Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

SECT. IV. 4. The manner of it.

This duty of thanksgiving is two wayes performed, either in∣wardly or outwardly.

• 1. Inwardly, and that consists,
  • 1. In a cheerfull mentioning of the mercy, 1 Chron. 29. It is a good thing to make mention of the name of the Lord, that men may know the Lord to be near by the declaration of his wonderfull works.
  • 2. In a hearty thanksgiving for the mercy, 1 Chron. 16.17. he that hath received much ought to love much, and it is not love but flattery if it be not cordial. In the heart chiefly God delights, he that giveth thanks with a closed heart, doth pro∣voke God to hear him with a bended fist; yea his soul ab∣hors such heartless performances. Offer unto God in the peace-offering, the fat of the inwards, or offer nothing, Levit. 9.19.
  • 3. In renewing thy Covenant upon the account of that mer∣cy, 2 Chron. 15.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. to lay some engagmtent up∣on the soul of walking sutable to the deliverance given, is a high degree of thankfulness, to take such notice of this pre∣sent favour, as to assure the soul that God will give more, and

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  • to observe this special act of providence, as to oppose all future acts of sin, is acceptable sacrifice.
  • 4. In a studying of the word how to improve that mercy, Neh. 8.3. It is the Law of God, that sanctifies and cleanseth the soul by working out those corruptions that defile it, and soft∣ning the heart to receive the will and law of God, which is that time given or spoken to it, which alone makes a mercy to be a mercy, that is, frames the soul to a right using of it, without which it may prove a heavy judgement.
  • 5. In receiving the blessed Sacraments, the visible tokens of all mercy; they are the Christian solemnities fitted for days of thanksgiving, one of them is milk for Babes, and the other meat for strong men: this fast upon a day of returning praise is most proper, it makes the Christian go away rejoycing, yea shouting by reason of wine; Whatever mercy God pro∣mised, Christ procured, is instantly held forth in them, and Christ the Author of all mercy is by them put on, and received.
• 2. Outwardly, and that consists,
  • 1. In a resting from our ordinary imployment, Neh. 8.10. It is a day set apart unto the Lord, and therefore unto him is to be given, to call upon God for mercy a whole day, spending it in his service only, and not to praise him with the same time-favours of spiritual nigardliness when the mer∣cy is obtain'd. Two or three of such days in a year is rare, which might stop the mouth of Covetousness, if it should plead fear of want.
  • 2. In relieving of the poor and indigent, Ester 9.22. Io∣sephs afflictions must not be forgotten, and the hungry soul must not go empty all that day; he must be filled with thy goodness, yea if thou pleasest, thou mayst send portions to thy friends, that they also may rejoyce with thee, and for thee, Revel. 11.10.
  • 3. In more liberal receiving of the Creatures, both in food, Neh, 8.10. and in apparrel, Ester 5.1. The Jews in Chushan, when the Council of Haman was turned to foolishness might have said with the Psalmist, A Table hast thou prepared for us in sight; yea in spight of our enemies: and in a day of praise no∣thing is more sutable then a garment of praise.

From this it is that the Scripture calls them feasts; of which the Church of the Jewes had these most remarkable com∣manded them of the Lord, viz.

• 1. The seventh day or Sabbath.
• 2 The feast of the Passover, Exod. 12. In remembrance of the peoples delivery out of Aegypt, and the Angels passing over the houses of the Israelites, and smiting the houses of the Aegyptians. It was celebrated the fourteenth day of the moneth Nisan or Abib, and continued till the one and twen∣tith of the same moneth, answering to our March; It is called also the Feast of unleavened bread, Mat. 26.17.
• 3. The feast of Pentecost, Levit. 23.11. so called from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which signifieth fiftieth, being celebrated the fifti∣eth day after the feast of the Passover; the harvest of the Jews falling between these two feasts; this is called also the feast of the first fruits, Levit. 23.17. that their grain and corn might be sanctified for their use, which was begun with one feast, and ended with another.
• 4. The feast of Tabernacles, Levit. 23.40. It was cele∣brated the fiftieth day of the moneth Tisri, (answering to our September) and continued full seaven days, in memory of their Fathers dwelling in Tents, Booths and Tabernacles the space of fourty years in the Wilderness.
• 5. The feast of Trumpets, Levit. 23.24. this was according to their political or civil account, celebrated every new years day, which was the first day of the first moneth Tisri, which moneth was the seventh, according to their Ecclesiastical or Spiritual account. It was so called, because on that day there was more sounding of Trumpets, then at other times, even all the day. In memory, say some, of Isaacks delive∣rance from sacrifice, a ram being offered up for him; the horn of which beast was used as Trumpets are now. In memory, says others, of the Law which they were to keep all the year, which was delivered with the sound of many Trum∣pets. Some say it was to put them in mind of the resurrecti∣on to a new life, which shall be done with the sound of a Trum∣pet. Others think it was to make their new years day the more remarkable, because from it all their deeds and con∣tracts bore date.
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• 6 The feast of the new moone, Numb. 28.11. Every new moon was a festivall among the Jews, and the first day of the moon was the first day of their moneth. In it it was unlawfull to buy or sell, Amos 8.5. they repaired to the Prophets of God, 2 King. 4.23.
• 7 The feast of Expiation, Levit. 16.40. this feast was observ∣ed the tenth day of the moneth Tisri, the priest at this time went into the Holy of Holys and made an attonment for the sins of the people. For all their sins once a year. Yet the Jews say it was in memory, of Gods forgiveing them their sin of Idola∣try in worshiping the golden calfe. It is reckoned among their feasts (though in it self a fast) for that the Lord and they by performeing certain rites were agreed, a true cause of joy, and on that day the year of Jubile was proclaimed, a time of great mirth.
• 8 The feast of the Septennial Sabbath, Levit. 25.4. as every seventh day was a sabbath of rest, so every seventh year was a year of rest, to show that man his lands, his grounds, were all the Lords.
• 9 The Feast of Jubile Levit. 25.8. this was celebrated every fif∣tieth year, proclaimed on the day of expiation. It is called Jubile as some supposes from Jabal a Ram because it was proclaimed with sounding of trumpets or Rams horns. All servants were this year set free, and all lands that had been sold or morgaged returned to the true or first owner who had sold or morgaged them. It mysticaly shadowed that Spiritual Jubile, which Christians enjoy under Christ, by whose blood we are not on∣ly made free, but also the sound of the gospell, (which was typically showed by the sounding of the trumpets) is gone throughout the world, to those the Jwes themselves. added,
• 10 The Feast of Purim or of Lots, Esther 9.20. this feast was celebrated the 14 and 15. days of the moneth Adar, an∣swering to our February. In memorial of their deliverance from Haman.
• 11 The feast of comportion of wood, Nehe. 10.39. celebrat∣ed in the moneth of Ab, or Iuly, in memory of the

• wood comported or brought for the perpetual nourishing of the fire under the altar of Ierusalem, accord∣ing to the law of God, to burn the sacrifices thereon made.
• 12 The feast of Dedication, 1 Maca. 4.59. of which we have spoken before.

Now notwithstanding we find not in the new testament, any man bound to the observation of those days appointed by God to the Church of the Jwes, or of any other, yet because the exercise of Godlinesse may be interrupted through the fleshes frailty and the worlds emergency. In a holy Imitation of the Jewes piety and Mordechais zeale, and Iudas Maccabeus his devotion (whose feast though Apocryphal was observed by our Saviour) the Church of Christ here on Earth hath pointed out some days in the Calendar, to be kept holy to the Lord, for the honour of his name and credit of the gospel, as the feast of the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Purifica∣tion, &c,