Chap. VIII. The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS~ 287 " vice and occafions; and if any difference arife between mail:ers and fer- K. Charles I. " vants concerning the liberty hereby granted, the next jufiice of peace ~· " ihall reconcile it." The king was highly difpleafed with this ordinance; and therefore King difoP,– while the affair was under debate he put this query to the parliament cam-Proves of rt. miilioners at Holmby- Hou(e, April 23 . . 1 647. I de fire ~o be refolvecl ~e~~~.~ar. of this queil:ion, why the new reformers difcbarge the keeptng if Eail:er? !~y reafon for this query is, " I conceive the celebration of this feafl: was " innituted by the fame authority which changed thejewijh fabbath into " the Lord's day or funday, for it will not be found in fcripture where " Saturday is difcharged to be kept, or turned into the Sunday; where- " fore it mull: be the churches authority that changed the one and infl:itu.. " ted the other; therefore my opinion is, that thofe who will not '' keep this feafi may as well re\urn to the obfervation of Saturday, and "refufe the weekly Sunday. W hen any body can lhew me that herein I " -am in an error, I £hall not be alhamed to confefs and amend it, 'till :'' when you know my mind," C. R. Sir James Harrington prefented his majefl:y with an anfwer to this que– ry,. in which he denies, that the change of the fabbath was from the au– thority of the church, but derives it from the authority and example of our Saviou r and his apofi les in the new tefl:ament ; he admi ts, that if there. was the like mention of the obfervation of Eafter, it wou ld be of divine or apoftolical authority ; but as the cafe fl:ands, he apprehends with great reafon , that the oblervation of the chriil:ian fabbath, and of eafl:er, fiand upon a very different foot. The changing the fefiival of Chriflmas into a.fafllail: winter, was not fo It occafio;z~ much taken notice of, becaufe all parties were employed in atl:s of devo- tumults. tion; but when it returned this year there appeared a Jl:rong propenfity in the people to obferve it, the lhops were generally amt, many prefbyterian miniilers preached; in fame places the common-pra;•er was read, and one or two of tbe fequeil:ered clergy getting into pulpits prayed publicly for the bijhops; feveral of the citizens of London, who· opened their lhops, were abufed; in fame places there were riots and infurreCl:ions, efpecially Rulhw. p; in Ca11terbury, where the mayor endeavouring to keep the peace, bad 948. his he<td broke by the populace, and was dragged about the il: reets ; the mob broke into divers boufes of the moll: religious in the town, broke their windows, abufed their perfons, and threw their goods into the fireets, becaufe they expofed them to {ale oo Chrijimas day. At length their numbers being encreafed to above two thoufand, they put themfelves . . ~~
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