are to be obferved in the Church of England throughout the Year. ALL Sundays in the Year. The Days of the Feast of The Circumcifion or our Lord Jefus Chrift. The Converfion of St. Paul. The Purification of the Bleffed Virgin. The Annunciation of the Bleffed Virgin. St. Philip and St. Jacob the Apoftles. The Nativity of St. John Baptift. St. Simon and St. Jude the Apostles, St. Andrew the Apostle. St. Thomas the Apostle. Monday and Tuesday in Eafter Week. Monday and Tuesday in Whitfun Week. A TABLE A TABLE of the Vigils, Fafts, and Days of Abfti The Evens or Vigils before nence, to be obferved in the Year. The Nativity of our Lord. The Purification of the Bleffed Virgin Mary. St. St. Matthias. John Baptift. St. James. St. Bartholomew. St. Simon and St. Jude. St. Andrew. Note, That if any of these Feaft-days fall upon a Monday, then the Vigil or Faft-day fhall be kept upon the Saturday, and not upon the Sunday next before it. Days of Fafting or Abftinence, ឃ the 1ft Sun.in Lent, the Feast of Pentec. September 14. I. The Forty Days of Lent. December 13. III. The three Rogation Days, being the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Holy Thursday, or the Afcenfion of our Lord. IV. All the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day. Preliminary CONCERNING FESTIVAL S. Quest. WHAT do you mean by Festivals? Anfw. Days fet apart by the Church, either for the Remembrance of some special Mercies of God, fuch as the Birth and Refurrection of Chrift, the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft, &c. or in Memory of the great Heroes of the Chriftian Religion, the Bleffed Apoftles, and other Saints; who were the happy Inftruments of conveying to us the Knowledge of Chrift Jefus, by preaching his Gospel through the World; and most of them attesting the Truth of it with their Blood. Q. Of what Authority is the Obfervation of thefe Feftivals? A. They are of Ecclefiaftical Inftitution ; agreeable to Scripture in the general Defign of them, for the promoting of Piety; confonant to the Practice of the Primitive Church, as appears by the joint Confent of Antiquity. Q. Are not Holy-Days enforced by the Laws of the Land? & 19. A. When upon the Reformation the Liturgy was fettled and established, fuch Days were enjoined to be observed; as plainly appears by the Statutes of 2 & 3 Ed. Edward VI. and though thefe Laws were abrogated VI.cap. 1. by Q. Mary, yet they were reviewed in the firft Year of Q. Elizabeth, and continued in the first of VI. cap. 3. K. James. And when upon the Reftoration, K. Charles II. iffued out a Commiflion for the reviewing of the Liturgy, and making fuch Alterations as B fhould 5 & 6 Ed. fhould appear to be fit and neceffary; the Alterations made by the Commiffioners were brought to the Convocation then fitting, where they were Synodically agreed upon, and the King and Parliament confirmed all thefe Proceedings, as the Acts of Uniformity teftifies: In which the Rubric and the Rules relating to the Liturgy are established by Royal Authority, as well as the Liturgy itself. Q. But is not the Obfervation of Days supersti tious? A. There is an Observation of Days certainly fuperftitious, if not idolatrous, fince in DeuteroLev. xix. nomy an Obferver of Times is declared an Abomina Deut. xviii. 10. 26. Gal. iv. 10, 11. tion to the Lord: And it is one of the Provocations for which the Gentiles were driven out of the Land. And the Galatians are reproached by St. Paul, for obferving Days and Months, and Times and Years; which appeared to him fo criminal, that upon his Account he feared the Labour he had bestowed upon them had been in vain. Q. What Kind of Days are they whose Observation is here condemned? 4. Such as were dedicated by the Heathens to their falfe Gods, or fuch as were obferved by them as lucky or unlucky Days; thefe being the Abominations of the Heathens condemned in Deuteronomy: Or those of the Jews, which, though abrogated, the Judaizing Chriftians attempted to impofe upon the Galatians, as ncceffary to Salvation; contrary to the Apostle's Endeavours of fetting them at Liberty in the Freedom of the Gospel; and to the Doctrine of Salvation by Chrift alone, which might justly make him afraid of them. Q. Is the Obfervation of fuch Days as are in Use among Chriftians forbidden in Scripture? A. No: Because God, who had in Abomination the Obferver of Times, doth himself ordain feveral Feafts to be observed in Memory of past Benefits as the Feast of the Paffover, of Weeks, and of Tabernacles. bernacles. Befides, our Saviour kept a Feaft of the Church's Inftitution, viz. the Feast of Dedication: And the common Practice of all Chriftian Churches and States, in appointing and keeping Days of public Thanksgiving and Humiliation, is Argument fufficient to prove, that in the common Sense of Chriftians it is not forbidden in Scripture. Q. What may be pleaded for fuch Days, from the Defign of their Inftitution? A. It being not only good, but a great Duty to be grateful, and to give Thanks to God for the Bleffings we receive from him, it must be not only lawful, but commendable upon the Account of Gratitude, to appoint and obferve Days for the particular Remembrance of fuch Bleffings, and to give Thanks for them: The fanctifying fuch Days being a Token of that Thankfulness, and Part of that public Honour which we owe to God for his ineftimable Benefits. Q. But do not thefe Festivals reftrain the Praifes of God to certain Times, which ought to be extended to all Times? A. No Duty can be performed without the Circumftance of Time: And that there is a certain Time allotted for this Duty, tends only to the securing of fome Time for the Exercife of the Duty, against the Frailties of Men and the Disturbances of the World, which otherwife might fupplant and rob it of all. And though the Days of Solemnity, which are but few, muft quickly finish that outward Exercife of Devotion which appertains to fuch Times; yet they increase Men's inward Difpofitions to Virtue for the prefent, and by their frequent Returns, bring the fame at length to great Perfection. What the Gofpel enjoins, is a conftant Difpofition of Mind to practife all Chriftian Virtues, as often as Time and Opportunity require; and not a Perpetuity of Exercife and Action, it being impoffible B 2 |