A Reexamination of the Five Articles Enacted at Perth in 1618, Section 2 · Part 4
THE JVDGEMENT OF FORraine Divines.
I Passe by the Petrobrusians, The judgement of forraine Divines.the Waldenses, and Wicleffs followers, and come to later times. Luther in his booke de bonis operibus, set forth anno 1520. wished, that there were no festivall dayes among Christians, but the Lords day only were observed. And in his booke to the nobilitie of Germanie he saith, Consul… nesse ut o…nia festa aboleantur, solo die dominico retent…. That is, It were expedient that all feasts were abolis…ed, t…e Lords day onelyonly being retained. Farellus and Vi…et r…n…ed all holy dayes out of the Church of Geneva, as Calvine epist. 118. testifieth. The same decree, which banished Farellus and Calvine out of Geneva, brought in other holy dayes. In a nationall synod holden at Dort anno 1578. of the Belgick, Almaine and French Churches, we have these words. Optandum for…t nostros sex diebus laborare, & diem solum Dominicum celebrare. That is, It were to be wished, that our countrie people laboured six dayes, and celebrated only the Lords day. So yee may see festivall dayes are rather tolerated by them, because of the wilfulnesse of the magistrates and people then commended or allowed. Among the articles agreed upon and concluded concerning ecclesiasticall policie in the Palatina…, anno 1602. we have this following. Omnes Feri… per annum & festi dies tollendi è medio. All the festivall dayes through the yeare are to be abolished. Yee see where they finde the opportunity, they abolished them. Bucer, howbeit not one of the precisest reformers, upon Mathew 2. hath these words, as I finde him cited by Amesius in his fresh suit, pag. 360. I would to God, that ev…ry holy day whatsoever, beside the Lords day were abolished. That zeal which brought them first in, was without all warrant or example of the Scripture, and onelyonly followed naturall reason, to drive out the holy dayes of the pagans, as it were to drive out one nail with another. Those holy dayes have beene defiled with so grosse superstitions, that I marvell if there be any Christian who doth not shake at their very names.
Seeing then festivall dayes have no warrant, we ought not to hear the sermons delivered on these dayes of purpose for the day: for that is the chiefe element of a festivall day to use a peculiar kinde of service proper to it. And without divine service, it were but an idle day, not a holy day. The word of God is good of it selfe, but may bee abused to charming, and to foster superstition, whereof we should keepe our selves free, that wee be not guiltie of the prophanation of the name of God. Our preachers went to rebuke the people when they con…eened more frequently to the Church npon any festivall day, falling upon an ordinarie day of teaching, howbeit neither time nor text was changed. But how farre have both. preachers and professours, degenered without appearance of amendment. At the beginning of the late novations they were skar, but now many have digested that scruple.