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 ...

Quest 2. Whether the Festivalls appointed by the Church of England may lawfully be ob∣served?

Those solemnities established by law in the Church of England ought not by any that is compos mentis, well in his wits, to be spo∣ken

against for they appear in many respects to be lawfull and usefull.

1 From that countenance God gave to those feasts Instituted by the Church of the Jewes under the Law: the the days of Pu∣rim, was never spoken against, and that seven days feast of Iudas Maccabeus his institution, was graced by our Sa∣viours observance, shall they and may they appoint days to worship God in for temporall mercy and not be bla∣med? what hinders then but that the Church of England may appoint days to return thanks for spiritual mercy shown to her in common with the whole Church of Christ on Earth?

2. From the nature of that worship she in those days per∣formes, though the day may be denominated from a Saint, or kept in remembrance of one, yet the prayers she offers up are purely to Christ, the Gospel she reads is the Gospel of Christ, the b••ead she breaks is the communion of the body of Christ, and nothing is done in way of worship but what is agreeable to the rule of Christ and will of Christ.

3. From that opportunity that they put into the hands of such as hunger after spirituall food, they may by these of∣ten hear the word of the Lord, receive the Sacrament instituted by the Lord as a memoriall of his death, untill his second coming, and what ever ordinance they take most delight in, or receive most refreshment by of that they have abundance in the using of those dayes instituted by the Church.

4. From that profit that would accrew to the poorer and weaker sort of people to them those days would be a Cate∣chisme, upon the feasts of the nativity to hear of the birth of Christ, and afterward of his circumsion, and then of his passion, and then at Easter of his resurrection, and then of his ascension, and then of the spirits descension, and so for∣ward this might, being taught upon those dayes, be of very great consequence to all Christians, especially to those whose understandings are not ripe enough for high contem∣plations in subjects of this nature.

5 From that power that the Church hath to ordain fasts, and dayes of humiliation, which is granted, we may draw her power to ordain feasts and dayes of thanksgiving which is the thing doubted, but of the power of the Church in such cases we have spoken in another place.

6. From the doctrine of reformed Churches, Confess. of Helva. Art. 24. of Bohem. Art. 17. which Churches deliver their minds thus: that of Helvatia says. Every Church doth choose unto it self a certain time for publick prayers, &c. & it is not lawful for every one to overthrow this appointment of the Church at his own pleasure, and if the Churches do reli∣giously celebrate the memory of the Lords Nativity, Circum∣cision, Passion, &c. according to Christian liberty we do very well allow of it.

The Church of Bohemia says thus;

Many of the ancient Ceremonies are retained among us at this day: of this sort be many appointed for feasts and holy days, &c. such as Christs nativity, such as be dedicated to the Apostles, &c. chiefely of those Saints of whom there is mention made in holy Scripture; all these things are done of us that the word of God may be taught and that he may be glorified among us, &c. the same teacheth, the Church of Ans. Art. 4.

The ignorant must or may learn that the observation of those dayes is no superstitious observation of days condemned in Gal. 4.10. for with the Atheist there is neither good luck, nor bad luck, supposed to be in them, neither with the Papists are the consciences of men tyed to them: It is no more a sin to observe such times as the Church teacheth, then it is will-worship to observe noon for dinner time, or to open a shop upon a market day.