I desire to be Resolved of this Question Why the new Re­formers discharges the keeping of Easter?

The reason for this Query is,
I Conceive the Celebration of this Feast was instituted by the same authority, which changed the Jewish Sabboth into the Lords Day or Sunday, for it will not be found in Scripture where Saturday is discharged to be kept, or turned into the Sunday, wherefore it must be the Churches authority that changed the one and instituted the other; Therefore My opinion is that those who will not keepe this Feast, may as well returne to the observation of Saturday and refuse the weekely Sunday; when any bodie can shew Me that herein I am in an error I shall not be ashamed to confesse and a­mend it. Tell when you know my minde,

I Cannot but from the blessed Example of our Saviour (who was in his Age a new Refor­mer of old errors, viz. The false glosses of the Scribes and Pharises, Mat. 5. 20.) but accompt all such Reformers in our times, blessed also; but for the keeping of Easter although I know not any Ordinance of Parliament discharging it; yet with submission to better judgments, I in all du­tifulnesse conceive that Your Majesties Reason upon which Your Queery is built, hath a great mistake even in the foundation of it, You being pleased to lay this for a ground that the change of the Sabboth, and the Institution of Easter are by one and the same equall authority and Eccle­siasticall Decree, which with Your Majesties fa­vour I cannot yeild to, for I humbly conceive that the change of the Jewish Sabboth (the comme­moration of the worke of the Creation) unto the Lords day, the remembrance of that greaterwork (the worke of Redemption finished upon this day of the Lords Resurrection) was by no lesse then by Divine authority, because the keeping of one day in seven as a Sabboth to God, was not on­ly [Page 3] sanctified and set a part by Gods own example in the Creation, Gen. 2. ver. 3. and accordingly ob­served by the Israelites many weekes before the Law was given Ex. 16. ver. 23. but is one of the ten Commandements delivered by Gods own voyce, on Mount Sinay, Written by his owne finger in Tables of stone, commanded by himselfe to be put into the Arke of the Covenant, which deca­logue or ten Commandements, are also by our blessed Saviour in his Sermon upon the Mount, de­clared to be the rule of his peoples morall obedi­ence unto the end of the World, Mat. 5. 17. And in the following part of that Sermon, wherein hee vindicates the Law from the corrupt glosses of the Scribes and Pharises; He instances only in morall duties and morall Lawes, from all which Divines generally infer that the Decalogue is to continue in force unto the worlds end; And therefore it seemes most apparent that no authority that is in­ferior to that which appointed the seventh day from the Creation to be the Sabboth, could abro­gate that day and appoint another day to be used instead of it, because neither the Law of Na­ture nor the holy Scripture doth any where give the least intimation, that any humane power may change any of the Commandements of God, and indeed so many absurdities would follow upon such an assertion, that I am confident Your Maje­jesty will not own it; It remaines therefore that the change of the day must needs be the worke of Christ himselfe, or of his Apostles, who were Divinely inspired, Acts 15. 21. And to [Page 4] prove that it was so, viz. That by Divine in­stitution, the Lords day now succeeds in the room of the Jewish Sabboth, I shall use no other Ar­guments then those which I finde in learned Bi­shop Andrewes his Speech in the Star Chamber at the Censure of Mr. Traske; who expresly saith, that it hath ever beene the Churches Doctrine that Christ made an end of all Sab­boths by his Sabboth in the Grave; And that presently the Lords Day came in the place of it, And that according to Austens judgement, The Lords Day is declared to be the Christian Sabboth by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which the said Bishop not only saith, but proveth by these Arguments, first because he then began the new world Heb. 1. 2. by whom he made the world, the first world which ended with his buriall, the second world or new creation which began with his resurrection; secondly because the foure E­vangelists say Christ rose una Sabbatorum, that is the first day of the weeke; thirdly the Apostles kept their holy meetings on that day, to Preach and Pray and Celebrate the Lords Supper, Act. 20. 7. fourthly the day is called the Lords day, not onely in the Apostles time, but by the Apo­stle John himselfe, Revel. 1. 10. And he fur­ther addes that this epithite (Dominicum) in the Scripture is onely applied to these two, the Lords day and the Lords Supper, to shew that they are both to be taken alike in the Scripture: fifthly he saith wee have not onely example but expresse precept for it, 1 Cor. 16. 2. that upon [Page 5] the first day of the weeke which was the day of their Assembly, then collections o [...] oblations should be made; and lastly he affirmes that in all ages of the Church this day was observed; To this I may adde our Saviours rest upon that day from his workes, Heb. 4▪10. His often visiting his Apostles during the forty daies after his re­surrection, upon that day speaking of the things appertaining to the Kingdome of God, Act. 1. 3. Now what more materiall thing was there to be declared to them then this, the change of the Sabboth, and the appointing a set time for his worship, he accordingly appearing thrice upon the first day of the weeke, besides his being seen of the women, Mat. 28. 9. to teach and instruct his Disciples, first to the two Disciples that went to Emmaus, Luk. 24. 15. secondly to the Apostles when Thomas was absent, John. 20. ver. 19. and the third time when Thomas was present, Iohn. 20. 26. As also observe that those wonderfull and extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were pou­red out according to his promise upon the Apo­stles and Church (then) met together, Act. 2. 1. The day of Penticost being the morrow after the seaventh sabboth, to be accompted from the day of the sheafe-offering, Levit. 23. 15. by all which he seemes to have honoured and set apart that day above others for his service; lastly this being a principall institution might probably be one of those decrees ordained by the Apostles as well as that concerning the sacrament, 1 Cor. 11. 34. and delivered by Paul to the Churches in all the Cities [Page 6] through which he passed, Act. 16. ve. 4. But for the observation of Easter to be an annuall festivall to Christians I finde nothing in the holy Scrip­ture, and your Majestie is pleased to place it on­ly upon the Churches authority; And although I will not contend about the Churches power of Institution of such things as are simply indiffe­rent, yet I suppose I may boldly assert that such things as are instituted onely by Ecclesiasticall Authority, having no footesteps in the Scrip­ture, may be by Ecclesiasticall Authority be al­tered and laid aside.