BOt the mater vil appeir mair euident gif ve sal enter in particular consideratione of the tra∣ditionis of the Papistical kirk, for thairin supersti∣tiouslie ar obseruit ane greit number of halie dayis aganis the command of God,* Remember that thou keip halie the sabaoth day, Sax dayis sal thou labour, sua that gif ve labour not on euerie day of the oulk, except the sonday, ve brek this commandiment: And S. Paul vryttis aganis the obseruatione of the halie dayis maist planelie: [I feir leist I haue bestouit my trauel on zou in vain,* for ze obserue dayis and zeiris, And siclyk I micht proue vtheris zour traditionis to be plane repugnant to Goddis vord and comman∣dimentis, as the Making and vorshipping of Imagis, the Inuocation of Sanctis, the Honoring of deid mēnis banes, the Ganging in pilgramagis and monie vtheris quhairof ze sould be eschamit.

The treu mening of the commād of God quhilk ze thrau for establishing of zour hae∣resie, is that thay sould not labour vpone the sevint day: As to the sax vthir dayis it is per∣mitted to thame to labour gif thay pleise, bot it is not commandit that thay labore, as ze falslie allege aganis the plane vordis of the scripture, cōsidering the Ieuis had monie fes∣tual Page  164 dayis by the Sabaoth,* As the feistis of the Pasouer,* of the First fruitis, of the Tabernaclis and sindrie vtheris, quhilk var lang to reherse, zea sum feastis thay obseruit hail aucht dayis throuch out, and zit notuithstāding brak not Christis commandiment concerning the kei∣ping of the Sabaoth day: quhair of it is maist euident, that ze vraist the scripture to ane sini∣strous mening: for gif the Ieuis keipit the feast of the Pasouer vith ane gret solennitie in re∣membrance of the temporal benefeit, quhilk thay resaued, to vit deliuerance from the bo∣delie seruice and bondage of Pharao, hou me∣kil mair sould ve obserue Pasche day in me∣morie of the deliuerance of mankynd from hel, be the resurrectione of our saluiour Christ Iesus? sen as testifeis Sanct Paul tha thingis quhilk var proponit to the Ieuis in ane obscu¦re schaddou and figure onlie,* ar offerit to vs in treuth and veritie,* [Lex continebatvmbrā futurorum bonorum, non ipsā imaginē re∣rum:] .i. The lau contenit the schaddouis of tha gude thingis that var to be reuelit, and not the propir image, and forme of the thingis thame selfis. As to the secund reasone quhilk ze vsit in zour obiectione, lyk as al the head∣dis of zour doctrine quhairin ze disagrie from the Catholik kirk, calland it Papistical, ar auld condemnit haereseis, sua in this poynt ze fol∣lou the futstoppis of the Manichaeanis, for as testifeis Sanct August.* thay obiectit this place of scripture aganis the Catholikes of that Page  [unnumbered] aige, becaus thay keipit the halie dayes: to quhom he ansuerit that Sanct Paul speakis not of the halie dayis dedicat be the hail kirk to Goddis seruice for memorie of his bene∣feittis, bot of the superstition of the Gentiles, quha beleuit that sum dayis of thair auin na∣ture var vnhappie for ane coniunctione of noysum planetis or starres, and becaus this, or that planet vas in sik ane hous of the heauin, quhilk opinionis var maist vain and impro∣fitabil. The Manichaeanis obiectit lykuyse that the Christianis eftir the custume of the Gētiles obseruit [solstitia and Aequinoctia) be∣caus the Christianis keipit halie the Natiuitie of the lord, and Pasche day, of the quhilk the ane befel in the solstitial of vynter, and the vthir eftir the aequinoctial of the spring ty∣me: To quhom Sanct Augustin ansuerit that the Christianis obseruit not thir seasonis mo∣uit be the superstition of the Gentiles, bot be the command of Christis halie kirk, quha apoyntit thame halie for rememberance of the exceiding gret benefeitis quhilk redoūdit to the hail varld of Christis Natiuitie and Re∣surrectione. For defence of this louabil custu∣me of the vniuersal kirk in keiping of the ha∣lie dayis S. Ignatius quha vas S. Iohne the Euangelistis discipil and ane halie martyr vryttis to the Christian people,* that thay keip halie the festual dayis, and vther distinctionis of tymes, and meattis institute be the halie Apostlis and kirk Catholik, saying, (Festiuita∣tes ne spernite, quagragesimam seruate, conti∣net Page  165 enim exemplar conuersationis Domini∣cae) that is to say. Lichtlie not the halie dayis, keip the halie tyme of Lentern, becaus it contenis ane exemplar of the conuersation of the lord: And S. Cyprian in monie of his epistlis commandis that the dayis vpon the quhilkis the Martyris disceissit be diligentlie obseruit,* that thair dayis anniuersar or retur∣ning be zeirlie course may be dedicat to the seruice of God, and thankisgeuing for thair victorie: For the quhilk caus immediatlie eftir the decess of the Apostlis, The kirk constitute in Rome Notaris to collect and register the Actis of the Martyris: S. Augustin also for de∣fence of the treuthvrittis aganis Adimātus the Manichaean in this maner.* (Nam & nos quo∣que Dominicum diem, & Pascha celebramus, & quaslibet alias dierum festiuitates, sed quia intelligimus quò pertineant, non tempora obseruamus, sed quae illis significantur tempo∣ribus) .i. for ve obserue also the Sonday, Pasche day, and quhatsumeuer vthir halie dayis, bot becaus ve vndirstād to quhat end the keiping of thame vas institute, ve keip not sik tymes samekil, as tha thīgis quhilk ar signifeit be sik tymes.* And in ane vther place (Popul{us} Christia∣nus memorias Martyrum religiosa deuotione cōcelebrat ad excitandum imitationem, & vt meritis eorum consocietur, atque orationi∣bus adiuuetur:) .i. The Christiane people ce∣lebratis the memorie of the Martyris vith ane Godlie deuotion, to moue thame selfis to Page  [unnumbered] imitation and follouing of thair gud lyfis, and that thay may haue follouschip and partici∣pation of thair merites, and be helpit be thair prayeris: And this vniuersalie in al aiges hes bene keipit be al Christianis to this day: And is obseruit not ōlie be vs quha ar Catholikes, bot also be the Lauterianis in Germanie, be the Zuinglianis in Sueishland, and be zour nichtbouris in Inglād: sua that in this head ze disagrie from al Christiā people in the varld, mouit onlie be auarice as appearis, becaus ze think it hurtful to zour gayn ād profeit gif ze abstene from laboure vpone onie day by the sonday, quhilk is also verie euil keipit aman∣gis zou: And zit zour foirbearis quha obser∣uit al the halie dayis verie diligentlie, had als gret velth and aboundance of al thingis, as ze haue: And euin as thay did imploy thame sel∣fis vith gret liberalitie to the honoring and seruice of God, sua God did bestou his giftis the mair liberallie vpone thame: Bot ze think al tyme tint quhilk ze imploy in Goddis ser∣uice, for the quhik caus God sēdis sik dearth, skairsnes, and hungar amangis zou, quhairof vithout al doubt ze ar the cheif and principal caus be transgression of the halie dayis, quhilk calamitie gif the people reuenge not vpon zour selfis, thay vil reuenge it vpon zour bair∣nis gif ze leif onie behind zou: And gif thay send thame not to the Gailzeonis, at the lest thay vil send thame to Candie, to the effect sua nobil ane cuntrey be not contaminat be Page  166 sik ane vnhappie and adulterous generatione, quhilk peraduentur vil cum to pas sonear nor ze beleue, sua that Dene Iohne Durie vith his tua pistolatis, his lang gūn and bricht mur∣reon may be thair captane general, to the quhilk office he is mair meit nor to disput of the hid mystereis of the Christian fayth: (Ane fuil sumtymes may be ane prophet). As to the vthir headis of treu religione concerning the vse of Images, the Inuocation of Sanctis the Honoring of the reliques, and Ganging in Pilgramagis, I vil distingueis thame seueralie, and speak of euerie ane of thame apairt.