outward observance to be an intolerable sin. 3. Some know that both these extremes are erroneous, and therefore they take the thing in itself to be indifferent, but as circumstances or accidents may make it good or evil: and these are in the right. They that are in the middle can bear with others, but the other cannot bear with them, nor with each other. There is no proof that ever I saw, that the church observed any of these days, for many hundred years after Christ. For the Clement, the Dionysius, the Cyprian, that are cited for it, are known to be spurious. And it is unlikely that none of these would have been mentioned as well as the Lord's-day, if they had been then observed, when there was so much ado about the time of Easter-day. Yea, it is certain that for many hundred years after Christ, it was not agreed on, which was the day of Christ's nativity; some thought it was on January 6, and therefore called it the Epiphany, or Appearance: and of old, both the birth-day and circumcision of Christ were supposed to be on the same day; that is, on the sixth of January, Cassianus witnesseth that the Egyptians were of that mind; Collat. 1. 10. c. 11. And Epiphanius witnesseth the same of the Greek, and Asian, and Syrian churches. Epiphanius himself and Nazianzen, and many others, were of this mind, that it was on January sixth, and that thence it was called the Epiphany. And Chrysostom in Hom. in Natal. Dom. tells us, that it was but ten years before he wrote it, that the Romans had persuaded the church of Constantinople to change the day to December 25. And yet the countries about Jerusalem held to the sixth of January, as Causabon hath shewed, Exercit. 2. cap. 4, p. 170, 171, and cap. 11. p. 186, 187. Yea,

p indeed the day of Christ's nativity is yet unknown, as if God had kept us ignorant of purpose. Many very learned men, as Broughton, Helvicus, Scaliger, Beroaldus, think that the day was about autumn, in the beginning of October. Calvisius, Paræus, and many more are for other times than December 25, and Jac. Cappellus, and many others, still go to the old way for January 6. And Th. Lydias, out of Clem. Alexandr. is for May 20. Scultetus, Clopenburgius, and many others, do shew, that indeed the time is utterly uncertain. And no wonder if the day be uncertain when the very year is so uncertain, that there is no probability of cver coming to a full agreement about it among the learned in chronology, till the last coming of Christ agree them! Our late most learned chronologer, Bishop Usher, was confident that we were about four years too lạte in our common account, as in his Annals may be seen.

And what man can reveal the things that God hath purposely concealed ? For my part, I dare not judge men for keeping or not keeping such days as these. But if any will make it a necessary thing to the universal church, I must resist the usurpation; as Paul, that had circumcised Timothy, did cry down circumcision when some would have obtruded it as a necessary thing. And for this I have an argument that sustaineth my religion itself; even the sufficiency of the Holy Scripture. If this be not the law of God, then farewell Christianity If it be his law, it is sufficient in its kind, and to its ends; which is, 1. To determine of all things that were then fit to be determined of: 2. And to determine of all that the universal church in all times after must be bound to. There is no universal lawgiver but Christ. If this day be of necessity, it was so then as well as now, and it is so to one country as well as another: for there is the same reason for it in one age and place as in another. And, therefore, if Scripture be not a sufficient rule for universal duties of religion, then we are utterly at a loss; and as Popery will come first in, so infidelity is likely to come next. I doubt not but 'pro re nata,' upon emergent occasions, church-governors may appoint religious anniversary solemnities. For the occasion of these being, 1. To some one place or province only: 2. And not existent in Scripture-times; it did not belong to the universal law to determine of them. But in cases that equally belong to the universal church, and where the reason and occasion was existent in the apostles' days as well as now, if there we have not their determination, no others can come after them and make it universally necessary. And indeed neither General Councils nor apostolic tradition, can be pleaded for the necessity. And sure I am, that the one day in seven, even the Lord's-day, of his own appointment, which the universal church hath constantly observed, is a festival for the commemoration of the whole work of redemption, and therefore of the birth of Christ, though especially of the resurrection : and therefore we are not without a day for this use.

I speak not all this to condemn any that use these days,

a

but to excuse those that use them not, and by telling you a few of those many reasons which they have to give for themselves, to persuade you both to lay by the opinion of necessity, and to forbear condemning those that differ from you, and be content that they have their liberty, as we are freely content that you have yours; and lay not the unity and peace of the church upon such things as these, when the Holy Ghost hath so plainly decided the case. And I could heartily wish that the Lord's own day were not most wilfully neglected by many that are most forward for other holy-days. It is a fearful self-delusion of ungodly people, that no means can bring them to a new, a holy, and heavenly life; and yet they will make themselves believe that they are religious, by pleading for forms, and days, and ceremonies. Alas! poor soul, if thy eyes were but opened, thou wouldest see that thou hast other kind of matters first to look after ! It would grieve one to hear a man contending for kneeling, and holy-days, and prayer-books, that is in a state of unregeneracy, and a stranger to sanctification, and under the dominion of his sins, and under the curse and wrath of God. Get first a new and holy nature; make sure of the pardon of sin, and of peace with God, and then the discourse of lower matters will be more seasonable and more savoury.

Is it not a shameful self-condemning, to keep holy-days for the dead saints, and to hate and rail against the living ? Do you

know what kind of men those were that are called suints, and holy-days were kept in remembrance of them? They were such as those that now are hated by the world, and took the course in a holy and diligent care of their salvation, as these do, and therefore were hated by the world, as the godly now are; and when wicked men had put them to death, the godly that survived would keep a day in remembrance of their martyrdom, to encourage others to constancy for Christ. And also because the unruly multitude were so set upon their pleasure, that they kept the idols' festivals for their sport sake; therefore some pastors of the church did think it better to let them have festivals for the saints to take their pleasure in, to turn them off from the idols' festivals. So Gregory Nyssen tells us of Gregory Thaumaturgus in his Oration of his Life, that he made holydays for his neighbours of Neocesarea, when the Roman fury had martyred many; and he used this as a pious wile, to draw the licentious vulgar from the idols' festivals, by letting them play on the martyrs' days, till they could be drawn up to a holy observation of them. Whether the course were right or wrong, by this you may see the original of such days. And Gregory the Great of Rome would, for this very end, have all the heathens' festivals turned into Christian festivals. But if any of you will hate a saint, and refuse the communion of saints, and will not imitate them in holiness, and yet will keep holy-days for them that are dead, Christ himself hath given you your doom, Matt. xxiii. 29-33, which I desire you to read.

Well, sirs, I have said enough, if enough will serve, to prove that the unity of the church must not be laid on things indifferent, nor upon low and doubtful points; but it must be a unity in the spirit of sanctification. It is the few, the great, the certain, and the necessary points, that we must all agree in if ever we will agree, and compassionately tolerate the differences that are tolerable.

If after all this, there be any so proud, and selfish, and ungodly, and unmerciful, that they will set up their own conceits and wills against the plain commands of God, the long and sad experience of the world, and against the peace of their brethren, and the unity of the church, and will have no agreement unless all others will be conformed to their wills, I shall say no more to such, but that these are not the sons of peace, nor the living compassionate members of the church, but self-idolizers, that God is engaged to pull down : and it is not by such as these that the church must be healed and repaired; but it is by them that are sensible of their own infirmities, and compassionate to others, that are of a Christian catholic spirit, and have catholic principles and affections, and see such a beauty in the image of Christ, that they can heartily love a gracious person, notwithstanding his many tolerable infirmities, and think themselves more unworthy to be tolerated by others, than such as I have described to be tolerated by them.

Preached December 24, 1657.

END OF CATHOLIC UNITY.

507

MAKING LIGHT OF CHRIST

AND SALVATION, TOO OFT THE ISSUE OF GOSPEL INVITATIONS:

A SERNON PREACHED AT LAURENCE JURY IN LONDON.

TO THE READER.

READER, Being called on in London to preach, when I had no time to study, I was fain to preach some sermons that I had preached in the country a little before. This was one, which I preached at St. Laurence, in the church where my reverend and faithful brother in Christ, Mr. Richard Vines, is pastor : when I came home I was followed by such importunities by letters to print the sermon, that I have yielded thereunto, though I know not fully the ground of their desires. Seeing it must abroad, will the Lord but bless it to the cure of thy contempt of Christ and grace, how comfortable may the occasion prove to thee and me! It is the slighting of Christ and salvation, that undoes the world. O happy man if thou escape but this sin! Thousands do split their souls on this rock which they should build them on. Look into the world, among rich and poor, high and low, young and old, and see whether it appear not by the whole scope of their conversations that they set more by something else than Christ? And for all the proclamations of his grace in the Gospel, and our common professing ourselves to be his disciples, and to believe the glorious things that he hath promised us in another world, whether it yet appear not by the deceitfulness of our service, by our heartless endeavours to obtain his kingdom, and by our busy and delightful following of the world, that the most who are called Christians do yet in their hearts make light of Christ; and if so, what wonder if they perish by their contempt! Wilt thou but soberly peruse this short discourse, and consider well as thou readest of its truth and weight, till thy heart be sensible what a sin it is to make light of Christ and