The HISTORY of thePuRITANS~ 139 'Chap. V. the roman pontifical, he acknowledges he had it from bifhop Andte-ws, K. Charles f. who could have it no where elfe. 1~ As for confecrating Altars, Pattens, Chalices, Altar-cloths and other i:::onfecra– altar-fumitnre; their original is no higher than the roman milia! and pon- tiug alt~rr tifical in both which there are particular chapters and fet forms of prayerfiand tlmr '· r b · · 1 t r. rr. 1 b , urnztnre. for thts purpo1e; ut to nnag1ne t1at t1e•e veue s may not e reputect Prynne, p. holy, though feparated to an holy ~fe, unl e(s thus confecrated is without 65, &c. 467, any foundation in reafon or fcripture, and contrary to the practice of the 47°· .church of England, and the opii'}ion of our firfl: reformers. T o the archbilhop's account of j eqfls of dedication we anfwer ao before, Toantiq. of that an example out of the jewijh law is no rule for the cbrifl:ian church .f~a.fis. if tick c fl: h d d' . f h l h . b '1 dtcattOn. Ezra ept a 1ea at t e e tcatwn o t e temp c, w en Jt wao re Ut t, Prynne and offered a great many burnt-offerings, Ezra vi. I 6, I 7. but it wasp. 128.' not made an annual folemnity; for the feajl if dedication mentioned John x. 2 2. was not of the dedication of the temple, but of the altars, in– ftituted by Judas Maccaba:us, to be kept annually by the fpace of eight days, I Mac. ·iv. s6, 59· which being of no divine in!l.itution, but kept only by the fuper!l.itious jews, mot by Chrifl: or his apo!l.Jes (who are, only [aid to be a,t Jerufalem at that time), can be no precedent for our modern confecrations. Pope Felix and Gregory are the firfi that decreed the annual obfervation ·of the dedication if .churches fince our Saviour's time, which were obfer– ved in England under the names of wakes or revels, but were the occa– fion of fo much idlenefs and debauchery, that king Henry VIII. ann. I 536. refl:rained them all to the firfl: Sunday in Otlober, not to be kept on any other day; and afterwards, by the fiatute 5 & 6 Edward VI. cap. 3· of holy days, they were totally aboli!11ed. But thefeftafls being revived again by degrees, in fundry places of this realm, and particu– larly in Somerjetfhire, judge Richar4fon when he was on the circuit, at the requefl: of the juftices of the peace for the county, publifhed an or– der for fupprefiing them; but was obliged the next yea-r as publicly to re– voke it, and to declare fuch recreations to be lawful; and as a further pu– niihment on the judge, the archbifhop obtained his removal from that circuit. 'Tis very certain, that at thefe revels there were a great many diforders; as drunkennefs, quarrelling, fornication and murder, ' tis therefore very unlikely they fho~ld an!;w.er any good pur~ofe, and how fit they Antiq. of al· were to fucceed the pubhc devotions of the Lords day, we iliall leave tars, their to your lord!hips confideration. Jituation and t·ailing them in. (3.) The managers charged the archbifhop further, " with giving or- M . charge. " ders to Sir Nath. Brent his vicar-general, to enjoin the church-wardens Pr~nne, " of all pari!h churches within his diocefe, that they jhould remove the f;.,, 2 ' gr, T z "com-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=