A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded upon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded vpon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…

The act of Perth A ssembly, allegeth the practise of the ancient Sect. II Church for warrant of Holy-days, ^yand Tilen allegeth the judgement of antiquity to the same purpose. Ans. The Festivities of the Ancient Church can not warrant ours, for, 1. In the purest times of the Church here was no Law to tie men to the observation of Holy-dayes. Observandum est ^zsay the divines of Magdeburg, ⟨p. 32⟩Apostolos & apostolicos viros, neque de pashate neque de aliis quibuscunque festivatibus legem aliquam constituisse. Socrates ^areporteth, that men did Celebrate the Feast of Easter, and other Festival days, Sicuti voluerunt, ex consuetudine quadam. Nicephorus ^bsaith, that men did celebrate Festivities, sicuti cuique visum erat, in regionibus passim ex consuetudine quadam per traditionem accepta adducti. In which place, as the reader will plainly perceive, he opposeth tradition to an Evangelical or Apostolical ordinance. ^cSozomen tells us, that men were left to their own judgement about the keeping of Easter, ^dHierome saith of the Feasts, which the Church in his time observed, that they were pro varietate regionum diversa. ^eThe first who established a Law about any Festival day, is thought to have been Pius 1. Bishop of Rome, yet it is marked, that the Asiatican Doctors, did not care much for this constitution of Pius. I conclude with ^fCartwright, that those Feasts of the Primitive Church came by custom, and not by commandment, by the free choice of men, and not by constraint. So that from these, no commendation ariseth to our Feasts▪ which are not only established by Laws, but also imposed with such necessity and constraint, as spoileth us of our liberty; 2. The festival days observed by the Ancient Church, were not accounted more excellent then other days: for faith