UPON THE GREAT FESTIVALS, AS STATED IN THE CALENDAR AND RUBRICKS OF THE Church of England. BY T. TAYLOR, He that regardeth a day, regardeth it to the Lord.-Rom. xiv. 6. PREFACE. I ONCE thought, it might be well to entirely abolish those Holidays, as they are called; because they are shockingly abused, being appropriated to bad purposes, revelling, drunkenness and sinful recreations, such as bull-baitings, cock-fightings, and various other idle and cruel amusements. Most certainly people had better be employed in their honest and lawful occupations, than thus devote their time and money to what is a disgrace to human nature, sinking the man beneath the brute. But granting it to be so, and that such were my thoughts, yet since infidelity has had so dreadful a spread, even in our land, I see a very great propriety in maintaining those monuments of our redemption, so essential to our salvation. For if there be any thing essential in religion, it must be the incarnation, birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord of life and glory, and also the coming of the Holy Ghost. |