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…

have told us that there is no worship appropriated unto the Festival days, which may not be performed at any other time, yet this can not with him make a difference betwixt them and the Lords day: for in his Epistle which I have quoted, he declareth his judgment to be the same of the Lords day, and teacheth us, that the worship performed on it, is not so appropriated to that time, but lawfully the same may be performed at any other convenient time, as the Church shall think fit. Now as the worship performed on the Lords day, is appropriated (in his judgment) to that time, so long as the Church altereth it not, and no longer, just as much thinks he, of the appropriating to Festival days, the worship performed on the same.

have told us that there is no worship appropriated unto the Festivall dayes, which may not be performed at any other time, yet this can not with him make a difference betwixt them and the Lords day: for in his Epistle which I have quotted, he declareth his judgment to be the same of the Lords day, and teacheth us, that the worship performed on it, is not so appropriated to that time, but lawfully the same may be performed at any other convenient time, as the Church shall thinke fit. Now as the worship performed on the Lords day, is appropriated (in his judgment) to that time, so long as the Church altereth it not, and no longer, just as much thinks he, of the appropriating to Festivall dayes, the worship performed on the same.

2. If the holy days be observed by Formalists only for order and Sect. 11 policy, then they must say the Church hath power to change them. But this power they take from the Church, by saying that they are dedicated and consecrated to those holy uses, to which they are applied. Semel Deo dicatum non est ad usus humanos ulterius transferendum, saith one of the ⁿPopes. And by the dedication of Churches, the founders surrender that right, which otherwise they might have in them, saith one of the ^oFormalists themselves. If then the Church hath dedicated holy days to the worship of God, then hath she denuded her self of all power to change them, or put them to another use: which were otherwise, if holy days were appointed to be kept, only for order and policy. Yea further, times and places which are applied to the worship of God, as circumstances only for outward order and policy, may be by a private Christian applied to an civill use, for in so doing he breaketh not the ordinance of the Church: for example, Material Churches are appointed to be the receptacles of Christian assemblies, and that only for such common commodity and decency, which hath place as well in civill as in holy meetings, and not for any holiness conceived, to be in them, more then in other houses. Now if I be standing in a Church-yard when it raineth, may not I go into the Church that I may be defended from the injury of the weather? If I must meet wth certain men, for putting order to some of my worldly affairs, and it fall out that we can not conveniently meet in any part but in the Church, may we not there keep our tryst? A material Church