Io. 14.

this name, I think that thar is na treu Christiane bot he dar affirme baldly in the face of al the warld that in this mater (quhair he callis the saidis solenniteis idolatrical, superstitius, or contrarius to Godis law) he spekis blasphemie aganis the Haly Gaist, and aganis the essential 5 veritie our Lord and King Christ Iesus, quha permittit His said Spirit of Treuth to teche His Kirk and be with it to the warldis end. For Iohne Knox and his Matth. vlti. scolers schrynkis not to rail and lie that it hes bene euer in idolatrie in this case of thir festual dayis amangis 10 vtheris ma. Bot I misknaw not sum of zow to obiect the command, chargand, Sex dayis to laubour, and the seuint day to sanctifie to the Lord; thairfore I desyre the doutsum man to cause his doctour and prophete foresaid, with all the assistence of his best learnit scolers, 15 to ansueir in writ quhat Scripture hes he or vther authoritie, by the consent of the haly Kirk vniuersal to sanctifie the Sonday to be the seuint day. And gif he abolissis with vs the Saterday, as ceremoniall and not requisit in the law of the Euangel, quhat hes he by 20 the consent of Godis Kirk to sanctifie ony day of the vii, and not to labour al the seuin dayis-the sext day, because it is sua commandit, and the Sabbath,1 because it is abolissit be the Euangel? And gif he can schaw na expres Scriptur tharfor, quhi abolissis he not the 25 Sonday, as he dois Zule, Pasche, and the rest vniuersalie obseruit be al Christianis as the Sonday? Bot note, honorable Schirs (that the veritie be not losit be altercation), the historie of Judith, quhow the Jowis by the solenniteis of thai dayis gefin tham afore in the Scriptur, 30 Iudith, vlti. institute ane zeirly solennitie to glorifie God for the deliuering Bethulia and thaim fra the crudelitie of Holofernes. Reid also that Mardocheus, Hester, and the rest of the Iowis captiues vnder the king Assuerus, institutit sic zeirly solennitie of blythnes, in remembrance 35 1 O.E. Sabbaoth.

Hester, 9.

5

that be the mychtie hand of God thay wer delyuerit fra the tyrannie of wikit Ammon. Gyf sic zeirlie memorial in blythnes1 and thankisgeifing wes haldin for the delyuerance of thair bodeis, had not the Apostolis and the hail Kirk of God, gydit vndouttitlie2 be the Haly Gaist, siclyke aucthoritie to institut sic festual dayis for the delyuering of thair bodeis and saulis, not fra twa eirdlie tyrrannis, Holofernes and Ammon, bot from the deuyll, hell, and syn,-not be twa wemen Iudith and 10 Hester, bot be the pretious blude of the immaculat lamb, the Sone of God? Ze reid sicklyke the Fest of the Dedication callit Encenia, institute be the Hebreuis Io. 10. without ony command contenit in ony canonicall Scripture, quhilk solennitie wes approuin and decorit be our 15 Saluiours awin presence. Sall the haill peple of God heirfor of al aiges, in the libertie of the Euangel, haif les libertie in the lyke materis than had the Iowis vnder the zok of the Mosaical law? Ze may reid also that Salo- 2 Para. 7. mon at the dedicatioun of the tempyll celebratit3 in gret

20 solennitie sewin festuall dayis together; and trow ze that he brak the command thairthrow, Sex dayis sall thou laubour? Quhen we heir zour prophete cast in dout, sayand, quha wat quhat day Christ wes borne on, can ze think him in ony vther gre, bot nyxt efter to speir 25 gif Christ be borne? O mad man and maist fulische!

wald he persuade ane faithful Christiane that the hail vniuersal Kirk is mair vnthankfull and les myndfull of the byrth of hir Spouse and King, the Sonne of God, than ony realme is of thair temporal king, quhais day of 30 natiuitie na contre forzettis induring his lyfetyme? Bot our Kyng and maiste sweit Spouse leuis for euer. Quhairfore euer sall the day of His blissit natiuitie, circumcition, passion, resurrectioun, ascensioun, and his manifestation to the warld callit Epiphanie, in the dispyte of

the deuyll and all his furius memberis (quha* euer hes laborit to abolish His name out of this warld), be in freche memorie of His deirbelouit Spouse, His Haly Kirk Vniuersall. Bot, allace! quhow mony in thir dayis repetis this Haly Kirk Vniuersal as ane necessare articule 5 of thar beleif (as it is but dout), and zit othir throw ignorance dissauit, or throw malice blyndit, impugnis the trew vnderstanding thairof? Amangis mony materis rycht wechty, lat this samyn grosse exemple of the abolitioun of thir solennit dayis as idolatricall be ane contrare 10 the vniforme consent in all tyme and place of the samyn Kirk. Bot, allace for pietie, honorable Schiris, quhy remember we not that for the abusing of thir dayis, amangis vtheris faultis, God is at wrayith with vs, and not for the institutioun and godlye obseruance of the 15 samyn, bot because we haue mispent thaim fra the seruice of our God to the seruice of our belliis, and of thay memberis vnder the bellie,-fra the honour of our Lord Christ to the vaine glorious pompe of our awin bodyis,—frome cheritie to carnalitie, bestowand that per- 20 tenit to the pure nedy memberis of Christis bodye on our sinfull flesche with the ryche glotton; and sa fra humilitie to pryde, fra sobriete to drunkinnes, fra peace and lufe to contentioun and debait; fra louing of God to mansuering of His name, fra godly talk of pace, amitie, 25 and frendschip, to scurrilitie, stryfe, and detractioun ; finallie, fra al the seruice of God requirit on the haly daye, to the seruice of Sathan or of the warld? And last of all, quhen we sould lament for our impietie, and returne to God and the rycht vse of thir solenniteis, ze 30 eik this mischeif to all zour former wickitnes quhen ze pronunce this blasphemie to the Spirit of God, affirming that His haly Kirk vniuersal hes bene euer pollutit with idolatrie in the obseruing of thir dayis. O mercyful God, wyl ze not remember quhay spekis sa mekle of the 35 Scripture, that God for the wickitnes of the peple wes

not applesit with thay festuall dayis, quhilkis He in the Scripture afore had commandit be the Iowis to be obseruit quhill the cumming of Christ, and that for thair abusing of the samyn to ane vther fine, than He institute 5 tham ? On this maner He complenis be His prophete: I haue hait (sayis the Lord) zour festuall dayis; I wyl Amos. not haue zour brunt sacrificeis. And in ane vther place,

and 8.

I sall turne zoure solennit dayis in murnyng, and zour canticulis in sobing. The Prophete Hieremie lamentis Thren. 2. 10 that God for the impietie and sinnis had causit the

festuall and solennit dayis in Hierusalem to be forzet, and in the wrath and indignation of His fury (be quhilk we vnderstand His justice aganis the wickitnes of man) had geuin the king and the preiste to be despysit, His temple, 15 sanctuarie, and altare to be destroyit. Be the quhilk place allane it is euident, that as the king and all lauchfull superiour poweris, the preiste, bischope, and all authoritie of the Kirk, wes contemnit for ane tyme, according to the iustice of God, bot zit be the wickit and 20 reprobat onlie; that on lyke maner the ordinance of

God tuecheing the saidis dayis in that tyme, quhil Christis passioun amang the peple of God wes to be obseruit, according to the law geuin thaim: zit for the abusing of the samyn, the Lord be the mouth of His Prophete 25 repellit thair solenniteis and sacrificeis.

The cause Esai. 1. thairof is declarit: because thair congregation wes iniuste and wickit, and thair handis full of blude.

And zit

as He wald at that tyme nane of His belufit peple to be disobedient and not1 reuerence king and preist, not 30 only the gude bot also the euyl, nor zit His peculiar 1 Petr. 2 peple to dispyse His sanctuarie, temple, altare, nor His haly dayis; swa He wyll but dout His belouit to obserue the ordinance of His haly Kirk vniuersal, twecheing thir samyn solenniteis, quhilkis ar now in controuersie : 35 albeit thay be dispysit be the wickit. Giue dew obedi1 O.E. nott.

Psalm 73. Reid this

Psalm for this mater and vthers

at this tyme,

Inglis Bibill

is the 74.

ence and reuerence be had to kingis, quenis, princes, and prelatis, at this tyme, lat vther men iuge. For a thing specialy exhort I zour prudence at this present to consider, honorable Schiris, that ze be not of the noumber of that wickit generation1 quhome the prophete rebukis 5 on this maner,-All thair generatioun said this in thair hart, lat vs mak al the festuall dayis of the Lord to cease out of the eird. For, except ze be wyllingly blind, ze quhilk in the may persaue thir dayis quhairof we speik to be the festuall dayis of the Lorde. For as zour prophetis be 10 auctoritie of the Kirk, without expresse Scripture thairfor, appreuis with vs the Sondaye to be the Sabbath 2 daye to all Christianis, swa be aucthoritie of the samyn Kirk in all countreis and aiges, and be the exemplis also of the Scripturis aboue wryttin, appreue and affirme we 15 baith the ane and the vther. And that ze may be mair assurit in conscience that thair is na errour committit be the Kirk in this mater, bot zour prophetis to haue fallin arrogantlie in ane blynd, arrogant, and wylfull errour, quhen thay dar oppone thaim sa proudlie or erar impu- 20 dentlie to the haill kirk of God, reid in the cxvii Psalme, quhare the Spirit of God commandis the Kirk in blithnes and thankisgeuing, for hir redemptioun be3 Christ (quhare He exponis Him self to be the corner or bandstane quhilk the bigaris refusit), to reiose and institute 25 solennitie of tyme thairfor in thir wordis: Hæc est dies quam fecit Dominus; exultemus et lætemur in ea. And againe, Constituite diem solennem in condensis, vsque ad cornu altaris. Twa thingis remanis, quhilk I of my small learning bot of ardent lufe beseikis zow, Schiris, to con- 30 sider: first, that ze be not the scurge of God (as wes the wickit in the dayis of Hieremie), to dispyse king, quene, bischope, and al lauchfull auctoritie, togidder with thir solennit festuall dayis euir obseruit in Goddis haly Kirk vniuersall; and leir to prefer the samyn Kirk to the 35 1 O.E. genration. 2 O.E. Sabaoth. O.E. bee.

Mar. 12.

Psalm 117.

24 and 27.

Thren. 2.