adorant quod edunt: and the best of the Fathers, many ages before him, Nemo manducat nisi priùs adoraverit.

For the Expedience, what business can pass betwixt heaven and earth, God and man, so worthy of reverence, as that, wherein man receives God? Even the smallest gifts, we receive from princes upon our knees; and now, when the Prince of our Peace gives himself to us, shall we grudge to bow?

I know the old challenge, Artolatry. But, shall others' superstition make us unreverent? Shall not God have our knees, because Idols have had the knees of others?

But what do I press this to you, who professed to me, if I remember well, your approbation hereof, in our English Congregations? The Sacrament is every where the same. Nothing, but want of use, hath bred a conceit of uncouthness in that, which custom would approve and commend.

As for CONFIRMATION BY BISHOPS, I need to say little, because it little concerns you, as an action appropriate to superiors neither, I think, do you envy it to them.

:

That the ceremony itself is both of ancient and excellent use, I know you will not deny.

For the one, Melancthon gives it the praise of, Utilis ad erudiendos homines, et retinendos in verá agnitione Dei.

For the other, Zuinglius can assure you, Confirmationem tum sumpsisse exordium, cùm vulgò cœptum est infantes tingi. In regard of both, Reverend Calvin wisheth it again restored to the Church, with no small fervency.

All the doubt is, in the restriction to Bishops: wherein I will only send you to learned Bucer: Signum impositionis manuum, etiam soli Episcopi præbebant, et non absque ratione: sive enim sit fœdus Domini baptizatis confirmandum, sive reconciliandi qui grariùs peccaverunt, sive Ecclesiis Ministri ordinandi, hæc omnia ministerià maximè decent eos, quibus Ecclesiarum cura demandata est. This, as it was done only at first, by the Apostles, in the case of the Samaritans; so, from them, was by the Church derived to the Bishops, as Chrysostom directs; præpositis suis, as Cyprian and Austin speak. But what need I cite Fathers or Councils for that, which worthy Calvin himself both confesses and teaches? Certainly, nothing but continuance and abuse hath distasted these things; which, if time had been their friend, never wanted that, which might procure them grace and respect from the world.

For their own sakes, therefore, I need not doubt to say, that all these are worthy of your good entertainment; much more then, when they come to you with the billets of authority in their hands. Were they but things in the lowest rank of indifferency, the power, that commands them, might challenge their welcome: how much more then, when they have an intrinsical worthiness to speak for them!

Your Letter hath well insinuated what the power of princes is, in things of middle natures; whereof your Apostle's rule will eternally hold, Not for fear, but for conscience.

Indeed, wherein is the power of royal authority, if not in these things? Good and evil have their set limits, determined by God himself: only indifferent things have a latitude allowed for the exercise of human commands; which if it might be resisted at pleasure, what could follow, but an utter confusion of all things?

This ground, as it hath found just place in your own breast; so were very fit to be laid by all your public discourses, in the minds of the people: as that, which would not a little rectify them, both in judgment and practice.

There is no good heart, whom it would not deeply wound, to hear of the least danger of the dissipation of your Church. God in heaven forbid any such mischief! Our prayers shall be ever for your safety. But, if any inconvenience should, on your parts, follow upon the lawful act of authority, see ye, how ye can wash your hands, from the guiltiness of this evil. This is, I hope, but your fear. Love is, in this sense, full of suspicions; and commonly projects the worst. It is Nazianzen's advice, Dum secundo vento navigas, naufragium time: tutior eris à naufragio, adjutorem tibi ac socium adjungens timorem.

Far, far is it from the heart of our Gracious Sovereign, who holds it his chief glory to be Amicus Sponse, to intend ought, that might be prejudicial to your Church. If his late journey, his laboursome conferences, his toilsome endeavours, his beneficial designs, have not evinced his love to you, what can do it? And, can any of yours think, that this affection can stand with a will to hurt you? I know nothing, if I may except his own soul, that he loves better than your Church and State: and if he did not think this a fruit of his love, he would be silent. What shall he gain by this, but that advantage, which he promiseth to himself of your good, in your assimilation to other Churches? a matter, wherein I need not tell you there is both honour and strength.

The mention whereof draws me, towards the closure of my long Letter, whether to an apology or interpretation of myself. Belike, some captious hearers took hold of words, spoken in some Sermon of mine, that sounded of too much indifferency in these businesses: ubi bos herbam, vipera venenum, as he said: as if I had opened a gap to a lawless freedom, in teaching, that no Church should prescribe to other; that each should sit peaceably down with her own fashions. But did I say (you, that heard, can clear me) that one Church should not be moved with the good example of other? that there are not certain sacred observations, which should be common to all Churches? that, though one Church might not prescribe to

other, because they are sisters, one King may not prescribe to two Churches, whereof he is head? None of these, which I hate as monstrous. Examples may move, authority may press the use of things indifferent, expedient; and it is odious to seem more holy than all others, or to seem more wise than our heads.

You have my opinion, at large, my loving and beloved Mr. Struthers. How pleasing it may be, I know not: how well meant, I know. If your Letter were a history, my answer is proved a volume. My love, and desire of your satisfaction, hath made me, against my use, tedious. How well were every word bestowed, if it might settle you where I would! Howsoever, my true endeavour looks for your acceptation, and my affections and prayers shall ever answer yours; who am,

Your unfeignedly loving friend

Waltham Abbey.

and fellow-labourer,

JOSEPH HALL.

Octob. 3.

Return my thanks and kind remembrance to those worthy gen

tlemen, from whom you sent me commendations; and to your wife and all our friends.

A LETTER

FOR THE

OBSERVATION OF THE FEAST

OF

CHRIST'S NATIVITY.

BY JOSEPH HALL.

SIR, WITH MY LOVING REMEMBRANCE:

It cannot but be a great grief to any wise and moderate Christian to see zealous and well meaning souls carried away after the giddy humour of their new teachers, to a contempt of all holy and reverend antiquity, and to an eager affectation of novel fancies even while they cry out most bitterly against innovations: when the practice and judgment of the whole Christian World ever from the days of the blessed Apostles to this present age is pleaded for any form of government or laudable observation, they are strait taught, That old things are passed, and that all things are become new; making their word good by so new and unheard-of an interpretation of Scripture, whereby they may as justly argue the introducing of a new Church, a new Gospel, a new religion, with the annulling of the old and that they may not want an all-sufficient patronage of their fond conceit, our blessed Saviour himself is brought in, who in his Sermon on the Mount controlled the antiquity of the pharisaical glosses of the law; Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, thus and thus; but I say unto you, &c : as if the Son of God, in checking the upstart antiquity of a mis-grounded and unreasonable tradition, meant to condemn the truly ancient and commendable customs of the whole Christian Church; which all sober and judicious Christians are wont to look upon, with meet respect and reverence.

And, certainly, whosoever shall have set down this resolution. with himself, to slight those either institutions or practices, which are derived to us from the Primitive Times, and have

ever since been entertained by the whole Church of Christ upon earth, that man hath laid a sufficient foundation of schism and dangerous singularity; and doth that, which the most eminent of the Fathers, St. Augustin, chargeth with no less than most insolent madness.

For me and my friend, God give us grace to take the advice, which our Saviour gives to his Spouse, to Go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and to feed our kids beside the shepherds' tents; Cant. i. 8. and to walk in the sure paths of uncorrupt Antiquity.

For the celebration of the solemn Feasts of our Saviour's Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and the coming down of the Holy Ghost, which you say is cried down by your zealous Lecturer, one would think there should be reason enough, in those wonderful and unspeakable benefits, which those days serve to commemorate unto us.

For, to instance in the late feast of the Nativity, when the angel brought the news of that blessed birth to the Jewish shepherds, Behold, saith he, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day a Saviour. If, then, the report of this blessing were the best tidings of the greatest joy that ever was, or ever could be possibly incident into mankind, why should not the commemoration thereof be answerable? Where we conceive the greatest joy, what should hinder us to express it in a joyful festivity?

But, you are taught to say, the day conferred nothing to the blessing: that, every day, we should, with equal thankfulness, remember this inestimable benefit of the Incarnation of the Son of God; so as a set anniversary day is altogether needless.

Know, then, and consider, that the All-Wise God, who knew it fit that his people should every day think of the great work of the creation and of the miraculous deliverance out of the Egyptian servitude, and should daily give honour to the Almighty Creator and Deliverer, yet ordained one day of seven for the more special recognition of these marvellous works; as well knowing, how apt we are to forget those duties, wherewith we are only encharged in common, without the designment of a particular rememoration. Besides, the same reason will hold proportionably against any monthly or annual celebration whatsoever: the Jews should have been much to blame, if they had not every day thankfully remembered the great deliverance, which God wrought for them from the bloody design of cruel Haman; yet it was thought requisite, if not necessary, that there should be two special days of Purim set apart, for the anniversary memorial of that wonderful preservation. The like may be said for the English Purim, of our November: it is well, if, besides the general tie of our thankfulness, a precise day, ordained by authority, can enough quicken our unthankful