are accustomed to bee prepared and put in order before they bee proponed to the whole State And that the voting in Conference was by way of aduice onely and not to determine The power whereof belonged onely to the Assembly This being acknowledged by the whole number to bee so they offered that were present to giue their owne iudgement without preiudging the Assembly as accordingly they did The whole number some ten or eleuen excepted declaring that by the Reasons proponed or any thing else they conceiued they could not deny but a change might bee made of the gesture in receiuing the holy Sacrament and that it seemed to them conuenient for the Church to embrace the Article proponed by his Maiestie about kneeling in regard of his desire and resolution to haue the same forme here established The Libeller either forgetting himselfe or misse-informed for by the whole Narration he makes it would seeme hee was not present himselfe casts this in the after-noones Conference though the same was done in the morning but this any man may well thinke is but a light errour yet it may appeare by this how little the Narration he makes is to be regarded for he brings in the Moderator in that afternoone saying to such as conuened That the Article of kneeling was concluded by the Conference and immediately after sayes That the same was put to voyces where it is strange the Moderator should so forget himselfe as to say a thing was voted and incontinent propone the same to bee voted againe but this we will passe After the aduice concluded to bee giuen to the Assembly in this point it was thought meet that the Article presently reasoned with the other Articles proponed by his Maiestie should all of them be formed in the best and most agreeable words that could bee deuised for remouing all offence that might bee taken at the same and no aduantage giuen to the Aduersaries of the Truth and to this effect were named some graue and wise Brethren who were desired to haue the same in readinesse at foure of the clocke in the after-noone it being thought meet that the full Assembly should not meet before Thursday againe at which time all might be prepared Wednesday at after-noone ALbeit the meeting of the full Assembly was differred to the next day yet that after-noone the whole number thronging in whether that they were not aduertised of the delay or that they desired to bee present with the Conference came thither which the Archbishop perceiuing he tooke occasion to excuse the delay of meeting with them declaring how farre they had proceeded and that the Conference had committed the Articles to bee formed vnto certayne Brethren who were at that time to present them and therefore desired they should haue patience till the morrow and leaue the Conference for that time by themselues which they did How soone they were remoued these who were appointed to forme the Articles being inquired what they had done answered That they had formed the Article about kneeling but had no leisure to consider of the rest This being read which they had put in forme was well liked of and they required to haue the rest in readinesse at the time of the Assemblies meeting the next day The Libeller here remembers a word that escaped the Moderator while as they resisted so importunately the voting of the Articles in Conference saying That hee would commit twentie preiudices to please the King whereas the truth is that after many answers made to giue them satisfaction and shew that no preiudice was either intended or done to the Assembly when as nothing could content them but still they talked of preiudice he willed them to be quiet for rather then his Maiestie should offend with the Church and these troubles come vpon it which were iustly to bee feared hee would commit twentie such preiudices as these were The rest of that after-noone was spent in talking as the Libeller sayes vpon Simony c. but in the deuising some ouerture for the restrayning of that abuse to bee proponed to the whole Assembly which the next day after was by vniuersall consent allowed As likewise the Commission for the planting of the Church of
thinke that any policie and order in ceremonies can be appointed for all ages times and places for as Ceremonies such as men haue deuised are but temporall so may and ought they to bee changed when they rather foster superstition then that they edifie the Church vsing the same Likewise in the seuenth chapter of the second booke of Discipline registred amongst the acts of the generall Assembly anno 1581. we haue two conclusions to the same purpose set downe in these words The finall end of all Assemblies is first to keepe the Religion and Doctrine in puritie without error and corruption Next to keepe comlinesse and good order in the Church For this orders cause they may make certaine rules and constitutions pertaining to the good behauiour of all the members of the Church in their vocation Secondly they haue power also to abrogate and abolish all statutes and ordinances concerning Ecclesiasticall matters that are found noysome or vnprofitable or agree not with the time or are abused by the people Hereby it is euident that seeing the matters controuerted are but matters of circumstance forme and ceremony as afterwards shall be proued that neither the Church in generall nor any member thereof in particular did or might lawfully binde themselues by oath subscription or any other obligation not to change or alter their practise and customes touching these things for all they that subscribe the Confession of faith and the second booke of Discipline did sweare that they thought these things should and might be altered when necessitie required This answere being made to the first foure Obligations we come to the Oath about which yee spend many words and before yee begin moue the question following PP Quaeritur if one or moe Preachers or Professours in the Church of Scotland standing to the Churches former iudgement and able to defend the same by good reason at least seeing no warrant in the contrary may dispense with the said Oath and follow the pluralitie of Preachers and Professors dispensing with the same in the Assembly Or what power may compell the alteration of iudgement and loose the said Oath in any case aforesaid ANS The former iudgement of our Church whereunto wee did binde our selues by our oathes was that no policie nor order in ceremonies could be appointed for all ages times and places and that the same might and ought to bee changed vpon great causes and weightie reasons as is euident by the former answere To this iudgement of the Church the Assembly at Perth adhered and according thereto altered some customes touching circumstantiall ceremonies formerly vsed in the Church vpon good and great reasons neither did that Assembly loose the said Oath or dispense with it in any sort but hath confirmed it by their owne practise Wherefore I answere That euery Preacher and Professor in our Church should stand to the former iudgement thereof whereunto he bound himselfe by his Oath when he did sweare to the Confession of faith and that no power can compel the alteration of iudgement or loose the said Oath in any case And that he who sware That he did thinke that no policie and order in ceremonies can be appointed for all ages times and places but that the same may and ought to be changed when necessitie requires Did neuer nor could sweare without breach of this Oath that the ceremonie of sitting at the receiuing of the Sacrament esteemed by our Church at the reformation most conuenient but not necessarie could bee appointed for all ages times and places and that it might not nor ought to bee altered in any case by the contrary all who swore to the Confession of faith did sweare That the policie and order of sitting at the Sacrament was such as could not be appointed for all ages times and places and that it might and should be changed when it did not so much edifie the people in pietie as foster prophanenesse and superstition And this sitting fosters in all these that practise it with a superstitious conceit and opinion that the same was instituted by our Sauiour as a point of diuine worship and by his exemplary practise commended to the Church for an essential or integrant part of the Sacrament which yee maintaine in this Pamphlet Now leauing this to bee considered by such as are not partially affected but loue the truth and hate contention I proceed to the Oath which yee consider first in the persons takers of the same Secondly in the matter whereto they sweare Thirdly in the forme and manner whereby they are bound And fourthly by the force and effect of that forme for making sure mens particular deeds Touching the persons yee say this PP The Persons takers of the Oath are Christians come to perfect yeares and free persons who did not only know in generall the doctrine and discipline whereto they bound themselues by their oath but in particular the points controuerted as followeth First That in the yeare of God 1581. it was concluded that the Sacraments should be solemnely ministred and not in priuate houses Secondly That in the yeare 1560 it was declared by the Church that Christ sate with his Disciples at Table when hee instituted the Supper and that sitting at Table was the most conuenient gesture to this holy action Thirdly That Confirmation was to be abhorred as one of the Popes fiue bastard Sacraments Fourthly That the keeping of Holy dayes such as the Feast of Christmas imposed vpon the consciences of men without warrant of Gods word was condemned by preaching and corrected by publique censures of the Church ANS I will not answere you as iustly I might that the first booke of Discipline whereby the most of these constitutions are warranted was neuer knowne to our common Professors nor acknowledged by our Church to haue the authoritie of Ecclesiasticall Canons but I say The Assembly at Perth hath decreed nothing to the contrary thereof For first Touching the administration of the Sacraments we fully agree to the ordinance made anno 1581 to wit That the Sacraments should bee solemnely ministred and not in priuate houses The occasion of making this ordinance was a misorder that fell out in the persons of two Ministers namely Master Alexander Mure Minister at Falkland and Master Alexander Forrester Minister at Trenent as is cleare by the narratiue of the act which is relatiue only to the celebration of Mariage and the ministration of the Sacraments extra casum necessitatis where without any vrgent necessitie order may be kept But our question is whether in extraordinary cases the Sacraments may be ministred extraordinarily in priuate houses as they were in the Primitiue Church by the Apostles and in the beginning of the reformation by the Preachers of the Gospell In these and the like cases there is no act of any Assembly that determines what should bee done Therefore put the case our Church had sworne and subscribed that ordinance yet hath shee done nothing contrary to her oath
either by making or obeying the acts concluded at Perth which doe only respect the cases of necessitie So whether to sit at a Table in receiuing the Communion was most conuenient according as our Church esteemed at the time of reformation is not the question but whether to sit at a Table be necessary as instituted and left by our Sauiours example to be obserued and that without breach of the institution the same may not be altered This question was neuer defined by any Canon of our Church Therefore put the case that our Church had sworne and subscribed That to sit at the Communion was most conuenient according to the iudgement of our first Reformers yet we haue done nothing contrarie to that oath by interchanging sitting with kneeling because kneeling at this time is found to be the more conuenient gesture for that which at one time is more conuenient may bee lesse conuenient at another As to our Sauiours sitting if so be he sate â—am adhuc sub iudice lis est it was not exemplary or appointed to be followed of vs as shall be afterwards proued and his practise did only declare that sitting might be lawfully vsed not that of necessitie it must be vsed and cannot bee altered when the Church findes the change expedient Thirdly whether Confirmation as it was abused in Popery for a Sacrament should be re-induced is not the question for that is condemned in the very narratiue of the act made at Perth But whether the Bishop in his Visitation ought to trie the education of yong children in the grounds of Religion as in the first booke of Discipline the Superintendent was ordained to doe whereof yee may reade in the fift head touching the office of Superintendents Therefore put the case our Church had sworne and subscribed all the heads and Constitutions of the foresaid booke yet by the act made at Perth shee hath not violated her oath by appointing Bishops in their Visitations to take this triall For they are now the Superintendents of the Church Fourthly Wee contend not whether the obseruation of Holy dayes as that of Christmas should be imposed vpon the conscience which in the explication of the first head of the foresaid booke of Discipline is condemned as also in the first words of the act made at Perth touching the fiue dayes but the question is whether the Church may appoint the commemoration of Christs inestimable benefits vpon the said dayes as all the reformed Churches doe and our Diuines hold to bee lawfull Of this our Church neuer defined any thing Therfore the making obseruing of the act touching this point is not against her former oath And to conclude The Subscribers and Swearers vnto our Doctrine and Discipline know no Canon nor constitution of the Church made in former times that is contrary to the Articles concluded at Perth Thus much â—ouching the persons who did sweare The next thing yee consider is the matter whereunto they did binde themselues by their oath which yee set downe as followeth PP The matter whereunto they binde themselues by oath is the Religion Doctrine and Discipline receiued beleeued and defended by the Church of Scotland in respect of this matter the Oath is partly assertorie and partly promissorie as yee say ANS By that which alreadie hath been said it is manifest that albeit our Church had sworne to all the heads and ordinances aboue specified set downe in the bookes of Discipline yet there is nothing committed contrarie to this Oath by the actes made at Perth But now since yee are come to the matter of the Oath let vs see if the points in controuersie be any part of that matter The matter as yee affirme is the Religion Doctrine and Discipline receiued beleeued and defended by the Church of Scotland This definition or description of the matter is not so full and particular as is set downe in the Oath it selfe neither haue yee in reciting the words been so faithfull as yee are feruent for the cause yee maintaine For yee haue pretermitted diuers things belonging to the limitation of the matter by which all the particulars in question are clearely excluded The words cited by you are these We beleeue with our hearts confesse with our mouthes subscribe with our hands and constantly affirme before God and the world That the Faith and Religion receiued beleeued and defended by the Church of Scotland the Kings Maiestie and three Estates of this Realme c. is onely the true Christian Faith and Religion pleasing God and bringing saluation to man Heere yee omit many things that concerneth the limitation of the matter which at that time were knowne to such as sware the same and now must be expounded vnto the Reader that is to iudge and consider our Controuersie Therefore I shall set downe heere the words of the Oathe as it was published in print by Robert Waldgraue anno 1590. We beleeue with our hearts c. That this onely iâ— the true Christian Faith and Religion pleasing God and bringing saluation to man which is now by the mercy of God reuealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed Euangell and receiued beleeued defended by many sundry notable Churches Realmes and chiefely by the Church of Scotland c. In these words we haue two limitations pretermitted by you The first is that the matter of the Oath is the Doctrine and Discipline reuealed to the world by the Gospell This limitation excludeth all Ecclesiasticall determinations and constitutions which are not expresly or by a necessary consequence contained in the written Word The next is That the matter of the Oath is the Doctrine and Discipline which is receiued beleeued and defended by many notable Churches and Realmes and chiefely by the Church of Scotland This limitation excludeth all these things wherein the Church of Scotland hath not the consent of many notable Churches and Realmes who with her hath receiued beleeued and defended the same By these two are all the points in controuersie excluded and cut off from being any part of the matter whereunto the Swearers by their oath did oblige themselues And vnto these two if we adde the third limitation there can remaine no more any doubt touching the matter of the Oath This is that the Doctrine and Discipline whereunto they sweare is particularly expressed in the Confession of Faith established and publikely confirmed by sundry actes of Parliament This Confession is registred in the bookes of Parliament at the yeare 1567. and is inserted amongst the Confessions of the Reformed Churches in the booke called Syntagma Confessionum But so it is that in the Confession of our Faith established by Parliament there is no mention made of the Articles controuerted neither hath many notable Churches and Realmes receiued beleeued or defended the same neither are they expresly or by necessary consequence contained in the Gospell And therefore they cannot by any point of our Religion or part of the
Christianae venerationis ac proinde olim potuit cum fructu vsurpari That is Kneeling at the receiuing of the Elements hath a shew and forme of holy and Christian adoration and therefore of olde might haue beene vsed profitably Petrus Martyr Class 4. locus 10. Sect. 49. 50. IN Sacramento distinguimus symbola à rebus symbolis aliquem honorem deferimus nimirum vt tractentur decenter non abijciantur sunt enim sacrae res Deo semel deputatae quo verò vel res significatas â—as promptè alacriter adorandas concedimus inquit enim Augustinus hoc loco Non peccatur adorando carnem Christi sed peccatur non adorando Adoratio interna potest adhiberi sine periculo neque externa suá naturá essct An Answere to the reasons vsed by the penner of the Pamphlet against the Festiuall DAYES PP FRom the beginning of the Reformation to this present yeere of our Lord 1618. the Church of Scotland hath diuers wayes condemned the obseruation of all Holy-dayes the Lords day onely excepted In the first Chapter of the first Booke of Discipline penned Anno 1560. the obseruation of Holy-dayes to Saints the feast of Christmas Circumcision Epiphanie Purification and others fond Feasts of our Lady are ranked amongst the abominations of the Romane Religion as hauing neither commandement nor assurance in the Word It is further affirmed that the obstinate maintainers and teachers of such abomination should not escape the punishment of the Ciuill Magistrate The Booke aforesaid was subscribed by the Lords of secret Counsell ANS This Booke was neuer authorised by Act of Counsell Parliament or by any Ecclesiasticall Canon and Iohn Knox as we said before complaines of some in chiefe Authoritie that called the same Deuote imaginations yet let vs giue vnto it the Authoritie which yee require the same will not serue your purpose For in the explication of that first head which yee cite we haue these words which yee haue omitâ—â—â— In the Bookes of old and new Testaments We affirme that 〈…〉 necessarie for instruction of the Church and to make 〈…〉 of God perfect are contained and sufficiently expresses By the contrarie doctrine waâ— vnderstand whatsoeuer men by Lawes Counceâ—s or 〈…〉 imposed vpon the conscâ—ences of men 〈…〉 expresse commandement of Gods word 〈…〉 c. By which worâ—s 〈…〉 the obâ—eruation of dayes here coÌ„demne◠〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 Church and 〈…〉 as our 〈…〉 But such 〈…〉 of men â—s a necessitie point of Diuine 〈◊〉 This obseruation vrged vpon the peopâ—e of God and practised 〈◊〉 opinion of necessitie and 〈◊〉 was vtterly to be abolâ—shed And to banish this opinion together with the superstitious Idolatrie and prophanenesse which was otherwise conioyned of banqueting drinking playing quarreâ—ling and such like 〈…〉 was thought expedient that on these dayes the people should be 〈…〉 from their ordinarie labours and that no 〈◊〉 â—eruice should be done in places where there 〈…〉 a dayly Exercise of Religion as well because of the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 to informe people â—oucâ—ing the lawfull obseruaâ—â—on of dayes and the eschewing of their Idolatrous and superstitious abuse as because it appeared that extraoâ—dâ—narie Exercises on these dayes would rather foster supersâ—ition then edifie people in true godlâ—nesse Neither could there better order be taken as matters then stood but our Church did neuer presume to condeme religious Exercises vpon these dayes which now the Assembly at Pâ—rtâ— hath appointed for that had beene to condemne both the Primitiue Church and all the Reformed Churches now in the World who practised the contrarie And all the exceptions Acts and complaints made to Authoritie against Holy-dayes were rather against dayes dedicated to Saints or against the prophane and superstitious obseruation of Christmas which we call Zule or serued to maintaine the order taken by the Church for the same as shall bee made manifest in the particulars alledged by you PP In the generall Assembly holden at Edinburgh Anno 1566. the latter Confession of Heluetia was approoued but with speciall exception against some Holy-dayes dedicated to Christ These same very dayes that now are vrged ANS By this exception the Assembly did not condemne the iudgement and practise of the Heluetian Church as vnlawfull superstitious or prophane but onely declared that by their approbation they did nothing preiudiciall to the order and policie of their owne Church PP At the Assembly holden Anno 1575. complaint was made against the Ministers and Readers beside Abirdene because they assembled the people to Prayer and Preaching vpon certaine Patrone and Feastiuall dayes ANS This complaint was made for the contempt and breach of the order of the Church and the offence which people might take thereat not for the religious Exercise vsed at the time PP Complaint likewise was ordained to be made to the Regent vpon the Towne of Drumfreis for vrging and conueying a Reader to the Church with Tabret and Whissell to reade the Prayers all the Holy-dayes of Zule or Christmas vpon refusall of their owne Reader ANS This was a iust complaint because the Fact was not onely contrarious to the order of the Church but superstitious and prophane also in it selfe PP Item An Article was formed to be presented to the Regent crauing that all dayes heretofore kept holy in time of Papistrie beside the Lords day such as Zule day Saints dayes and other like Feasts might be abolished and a ciuill penaltie appointed against the obseruers of the said dayes ANS In this Article wee must vnderstand by Dayes not the Time it selfe materially for that cannot bee abolished but the superstitious cessation from labour on these dayes with an opinion of necessitie and the profane excesses of banquetting playing c. which the Act of Perth hath also condemned PP In the Assembly holden in April Anno 1577. it was ordayned That the Visitor with the aduice of the Synodall Assembly should admonish Ministers preaching or ministring the Communion at Pasche Zule or other like superstitious times or Readers reading to desist vnder the paine of depriuation ANS This Ordinance was made to withdraw people from the superstitious opinion they had of these times as is manifest by the wordes Or other like superstitious times and this our Pastors are also ordayned still to rebuke PP Dedicating of Dayes was abjured in the Confession of Faith penned Anno 1580. an Article was formed in the Assembly 1581. crauing an Act of Parliament to bee made against the obseruation of feast-dayes dedicated to Saints and setting out of Bone-fires ANS The dedicating of dayes abiured in the confession is in these words We abiure his to wit the Popes canonization of men calling vpon Angels or Saints departed worshipping of imagery reliques and crosse dedicating of Churches Altars Dayes Vowes to creatures c. What is here dayes dedicated by the Pope are abâ—ured but the fiue dayes concluded by the Church to be kept were not dedicated by the Pope but obserued long before his vsurped authoritie
onely but as essentiall parts and properties thereof The worship which consisted in sacrificing paying of vowes obseruation 〈…〉 to serue aâ— circâ—msâ—ances but by reason also oâ— their mystiâ—ke signification and of the worshâ—p appropriated vnto them which mâ—ght not aâ— another tâ—me be lawâ—ully performed Other times were onely holy by reason of the vse or dâ—uine worship performed on them and not for any mysterie or solemne worshâ—p appropriated to them such as these which were appointed for solemne humiliation in the day of calamitie After the first manner our Diuines hold That it is onely proper tâ— God to make times and places holy but after the second manner it is a prerogatiue and libertie of the Church to make places and times holy by dedication of them to the seruice of God So the feast of Purim and Dedication were made Holy-dayes by Mordecai Indâ—â— Maâ—chabâ—us and by the Church So times are appoynted by our Church for Morning and Euening Prayers in great Townes houres for preaching on Tuesday Thursday c. Houres for weekely exercises of prophecying which are holy in respect of the vse whereunto they are appoynted And such are the fiue dayes which we esteeme not to be holy for any mysticke signification which they haue either by diuine or ecclesiasticke institution or for any worship which is appropriated vnto them that may not be performed at another time but for the sacred vse whereunto they are appoynted to be employed as circumstances onely and not as mysteries This ye know to be the iudgement and doctrine of our best Diuines yet yee presse to refute it in the Section following PP The obseruers of dayes will say they count not their anniuersary dayes holier then other daâ—es but that they keepe them onely for order and policie that the people may be assembled to religious exercises Ans. The Papists will confesse tâ—at one day is not holier then another in its owne nature no not the Lords day But they affirme that one day is holier then another in respect of the end and vse and so doe we They call them Holy-dayes and so doe we They vse â—â—em as 〈◊〉 sâ—gnes of sacrâ—d mysteâ—ies wherof tâ—ey carrie the names as Natiuâ—tâ—e Passion Ascention c. and so doe wee ANS Antiquum obâ—inâ—â— yee keepe still your old cusâ—ome for bâ—fore yee did â—xteâ—uate the Idolatrie of the Papists in adoring Images that with some appearance yee might prooue these that kneele at the Sacrament to be guiltie of the same abomination and now ye trauell to extenuate their superstition in obseruing dayes that yee may inuolue vs in the same impietie Yet our act in the beginning sayes Wee abhorre the superstitious obseruation of the Festiuall dayes of the Papists Thus we professe our disagreement from them in this poynt which they also acknowledge Bellarmine in the tenth Chapter of his third Booke De cultu Sanctorum rehearses the Doctrine of Luther and Caluine to which wee adhere and reproues the same as erronious in these wordes Tertiò docent dies determinatos ad feriandum non debere haberi caeteris sanctiores quasi mysterij aliquid vel piam significationem continerent sed solum haberi tanquam determinatos Disciplinae ordinis ac politiae causa ita vt cum hac determinatione etiam consistat aequalit as dierum in hoc nos accusont quasi habeamus discrimen dierum Iudaico more He sayes that we teach the dayes appoynted for holy exercises not to bee holier then others or to be esteemed as if they contayned any mysterie or diuine signification but onely as determined for discipline order and policie with which determination the qualitie of dayes may consist And hee sayes that we accuse them for putting difference amongst dayes after the Iewish manner which is the doctrine indeed of our best Diuines Against this Bellarmine setteth downe this proposition Festa Christianorum non solùm ratione ordinis politiae sedetiam ratione mysterij celebrantur suntque dies festi verè alijs saenctiores sacratiores pars quaedam diuini cultus that is The Festiuities of Christians are not onely kept for order and policie but also by reason of a mysterie and the Festiuall dayes are more holy and sacred then other dayes and a part of diuine worshippe This is the Papists opinion which wee with all the reformed Churches abhorre as superstitious and idolatrous But yee take part with Bellarmine against the Doctrine of Luther and Caluine labouring to prooue that the reformed Churches obserue these dayes not onely for discipline order and policie but for memoriall signes of sacred mysteries as Papists doe PP The presence of the Festiuitie putteth a man in minde of the mysterie howbeit he haue not occasion to be present in the holy Assembly ANS It follows not of this that we obserue the dayes for signes of sacred mysteries because they put vs not in minde of Christs birth passion c. as ceremonies significant or sacramentall signes instituted by God or the Church for that effect but as circumstances onely determined for celebration of the religious action whereby the commemoration of these benefits is made And there is nothing more vsuall then by considering the circumstances of times places and persons to remember the actions and businesse whereunto they are destinate PP We are commaunded to obserue them in all poynts as the Lords Day both in publique Assemblies and after the dissoluing of the same ANS This is manifestly false for the Lords Day is commaunded to be obserued of necessitie for conscience of the diuine Ordinance as a day sanctified and blessed by God himselfe These are commanded to be obserued onely for ecclesiasticall order and policie and doe not oblige men in conscience to obedience but for eschewing scandall and contempt Secondly the Lords Day is to be obserued as the Sabbath of IEHOVAH that is not onely for a day wherein we are appointed to rest to God but as a day whereon God himselfe did rest after the Creation So it is obserued as a remembrance and resemblance of Gods rest Thirdly the Lords Day is obserued as is the Lords Supper this in remembrance of his death that in remembrance of his resurrection Fourthly the Lords Day is obserued as a pledge of that rest wherein hee that enters shall rest from his labours as God hath done from his And fiftly we obserue the Lords Day as a perpetuall signe betweene God and vs to signifie and declare that the God who hath sanctified vs to be his people and whom wee adore as IEHOVAH the Father who created the World in sixe dayes and rested the seuenth IEHOVAH the Sonne who redeemed the World and rising that day to life abolished sinne and death and brought life and immortalitie to light and IEHOVAH the Holy Ghost who on that day descended vpon the Twelue Apostles sanctifying them and the whole World by them with the truth of Gods Word In none of these fiue poynts doe we obserue
haue said is not appointed for the Time but the Time is appointed for the worship So it is not absurd to remember Christs Natiuitie so oft as occasion is offered with all conuenient solemnitie as it may serue to his honour and the edification of the Church Thus wee haue seene that according to the Doctrine of the reformed Churches Anniuersarie dayes are and may bee obserued though not for any mysterie or holinesse that is in them more then in other dayes but for order and policy onely Against this all the Reasons which Bellarmine or yee haue brought or can inuent shall neuer preuaile more then the barking of a dogge against the Moone PP ANS The conclusion agreeth not with the premisses for if it be Gods souereigâ—tie to make or ordayne a thing to bee holy how may the Church make a thing holy by appointing an occasionall feast or fast as yee grant shee may doe The instinct of nature and that command out of Ioel is a generall warrant onely The particular calamitie or benefit wherefore a fast or feast should be proclaymed is not expressed neither is the time particularly determined whereupon the solemne festiuitie or fast should be kept but the one is left to the estimation and the other to the determination of the Church So by that warrant libertie is giuen to the Church to consider and define the causes for the which a fast should bee proclaymed and to determine the time when the same should be obserued and to separate that time from common businesse and consecrate the same to the spirituall exercise of preaching hearing praying fasting c. as our Church hath vsed to doe very often Now if the Church hath power vpon occasionall motiues to appoint occasionall fasts or festiuities may not shee for constant and eternall blessings which doe infinitely excell all occasionall benefits appoint ordinary times of commemoration and thanksgiuing Ye say that this hath no warrant but yee speake without warrant for there is as great warrant to appoint such dayes as is for any other point of Ecclesiasticall policie touching the determination of times places formes and order to be obserued in the worship of God according to these generall gâ—ounds Let all things bee done to the glorie of God 1. Cor. 10. to edification 1. Cor. 14. with order and decencie 1. Cor. 14.16 The whole policie of our Church touching the vse of these circumstantiall things is ordered by these rules and according to these did our Church in the first booke of Discipline which yee cite often ordayne for the purpose now in hand That in euery notable Towne a day beside the Sonday should bee appointed weekely for Sermon that during the time of Sermon the day should be kept free from all exercise of labour as well by the Master as by the seruant That euery day there be either Sermon or prayers with reading of the Scriptures That Baptisme be orderly ministred either on the Sonday or after Sermon and the dayes of prayer That at foure seuerall times of the yeere the Sacrament of the Lords Supper be ministred viz. on the first Sonday of March on the first Sonday of Iune first Sonday of September and the first Sonday of December That in euery towne where Schollers are and learned men repaire a certaine day euery weeke be appointed for the exercise of Ministers in prophecie And the said booke affirmes The dedication of times and houres for such generall and particular exercises of the Word and Sacraments and Prayer to appertayne to the policie of the Church If the Church hath power after this manner to appoint times for Doctrine and diuine Seruice and Doctrine and diuine Seruice for times as the doctrine of the Catechisme on Sonday at afternoone reade the 9. Chapter of the said booke it cannot be denyed but the Church hath also power to appoint a certaine time day and houre for commemoration of Christs Natiuitie Passion c. For what more power had our Church at that time to appoint the Sacrament to be ministred the first Sondaies of March Iune c. then she hath now to appoint a Sermon to be made of Christs resurrection vpon Easter day and a Sermon of the sending downe of the holy Ghost vpon Whitsunday and does not the light of Nature teach vs that rare and great benefits should be remembred with more then ordinary thankefulnesse Hereby it is cleere that it is not the Lords soueraignty onely to make or ordayne a thing to be holy but it is a prerogatiue that God also hath giuen to the Christian Church But to the end this matter may be fully cleered it is to be obserued as we said before that times are made holy and places two manner of wayes so things are made holy either by some inherent qualitie of holynesse or by consecration of them to holy vses After the first manner Angels and men were made holy in the creation sinners are made holy by regeneration and sanctification of the holy Ghost and of this holynesse God onely is the author Next things are made holy by consecration of them to holy vses which vses are either mysticall or politicall The consecration of things to holy mysticall vses as of water in Baptisme to be a signe of the bloud and Spirit of Christ the elements of Bread and Wine in the Supper to be the Sacrament of his Bodie and Bloud the Sabbath to bee vnto the Iewes a memoriall of the Creation a type of signification and a badge of their profession the Temple the Altars the Sacrifices and Priests to bee shaddowes of things to come all these and such like are made and ordayned holy by God but the consecration of things to holy vses for policie as for maintayning religion or for order and decency to be obserued in the worship of God is not onely Gods prerogatiue but a priuiledge and liberty granted by him to the Church for example to build and consecrate places to be Temples houses to bee Hospitals to giue rent lands money and goods to the Ministry poore to appoint Vessels Vestures Instruments for the publike worship as Tables Table-clothes Napkins Basens Cups and Lauers for the holy Sacraments these things and the like are made holy by the dedication and consecration of men After this last manner the Church hath power to consecrate the fiue Anniuersary dayes to the commemoration of our Sauiour his benefits to separate them from all other ordinary workes and so to make them sacred and holy dayes It was I grant a part of Idolatry to proclaime a holy day vnto the golden Calfe or to any Idol or Creature as ye affirme but it will not follow that it is Idolatry to proclaime a holy day for the honour and worship of the true God And as it was one of Ieroboams sins to despise the Festiuities appointed by God for his worship and instead of these to ordaine a Feast after the deuise of his owne heart so if we should
had the honour to be appointed by God himselfe This Proposition is yours and is very true I assume But the fiue anniuersarie dayes appointed by the Assembly of Perth are not Iudaicall prescribed in the Ceremoniall Law tolerated by Saint Paul in weake Christians and such as had once the honour to be appointed by God himselfe The Assumption is likewise yours set downe in the last wordes of your Answere and is true also Therefore I conclude That the fiue anniuersarie dayes are not the dayes whereof the Apostle condemnes the obseruation Consequently hee condemnes not the obseruation of dayes simply as a Iudaicall Rite and Pedagogicall instruction contrary to your former Assertion PP It is secondly obiected that seeing the Lords Day was instituted in remembrance of Christs resurrection the other notable acts of Christ ought likewise to be remembred with their seuerall festiuities Ans. It followes not that because Christ did institute the remembrance of one benefit therefore men may institute for other benefits Secondly Christs resurrection was a benefit including the rest of his benefits Thirdly The Lords Day was not appointed to celebrate the memory of Christs resurrection onely for then the resurrection should bee the proper subiect of Diuine seruice euery Lords Day and then it were vnlawfull to fast thereupon Fourthly It is called the Lords Day either because the Lord did institute it as the Communion is called the Lords Supper or else because it was instituted to the Lords honour and worship as the Iewish Sabbath is called the Sabbath of the Lord our God Fiftly Although it may be applyed to the remembrance of Christs resurrection seeing he rose that day and in some sort to be a signe of the heauenly rest yet that is but typus communis factus a common type fitted to resemble such things not typus destinatus that is appointed by God for that end Finally it was appointed for remembrance of all Christs actions and for his worship in generall not in a mysticall manner for the ioyfull remembrance of his resurrection onely So to diuide Christs actions and appoint anniuersary mysticall dayes for their remembrance is superstitious will-worship and a Iudaicall addition to Christs institution in your mind ANS Here onely I haue taken vp the summe of your answere which is this That Chist did not institute the Lords Day for a remembrance of his resurrection in a mysticall manner and therefore wee haue no warrant to appoint mysticall dayes for remembrance of the Natiuitie Passion and the rest of his notable actions Vnto which I answere first generally That it is the iudgement of some recent Diuines that the Lords Day was onely instituted as Ecclesiasticall dayes are for order and policie and hath no further but a circumstantiall vse in the worship of God Others following the Ancients hold that the Lords Day is not onely appointed for order and policie but that it is a memoriall of Christs resurrection and a signe of our eternall rest in hâ—auen Saint August tom 5. de ciuit Dei lib. 22. cap. 30. Dominicus dies Christi resurrectione sacratus aeternam non solùm spiritus sed etiam corporis requiem praefigurat That is The Lords Day which was made holy and sacred by the resurrection of Christ prefigures not onely the eternall rest of the spirit but also of the body Item tom 10. de verbis Apostoli Serm. 15. Domini resurrectio promisit nobis aeternum diem consecrauit nobis Dominicum diem qui Dominicus vocatur quia eo die Dominus resurrexit That is The resurrection of the Lord hath promised vnto vs an eternall day and hath consecrated the Lords Day vnto vs which is so called because the Lord rose vpon that day Item Epist. ad Ianuarium Artic. 119. cap. 13. Dies Domini non Iudaeis sed Christianis resurrectione Domini declaratus est ex illo habere coepiâ— festiuitatem suam Thaâ— is The Lords Day was declared not to the Iewes but to the Christians by the resurrection of the Lord and from that time it beganne to be a festiuall day ibidem cap. 19. Vita prima quae de peregrinatione redeuntibus primam stolam accipientibus redditur per vnam Sabbathi quem diem Dominicum dicimus figuratur That is The first or euerlasting life which is giuen to them that haue ended their peregrination and receiued the glorious robe is figured by the first day of the weeke which we call the Lords Day Iust. Martyr Apol. 2. ad calcem Conuentus autem hos die Solis facimus quia hac die primùm Deus depulsis tenebris formataque materia mundum creauit Iesus Christus quoque noster seruator eadem die resurrexit a mortuis That is We keepe these meetings on the Sonday because on this day first God dispelled darkenesse and formed the matter whereof the world was created our Sauiour Iesus Christ also rose againe from the dead the same day In the iudgement of these Ancients the Lords Day was not onely instituted for the worship of God in generall and in that respect called the Lords Day but because Christ rose vpon that day and by his resurrection stamped it to bee a memoriall as well of his resurrection as of the eternall rest whereunto we shall be raised on the last day In a word it was not onely instituted for order and policie but also for a mysterie and therein differs from Ecclesiasticall dayes which are onely appointed for a circumstantiall and not for a mysticall vse These things being premitâ—ed I come to answere the particulars First where yee say that albeit Christ did institute a day in remembrance of one benefit men may not for other benefits I grant that men maâ— not iâ—â—â—itute a mysticall day to be obserued as â— part of Gods worship yet they may appoint a commodious dâ—y to bâ—e obsâ—râ—ed as a fit time for the worship of God and remembrance of his benefits Next where yee say the resurrection inclâ—dâ—s the rest of Christs benefits it is true in some sense that is either as the beginning or originall of some as the Ascension and sending downe of the holy Ghost or as the perfecâ—ion and consummation of others as of the Natiuitie and Passion And so generally and virtute as wee say in vertue the Resurrection contaynes the rest but it contaynes them not distinctly and expresly as it is necessary we should remember them for then we should not need any moe Articles of our Creede but that one of the Resurrection As the Articles are particular concerning the Natiuitie Passion Resurrection and Ascension so they ought to bee distinctly and seuerally remembred both on the Sabbath and on other conuenient times which the Church shall appoint Thirdly Although the Lords Day was not onely instituted for a memoriall of the Resurrection yet that was one of the principall causes wherefore it was sanctified rather then any other day of the weeke Saint Augustine sayes as before Domini
before alleged His proofe out of Scripture Psal. 118.8 1. Cor. 7.8 are very weake for the first testimonie is applyed to euery Lords Day is not to be restrained to Pasche day The other testimonie imports not a CelebratioÌ„ of Easter Feast vpoÌ„ any Anniuersary day but rather the Apostle teaches vs to celebrate this Feast of the Passeouer all the yeare long His last proofe is taken from the custome of Baptisme and the Eucharist ministred vpon Pasche day as if they had beene ministred only vpon that day ANS Ye turne your selfe now against the learned Sermon preached at Whiâ—e Hall by the Bishop then of Elie now of Winchester who prouing the obseruatioÌ„ of Easter to haue bin an old custom obserued in the Church since the Apostles daies yea by the Apostles themselues hits the marke whereat he shoots directly while as ye will proue these Epistles of Polycrates and Irenaeus counterfeit ye shoot short indeed The testimonie of the 118. Psalme yee say should be applyed to euery Lords Day but seeing he rose on the first day of them as yee cannot deny doubtlesse when that day returnes by course once euery yeare vnto it all the prototype and architype of them all of euery congruity saies the Bishop the Resurrection is to be applyed somwhat more This by example he makes plain His Maiesties deliuerance vpon the fift dayes of August and Nouember being Tuesdayes both wee keepe for their remembrance a Sermon on Tuesday euery week of the yeare but when by course of the yeare in their seuerall moneths the very originall dayes theÌ„selues come about shal we not doe wee not celebrate them in much more solemne manner what question is there weigh them well ye shal find the case alike one cannot be but the other also must bee Apostolike These are the words of the learned Bishop which proue his intent so cleerly that ye are forced to flye to another shift as your custome is say If the Prophesie should be applyed to any precise day it should bee applyed to the Lords day But seeing the words are to be vnderstood aswel of Dauid as of Christ the day is taken ye say for the time indefinitely wherin Dauid was made King the corner stone of Gods people This is your shift which cannot auaile you for if it be taken indefinitely for the day wherin Dauid was made the typick corner Stone then much more must it bee taken for the definite day whereon Christ the Veritie was made the true corner Stone of the Church of God If of Dauids Coronation it might be said This is the day which the Lord hath made Let vs reieyce and bee glad in it much more is it to be said of that day whereon CHRIST rose againe from the dead and was crowned with glory and honour and set ouer the workes of Gods hands and had all things put vnder his feet For this day hath euer beene esteemed since the resurrection of our Lord a day made by God not by creation onely but also by institution Thus doe yee not escape the Bishops hand flie where you can When ye entered into combate with such an Antagonist yâ— were not wel aduised Infoe lix puer atque impar coÌ„gressus Achilli In the other testimonie I grant with S. Augustine that by the Feast the course of our Christian Life is to bee vnderstood yet the allusion would import that a Paschall Feast was kept amongst them and the Sacraments celebrated The last proofe that Baptisme and the Eucharist were on this day solemnely ministred yee cannot denie And the Bishoppe affirmes not that they were onely ministred on that day Tertull. de Baptis Diem Baptismo solenniorem Pascha praestat cum passio Domini in qua tingimur adimpleta est c. Exinde Pentecoste ordinandis lauacris laetissimum spacium est quod Domini resurrectio inter Discipulos frequentata est gratia Spiritus sancti dedicata spes aduentus Domini subâ—stâ—nsa c. Caeterùm omnis dies Domini est omnis hora omnâ— tempus habilâ— baptismo Si de solennitate interest de gratia nihil refert that is Easter is the most solemne Day for Baptisme seeing the Passion of our Lord wherein wee are dipped is thereon fulfilled after that Whitsonday is a most ioyfull time for the lauacre of Regeneration because on that Day the resurrection was frequently shewed to the Disciples the grace of the Holy Ghost dedicated and the hope of Christs comming againe insinuated Otherwise euerie day is the Lords euerie houre and euerie time is meete for Baptisme The solemnitie may be lesse but the grace is not diminished So that which ye say that Baptisme was tied of olde to Pentecost and Easter is false But that which the Bishop sayes is true that on these daies the Sacraments were lwaies solemnely ministred PP I will now frame one argument against this conceit of Apostolicall tradition and obseruation of Pasche The Apostles were led all their life-time by the infallible direction of the Spirit If they had accorded on the obseruation of Easter they had not dâ—sagreed on the day But their most ancient Records the baâ—tard-Episâ—les aboue mentioned report that Philâ—p and Iohn kept the fourteenth day of the Moone as the Iewes did And Peter the Lords Day following the fourteenth day of the Moone ANS In these Epistles there is no mention of Peâ—er and so by these Epistles ye cannot proue that Iohn and Peter disagreed on the day It is said that Polycarpus and Aâ—icâ—tus disagreed on the day yet they accorded in the obseruation of the Feast which is directly contrarie to your argument But ye say the Apostles who were gouerned by the Spirit could not disagree on the day Did not Paul and Barnabas agree in planting of the Gospell yet they disagreed in chusing of their Fellow-Labourer Paul Peter agreed on this ground that a man is not iustified by the workes of the Law but by the Faith of Iesus Christ yet in the practise of the workes of the Law they disagreed Gal. 2. They agreed in the substance yet in the matter of circumstance and vse of things in their owne nature indifferent they disagreed But for these diuersities of opinion neither did they cast the substance away nor broke they the bond of charitie amongst themsâ—lues as ye doe who can brooke no man but him who will be sworne to your opinions as if they were Oracles But to be short this argument is answered by the learned Bishop in that Sermon so fully as may giue contentment to any that delights not in contention His words are these Pag 25. Iames Bishop of Ierusalem and others who â—ucceeded him the sooner to win their Brethren the Iewes condescended to keepe Easter 14. Lunae the 14. of the Moone as they did That which by them was done by way of condescension was after by some vrged as a matter of necessitie So we see S. Paul when he came vp
thinks Yet to confirme his opinion yee say that Iustine Martyr mentions no Holy day but the Lords Day What then Hee had not the occasion yet Tertullian who flourished but fortie yeares after him in the second booke directed to his wife hath these wordes Quis denique solennibus Paschae abnoctantem seeurus sustinet And in his booke De Praescriptionib aduers. Haereticos mentions one Blastus whom hee calls an Heretike for maintayning that Pasche should bee kept on the 14. day of the Moone as the Iewish custome was Tertullian flourished in the yeare of our Lord 183. and speaking thus of Pasche not as of a new Constitution but as of a custome long before receiued in the Church does confirme the Bishop of Winchester his iudgement That in all lâ—kelihood this obseruation was Apostolique By Apostolique I meane not a doctrinall point which is to bee obserued as a substantiall part of diuine worship or a condition necessary to saluation but the imitation onely of an Apostolique practice concerning order and policie neither doe I meane such a practice as is expresly set downe in Scripture and vniuersally obserued through the world such as the Lords Day is for such a practice hath the strength of a diuine Precept but I vnderstand such a practice as albeit it be not recorded in Scripture to haue beene done by the Apostles themselues or the Churches in their time yet the same being vniuersally receiued in the world and obserued since the Apostles dayes is most probably presumed to haue beene practised in their times and allowed by them And in this the Lords Day differs from Pasche and the other three dayes mentioned by Saint Augustine that the Lords Day hath not onely the vniuersall and perpetuall obseruation of the Church since the dayes of the Apostles but also the practice of our Sauiour his Apostles and the Church in their times expresly recorded in Scripture The other haue onely an vniuersall and constant practice of the Church since the Apostles time which not the lesse ought to be preferred to any priuate or late particular custome And to returne to the Act of Perth it ordaynes none of these dayes to be kept for Diuine and Apostolique but onely that on them once in the yeare a solemne commemoration be made of the benefits of our Redemption and therefore the Reasons ye bring to proue that these dayes are not Apostolique impugne no wayes the lawfullnesse of the act Where yee say that the obseruation of the Passion day hath brought into the church set dayes of fasting condemned by our Diuines I aske you how yee doe proue that affirmation It is enough yee haue said it But to conclude this point I doe verily thinke That to fast and pray at some set times were lesse offensiue to God then to bee often feasting and surfetting pratling and lying traducing our Brethren and condemning the good order and policie of Gods Church PP If it had beene Gods will that the seuerall acts of Christ should haue beene celebrated with seuerall solemnities the holy Ghost would haue made knowne to vs the dayes wheron they were done Secondly if the actions of Christ aduance the dayes wherein they were wrought as Hooker sayes or consecrate them as Bellarmine sayes they ought to be knowne otherwise it will fall out that we shall keepe the dayes holy that were neuer aduanced nor consecrated by Christs action on institution But so it is the day of Christs Natiuitie is hid from mortall men ANS It is true that if it had beene Gods will to haue aduanced and consecrated the dayes of Christs Natiuitie Passion c. by annexing to them some particâ—lar exercise of Religion such as the festiuall dayes of the Iewes had and clothing them with some mysticall signification the holy Ghost had made the dayes knowne otherwise they could not haue beene obserued But from the beginning we haue declared according to the iudgement not of Bellarmine but of our best reformed Churches and Diuines that these dayes are not kept for any relation that the worship hath to them as if by Christs actions or institution they were to be honoured with some religious exercise but for order and policy only as the most meet and oportune occasions in the iudgement of the primitiue Church and in our estimation most meet for testifying our conformitie with her and with the whole Christian world euer since The long discourse and dispute which yee subjoyne to proue the time of Christs Natiuitie to be vncertayne because it is not contradictoriâ— to the Act made at Perth and the practice thereof in our Church I passe it as superfluous Onely to your last words of the Section I answere PP Nay let vs vtter the Truth December Christmasse is a iust imitation of the December Saturnall of the Ethnicke Romanes and so vsed as if Bacchus and not Christ were the God of Christians ANS This protestation yee might haue made and craued licence if your custome were to lye but to the purpose If Christmasse hath beene thus abused I am sure the abuse hath not come by preaching on that day and the exercise of diuine worship thereon for that wee haue lacked these 57. yeares by-past in our Church yet riot profanenesse surfet and drunkennesse hath not beene wanting What hath beene the cause hereof and by what meanes the abuse may be best remedied wise men will easily consider PP It is commonly obiected That wee may aswell keepe a day for the Natiuitie as for the Resurrection of Christ. We haue answered already That Christs day or the Lords Day is the day appointed for remembrance of his Natiuitie and all his actions and benefits aswell as for the Resurrection Next the one is morall and weekely the other is mysticall and anniuersarie The Lords Day it selfe is no longer to vs mysticall but morall sayes Willet and therefore Pasche day is a mysticall Sabbath and anniuersarie whereas the Lords Day it selfe should be onely morall ANS The answere which yee haue already made is already confuted The Lords Day is generally appointed for remembrance of all his actions therefore none of his actions may or should bee remembred at any other set time This consequence is not necessary for then we may not remember his actions in the morning and euening Lectures wee may not remember them in Sermons Exercises on weekly dayes nor may wee remember them in Catechizing the people Your next answere is That the day of the Natiuitie is mysticall This is contrarie to that which yee cited out of Saint Augustine pag. 68. Ille celebratur ob memoriam solùm ideo semper die vigesimo quinto Decembris at iste celebratur ob memoriam Sacramentum But I pray you How proue yee obseruation of the day of Natiuitie to bee mysticall because it is anniuersarie yee say If this be your Argument for I finde no other here it is not good for in the reuolution of time there is no mysterie
but in the signification and we haue often said before that we obserue no day for signification but the Lords Day onely The rest we obserue as times meet and commodious for the worship appointed to be done on them As to Doctor Willets assertion That the Lords Day is not mysticall to vs I oppone to it Saint Augustines iudgement who calls it as yee heard before a figure and type of life eternall which is confirmed by the Apostle in the fourth to the Hebrewes But Doctor Willet I hope takes mysticall for a darke and obscure shadow of things to come such as the festiuall dayes vnder the Law were kept in remembrance not of spirituall and eternall but of temporall benefits which were shadoweâ— of spirituall and eternall benefits to come And in this sense the Lords Day is not mysticall for it is not kept in remembrance of temporall benefits which are shadowes of spirituall and eternall but in remembrance of Christs Resurrection by whom we are put in present possession of our spirituall rest and life and in hope of eternall In respect whereof as it is a memoriall signe of the Resurrection of our Sauiour so is is a demonstratiue signe of the benefit which wee enjoy of spirituall rest and prognosticall of our eternall and therefore is called a figure and type by Saint Augustine Thus taking a mysterie in a large sense for any significant signe in Religion it may be called mysticall The Sacraments of the new Testament are called mysteries by the Ancients not in the sense that the Sacraments of the old Testament were called mysteries for they were so called because they were darke and obscure shadowes of things to come but our Sacraments are the liuely Images of the things themselues by reason of the plaine and manifest Word of the Gospell annexed to them By this distinction Saint Augustine and Doctor Willet may be agreed PP It is still obiected The benefits of God ought to bee remembred specially Christs notable benefits Ans. It is one thing to remember another thing to remember with solâ—â—â—â— â—â—stiuities To remember is a morall dutie and perpetuall for we ought to keepe not onely an anniuersarie but also a weekely and daily remembrance But to celebrate an Anniuersarie solemnitie and to keepe a Sabbath of rest in remembrance it is a pedagogicall ceremonie of the Iewes c. ANS Wee thinke it sufficient to haue made that obiection once because it hath neuer yet beene answered but yee propone it often to assay if yee shall bee able to fall on some solide solution at last yet like an euill Archer the longer yee shoote yee stray the further from the marke Yee thinke an Anniuersarie remembrance may be kept but an Anniuersarie solemnitie should not bee celebrated yee hide your minde from simple people vnder a mysticall solemnitie of words but to speake that plainly which yee call the celebration of an Anniuersarie solemnitie your meaning must be if yee contradict the Act that preaching should not bee made prayers thanksgiuing and prayses should not be offered on certayne set times in the yeare in remembrance of Christs Natiuitie Passion c. If yee will haue no such exercise to bee vsed what Anniuersarie remembrance is it that yee would haue obserued Is it a priuy meditation in our Chambers whereunto neither God nor Man is priuie or some occasionall remembrance in our Lectures and Sermons as they fall out now and then Is this the thankfulnesse that wee are taught by the light of Nature and the Word of God to render for the inestimable benefits of our redemption which God hath vniuersally and publikely bestowed vpon all Oh but to keepe a Sabbath of rest in remembrance say yee is a pedagogicall ceremonie To keepe a mysticall rest such as the rest of the Sabbath was is pedagogicall but to keepe a rest for the more commodious and solemne performance of a great and diuine action such as the commemoration of Christs Birth Death c. is not pedagogicall but necessary for the commoditie and celebritie of the worship which cannot bee well and worthily performed without cessation from other seruile businesse That this is the vse of the rest commanded in his Maiesties Proclamation is manifest by the reasons set downe therein in these words That euery one may the better attend the holy exercises which are to bee kept in the Church on these times Yee are cunning to deceiue the simple with ambiguitie of words There is a rest that is ciuilly kept which is a cessation from our ordinary workes for some other ciuill employment as for marriages triumphs weapon-shewings and such like this rest is lawfull but it is not Sabbaticall There is a rest kept superstitiously as when men ceasse from their labouâ—s for some foolish feares of ill successe by reason of the time this is not called a Sabbath of rest but a superstitious rest There is a rest kept idolatrously for the honour of idols as the Baechanalia Floralia and the holy dayes proclaymed by the Israelites for honour of their golden Calfe These are damnable rests Finally there is a rest that is kept religiously and this rest is kept either for celebritie and commoditie of the religious action onely or mystically for commoditie and celebritie of the religious seruice a rest is kept in all the solemne times of fasting a rest is kept in the houres of Prayers or Preaching and other diuine Seruice And such is the rest that his Maiestie hath appointed to bee obserued The rest kept mystically was a significant rest of some thing by-past present or to come such was the rest of the Iewish Sabbath and of the Legall Festiuities and such Augustine holds and other many good Diuines our rest on the Lords Day to be from the fourth to the Hebrewes This is called a Sabbath of rest such a rest his Maiestie hath not commanded but a rest for commoditie and celebritie of the diuine Seruice only which in nothing is like to the Iewes Frontlets Phylacteries and such other Legall shadowes PP Pope Alexander the third gaue this reason wherefore the Romane Church kept not a Holy day to the Trinitie Quoniam Ecclesia Romana in vsu non habet c. Because sayes he Glorie to the Father and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost and other such like things belonging to the praise of the Trinitie are daily vttered The Popes reason is grounded vpon this rule Whatsoeuer is intreated or remembred in the diuine seruice ordinarie ought not to haue a speciall Holy day to celebrate the memorie of the same beside the day alreadie decerned by the Lord. We assume Christs Natiuitie Death Resurrection c. are not onely the continuall meditation of a Christian in priuate but also a remembred and intreated in the ordinarie and publique seruice Euery Communion Sonday is a Passion Holy day Euery Sabbath that Christs Natiuitie is preached is a time of remembrance of his Natiuitie But to ordayne an Anniuersarie
of Discipline touching the abolishing of Holy-dayes anno 1560. is altered by the late generall Assembly holden at Perthe and by the same Reason whereby yee esteeme your selfe absolued from the gouernement of Superintendents yee should thinke your selfe freed of the act touching the abolishing of Holy-dayes which yee would doe if ye were not contentious PP If Zanchius approued the abolition of Holy-Dayes in some Churches where they were because they had been polluted and grossely abused much more would he and other Diuines knowing the truth of our case thinke it vnlawfull to reinduce them amongst vs. ANS It is true that in the Churches of Bearne Mattins and Euening-Song were abolished for the abuse thereof in Poperie and not many yeares since there was great contention before these Churches could be induced to receiue Morning and Euening Prayers in stead of them So the Popes cursing was abolished out of the Church of Geneua and great contradiction made as Beza testifies in Caluines life before excommunication could be established in place therof yet I hope neither Zanchius nor your selfe will thinke that the reinducing of these was vnlawfull although formerly excluded If Zanchius vnderstood the case of our Church as I haue set it down a little before how we haue not reinduced the Popish obseruation of dayes but made choice of these times for special seruices to be performed on them with a speciall direction to Ministers to rebuke superstition and licentiousnesse both he and other Diuines would approue the constitution of our Church and condemne this your seditious Pamphlet whereby the simple are abused and the peace and quietnesse of our Church disturbed The iudgement of the Reformed Churches of Holy-daies PP OF the ancient Church I haue spoken before Some excuse the Ancients with good intention because to winne the Gentiles they conuerted their dayes into Christian Holy-daies Others excuse them with the circumstance of time that dwelling amongst Pagans they made profession before their eies of Christs birth passion c. by obseruing such dayes But the wisdome of their intention hath proued folly as the seuenth reason maketh manifest The like circumstance of time is not offered therefore we may not be excused ANS Before the penner of this Pamphlet bring the iudgement of the reformed Churches some reason he must pretend for his credâ—te why he reiects the doctrine and practise of the reformed Church which stands wholly in his contrarie First he sayes that he hath spoken before of the Ancient Church But what hath he spoken before that they obserued Easter-day by custome and not by tradition this is all What argument hath he brought against their doctrine against their religious custome and practise of this poynt He sayes some excuse them with their intention Who be these he is ashamed of their names and so he may be for where there is no fault to make an excuse is a sort of calumnious and secret accusation But for their intention who did acquaint him with their intention In Tertullian Chrysostome Ierome Ambrose Augustine and others who all make mention of these dayes there is not so much as any coniecture to bee found for that intention In the end he concludes that the intention of the Ancients hath proued folly and this he sayes is manifest by the seuenth reason because the obseruation of these daies hath beene abused to superstition But so hath the Lords Day beene so hath the Word so haue the Sacraments beene abused and all the other parts of Gods worship Shall therefore the intention of the Holy-Ghost and his wisdome in prescribing these meanes to the Church be esteemed folly They who abuse the good intention of God and his Church to their owne damnation are fooles indeed but Wisdomâ— is iustified of her owne children And although the winning of the Gentiles was one good end wherefore the Ancients obserued these dayes yet their principall end was the honour of God and edification of his Church These ends doe still remaine and iustifie the obseruation of these dayes by the reformed Churches which no man that loues the honour of God and the weale of his Church will condemne PP It is grosse ignorance to say that Holy-dayes were so many hundreth yeares before Papistrie for Papistrie hath been in the Church euer since the daies of the Apostles yea the mysterie of iniquitie was working in their times The errours of the Orthodoxe Church were the beginnings of the Papistrie at length they grew to a great masse So howbeit the whole lumpe was not formed till the Antichrist came to his full strength yet many particulars were entered before and like brookes came into the great riuer As the Antichrist was borne and did grow in yeares so did Papistrie ANS Here ye insinuate that the obseruation of the fiue Daies in the Primitiue Church was Papistrie or else this Discourse is idle But Papistrie it could not be before it was receiued and confirmed by the Pope so in these dayes it was not Papistrie formally And if it were not an errour of the Orthodoxe Church but a lawfull order as at length we haue proued it was neyther materially nor formally Papistrie The obseruation of these dayes with a superstitious and idolatrous worship is Papistrie Such was not the obseruation of the Primitiue Church and such is not the obseruation of the Reformed But as the lawfull obseruation vsed in the Primitiue Church was abolished by the introduction of a superstitious and idolatrous worship in Papistrie so is the superstitious and idolatrous obseruation in Papistrie abolished in reformed Churches by the restitution of the lawfull and religious obseruation vsed in the Primitiue Church which of all reformations is the most perfect and profitable Iehu abolished Idolatrie of the Heathen but he restored not the true worship of God therefore his reformation was imperfect But the reformation made by Ezechias and Iosias was perfect because Idolatrie was not onely abolished but the true worship of God established in place thereof This was not so sufficiently prouided for at our reformation in this poynt for the want of Pastours and is well supplied by the Act made at Perth PP As for the reformed churches except our neighbor Church they haue abandoned daies dedicated to Saints ANS Now yee come to the iudgement of the reformed Churches And here I wish the iuducious Reader to obserue whether ye bring either the iudgement of any reformed Church or of any learned Diuine that consents with you in opinion namely that the obseruation of the fiue anniuersarie dayes with the lawfull exercise of true Religion is a Iudaicall Pedagogie a rudimentarie instruction and a superstitious wil-worship And to the end all that ye say may be exposed to the view of the World I shall set all fully downe which yee bring to this purpose First where ye alledge that all the reformed Churches haue abandoned the dayes dedicated to Saints In this their practise is no way contrarie to the Act made at
Perth for by it no day is ordained to be kept which is or was dedicate to any Saint except vnder the name of Saints yee reprehend him who is the most holy Next the exception ye make of our neighbour Church is calumnious and false It is a calumnie that they obserue any day dedicated to Saints All the dayes which they obserue are dedicated to the honour of God either for the inestimable benefits that by our Sauiour he hath bestowed vpon the World or in regard of the blessings that haue come to man by the Ministrie of his seruants and Saints And it is false that all the reformed Churches except they haue refused the obseruation of these dayes For Bullinger in his Commentary vpon the 14. to the Romans affirmes that the Church of Tigurie obserues the Feasts of the blessed Virgin of S. Iohn the Baptist of Magdalene of Stephen and of the Apostles PP Some admit dayes dedicated to Christ some two some fiue but not with the full consent and liking of the learned but either forced by the authoritie of the Magistrate or wilfulnesse of the people or because remaining in the middest of their enemies they are not permitted otherwise to doe ANS They in Geneua who obserue the day of Natiuitie and Easter approue the practise and order of the Church of Heluetia who obserue all the fiue and there is as great reason why on the other three dayes the Passion Ascension and sending downe of the holy Ghost should be remembred as the Natiuitie and Resurrection If by the learned ye vnderstand these whom ye doe afterwards name Farellus Viret and Caluine I am perswaded no man will thinke that either they or any other such Pastors of the Church would haue bin forced to practise that which was vnlawfull in it selfe and a superstitious will-worship either by Magistrate or People PP Farellus and Viret remooued all Holy-dayes out of the Church of Geneua as Caluine testifies The same decree which banished Farellus and Caluine out of Geneua brought in other Holy-dayes They were all againe abrogate except the Sabbath day Howsoeuer after came in the keeping of Pasche and the Natiuitie ANS The iudgement of Caluine touching the abolition of the Festiuall dayes in Geneua may be seene in his 118. Epistle where he professes that it was done se inscio ac ne optante quidem And a little after subioynes Ex quo sum reuocatus hoc temperamentum quaesiui vt Christi Natalis celebraretur vestro more alijs autem diebus extraordinariae supplicationes tabâ—rnis mane clausis fierent à prandio ad suas operas res agendas quisque abiret And albeit in that place he confesses that the abrogation of the Festiuall dayes did not grieue him yet he protests as followes Hoc tamen testatum esse volo si mihi delata optio fuisset quod nunc constitutuÌ„ est non fuisse pro senteÌ„tia dicturum If Caluine had thought as ye doe that December Christmas is a iust imitation of December Saturnall of the Ethnicke Romanes and that the obseruation of the rest of the Festiuall dayes had beene a superstitious kinde of Will-worship and a Iudaicall Pedagogie he would neuer haue consented to the keeping of that Natiuitie and would not only haue abolished the holy dayes by his suffrage if the same had beene in his option but also testified to the world his dislike of them by his Pen and writing But that all may see how different his iudgement is from yours he concludes with these words Nec tamen est cur homines adeo exasperentur si libertate nostra vt Ecclesiae aedificatio postulat vtâ—mur quemadmodum nec vicissim praeiudicio esse morem nostrum aequum est By these words it is manifest that in Caluines iudgement the obseruation and abrogation of these dayes consists in the power and libertie of the Church and that the obseruation of them in it selfe is not vnlawfull but a thing indifferent to be vsed and not vsed as the edification of the Church requires which iudgement wee imbrace and follow PP Caluine was so farre from liking of Holy dayes hee was slandered of intention to abolish the Lords Day ANS His Doctrine shewes the last to bee a calumnie his practise and iudgement declares that hee did not mislike the obseruation of the dayes vsed in the Primitiue and other reformed Churches PP The Belgike Churches in their Synode holden at Dort Anno 1578. wished that only the Lords Day might be celebrated Luther himselfe in his Booke De bonis Operibus set forth Anno 1520. wished that there were no Feast Dayes amongst Christians but the Lords Day And in his Booke to the Nobilitie of Germany he sayes Consultum esse vt omnia festa aboleantur solo dic Dominico retento ANS This wish Luther and the Belgike Churches conceiued out of their miscontentment at the number corruptions and superstitions of the Festiuall dayes besides the Lords Day as ye doe The late Councell holden at Dort Anno 1618. did celebrate the Feast of Christs Natiuitie most solemnely for the space of three dayes so the practise of these Churches and of Luther shewes that they agree in iudgment with vs touching the obseruation of the fiue dayes PP Howsoeuer forreine Diuines in their Epistles and Councels speake sometimes sparingly against Holy dayes when their aduice was sought of Churches newly risen out of Poperie and greatly distressed they neuer aduised a Church to resume them where they were remoued ANS If forreine Diuines had esteemed the obseruation of these fiue dayes a Iudaicall Pedagogie a rudimentary instruction a superstitious wil-worship as ye doe they had spoken no more sparingly thereof then they do of other like things in the Papisticall Church Where yee say that they neuer aduised Churches to resume them who had once remooued the same Caluine in his one and fiftieth Epistle aduises the Monbelgardens not to contend against the Prince for not resuming of all Festiuall dayes but only such as serued not to edification and were seene to be superstitious such as the Conception and Assumption of the blessed Virgin In festis non recipiendis sayes hee cuperem vos esse constantiores sic tamen vt non litigetis de quibuslibet sed de eis tantum quae nec ad aedificationem quicquam factura sunt supertitionem prima ipsa facie prae se ferunt c. And in the end of the Epistle answering one Obiection which is frequently vsed in our Church he saies Quod autem vos terret offendiculorum periculum si quam nouam agendi formam receperitis quae non sit nostris Ecclesiis vsitata id quidem meritò facitis Sed quia non eò ventum est perfectionis quin optemus adhuc progredi hic timor vos impedire non debet ab ijs ritibus admittendis quos alioqui non liceat penitus improbare What these Ceremonies were whereof he speakes ye will find in the same Epistle to wit
the ordinary dayes of preaching not that it is vnlawfull to baptise whensoeuer the Word is preached but to remoue a grosse errour wherewith many are deceiued thinking that Children bee damned if they dye without Baptisme c. In the order of Baptisme set downe before the Psalmes in metre it is said that the Sacraments are not ordayned of God to bee vsed in priuate corners as Charmes or Sorceries c. And in the Assembly holden 1581. it was ordayned that the Sacraments should not bee ministred in priuate houses c. This laudable order hitherto obserued was altered c. ANS Cases of necessitie are not subiect to ordinarie rules Therfore the Acts made at Perth concerning necessary and extraordinarie cases alters not the laudable order hitherto obserued As it is an errour to esteeme Baptisme absolutely necessary that is a middest without which there is no saluation so it is as great an errour not to thinke it necessary as an ordinary meane whereby the Grace of God is communicate and without the which if it may be had and be either contemned or neglected there is no certainty that God will conferre his grace Therefore to astrict the ministration of Baptisme to a humane order touching time and place which by the Word of God may be lawfully vsed at other times and in other places is great temeritie importing to the Childe no small danger of the losse of grace and bringing vpon the Parent and Pastor the guilt of his bloud for contemning at lest neglecting the ordinary meane of saluation PP A Sacrament is a publike action to bee performed publikely by publike Ministers Neyther can any necessitie or sufficient cause be alleadged wherefore any sacred and publike action should passe in priuate because Gods Ordinance is to vs a supreme Law and necessitie which we ought to obey rather then foster popular ignorance and infirmitie These are Tilenus words ANS These words are not vttered by Tilenus against the administration of Baptisme at extraordinary times and in extraordinary places but only against the administration of Baptisme by women and priuate persons which is the second Controuersie in Baptisme which hee handles beginning at the twelfth position with these words Altera Controuersia de Ministro Baptismi and ending at the eighteenth These Where there is not so much as a syllable of the time and place when and where Baptisme may be ministred all his positions concerning only the persons by whom So in this yee are like your selfe peruerting and abusing the speeches of learned men against their owne minde And it is to bee obserued heere that yee peruersly interpret his words for where he sayes Nullaque necessitas vel idonea causa afferri potest cur actio sacra publica transeat in priuatam yee to make the Reader beleeue that Tilenus speakes of a priuate place whiles he is speaking of a priuate action translate it passe in priuate as if a publike action could not be lawfully performed when it is done by a publike person and in presence of such a number as by the Ordinance of God are sufficient PP The Sacraments are testimonies of our pietie thankfulnesse profession and protestations of our saith therefore they ought to be conspicuous and publike ANS It is most expedient that they bee both conspicuous and publike but in cases of necessity it suffices that they bee publike PP We haue no externall fellowship with the whole Church militant in the publike exercise of Religion but a mediate Communion with a particular Congregation This Communion ought not to be violated ANS This Communion is not violated when in cases of necessitie men cannot resort to the Parish Church If we communicate in these exercises of Religion with two or three conuened in the Name of Christ where a greater Assembly cannot be had our Communion with the Church is not violated for they are a particular Church and a part of the vniuersall aswell as the Parishioners although they be lesse PP The Sacraments should be ministred with consent and in presence of the Church seeing they are workes of publike nature and of publike fruit belonging to all ANS Such workes of publike nature and publike fruit ought ordinarily to be ministred solemnely but in cases of necessitie it suffices that they bee lawfully ministred in caetu aliquo fidelium as Caluine speakes Epist. 185. PP The Sacraments ministred in priuate houses make the Sacraments to be contemned and neglected Heretickes take occasion to corrupt the pure administration of them by these priuie practises The imperiall constitution in Iustinian forbiddeth that holy things be ministred in priuate houses ANS The lawfull administration prescribed in the Act preserues them from contempt neglect and corruption And by the contrarie the omission of the Sacraments in the cases of necessitie make men to contemne and neglect them as vnnecessarie For Heretickes there is nothing so good at which they will not take occasion of euill yet the practise of good things must not therefore be omitted To Iustinians constitutions ye were wont to answere that the Lawes of the Code are not rules of Theologie O but this is a constitution of the Nouels that is true yet it fauours your nouelties no more then the Code This constitution forbiddes onely the ordinarie exercises of publique worship in priuate Oratories whereby the Temples were deserted as is manifest by the Preface but it is so farre from forbidding the celebration of the Sacraments in priuate houses in cases of necessitie that it reserueth priuiledge to the Patriarch of Constanâ—inople and to the Bishops in the Prouince to giue licence that ordinarie seruice may be exercised in priuate Oratories â—ccording to the 31. Canon of the Trulliau Councell PP The Sacraments are not tyed to the materiall Churches made of dead stones but the Church made of liuely stones If â—herefore the congregation be in a wood a house or a caue 〈◊〉 Sacraments may be ministred in a house a wood or a â—aue but then the Sacraments are not ministred in priuate â—ut in publique because they are ministred in the sight of the â—hole Congregation ANS Yet here the whole Congregation is not an ordinarie Parishionall Church but an extraordinarie Conuention wherein we affirme with you that the Sacraments may and should be ministred In this we agree but in that which followes of the number which may make a Congregation we disagree PP Christ promise to be in the middest of two or three conuened in his name cannot be extended to the administration of the Sacraments for then where two onely are conuened the Communion might be ministred and so the priuat Masse defended Christ reasons onely from the lesse to the more If he wil heare the prayers and ratifie the censures of two or three farre more of the whole Church ANS If the lesse be true namely that Christ will ratifie the Censures of two or three conuened in his name then two or three conuened in his name must
the Eunuch and the Centurion No man will denie but in the infancie of a Church a priuate Baptisme may be tollerated but we speake of a Church constituted c. The Lord appoynted a precise day of Circumcision which might not be preuented It was no wonder if they had not euer opportunitie of a solemne Conuention there is no precise day set downe for Baptisme c. The Church ought to be assured of the Baptisme of such as are reputed fellow-heires with them c. ANS That the Church may be assured of the Baptisme of the Childe it is ordained in the Act of Perth That the Minister shall the next Lords-day after any such priuate Baptisme declare in the Church that the Infant was so baptized and therefore ought to be receyued as one of the true Flocke of CHRISTS â—olde In a constituted Church Baptisme should not be ministred ordinarily but according to the constitutions of the Church but extraordinarie cases cannot be subiect to ordinarie constitutions more in a constituted Church then in the Infancie of it And that which is lawfull to be done in the Infancie of the Church is yet lawfull to be done in a constituted Church ratione reipraeceptae diuinae institutionis And it is vnlawfull onely ratiâ—ne ordinis in regard of the order appointed by the Church from which cases of necessitie are alwaies excepted Also that which might haue beene tolerated in the infancie of the Church for necessitie must euer be lawfull in the like case for it was not the infancie of the Church that made the toleration lawfull but the necessitie Where ye thinke that the Iewes were more strictly obliged to circumcision then Christians are to Baptisme because a certain day was appointed for it and to Baptisme there is no day prefixed in the Word Wee know by the Law that he who is not obliged at a certaine day to pay his debt may be charged to pay it at all times and therfore when God layes sicknesse on a child a charge is giuen by God instantly to the Parent to performe his duetie PP The Lords Supper ought to be publique We haue a spirituall vnion with the whole Church but because it is not possible to celebrate a sacramentall communion with the whole Church militant the Lord hath appointed vs to celebrate a sacramental coÌ„munion with some particular Church We that are many are one bread and one bodie because wee are partakers of one bread 1. Cor. 10.17 We cannot then bee one body sacrameÌ„tally except we be pertakers of one bread Other Feasts may be priuate in priuate houses but the Lords Supper ought to be publique 1. Cor. 11.12 When yee conuene to eate tarrie one for another 1. Cor. 11.33 Synaxis a word signifying as much as Synagogue was one of the names giuen of olde to this Sacrament ANS As with the whole Church Militant we haue a spirituall Communion so haue we an Euangelicall and Sacramentall Communion for as we are partakers of the same spirit so are we partakers of the same Word and Sacraments The Bread is one which all receiue and the water one wherewith all are baptised Sacramentally for they are clothed with the same sacred mysterie of signification exhibition and obsignation of saluation in Christ crucified When the Apostle sayes 1. Cor. 10.17 Because the bread is one we who are many are one body for we are all partakers of one bread he speaks not of our Communion with a particular Church onely but with the Catholike and by one bread he meanes not one bread mateâ—ially in number for one bread in number materially none but one particular person can receiue The bread which I receiue materially is not the same that thou receiuest but the Sacrament is one and the same in number To bee short wee haue no more a Sacramentall communion with these in the Parish with whom wee communicate then wee haue with the whole militant Church who are all partakers of the same Sacraments And thus as we haue a spirituall so we haue a sacramentall Communion with them It is true that our communion in the Word and Sacraments is not visible but with some particular Church and therefore as it is lesse or more publike so is it lesse or more visible yet we doe euer celebrate a Sacramentall communion with the whole Church when the action is lawfully performed The other places which yee cite 1. Cor. 11.22 Haue yee not houses to eate and drinke in and Vers. 33. When yee convene to eate tarry one for another of which yee gather that other feasts may be in priuate houses but the Lords Supper should be in publike These places I say are relatiue to the ordinarie meetings of those times which were often in priuate houses Caluine in his 363. Epistle to Oleâ—ian answers this obiection Neque verò Paulus dum Corinthios admonet domum suam cuique esse in qua comedat bibat coenam excludit à priuatis aedibus tunc neque fidelibus patebant templa nec permissum erat noua extruere sed tantùm à communibus epulis discernit spirituale mysterium ne cum illis misceatur that is When Paul admonishes the Corinthians that euery one hath his owne house wherein hee may eate and drinke he does not exclude the Lords Supper from priuate houses for in those dayes Temples were not patent to Christians neither had they libertie to build new Churches but hee discernes onely the spirituall mysterie from their common feasts and will not haue it to bee mixed with them So the mysterie was called Synaxis because it was euer celebrated in some Conuention lesse or more ordinarie or extraordinarie PP It is a badge of our publike profession it ought therefore to be publike ANS It should not onely be publike but most solemne ordinarily And in cases of necessitie when the same is ministred by an ordinarie Pastor to two or three assembled in Christs name it ceases not to be publike PP The Communion was sent to the sicke in the time or mediately after the action in Iustine Martyr his time It became afterwards to bee reserued for the vse of dying persons c. Some put the Eucharist into the mouthes of the dead lest they should want their voyage victuall Yet in all Antiquitie we reade not that the Communion was celebrated at the sick-mans bed-side ANS The corruptions that haue flowed of mens erroneous conceit of the Sacraments should not take away the lawfull vse of them when necessitie requires As to the sending of the Sacrament to the sicke it was a custome of the ancient Church which Beza allowes and where the Communion was daily at least weekely celebrated in the ordinarie Congregation as that was the custome of those times it was not necessarie to celebrate the Communion at the sick-mans bed-side PP Clinicall Communions haue not onely bred and still doe foster the opinion of absolute necessitie but also of Opus operatum of a preposterous confidence