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to dishonour it with their worst cloathes, with fhops open, with fervile works,ftand guilty before God of an high and finful contempt of that lawful authority under which they live; for as much as by the ftatutes of our land, made by the full concurrence of King and ftate, this day is commanded to be kept holy by all English fubje&ts; and this power is backed by the charge of God, submit your feives to every ordinance of man for the Lords fake.

If now after all this I fhould let my pen loose to the fuffragant teftimonies whether of antiquity, or of modern divines, and reformed churches, I should trye your patience, and instead of a letter fend you a volume; Let it fuffice that ever fince the fecond hundred year after Chrift, this feaft hath without contradiction obtained in the church of God, and hath received many noble Elogies, and paffionate inforcements from the learned and holy Fathers of the church; amongst the reft that of Gregory Nazianzen is fo remarkable that I may not omit it; as that which fets forth the exceffe of joyful refpect wherewith the antient Chriftians were wont to keep this day.

Let us (faith he ) celebrate this feaft, not in a panegyrical but tion upon divine, not in a worldly but fuperfecular manner; not regarding fo the day of much our felves or ours, as the worship of Chrift, &c. And how the Nati fhall we effect this? Not by crowning our doors with garlands, nor Chrift. by leading of dances, nor adorning our ftreets; not by feeding our eyes, not by delighting our ears with fongs, not by effeminating our fmel with perfumes, not with humouring our taft with dainties, not with pleafing our touch, not with filken and coftly clothes, &c. not with the fparkling of jewels, not with the luftre of Gold, not with the artifice of counterfeit colours, &c. let us leave these things to Pagans for their pomps, &c. But we, who adore the word of the father, if we think fit to affect delicacies, let us feed our felves with the dainties of the law of God, and with thofe difcourfes efpecially which are fitting for this prefent feftival. So that learned eloquent father, to his auditors of Conftantinople.

Whereto let me (if you please ) have leave to add one or two practical inftances: One fhall be of the good Emperour Theodofius lying now for eight moneths under the fevere cenfure of Bishop Amtrofe; when the feaft of the Nativity drew near, what moan did that religious Prince make to his courtiers, that he was by that refolure

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refolute: Bishop fhut cut (for his blood-guiltinefs) from partaking with the affembly in that holy fervice; and what im ortunate Histor. means did he make for his admiffion! had that gracious Emperour Tripar. been of the diet of these new divines, he would have fleighted titel. 9. that repulfe; and gladly taken this occafion of abfence from that fuperftitious folemnity; or had one of thefe grave monitors been at his elbow, he might have faved that pious Prince the expense of many fighes, and teares which now he bestowed upon his abftention from that dearly affected devotion.

The other fhall be an hiftory of as much note as horrour;too clear Nicea proof of the ancient celebration of this feftivall; It was under the phor.1.7. Tyranny of Dioclefian & his co-partner Maximinus,that twenty thou- c. 6. fand Chriftans, which were met to celebrate the feaft of this bleffed Nativity in the large Church of Nicomedia, were made an Holocauft, and burnt, together with that goodly Fabrick,to afhes, on that day. Lo, lo great a multitude as twenty thousand chriftians, of all ages, of both fexes, had not thus met together in a time of fo tnortal a danger, to celebrate this feaft, if the holy zeal of their duty had not told them they ought to keep that day which these novellers teach us to contemn.

Now let thefe bold men fee of how contrary a difpofition they are to these bleffed Martyrs, which as this day fent up their fouls (like to Manoahs Angel) to heaven in those flames.

After thus much faid; I thould be glad to know (fince reason there can be none) what authority induces thefe gainfayers to oppose fo antient and received a custome in the Church of God; you tell me of a double teftimony cited to this purpose, the one of Socra tes the Hiftorian; which I fuppofe is fetcht out of his 5th. book of Ecclefiaftical story, chap. 21. where, upon occafion of the feast of Eafter, he paffeth his judgment upon the indifferent nature of all those ancient feafts which were of ufe in the primitive times; fhewing that the Apoftles never nicant to make any law for the keeping of feftival dayes; nor impofed any mulet upon the not keeping them, but left men to the free obfervation thereof.

For answer whereunto, I do not tell you that this author is wont to be impeached of Novatianifme; and therefore may feem fit to yield patronage to fuch a client ; I rather fay that (take him at the worst) he is no enemy to our opinion, or practife; we agree with

him,that the Apostles would have men free from the fervitude of the Jewish observation of dayes; that they enacted no law for fet feftivalls, but left perfons and places fo to their liberty in these cases, that none fhould impofe a neceffity upon other; this were to be preffed upon a vidor Bishop of Rome, who violently obtruded a day. for the celebration of Eafter upon all Churches (fuppofing in the mean while an Eafter univerfally kept of all chriftians, though not on the fame day) this makes nothing againft us, who place no holinefs in the very hours, nor plead any Apoftolical injunction for dayes, nor tye any perfon or Church to our ftrict calender, but only hold it fit out of our obedience to the lawes both of our church and kingdome, to continue a joyful celebration of a memorial day to the honour of our bleffed Saviour.

But that other authority which you tell me was urged to this purpose, I confeffe, doth not a little amaze me; it was, you say, of King James Our learned Soveraigne of late and bleffed Memory; whofe teftimony was brought in before the credulous people (not without the juft applaufe of a Solomon-like wifdome) as crying down thefe feftivals, and in a certain fpeech of his applauding the purity of the church of Scotland above that of Geneva for that it obferved not the common feafts of Chrifts Nativity, and Refurrection, &c. Is it poffible that any mouth could name that wife and good King in fuch a caufe, whom all the world knowes to have been as zealous a patron of thofe feftivals, as any lived upon earth? and if he did let fill any fuch speech before he had any Downe upon his chin,& whilft he was under the ferule, what candor is it to produce it now to the contradiction of his better experience, and ripcft judgment? Nay,is it not famously known that it was one of the main errands of his journy into his native Kingdome of Scotland, to reduce that church unto a conformity to the reft of the Churches of Chriftendom in the obthe five fervation of thefe folemn dayes? and to this purpose, was it not one Articles of of the main bufineffes which he fet on work in the Affembly at Perth Perth, and wherein he employed the service of his worthy Chaplain Doctor Young, Dean of winchefter, to recall, and re-establish these feftivalls?

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And accordingly, in pursuance of his Majefties carneft defire this way, was it not enacted in that Affembly that the said feafts should be duely kept? Doubtleffe it was, and that not without much wife

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care and holy caution; which act because it cannot be had every where, and is well worthy of your notice, and that which clears the point in hand,I have thought good here to infert:the tenor of it there■fore is this.

As we abhorr the fuperftitious obfervation of Feftival dayes by the Papifts, and deteft all licentious, and profane abuse thereof by the common fort of profeffors; fo we think that the inestimable benefits received from God, by our Lord Jefus Chrift his Birth, Paffion, Refurrection, Afcenfion, and fending down of the Holy Ghoft, was commendably, and godly remembred at certain particular dayes and times by the whole church of the World, and may be alfo now; Therefore the Affembly ordaines, that every Minifter shall upon these dayes have the commemoration of the forefaid ineftimable benefits, and make choice of feveral and pertinent texts of Scripture, and frame their doctrine and exhortation there to, and : rebuke all fuperftitious obfervation, and licentious profanation thereof.

I could (if it were needful) give you other proofes of King James this zeal for thefe dayes; but what fhould I fpend time in proving there is a fun in the Heaven,and fight in that Sun? The name of that great King fuffereth for his exceffe this way. Shortly then, the Church of God, his anointed, law, antiquity, reafon are for us in this point, and I doubt not but you will gladly be on their fide; away with all innovations and frivolous quarrels, we were divided enough before, and little needed any new rents. The God of peace quiet all thefe diftempers, and unite our hearts one to another, and all to himself.

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My Reverend and worthily Dear Friend, Mr. WILLIAM STRUTHERS:

One of the Preachers of

EDINBOURGH.

T

He haft of your Letters (my reverend and worthy Mr. Struthers) was not fo great, as their welcome, which they might well challenge for your name; but more for that love and confidence which they imported: thus muft our Friendship be fed, that it may neither feel death nor

age.

The fubftance of your Letter was partly Relation, and partly Requeft; For the firft; Rumour had in part prevented you, and brought to my ears thofe Stirs, which happened after my departure; and namely, together with that impetuous Proteftation, fome rude deportment of ill-governed Spirits towards his Majefty. Alas! (my dear Brother this is not an ufage for Kings, they are the nurfes of the Church; if the child Thall fall to fcratching and biting the breft, what can it expect but ftripes and hunger? your Letter profeffes that his Majefty fent you away in peace, and joy, and why would any of thofe rough-hewn Zelots fend him away in difcontentment? But this was (I know) much againft your heart, whofe often teftations affured me of your wife moderation in these things. How carneftly have you profeffed to me, that, if you were in the Church of England (fuch was your indifferency in thefe indifferent matters) ou would make no fcruple of your ceremonies? yea, how sharp hath your cenfure been of thofe refra&aries amongst us that would

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