Antiquitates Vulgares; OR, THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE Common People.
GIVING An Account of several of their
OPINIONS
and
CEREMONIES.
WITH Proper REFLECTIONS upon each of them; shewing which may be retain'd, and which ought to be laid aside.
By
HENRY BOURNE,
M. A. Curate of the Parochial Chapel of
All-Saints
in
Newcastle
upon
Tyne.
NEWCASTLE,
Printed by J. WHITE for the AUTHOR.
MDCCXXV.
TO THE Right Worshipful and Worshipful
WILLIAM CARR,
Esq
Mayor.
John Isaacson,
Esq
Recorder.
Aldermen.
Sir
William Blackett,
Bar.
William Ellison,
Esq
Mat. Featherstonhaugh,
Esq
Henry Reay,
Esq
Richard Ridley,
Esq
Edward Johnson,
Esq
Francis Rudston,
Esq
Nicholas Fenwick,
Esq
Francis Johnson,
Esq
Nathaniel Clayton,
Esq
To
James Muncaster,
Esq
Sheriff, and to the Rest of the Common-Council of the Town and County of
Newcastle
upon
Tyne,
GENTLEMEN,
I Know none so justly intitled to the Effects and Produce of Study, as those who are the Promoters and Patrons of Learning. They undoubtedly of all Others, have the best of Claims to a Work of this Nature, whose Generosity and Benevolence have been conspicuous, in so promoting the Welfare of their Country, and the Good of Mankind.
AND such,
Gentlemen,
are you, the Incouragers of Learning, and the Rewarders of Merit; there are Numbers to witness the one, and your
Clergy
may witness the other.
FOR not to mention you in your private Capacities, as Promoters of Common Learning, as the Helpers and Supporters of
Schools of
CHARITY, one great Blessing of your Community: You in your publick Stations uphold a
nobler Literature,
and assist a
more generous Education:
You not only lay the Ground-works here, but you help to the Top of
Arts and Sciences,
in the greater Schools of Learning.
NOR is it less certain, that you have always been eminent, and that not only in your own Country, but in distant Parts, for the Support of an Orthodox and Learned Clergy: Your Fame for maintaining them, and your Regard to merit in choosing them, being every where spoken of.
JUSTLY therefore are you intitled to Performances of this Nature, but in a more especial Manner to this in particular; it being the Genuine Offspring of your Generosity. As I am sensible that you have bless'd me with the most inestimable Favours, so I am bound in Duty, and by all the Tyes of Gratitude, to lay the
First-Fruits
of my Labours, at your Feet; hoping that as you have been very instrumental in occasioning them, so you will receive them under your Care and Protection.
AND this I also hope for, not as they are a Work of Merit, or worthy of being dedicated to such Patrons: For I am justly sensible of the Meanness of their Desert, and their Unworthiness of that Honour; but as they are an Indication of the sincerest Thankfulness and Gratitude of,
GENTLEMEN,
Your most obliged Most obedient And most humble Servant
HENRY BOURNE.
THE PREFACE.
T HE following Sheets are a few of that vast Number of
Ceremonies
and
Opinions,
which are held by the Common People; such as they solely or generally observe. For tho' some of them have been of National and others perhaps of universal Observance, yet at present they would have little or no Being, if not observed among the Vulgar.
I would not be thought a Reviver of old Rites and Ceremonies to the Burdening of the People, nor an Abolisher of innocent Customs, which are their Pleasures and Recreations: I aim at nothing, but a Regulation of those which are in Being amongst them, which they themselves are far from thinking burdensome, and abolishing such only as are sinful and wicked.
Some of the Customs they hold, have been originally good, tho' at present they retain little of their primitive Purity; the true Meaning and Design of them, being either lost, or very much in the Dark through Folly and Superstition. To wipe off therefore the Dust they have contracted, to clear them of Superstition, and make known their End and Design, may turn to some Account, and be of Advantage; whereas observing them in the present Way, is not only of no Advantage, but of very great Detriment.
Others they hold, are really sinful, notwithstanding in outward Appearance they seem very harmless, being a Scandal to Religion, and an encouraging of Wickedness. And therefore to aim at abolishing these, will I hope be no Crime, tho' they be the Diversions of the People.
As to the Opinions they hold, they are almost all superstitious, being generally either the Produce of Heathenism; or the Inventions of indolent
Monks,
who having nothing else to do, were the Forgers of many silly and wicked Opinions, to keep the World in Awe and Ignorance. And indeed the ignorant Part of the World, is still so aw'd, that they follow the idle Traditions of the one, more than the Word of GOD; and have more Dependance upon the lucky Omens of the other than his Providence, more Dread of their unlucky ones, than his Wrath and Punishment.
The regulating therefore of these Opinions and Customs, is what I propos'd by the following Compositions, whatever has been suggested to the contrary: And as to the Menaces of some, and the Censures of others, I neither fear nor regard them. I shall be always ready to own any Mistake, and in what I justly may, to vindicate my self.
THE CONTENTS.
CHAP. I.
O F the Soul-Bell, its Antiquity; the Reason of its Institution; the Benefits and Advantage of it; an Exhortation to the Use of it according to its first Institution.
Page 1
CHAP. II.
Of Watching with the Dead.
15
CHAP. III.
Of following the Corps to the Grave; what it is an Emblem of: Of carrying Greens in our Hand; what it may signifie; what Use it may be of: Of Psalmody, its Antiquity, the Advantage of it.
17
CHAP. IV.
Of Garlands in Country Churches: Of strawing Flowers on the Grave; the Antiquity of these Customs, the Innocency of them.
25
CHAP. V.
Of Bowing towards the Altar at the first coming into the Church; a Custom generally observ'd by ignorant People; its Meaning, and Antiquity.
29
CHAP. VI.
Of the Time of Cock-crow: Whether evil Spirits wander about in the Time of Night; and whether they fly away at the Time of Cock-crow: Reflections upon this encouraging us to have Faith and Trust in GOD.
27
CHAP. VII.
Of Church-Yards; why the Vulgar are generally afraid of passing through them at Night: The Original of this Fear; that there is nothing in them now, more than in other Places to be afraid of.
59
CHAP. VIII.
Of visiting Wells and Fountains: The Original of this Custom: The naming of them of great Antiquity: The worship paid them by the Papists, was gross Idolatry.
65
CHAP. IX.
Of Omens: Their Original: The Observation of them sinful.
70
CHAP. X.
Of the Country Conversation in a Winter's Evening: Their Opinions of Spirits and Apparitions: Of the Devil's appearing with a Cloven Foot: Of Faires and Hobgoblins: Of the walking Places of Spirits; And of haunted Houses.
76
CHAP. XI.
The Form of Exorcising an haunted House.
91
CHAP. XII.
Of Saturday Afternoon; how observed of old, by the Ancient Christians, the Church of
Scotland,
and the old Church of
England:
What end we should observe it for: An Exhortation to the Observation of it.
115
CHAP. XIII.
Of the Yule-Clog and Christmass-Candle; what they may signifie; their Antiquity; the like Customs in other Places.
126
CHAP. XIV.
Of adorning the Windows at
Christmass
with
Laurel:
What the
Laurel
is an Emblem of: An Objection against this Custom taken of.
136
CHAP. XV.
Of the Christmass-Carol, an ancient Custom: The common Observation of it, very unbecoming.
139
CHAP. XVI.
Of New-Year's Days Ceremonies: The New-Year's Gift an harmless Custom: Wishing a good New-Year, no way sinful: Mumming a Custom, which ought to be laid aside.
142
CHAP. XVII.
Of the Twelfth-Day; how observed: The Wickedness of observing the Twelve Days after the common Manner.
151
CHAP. XVIII.
Of St.
Paul's-Day:
The Observation of the Weather, a Custom of the Heathens, and handed down by the Monks: The Apostle St.
Paul,
himself is against such Observations: The Opinion of St.
Austin
upon them.
159
CHAP. XIX.
Of
Candlemass-Day;
why it is so called: The Blasphemy of the Church of
Rome
in consecrating Wax-Candles.
170
CHAP. XX.
Of
Valentine-Day;
its Ceremonies: What the Council of
Trullus
thought of such Customs; that they had better be omitted.
174
CHAP. XXI.
Of
Shrove-tide;
what it signifies: The Custom of the
Papists
at this Season: That our present Customs are very unbecoming.
178
CHAP. XXII.
Of
Palm-Sunday;
why so called: How observed in the
Popish
Times: What it is truly to carry Palms in our Hands on that Day.
183
CHAP. XXIII.
Of rising early on
Easter-Day:
What is meant by the Sun-dancing that Morn: The Antiquity of rising early on this Day: The End and Design of it: The great Advantages of it.
188
CHAP. XXIV.
Of
Easter
Holy-days; a Time of Relaxation from Labour: How observed in the dark Ages of
Popery:
That our Customs at this Time, are sprung from theirs.
196
CHAP. XXV.
Of
May-Day;
the Custom of going to the Woods the Night before: This the Practice of other Nations: The Original of it: The Unlawfulness.
200
CHAP. XXVI.
Of Parochial Perambulations; their Antiquity; the Benefit and Advantage of them.
203
CHAP. XXVII.
Of
Midsummer-Eve:
Of kindling Fires, their Original: That this Custom formerly was Superstitious; but now may be used with Innocence.
210
CHAP. XXVIII.
Of the Feast of Sheep-sheering, an ancient Custom.
216
CHAP. XXIX.
Of
Michaelmass:
Guardian Angels the Discourse of the Country People at this Time: That it seems rather true, that we are protected by a Number of Angels, than by one particular Genius.
219
CHAP. XXX.
Of the Country Wake: How observed formerly: A Custom of the Heathens, and regulated by
Gregory
the Great.
225
CHAP. XXXI.
Of the Harvest-Supper: A Custom of the Heathens, taken from the
Jewish
Feast of Tabernacles.
229
THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE
Common People.
CHAP. I.
Of the Soul-Bell, its Antiquity, the Reason of its Institution, the Benefit and Advantage of it, an Exhortation to the Use of it according to its first Institution.
T HE Ceremony of Tolling the Bell at the Time of Death, seems to be as ancient as the having of Bells themselves; we are told,
Bingham
's Orig. Eccl. Lib. 3.
it was about the seventh Century when Bells were first in the Church, and that venerable
Bede
is the first that mentions them. If this be true, then it is as true, that the Tolling of the Bell was instituted about that Time; for where our Country-man mentions the Word
Campana,
or Bell, there it also is, that we find a Bell made use of for the Dead:
Haec, tunc in dormitorio sororum pausans, exaudivit subito in aere notum campanae sonum, quo ad orationes excitari vel convocati solebant, cum quis eorum de seculo
uisset evocatus.
Bed. Eccl. Hist. Lib.
4.
Cap.
23.
For at the Death of the Abbess St.
Hilda,
he tells us that one of the Sisters of a distant Monastery, as she was sleeping, thought she heard the well known Sound of that Bell, which called them to Prayers, when any of them had departed this Life. But be that as it will, it is evident, that the Bell was tolled upon this Occasion about
Bede
's Time, and consequently that the Ceremony is as ancient, as his Days.
THE Reason why this Custom was instituted, was not, as some seem to imagine, for no other End than to acquaint the Neighbourhood, that such a Person was dead; but chiefly, that whoever heard the Noise of the Bell, should put up their Prayers for the Soul: Thus the Father above-mentioned tells us again,
Quod cum illa audisset, suscitavit cunctas sorores & in ecclesiam convocatas, orationibus & psalmis pro anima matris operam dare monuit.
ibid.
That she who presided in this Monastery, had no sooner heard this, than she raised all the Sisters, and called them into the Church, where she exhorted them to pray fervently, and sing a
Requiem
for the Soul of their Mother.
Cassalion
also upon this Place of
Bede,
says,
That
Et talis ritus etiam de praesenti servatur in
Anglia,
ut cum quis decessit, statim campana propriae illius Parochiae speciali quodam modo sonat per aliquod temporis spatium.—Quamvis
Angli
negent modo orationes & suffragia defunctis proficua; non aliam tamen in hoc ab illis rationem potui percipere, quam quod talis sonus sit ritus antiquae ecclesiae
Anglicanae, Cassali
de vet Sac. Christ. Rit. P. 241.
the same Custom is still observed in
England,
that as soon as any hath departed this Life, the Bell belonging to the Parish he liv'd in, was immediately tolled, and for some Time.—And tho'
(says he)
the
English
now deny, that Prayers are of any Service to the Dead; yet I could meet with no other Account of this Ceremony, than that it was a Custom of the old Church of
England.
AND for this Reason it is, that this Custom was first observed, and should be still retain'd among us,
viz.
That the Prayers of the Faithful may be assisting to the Soul; and certainly it might be more profitably retain'd, were it so order'd, that the Bell should be tolled before the Person's Departure, as was undoubtedly designed when this Ceremony was continued, that good Men might give him their Prayers. Was this always so observed, there might be some
Moses
amongst the Number of the Faithful, whose Prayers could prevail upon GOD, to beat back
the Amalekites of Darkness;
some whose
Faith
might remove a
Mountain of Sins,
and some whose Tears procure a Multitude of Mercies. O the Comfort of
the Forgivenness of Sins!
Of
being guided safely through the Shadow of Death!
Of arriving securely at the Heavenly Country! What is it that Prayer can't obtain?
BUT tho' the Wickedness and Impenitency of the dying Person be such, as that the Prayers of the Faithful will not be sufficient to avert the Wrath and Punishment of a justly incensed GOD; yet as this can be only known to GOD, it will not discharge Men from recommending him to the Divine Mercy, in the most passionate and affectionate Manner. They thereby express the most laudable Zeal, the most disinterested Charity; and whilst they are so sollicitous for the Happiness and Welfare of other Mens Souls, they cannot but be thereby influenced to have the greatest Concern for their own, and be both encouraged and directed to proceed with an holy Emulation
from Strength to Strength,
and endeavour as the
Heb. vi. 1.
Apostle advises,
to go on to Perfection.
BUT, alas! we are fallen into Times of such Irreligion and Prejudice, such Contempt of Antiquity, and such too great Reformation, that what with Indolence on one Hand, and Ignorance on the other; what with no Zeal on this Side, and too
Among the many Objections of the
Brownists,
it is laid to the Charge of the Church of
England,
That tho' we deny the Doctrine of Purgatory, and teach the contrary; yet how well our Practice suits with it, may be considered in our Ringing of hallowed Bells for the Soul. Bish.
Hall.
cont.
Brown.
false a one on that; we either neglect the most decent Ceremonies of Religion, or we think it is Religion to have no Ceremonies at all. No Wonder then, that,
in the Midst of such a crooked and perverse Generation,
when the most of Men are negligent of themselves, they are also negligent of others: No Wonder, that when there is such a general Contempt of Religion, and Men are careless of their own Souls, they are not careful for the Souls of their Friends.
BUT it is called
In a Vestry-Book belonging to the Chappel of
All-Saints
in
Newcastle
upon
Tyne,
it is observeable, That the Tolling of the Bell is not mention'd in the Parish Accounts, from the Year
1643,
till
1655,
when we find it order'd to be tolled again. At a Vestry holden
January
21st
1655. Whereas for some Years past, the collecting of the Duty for Bell and Tolling, hath been forborn and laid aside, which hath much lessen'd the Revenue of the Church, by which, and such like Means, it is brought into Dilapidations; and having now taken the same into serious Consideration, and fully debated the Objections made by some against the same, and having had the Judgment of our Ministers concerning any Superstition that might be in it; which being made clear, it is this Day order'd, That from henceforth, the Church-Officer appointed thereunto, do collect the same, and bring the Money unto the Church-Wardens, and that those who desire to have the Use of the Bells, may freely have them as formerly, paying the accustom'd Fees.
It is certain they laid it aside, because they thought it superstitious, and it is probable, if they had not wanted Money, they had not seen the contrary.
Popish and Superstitious; for what true Reason, I know not. Did we indeed imagine with the Papists, that there is any
We call them Soul-Bells, for that they signifie the Departure of the Soul, not for that they help the Passage of the Soul. Bish.
Hall
cont.
Brown.
P.
568.
Virtue or extraordinary Power in a Bell, that it is
Item ut Daemones tinnitu campanarum, Christianos ad preces concitantium, terreantur. Formula vero baptizandi seu benedicendi campanas antiqua est.
Durant. Lib. C.
22.
S.
6.
hallowed by Baptism, and drives away the Spirits of Darkness, then it might justly be called Superstition, and therefore justly abolished. But when we retain the Custom, only to procure the Prayers of the Faithful for a departing Soul, it would surely be of Advantage to observe it, if the
Prayers of a righteous Man avail
any Thing at all; which, if we may believe an inspir'd Apostle, are of very great Efficacy and Validity.
ART thou then attending a Friend in his last Moments? Art thou careful for his Soul, and sollicitous for his Salvation? Dost thou wish him safe
through the Valley of Death to the everlasting Hills?
Wouldst thou have the good Angels protect him, and be his
Shield against the Powers of Darkness?
In short, wouldst thou have him crown'd with the Joys of
Paradise?
Be assured then, that the Prayers of good Men will very much contribute to the gaining of these Things. But how shall they then pray for him, if they know not of his Departure? And how can they know that, without the Tolling of the Bell? Do thou therefore put in Practice this decent and profitable Custom, not as our Age generally does, after the Death of thy Friend, but before it; before he leave the World, when the Prayers of good Men can assist him, and facilitate his Journey into the other Life.
OR art thou
working in the Field, or grinding at the Mill?
Remember then, when thou hearest the Sound of the Bell for one departing, that thou put up thy Prayers for him. Be thy Business what it will, it will always permit thee to say at least,
LORD, now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace:
Or to use the Words of St.
Oswald,
when he and his Soldiers were ready to be slain,
LORD, have Mercy on the Soul of thy
Oravit ad dominum pro animabus exercitus sui. Unde dicunt in proverbio, Deus miserere animabus, dixit
Oswaldus
cadens in terram,
Bed. Eccl. L.
3.
C.
12.
It is used
(says
Bede
)
even to a Proverb,
That he died praying;
for when the Enemy had surrounded him, and he saw himself about to be slain, he prayed unto the LORD for the Souls of his Army. Hence it is that the Proverb comes,
LORD, have Mercy upon the Soul, as St.
Oswald
said when he fell to the Earth.
Which Proverb, in all Probability, hath been the Original of this present National Saying,
When the Bell begins to toll,
LORD, have Mercy on the Soul.
Servant.
It will not be long, till thou thy self shalt have Occasion for such Prayers, till thou come to die, and enter on thy Journey to the other State: If then
thou hast been merciful, thou shalt obtain Mercy;
if by thy Prayers thou hast assisted the Souls of thy Brethren, thou shalt either be remembred in the Prayers of good Men, or surely these thy Prayers for others will be of Service to thy self also, at that dreadful Hour.
BUT now it may be objected, That as the Bell is seldom tolled till after the Person's Departure, it is to no Purpose to pray for the Soul; nay to pray for it, would be praying for the Dead: And since that is repugnant to the Doctrine of our Church, our Prayers at that Time had much better be omitted.
INDEED it is too true, this Custom is not so common as it should be; but however, it is so much observed, as will be able to vindicate the putting up of constant Prayers. I know several Religious Families in this Place, and I hope it is so in other Places too, who always observe it, whenever the melancholly Season offers; and therefore it will at least sometimes happen, when we put up our Prayers constantly at the Tolling of the Bell, that we shall pray for a Soul departing. And tho' it be granted, that it will oftner happen otherwise, as the regular Custom is so little followed; yet that can be no harmful praying for the Dead. We believe that the Soul is but departing, and it is charitably done to offer up our Prayers: And therefore when it proves otherwise,
our
Psal. xxxiv. 14.
Prayer shall turn into our own Bosom;
and like as that Peace, which the Disciples wished to an unworthy House, returned to the Disciples again; so, tho' our Prayers at that Time may be of no Service to the Soul, yet they will be of no Disservice to us. They will return to us again, but it will be no Fault to have misplaced them.
PRAYERS upon this OCCASION from Bishop
TAYLOR.
I.
O HOLY and most Gracious JESU, we humbly recommend the Soul of thy Servant into thy Hands, thy most merciful Hands: Let thy blessed Angels stand in Ministry about thy Servant, and defend him from the Violence and Malice of all his ghostly Enemies: And drive far from him all the Spirits of Darkness.
Amen.
II.
LORD, receive the Soul of this thy Servant: Enter not into Judgment with him: Spare him whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious Blood: And deliver him, for whose Sake thou didst suffer Death, from all Evil and Mischief, from the Crafts and Assaults of the Devil, from the Fear of Death, and from everlasting Death.
Amen.
III.
LORD, impute not unto him the Follies of his Youth; nor any of the Errors, and Miscarriages of his Life: But strengthen him in his Agony, and carry him safely through his last Distress. Let not his Faith waver, nor his Hope fail, nor his Charity be disordered: Let him die in Peace, and rest in Hope, and rise in Glory.
Amen.
IV.
LORD, we know and believe assuredly, that whatsoever is under thy Custody, cannot be taken out of thy Hands, nor by all the Violences of Hell robbed of thy Protection: Preserve the Work of thy Hands, rescue him from all Evil, and let his Portion be with the Patriarchs and Prophets, with the Apostles and Martyrs, and all thy holy Saints, in the Arms of CHRIST, in the Bosom of Felicity, and in the Kingdom of GOD for ever.
Amen.
V.
O SAVIOUR of the World, who by thy Cross, and precious Blood hast redeemed us, save, and help this thy departing Servant, we beseech thee, O LORD.
Amen.
VI.
O Almighty LORD, who art a most strong Tower to all them that put their Trust in thee; to whom all Things in Heaven, in Earth, and under the Earth, do bow and obey; be now and evermore his Defence; and make him to know and feel, by a powerful Sense of thy Goodness, that there is no other Name under Heaven given to Man, in whom and through whom we may receive Health and Salvation, but only the Name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Amen.
VII.
O LORD, unto thy gracious Mercy and Protection we commit him. O GOD the Father bless him and keep him. O GOD the Son make thy Face to shine upon him, and be gracious unto him. O GOD the Holy Ghost, lift up thy Countenance upon him, and give him thy Peace, both now and evermore.
Amen.
CHAP. II.
Of Watching with the Dead.
W ATCHING with the Corps was an ancient Custom of the Church, and every where practised. They were wont to sit by it, from the Time of its Death till its Exportation to the Grave, either in the House it died in, or in the Church it self. Agreeable to this, we read in St.
Austin,
That as they watched his Mother
Monica,
Psalterium arripuit
Euodius,
& cantare caepit psalmum, cui respondebamus omnes domus: Miserecordiam & judicium cantabo tibi Domine.
Aug. Lib.
9.
Confes. C.
12.
Euodius
took the
Psalter,
and began to sing a
Psalm,
which the whole Family answered with that of the Psalmist
David, I will sing of Mercy and Judgment, unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
And we are told,
Ad ecclesiam antelucana hora qua defunctus est, corpus ipsius portatum est: ibique eadem fuit nocte, quam vigilavimus in pascha.
Greg. Turon. de Gloria, Confes. C.
104.
That at the Death of St.
Ambrose,
his Body was carried into the Church before Day, the same Hour he died. It was the Night before
Easter,
and they watched with him there.
HOW unlike to this ancient Custom of Watching is the modern one, of locking up the Corps in a Room, and leaving it there alone? How unlike to this decent Manner of Watching, is that Watching of the Vulgar, which is a Scene of Sport and Drinking and Lewdness? Watching at that Time with a dear Friend, is the last Kindness and Respect we can shew him; and how unfriendly is it, to change it into Negligence and too great Resignation? How unchristian, instead of a becoming Sorrow and decent Gravity, to put on an unbecoming Joy and undecent Pastime.
CHAP. III.
Of following the Corps to the Grave, what it is an Emblem of: Of carrying Greens in our Hand, what it signifies, what Use it may be of: Of Psalmody, its Antiquity, the Advantage and Use of it.
I T hath been observed among all Nations, both in the Heathen and the Christian World, as a becoming and profitable Ceremony, to follow the Corps to the Grave. The Heathens observed it,
Praecedenti pompa funebri, vivi sequuntur, tanquam handmulto post morituri.
Al. ab. Alex. Lib.
3.
P.
67.
t Pol. Vir. Lib.
6.
C.
10.
P.
405.
because it presented to them, what would shortly follow, how they themselves should be so carried out, and laid down in the Grave. The going of the Corps before, shewed that their Friend was gone before them to the State of Death; and their following after, was as much as to say, that they must also in a short Time follow him thither. For this Reason the Christian also observes the Custom, and may, if he pleases, as he follows the Body to the Grave, entertain himself with a pious Meditation upon it, in such like Thoughts as these of the Psalmist.
Psal. xc.—
Thou art GOD from Everlasting, and World without End; Thou turnest Man to Destruction; again, Thou sayest, Come again ye Children of Men. For a thousand Years in thy Sight are but as Yesterday, seeing that is past as a Watch in the Night. As soon as thou scatterest them, they are even as a Sleep, and fade away suddenly like the Grass. In the Morning it is green and groweth up, but in the Evening it is cut down, dried up and withered. Do thou therefore, O LORD,
Psal. xxxix.
let me know my End, and the Number of my Days, that I may be certified how long I have to live. Behold thou hast made my Days, as it were a Span long, and mine Age is nothing in respect of Thee; and verily every Man living is altogether Vanity. And now, LORD, what is my Hope? Truly my Hope is even in Thee. Deliver me from all mine Offences, and O spare me a little that I may recover my Strength, before I go hence and be no more seen.
Such Thoughts as these of our Friend's, and of our own Mortality, would excite us to prepare for our own Change.
AND as this Form of Procession is an Emblem of our dying shortly after our Friend, so the carrying of Ivy, or Laurel, or Rosemary, or some of those Ever-Greens, is an Emblem of the Soul's Immortality. It is as much as to say, That tho' the Body be dead, yet the Soul is Ever-Green and always in Life: It is not like the Body, and those other Greens which die and revive again at their proper Seasons, no
Autumn
nor
Winter
can make a Change in it, but it is unalterably the same, perpetually in Life, and never dying.
THE
Romans,
and other Heathens upon this Occasion, made Use of Cypress, which being once cut, will never flourish nor grow any more, as an Emblem of their dying for ever, and being no more in Life. But instead of that, the ancient Christians used the Things before mentioned; they
Hadera quoque vel laurus & hujusmodi, quae semper servant virorem, in sarchophago corpori substernuntur, ad significandum quod qui moriuntur in Christo, vivere nec desinunt. Nam licet mundo moriantur secundum corpus, tamen secundum animam vivunt & reviviscunt Deo.
Durand. Rit. Lib.
7.
C.
35.
de Offic. Mort.
laid them under the Corps in the Grave, to signifie, that they who die in CHRIST, do not cease to live. For tho', as to the Body they die to the World; yet, as to their Souls, they live to GOD.
AND as the carrying of these Ever-Greens is an Emblem of the Soul's Immortality, so it is also of the Resurrection of the Body: For as these Herbs are not entirely pluck'd up, but only cut down, and will, at the returning Season, revive and spring up again; so the Body, like them, is but cut down for a while, and will rise and shoot up again at the Resurrection. For, as the Prophet
Isaiah
says,
. lxiii. 14.
Our Bones shall flourish like an Herb.
IT was customary
Greg. C. 26.—
among the ancient
Jews,
as they returned from the Grave, to pluck up the Grass two or three Times, and then throw it behind them, saying these Words of the Psalmist,
They shall flourish out of the City like Grass upon the Earth:
Which they did, to shew, that the Body, tho' dead, should spring up again as the Grass. Thus by these two ancient Ceremonies, we have placed before our Eyes, our Mortality and Immortality; the one speaks the Death of the Body, the other the Life of the Soul, nay, and the Life of the Body too; for like that Herb we carry, it is not quite pluck'd up, but shall one Day be alive again. When it hath laid in the Earth the
Winter
Season, the Continuance of this World, and the Warmth and Influence of the
Spring
is come, the joyful Spring of the Resurrection, it shall be enliven'd, and shoot up, and eternally flourish.
Greg. C. 26.—
For this Corruptible must put on Incorruption, and this Mortal must put on Immortality. O Death, where is thy Sting! O Grave, where is thy Victory! Thanks be to GOD, who giveth us the Victory through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Cor. i. 15.
THERE is another Custom used in some Places, at the Procession of Funerals, which pays a due Honour to the Dead, and gives Comfort and Consolation to the Living; and that is, the carrying out the Dead with Psalmody. This was an ancient Custom of the Church. For in some of the earliest Ages, they carried out their Dead to the Grave with singing of Psalms and Hymns. Thus
Socrates
tells us, That when the Body of
Babylas
the Martyr was removed by the Order of
Julian
the Apostate, the Christians
Hoi kata,
&c. Soc. Lib.
3.
C.
17.—
with their Women and Children, rejoyced and sung Psalms all the Way, as they bore the Corps from
Dauphne
to
Antioch:
Thus was
Epitaphlum
Hierom. Ep.
27.—
Paula
buried at
Bethlehem;
thus did St.
Anthony
bury
Paul
the Hermite; and thus were the Generality of Men buried after the three first Centuries, when Persecution ceased. In Imitation of this, it is still customary in several Parts of this Nation, to carry out the Dead with singing of Psalms and Hymns of Triumph; to shew that they have ended their spiritual Warfare, that they have finished their Course with
Ibid.
in Vit.
Paul.
Joy, and are become Conquerors; which surely is a Matter of no little Consolation for the loosing of our Friend. And how becoming is it to pay such Honour to the Body! How is it imitating the blessed Angels, who rejoyced at Meeting of the Soul, and carrying it to Heaven. For as they rejoyce
at her Conversion on Earth,
so most certainly they rejoyce at her going to Heaven. And as they rejoyce at the carrying of the Soul thither, so we, in Imitation of them, at the carrying out the Body to the Grave. They rejoyce that the Soul hath got out of a World of Sin, we that the Body out of a World of Trouble; they that the Soul can sin no more, we that the Body can no more suffer; they that the Soul enjoys Glory and Happiness, we that the Body rests from its Labours.
WHEN therefore we attend the Corps of a Neighbour or Relation, and this decent Ceremony is perform'd, let it also have a Share of our Thoughts, and excite in us Joy and Comfort, and Thanksgiving and Praise. And when these Customs are so observed, they will be of great Advantage to us, making us still fitter for the Heavenly Life. And surely a Thing of this Good and Profit, is much to be preferr'd to what hath in it nothing but Undecency and Irreverence; such is our laughing and jesting, and telling of News, when we accompany a Neighbour to the Grave. There is indeed a Mean to be observed, as in all other Things, so in this; we must neither be too sad, nor too merry; we must not be so merry as to throw off all the Signs of Affection and Love, all the Tokens of Esteem and Humanity; nor must we
1 Thess. i. 4, 13.—
sorrow even as others, which have no Hope. But we must
Jam. v. 15.
be so merry as to be able to sing Psalms, and so afflicted as to be excited to pray.
CHAP. IV.
Of Garlands in Country Churches: Of strawing Flowers on the Grave; the Antiquity of these Customs, the Innocency of them.
I N some Country Churches 'tis customary, to hang
a Garland of Flowers
over the Seats of
deceased Virgins,
as a Token of Esteem and Love, and an Emblem of their Reward in the Heavenly Church.
THIS Custom perhaps may be look'd upon, as sprung from that ancient Custom of the Heathens, of
crowning
their
Corps
with
Garlands
in Token of Victory. But Mr.
Bingham
tells us, That we find not this Custom used by the
Ancients
in their
Funeral-Rites.
For as he observes, the Heathen in
Minutius,
makes it one Topick of Accusation against them,
Min. P.
35. Coronas etiam sepulchris denegatis,
Bing. Vol.
10.
P.
68.
That they did not crown their Sepulchres.
BUT if they did not crown them after the Manner of the Heathens, they had a Custom of using Crowns of Flowers, if we may believe
Cassalion,
who tells us,
Fuit quoque mos ad capita virginum apponendi florum coronas,
&c. Cass. de Vet. Sacr. Christ. P.
334.
It was a Custom of the ancient Christians to place Crowns of Flowers, at the Heads of deceased Virgins; for which he quotes
Damascen, Gregory Nyssen,
St.
Jerom
and St.
Austin.
And this hath probably been the Original of this Custom among the Vulgar.
THAT other Custom of
strawing Flowers
upon the
Graves
of their departed Friends, is also derived from a Custom of the ancient Church. For it was usual in those Times for the common Sort of People, to straw the Graves of their Friends, with various Flowers. Of this there are two notable Instances taken Notice of by
Cassalion,
and several other Ritualists. The one is that of St.
Ambrose,
in his
Funeral Oration
on the Death of
Valentinian,
Nec ego floribus tumulum ejus aspergam, sed spiritum ejus Christi odore perfundam; spargant alii plenis lilia calathis: Nobis lilium est Christus: Hoc reliquias ejus sacrabo.
Ambros. Orat. Funebri. de obitu Valentin.
I will not sprinkle his Grave with Flowers, but pour on his Spirit the Odour of CHRIST. Let others scatter Baskets of Flowers: CHRIST is our Lilly, and with this will I consecrate his Relicks.
THE other is that of St.
Jerom,
in his Epistle to
Pammachius
upon the Death of his Wife.
Caeteri mariti super tumulos conjugum spargunt violas, rosas, lilia, floresque purpureos, & dolorem pectoris his officiis consolantur;
Pammachius
noster sanctam favillam ossaque veneranda eleemosynae balsamis rigat.
Hieron. Epist. ad Pammachium de obitu Uxoris.
Whilst other Husbands strawed Violets, and Roses, and Lillies, and purple Flowers, upon the Graves of their Wives, and comforted themselves with such like Offices,
Pammachius
bedew'd her Ashes and venerable Bones, with the Balsom of Alms.
NOW these Instances, tho' they justly commend these other Actions, and wisely prefer them to the Ceremonies of adorning Graves with Flowers: Yet they no Way decry these ancient Customs. These lower Marks of Esteem and Honour, which the
Vulgar
paid to the Remains of their Friends, were in themselves harmless and innocent, and had no Censure; and as they were so, so should the present Customs be without any, being full as harmless and innocent as the other.
CHAP. V.
Of Bowing towards the Altar at the first coming into the Church; a Custom generally observed by ignorant People; its Meaning and Antiquity.
W E may observe the Generality of old People among the Commonalty, as they enter into the Church, to turn their Faces towards the
Altar,
and bow or kneel that Way. This, no Doubt, is the Remains of that ancient Custom of the Church, of worshipping toward the East. For in the ancient Church they worshipped that Way upon several Accounts.
First,
That by so worshipping, they might lift up their Minds to GOD, who is called the Light and the Creator of Light. And therefore St.
Austin
says,
Cum ad orationem stamus, ad orientem covertimur, unde caelum surgit, &c. Ut admoneatur animus ad naturam excellentiorem se convertere, id est, ad Dominum.
Aug. de Serm. Domini. in Mont. Lib.
2.
Cap.
5.
When we pray standing, we turn our Faces to the East, from whence the Day springs, that we might be reminded of turning to a more excellent Nature, namely, The LORD.
Secondly,
That forasmuch as Man was driven out of
Paradise,
which is towards the East, he ought to look that Way, which is an Emblem of his Desire to return thither. St.
Damascen
therefore tells us, That
St.
Damasc. Lib.
4.
C.
13.
Orthod. Fid.
because the Scripture says, That GOD planted
Paradise
in
Eden
towards the East, where he
placed the Man which he had formed,
whom he punish'd with Banishment upon his Transgression, and made him dwell over against
Paradise,
in the Western Part; we therefore pray,
(says he)
being in Quest of our ancient Country; and as it were
panting
after it, do worship GOD that Way.
Thirdly,
It was used when any were baptized. They first turn'd their Faces to the West, and so renounc'd the Devil; and then to the East, and made their Covenant with CHRIST.
Lastly,
They prayed that Way, believing that our SAVIOUR would come to Judgment from that Quarter of the Heavens.
For as the Lightning cometh out of the East, and shineth unto the West, so shall the Coming of the Son of Man be; and he is to come in like Manner as he ascended.
And that he ascended up Eastward from Mount
Olivet,
St.
Damasc. Lib.
4.
C.
13.
Orthod. Fid.
Damascen
assures us. For
(says he)
when he ascended into Heaven, he was taken up Eastward, and his Disciples worshipped him that Way. And therefore chiefly it was, that in the ancient Church they prayed with their Faces to the East; and that many of our own Church at this Day, turn their Faces to that Quarter of the World, at the Repetition of the Creed.
WHAT may more confirm this, and speak it to have been the universal Opinion of the Church, is the ancient Custom of burying the Corps, with the Feet to the East, and the Head to the West; which Custom is continued to this Day in the whole Church of
England:
This was observed for the same Reason, That, at the Coming of CHRIST to Judgment from the oriental Part of Heaven, our Bodies might be found in a praying Posture, with their Faces towards the East.
OUR learned Countryman
Gregory
tells us,
That the holy Men of
Jerusalem
hold a Tradition generally received from their Ancients, that our SAVIOUR himself was buried, with his Face and Feet towards the East. It is affirmed by the Geographers of the holy Land.
And
Bede
says,
Introeuntes ab oriente in domum illam rotundam quae in petra excisa est, viderunt angelum sedentem ad meridianam partem loci illius, ubi positum fuerat corpus Jesu; hoc enim erat in dextris, quod nimirum, corpus, quod supinum jacens caput habebat ad occasum, dexteram necesse est habere ad austrum.
Bed. in Dic. Sanct. Paschae, Tom.
7.
That as the Holy Women enter'd at the Eastern Part into the Round-House, which is hewn out in the Rock, they saw the Angel sitting at the South Part of the Place, where the Body of JESUS had lain, that is, at his Right Hand; for undoubtedly his Body having its Face upwards and its Head to the West, must have its Right Hand to the South.
Cassalion
says,
Adeo tenaces fuere prisci illi fideles in hoc ritu respiciendi in orientem, ut non folum ipsi viventes, hoc in eorum precibus exacte servarent, verum etiam mortui eorum corpora supina in sepulchris facie orientem respicerent.
Cass. de Vet. Rit. Christ. P.
30.
The Faithful of old were so observing of this Ceremony of looking towards the East, that they not only strictly observed it in their Prayers when living; but even when they were dead, their Bodies were placed with their Faces upwards in the Sepulchre, looking towards the East.
THE learned Dr.
Comber
in his Discourse of the solemn Interment, hath these Words upon "this Subject,
We may note the Positure and Position of the Corps, which among the Christians hath always been to turn the Feet to the East, with the Head to the West; that so they may be ready to meet the LORD, whom the Ancients did believe should appear in the oriental Part of Heaven.
Durand. Rat. Lib.
7.
Cap.
33. Or as our ingenious Mr.
Gregory
believes, That they might be in the Posture of Prayer, with their Faces to the East, as soon as they were raised. There are some ancient Authors tell us, That the old Inhabitants of
Attica
buried thus before the Days of
Solon,
who, as they report, convinced the
Athenians,
that the Island of
Salamis
did of Right belong to them, by shewing them dead Bodies looking that Way, and Sepulchres turned towards the East, as they use to bury.
Diog. Laert. Vit. Solon,
&c. And the Scholiast upon
Thucidides
says, It was the Manner of all the
Greeks
to bury their Dead thus: Tho' a learned modern Writer supposes these Authors mistaken, and cites
Plutarch
and
Elian
to prove, that the
Athenians
turned their Dead towards the West. However it is certain, that all Nations had one certain Way of placing the Corps, from which they would not vary; and we Christians have so great Antiquity for our Custom, that we ought not out of Singularity to alter it.
NO Doubt but this learned Man had great Reason for this Conclusion, as well knowing that this ancient Rite, was struck at by the whole Herd of Sectaries, as a silly Fancy and an idle Dream: Who never would observe it, were it not that they are sometimes obliged; but would with those who are not obliged, act the very Reverse, and bury North and South. I wish there were no powerfuller Enemies to it, than them now a Days; but,
as a Man's Enemies are too often those of his own Houshold;
so, 'tis to be lamented, that some who pretend to be of our own Church, are upon all Occasions secret Advocates against this Ceremony. When therefore there is such Opposition without, and such Treachery within, 'tis high Time to be on the Guard against our Enemies; least a Ceremony so venerable for its Antiquity, and so useful in its Observation, be laid aside: Was it but for this one Thing, that it speaks the Hope of the whole Christian Church, since the earliest Times of Christianity, about the Resurrection of the same Body. It is too true, that there are some at this Time of the Day, as well as were in the Days of the Apostle, who think
it a Thing incredible that GOD should raise the Dead;
some really disbelieving the Resurrection of any Body, and others that of the same Body. But as long as this Ceremony is in Being, it will always be a ready Proof, that the whole Christian Church, did not only believe the Resurrection of the Body, but of that very Body, which was laid down in the Grave. For they observed it, that they might be ready with their Faces to meet their SAVIOUR at his coming to Judgment, which certainly implies that they believed that very Body should rise again.
CHAP. VI.
Of the Time of Cock-crow: Whether evil Spirits wander about in the Time of Night; and whether they fly away at the Time of Cock-crow. Reflections upon this, encouraging us to have Faith and Trust in GOD.
I T is a received Tradition among the Vulgar, That at the Time of Cock-crowing, the Midnight Spirits forsake these lower Regions, and go to their proper Places. They wander, say they, about the World, from the dead Hour of Night, when all Things are buried in Sleep and Darkness, till the Time of Cock-crowing, and then they depart. Hence it is, that in Country-Places, where the Way of Life requires more early Labour, they always go chearfully to Work at that Time; whereas if they are called abroad sooner, they are apt to imagine every Thing they see or hear, to be a wandring Ghost.
Shakespear
hath given us an excellent Account of this vulgar Notion, in his Tragedy of
Hamlet.
It was about to speak, when the Cock crew.
And then it started like a guilty Thing
Upon a dreadful Summons. I have heard,
The Cock that is the Trumpet to the Day,
Doth with his lofty and shrill sounding Throat
Awake the God of Day: And at his Warning
Whether in Sea, or Fire, in Earth or Air,
The extravagant and erring Spirit hyes
To its Confine, and of the Truth herein,
This present Object made Probation.
It faded at the Crowing of the Cock.
Some say that e'er against that Season comes,
Wherein our Saviour's Birth is celebrated,
The Bird of Dawning singeth all Night long.
And then, they say, No Spirit doth walk abroad,
The Nights are wholsome, then no Planet strikes,
No Fairy takes, no Witch hath Power to harm,
So gracious and so hallowed is that Time.
NOW to shew what Truth there is in this vulgar Opinion, I shall consider,
First,
What Truth there is in the Roaming of Spirits in the Night. And,
Secondly,
Whether they are obliged to go away at Cock-crow.
I believe none who assent to the Truth of Divine Revelation, deny that there are good and evil Angels attending upon Men; the one to guard and protect them, and the other to harm and work their Ruin; that the one are
those
Heb. i. 14.—
ministring Spirits, which are sent out to minister to the Heirs of Salvation;
the other the
roaring Lion,
and his Instruments,
Job ii. 2.—
who wander to and fro in the Earth; these
Mat. xii. 43.
unclean Spirits who wander through dry Places, seeking Rest and finding none.
NOR, I believe, will it be question'd, that there have been Apparitions of good and evil Spirits, and that many, with our SAVIOUR'S Disciples, have been
affrighted and cried out,
not only with supposing they had seen, but really with seeing a Spirit. Of this the Testimony of all Ages, and Scripture it self are a sufficient Demonstration.
WHAT then could these have ordinarily been, but the Appearances of some of those
Angels of Light,
or Darkness? For I am far from thinking that either the Ghosts of the Damn'd or the Happy, either the Soul of a
Dives
or a
Lazarus,
returns here any more. For as St.
Athanasius
observes,
Hai
n tois n
ois, &c Athan.
Tom. 2. P. 34.
These Visions and Shades of the Saints, which appear in the Temples and at the Tombs, are not the Souls of the Saints themselves, but the good Angels appearing in their Shapes.
Not that GOD could not remand the Ghost of
Samuel,
and order it again to visit the Earth, as he made
Moses
and
Elias
to appear at our SAVIOUR'S Transfiguration; but that a Thing of this Nature was very uncommon, and seldom happen'd.
TAKING it therefore for granted, that there have been Apparitions of Angels, I believe it will also be owned, that these Apparitions have frequently happen'd in the Night. And truly, was there no direct Proof of this, yet the Notion of their appearing in the Night, being as it were link'd and chained to our Idea of an Apparition, would almost perswade us, that the Night is the most proper Time for such Appearances. Whether it is, that the Fables of Nurses,
Lock,
Human Underst.
as an ingenious Author imagines,
have so associated the Idea of Spirit to the Night, that the one never appears without the other;
or whether there is something in the Presence of Night, some Awfulness and Horrour, which naturally dispose the Mind of Man to these Reflections. I am indeed very inclinable to believe, that these Legendary Stories of Nurses and old Women, are the Occasion of much greater Fears, than People without them, would generally have of these Things; but I cannot help thinking, that the Presence of Night, would naturally lead a Man to some Reflection of Spirits, without any such Cause as that learned Author mentions. There are some particular Times, which will naturally raise some particular Thoughts: Thus on a bright sunny Day we are naturally disposed to Mirth and Gaiety; when the Day over-casts, or the Weather is hazy, we then turn indolent and dull, and sooth our selves in Melancholly; if it Thunder and Lighten, we think of the Day of Judgment and sudden Death: And thus also the Night, as it inclines us to grave and serious Thoughts, raises in us Horrour and Dismay, and makes us afraid, even when our Judgment tells us there is no Fear; so it may of it self be look'd upon as a natural Cause of such Reflections.
BUT however this be, we must necessarily own, that Spirits have frequently appeared in the Night, or we must give the Lye to the Traditions of all Ages, to Historians prophane and sacred, and the wisest and best in the Generations of Men.
IN the Heathen World there are many Instances, of which I shall only mention this one out of
Plutarch:
In Vit. Mar.
Brut.
Trans. Duke.
One Night, before
Brutus
passed out of
Asia,
he was very late all alone in his Tent, with a dim Light burning by him, all the Rest of the Army being husht and silent; and musing with himself, and very thoughtful, as he turn'd his Eye to the Door, he saw a strange and terrible Appearance, of a prodigious and frightful Body coming towards him without speaking.
Brutus
boldly asked him, What art thou? Man, or God? Or upon what Business do'st thou come to us? The Spirit answer'd, I am thy
Evil Genius,
thou shalt see me at
Philippi;
to which
Brutus
not at all disturbed, reply'd, Then I will see thee there.
IN the sacred Writings we have
Job
Job—
terrified with Visions of the Night,
when deep Sleep falleth upon Men, Fear came upon him and Trembling, which made all his Bones to shake; then a Spirit passed by before his Face, and the Hair of his Flesh stood up. In the Night
Gen. xxxii.—
Jacob
wrestled with the Angel; in the Night an Angel delivered
Acts xii.
Peter
out of Prison,
&c.
BUT tho' it be true from Scripture, that there have been nightly Apparitions, yet these are chiefly of good Angels; whereas this Opinion principally means, the Appearances of evil Spirits. It must be owned indeed, that the Appearances of evil Spirits, if litterally, are yet but very seldom mention'd in the Night in Scripture; but however, that they wander and appear at Night, is very deducible from, if not litterally mentioned in it. Their's
is the Land of Darkness, and the Shadow of Death: They are reserved under Chains of Darkness to the Judgment of the great Day; and we know that every one that doth Evil naturally hateth the Light: They therefore love Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds are Evil.
The Night therefore, in a more especial Manner, seems to be their
Hour,
and the
Power of Darkness.
THIS was the Opinion of the
Jews,
as may be learned from the Fear of the Apostles, when they saw our Saviour about the fourth Watch of the Night, coming to them upon the Waters:
Mat. xiv. 25.
They were affrighted and cryed out, supposing they had seen a Spirit.
Doctor
Whitby
upon this Place, says,
That the
Jews
had then an Opinion of hurtful Spirits walking in the Night, is evident from the seventy, who render'd,
from the Pestilence walking in Darkness;
Apo pragmatos diaporeuomenou en skotei.
From
the Fear of the Devils that walk in the Night.
AND that this was also the Opinion of the ancient Christians, is evident, not only from their dividing the Night into four Watches, the Evening, Midnight, Cock-crowing, and the Morning; which were the Military Divisions of the Night, and which
Si quidem & in Nocte Stationes, & Vigiliae Militares in quatuor partes divisae ternis horarum spatiis secernuntur.
Isidore,
Lib. 1. de Eccle. Offici. Cap. 19.
they observed to guard their Souls from the silent Incursions of evil Spirits, as the others did those of the Enemy; but also from their many Relations of such Appearances.
Cassian
in giving an Account of the Watching of the Ancient Monks, and their being assaulted with Midnight Spirits, tells us, That at the Beginning of the Monkish Life,
Tanta nam
que
erat eorum feritas, ut vix pauci— Tolerare habitationem solitudinis possent.—Ita eorum atrocitas grassabatur, & frequentes ac visibiles sentiebantur aggressus, ut non auderent omnes pariter noctibus obdormire, sed vicissim aliis degustantibus somnum, alii vigilias celebrantes, Psalmis & Orationibus, seu Lectionibus in haerebant.
Cassian.
Coll. 7. Cap. 23.
the Rage of the Midnight Spirits was so great, that but few, and these too Men of Age and unshaken Resolution, were able to endure the Life in the Desart. For such was their Fierceness, that where Eight or Ten had been together in a Monastery, they would have made frequent and visible Incursions: Insomuch, that they never all slept at the same Time, but took it by turns; some watching the Rest, and exercising themselves in singing Psalms, in Praying and Reading. And St.
Athanasius
in his Life of
Anthony
the Hermit, tells, Of many Conflicts that good Man had in the Night with the Powers of Darkness, whilst they endeavoured to batter him
from the strong Holds
of his Faith. And what can our Church chiefly mean in
the Collect for Aid against Perils;
but that GOD would send us Protection from all the Spirits of Darkness, these Midnight Wanderers of the World: And for this Reason, every good Man, when he lies down to sleep at Night, desires the great
Keeper of
Israel,
who never slumbereth nor sleepeth, to send his Holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about him,
and banish from him the Spirits of the Night.
SO far then this Tradition is just and good, that there are Midnight Spirits who wander about the World, going
too and fro in the Earth, seeking whom they may devour.
Let us now in the next Place enquire, what Truth there is in the other Part of it; namely, That they always fly away at Cock-crow.
THIS Opinion, whatever Truth there may be in it, is certainly very Ancient. We have it mentioned by the Christian Poet
Prudentius,
who flourished in the Beginning of the fourth Century, as a Tradition of Common Belief: His Words are these,
Ferunt Vagantes Daemones
Laetos Tenebris Noctium,
Gallo canente exterritos,
Sparsim timere & cedere.
Invisa nam Vicinitas
Lucis, salutis, numinis,
Rupto Tenebrarum situ,
Noctis Fugat satellites,
Hoc esse signum praescii
Norunt repromissae spei,
Qua Nos soporis Liberi
Speramus adventum Dei.
They say the wandering Powers, that Love
The silent Darkness of the Night,
At Cock-crowing give o'er to rove,
And all in Fear do take their Flight.
The approaching salutary Morn,
The approach Divine of hated Day,
Makes Darkness to its Place return,
And drives the Midnight Ghosts away.
They know that this an Emblem is,
Of what preceeds our lasting Bliss,
That Morn, when Graves give up their Dead,
In certain hope to meet their GOD.
CASSIAN
also, who lived in the same Century, giving an Account of a Multitude of Devils who had been Abroad in the Night, says,
Aurora itaque superveniente, cum omnis haec ab oculis evanisset Daemonum multitudo.
Cass.
Coll. 8. C. 16.
That as soon as the Morn approached, they all vanished and fled away. By this we see, that this was a current Opinion at this Time of Day; but what Reason they had for it, except some Relations of the disappearing of Evil Spirits at that Hour, I never yet have met with: But there have been produc'd at that Time of Night, Things of very memorable Worth, which might perhaps raise the pious Credulity of some Men to imagine, that there was something more in it, than in other Times. It was about the Time of Cock-crowing when our Saviour was born, and the Angels sung the first Christmas-Carol to the poor Shepherds, in the Fields of
Bethlehem.
Now it may be presum'd, that as the Saviour of the World was then born, and the
Heavenly Host
had then descended to proclaim▪ the News, that the Angels of Darkness would be terrified and confounded, and immediately fly away: And perhaps this Consideration has partly been the Foundation of this Opinion; for as this may easily be supposed, so perhaps it has been imagin'd, that the Spirits of Darkness, having always in Memory that fatal Hour, are startled and frighted away as the Cock proclaims it.
IT was also about this Time when he rose from the Dead. And when the great
Sun of Righteousness
was risen upon the World, no wonder that all the Clouds of Darkness and Wickedness were dispell'd; no wonder that the conquer'd Powers of Hell were not able to shew their Heads: And this perhaps hath been another Reason of their imagining that Spirits go away at that time.
A third Reason is, that Passage in the Book of
Genesis,
where Jacob
wrestled with the Angel for a Blessing;
where the Angel says unto him,
Gen. xxxii.
Let me go, for the Day breaketh.
BUT indeed this Tradition seems more, especially to have risen from some particular Circumstances attending the Time of Cock-crowing; and which, as
Prudentius
seems to say above, are an Emblem of the Approach of the Day of the Resurrection. For when we leave the World, we lie down in our Graves, and
Rest from our Labours;
Sleep and Darkness lay hold upon us, and there we abide till the last Day appear, when the Voice of the Arch-Angel shall awake us, that we may meet the LORD of Light and Day. And when we leave the common Business and Care of Life, we lie down in our Beds, as in a Grave, buried as it were in Sleep and Darkness, till the Cock crow, the welcome Messenger of the News of Day.
THE Circumstances therefore of the Time of Cock-crowing, being so natural a Figure and Representation of the Morning of the Resurrection; the Night so shadowing out the Night of the Grave; the third Watch, being as some suppose, the Time our Saviour will come to Judgment at; the Noise of the
Cock
awakening sleepy Man, and telling him as it were,
the Night is far spent, the Day is at Hand;
representing so naturally the Voice of the Arch-Angel awakening the Dead, and calling up the Righteous to everlasting Day; so naturally does the Time of Cock-crowing shadow out these Things, that probably some good well-meaning Men, have been brought to believe, that the very Devils themselves, when the Cock Crew, and reminded them of them, did fear and tremble, and shun the Light.
NOW in Answer to the first of these Conjectures: 'Tis very likely the Evil Spirits did fly away in the Morning of the Nativity, and because of our Saviour's Birth and that
Company of the Heavenly Host,
might be afraid and retire into thick Darkness; yet it will not hence follow, that it always happens so at the Time of Cock-crowing: For if they did fly away that Morning, the Circumstances of our Saviour's Birth, the heavenly Glory of the Angelick Quire, their Musick and their Presence were the Occasion of it: And why only the bare Remembrance of what happened at that Time, should always at the Time of Cock-crowing drive them away, rather than when they remember it at another, no Reason seems to be given.
AS to the second Conjecture, namely, That it was the Time of our Saviour's Rising from the Dead, I answer in the same Manner, That tho' it be allowed, that the Evil Spirits might have returned to the Land of Darkness, upon our Saviour's Rising from the Dead; yet why it should Occasion them always to do so at that Time, no Reason can be given.
AS to the third Conjecture, it is easy to observe, That this was a good Angel, whereas they that shun the Light, are bad ones: This was the Angel of the Covenant, the Creator of Light, and the Lord of the Day: We may therefore as well imagine, that it was not in his Power, to get out of the Arms of
Jacob,
without saying,
Let me go;
as to suppose he was obliged to go, because he said
the Day breaketh.
The meaning of which Words,
According to
Willet,
is not that the Angel was gone to the blessed Company of the Angels, to sing their Morning Hymn to GOD, as the
Hebrews
imagine: For the Angels, not only in the Morning, but at other Times, are exercised in praising GOD. But the Angel thus speaketh according to the Custom of Men, having now taken the Form and Shape of a Man, as tho' he had hast to other Business, and leaving
Jacob
also to his Affairs.
THE last Conjecture of the Rise of this Tradition, seems to carry greater probability than the Others: For as these Things are a Representation of the Circumstances of the Morning of the Resurrection, so they must sure enough bring that last Day into Remembrance; and they never can do so, but as surely they must create Terrour and Confusion in all the Devils and Ghosts of the Night: Whilst they assure them they shall never any more enjoy the Realms of Bliss, but be hurried into that
Matth. xxv. 41.
everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.
But that these Things are the Occasion of their Flying away at the Approach of Day, is not to be supposed. On the contrary, the Devil and his Angels ramble o'er the World in Day-light, and are mid-day Devils, as well as mid-night ones: For the Devil is incessant in his Temptations, and therefore he is abroad in the Day as well as the Night, tho' perhaps has seldom appear'd but in Darkness. Thus St.
Austin,
in one of his Meditations,
Et ideo Deus meus ad te clamamus, libera nos ab adversario nostro quotidiano, qui sive dormiamus, sive vigilemus,—die ac nocte fraudibus & artibus, nunc palam nunc occulte sagittas venenatas contra nos dirigens, ut interficiat animas nostras.
Aug. Sol. Cap.
16.
We implore thee, O GOD! that thou wouldest deliver us from our daily Enemy, who by his Wiles and Cunning is always watching us, Day and Night, Sleeping and Waking; and both openly and in secret, shooting at us his poisoned Arrows, that he may destroy our Souls.
AND now, what, tho' this be true, as it most certainly seems to be so, that at the chearful Hour of Cock-crowing, the wandering Ghosts are not driven away, but still continue going too and fro? What, tho' then their Power be still the same, and their Intentions as fully bent to do Evil? Consider but that GOD'S Care and Providence govern the World, and there will be found as much Safety for us, in the midst of Evil Spirits, as if they absented at that Time. The Almighty Power of GOD, is the same then, as at other Times; nothing but that, preserved us continually, and that, will always be able to preserve us. However great may be the Malice of Devils; however desirous of working our Ruin; tho' they watch all Opportunities, and are unwearied in tempting us;
yet the loving Kindness of the LORD endureth for Ever, and his Mercy is over all his Works: He will not suffer our Foot to be moved; he that keepeth us will not sleep: We shall not be afraid of the Sun by Day, nor the Moon by Night: For the Pestilence that walketh in Darkness, nor for the Sickness that destroyeth in the Noon-day.
ARE we then afraid of Darkness and the presence of Night? Let us remember the Creator of them, and have but Faith in him, and we shall find
our Night turned into Day. In his Light shall we see Light:
We shall be as secure as if there was no Darkness about us, as well knowing, that that GOD which protects us, sees through the thickest
Mediums,
and the darkest Night:
For with him the Darkness is no Darkness, but the Night is as clear as the Day; the Darkness and Light to him are both alike.
Or are we afraid of that old Serpent the Devil, that nightly Rambler of the World, who is a Lover of Night and Darkness? Let us trust in GOD, and no harm shall happen to us. If we will but
fear no Evil, his Rod and his Staff shall Comfort us, tho' we walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death: For GOD hath reserved the Devil and his Angels in everlasting Chains, under Darkness, unto the Judgment of the great Day.
Tho' therefore he is permitted to wander the World, yet he is so chain'd up, that without GOD'S particular Order or Permission, he is not allowed to touch the Sons of Men; and he is so reserved and kept in Darkness, that it is not in his Power even barely to appear and be visible to them, without the Permission of GOD: So little Reason hath every good Man to fear the Spight and Malice of all the Devils in Hell.
WHEN then the Night pours out her Terrours, covers all Things with Darkness, and strikes thee with Horrour;
Lift but up thy Eyes to the Hills, from whence cometh thy Help,
and thou shalt clearly see, that our
Lord GOD is a Light and Defence to thee.
—Quia filiis lucis & in noctibus dies est. Quando enim sine lumine est, cui lumen in corde est? Aut quando sol ei & dies non est, cui sol & dies Christus est?
Cyprian. de Orat. Dom.
For to those who are the
Children of the Light,
the Day shineth in the Night: They are never without Light, whose Hearts are illuminated; never without Sun-shine, whose Sun is CHRIST. In short then, if thou fear Darkness, look up to CHRIST, and thou hast eternal Day; if the Angels of Darkness, look but up with the Eye of Faith, and thou shalt
see the Mountains full of Chariots and Horses of Fire:
Thou shalt see, as did the Servant of the Prophet
Elisha, That they who be with us, are more than they who are against us.
No Matter then whether the Spirits of the Night go away, or only tremble at the Time of Cock-crowing: For sure we are,
that the Angel of the LORD tarrieth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them;
nay,
That GOD himself will arise and scatter his Enemies, and make them that hate him to flie before him.
And if GOD
be for us, who can be against us?
CHAP. VII.
Of Church-Yards; why the Vulgar are generally afraid of passing through them at Night: The Original of this Fear: That there is nothing in them now, more than in other Places to be afraid of.
T HE most of ignorant People are afraid of going through a
Church-Yard
at Night-time. If they are obliged upon some hasty and urgent Affair, they fear and tremble, till they are beyond its Bounds, but they generally avoid it, and go further about. It would, no Question, be better if there were fewer
Path-ways
through Church-Yards than there are, both as it would prevent several
Abuses
committed in them, and also cause the Ashes of the Dead to be in greater quiet, and more undisturbed Peace: We should not then see Church-Yards changed into common Dunghils, nor should we tread so frequently upon the Bones of our Friends: But when for the Conveniency of Neighbourhood, or other Reasons, there are allowed publick Ways, it is a very great Weakness to be afraid of passing through them.
THE Reason of this Fear is, a Notion they have imbib'd, that in
Church-Yards
there is a frequent walking of Spirits at the
Dead-time
of Night. Indeed there is at that Time something awful and horrible every where, and it must be confess'd something more solemn in a
Church-Yard,
than in the Generality of other Places; but that it is then more frequented with
Apparitions and Ghosts
than other Places are, is at this Time of Day intirely groundless, and without any Reason.
THE Original of this Timorousness may be deduc'd from the Heathens: For they believed that the
departed Ghosts
came out of their
Tombs
and
Sepulchres,
and wander'd about the Place where the Body lay buried. Thus
Maerin saepe animas imis excite sepulchris, —
Vidi—Bucol.
8.
Virg.
Virgil
tells us, That
Maeris
could call the Ghosts out of their Sepulchres: And
Nunc animae tennes.—Sepulchris.—Errant.—
Ovid. Fast.
Ovid,
that Ghosts came out of the Sepulchres, and wandered about: And
Clemens Alexandrinus,
in his
Admonitions to the Gentiles,
upbraids them with the Gods they worshipped; which,
Poos oun,
&c. Admonit. ad Gent. P.
37.
says he, are wont to appear at Tombs and Sepulchres, and which are nothing but fading Spectres and airy Forms. And the learned Mr.
Mede
observes, from a Passage of this same ancient Father,
Mede, Lib.
3.
P.
633.
de Cultu Daemon.
That the Heathens supposed the Presence and Power of
Daemons
(for so the
Greeks
called the Souls of Men departed) at their Coffins and Sepulchres; as tho' there always remain'd some natural Tye between the Deceased and their Relicts.
Agreeable to this, Dr.
Scot,
Scot, Christ. Life, P.
71.
Part
1.
in his Discourse of the Christian Life, speaks of
gross
and
sensual
Souls, who appeared often, after their Separation, in
Church-Yards
or
Charnel-Houses,
where their Bodies were laid.
The
Plat. Phaed. P.
348.
—
Soul that is infected with a great Lust to the Body, continues so, for a great while after Death, and suffering many Reluctances, hovers about this visible Place, and is hardly drawn from thence by Force; by the
Daemon
that hath the Guard and Care of it.
By the
visible Place,
he means
P.
386.
ibid.
their
Monuments and Sepulchres, where the shadowy Fantasms,
of such Souls,
have sometimes appeared.
IT having therefore been a current Opinion of the Heathens, that
Places of Burial and Church-Yards
were frequently haunted with
Spectres
and
Apparitions,
it is easy to imagine, that the Opinion has been handed from them, among the ignorant and unlearned, throughout all the Ages of Christianity to the present Day. And indeed, tho' now there may be no such Things, yet that there have been, need not be disputed; not that they were the real Souls of Men departed: For I cannot see for what Reason it should be supposed,
(
Scot. Christ. ibid.—
however unacquainted such Souls might be with the Pleasures of Spirits) that they are permitted to wander, to hover about, and linger after their Bodies.
It seems rather to be true, what is mentioned of such Apparitions in St.
Athanasius
's Questions to
Antiochius,
that
Athan. Tom.
2.
P.
340.
these Apparitions of the Saints which appear at Tombs and Temples, are not the Souls of the Saints themselves, but the good Angels appearing in their Likeness. And I imagine it must be so too, with the Souls of bad Men, they appear not themselves, but they are represented by the Evil Angels. For the Soul upon the Departure,
returns to GOD that gave it,
who alots it its Station in the World of Spirits, where it is kept till the Day of Judgment in Happiness or Misery, when it shall receive its Compleation of the one, or the other. However, whatever these Apparitions were, they are a certain Proof, that such Appearances have been in such Places; and indeed, to add no more, it is the whole Voice of Antiquity.
BUT now with us, GOD be thanked, the Scene is changed, we live not in the Darkness of Errour, but in the Light of Truth; we worship not
Daemons,
but the GOD of the whole Earth; and our Temples are not the Temples of Idols, but the Temples of the Holy GOD. If among the Heathens such Delusions were permitted, it was because
GOD had forsaken them:
But when he vouchsafes to have his Residence in his Holy Temple, we are the further from Harm, the nearer we approach it;
Psal. lxxxiv.
There the Sparrow hath found her an House, and the Swallow a Nest, where she may lay her Young;
and there shall no Harm happen to good Men, but they shall be rather protected, because they are so near their
Father's House,
the House of Prayer.
CHAP. VIII.
Of visiting Wells and Fountains: The Original of this Custom: The naming of them of great Antiquity: The Worship paid them by the Papists, was gross Idolatry.
I N the dark Ages of
Popery,
it was a Custom, if any
Well
had an awful Situation, and was seated in some lonely melancholly Vale; if its Water was clear and limpid, and beautifully
—Viridi si margine clauderet undas.— Herba.—
Juven. Sat.
3.
margin'd with the tender Grass; or if it was look'd upon, as having a Medicinal Quality; to gift it to some
Saint,
and honour it with his Name. Hence it is, that we have at this Day Wells and Fountains called, some St.
John
's, St.
Mary Magdalen
's, St.
Mary
's
Well,
&c.
TO these kind of Wells, the common People are accustomed to go, on a Summer's Evening, to refresh themselves with a
Walk
after the Toil of the Day, to drink the Water of the Fountain, and enjoy the pleasing Prospect of Shade and Stream.
NOW this Custom (tho' at this Time of Day, very commendable, and harmless, and innocent) seems to be the Remains of that superstitious Practice of the Papists, of paying Adoration to Wells and Fountains: For they imagin'd there was some Holiness and Sanctity in them, and so worshipped them. In the
Canons
of St.
Anselm,
made in the Year 1102, we find this Superstitious Practice in some Measure forbid.
Johnson
Consti. St.
Anselm.
Can. 26.
Let no one attribute Reverence or Sanctity to a dead Body, or a Fountain, or other Things, (as sometimes is to our Knowledge) without the Bishop's Authority,
And in the 16th of the
Canons
made in the Reign of King
Edgar,
in the Year 963, it is order'd,
Johnson
Consti. 960.—
That every Priest industriously advance Christianity, and extinguish Heathenism, and forbid the Worshipping of Fountains, &c. Mr.
Johnson
says upon this
Canon,
that the Worshipping of Wells and Fountains, was a Superstition, which prevailed in this Nation, till the Age before the Reformation: Nay, I cannot say, it is extinguish'd yet among the Papists. In the Ages of dark Popery it was thought sufficient to forbid the Honouring of Wells and Fountains, without the Bishop's Approbation.
THE giving of Names to Wells, is of great Antiquity: We find it a Custom in the Days of the old Patriarchs.
Abraham
observed this Custom; and therefore the Well, which he recover'd from the Servants of
Abimeleck,
He
Gen. xxi. 31.
called
Beer-sheba,
or the Well of the Oath,
because there they sware both of them.
Thus also
Isaac,
when his Herdsmen had found a Well, and the Herdsmen of
Gerar
had a Contest with them about the Right of it,
Gen. 26.
called the Name of the Well
Eseck, that is,
Strife: because they strove with him. And he digged another Well, and strove for that also, and he called the Name of it
Sitnah, that is,
Hatred. And he removed from thence, and digged another Well, and for that they strove not; and he called the Name of it,
Rehoboth, that is,
Room. And he said for now the LORD hath made Room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the Land.
And we read it was at
Jacob
's
Well
where JESUS talked with the Woman of
Samaria.
To give Names therefore to Wells, is of an ancient Standing; but to pay Homage and Worship to them, was never heard of among the People of GOD, till they sunk into gross Idolatry, and became Worshippers of Stocks and Stones:
When the Creature became worshipped instead of the Creator,
then was this Custom first introduced, in the Ages of Popish Ignorance and Idolatry.
THERE need be no Question, but as this Custom is practically Heathenish, so it is also originally: For the Heathens were wont to worship Streams and Fountains, and to suppose that the Nymphs, whom they imagin'd the Goddesses of the Waters, presided over them. As the Papists have borrowed many of their silly and superstitious Ceremonies from the Religion of the Heathens, so this in particular, a sottish, stupid, and abominable Custom, they could borrow no where else.
For we had no such Custom,
neither at any Time
the Churches of GOD.
CHAP. IX.
Of Omens: Their Original: The Observation of them sinfull.
O MENS and Prognostications of Things are still in the Mouths of all, tho' only observed by the Vulgar. In Country Places, especially they are in great Repute, and are the Directors of several Actions of Life; being looked on by them as Presages of Things future, or the Determiners of present Good or Evil: If
Lepus quoque occurrens in via, infortunatum iter praesagit & ominosum.
Alex. ab Alex. Lib.
5.
C.
13.
P.
685.
a Hare cross their Way it is an Omen of ill Luck: If
Saepe sinistra cava praedixit ab ilice cornix.
Virg. Bucol.
1.
a Crow cry, it portends something Evil: If
Maxime vero abominatus est bubo tristis & dira avis, voce funesta & gemitu, qui formidolosa, dirasque necessitates, & magnas moles instar
portendit.
Alex. ab Alex. Lib.
5.
C.
13.
P.
680.
an Owl, which they reckon a most abominable and unlucky Bird, sends forth its hoarse and dismal Voice, it is an Omen of the Approach of some terrible Thing; that some dire Calamity, and some great Misfortune is near at Hand. If Salt fall towards them, to be sure something has happened to one in the Family, or is shortly to happen to themselves: Such also is the Chattering of a Mag-pye, the Cry of Ravens, the Dead-watch, Crickets,
&c.
THIS is a Copy of the Omens of the Heathens,
Deinde anguribus & reliqui reges usi: Et exactis regibus, nihil publice fine auspiciis nec domi nec militiae gerabatur.
Cic. de Divin. Lib.
1.
who never went upon any Enterprize, nor undertook any Business of Moment, without consulting the Augurs and Wise-Men, and being guided by Omens and Presages of Things. Hence it was that they consulted the Intrails of Beasts, the Flights of Birds, and several other Things: And that the very Things above-mentioned, as the Authorities there declare, have been observed by them; yea, they have observ'd them, even in the remotest Ages, beyond the Days of the oldest Records. The Heathen World therefore was full of them, and without all doubt they have been handed down to us, from these Times.
AND as it is not to be question'd, but we had them from the Heathens, so in all probability the Heathens have taken them from the People of GOD, and built many of their Folies and ominous Superstitions on a Custom which they alone were indulged in. For in the earliest Ages of the World, when a Matter of any great Consequence was depending, and the Servants of GOD would know what the Event would be, they asked a
Sign
of GOD, by desiring that such a Thing might happen, if they were to succeed, and GOD was sometimes so condescending as to grant them their desire. Thus we read, That
Sam. i. 14. iii. 20.
Jonathan
accompany'd only by his Armour-Bearer, not fearing the Steepness of the Rocks, nor Multitudes of Enemies, attempted the Garrison of the
Philistines
and conquered, through a Token of this Nature.
If they say,
says he to his Armour-Bearer,
Tarry untill we come up, then we will stand still in our Place, and will not go up unto them; but if they say come up unto us, then we will go up; for the LORD hath delivered them into our Hands, and this shall be a Sign unto us.
And so indeed it came to pass, GOD who had inspired
Jonathan
with this Thought, directing the Tongues of the others according to his Wishes. In like Manner, when the good old Servant of
Abraham
had arrived at the City of
Nahor,
to find a Wife for his Master's Son; we have him desiring of GOD, that the Sign of the Woman he should pitch upon, might be her saying,
Drink, and I will give thy Camels drink also.
Gen. xxiv. 12.
And he said, O Lord GOD of my Master
Abraham,
I pray thee send me good speed this Day, and shew Kindness unto my Master
Abraham:
Behold, I stand here by the Well of Water, and the Daughters of the Men of the City come out to draw Water. And let it come to pass, that the Damsel to whom I shall say, let down thy Pitcher, I pray thee, that I may Drink; And she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy Camels drink also: Let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy Servant
Isaac;
and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed Kindness unto my Master.
This happened according to his Prayer, by which he knew that the LORD had prospered his Journey. Now this Custom we know the
Philistines
imitated, when they would know whether they had been afflicted by the GOD of
Israel
for keeping the Ark.
Sam. i. 6, 9.
They took the Ark of the LORD, and laid it on a Cart, and sent it away. And they said, If it goeth by the Way of his own Coast to
Beth-shemoth,
then he hath done us this great Evil.
IN these early Ages of the World, GOD permitted such Things upon extraordinary Occasions, to be asked by his own People. But they were only peculiar to those Times. We have no Warrant for doing the like: It becomes not us to prescribe Means to GOD, by which we may judge of our future Success, but to depend on his Power and Wisdom, his Care and Providence. The Observation of Omens, such as the falling of Salt, a Hare crossing the Way, of the Dead-Watch, of Crickets,
&c.
are sinful and diabolical: They are the Inventions of the Devil, to draw Men from a due Trust in GOD, and make them his own Vassals. For by such Observations as these, they are the Slaves of Superstition and Sin, and have all the While no true Dependance upon GOD, no Trust in his Providence.
CHAP. X.
Of the Country Conversation in a Winter's Evening: Their Opinions of Spirits and Apparitions; of the Devil's appearing with a cloven Foot; of Fairies and Hobgoblins; of the walking Places of Spirits; and of haunted Houses.
N OTHING is commoner in
County Places,
than for a whole Family in a
Winter's Evening,
to sit round the Fire, and tell Stories of Apparitions and Ghosts. And no Question of it, but this adds to the natural Fearfulness of Men, and makes them many Times imagine they see Things, which really are nothing but their own Fancy. From this, and seldom any other Cause, it is, that
Herds
and
Shepherds
have all of them seen
frequent Apparitions,
and are generally so well stock'd with Stories of their own Knowledge. Some of them have seen
Fairies,
some
Spirits
in the Shapes of
Cows
and
Dogs
and
Horses;
and some have seen even the
Devil
himself, with a
cloven Foot.
All which, is either
Hearsay
or a
strong Imagination.
Not that there have not been, or may not be Apparitions; we know that there have undoubtedly been such Things, and that there still are, upon particular Occasions; but that almost all the Stories of Ghosts and Spirits, are grounded on no other Bottom, than the Fears and Fancies, and weak Brains of Men.
IN their Account of the Apparition of the Devil, they always describe him with a
cloven Foot:
That is always his distinguishing Badge, whatever Shape he appears in; whether it be in Beauty or Deformity, he never appears without it. Such is the old Tradition they have received of his appearing, and such is their Belief of it.
INDEED it must be confess'd, that this is not so improbable and ridiculous as many Things they hold. For tho' perhaps few of them have ought else for this Opinion, but
old Wives Fables,
or the Picture of the Devil, which they have always observed drawn with a cloven Foot, yet there seems to be some Truth in it. For in the Times of frequent Apparitions, the Devil was wont to appear so, if we may believe Antiquity; and there is also some Reason for it, considering the Circumstances of the fallen Angels.
THE
Brown
's
Vulg. Err.
Author of the
Vulgar Errors
upon this same Subject, hath these Words.
The Ground of this Opinion at first, might be his frequent appearing in the Shape of a Goat, which answers this Description. This was the Opinion of the ancient Christians, concerning the Apparitions of
Panites, Fauns
and
Satyrs;
and of this Form we read of one, that appeared to
Anthony
in the Wilderness. The same is also confirmed from Expositions of Holy Scripture. For whereas it is said,
Thou shalt not offer unto Devils:
The original Word is
Seghnirim;
that is,
rough and hairy Goats,
because in that Shape the Devil most often appeared, as is expounded by the
Rabbins,
as
Tremellius
hath also explain'd, and as the Word
Ascimah,
the God of
Emath
is by some conceived. He observes also, That the
Goat
was the Emblem of the
Sin Offering,
and is the Emblem of sinful Men at the Day of Judgment.
AND of this Opinion was also the learned Mr.
Mede, Dis.
40.
Mede.
He says,
That when Spirits converse with Men, it is under some visible Shape, and that there is a Law given them that that Shape they assum'd, should be of something which more or less resembled their Condition. For as in Nature we see every Thing hath a several and suitable
Physiognomy
or
Figure,
as a Badge of their inward Nature, whereby it is known, as by a Habit of Distinction, so it seems to be in the Shapes and Apparitions of Spirits. And as in a well governed Common-Wealth, every Sort and Condition is known by a differing Habit, agreeable to his Quality; so it seems it should be in GOD'S great Common-Wealth, concerning the Shapes which Spirits take upon them. And he that gave the Law, that a Man should not wear the Habit of a Woman, nor a Woman the Habit of a Man, because that as he had made them diverse, so would he have them so known by their Habits; so it seems he will not suffer a good and a bad Spirit, a noble and ignoble one, to appear unto Man after the same Fashion.
NOW from this it will follow, that good Angels can take upon them no other Shape, but the Shape of Man, because their glorious Excellency is resembled only in the most excellent of all visible Creatures. The Shape of an inferior Creature would be unsuitable, no other Shape becoming those who are called
the Sons of GOD,
but his only, who
was created after GOD's own Image.
And yet, not his neither as he now is, but according as he was before his Fall in his glorious Beauty of his Integrity. Age and Deformity are the Fruits of Sin; and the Angel in the Gospel appears like a young Man,
His
Matth. xxviii.
Countenance like Lightning, and his Raiment white as Snow,
as it were resembling the Beauty of glorified Bodies, in Immutability, Sublimity and Purity.
HENCE also it follows on the contrary, that the Devil could not appear in humane Shape whilst Man was in his Integrity; because he was a Spirit fallen from his first glorious Perfection, and therefore must appear in such Shape, which might argue his Imperfection and Abasement, which was the Shape of a Beast: Otherwise no Reason can be given, why he should not rather have appeared to
Eve
in the Shape of a Woman, than of a Serpent; for so he might have gain'd an Opinion with her, both of more Excellency and Knowledge. But since the Fall of Man, the Case is alter'd; now we know he can take upon him the Shape of Man; and no Wonder, since one falling Star may resemble another. And therefore he appears it seems in the Shape of Man's Imperfection, either for Age or Deformity, as like an old Man (for so the Witches say:) And perhaps it is not altogether false, which is vulgarly affirmed, that the Devil appearing in humane Shape, hath always a Deformity of some uncouth Member or other; as tho' he could not yet take upon him humane Shape intirely, for that Man himself is not intirely and utterly fallen as he is.
THUS far hath this great and learned Man given his Opinion of this Matter, and that with such Strength of Reason and Argument, as leaves at least a Probability behind it, of the Truth of this Opinion.
ANOTHER Part of this Conversation generally turns upon
Fairies.
These, they tell you, have frequently been heard and seen, nay that there are some still living who were stollen away by them, and confined seven Years. According to the Description they give of them, who pretend to have seen them, they are in the Shape of Men, exceeding little: They are always clad in Green, and frequent the Woods and Fields; when they make Cakes (which is a Work they have been often heard at) they are very noisy; and when they have done, they are full of Mirth and Pastime. But generally they dance in
Moon-Light,
when Mortals are asleep, and not capable of seeing them, as may be observed on the following Morn; their dancing Places being very distinguishable. For as they dance Hand in Hand, and so make a
Circle
in their Dance, so next Day there will be seen
Rings
and
Circles
on the Grass.
NOW in all this there is really nothing, but an old fabulous Story, which has been handed down even to our Days from the Times of
Heathenism,
of a certain Sort of Beings called
Lamiae,
which were esteem'd so mischievous and cruel, as to take away young Children and slay them. These, together with the
Fauns,
the
Gods of the Woods,
seem to have form'd the Notion of Fairies.
THIS Opinion, in the benighted Ages of Popery, when
Hobgoblins
and
Sprights
were in every
City
and
Town
and
Village,
by every
Water
and in every
Wood,
was very common. But when that Cloud was dispell'd, and the Day sprung up, those Spirits which wander'd in the Night of Ignorance and Error, did really vanish at the Dawn of Truth and the Light of Knowledge.
ANOTHER Tradition they hold, and which is often talk'd of, is, that there are particular Places alotted to Spirits to walk in. Thence it was that formerly, such frequent Reports were abroad of this and that particular Place being haunted by a Spirit, and that the common People say now and then, such a Place is dangerous to be pass'd through at Night, because a Spirit walks there. Nay, they'll further tell you, that some Spirits have lamented the Hardness of their Condition, in being obliged to walk in cold and uncomfortable Places, and have therefore desir'd the Person who was so hardy as to speak to them, to gift them with a warmer Walk, by some well grown
Hedge,
or in some
shady Vale,
where they might be shelter'd from the Rain and Wind.
THE Stories, that Apparitions, have been seen oftner than once in the same Place, have no Doubt been the Rise and Spring of the walking Places of Spirits; but why they are said sometimes to cry out for Places that are more comfortable, is not so certainly known. It is however highly probable, that when the Ignorance and Superstition of the
Romish
Church, had filled the World with
Apparitions
and
Ghosts,
that this also was invented among them. For they seem to have the most
Right
to an Invention of this Nature, whose Brains were so fruitful of Folly, as to invent that
Fuller
's Ch. Hist. Cen. 10.
Dunstan
took the Devil by the Nose, with a Pair of hot
Tongs
till he roar'd again. For if the Devil may be burnt, he may also be starv'd; if he took such Pains to get his Nose out of the
Pincers,
without Doubt in a frosty Night, he would wish to be as warm as possible. He that believes the one, must necessarily believe the other. And therefore it very near amounts to a Demonstration, who were the Authors of this Opinion,
viz.
The
Monks.
We are sure they invented the one, and need little question but they invented the other.
THERE is a Story in the Book of
Tobit,
(which they may believe that will) of the
evil Spirits
flying into the utmost Parts of
Egypt.
Tob. vi.
For as
Tobias
went in unto his Wife, he remembred the Words of
Raphael,
and took the Ashes of the Perfumes, and put the Heart and Liver of the Fish thereupon, and made a Smoke therewith. The which Smell, when the evil Spirit had smelled, he fled into the utmost Parts of
Egypt,
and the Angel bound him.
Now from this it is evident, that the Spirit was obliged to forsake his good old Quarters and warm Lodgings, for inhospitable Desarts and open Air: And from this, perhaps, some of those
doting Monks,
have persuaded themselves into a Belief of these Things.
WHEN it is proved to us, that this Book of
Tobit
is the Word of GOD, we may entertain more Veneration for this Vulgar Opinion; but till then, we must be iudulg'd in wondering, how a Spirit, that is an
immaterial Substance,
can be affected with our Heat or Cold, or any Power or Quality of
material Beings.
THE last Topick of this Conversation I shall take Notice of, shall be the Tales of
haunted
Houses. And indeed it is not to be wonder'd at, that this is never omitted. For formerly almost every Place had a House of this Kind. If a House was seated on some melancholly Place, or built in some old Romantick Manner; or if any particular Accident had happen'd in it, such as Murder, sudden Death, or the like, to be sure that House had a Mark set on it, and was afterwards esteemed the Habitation of a Ghost. In talking upon this Point, they generally show the Occasion of the House's being
haunted,
the merry Pranks of the Spirit, and how it was laid. Stories of this Kind are infinite, and there are few
Villages,
which have not either had such an House in it, or near it.
AND indeed there are Men of good Learning and Knowledge, who are as far as others from Superstition, who are inclinable to believe, that such Things have been upon particular Emergencies; tho', among the Stories that are told, they believe not one in a thousand. They know that Spirits have frequently appeared to Men out of Houses, and they can see no Reason why they may not have appeared in them: They know nothing in an House more than in another Place, to prevent an Apparition, but an equal Help to its Visibility. The Air, which a Ghost is supposed to be wrapped in, when it becomes visible to Men, is there to be found, and they know of nothing else that may be an Argument against it. An Author of good Credit tells us,
Cum
Romae
aegra valetudine oppressus forem, jaceremque in lectulo, speciem mulieris eleganti forma mihi plane vigilanti observatam fuisse, quam cum inspicerem, diu cogitabundus, &c.—Cum meos sensus vigere, & figuram illam nusquam a me dilabi, &c.
Alex. ab Alex. Lib.
2.
C.
9.
That when he was at
Rome,
he was taken with Illness, and obliged to keep his Bed: As he lay in this Condition, he observed, as he was once awake, a
Woman
of a very beautiful Person coming towards him. Upon this he was silent for some Time, and very thoughtful, weighing all the while with himself, whether it was not rather a
deceptio visus
than a real Being. But when he perceived his Senses sound and intire, and that the Object still continued; he asked, What she was? In Answer to which, she repeated the very Words he had spoke to her, in a sneering and disdainful Manner. After she had taken a good View of him, she departed.
THE Commentator upon this Place, says,
Sed haec semper mera somnia esse putavi.
ibid.
He looks upon this Story, and the rest which are mention'd along with it, to be nothing but Dreams and Fancies. And for ought that I know to the contrary, they may be so; but however it must be confess'd, this Story in particular is well attested, being told by the Man himself, who was a great and a learned Man, and who, if we may believe himself, seems to be as sure that he had his Eyes open, as the Commentator can be of the contrary.
BUT whatever Truth there may be in it, it is certain that in the Church of
Rome
they are perswaded of the Truth of it, to a Fault. For they are so sure of it, that they have particular Forms of
exorcising
such Houses; which because they have often been heard of, but seldom seen; and are those very Things, which raised, in the Vulgar formerly, such an Opinion of their ignorant Priests, as to make them be esteemed Men of the greatest Faith and Learning; and because also the Opinion has reached even our Days, and 'tis common for the present Vulgar to say, none can lay a Spirit but a
Popish Priest;
it shall be the Business of the next Chapter, to give one of those Forms of
exorcising
an House; not that they are envied for their Art of
conjuring,
but that it may be seen, how well they deserve the Character they go under.
CHAP. XI.
POSTEXER CITATIO SEPTIMA,
F. VALERII POLIDORI PATAVINI.
Quae ordo dicitur Domum a Daemone perturbatam liberandi.
The FORM of exorcising an haunted HOUSE.
T HE
Domus quae dicitur a daemonibus vexari, singulis unius hebdomadae,
&c.
House which is reported to be vexed with Spirits, shall be visited by the Priest once every Day, for a whole Week together: And Day after Day he shall proceed as follows.
The office for
Munday.
ON
Munday,
when the Priest comes to the Gate of the House, let him stand near it, whilst it continues shut, and say,
V.
O GOD
Psal. lxx.—
make speed to save me.
R.
O LORD make haste to help me.
V.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
R.
As it was in the Beginning is now, and ever shall be, World without End.
Amen.
Psalm xxiv.
THE
Psal. xxiv.
Earth is the LORD'S and all that therein is, the Compass of the World and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the Seas. Who shall ascend into the Hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand up in his holy Place? Even he that hath clean Hands and a pure Heart, who hath not lift up his Mind to Vanity, nor sworn to deceive his Neighbour. He shall receive the Blessing from the LORD, and Righteousness from the GOD of his Salvation. This is the Generation of them that seek him, even of them that seek thy Face, O
Jacob.
Lift up your Heads O ye Gates, and be lift up ye everlasting Doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? It is the LORD strong and mighty, even the LORD mighty in Battle. Lift up your Heads O ye Gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting Doors, and the King of Glory shall come in. Who is the King of Glory? Even the LORD of Hosts he is the King of Glory.
Glory be to the Father,
&c.
V.
I will enter into thy House.
R.
And in thy Fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple.
The PRAYER.
The Collect for Trinity Sunday.
O Almighty and Everlasting GOD, who hast given unto us thy Servants Grace, by the Confession of a true Faith, to acknowledge the Glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the Power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; we beseech thee, that thou wouldst keep us stedfast in this Faith, and evermore defend us from all Adversities through CHRIST our LORD. And humbly we beseech thee, that as thou wast willing thy Gates should be opened, and thy House cleansed, by the Labours of thy holy Priests and
Levites,
following the Advice of King
Hezekiah;
so we humbly beseech thee, that by our Ministry, thou wouldst be pleased to deliver this House from the Perturbations of Devils. By the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, GOD for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Office on
Tuesday.
ON
Tuesday,
the same Things are observed, and in the same Way and Manner as on
Munday;
the Versicle of the Prayer, and the Prayer it self excepted. When the Priest comes to the End of the last Versicle,
viz. As it was in the Beginning,
&c. Of the Psalm,
The Earth is the LORD'S,
&c. Then the Gate shall be open'd, and he shall stand on the Threshold, and say,
The LESSON.
I. Sam.
Chap.
v.
AND the
Philistines
took the Ark of GOD, and brought it from
Eben-ezer
unto
Ashdod.
When the
Philistines
took the Ark of GOD, they brought it into the House of
Dagon,
and set it by
Dagon.
And when they of
Ashdod
arose early on the Morrow; behold,
Dagon
was fallen upon his Face to the Earth, before the Ark of the LORD; and they took
Dagon,
and set him in his Place again. And when they arose early on the Morrow Mornning, behold,
Dagon
was fallen upon his Face to the Ground, before the Ark of the LORD: And the Head of
Dagon,
and both the Palms of his Hands were cut off upon the Threshold, only the Stump of
Dagon
was left to him. Therefore neither the Priests of
Dagon,
nor any that come into
Dagon
's House, tread on the Threshold of
Dagon
in
Ashdod
unto this Day.
V.
Let GOD be my Helper, and the House of my Refuge.
R.
That I may be in Safety.
The PRAYER.
The Collect for St.
Michael
's Day.
O GOD, who hast ordained and constituted the Services of Angels and Men in a wonderful Order; mercifully grant, that as thy Angels always do thee Service in Heaven, so they may succour and defend us on Earth, through CHRIST our LORD. And be thou also mercifully present, that as
Solomon
began to build a House, for the Use of thy Majesty, on Mount
Moria,
the Place which was shewn to his Father
David,
so by the Operation of thy holy Angels, this House may be freed from the evil Spirit, and be a quiet Habitation for Men. By the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST,
&c.
The Office on
Wednesday.
ON
Wednesday,
all Things which are ordered for
Munday
and
Tuesday
being observed in the same Manner, except the Versicles of the Prayer and the Prayer for
Tuesday:
He shall stand in the Entry of the House, and say,
The LESSON.
From the History of
Bel
and the
Dragon, Verse
10.
AND the King went with
Daniel
into the Temple of
Bel,
so
Bel
's Priests said, Lo, we go out. But thou, O King, set on the Meat, and make ready the Wine, and shut the Door fast, and seal it with thine own Signet. And to Morrow when thou comest in, if thou findest not that
Bel
hath eaten up all, we will suffer Death, or else
Daniel
that speaketh against us. And they little regarded it: For under the Table they had made a privy Entrance, whereby they entred in continually, and consumed those Things. So when they were gone forth, the King set Meats before
Bel.
Now
Daniel
had commanded his Servants to bring Ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the Temple, in the Presence of the King alone: Then went they out and shut the Door, and sealed it with the King's Signet, and so departed. Now in the Night came the Priests, with their Wives and Children, as they were wont to do, and did eat and drink up all. In the Morning betime the King arose, and
Daniel
with him. And the King said,
Daniel,
are the Seals whole? And
Daniel
said, Yea, O King, they be whole. And assoon as he had open'd the Door, the King looked upon the Table, and cried with a loud Voice, Great art thou, O
Bel,
and with thee there is no Deceit at all. Then
Daniel
laughed, and told the King that he should not go in, and said, Behold now the Pavement, and mark well whose Footsteps are these. And the King said, I see the Footsteps of Men, Women and Children. And then the King was angry, and took the Priests with their Wives and Children, who shewed him the privy Doors where they came in and consumed such Things as were upon the Table. Therefore the King slew them, and delivered
Bel
into
Daniel
's Power, who destroyed him and his Temple.
V.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy House.
R.
They will be always praising thee.
The PRAYER.
O GOD, by whose right Hand the holy
Peter
was lifted up that he perished not in the Waters, and his Fellow Apostle
Paul
was thrice delivered from Shipwrack and the Depth of the Sea, mercifully hear us, and grant that by both their Merits, we may obtain thy eternal Glory; who livest and reignest with GOD the Father, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, GOD for ever and ever. And we beseech thee mercifully to look upon this House, which we know to be infested with the Devil, that as in
Jerusalem,
when the Temple was finished, and
Solomon
had ended his Prayer, thy Glory filled thy House before the Children of
Israel;
so grant that this House may be cleansed before us, by our Ministry, and that thou wouldst appear in it and in us, in Glory. By thee the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who with the same Father and Holy Spirit, livest and reignest for ever.
Amen.
The Office on
Thursday.
ON
Thursday,
when those Things are retain'd which are to be retain'd, as may be seen on
Munday, Tuesday
and
Wednesday,
and also the Versicles and the Prayer of
Wednesday
omitted, he shall visit the middle Part of the House, and say.
The LESSON.
Job
Chap.
xl.
THE LORD said unto
Job;
Behold, how
Behemoth
which I made with thee, he eateth Grass as an Ox. Lo, now his Strength is in his Loyns, and his Force is in the Navel of his Belly. He moveth his Tail like a Cedar; the Sinews of his Stones are wrapt together. His Bones are as strong as Pieces of Brass, his Bones are like Bars of Iron. He is the Chief of the Ways of GOD. He that made him can make his Sword to approach with him. Surely the Mountains bring him forth Food, where all the Beasts of the Field play. He lieth under the shady Trees, in the Covert of the Reed, and Fens. The shady Trees cover him with their Shadow; the Willows of the Brook compass him about. Behold he drinketh up a River, and hasteth not; he trusteth that he can draw up
Jordan
into his Mouth. He taketh it with his Eyes: His Nose pierceth through Snares.
Job xli.
Canst thou draw out
Leviathan
with a Hook? Or his Tongue with a Cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put a Hook in his Nose? Or bore his Jaw through with a Thorn? Will he make any Supplications unto thee? Will he speak soft Words unto thee? Will he make a Covenant with thee? Wilt thou take him for a Servant for ever? Wilt thou play with him as with a Bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy Maidens? Shall the Companion make a Banquet for him? Or shall they part among the Merchants? Canst thou fill his Skin with barbed Irons? Or his Head with Fish Spears? Lay thine Hand upon him, remember the Battle no more. Behold, the Hope of him is in vain; shall not one be cast down even at the Sight of him?
V.
LORD I have loved the Glory of thy House.
R.
And the Place where thine Honour dwelleth.
The PRAYER.
Collect for
Whitsunday.
O GOD, who didst teach the Hearts of thy faithful People, by the sending to them the Light of thy Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right Judgment in all Things, and evermore to rejoyce in his holy Comfort, through CHRIST our LORD. And grant unto us thy Servants, that as thy House whilst thou sittest in thy lofty Throne, is replenished with the Odour of thy Glory, so by thy Assistance, this House may be filled with thy Grace, to repel all the Works of the Devil: By the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the Unity of the same Holy Spirit: GOD throughout all Ages.
Amen.
The Office on
Friday.
ON
Friday,
having observ'd all those Things, which are used on
Munday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
and omitted others as is there shewn; together with the Versicles of the Prayer, and the Prayer as on other Days; let him go up and down the whole House, and say,
The LESSON. S.
Luke iv. 38.
AND he arose out of the Synagogue, and entred into
Simon
's House, and
Simon
's Wise's Mother was taken with a great Fever: And they besought him for her: And he stood over her, and rebuked the Fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and ministred unto them. Now when the Sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers Diseases, brought them unto him. And he laid his Hands on every one of them, and healed them. And Devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art CHRIST the Son of GOD. And he rebuking them, suffered them not to speak: For they knew that he was CHRIST.
V.
I would rather be a Door Keeper in the House of my GOD.
R.
Then to dwell in the Tents of Ungodliness.
The PRAYER.
O GOD, who by the precious Blood of thy dear Son, hast been pleased to sanctifie the Ensign of the enlivening Cross, grant we beseech thee, that thou wouldst be pleased to protect him, who is pleased with honouring thy Holy Cross: By the same CHRIST our LORD. And we beseech thee to grant, that thou wouldst be present in this House in the same merciful Manner, to overturn the Frauds of the Devil, as thou wast mercifully present with King
Solomon
in the House which he built thee: By the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in Unity of the Holy Ghost, GOD for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Office on
Saturday.
ON the
Sabbath,
all Things being done which are order'd on
Munday, Tuesday; Wednesday, Thursday
and
Friday,
and other Things omitted, as is shewn by Notes in those Places, together with the Versicles of the Prayer and the Prayer it self, let him search through the whole House, and say,
The LESSON. S.
Mark iii. 11.
AND unclean Spirits when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of GOD. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. And he goeth up into a Mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: And they came unto him. And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach; and to have Power to heal Sicknesses, and to cast out Devils.
V.
The Sparrow hath found her an House.
R.
And the Turtle a Nest where she may lay her Young.
The PRAYER.
GRANT, O LORD GOD, unto us thy Servants, that we may enjoy perpetual Peace of Mind and Soundness of Body, and by the Intercession of the glorious and blessed
Mary,
always a Virgin, be delivered from our present Sorrow, and obtain thy everlasting Joy, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. And be thou so present with us thy humble Servants, that as when the Priests came out of the Tabernacle, the Cloud of thy Glory filled thy whole House; so let thy Grace illuminate this House to us that go into it, that it may be delivered from the Workings of the Devil, and be a Dwelling for Men, replenish'd with all Benediction, through the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who livest and reignest with thee in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, GOD, World without End.
Amen.
The Office on
Sunday.
ON
Sunday,
after the Priest has placed himself in one of the largest and most sumptuous Parts of the House, he shall direct this Exorcism to the Demons that haunt it, saying,
I Exorcise you, O ye Demons, who have thus boldly presum'd to invade this Habitation of Men, and give such Disquietude to its Inhabitants, by the Tri-une GOD,
whose is the Earth, and the Fulness thereof, the round World, and they that dwell therein;
by our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who continuing what he was, made himself Man, conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of a Virgin, and who for our Sakes, when he had undergone many Sufferings, underwent also the Torment of the cruel Cross, upon which he bowed his Head, and gave up the Ghost, that he might obtain for us, abundant Grace in the present Life, and in the World to come Life everlasting. By all the Grace acquir'd for us; by the Grace of Faith conferr'd in Baptism, of Fortitude in Confirmation, of Charity in the Eucharist, of Justice in Pennance, of Hope in extream Unction, of Temperance in Matrimony, and of Prudence in holy Orders, and by all holy Men and Women, the Saints of GOD, who now inherit eternal Glory, and by all their Merits; that you remove this your presumptuous Power from this House, and continue here no longer, nor any more vex its Inhabitants.
Then let him exorcise the whole House by saying,
I Exorcise this House, which was built for the Use of humane Kind, by the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the omnipotent GOD, who built the House of the whole World for Man, and put all Things in it in Subjection under his Feet; and by CHRIST our LORD, who is the Fountain of all Grace, and the Origin of all Virtue; by his unparallel'd Poverty, of which he truely said,
The Foxes have Holes, and the Birds of the Air have Nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head.
By his Meekness, he himself saying of it,
Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in Heart:
By his Weeping, when he beheld
the City
Jerusalem
and wept over it,
saying,
If thou hadst known:
By the Hunger and Thirst of his Righteousness, saying,
My Meat is to do the Will of my Father which is in Heaven:
By his Mercy which excited him to say,
I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice:
By his Purity of Heart, of which he could say,
Be ye holy, for I am holy:
By the Peace which he always loved, as at the last he shewed, when he said,
Peace I leave with you, my Peace I give unto you:
And by that Persecution which he suffer'd for Righteousness Sake, which he himself attests, saying,
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you:
And by the Holy Apostles, and by the Effusion of their Blood, and by all holy Men and holy Women; that thou mayst be blessed, and obtain from GOD above, such Virtue by our Ministry, that thou mayst become to the evil Spirits a new Hell, and a burning Furnace of eternal Horror, so that they may flee from every Corner, and leave thee intirely free, that thou mayst become a comfortable Habitation for Men, and that GOD may ever be glorified.
After that, let him bless the House in the following Manner,
V.
O LORD hear my Prayer.
R.
And let my Cry come unto thee.
V.
He hath bless'd the House of
Israel.
R.
He hath bless'd the House of
Aaron.
Mac. B. 2. C. 14.
THOU, O LORD of all Things, who hast Need of nothing, wast pleased that the Temple of thine Habitation should be among us; and therefore now, O Holy LORD of all Holiness, keep this House ever undefiled, which lately was cleansed. And grant unto us the Abundance of thy Goodness, that this House may be blessed † and sanctified of thee † by our Ministry, that the evil Angels may abdicate it, and it may be a Protection for the Faithful, a pure Habitation for the Holy Angels, and a Possession always worthy of thy Care, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, GOD, who shall come to judge the Quick and the Dead, and the World by Fire.
Amen.
Then let the Image of our SAVIOUR upon the Cross, be erected in an open Part of the principal Room in the House; and let the Priest sprinkle the whole House with holy Water, from Top even to the Bottom, saying,
The LESSON. St.
Luke,
Chap.
xix.
AND JESUS entred and passed through
Jericho.
And behold there was a Man named
Zaccheus,
which was the Chief among the Publicanes, and he was rich, and he sought to see JESUS who he was, and he could not for the Press, because he was little of Stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a Sycomore Tree to see him, for he was to pass that Way. And when JESUS came to the Place, he looked up and saw him, and said unto him,
Zaccheus
make haste and come down, for to Day I must abide at thy House. And he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be a Guest with a Man that is a Sinner. And
Zaccheus
stood and said unto the LORD, Behold, LORD, the Half of my Goods I give to the Poor: And if I have taken any Thing of any Man, by false Accusation, I restore him fourfold. And JESUS said unto him, This Day is Salvation come to this House, forasmuch as he also is the Son of
Abraham.
For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
When all these Things are done, let
Abyssum,
which is a Kind of an Herb, be procur'd, and after it is sign'd with the Sign of the Cross, let it be hung up at the four Corners of the House.
I suppose the Reason of proceeding after this Manner Day by Day, is that the Devil may be gradually banished: And to be sure, what is observed on the last of the Days,
viz.
The ordering of the
Crucifix,
the
holy Water,
the
Abyssum
tyed to the four Corners of the House, is to keep the Devil out when he is out.
ST.
Austin
tells us a Story of one
Vir —
Hesperitius
— Ubi—Domum suam spirituum malignorum vim noxiam perpeti comperisset, rogavit nostros, me absente, Presbyteros, ut aliquis eorum illo pergeret, cujus orationibus cederent; perrexit unus, obtulit ibi sacrificium corporis Christi, orans quantum potuit, ut cessaret illa vexatio. Deo protinus miserante cessarit.
Aug. de Civit. Dei, Lib.
22.
Cap.
8.
Hesperitius,
whose House was troubled with evil Spirits, who came once, in his Absence, to his Presbyters, and begg'd their Assistance. Upon which one of them went along with him; and when he had offer'd the Sacrifice of the Body of CHRIST, and prayed in a most fervent Manner, the House, by the Mercy of GOD, was no longer troubled.
HERE is indeed an Account of a House being haunted, but not a Word of any such Order in the dispossessing it. The Priest goes immediately over the Threshold into the troubled Apartment, and expells the Spirits by his Prayers. Had such Forms been customary in the Days of St.
Austin,
had the
Crucifix, holy Water
and
Abyssum,
been used, no Question but here, or somewhere else, we should have had some Account of it: But these Ages were unacquainted with such whimsical Forms of exorcising; and if the Story be true, it was nothing but Prayer that quieted the House. 'Tis ridiculous to suppose that the
Prince of Darkness,
will yield to such feeble Instruments as
Water
and
Herbs
and
Crucifixes. These Weapons are not spiritual but carnal:
Whereas, in resisting this potent Enemy,
we must put on the whole Armour of GOD, that we may be able to resist him:
Which is such a Composition, as is intirely free from the least Allay or Mixture of any such Superstitions.
CHAP. XII.
Of
Saturday
Afternoon; how observed of old, by the ancient Christians, the Church of
Scotland,
and the old Church of
England:
What End we should observe it for: An Exhortation to the Observation of it.
I T is usual, in Country Places and Villages, where the Politeness of the Age hath made no great Conquest, to observe some particular Times with some Ceremonies, which were customary in the Days of our Fore-fathers: Such are the great Festivals of Christmas, Easter, and several others, which they observe with Rites and Customs appropriated to them.
AMONG these we find a great Deference paid to
Saturday Afternoon,
above the other worky Days of the Week: Then the Labours of the Plough ceast, and Refreshment and Ease are over all the Village.
THIS seems to be the Remains of a laudable Custom once in this Land (but now almost buried in that general Contempt of Religion and love of the World, which prevail so much every where) of attending the Evening Prayers on Saturday, and laying aside the Concerns of this Life, to be fitter for the Duties of the Day following. For
Baily,
Prac. Piety,
P.
453.
it was an holy Custom among our Fore-fathers, when at the Ringing to Prayer the
Eve
before the
Sabbath,
the
Husbandman
would give over his Labour in the Field, and the
Tradesman
his Work in the Shop, and go to Evening Prayer in the Church, to prepare their Souls, that their Minds might more chearfully attend
GOD's Worship
on the
Sabbath-Day.
AND indeed it was the Custom both of the
Jewish
and the Christian Church. They neither of them entred upon the
Sabbath,
without some Preparation for it.
Moses
Exod. xvi.—
taught the
Jews
to remember the
Sabbath
over Night; from whence in all Probability it comes to pass, that the Eve of the
Jewish Sabbath
is called the
Preparation.
The Preparation mentioned by the Evangelists, begun at Three a Clock on
Friday
Afternoon; it was proclaimed with the Noise of Trumpets and Horns, that they might be better put in Mind of the
Sabbath
's drawing on, and of that Preparation which was requisite for it.
AMONG the primitive Christians the LORD'S Day was always usher'd in, with a
Pernoctation
or
Vigil.
They assembled in the House of GOD, and sung Psalms and Praises to him a great Part of the Night, that they might be better prepared to serve him on his own Day following.
Mark xiv.
IN the Year of our LORD 1203,
William,
King of
Scotland,
called a Council of the chief Men of his Kingdom, at which also was present the Pope's Legate; and it was then determin'd, that
Saturday
after the twelfth Hour should be kept holy; that no one should follow their Business nor Callings, but desist as on other Holy Days: That they should be put in Mind of it by the Tolling of the Bell, and then mind the Business of Religion as on Holy Days, be present at the Sermon, and hear Vespers; that this should be the Practice till
Munday
Morning, and whoever acted otherwise should be severely punished.
AND this, as is said before, was also the Custom of our own Country, long before this order'd in
Scotland.
For in the Year 958, when
In
Scotia
anno salutis 1203,
Gulielmus
Rex primorum Regni sui concilium cogit, cui etiam interfuit Pontificius Legatus, in quo decretum est, ut Saturni Dies abhora 12 Meridiei sacer esset, neque quisquam res profanas exerceret, quemadmodum aliis quoque festis diebus vetitum id erat. Idque campanae pulsu populo indicaretur, ac postea sacris rebus, ut diebus festis operam darint, concionibus interessent, vesperas audirent, idque in diem lunae facerent, constituta transgressoribus gravi paena.
Boet. Lib.
13.
de Scot. ex Hospin. P.
176.
King
Edgar
made his Ecclesiastical Laws, we find one made to this very Purpose: In which it is order'd, That
Dies sabbati ab ipsa diei saturni hora pomeridiana tertia, usque in luminarii diei diluculum festus agitator, &c.
Seld. Analect. Angl. Lib.
2.
Cap.
6.
the
Sabbath
or
Sunday
shall be observed from
Saturday
at
Mr.
Johnson
upon this Law, says, That the
Noon-Tide
signifies Three in the Afternoon, according to our present Account: And this Practice, I conceive, continued down to the Reformation. In King
Winfred
's Time, the LORD's Day did not begin till Sun-set on the
Saturday.
See
654.
Numb.
10.
Three in the Afternoon was
hora nona
in the Latin Account, and therefore called
Noon.
How it came afterwards to signifie
Mid-day,
I can but guess. The Monks by their Rules, could not eat their Dinner, till they had said their
Noon Song,
which was a Service regularly to be said at Three a Clock; but they probably anticipated their Devotions and their Dinner, by saying their
Noon Song
immediately after their
Mid-day Song,
and presently falling on. I wish they had never been guilty of a worse Fraud than this. But it may fairly be supposed, that when
Mid-day
became the Time of Dining and saying
Noon Song,
it was for this Reason called Noon by the Monks, who were the Masters of the Language during the dark Ages. In the Shepherds Almanack, Noon is Mid-day, High-noon three a Clock.
Johnson, Const. Part 1. Ann. 958.
Noon, till the Light appear on
Munday
Morning.
NOW hence hath come the present Custom, of spending a Part of
Saturday
Afternoon without servile Labour. And that our Fore-fathers, when the Bell was heard, attended the Evening Prayer, not fearing the Loss of Time, nor the Necessities of Poverty; happy would it be for us, would we so banish the Care of the Body for the Care of the Soul! Would we leave to converse about secular Business, and mind then the Business of Religion; would we remember that it is
Luke xxiii. 54.—
the
Preparation, and that the
Sabbath
draws on.
WHEN
Jacob
was going to worship GOD at
Bethel,
he order'd his Family
to
Gen. xxxv. 2.
put away the strange Gods that were among them, and be clean, and change their Garments, and arise and go to
Bethel. He knew that the GOD of Purity and Holiness was to be approached with the utmost Purity they could possibly cloth themselves with. And would we, before we enter into the Presence of GOD on his own Day, endeavour to purifie our selves from the Filth of the World we have contracted in the Days before; would we disperse these busy Swarms of Things, which so attract our Minds, and prepare our selves for the following Day; we should appear before GOD, less earthly and more heavenly, less sinful and more holy;
Our
Psalm cxliv. 2.—
Prayers would be set forth in his Sight as the Incense, and the lifting up of our Hands be an Evening Sacrifice:
And like the Smell of
Jacob
's Garment in the Nostrils of his Father, the Smell of our Prayers
would
Gen. xxvii. 27.
be like the Smell of a Field which the LORD hath blessed.
AND now what is this Preparation, but the
Trimming of our Lamps
against we meet the LORD on the next Day? Our Bodies should be refreshed by ceasing early from their Labour, that they may be active and vigorous; and our Souls washed with Sobriety and Temperance, and the private or publick Prayer of the Evening. Thus should we meet the LORD at
Bethel,
and obtain those Mercies we sought of him there.
ART thou then blessed with an Affluence of Things, and hath Providence placed Thee above the careful Stations of Life? What Reason then can be sufficient for thy Neglect of this Custom? For neither canst thou plead the want of Time, neither dost thou dread the straits of Poverty.
OR art thou involv'd in the Cares of Business?
Dost thou earn thy Bread by the Sweat of thy Face, and the Labours of thy Hands? O well is Thee! And happy mayst thou be.
Wouldst thou dedicate this small Time to the Service of GOD, it would be like the Widow's Mite, which was more than all that was thrown into the Treasury: But perhaps, thou wilt say thou art under the Yoke, subject to Servitude, and obliged to work even to the latter End of the Day. It may be so, but yet, as GOD is every where present, so wouldst thou Remember that it is the Preparation, and put up an Ejaculation at thy Work, GOD would accept it, and it would prove to thee, an equal Good with the other Preparation.
Cassian
Haec officia—per totum dici spatium jugiter cum operis adjectione, spontanea celebrantur.
Cassian, Instit. Lib.
3.
Cap.
2.
tells us, That the ancient Monks, whilst they were working in the private Cells, repeated their Religious Offices: And St.
Jerom,
when he is commending the pleasing Retirement of the Village of
Bethlehem,
In Christi villa tuta rusticitas est. Extra psalmos, silentium est. Quocunque te verteris, arator stiuam retinens alleluia decantatur, sudans messor psalmis se advocat, &c.
Hierom, Ep.
18.
ad Marcel.
says, That in the Village of CHRIST, there is a secure Rusticity: No Noise is heard there, but the Singing of Psalms. Wheresoever you go, you have either the Plough-Man singing Hallelujahs as he's holding the Plough, or the sweating Mower pleasing himself with Hymns; or the Vine-dresser singing
David
's Psalms. These without doubt were acceptable to GOD, and thine undoubtedly will be acceptable also.
BUT if thou art not ty'd down by Necessity, do not say that the common Necessaries of Life require then thy Labour: For this is not losing, but
Redeeming the Time;
what thou spendest in the Care of thy Soul, is not lost in the Care of thy Body. Never was Man poorer, for observing the Duties of Religion. If thou lose any Thing of the Wages of the Day, to do the Service of GOD, he will take care to supply it, thou shalt be no loser.
WHY then art thou fearful, O! Thou of little Faith! Why dost thou take so much Thought for thy Life? Behold the Fowls of the Air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into Barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them: Art thou not much better than they? And why takest thou thought for Rayment? Consider the Lilies of the Field, they toil not, neither do they Spin; and yet I say unto thee, that
Solomon,
in all his Glory, was not arrayed like one of these. And shall he not much more Cloath thee, O Thou of little Faith! Therefore take no Thought for what thou shalt Eat, or what thou shalt Drink, or where withal thou shalt be Cloathed; but seek thou first the Kingdom of GOD and his Righteousness;
prefer the Care of these, to the Care of all other Things,
and all these Things shall be added unto Thee.
LET not then the busy Cares of this Life, be any hinderance to thy Care of the other; set apart this small Time, for the Time of Preparation, and look on it, as an Emblem of the whole Time of Life: Which is our Day of Preparation, for the eternal Sabbath, the everlasting Rest, the undesturbed Quiet of the other Life.
CHAP. XIII.
Of the Yule-Clog and Christmas-Candle; what they may signifie; their Antiquity; the like Customs in other Places.
I N the
Primitive Church,
Christmas-Day was always observ'd as the
Lord's-Day
was, and was in like Manner preceeded by an
Eve or Vigil.
Hence it is that our Church hath ordered an
Eve
before it, which is observed by the Religious, as a Day of Preparation for that great Festival.
OUR Fore-Fathers, when the common Devotions of the
Eve
were over, and Night was come on, were wont to light up
Candles
of an uncommon Size, which were called
Christmas-Candles,
and to lay a
Log
of Wood upon the Fire, which they termed a
Yule-Clog,
or
Christmas-Block.
These were to Illuminate the House, and turn the Night into Day; which Custom, in some Measure, is still kept up in the Northren Parts.
IT hath, in all probability, been derived from the
Saxons.
For
Bede
tells us, That this very Night was observed in this Land before, by the
Heathen Saxons.
They
Incipiebant autem annum ab octavo calendarum
Januarii
die, ubi nunc natale domini celebramus; & ipsam noctem nunc nobis sacro-sanctam tunc gentili vocabulo maedrenack, i. e. matrum noctem appellabant: Ob causam, ut suspicamur, ceremoniarum, quas in ea pervigiles agebant.
Beda de Rat. Temp. Cap.
13.
began, says he, their Year on the Eight of the Calends of
January,
which is now our
Christmas-Day:
And the very Night before, which is now Holy to us, was by them called
Maedrenack,
or the
Night of Mothers;
because, as we imagine, of those Ceremonies which were perform'd that Night. The
Yule-Clog
therefore hath probably been a Part of that Night's Ceremonies. The very Name seems to speak it, and tells its Original to every Age.
IT seems to have been used, as an Emblem of the return of the
Sun,
and the lengthening of the Days. For as
December
guili, eodem quo
Januarius
nomine vocatur.—Guili a conversione solis in auctum diei, nomen accipit.
Beda, ibid.
both
December
and
January
were called
Guili or
Gehol
or
Geol
Angl-Sax. Jol vel Jul, Dan. Sax. And to this Day in the North
Yule, Youle,
signifies the solemn Festival of
Christmas,
and were Words used to denote a Time of Festivity very anciently, and before the Introduction of Christianity among the Northern Nations. Learned Men have disputed much about this Word, some deriving it from
Julius Caesar,
others from the Word
Gehtheol,
a
Wheel,
as
Bede,
who would therefore have it so called, because of the Return of the Sun's annual Course, after the Winter Solstice. But he, writing
de Rat. Temp.
speaks rather as an Astronomer than an Antiquary. The best Antiquaries derive it from the Word,
Ol, Ale,
which was much used in their Festivities and merry Meetings. And the
I in Iol, iul cimbr. as the Ge and Gi in Gehol, Geol, Giul, Sax,
are premised only as Intensives to add a little to the Signification, and make it more emphatical.
Ol
or
Ale,
as has been observed, did not only signifie the Liquor they made Use of, but gave Denomination likewise to their greatest Festivals, as that of Gehol or Yule at
Midwinter;
and as is yet plainly to be discern'd in that Custom of the
Whitsun-Ale,
at the other great Festival.
Elstob. Sax. Hom. Birth. Day-Greg. Append. P.
29.
Bishop
Stilingfleet
has also taken Notice of this, and says,
That some think the Name of this Feast was taken from
Iola,
which in the
Gothick
Language signifies to
make merry.
But he seems not inclinable to this Opinion, and therefore tells us, that
Olaus Rudbeck
thinks the former (
viz.
Its being called so from the Joy that was conceived at the Return of the Sun) more proper, not only from
Bede
's Authority, but because in the old
Runick Fasti,
a Wheel was used to denote that Festival.
Stilling. Orig. Britan.
Yule,
upon Account of the Sun's Returning, and the Increase of the Days; so, I am apt to believe, the Log has had the Name of the
Yule-Log,
from its being burnt as an Emblem of the returning Sun, and the Increase of its Light and Heat.
THIS was probably the Reason of the Custom among the
Heathen Saxons;
but I cannot think the Observation of it was continued for the same Reason, after Christianity was embraced. For Bishop
Stillingfleet
observes in his
Origines Britanicae,
That tho' the ancient
Saxons
observed Twelve Days at that Time, and sacrificed to the Sun, in hopes of his Returning; yet when Christianity prevail'd, all these Idolatrous Sacrifices were laid aside, and that Time of Feasting was joined with the religious Solemnity of that Season, which in other Parts of the World were observed by Christians.
And in like Manner as these Days of Feasting were joined with the religious Solemnities of that Season, so the keeping up of this Custom, seems to have been done with another View, than it was originally. If a Conjecture may be allowed, it might have been done on Account of our Saviour's Birth, which happened that Night. For as the Burning of it before Christianity, was an Emblem of the Coming of the Sun, which they worshipped as their God; so the continuing it after, might have been for a Symbol of that Light, which was that Night born into the World:
The Light that shineth in Darkness; the Light that lightned the
Gentiles,
that turn'd them from Darkness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto GOD.
AND indeed it will be some strengthening of the Conjecture, that Light has been the Emblem of several Things, both in Scripture, and in the ancient Church: For the Scripture makes use of it, and the Church in Imitation of the Scripture, as a lively Representation of several Things. Thus Light is the Emblem of
GOD: For GOD is Light,
says the Apostle St.
John.
John
the Baptist was a Burning and a Shining Light.
And therefore in some Places it
Feruntur quoque brandae seu faces ardentes, & fiunt ignos, qui significant sanctum
Joannem,
qui fuit lumen & lucerna ardens, & praecedens & praecursor verae lucis, quae illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum.
Durand. Rational. Lib.
7.
Cap.
14.
Nu.
12.
is customary to carry Torches on St.
John the Baptist
's Eve, to represent St.
John Baptist
himself, who was
a Burning and a Shining Light, and a Preparer of the Way for the True Light, that lighteneth every Man that cometh into the World.
The Apostles were
the Light of the World;
and as our Saviour was frequently called
Light,
so was this his Coming into the World signified, and pointed out by the Emblems of Light:
It was then (says our Country-man
Gregory
) the longest Night in all the Year; and it was the midst of that, and yet there was Day where he was: For a glorious and betokening Light shined round about this
Holy Child.
So says Tradition, and so the Masters describe the Night Piece of the Nativity.
If this be called in Question, as being only Tradition, it is out of Dispute, that the Light which illuminated the Fields of
Bethlehem,
and shone round about the
Shepherds
as they were watching their Flocks, was an Emblem of that Light, which was then come into Word. What
Quid est quod apparenti angelo divinae quoque claritatis splendor eos circumdedit, quod nunquam in tota testamenti veteris serie & reperimus, cum tam innumeris vicibus angeli prophetis & justis apparuerunt, nusquam eos fulgore divinae lucis homines circumdedisse legimus; nisi quod hoc privilegium recte huius temporis dignitati servatum est? &c.
Bed. Hyem. de Sanct. in Gal. Cant.
can be the meaning, says
venerable Bede,
that this Apparition of Angels was surrounded with that heavenly Light, which is a Thing we never meet with in all the old Testament? For tho' Angels have appeared to Prophets and holy Men, yet we never read of their Appearing in such Glory and Splendor before. It must surely be, because this Privilege was reserved for the Dignity of this Time. For when the true Light of the World, was born in the World, it was very proper that the Proclaimer of his Nativity, should appear in the Eyes of Men, in such an heavenly Light, as was before unseen in the World. And that
supernatural Star,
which was the Guide of the
Eastern Magi,
was a Figure of that
Star,
which was risen out of
Jacob; of that Light which should lighten the
Gentiles.
GOD, says Bishop
Taylor,
sent a miraculous Star, to invite and lead them to a new and more glorious Light, the Light of Grace and Glory.
IN Imitation of this, as
Gregory
tells us, the Church went on with the Ceremony: And hence it was, that for the three or four First
Centuries,
the whole
Eastern Church,
called the Day, which they observed for our Saviour's Nativity, the
Epiphany
or Manifestation of the Light. And
Cassian
tells us,
Intra
Egypti
Regionem mos iste traditione antiqua servatur, ut peracto epiphaniorum die, &c.
Cassian, Coll.
10.
C.
20.
That it was a Custom in
Egypt,
handed down by Tradition, as soon as the
Epiphany,
or
Day of Light
was over,
&c.
Hence also came that ancient Custom of the same Church, taken Notice of by St.
Jerome,
of
Absque martyrum reliquiis per totas orientis ecclesias, quum legendum est evangelium, accenduntur luminaria jam sole rutilante, non utique ad fugandas tenebras, sed ad signum laetitiae demonstrandum, &c.
Jerom, Cont. Vigil. Cap.
2.
lighting up Candles at the Reading of the Gospel, even at Noon-Day; and that, not to drive away the Darkness, but to speak their Joy for the good Tydings of the Gospel, and be an Emblem of that Light, which the Psalmist says,
was a Lamp unto his Feet, and a Light unto his Paths.
LIGHT therefore having been an Emblem of so many Things, and particularly of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, both in the sacred History, and in the Practice of the Church; it is no way improbable, that after their Conversion, the
Saxons
used it as an Emblem of him, who that Night came into the World, and was the Light thereof. In the City of
Constantinople,
on the
Eve of Easter,
there was a Custom practised, much like this of ours on
Christmas-Eve.
For then the whole City was illuminated with Tapers and Torches, which continued all the Night, turning the Night into Day, till almost the Day appeared. The Reason of this Custom, was to represent that Light which the next Day arose upon the World. The Difference between these two Customs, is that of the Time, the Reason of their Observation is much the same. The one illuminated the
Eve of Easter,
that there might be an Emblem of the Sun of Righteousness, who the next Day arose upon the World; the other, the Eve of
Yule,
to give an Emblem of that Light which
Eus. Vit. Constan. Cap.
22.
Lib.
5.
was the
Day spring from on High.
Nay, this Eve of
Yule,
as
Gregory
tells us,
was illuminated with so many Tapors among the Ancients, as to give to the
Vigil
the Name of
Vigilia Luminum;
and the Ancients, says he, did well to send Lights one to another, whatever some think of the
Christmas-Candle.
CHAP. XIV.
Of adorning the Windows at
Christmas
with
Laurel:
What the
Laurel
is an Emblem of: An Objection against this Custom taken off.
A NOTHER Custom observed at this Season, is the adorning of Windows with
Bay
and
Laurel.
It is but seldom observed in North, but in the Southern-Parts, it is very Common, particularly at our
Universities;
where it is Customary to adorn, not only the Common Windows of the
Town,
and of the
Colleges,
but also to bedeck the
Chapels
of the
Colleges,
with
Branches of Laurel.
THE
Laurel
was used among the ancient
Romans,
as an Emblem of several Things, and in particular, of
Laurus & pacifera habetur, quam praetendi inter armatos hostes, quietis sit indicium. Romanis praecipue laetitiae victoriarumque nuntia.
Polyd. Virg. de Rer. Invent. Lib.
3.
Cap.
4.
P.
164.
Peace,
and Joy, and Victory. And I imagine, it has been used at this Season by Christians, as an Emblem of the same Things; as an Emblem of Joy for the Victory gain'd over the Powers of Darkness, and of that
Peace on Earth, that Good-will towards Men,
which the Angels sung over the Fields of
Bethlehem.
IT
The general Defence of the three Articles of the Church of
England.
D.
107.
has been made use of by the
Non-Conformists,
as an Argument against Ceremonies, that the second Council of
Bracara,
Non liceat iniquas observantias agere Kalendarum, & ociis vacare Gentilibus, neque lauro, neque viriditate arborum cingere domos. Omnis enim haec observatio Paganismi est.
Bracc. Can.
73.
Instell.
Can.
73. forbad Christians
to deck their Houses, with Bay Leaves and Green Boughes.
But the Council does not mean, that it was wrong in Christians, to make use of these Things, but only
at the same Time with the Pagans, when they observed and solemnized their Paganish Pastime and Worship.
And of this Prohibition, they give this Reason in the same
Canon; Omnis haec observatio paganismi est.
All this kind of Custom doth hold of Paganism: Because the outward Practice of
Heathenish Rites,
perform'd jointly with the Pagans themselves, could not but imply a Consent in Paganism.
BUT at present, there is no hazard of any such Thing. It may be an Emblem of Joy to us, without confirming any, in the Practice of
Heathenism.
The
Time,
the
Place,
and the
Reasons
of the
Ceremony,
are so widely different; that, tho' formerly, to have observed it, would unquestionably have been a Sin, it is now become harmless, comely, and decent.
CHAP. XV.
Of the Christmas Carol, an ancient Custom: The common Observation of it very unbecoming.
A S soon as the Morning of the
Nativity
appears, it is customary among the common People to sing a
Christmas-Carol,
which is a Song upon the Birth of our Saviour, and generally sung with some
Such are,
The New-Year's Songs,
and that whose Burden is
Hagmena.
The Word
Hagmena
is the same as
Hagiameene,
or the
Holy Month. Angli,
says
Hospinnian, Halegmonath, quasi sacrum mensem vocant.
Hosp. de Orig. Eth. P.
81.
others, from the Nativity to the Twelveth-Day, the Continuance of
Christmas.
It comes, they say, from
Cantare,
to sing, and
Rola,
which is an Interjection of Joy: For in ancient Times, the Burden of the Song, when Men were Merry, was
Rola, Rola.
THIS kind of Songs is of an Ancient standing: They were sung early in the Church it self, in memory of the Nativity, as the many HYMNS for that Season manifestly declare:
Tertullian
says,
Ut quisque de scripturis sanctis vel de proprio ingenio potest, provocatur in medium Deo cantare.
Tertul. Advers. Gent. C.
39.
it was customary among the Christians, at their Feasts, to bring those, who were able to sing, into the Midst, and make them sing a Song unto
GOD;
either out of the Holy Scripture, or of their own Composing and Invention. And as this was done at their Feasts, so no doubt it was observed at the great Feast of the Nativity; which Song, no Question of it, was to them, what the
Christmas-Carol
should be to us. In after Ages we have it also taken Notice of: For
Durand
tells us,
In quibusdam quoque locis.—In natali Praelati cum suis clericis ludant, vel in domibus episcopalibus: Ita ut etiam descendant.—Ad cantus.
Durand. Rat. Lib.
6.
C.
86.
S.
9.
That on the Day of the
Nativity,
it was usual for the Bishops of some Churches to sing among their Clergy, in the Episcopal House, which Song was undoubtedly a
Christmas-Carol.
THE Reason of this Custom seems to be an Imitation of the
Gloria in Excelsis,
or
Glory be to GOD on High,
&c. which was sung by the Angels, as they hovered o'er the Fields of
Bethlehem,
in the Morning of the Nativity. For even that Song, as the learned Bishop
Taylor
observes, was a Christmas-Carol.
As soon,
says he,
as these blessed Choristers had sung their Christmas-Carol, and taught the Church a Hymn, to put into her Offices for Ever, in the Anniversary of this Festivity; the Angels,
&c.
WAS this performed with that Reverence and Decency, which are due to a Song of this Nature, in Honour of the Nativity, and Glory to our LORD, it would be very commendable; but to sing it, as is generally done, in the midst of
Rioting and Chambering, and Wantoness,
is no Honour, but Disgrace; no Glory, but an Affront to that Holy Season, a Scandal to Religion, and a Sin against CHRIST.
CHAP. XVI.
Of New-Year's-Day's Ceremonies: The New-Year's-Gift an harmless Custom: wishing a good New-Year, no Way sinful. Mumming, a Custom which ought to be laid aside.
A S the Vulgar are always very careful to End the
old Year
well, so they are also careful of Beginning well the
new one:
As they End the Former with a hearty Compotation, so they begin the Latter with the Sending of Presents, which are termed New-Year's-Gifts, to their Friends and Acquaintances: The Original of both which Customs, is
Et sic quidem annum veterem terminamus, novumque auspicamur, inauspicatis prorsus dirisque auspiciis.
Hosp. de Orig. Fest. Christ, P.
41.
superstitious and sinful; and was observed that the succeeding Year, might be prosperous and successful.
BISHOP
Orig. Brit. P.
343.
Stilling fleet
tells us, That among the
Saxons
of the
Northren Nations,
the Feast of the New-Year was observed with more than ordinary Jollity: Thence as
Ollaus Wormius
and
Scheffer
observe, they reckoned their Age by so many
Iola,
in the
Gothick
Language signifies to
make merry,
Stilling.
ibid.
Jola
's; and
Snorro Sturleson
describeth this New-Year's Feast, just as
Buchannan
sets out the
British Saturalia,
by Feasting and sending Presents, or New-Year's Gifts, one to another.
THE Poet
Naogeorgus
says,
Jani—Calendis,
Atque etiam strenae charis mittuntur amicis:
Conjuiibus
que
viri donant, gnatis
que
parentes,
Et domini famulis, &c.
Hosp. de Orig. Fest. Christ. P.
41.
That it was usual at that Time, for Friends to present each other with a New-Year's Gift; for the Husband the Wife; the Parents, their Children; and Master's their Servants; which, as
Hospin.
ibid.
Hospinian
tells us, was an ancient Custom of the Heathens, and afterwards practis'd by the Christians.
AND no doubt, those Christians were highly worthy of Censure, who imagined, as the Heathens did, that the sending of a Present then, was any way
Lucky,
and an
Omen
of the Success of the following Year. For this was the very Thing that made both several Holy Men, and some general Councils, take notice of, and forbid any such Custom: because the Observance of it, out of any such Design and View, was Superstitious and Sinful. We are told, in a Place of St.
Austin,
Citatur locus ex
Augustino,
in quo praecipitur, ne observentur calendae
Januarii,
in quibus cantilenae quaedam, & commessationes, & ad invicem dona donentur, quasi in principio anni, boni fati augurio.
Hosp. de Orig. Fest. Christ. in Fest. Jan.
the Observation of the Calends of
January
is forbid, the Songs which were wont to be sung on that Day, the Feastings, and the Presents which were then sent as a Token and Omen of a good Year. But to send a Present at that Time, out of Esteem, or Gratitude, or Charity, is no where forbid: On the Contrary, it is Praise worthy. For tho' the
In calendas
Januarias
antiqui patres vehementius invehebantur, non propter istas missitationes adinvicem, & mutui amoris pignora, sed propter diem idolis dicatum: Propter ritus quosdam profanos, & sacrilegos in illa solennitate adhibitos.
Mountacut. Orig. Eccles. Pars Prior. P.
128.
ancient Fathers did vehemently invey against the Observation of the Calends of
January;
yet it was not because of those Presents, and Tokens of mutual Affection and Love that passed; but because the Day it self was dedicated to Idols, and because of some prophane Rites and Ceremonies they observed in solemnizing it. If then I send a New-Year's Gift to my Friend, it shall be a Token of my Friendship; if to my Benefactor, a Token of my Gratitude; if to the
Poor,
(which at this Time must never be forgot) it shall be to make their Hearts sing for Joy, and give Praise and Adoration to
the Giver of all good Gifts.
ANOTHER old Custom at this Time, is the wishing of a
good New-Year,
either when a New-Year's Gift is presented, or when Friends meet, or when a New-Year's Song is sung at the Door; the Burden of which is,
we wish you a happy New-Year.
THIS is also a Custom among the Modern
Jews,
who on the first Day of the Month
The Month
Tisri,
was the seventh Month according to the
Jews
sacred Computation; and therefore it is commanded to be celebrated the first Day of the seventh Month,
Lev. xxiii. 24.
But according to their civil Computation, it was their first Month; so that Feast may be termed their New-Year's Day.
Goodw. Antiq. Lib. 3. Cap. 7.
Tisri,
have a splended
Reperiunt mensam dulcissimis cibis instructam: E
cum assederint, quivis partem de cibis illis sumit, & annus, inquit, bonus & dulcis sit nobis omnibus.
Hosp. de Fest. Orig. P.
54.
Entertainment, and wish each other a happy New-Year.
NOW the Original of this Custom is Heathenish, as appears by the Feasting and Presents before mentioned, which were a Wish for a good Year. And it was customary among the Heathens on the Calends of
January,
to go about and sing a
New-Year's Song. Hospinian
therefore tells us, That
Discurrunt namque noctu, tam senes quam juvene
promiscui sexus, cantantes prae foribus divitum, quibus faelicem annum cantando precantur & optant.
Hospin.
Orig. Fest. Jan.
when Night comes on, not only the Young, but also the Old of both Sexes, run about here and there, and sing a Song at the Doors of the wealthier People, in which they wish them a
happy New-Year.
This he speaks indeed of the Christians, but he calls it an exact Copy of the Heathens Custom.
BUT however I cannot see the Harm of retaining this ancient Ceremony, so it be not used superstitiously, nor attended with Obscenity and Lewdness. For then there will be no more in it, than an hearty Wish for each others Welfare and Prosperity; no more Harm, than wishing a good Day, or good Night; than in bidding one
GOD speed;
or than in wishing to our Friend, what
Abraham
's Servant did to himself,
O
Gen. xxiv. 12.
LORD GOD of my Master
Abraham,
I pray thee send me good speed this Day.
THERE is another Custom observed at this Time, which is called among us
Mumming;
which is a changing of Clothes between Men and Women; who when dress'd in each others Habits, go from one Neighbour's House to another, and partake of their
Christmas-Cheer,
and make merry with them in Disguise, by dancing and singing, and such like Merriments.
THIS
Hoc prorsus fit ad imitationem ludorum sigillarium, oscillarium & occillatorum, qui pars erat saturnaliorum, & circa mensem
Januarium
passim in domibus privatim, non publice, exercebantur inter familias.
Hosp. de Orig. &c.
is an Imitation of the Customs of the
Sigillaria,
or Festival Days which were added to the ancient
The Original of the
Saturnalia,
as to the Time, is unknown,
Macrobius
assuring us, That it was celebrated in
Italy
long before the Building of
Rome.
The Story of
Saturn,
in whose Honour it was kept, every Body is acquainted with. As to the Manner of the Solemnity, besides the Sacrifices and other Parts of publick Worship, there were several lesser Observations worth our Notice. As first the Liberty now allowed to Servants to be free and merry with their Masters, so often alluded to in Authors. 'Tis probable this was done in Memory of the Liberty enjoy'd in the
Golden Age,
under
Saturn,
before the Names of Servant and Master were known to the World. Besides this they sent Presents to one another, among Friends. No War was to be proclaim'd, and no Offender executed. The Schools kept a Vacation, and nothing but Mirth and Freedom was to be met with in the City. They kept at first only one Day, the Fourteenth of the Kalends of
January;
but the Number was afterwards increas'd to three, four, five, and some say seven Days.
Kennet. Rom. Antiq, P. 96.
Saturnalia,
and observed by the Heathens in
January;
which was a going in Disguise, not publickly, or to any indifferent Place; but privately, and to some well known Families.
THIS kind of Custom received a deserved Blow from the Church, and was taken Notice of in the Synod
Can. Trull.
62.
Bal.
435.
of
Trullus;
where it was decreed, that the Days called the
Calends,
should be intirely strip'd of their Ceremonies, and the Faithful should no longer observe them: That the publick Dancings of Women should cease, as being the Occasion of much Harm and Ruin, and as being invented and observed in honour of their Gods, and therefore quite averse to the Christian Life. They therefore decreed, that no Man should be Cloathed with a Woman's Garment, no Woman with a Man's.
IT were to be wish'd, this Custom, which is still so Common among us at this Season of the Year, was laid aside; as it is the Occasion of much
Hoc autem, quum noctu fiat, nemini dubium esse debet, quin sub hoc praetextu, multa obscaena & turpia perpetrantur simul.
Hosp. de Orig. Fest.
41.
Uncleanness and Debauchery, and directly opposite to the Word of GOD.
The
Deut. xxii.
Woman shall not wear that which partaineth unto a Man, neither shall a Man put on a Woman's Garment; for all that do so, are Abomination unto the LORD thy GOD.
CHAP. XVII.
Of the Twelfth Day; how observed: The Wickedness of observing the Twelve Days after the common Way.
O N the
Epiphany,
or
Manifestation of CHRIST to the
Gentiles, commonly called the Twelfth-Day, the
Eastern Magi
were guided by the Star, to pay their Homage to their Saviour; and because they came that Day, which is the Twelfth after the Day of the Nativity, it is therefore called the
Twelfth-Day.
The Twelfth-Day it self is one of the greatest of the Twelve, and of more jovial Observation than the Others, for the visiting of Friends and Christmas-Gambols. The Rites of this Day are different in divers Places, tho' the End of them is much the same in all; namely, to do honour to the Memory of the
Eastern Magi,
whom they suppose to have been Kings. In
In
Gallia
unus ex ministris, &c.—Idem in
Germania,
&c.
Hospin. in Epiphan.
France,
one of the Courtiers is chosen King, whom the King himself, and the other Nobles attend at an Entertainment. In
Germany,
they observe the same Thing on this Day in Academies and Cities, where the Students and Citizens create one of themselves
King,
and provide a Magnificent Banquet for him, and give him the Attendance of a
King,
or a
stranger Guest.
Now this is answerable to that Custom of the
Saturnalia,
of
Masters
making
Banquets
for their
Servants,
and waiting on them; and no Doubt this Custom has in Part sprung from that.
NOT many Years ago, this was a common
Christmas-Gambol
in both our
Universities;
and it is still usual in other Places of our Land, to give the Name of
King
or
Queen
to that Person, whose extraordinary Luck hits upon that Part of the divided
Cake,
which is honour'd above the others, with a
Bean
in it.
BUT tho' this be generally the greatest of the Twelve, yet the others preceeding are observed with Mirth and Jollity, generally to Excess. Was this Feasting confined within the Bounds of Decency and Moderation, and gave more way than it does to the Exercises and the Religious Duties of the Season, it would have nothing in it immoral or sinful. The keeping up of Friendship, and Love, and old Acquaintance, has nothing in it harmful; but the Misfortune is, Men upon that Bottom, act rather like Brutes than Men, and like Heathens than Christians; and the Preservation of Friendship and Love, is nothing else but a Pretence for Drunkenness, and Rioting, and Wantonness And such I am afraid hath been the Observation of the Christmas-Holy-days, since the holiest Times of the Christian Church; and the generality of Men have rather look'd upon them, as a
Vide Bishop
Blackall
's Sermon on the Lawfulness and the right Manner of keeping Christmass and other Christian Festivals.
Time of Eating and Drinking, and Playing, than of returning Praises and Thanksgivings to GOD, for the greatest Benefit he ever bestow'd upon the Sons of Men.
Gregory Nazianzen,
in that excellent Oration of his upon Christmas-Day, says, Let us not celebrate the Feast after an Earthly, but an Heavenly Manner; let not our Doors be crown'd; let not Dancing be encourag'd; let not the Cross-paths be adorned, the Eyes fed, nor the Ears delighted,
&c.
Let us not Feast to excess, nor be Drunk with Wine,
&c.
From this we may clearly see, what has been the Custom in these Days. And in all Probability it has been much the same among us, from the Beginning of Christianity: However fabulous that Story may be, taken Notice of by
Origin. Britan. Stilling.
Bishop
Stilling fleet,
from
Hector Boethius,
That King
Arthur
kept with his Nobles at
York,
a very prophane
Christmas
for
Christmas-Day is said to be none of the twelve Days, but one of the twenty. For if it was added, it would make thirteen Days, which are the thirteen Days here mentioned. It is said to be one of the twenty Days, because, as I imagine, it was reckon'd among those twenty Days in which the Church forbad Fasting. For in the Laws of
Canutus,
it is order'd,
Atque ab ipso natali Jesu Christi die ad octavam ab Epiphania lucem, jejunia nemo observato, nisi quidam judicio ac voluntate fecerit sua, aut id ei fuerit a sacerdote imperatum.
Seld. Analect. Lib.
2.
P.
108.
That no Man shall fast from
Christmas-Day,
till after the
Octave
of the
Epiphany,
except he do it out of Choice, or it be commanded him of the Priest.
Thirteen Days together, and that such Jollity and Feasting then, had its Original from him.
But however these Words, if true, may be a Testimony of the too great Antiquity of the Abuse of this Festival; yet they will by no Means justifie
Buchannan
's Comment upon them. For as the learned Bishop goes on,
Buchannan
is so well pleased with this notable Observation, that he sets it down for good History, saying upon it, that the old
Saturnalia
were renew'd, only the Days increased, and
Saturn
's Name chang'd to
Caesar
's: For says he, we call the Feast
Julia.
But why should the Name of
Saturn
be changed into
Caesar
's? Was he worshipped for a GOD among the
British
Christians, as
Saturn
was among the old
Pagans?
But the Name
Julia
imports it; by no Means. For
Buchannon
does not prove, that this Name was ever used for that Festival among the
Britains;
and the
Saxons,
who brought in both the Name and the Feast, give another
Vide Chap. Christ. Candle.
Reason for it.
BUCHANNAN
seems therefore to have a great deal more Malice than Truth on his Side. But however such Revellings, and Frolicks, and Extravagances, whether or not derived from the old
Saturnalia,
as are customary at this Season, do come very near to, if not exceed its Liberties. In particular, what commoner at this Season, than
for Men to rise early in the Morning, that they may follow strong Drink, and continue untill Night, till Wine inflame them? As if CHRIST who came into the World to save us, and was manifested to destroy the Works of the Devil;
was to be honour'd with the very Works he came to destroy.
WITH some,
Christmass
ends with the
Twelve Days,
but with the Generality of the Vulgar, not till
Candlemass.
Till then they continue Feasting, and are ambitious of keeping some of their
Christmass-Chear,
and then are as fond of getting quit of it.
Durand
tells us,
Hanc Quadragessimam cum gaudio celebramus, quia Christi incarnatio fuit gaudium angelorum & hominum.
Durand. Lib.
6.
C.
22.
They celebrated this Time with Joy, because the Incarnation of CHRIST was the Occasion of Joy to Angels and Men. But the lengthening of the Time from Twelve to Forty Days, seems to have been done out of Honour to the
Virgin
Mary
's Lying-in:
Under the old Law, the Time of Purification was Forty Days, which was to Women then, what the
Month
is to Women now. And as during that Time, the Friends and Relations of the Women, pay them Visits, and do them abundance of Honour; so this Time seems to have been calculated, to do Honour to the Virgin's Lying-in.
THERE is a Canon in the Council of
Trullus,
Can.
80.
Trul. Bal.
against those who bak'd a Cake in honour of the Virgin's Lying-in, in which it is decreed, that no such Ceremony should be observed; because it was otherwise with her, at the Birth of our Saviour, than with all other Women. She suffer'd no Pollution, and therefore needed no Purification, but only in Obedience to the Law: If then the Baking of a single Cake was faulty, how much more so many Feasts in her Honour?
CHAP. XVIII.
Of St.
Paul
's Day; The Observation of the Weather, a Custom of the Heathens, and handed down by the Monks: The Apostle St.
Paul
himself is against such Observations; The Opinion of St.
Austin
upon them.
T HE Observation of the Weather which is made on this Day is altogether ridiculous and superstitious. If it happen to be unclouded and without Rain, it is look'd upon as an Omen of the following Year's Success, if otherwise that the Year will be unfortunate. Thus the old Verse,
Clara dies
Pauli,
bona tempora denotat anni,
Si fuerint venti, denarrant praelia genti,
Si nix aut pluviae, pereunt animalia quaeque.
THE Interpretation of which is very well known to be this,
If St.
Paul
's Day be fair and clear,
It doth betide a happy Year;
If blustring Winds do blow aloft
Then Wars will trouble our Realm full oft.
And if it chance to Snow or Rain,
Then will be dear all Sorts of Grain.
SUCH also is the Observation of St.
Swithin
's Day, which if rainy is a Token that it will rain for forty Days successively; such is the Observation of
Si sol splendescat
Maria
purificante,
Major erit glacies post festum quam fuit ante.
Candlemas-Day,
such is
Childermas-Day,
such
Valentine's-Day,
and some others.
HOW St.
Paul's Day
came to have this particular Knack of foretelling the good or evil Fortune of the following Year, is no easy Matter to find out. The Monks who were undoubtedly the first who made this wonderful Observation, have taken Care it should be handed down to Posterity, but why and for what Reason this Observation was to stand good, they have taken Care to conceal. In Church Affairs indeed they make free with handing down
Traditions
from Generation to Generation, which being approved by an infallible Judgment, are to be taken for granted; but as far as I hear, they never pretended to an infallible Spirit, in the Study of the Planets. One may therefore, without the Suspicion of Heresy, or fear of the
Inquisition,
make a little Inquiry into this Affair, and see whether it be true or false, whether it is built upon any Reason or no Reason, whether still to be observed, or only laugh'd at as a Monkish Dream.
NOW as it is the Day of that Saint,
the great Apostle St.
Paul, I cannot see there is any Thing to be built upon. He did indeed
labour more abundantly than all the Apostles;
but never, that I heard, in the Science of Astrology. And why his Day should therefore be a standing
Almanack
to the World, rather than the Day of any other
Saint,
will be pretty hard to find out. I am sure there is a good Number of them, have as much Right to Rain or fair Weather as St.
Paul,
and if St.
Andrew,
St.
Thomas,
&c. have not as much Right to Wind or Snow, let the Reader judge.
AS it is the Twenty fifth Day of
January,
one would think that could be no Reason. For what is that Day more than another? Indeed they do give some Shew of Reason, why Rain should happen about the Time of St.
Swithin,
which is this. About the Time of his Feast, which is on the Fourteenth of
July,
there are two rainy
Constellations,
which are called
Praecepe
and
Asellus,
which arise
cosmically,
and generally produce Rain. And to be sure in the Course of the Sign
Aquarius,
there may be both Rain and Wind and fair Weather, but how these can foretell the Destiny of the Year, is the Question.
AS then there is nothing in the
Saint
or his Day to prognosticate any such Thing, I mean, as it is the Day of St.
Paul,
or the Twenty fifth of
January,
so I must confess I cannot find out what may be the Ground of this particular Observation. But however thus much is very obvious, that this Observation is an exact Copy of that superstitious Custom among the Heathens, of observing one Day as good, and another as bad. For among them, were lucky and unlucky Days; some were
dies atri,
and some
dies albi;
the
atri
were pointed out in their
Calendar,
with a black Character, the
albi
with a white; the former to denote it a Day of bad Success, the latter a Day of good. Thus have the
Monks
in the dark and unlearned Ages of Popery copy'd after the Heathens, and dream'd themselves into the like Superstitions, esteeming one Day more successful than another; and so according to them, it is very unlucky to begin any Work upon
Childermass-Day;
and what Day soever that falls on, whether on a
Munday, Tuesday,
or any other, nothing must be begun on that Day through the Year; St.
Paul
's Day is the Year's
Fortune-Teller,
St.
Mark
's Day is the Prognosticator of your Life and Death,
&c.
and so instead of perswading the People to lay aside the Whims and Fancies of the Heathen World, they brought them so effectually in, that they are still reigning in many Places to this Day.
BUT of all the Days of the Year, they could not have chosen one so little to the Purpose. For the very Saint, whose Day is so observed, has himself cautioned them against any such Observation: For in the Fourth Chapter of his Epistle to the
Galations,
he tells them, how dangerous it was
to observe Days and Months, and Times, and Years;
which is not, as some would perswade us, to Caution us against the Observation of any Day but the
Lord's-Day;
but only that we should not observe the abolished Feasts of the
Jews,
nor the abominable Feasts of the
Gentiles,
nor their superstitious Observation of fortunate and unfortunate Days. St.
Austin,
upon this Place, hath these Words,
Non itaque dies observemus, & annos & menses, & tempora, ne audiamus ab apostolo, timeo vos, ne forte sine causa laboraverim in vobis. Eos enim culpat, qui dicunt, non profisiscar, quia posterus est, aut quia luna sic fertur, vel profisiscar, ut prospera cedant, quia ita se habet positio siderum, &c.
Beda ex Augustin. in loc.
Let us not observe Years, and Months, and Times, least we hear the Apostle telling us, I am afraid of you, least I have shewn on you labour in Vain. For the Persons he blames, are those who say, I will not set forward on my Journey, because it is the next Day after such a Time, or because the Moon is so; or I'll set forward that I may have Luck, because such is just now the Position of the Stars. I will not Traffick this Month, because such a Star presides, or I will, because it does. I shall plant no Vines this Year, because it is Leap-Year,
&c.
THE learned Mr.
Bingham,
has among several others, a Quotation from the same St.
Austin
on these superstitious Observations, with which I shall conclude this Chapter.
To this kind, says he, belong all Ligatures and Remedies, which the School of Physicians reject and condemn; whether in Inchantments, or in certain Marks, which
Bingham,
16
L. C.
5.
Antiq. Eccl. P.
300.
Aust. de Doct. Christ. L.
2.
C.
10.
they call Characters, or in some other Things which are to be hanged and bound about the Body, and kept in a dancing Posture; not for any Temperament of the Body, but for certain Significations, either Ocult, or Manifest: Which by a gentler Name, they call Physical, that they may not seem to affright Men with the Appearance of Superstition, but do good in a natural Way: Such are Ear-rings hanged upon the Tip of each Ear, and Rings made of an Ostriches Bones for the Finger; or when you are told in a Fit of Convulsions, or Shortness of Breath, to hold your left Thumb with your right Hand. To which may be added a thousand vain Observations, as, if any of our Members beat; if when two Friends are talking together, a Stone, or a Dog, or a Child, happens to come between them, they tread the Stone to Pieces, as the Divider of their Friendship, and this is tollerable in Comparison of beating an innocent Child that comes between them. But it is more pleasant, that sometimes the Childrens Quarrel is revenged by the Dogs; for many Times they are so superstitious, as to dare to beat the Dog that comes between them, who turning again upon him that smites him, sends him from seeking a vain Remedy, to seek a real Physician indeed. Hence proceed likewise these other Superstitions: For a Man to tread upon his Threshold when he passes by his own House, to return back to Bed again, if he chance to sneeze as he is putting on his Shoes; to return into his House, if he stumble at his Going out; if the Rats knaw his Clothes, to be more terrified with the Suspicion of some future Evil, than concerned for the present Loss. He says,
Cato
gave a wise and smart Answer to such an one, who came in some Consternation to consult him, about the Rats having knawed his Stockings; that, said he, is no great Wonder, but it would have been a Wonder indeed, if the Stockings had knawed the Rats. St.
Austin
mentions this witty Answer of a wise Heathen, to convince Christians the better of the Unreasonableness and Vanity of all such superstitious Observations. And he concludes, that all such Arts, whether of triffling or more noxious Superstition, are to be rejected and avoided by Christians, as proceeding originally from some pernicious Society between Men and Devils, and being the Compacts and Agreements of such treacherous and deceitful Friendship. The Apostle forbids us to have Fellowship with Devils; and that, he says, respects not only Idols, and Things offered to Idols, but all imaginary Signs pertaining to the Worship of Idols, and also all Remedies, and other Observations, which are not appointed publickly by GOD to promote the Love of GOD and our Neighbour, but proceed from the private Fancies of Men, and tend to delude the Hearts of poor deluded Mortals. For these Things have no natural Virtue in them, but owe all their Efficacy to a presumptuous Confederacy with Devils: And they are full of pestiferous Curiosity, tormenting Anxiety, and deadly Slavery. They were first taken up, not for any real Power to be discerned in them, but gained their Power by Mens observing them. And therefore by the Devil's Art they happen differently to different Men, according to their own Apprehensions and Presumptions. For the great Deceiver knows, how to procure Things agreeable to every Man's Temper, and ensnare him by his own Suspicions and Consent.
CHAP. XIX.
Of
Candlemass-Day;
why so called; the Blasphemy of the Church of
Rome
in consecrating Wax Candles.
T HIS Day goes under several Denominations: It is called the Day of
CHRIST's Presentation;
because on it CHRIST was presented in the Temple; it is called the
Holy-Day
of St.
Simeon;
because it was on it, that he took our SAVIOUR up in his Arms: And it is called the
Purification,
because then the Holy Virgin was purified. It is generally a Day of Festivity, and more than ordinary Observation among Women, and is therefore called the
Wives-Feast-Day.
The Feasting seems to be observed in Honour of the Virgin
Mary;
for as on the Day of a Woman's being
church'd,
there is no common Entertainment, so it seems, that this Feasting was begun in the Times of Popery, by Way of Compliment to the Churching-Day of the Virgin
Mary.
IT has the Name of
Nos Anglica,
the Purification of our Lady.
Vel communi Sermone potius,
Candlemas-Day:
A distributione & gestatione cereorum ardentium: Vel etiam, quod per illum diem cereorum usus in vespertinis precibus & litaniis, per totam hyemem adhibitus, cessare solet, usque ad sanctorum omnium festum anni insequentis.
Montag. Orig. Eccl. Pars. Pri. P.
157.
Candlemass-Day,
because
Lights
were distributed and carried about in Procession, or because also the Use of
lighted Tapers,
which was observed all Winter at
Vespers
and
Litanies,
were then wont to cease, till the next
All-Hallowmass.
THESE
Lights
so carried about, were blessed of the
Priest,
as
Hospinian
tells us, who made Use of the following Prayers at their Consecration.
Rogamus te per invocationem sancti tui nominis, & per intercessionem
Mariae
beatae virginis matris filii tui, &c. ut consecrare velis has candelas ad utilitatem & commodum hominis, &c. & mox, Domine Jesu, benedicas obsecro hanc creaturam ceream, & concede illi caelestem,— malignus spiritus contremescat, & ita territus aufugiat, &c.
Hospin, de Fest. Purific. P.
53.
We implore thee by the Invocation of thy Holy Name, and by the Intercession of the blessed Virgin
Mary,
the Mother of thy Son, whose Feast we this Day celebrate with the highest Devotion; and by the Intercession of all thy Saints, that thou wouldst sanctifie these
Candles
to the Good and Profit of Men, and the Health of his Soul and Body, whether in Earth or Sea. And again, O LORD JESU, I beseech thee, that thou wouldst bless this thy Creature of
Wax,
and grant it thy Heavenly Benediction, by the Power of thy Holy Cross; that as it was a Gift to Man by which the Darkness might be driven away, so now it may be endow'd with such Virtue by the
Sign of the
Holy Cross, that wheresoever it is lighted and placed, the evil Spirit may tremble, and, with his Servants, be in such Terror and Confusion as to fly away from that Habitation, and no more vex and disturb thy Servants.
AFTER this, he adjures the
Wax Candles,
in Words like these.
Adjuro te creaturam ceream in nomine Domini nostri & sanctae Trinitatis, ut sis extirpatio & depulsio diaboli & spectrorum ejus, &c.
Hospin. ibid.
I adjure thee, O thou waxen Creature, in the Name of our LORD and the Holy Trinity, that thou repel and extirpate the Devil and his Sprights,
&c.
And therefore all Christians (says
Eccius. Tom.
3.
Hom. de Purificat.
) ought to use these Lights, with an holy Love, having a sincere Dependance, that thus they shall be freed by the Power of the Word and this Prayer, from all the Snares and Frauds of the Devil.
OUR Author upon this, says, That this is manifest Blasphemy and Idolatry. For as on the one Hand, they take the Name of GOD and the Holy Trinity in vain, so on the other they attribute to a Wax Candle, what should be ascribed to CHRIST alone, and the quickning Power of the Holy Ghost.
CHAP. XX.
Of
Valentine-Day;
its Ceremonies; what the Council of
Trullus
thought of such Customs; that they had better be omitted.
I T is a
Ceremony,
never omitted among the Vulgar, to draw Lots, which they Term
Valentines,
on the Eve before
Valentine
a Presbyter of the Church was beheaded under
Claudius
the Emperor.
Valentine-day.
The Names of a select Number of one Sex, are by an equal Number of the other put into some Vessel; and after that, every one draws a Name, which for the present is called their
Valentine,
and is also look'd upon as a good Omen of their being Man and Wife afterwards.
THERE is a rural Tradition, that on this Day every
Nature the Vicare of the Almightie LORD That hote, colde, hevie, light, moist, and drie hath knit, by even nomber of Accord, In easie Voice, began to speak and say.
foules take hede of my Sentence I pray, And for your own ease, in fordring of your need, as fast as I may speak, I will me speed.
Ye know well, how on St. Valentine's Day By my Statute, and through my governaunce Ye doe chese your makes, and after flie away with hem, as I pricke you with Pleasaunce.
Chaucer.
Bird chuses its Mate. From this perhaps the youthful Part of the World hath first practised this Custom, so common at this Season.
In the
Trullan
Council we have Lots and Divinations forbid, as being some of those Things which
provoked the LORD to anger
against King
2
Lib. Kings, Chap.
21.
Manasses,
who used Lots and
Divinations,
&c. upon which the
Scholiast
hath these Words.
Can.
65.
in Syn. Trull. in Bals. P.
440.
The Custom of drawing Lots was after this Manner; on the 23rd Day of
June,
which is the Eve of St.
John Baptist,
Men and Woman were accustomed to gather together in the Evening by the Sea-side, or in some certain Houses, and there adorn a Girl, who was her Parents first-begotten Child, after the Manner of a Bride. Then they feasted and leaped after the Manner of
Bacchanals,
and danced and shouted as they were wont to do on their Holy-days: After this they poured into a narrow neck'd Vessel some of the Sea-Water, and put also into it certain Things belonging to each of them. Then as if the Devil gifted the Girl, with the Faculty of telling future Things; they would enquire with a loud Voice, about the good or evil Fortune that should attend them: Upon this the Girl would take out of the Vessel, the first Thing that came to Hand, and shew it, and give it to the Owner; who upon receiving it, was so foolish as to imagine himself wiser, as to the good or evil Fortune that should attend him.
THIS Custom, as he tells us a little after, is altogether diabolical: And surely it was so, being used as a Presage of what was future. Was the Custom of the Lots now mention'd, used as among the Heathens, they would no Doubt be as worthy of Condemnation; but as far as I know, there is but little Credit given to them; tho' that little is too much, and ought to be laid aside. But if the Custom was used without any Mixture or Allay of Superstition, as I believe it is in some Places, yet it is often attended with great Inconveniences and Misfortunes, with Uneasinesses to Families, with Scandal, and sometimes with Ruin.
CHAP. XXI.
Of
Shrove-tide;
what it signifies; the Custom of the
Papists
at this Season; that our present Customs are very unbecoming.
S HROVE-TIDE signifieth the Time of
confessing Sins,
as the Word
Tide,
which signifies
Time;
and the
Saxon
Word
Shrive
or
Shrift;
which signifies
Confession,
plainly shew. The Reason why this Time is so denominated is, because it was set apart by the Church of
Rome
for a Time of
Shriving
or
confessing Sins.
For then People were wont to confess their Sins, and receive the Sacrament, that they might be better prepar'd for the Religious Observation of the following Season of
Lent.
Thus in the Constitutions of
Simon
of
Sudbury
Archbishop of
Canterbury,
was made at
Lambeth
A. D.
1373,
in the second Year of
Richard
the Second, in the first Year of
Urban
the fifth Pope, and
Clement
the seventh Anti-Pope. This most eloquent Man, who was wise incomparably beyond the rest of the Kingdom; sat about six Years, and at last was beheaded at
London
by Command of the Rebels,
Tyler
and
Stravo,
A. D.
1381. Johnson Const. 1378.
I have seen in a Church at
Sudbury
in
Suffolk,
a Skull, which is shewn to Strangers for the Skull of this Bishop, and probably it is the true one.
Simon Sudbury,
it is ordered,
That Lay-Men should be admonished to confess in the very Beginning of
Lent.
And in
Theodolphus
's
Capitula,
it is order'd,
That on the Week next before
Lent,
every Man should go to his Shrift, and his Shrift should shrive him in such a Manner, as his Deeds which he had done requir'd: And that he should charge all that belong to his District, that if any of them have Discord with any, he make Peace with him; if any one will not be brought to this, then he shall not shrive him; but then he shall inform the Bishop, that he may convert him to what is right, if he be willing to belong to GOD: Then all Contentions and Disputes shall cease; and if there be any one of them, that hath taken Offence at another, then shall they be reconcil'd, that they may more freely say in the LORD'S Prayer,
LORD, forgive us our Trespasses,
&c. And having thus purified their Minds, let them enter upon the
Holy Fast Tide,
and cleanse themselves by Satisfaction against
Holy Easter,
&c.
Johnson
994.36.
Constitut.
THIS Custom of confessing to the Priest at this Time, was laid aside by our Church at the Reformation: For Sins are to be confess'd to GOD alone, and not to the Priest, except when the Conscience cannot otherwise be quieted: Then indeed the Grief is to be opened to the Spiritual Guide in private,
Exhort. to the Com.
That by the Ministry of GOD's Word, he may give the Benefit of Absolution, together with ghostly Council and Advice, to the quieting of the Conscience, and the avoiding of all Scruple and Doubtfulness.
But how this other worse Custom came to be retain'd, of indulging all Manner of Luxury and Intemperance, I know nothing but that the Flesh was too powerful for the Spirit: The Duties of Religion, how justly soever enjoyn'd us, are tamely dispensed with, but what won't we rather do, than give up the Pleasures of Life? Surely the Church never design'd, when she so justly took away the publick Confessions of this Season, that Rioting, and Gaming, and Drunkenness, should continue amongst us. Are these a fit Preparation for so solemn a Season? Will they qualifie us for the Hearing of the History of our LORD'S Passion? Will they prepare us for the Reception of his Body and Blood? And fit us to meet him in the Morning of the Resurrection? Will they not rather speak us
Heathens
than
Christians?
And lead us to Hell, than on the Way to Heaven? Such Customs as these may, in some Measure, be excusable among them whose
Vid. Seldon. Table Talk. C. of Christmass.
Church has too much led them into those Things; but it is scandalous and sinful and abominable in those, who pretend to be the Enemies of Error and Superstition, to continue the Observation of such sinful Customs.
CHAP. XXII.
Of Palm-Sunday: Why so called; how observed in the Popish Times: What it is truely to carry Palms in our Hands on this Day.
T HE Sunday before
Easter,
which is denominated
Palm-Sunday,
is so called,
Dicitur enim dominica in ramis palmarum, quod illo die rami palmarum in processionibus deportentur in significationem illorum, quos filii
Israel
statuerunt in via, Christo jam veniente.
Belith.
531.
P.
34.
Cap. Durand. Lib.
6.
P.
327.
in Ram.
because, as the Ritualists say, on that Day, the Boughs of
Palm-Trees
were wont to be carried in Procession, in Imitation of those which the Children of
Israel
strawed in the Way of CHRIST.
For they cut down Branches from the Trees, and strawed them in the Way;
which according to the Consent of Antiquity, were the Branches of the
Palm-Tree;
it being very Common in that Country, and used as an Emblem of Victory. And a
Doctor
of our own Church, in his Discourse upon this
Festival,
says,
Dr.
Spark
's Feasts and Fasts.
From the Story, as described by St.
Luke
and St.
Matthew,
some of the ancient Church took Occasion, as on this Day, to go in Procession with
Palms
in their Hands, and to denominate it
Palm-Sunday.
BUT however harmless this Custom might have been, in the Times of its first Institution, it is certain, that in after Ages it sunk into Superstition and gross Idolatry. Thus the
Rhemists,
in their Translation of the New Testament, describe the Ceremony themselves:
These Offices of Honour, done to our
Saviour
extraordinarily, were very acceptable. And for a Memory hereof, the Holy Church maketh a solemn Procession every Year upon this Day; specially in our Country, when it was Catholick, with the Blessed Sacrament reverently carryed, as it were CHRIST upon the
Ass,
and strawing of Bushes and Flowers, bearing of Palms, setting up Boughs, spreading and hanging up the richest Clothes, the Quire and Queristers singing, as here the Children and the People; all done in a very godly Ceremony, to the Honour of CHRIST, and the Memory of his Triumph upon this Day. The like Service, and the like Duties done to him in all other solemn Processions of the Blessed Sacrament, and otherwise, be undoubtedly no less grateful.
Dr.
Fulk. in Loc. Mat.
Fulke
upon this, gives this Answer:
Your
Palm-Sunday
Procession was horrible Idolatry, and abusing of the LORDS Institution, who ordained his Supper to be eaten and drunken, not to be carryed about in Procession like a Heathenish Idol: But it is pretty Sport, that you make the Priests that carryeth this Idol, to supply the Room of the
Ass,
on which CHRIST did ride: Thus you turn the Holy Mistery of CHRIST'S riding to
Jerusalem,
to a
May-game
and pagent Play. And yet you say, such Service done to CHRIST is undoubtedly exceeding grateful; yea, no less grateful, than that was done by his Disciples, at the Time mentioned in the Text: Your Argument and Proof is none, but your bare Asseverations. That which the Disciples did, had the Warrant of the Holy Scripture; but who hath regarded these Theatrical Pomps at their Hands? Or what Word of GOD have you to assure you that he accepteth such Will-worship? Who detesteth all Worship, which is according to the Doctrines and Traditions of Men, and not after his own Commandment.
FROM this superstitious and idolatrous Custom, without all doubt it comes to pass, that we now and then, on a
Palm-Sunday,
see the young People carrying
Branches of Palms
in their Hands; which they seem fond of having that Day, and which they as little regard at other Times. It is true indeed, it is a Relick of the ancient Superstition of the
Papists,
but as it is now intirely stript of any Superstiton, and is an Emblem of the Season, and the Transactions of that Day; so I see no harm in so innocent an Observation.
BUT how much better would it be to carry in our Hands this Day,
Ramos debent fideles portare, id est bona opera.— Opera miserecordiae sunt, vestire nudos, colligere hospites, errantes revocare, visitare infirmos, &c.
Bed. Tom.
7.
P.
369.
the
Palm of good Works,
the Graces of Humility, and Kindness, and Charity, to feed the Hungry, to give drink to the Thirsty, to clothe the Naked, to entertain the Strangers, to visit the Sick and in Prison,
&c.
By such Actions as these, should we truly carry
Palms
in our Hands; by these we should truly
straw the Way
for our LORD, and so follow his Steps to the
Heavenly Jerusalem.
CHAP. XXIII
Of rising early on Easter Day: What is meant by the Sun dancing that Morn: The Antiquity of rising early on this Day; the End and Design of it: The great Advantage of it.
I T is a common Custom among the Vulgar and uneducated Part of the World, to rise before the
Sun
on
Easter-day,
and walk into the Fields: The Reason of which, is to see the Sun
Dance;
which they have been told, from an
old Tradition,
always Dances as upon that Day. We read indeed that the Sun once
Josh x.
stood still,
but whether the Sun danced upon the very Day our Saviour rose on, we cannot tell: It's very probable it did not, because the Scriptures are silent; and that it never did so since, I think we may be well assur'd; forasmuch as never any, that we have heard of, have seen any such Thing since that Time. If therefore this Tradition hath any Meaning, it must be a
Metaphorical
one; that when the Morning proves clear, there is a seeming Smile over the Face of Nature, and Earth and Heaven shew Tokens of Joy. For as the Earth and her Valleys, by standing thick with Corn, are said,
to laugh and sing;
so, on Account of the Resurrection, the Heavens and the Sun may be said to Dance for Joy; or as the Psalmist Words it,
Psal. xcvi. 11. Caeliquidem digni laetentur, terra autem exultet.
Damasc. in Dominican Pascha, P.
514.
The
Heavens may rejoyce, and the Earth may be glad.
THERE is then, really speaking, nothing in the Dancing of the Sun upon
Easter-Day;
but yet it is a very ancient and commendable Custom to be up early at this Holy Time: And therefore
Damascen,
in his
Paschal Hymn,
sings,
Vigilemus mane profundo, & pro unguenti hymnum afferamus Domino, & Christum videamus justitiae solem, omnibus vitam exorientem.
Ibid.
Let us watch very early in the Morning; and instead of Ointment, let us bring an Hymn to our LORD; and let us see our CHRIST, the
Sun of Righteousness,
who is the Life that riseth to all Men. And indeed it is the most seasonable Time for meditating on our LORD'S Resurrection, and it's pleasing Circumstances. For as the Place where any notable Thing has been transacted, seldom or never fails to raise the Idea of the Transaction; so the particular Time, when it was done, does generally produce the same Effect. And as the Truth of the Former, was the Occasion of many holy and religious Men going
Fulk. Test. Cont. Rhem. Matth. Cap.
28.
in Annot.
to visit the Place of the Sepulchre, and hear it, as it were, say, what the Angel did to the Women,
Come, see the Place where the LORD lay;
so the Truth of the Latter was the Reason, why devout and holy Men, did in the best Ages of the Church, rise early in the Morning of the Resurrection. The Primitive Christians spent the Night preceeding it, in Prayers and Praises, till the Time of
Cock-crow,
the supposed Hour of our Saviour's rising. For as
Latinorum concors est sententia, Christum non media nocte, verum mane in aurora, canentibus vice Gallorum angelis, devicta morte & confractis portis inferi, surrexisse.
Durant. de Rit. Lib.
3.
Cap.
7.
Durant
tells us, it is universally assented to by the Latin Church, that after our Saviour had conquer'd Death, and broken the Gates of Hell, he arose from the Dead, not at Mid-night, but in the Morning, at the Time of Cock-crow; which not the Cocks, but the Angels themselves proclaimed. And when these Pernoctations were laid aside, it was the Custom to rise early, and spend the Morning in such a Manner as was suitable to the Nature of the Time. The Salutation of the
Eastern
Church
Anestese;
or,
The LORD is risen,
and the usual Answer,
The LORD is risen indeed;
were no doubt the common Salutation of that Morning: And if this present Custom of the Vulgar, has had at any Time any laudable Custom for its Original, it was, no doubt, this of rising early to contemplate the more seasonably on the Resurrection of CHRIST.
AND now, was this the End of Rising early at that Holy Time, it would be very advantageous; but to rise with the View of the Vulgar, is foolish and ridiculous. Would we rise before the Sun, and prevent the Dawn of Day, our Meditations would be strong and vigorous, and almost persuade us that the real Actions of that Morn, were presented to our View. For when at that Time, all Things are husht in Silence, and warp'd in Darkness, or but illuminated with the friendly Moon, the
Devotae Christi faminae, quae illum & vivum dilexerant & mortuum desiderabant, per noctem ambulantes, juvante luna, venerunt ad monumentum.
Rupert de Divin. Officiis, Lib.
7.
C.
18.
Guide of
Mary Magdalene,
and the other Women to the
Sepulcher;
'tis easy and natural to meditate on these Things; to see our Saviour's Tomb; to see the Angels sit as Guardians on it; and the trembling Watch fled into the City.
And now the LORD is risen indeed, and they that seek him early shall find him.
Maria Magdalena,
cujus domus erat
Bethaniae,
— prima ante alias una sabbati juxta joannem, valde diluculo venisset, dum adhuc tenebrae essent ad monumentum.
Rupert. ibid.
Behold then
Mary Magdalene, on the first Day of the Week,
coming from her own House at
Bethany,
before the other Women,
very early in the Morning, when it was as yet Dark,
Abit a loco, volens consolationem quandam invenire.
Theophlact. in Loc.
to find Ease and Consolation at the Sepulchre: Behold she and the other Women bringing the prepared Spices to Embalm their LORD; Behold
Peter
and
John
running to the Sepulchre and returning, whilst
Mary
continues in Sorrow and Tears: And as she weeps, ye may see her look into the Sepulchre;
but he is not there, he is risen.
Behold then the Guardians of the Tomb, saying,
John xx. 13,
&c.
Woman, why weepest thou?
Nay behold the Lamb of GOD himself, with the very same Words,
wiping away the Tears from her Eyes. And JESUS said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the Gardiner, saith unto him, Sir, If thou have born him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. JESUS said unto her,
Mary. With what Joy, now does she run to his Feet, willing and desirous, and eager to Embrace them. But he bids her not to touch him,
but go to his Brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, to my GOD and your GOD,
Behold a little after this, his Apparition to her and the other Women, and how he suffers them to kiss his Feet.
Taylor's Antiq. Christ. de Resurrect.
He appeared also about the same Time to
Peter.
THESE and the other Accidents at our LORD'S Resurrection, would afford us a satisfactory and comfortable Meditation; would inflame our Hearts with a burning Love, and melt us into Tears of Joy. In our eager Wishes and warm Desires, we should, with the Holy Women, kiss the Feet of our Saviour, and be almost Partakers of equal Happiness with them; or, sure we are, that we should have our Saviour in our Hearts, and not fail of seeing him in his Kingdom. He whom we have so carefully sought for, will vouchsafe to be found of us; in his Grace, at the Sepulchre, and in his Glory, in Heaven. Happy they, who so early seek their Saviour;
who long after him, as the Hart doth after the Water-Brooks; who seek him among the
Sol. Song
ii. 17.
Lilies, until the Day break, and the Shadows flee away. Happy they, their Conversation is now in Heaven, and their Happiness hereafter, will be the Joys of Eternity: Where they shall no more be absent, but ever Present with the LORD.
CHAP. XXIV.
Of Easter Holy-Days: A Time of Relaxation from Labour: How observed in the dark Ages of Popery: That our Customs at this Time, are sprung from theirs.
O N the
Holy-Days of Easter,
it is customary for Work to cease, and Servants to be at Liberty: Which is a Resemblance of the Practice of the primitive Church, which set apart the whole Week after
Easter,
for to praise and glorifie GOD, for our SAVIOUR'S Resurrection: In which
Servos autem & ancillas ac omnes, qui nostro servitio sunt addicti, profecto ab omni servitutis severitate eos hoc tempore laxare debemus.—Ut libere & secure omnes possint ad audiendum divinum officium convenire, & communicare.
Belith. Cap.
117.
Time all servile Labour ceas'd, that Servants as well as others might be present at the Devotions of the Season. But other Customs so frequently observed at this Time, such as
publick Shows, Gamings, Horse-Races,
&c. were forbidden, as being foreign to the Holiness of this Season.
IN after Ages, when the Church fell into Corruption, and the Substance of Religion decay'd into the
Shadow of Ceremonies,
the usual Prayers and Praises of the Season, were either much neglected, or but superficially observed. For
Belithus,
a
Ritualist
of those Times tells us,
Sunt enim nonnullae ecclesiae, in quibus usitatum est, ut vel etiam episcopi & archiepiscopi in caenobiis cum suis ludant subditis, ita ut etiam ad lusum pilae demittant, &c.
Belith. C.
120.
That it was customary in some Churches, for the
Bishops
and
Arch-Bishops
themselves to play with the inferior
Clergy,
even at
Hand-Ball;
and this also, as
Durandus
witnesseth,
In quibusdam locis hac die.
Vid. Pasch. &c. Durand. Lib.
6.
Cap.
86.
even on
Easter-Day
it self. This was called
Atque haec quidem, Libertas ideo dicta est
Decembrica,
&c.
Belith. ibid.
the Liberty of
December,
because that formerly, it was customary among the Heathens in that Month to indulge their Servants with a certain Time of Liberty; when they were on the Level with their Masters, and feasted and banqueted with them.
WHY they should play at
Hand-Ball
at this Time rather than any other Game, I have not been able to find out; but I suppose it will be readily granted, that this Custom of so playing, was the Original of our present Recreations and Diversions on
Easter Holy Days,
and in particular of playing at
Hand-Ball for a
Vid. Seld. Table Talk of Christmass.
Tanzy-Cake,
which at this Season, is generally practised; and I would hope practised with Harmlessness and Innocence. For when the common Devotions of the Day are over, there is nothing sinful in lawful Recreation. But for the Governors of Churches to descend to such Childish Exercises, and that even on the
Great Sunday
of the Year, was not only unbecoming their Gravity and Reservedness, but was also a down-right Breach of the fourth Commandment. But these were Ages of Ignorance and Darkness, when the World was
taught for the Doctrines of GOD, the Commandments of Men.
CHAP. XXV.
Of
May-Day;
the Custom of going to the Woods the Night before; this the Practice of other Nations: The Original of it; the Unlawfulness.
O N the
Calends,
or the
first Day of
May, commonly called
May-Day,
the juvenile Part of both Sexes, are wont to rise a little after Mid-night, and walk to some neighbouring Wood, accompany'd with Musick and the blowing of Horns; where they break down Branches from the Trees, and adorn them with
Nose-gays
and
Crowns of Flowers.
When this is done, they return with their Booty home-wards, about the rising of the Sun, and make their Doors and Windows to Triumph in the Flowery Spoil. The after-part of the Day, is chiefly spent in dancing round a Tall-Poll, which is called a
May-Poll;
which being placed in a convenient Part of the Village, stands there, as it were consecrated to the
Goddess of Flowers,
without the least Violation offer'd it, in the whole Circle of the Year. And this is not the Custom of the
British
Common People only, but it is the Custom of the Generality of other Nations; particularly of the
Italians,
where
Polydore Virgil
tells us, The
Est autem consuetudinis, ut juventus promiscui sexus Laetaebunda cal.
Maii
exeat in agros, & cantitans inde virides reportet arborum ramos eosque ante domorum fores ponat praesertim apud
Italos,
—&c.
Poly. Virg.
302.
Youth of both Sexes were accustomed to go into the Fields, on the Calends of
May,
and bring thence the Branches of Trees, singing all the way as they came, and so place them on the Doors of their Houses.
Celebrabantur autem hae feriae atque ludi, Lactantio teste cum omni lascivia verbis & moribus pudendis, ad placandam deam, quae floribus & fructibus praeerat. Nam per tubam convocabantur omnis generis meretrices. Unde Juvenalis.
—Digissima prorsus
Florali Matrona Tuba
Ex in theatro denudatae, &c.
Hosp. de Orig. Eth.
159.
THIS is the Relick of an ancient Custom among the Heathen, who observed the four last Days of
April,
and the first of
May,
in Honour of the Goddess
Flora,
who was imagin'd the Deity presiding over the Fruit and Flowers. It was observed with all Manner of Obscenity and Lewdness, and the undecent Sports and Postures of naked Women, who were called together with the Noise of Trumpets, and danced before the Spectators.
FROM this Custom of the Heathens hath ours undoubtedly come; and tho' for that Reason barely, it need not be laid aside; yet forasmuch as many Country People are of Opinion,
Sic nos tunc eo anni tempore, cum virent omnia, quasi per hunc modum, fructuum ubertatem ominamur, ac bene precamur.
Polyd. Virg.
302.
That the Observation of this Ceremony is a good Omen, and a Procurer of the Success of the Fruits of the Earth, which is intirely a Piece of Superstition; and because also much Wickedness and Debauchery are committed that Night, to the Scandle of whole Families, and the Dishonour of Religion, there is all the Reason in the World, for laying it aside.
CHAP. XXVI.
Of Parochial Perambulations: Their Antiquity, the Benefit and Advantage of them.
I T was a general Custom formerly, and is still observed in some
Country Parishes,
to go round the
Bounds
and
Limits
of the
Parish,
on one of the three Days before
Holy Thursday,
or the Feast of our
LORD's Ascension;
when the Minister, accompany'd with his
Church-Wardens
and
Parishoners,
were wont to deprecate the Vengeance of GOD, beg a Blessing on the Fruits of the Earth, and preserve the
Rights
and
Properties
of their
Parish.
THE Original of this Custom is dated from the Times of the Heathens. For
Refert
Plutarchus
in Problem 13.
Numam Popilium
cum finitimis agri terminis constituisse, & in ipsis finibus
Terminum
Deum, quasi finium praesidem amicitiaeque, ac pacis custodem posuisse. Festa ei dicata quae
Terminalia
nuncupantur, quorum vice nos quotannis ex vetustissima consuetudine parochiarum terminos lustramus.
Spelm. Gloss. in Verbo. Perambulat.
from the Days of
Numa Popilius,
they worshipped the God
Terminus,
whom they looked upon to be the Guardian of
Fields
and
Landmarks,
and the Keeper up of Friendship and Peace among Men: Upon this Account the Feast called
Terminalia,
was dedicated to him; instead of which it is a very ancient Custom to surround the Bounds of Parishes every Year: And instead of Heathenish Rites and Sacrifices to an imaginary God, to offer Praises and Prayers to the true GOD, the GOD of the whole Earth. The Custom was, the People accompany'd the Bishop, or some of the Clergy into the
Fields,
where
Litanies
were made, and the Mercy of GOD implor'd, that he would avert the Evils of Plague and Pestilence, that he would send them good and seasonable Weather, and give them the Fruits of the Earth in due Season.
THE Litanies or Rogations, which were
It is called
Rogation-Week,
because of that Prayer and Fasting that was then used, for to supplicate GOD for his Blessing on the Fruits of the Earth. It is also in some Places called
Cross-Week,
because in ancient Times, when the Priest went into the Fields, the
Cross
was carried before them. In the Northern Parts it is called
Gang-Week,
from to
gang,
which in the North signifies to go.
then made Use of, and gave Name to the Time of
Rogation-Week,
were first observed by
Mamertus,
Bishop of
Vienna,
in the Year 550,
Dum civitas Viennensium crebo terrae motu subrueretur & bestiarum desolaretur incursu, sanctus
Mamertus
ejus civitatis episcopus, eas legitur pro malis, quae praemissimus, ordinasse.
Walifred. Stral. C.
28.
de Reb. Ecclesiast.
on Account of the frequent Earthquakes that happened, and the Incursions of wild Beasts, which laid in Ruins, and depopulated the City. Not that
Litanies
and
Rogations
were not used before, but that before this Time they were not affixed to these Days. And since that, they have been observed of the whole Church at this Season, except the Church of
Hispani
autem, propter hoc quod scriptum est,
non possunt filii sponsi lugere quamdiu cum illis est sponsus,
infra quinquagessimam paschae recusantes jejunare, litanios suos post pentecosten posuerunt.
Walaf. Strab. ibid.
Spain,
who chus'd rather to have them after
Pentecost
than before it; because from
Easter-day
to the Feast of
Pentecost,
it was the Custom of the Church not to Fast: For as they themselves reason'd, the Children of the
Bride-Chamber cannot Fast so long as the Bridegroom is with them;
and therefore they held their
Rogations
after
Pentecost.
WHAT now remains among us, is the Relick of this antient and laudable Custom, which was always observed in the old Church of
England,
and has been also in some Measure since the Reformation too.
In
Concil.
Cloveshoviae
sub
Cuthbert:
Arch.
Cant. An.
747.
Cap.
16. Ut Litaniae, i. e. Rogationes, a clero omnique populo his diebus cum magna reverentia agantur, id est, septimo kalendarum
Maiarum
juxta ritum
Romanae
ecclesiae, quae & litania major apud eam vocatur: Et item quoque secundum morem priorum nostrorum tertiae dies ante ascentionem domini nostri in caelos, cum jejunio, &c.
Spelman. Gloss.
369.
the Canons of
Cuthbert,
Arch-bishop of
Canterbury,
which were made at
Cloves-hoo,
in the Year 747, it was order'd that
Litanies,
that is,
Rogations,
should be observed of the Clergy, and all the People with great Reverence on these Days,
viz.
the seventh of the Kalends of
May,
according to the Rites of the
Church
of
Rome,
who termeth this the
greater Litany;
and also according to the Custom of our Fore-fathers, on the three Days before the Ascention of our LORD into the Heavens, with Fasting,
&c.
And in the Injunctions made in the Reign of Queen
Elizabeth,
it is ordered,
Injunct.
19.
Eliz.
That the Curate, at certain and convenient Places, shall admonish the People to give Thanks to GOD, in the beholding of GOD'S Benefits; for the Increase and Abundance of his Fruits upon the Face of the Earth, with the saying of the 103 Psalm,
&c.
at which Time the Minister shall inculcate these or such Sentences.
Cursed be he which translateth the Bounds and Doles of his Neighbour:
Or such Orders of Prayers as shall be hereafter.
AGREEABLE to this we read, in the Life of the pious
Hooker,
Walt. in Vit. Hookeri.
That he would by no Means omit the Customary Time of Procession, persuading all, both Rich and Poor, if they desired the Preservation of Love, and their
Parish Rites and Liberties,
to accompany him in his Perambulation, and most did so; in which Perambulation, he would usually Express more pleasant Discourse, than at other Times, and would then always Drop some loving and facetious Observations, to be remembred against the next Year, especially by the Boys and young People: Still inclining them, and all his present Parishioners, to meekness and mutual Kindnesses and Love;
because Love thinks not Evil, but covers a Multitude of Infirmities.
WE may also observe, That the particular Office order'd by our Church for
Rogation-Sunday,
is exactly suited to the Nature of the Season; that the three Days following are appointed Fasts by our Church, and that one of our Church Homilies is composed particularly, for the
Parochial Perambulation.
All which shews the Custom and Intention of the Church, and that the practising of it would be serviceable to the Sons of Men;
Would save their Lives from Destruction, and crown them with Mercy and loving Kindness; would send them Springs into their Rivers, and make them run among the Hills: Would bring forth Grass for the Cattle, and green Herb for the Service of Men.
CHAP. XXVII.
Of Midsummer-Eve: Of kindling Fires, their Original: That this Custom formerly was superstitious, but now may be used with Innocence.
O N the
Eve of St.
John Baptist, commonly called
Midsumner-Eve,
it is usual in the most of Country Places, and also here and there in
Towns and Cities,
for both Old and Young to meet together, and be Merry over a large Fire, which is made in the open Street. Over this they frequently leap and play at various Games, such as Running, Wrestling, Dancing,
&c.
But this is generally the Exercise of the younger Sort; for the old Ones, for the most Part, sit by as Spectators, and enjoy themselves and their Bottle. And thus they spend the Time till Mid-night, and some-times till
Cock-crow.
BELITHUS
tells us,
Consuetum item hac vigilia ardentes deferri faculas, quod
Joannes
fuerit ardens lucerna & qui domini vias praeparaverit.
Belith. Explicat. Div. Offic. C.
137.
P.
556.
& Durand. Cap.
14.
Lib.
7.
That it was a Custom to carry lighted Torches on
Midsummer-Eve,
as an Emblem of St.
John Baptist, who was a burning and a shining Light,
and the Preparer of the Way of CHRIST. But if this was the Reason of this Custom formerly, as it's probable it was, (it having been a common Thing, to shadow out Times and Seasons by Emblems;) yet the Custom still continu'd among us, was originally instituted upon another Bottom.
AND indeed the
Habent hoc a gentibus, antiquitus enim dracones hoc tempore ad libidinem propter calorem excitati, volando per aerem frequenter in puteos & fontes spermatizabant, ex quo, &c. Hoc animadvertentes medici, ignes frequenter & passim circa fontes fieri; & quaecunque magnum & immundum redderint fumum ibi cremari, &c. Et quia talia hoc tempore maxime fiebant, ideo hoc adhuc ab aliquibus observatur.
Durand. L.
7.
C.
14.
& Belith. in eodem Fest.
Original of this Custom is
Heathenish.
For in ancient Times the Dragons, being incited to Lust through the Heat of the Season, did frequently, as they flew through the Air, Spermatize in the Wells and Fountains. By this Means the Water became infected, and the Air polluted; so that whoever drank the Waters, was either tormented with a grievious Distemper, or lost his Life. As soon as the Physicians perceived this, they ordered Fires to be made every where about the Wells and Fountains, and those Things which occasioned the noisomest Smell, to be burnt, knowing that thereby the Dragons would be driven away. And forasmuch as this Custom was observed about the Time we now celebrate St.
John Baptist
's Feast, it is therefore still observed among some People. And agreeable to this it is, that Mr.
Cambden
tells us, that
Barnwell,
a Village near
Cambridge,
got its Name from the Children playing about a
Well
on St.
John Baptist's Eve.
THE Custom of kindling such Fires, was severely censur'd by the Church: And therefore in the
Council of Trulius,
this Canon was made against it,
Can.
65.
in Synod. Trull. ex Bals. P.
440.
That if any Clergy-man or Lay-man observed the Rite of making on Fires on the
New-Moon,
(which some were wont to observe, and according to an old Custom, to leap over them in a mad and foolish Manner,) he should be deposed, if the Former, if the Latter, he should be excommunicated.
THE
Scholiast
upon this
Canon
hath these Words: The
New-Moon
was always the first Day of the Month, and it was Customary among the
Jews
and
Greeks,
to hold then a Feast, and pray that they might be lucky during the Continuance of the Month. Of these it was, that GOD spake by the Prophet: My Soul hateth your
New-Moons
and your Sabbaths. And not only this, but they also kindled Fires before their Shops and Houses, and leaped over them; imagining that all the Evils which had befallen them formerly, would be burnt away, and that they should be more successful and lucky afterwards. Now about the Sitting of this Synod, there were some of the Christians, who observed this Custom upon the same Accounts that the Heathens did, which occasioned it's being forbid by the Council; and that if a
Clergy-man
was Guilty of it, he should be deposed; if a
Lay-man,
excommunicated. He also tells us, that on St.
John Baptist's-Eve,
the Vulgar were wont to make on Fires for the whole Night, and leap over them, and draw Lots, and Divine about their good or evil Fortune.
BUT whatever Reason the Heathens had for kindling these Fires; whether as
Durandus
thinks, that the lustful
Dragons
might be driven away, or as the
Canon,
that their evil Fortune might be burnt, it is certain that the Custom was invented and practised by them; and because of the Superstion attending the Observation of it, was very justly forbidden by the Council. And undoubtedly was the Making of such Fires now, attended with any such Superstition, it would be equally criminal to observe them. But
Rogos—quos nos Angli
Bonefires
vocamus, & in publica laetitia & gaudiis adhibemus, non obstante isto canone.
Mountag. P.
130.
when they are only kindled as Tokens of Joy, to excite innocent Mirth and Diversion, and promote
Peace and good Neighbourhood,
they are lawful and innocent, and deserve no Censure. And therefore when on
Midsummer-Eve,
St.
Peter's-Eve,
and at some other Times, we make
I suppose they were called Bonefires, because that generally they were made of Bones. For as
Belithus
tells us,
Adversus haec ergo hujusmodi inventum est remedium, ut videlicet rogus ex ossibus construeretur, & ita fumus hujusmodi animalia fugaret.
Belith. in Vigil. S. Joan. That to prevent the Infection before mentioned, they were wont to make on Fires of Bones, that the Smoke might drive away the Dragons.
Bonefires
before Shops and Houses, there would be no harm in doing so; was it not, that some continue their Diversion to too late Hours, and others are guilty of excessive Drinking.
CHAP. XXVIII.
Of the Feast of Sheep-shearing, an ancient Custom.
T HE Feast of Sheep-sheering, is generally a Time of Mirth and Joy, and more than ordinary Hospitality; indeed it is but little observed in these Northern Parts, but in the Southern it is pretty common. For on the Day they begin to sheer their Sheep, they provide a plentiful Dinner for the Sheerers, and for their Friends who come to visit them on that Occasion; a Table also, if the Weather permit, is spread in the open Village, for the young People and Children.
AFTER what Manner soever this Custom reach'd us, it is certain it may boast of great Antiquity. It is mention'd in the Second Book of
Samuel,
as a Feast of great Magnificence, both for Grandeur of Entertainment and Greatness of Company. No less a Person than
Absalom
the King's Son was the Master of this Feast, and no less Persons were the Guests than the King's Sons, the Brethren of
Absalom;
nay it was a Feast that might entertain the King himself, or surely the King would never have been so importun'd, never would have receiv'd the Compliment so kindly. For 'tis said,
It came to pass after two full Years, that
Absalom
had Sheep-sheerers in
Baalhazor,
which is beside
Ephraim,
and
Absalom
invited all the King's Sons. And
Absalom
came to the King, and said, Behold, now thy Servant hath Sheep-sheerers, let the King, I beseech thee, and his Servants, go with thy Servant. And the King said, Nay, my Son, let us not all go, lest we be chargeable unto thee.
Of this kind also was the Feast which
Nabal
made for his Sheerers, when
David was driven
to straits in the Wilderness, and sent his Servants to ask a Present of him. He calls the Day it was held on, a
good Day;
that is, a Day of plentiful Eating and Drinking. And therefore
Nabal
answer'd the Servants of
David, shall I then take my Bread and my Water, and my Flesh that I have killed for my Sheerers, and give it unto Men, whom I know not whence they be?
And further, it is said in the same Chapter, that so grand and magnificent was this Feast,
that he had a Feast in his House, like the Feast of a King.
We find also in the Book of
Genesis,
that
Laban
went to sheer his Sheep, in which Time
Jacob
made his Escape, which
Laban
heard not of till the third Day. Of such great Antiquity then is this Custom, and tho' its Antiquity is not of such force as to palliate Luxury and Profusness in these Entertainments; yet no doubt it will vindicate the Harmlesness of a moderate Feast upon this Occasion.
CHAP. XXIX.
Of
Michaelmass:
Guardian Angels the Discourse of Country People at this Time: that it seems rather true, that we are protected by a Number of Angels, than by one particular Genius.
T HE Feast of this Season is celebrated in Commemoration of St.
Michael,
and all the Orders of Angels. It is called,
The Dedication of St. Michael,
because of a Church being dedicated to him on this Day in Mount
Garganus.
AT this Season of the Year, it is a general Custom to elect the Governors of
Towns
and
Cities,
to promote Peace among Men, and guard them against Harm from their malicious Fellow Creatures. Whether this particular Time of the Year has been chosen for electing them, because then is the Feast of Angels, the Guardians and Protectors of Men, and of their Communities and
Daniel, C.
10.
Provinces, is not so certain. It is certainer, that when ever it comes, it brings into the Minds of the People, that old Opinion of
Tutelar Angels,
that every Man has his
Guardian Angel;
that is, one particular Angel who attends him from his Coming in, till his Going out of Life, who guides him through the Troubles of the World, and strives as much as he can, to bring him to Heaven.
NOW that good Angels attend good Men is without Dispute. They guide them in the Mazes of the Wilderness of Life, and bring them to their desir'd Homes; they surround them in the Seas of Afflictions, and lead them to the Shores of Peace; and as when the
Israelites
passed through the Red-Sea,
the Cloud became Light to them, but Darkness to their Enemies,
so in the troublesome Seas of this Life, the
Angels
are both the Guides of good Men, and their Protectors from Evil, from the Devil and his Angels. And therefore the Psalmist says,
The Angel of the LORD tarrieth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them; and that he will give his Angels Charge over good Men.
They are also supposed to be that Hedge, which GOD placed about
Job,
which the Devil so much complains of; and sure we are, that when the Eyes of
Elisha
's Servant were open'd,
he saw the Mountain full of Chariots and Horses of Fire round about
Elisha. That therefore good Men are guarded and protected by Angels the Scripture shews very clearly. But that every Man has his particular
Genius,
seems to be founded more upon Tradition, than any Certainty from Scripture. Thus the
Egyptians
believed that every Man had three Angels attending him; the
Pythagoreans,
that every Man had two; the
Romans,
that there was a good and an evil
Genius.
And hence it is that the
Roman
Poet says,
Quisque suos patitur manes,
every Man hath his evil
Genius.
And if we may believe the Authority of
Plutarch,
the evil
Genius
of
Brutus
appeared to him the Night before the Battle of
Philippi,
and told him he was his evil Genius, and that he would meet him there.
BUT there are greater Authorities then these in Vindication of this Opinion:
Casalion
observes, it may be proved from Scripture, and not only from the Tradition of the
Unicuique Deus custodem apposuit; & asserimus indubitanter nos ex scripturis illam fidem, non gentium nugibus.
Cassal.
217.
P. de Vet. Christ. Rit.
Heathens. And of this Opinion was
Justin Martyr, Theodoret,
St.
Basil,
St.
Jerome,
and St.
Austin.
THERE are indeed two Places in the new Testament, which have a View to this Opinion. The first is in the 18th of St.
Matthew,
the 10th Verse,
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little Ones: For I say unto you, that their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven.
Now because this Place takes notice of the Angels of these little Ones, some have therefore concluded that every Man has his good Angel; at least that good Men have. But now this Conclusion does not certainly follow from these Words: For when it is said
their Angels,
it does indeed certainly infer, that the Angels do protect good Men, but not that every Man has his particular Angel. And hence therefore, as one observes, St.
Chrisostom
makes use of these Words,
Enteuthen delon,
&c. it is manifest that the Saints at least, if not all Men, have their Angels: But he does not hence conclude, that every Man has one. The other Place is in the
Acts of the Apostles,
where it is said, that when
Peter
was delivered out of Prison, they would not believe the Maid it was he, but said,
It was his Angel.
It must be own'd indeed from this, that it seems the Opinion of those in the House, that every Man had his
Guardian Angel;
but this is no Proof of the Things being so: It only proves, that it was their Opinion, but not that this Opinion is true. The
Jews
had such a
Tradition
among them, and what was here spoken, was perhaps only according to that Tradition. Besides we read on the contrary, that sometimes one and the same Angel has been sent to different Persons; thus
Gabriel
was sent to
Daniel, Zacharias,
and the blessed Virgin: Sometimes the Scripture tells us of many Angels protecting one Man; for so was
Elisha
protected; and as we wrestle
not only against Flesh and Blood, but against all the Powers of Darkness,
so we have many Angels to assist and defend us. I shall not dare to determine positively against this Opinion, which has travelled down through so many Ages, which has been held by so many wise and learned Men, and which has such Scriptures brought to its Defence; this I shall only say, that of the two Opinions, the Latter seems to be the more probable; that it seems more consonant to Scripture, that we are attended by a Number of Angels, than by a particular
Tutelar Angel.
But this I mention, not as necessary to be believed. For I am perswaded there is no fault in believing either the one or the other, as it appears more probable: For whether soever we believe, we believe in the Protection of Angels, and that seems to be all which the Scripture requires.
CHAP. XXX.
Of the Country Wake: How observed formerly: A Custom of the Heathens, and regulated by
Gregory
the Great.
I N the Southern Parts of this Nation, the most of Country Villages are wont to observe some Sunday in a more particular Manner, than the other common Sundays of the Year,
viz.
the Sunday after the
Day of Dedication,
i. e. the Sunday after the
Day of the Saint,
to whom their Church was dedicated. Then the Inhabitants deck themselves in their gaudiest Clothes, and have open Doors and splendid Entertainments, for the Reception and Treating of their Relations and Friends, who visit them on that Occasion, from each neighbouring Town. The Morning is spent for the most Part at Church, tho' not as that Morning was wont to be spent, not with the Commemoration of the
Saint or Martyr,
nor the grateful Remembrance of the
Builder and Endower.
The remaining Part of the Day, is spent in Eating and Drinking; and so is also a Day or two afterwards, together with all Sorts of Rural Pastimes and Exercises, such as
Dancing on the Green, Wrestling, Cudgelling,
&c.
AGREEABLE to this we are told, that formerly
Die Dominicâ post Encaeniam seu Festum Dedicationis cujusvis villae convenire solet in Aurorâ Magna hominum Iuvenumque multitudo, & canora voce
Holy-wakes, Holy-makes,
Exclamando Designare,
&c. Spelm. Gloss. in Verb. Wak.
on the Sunday after the
Encaenia,
or
Feast of the Dedication
of the Church, it was usual for a great Number of the Inhabitants of the Village, both Grown and Young, to meet together about break of Day, and cry,
Holy-wakes, Holy-wakes,
and after
Mattens
to go to Feasting and Sporting, which they continu'd for two or three Days.
IN the
Northren Parts,
the Sunday's Feasting is almost lost, and they observe only one other Day for the whole, which among them is called the
Hopping;
I suppose from the dancing and other Exercises then used. The ancient Name, and which is still common in the Southern Parts, is the
Wake;
which according to Sir
H. Spelman,
are
Sunt celebritates Bacchanales sub fructuum temporibus, ab occiduiis & Borealibus Anglis pagatim Habitae. Bacchanales dixi ex nomine: Nam Wak. Sax est temulentia.
Spelm. ibid.
Bacchanal
Feasts, observed about Fruit Time, and which were in Villages by Turns, among the Northern and Western
English.
He calls them
Bacchanals,
because, as he observes, the
Saxon
Word
Wak,
signifies Drunkenness. This Custom our Forefathers did in all Probability borrow from their Fellow Heathens,
Haec eadem sunt quae apud Ethnicos Paganalia dicebantur,
&c. Spelm. ibid.
whose
Paganalia,
or
Country Feasts,
were of the same Stamp, with this of the
Wake.
AT the Conversion of the
Saxons
by
Austin the Monk,
it was continu'd among the Converts, with some Regulations, by an Order of
Pope
Gregory
the Great,
to
Mellitus
the Abbot, who accompany'd
Austin
in his Voyage. His Words are these,
Ut Die Dedicationis, vel Natalitiis Sanctorum Martyr
um, quorum illic reliquiae ponuntur, tabernacula sibi circa easdem Ecclesias, quae ex Fanis commutatae sunt, de ramis arborum faciant,
&c. Bed. Lib. Cap.
30.
On the Day of Dedication, or the Birth-Day of the Holy Martyrs, whose Relicks are there placed, let the People make to themselves
Booths
of the Boughs of Trees, round about those very Churches, which had been the Temples of Idols, and in a Religious way to observe a Feast; that Beasts may no longer be slaughtered by way of Sacrifice to the Devil, but for their own Eating, and the Glory of GOD; and that when they are full and satisfied, they may return him Thanks, who is the Giver of all good Things.
THIS then is the Beginning of our
Country Wakes,
but they continu'd not in their original Purity: For the Feasting and Sporting got the ascendant of Religion, and so this
Feast of Dedication,
degenerated into Drunkenness and Luxury. At present there is nothing left but the very Refuse and Dregs of it; Religion having not the least Share in it, which till these latter Ages always had some. Rioting and Feasting are now all that remain, a Scandal to the Feast in particular, and to Christianity in general.
CHAP. XXXI.
Of the Harvest Supper: A Custom of the Heathens, taken from the
Jewish
Feast of Tabernacles.
W HEN the Fruits of the Earth are gather'd in, and laid in their proper Receptacles, it is common, in the most of Country Places, to provide a plentiful Supper for the
Harvest-Men,
and the Servants of the Family; which is called a
Harvest-Supper,
and in some Places a
Mell-Supper,
a
Churn Supper,
&c. At this the Servant and his Master are alike, and every Thing is done with an equal Freedom. They sit at the same Table, converse freely together, and spend the remaining Part of the Night in dancing, singing,
&c.
without any Difference or Distinction.
THERE
Antiquitus consuetudo fuit apud
Gentiles,
quod hoc mense servi pastores & ancillae quadam libertate fruerentur: Et cum Dominis suis Dominarentur, & cum eis facerent festa, & convivia, post Collectas Messes.
Durand. Rat. Lib.
6.
Cap.
86.
was a Custom among the Heathens, much like this, at the gathering in of their Harvest, when Servants were indulg'd with Liberty and being on the Equality with their Masters for a certain Time.
NOW the Original of both these Customs, is
Jewish:
And therefore
Hospinian
tells us,
Et pro collectis frugibus Deo gratiae agebantur. Quem morem Ethnici postea abiis mutuati sunt.
Hospin. de Orig. Fest. Jud. Stukius Antiq. Convival.
P. 63.
That the Heathens copy'd after this Custom of the
Jews,
and at the End of their Harvest, offer'd up their first Fruits to the Gods. For the
Jews
rejoyced and feasted at the getting in of the Harvest.
THEOPHYLACT
in talking of this Feast, is undoubtedly mistaken, when he says,
Scenopegia, quod Celebrant in Gratiarum Actionem propter convectas Fruges in Mense
Septembri.
Tunc enim gratias agebant Deo, convectis omnibus fructibus,
&c. Theophylact. in
7
Cap. Joan.
That the
Feast of Tabernacles
was celebrated, that Thanks might be returned for the getting in of the Fruits of the Earth. For GOD himself tells his own People, it was instituted,
Levit. 23.—
that their Generations might know, that he had made the Children of
Israel
to dwell in Booths.
But however, it is certainly true, that it was a Time of returning Thanks to GOD, for the Success of the Harvest, a Time of Festivity, and Joy and Gladness, Thus the Scripture,
Deut. 16.
Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven Days, after thou hast gather'd in thy Corn and thy Wine. And thou shalt rejoyce in thy Feast, thou and thy Son and thy Daughter, and thy Man-Servant, and thy Maid-Servant; and the Levite, the Stranger, and the Fatherless and the Widow, that are within thy Gates.
NOW as the Heathens have imitated the
Jews
in this Custom, so it is not improbable that we have had it from the
Heathens;
there being a very great Likeness between the Custom now, and that of the Heathens formerly. For
Macrobius
tells us, That
Patres Familiarum & frugibus & fructibus jam Coactis, passim cum servis vescerentur, cum quibus patientiam Laboris ia colendo rure toleraverant.
Macrob. Saturnal. Die p
im. Cap.
10.
the Masters of Families, when they had got in their Harvest, were wont to Feast with their Servants, who had labour'd with them in Tilling the Ground: Which is exactly answerable to the Custom now amongst us. But whatever Truth there is in this, it is certain this Custom was practised by the
Saxons,
and is at least as Ancient amongst us, as their Days. For among their Holy-days, we find a
E
stob.
Append. P. 30.
Week set apart at Harvest; of which our
Harvest-Home,
and
Mell-Supper,
in the
North,
are the only Remains.
FINIS.
THE INDEX.
A.
A BYSSUM.
Page 112
Absolom,
his Feast. Page 217
Air, the Means by which a Spirit becomes visible Page 88
Alexander ab Alexandro,
his Story of an Aparition.
ib.
All-Saints Church in
Newcastle
upon
Tyne,
an Account of the Ceasing and Reviving of the Tolling of the Bell, from a Vestry Book belonging to it. Page 6
Altar, worshipping towards it. Page 29
Ambrose,
St. his Corps watched. Page 16
Anestese,
the Salutation of the
Greek
Church on
Easter
Day. Page 191
Angels, good and evil attending upon Men. Page 39
Anthony,
St. buries
Paul
the Hermite, 22. The Devil appears to him in the Wilderness. Page 78
Anselmn,
a Cannon of his against worshipping of Fountains. Page 66
Aparitions at Tombs. Page 61
Arthur,
King, how he observ'd thirteen Days at
Christmass.
Page 154
B.
BABYLAS,
his Body carried out with Psalmody. Page 22
Bede,
his Account of the Custom of Monasteries at the Death of any of the Brethren. Page 2
Bells, when first in the Church. Page 1
Tolling of them for the Dead, a Custom of the old Church of
England.
Page 3
Beersheba
the Name of
Abraham
's Well. Page 67
Bethany,
the Place where
Mary Magdalene
liv'd. Page 193
Bethlehem
the Village of Christ. Page 123
Blowing of Horns, when used. Page 200
Bonefires. Page 215
Bones of the Dead. Page 59
Brownists,
their Charge against Tolling the Bell. Page 5
Brutus,
his evil Genius appearing to him. Page 42
Buchanan.
Page 156
Burying with the Feet to the East, and the Head to the West, 31. Our Saviour so buried. Page 32
C.
CAKE, bak'd in Honour of the Virgin
Mary.
Page 158
Cake with a Bean in it, when used. Page 153
Candles, when lighted up in the Eastern Church. Page 133
Candlemass-Day.
Page 170
Cato.
Page 167
Cassian,
his Account of Spirits vanishing at Day-break. Page 48
Childermass-Day.
Page 163
CHRIST born about the Time of Cock-crow. Page 49
Christmass
Candle. Page 126
Christmass
Carol, what derived from. Page 139
First sung by the Angels. Page 49
Church-Yards. Page 60
Cloven Foot, the Devil appearing with it. Page 77
Cock-crow. Page 48
Collect for Aid against Perils. Page 46
Dr.
Comber,
his Discourse of the ancient Manner of burying. Page 33
Constantinople,
the Custom there on
Easter Eve.
Page 134
Crickets, ominous. Page 71
Crow, an ominous Bird. Page 70
Crowning the Corps, a Custom of the Heathens. Page 25
Crucifix. Page 111
Cypress, what it is an Emblem of. Page 19
D.
DANCING in Publick, forbid. Page 149
Days, lucky and unlucky. Page 163
Dead, how plac'd in the Grave. Page 33
Dead-Watch, ominous. Page 71
December,
how named of the ancient
Saxons.
Page 128
Dunstan,
St. took the Devil by the Nose. Page 85
E.
EAST, the Part of Heaven our Saviour ascended to. Page 31
Easter
Holy-Days. Page 196
Easter Sunday.
Page 188
Eastern
Magi.
Page 152
Edgar,
a Canon made in his Time against worshipping of Fountains, 67. And upon the Observation of
Saturday
Afternoon. Page 119
Egyptians,
their Guardian Angels. Page 221
Epiphany.
Page 133
Eseck,
the Name of a Well. Page 68
Eve
of St.
John Baptist,
how observ'd. Page 131
Exorcising a haunted House, what. Page 90
F.
FAIRIES. Page 82
Faunes, how they appeared. Page 78
Flora,
Goddess of Flowers. Page 202
Flowers straw'd on Graves. Page 26
Friday,
what observ'd on it, in exorcising an haunted House. Page 103
Fulk,
his Answer to the Papists in Defence of their
Palm-Sunday
Procession. Page 185
G.
GARLANDS of Flowers, when used. Page 25
Guardian Angels. Page 220
Genius evil, appearing to
Brutus.
Page 42
Ghosts departed, whether they appear again. Page 40
Goat, what it is an Emblem of. Page 79
Gloria in Excelsis.
Page 141
Grass, why plucked up by the
Jews.
Page 21
Grave, straw'd with Flowers. Page 26
Greens-ever, why used at Funerals. Page 19
Gregory,
a Tradition mention'd by him. Page 131
Guili.
Page 128
H.
HAGMENA,
what it signifies. Page 139
Hall,
Bish. his Opinion of the Soul-Bell. Page 7
Hallowed Bells.
ibid.
Hand-Ball. Page 198
Hare crossing the Way, an ill Omen. Page 70
Harvest-Supper. Page 229
Haunted House. Page 87
Hesperitius,
his House haunted. Page 113
Hilda,
St. her Death. Page 2
High Noon, what. Page 116
Holy Water. Page 111
Hooker,
Mr. his Custom at Parochial Perambulations. Page 207
Husbandmen, Observers of
Saturday
Afternoon. Page 116
I.
JACOB,
how he prepared to go and worship GOD. Page 120
Jerusalem,
a Tradition held by the holy Men of it. Page 32
Job,
his Visions of the Night. Page 43
John Baptist
's Eve, St. Page 210
Jonathan,
his asking a Sign. Page 72
Julia,
not the Original of
Yule,
Page 158
Ivy, why used at Funerals. Page 19
L.
LAUREL, why used at Funerals. Page 19
What it is an Emblem of at
Christmass.
Page 137
Laying of Spirits. Page 90
Ligatures. Page 165
Light, the Emblem of several Things, Page 130
Lock,
his Opinion of Aparitions. Page 41
M.
MAGPYE, its chattering Ominous. Page 71
Mamertus,
Bishop of
Vienna.
Page 205
Mary Magdalene,
guided by the Moon to the Sepulchre. Page 192
May-Poll.
Page 201
Mede,
Mr. his Opinion of the Manner of good and evil Spirits appearing Page 79
Maedrenack.
Page 127
Mell-Supper. Page 229
Mid-winter. Page 128
Miserere Animabus.
Page 9
Monica,
her Corps watched. Page 15
Monks, wrought in their Cells. Page 123
Morning Hymn, whether sung by the Angels. Page 53
Munday,
what observ'd on it, in exorcising an House. Page 92
Mumming. Page 147
N.
NABAL,
his Feast. Page 217
New Year. Page 142
Night, before
Easter.
Page 16
Night, the properest Time for the appearing of evil Spirits. Page 41
Non-conformists, their Objections against Ceremonies. Page 137
Noon-Song, what. Page 119
Noon-Tide.
ibid.
Northern Parts, the Place where Psalmody is chiefly observ'd. Page 22
Nurses, their Stories of bad Consequence to Children. Page 41
Nymphs, the Goddesses of Fountains. Page 69
O.
OL,
what it means. Page 128
Old Year, how ended. Page 142
Olivet,
Mount. Page 31
Omens, the Observation of them diabolical. Page 75
Ostriches, Bones. Page 166
Oswald,
St. his Words when dying. Page 9
Owl,
an ominous Bird. Page 71
P.
PALM-SUNDAY.
Page 183
Palms of good Works, what they are. Page 187
Panites,
how they appear'd. Page 78
Paul,
St. his Day. Page 159
Paul
the Hermite. Page 22
Paula,
buried at
Bethlehem. ibid.
Peace, of the Disciples. Page 10
Perambulations. Page 203
Plough-Man. Page 123
Plutarch,
his Story of the evil Genius of
Brutus.
Page 42
Popish Priests, famous among the Vulgar. Page 90
Power, of Prayer. Page 4
Prayers, for dying Persons. Page 11
Preparation for the
Sabboth,
what it is an Emblem of Page 125
Prudentius,
his Account of the vanishing of Spirits at Cock-crow. Page 47
Psalm, sung at watching the Corps. Page 15
Psalmody, used at Funerals. Page 22
Q.
QUEEN
Elizabeth,
an Injunction of hers. Page 207
R.
RAPHAEL,
the Angel. Page 86
Ravens, their Cry ominous. Page 70
Recreation lawful, not sinful. Page 198
Reformation, too great. Page 5
Reboboth,
the Name of a Well. Page 68
Resurrection of the same Body always the Opinion of the ancient Church. Page 35, 36
Rising early on
Easter
Day. Page 108
Rogation-Week, why so called. Page 205
Romish
Church filled the World with Apparitions Page 84
Rosemary, why used at Funerals. Page 19
S.
SABBATH-DAY,
what observed on it, in the Exorcising of an House. Page 105
Sacrifices to the Sun. Page 129
Salamis,
its Inhabitants how buried. Page 34
Salt, its falling ominous. Page 70
Satyrs, how they appeared Page 78
Saturday
Afternoon, how observed. Page 116
Saturnalia,
what it was. Page 148
Saxons,
why they used the Yule-Clog. Page 130
Scot,
Doctor, his Opinion of Ghosts in Church Yards. Page 63
Seghnirim,
how interpreted. Page 79
Sepulchre, how visited. Page 190
Shakespear,
his Account of Spirits vanishing at Cockcrow. Page 37
Sheep-sheering, its Feast. Page 216
Shepherds, whence they have had Apparitions. Page 77
Shrove-tide.
Page 178
Shrift.
ibid.
Sitnah,
the Name of a Well. Page 68
St.
Simeon.
Page 170
Simon
of
Sudbury.
Page 179
Sneezing when putting on the Shoes. Page 167
Song, New-Year's. Page 145
Spanish
Church, why it observ'd, not the
Rogation
Days. Page 205
Spirits, how they converse with Men. Page 79
Star which appear to the
Magi,
what it was an Emblem of. Page 132
Sunday,
what observed on it, in exorcising an House. Page 107
Sun-dancing on
Easter
Day. Page 188
Swithin,
his Day. Page 160
T.
TANZY-CAKE. Page 198
Tuesday,
what was observed on it, in the exorcising of an House. Page 92
Theophilact,
a Mistake of his. Page 230
Threshold. Page 167
Thumb. Page 166
Thursday,
what observed on it. Page 100
Tizri,
a Month of the
Jews.
Page 140
Tomb of Christ. Page 32
Tombs, Apparitions at them. Page 40
Twelfth-Day. Page 151
Twenty Days of
Christmass,
which. Page 155
V.
VALENTINE
Day. Page 174
Vigilia Luminum.
Page 135
Vine-dresser. Page 123
Vigil.
Page 117
W.
WALKING Places of Spirits. Page 84
Watching with the Corps, an ancient Custom of the Church. Page 15
Watches, four of the Night, how imploy'd by the primitive Christians. Page 45
Wax-Candles. Page 172
Wednesday,
what observ'd on it in exorcising an House. Page 97
Wells. Page 66
Whitby,
Doctor, an Opinion of the
Jews
from him, about Midnight Spirits. Page 45
William
King of
Scots.
Page 118
Windows adorn'd with Laurel. Page 136
Winter's Evening, how spent by the Country People. Page 76
Wishing a good New-Year. Page 73
Wives-Feast-Day. Page 170
Y.
YULE-CLOG. Page 126
What it may be an Emblem of.
ibid.
Yule-Eve. Page 135
FINIS.