From their constant Attendance upon all the Solemnities of Public Worship.-8. Secondly, From their Zeal in frequenting Religious As- semblies, even in Times of Persecution.-9. Thirdly, From their stu- dious Observation of the Vigils, or Nocturnal Assemblies preceding the Lord's Day.-10. Fourthly, From their Attendance upon Sermons in many Places twice on this Day.-11. Fifthly, From their Attendance on Evening Prayers, where there was no Sermon.-12. Sixthly, From the Censures inflicted on those, who violated the Laws concerning the SECT. 1.-The Saturday, or Sabbath, always observed in the Eastern Church as a Festival.-2. Observed with the same Religious Solemni- ties as the Lord's Day.-3. But in some other Respects the Preference was given to the Lord's Day.-4. Why the Ancient Church continued the Observation of the Jewish Sabbath.-5. Why it was kept as a Festival in the Oriental Church.-6. And why a Fast in the Roman, and SECT. 1.-The Nativity of Christ anciently by some said to be in May.--2. By others fixed to the Day of Epiphany, or Sixth of January.-3. In the Latin Church always observed on the Twenty-fifth of December.- 4. The Original of this Festival derived from the Apostolical Age by some Ancient Writers.-5. This Festival observed with the same Reli- gious Veneration as the Lord's Day.-6. Of Epiphany as a Distinct Festival.-7. Why this Day called by some the Second Epiphany, and Dies Luminum, the Day of Lights.-8. Celebrated as all other great Festivals, and in one Respect more noted, as being in the Greek Church one of the Three Solemn Times of Baptism.-9. Notice usually given on Epiphany concerning the Time of Easter in the ensuing Year. SECT. 1.-The Paschal Solemnity anciently reckoned Fifteen Days, the pened upon.-4. They who kept it on the Lord's Day, did not always agree to fix it on the same Lord's Day, by Reason of their different Calculations.-5. But they all agreed to pay a great Respect and Honour to it, as to the Day of our Lord's Resurrection.-6. On this Day the Emperors granted a general Release to the Prisons, and pardoned all Criminals, except some few that were guilty of Crimes of a more unpardonable Nature.-7. At this Time also it was usual more than ordinary for Men to show their Charity to Slaves by granting them their Freedom.-8. And to the Poor by Liberal Donations.-9. The whole Week after Easter Day celebrated with Sermons, Communions, &c. as Part of the same Festival.-10. All Public Games prohibited during this whole Season.-11. And all Proceedings at Law, except in some Special and Extraordinary Cases.-12. The Sunday after Easter, commonly called Dominica Nova, and Dominica in Albis, observed with great Solemnity, as the Conclusion of the Paschal Festival. CHAP. VI. Of Pentecost, or Whitsuntide. SECT. 1.-Pentecost taken in a double Sense among the Ancients. First, for the Fifty Days between Easter and Whitsuntide; and Secondly, for the Single Day of Pentecost.-2. During which Time the Church chiefly exercised Herself in Reading and Meditating upon the Acts of the Apostles, as the great Confirmation of our Lord's Resurrection.-3. All Fasting and Kneeling at Prayers prohibited at this Season, as on the Lord's Day.-4. And all Public Games and Stage Plays; but not Pleading at Law forbidden, or Bodily Labour.-5. Of Ascension Day, its Antiquity and Observation.-6. Of Pentecost in the stricter Sense, as denoting the Festival of the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles. CHAP. VII. Of the Festivals of the Apostles and Martyrs. SECT. 1.-The Original of the Festivals of Martyrs.-2. Why called their Natalitia, or Birth Days.-3. These Festivals usually kept at the Graves of the Martyrs.-4. And mostly confined to those particular Churches, where the Martyrs Suffered and lay Buried.-5. Usual to read the Acts or Passions of the Martyrs, on their proper Festivals.-6. And to make Panegyrical Orations upon them.-7. The Communion always administered upon these Days.-8. And herein a particular Commemoration of the Martyrs was made, called the Oblation, or Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving to God for them, and Prayer for a general Consummation and happy Resurrection.-9. The Night preceding any of these Festivals commonly observed as a Vigil, with Psalmody and Prayers.-10. Common Entertainments made by the Rich for the Use of the Poor upon these Festivals at the Graves of the Martyrs, till Abuses caused them to be laid aside.-11. What Festivals observed in Memory of the Apostles.-12. The Festival of the Holy Innocents.-13. The Festival of the Maccabees.-14. Of the General Festival of all the Martyrs. CHAP. VIII. Of some other Festivals of a later Date and lesser Observation. SECT. 1. Of the Encæniæ, or Feasts of Dedications of Churches.-2. Of the Anniversary Festivals of Bishops' Ordinations.-3. Of Festivals kept in Memory of any great Deliverances or signal Mercies vouchsafed by God to his Church.-4. Of the Feast of the Annunciation.-5. Of the Festival called Hypapante, afterward Purification and Candlemas Day.-6. The Original of Festivals in Honour of Confessors and other Holy Men. BOOK XXI. OF THE FASTS IN USE IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH. CHAP. I. Of the Quadragesimal or Lent Fast. SECT. 1.-What this Fast was originally, Forty Days or Forty_Hours.--2. Some Probability that at first it was only a Fast of Forty Hours, or the Two Days from the Passion to the Resurrection.-3. Great Variety in Point of Time observable in the Celebration of this Fast in many Churches.-4. Lent consisted not of above Thirty Six Fasting Days in any Church till the Time of Gregory the Great, because all Sundays were universally excepted out of the Fast, and all Saturdays except one in all the Eastern Churches.-5. Who first added Ash Wednesday and the other Three Days in the Roman Church to the beginning of Lent.6. Whether the Ancients reputed Lent to be an Apostolical Institution. -7. In what Sense some of them say it is a Divine Institution.-8. How far allowed to be a Tradition or Canon Apostolical.-9. What were the Causes or Reasons of instituting the Lent Fast. 1st. The Apostles' Sorrow for the Loss of their Master.-10. 2dly, The Declension of Christian Piety from its first and Primitive Fervor.-11. 3dly, That Men might prepare themselves for a worthy Participation of the Communion at Easter.-12. 4thly, That Catechumens might prepare themselves for Baptism.-13. And Penitents for Absolution at Easter.---14. Lent generally observed by all Christians, though with a great Liberty and just Allowance to Men's Infirmities, being in a great measure left to their own Discretion.-15. How the Montanists differed from the Church about the Imposition of Fasts.-16. The Lent Fast kept with a perfect Abstinence from all Food every Day till Evening.-17. Change of Diet not accounted a proper Fast for Lent, without perfect Abstinence till Evening. -18. What they spared in à Dinner not spent in Evening Luxury, but bestowed on the Poor.-19. All Corporeal Punishments forbidden by the Imperial Laws in Lent.-20. Religious Assemblies and Sermons every Day in Lent.---21. And frequent Communions, especially on the Sabbath and the Lord's Day.---22. All Public Games and Stage Plays prohibited at this Season.---23. As also the Celebration of all Festivals, Birth-days and Marriages, as unsuitable to the present Occasion.---24. The great Week before Easter observed with greater Strictness and Solemnity.--25. What meant by the Fasts, called vπepéσeç and Superpositiones, Superpository Additional Fasts in this Week.---26. Of their several Sorts of Abstinence.-27. Christians more liberal in their Alms and Charity this Week above others.---28. This Week a Week of Rest and Liberty for Servants.--29. A general Release granted at this Time by the Emperors to all Prisoners, both Debtors and Criminals, some particular Cases of Criminals only excepted.-30. All Processes at Law, as well Civil as Criminal, suspended this whole Week before Easter.-31. The Thursday in this Week how observed -32. Of the Passion Day, or the Pasch of our Lord's Crucifixion.-33. Of the Saturday or Great Sabbath before Easter. CHAP. II. Of the Fasts of the Four Seasons; of Monthly Fasts, and the Original of Ember Weeks and Rogation Days. SECT. 1.-The Fast of March, or the first Month the same with the Lent Fast.-2. The Fast of Pentecost.-3. The Fast of the Seventh Month, or the Autumnal Fast.-4. The Advent or Nativity Fast, called the Fast of December, or the Tenth Month.-5. The Fast at Epiphany.-6. Of Monthly Fasts.-7. The Original of the Four Ember Weeks, or Ordination Fasts.-8. The Original of the Rogation Fast. CHAP. III. Of the Weekly Fasts of Wednesdays and Fridays, or the Stationary Days of the Ancient Church. SECT. 1.-The Original of these Fasts.-2. The Reasons of their Institution.-3. How they differed from the Lent Fast and all others in Point of Duration.-4. With what Solemnity they were observed.-5. How the Catholics and Montanists disputed about the Observation of them.6. How the Wednesday Fast came to be changed to Saturday in the Western Churches. BOOK XXII, OF THE MARRIAGE RITES OBSERVED IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH. CHAP. I. A short Account of the Heretics, who condemned or vilified Marriage anciently, under Pretence of greater Purity and Perfection; and of such also as gave licence to Community of Wives and Fornication. SECT. 1.-Community of Wives first taught by Simon Magus.-2. Afterward by Saturnilus and the Nicolaitans, and many others.-3. Hence arose the Calumny of the Gentiles against the Christians in general, that they practised Impurity in their Religious Assemblies.-4. These Doctrines being fetched from the very Dregs of Gentilism, and scandalous in the Eyes of sober Heathens.-5. Marriage condemned as unlawful by Tatian and the Encratites.-6. Also by the Apostolici or Apotactici.7. By the Manichees, Severians and Archontici.-8. By the Hieracians, and Eustathians.-9. Who were condemned in the Council of Gangra, and those called the Apostolical Canons.-10. The Error of the Montanists about Second Marriages; and of the Novatians also. CHAP. II. Of the just Impediments of Marriage in particular Cases, shewing, what Persons might, or might not be lawfully joined together; and of the Times and Seasons when the Celebration of Marriage was forbidden. SECT. 1.-Christians not to marry with Infidels, or Jews, or Heretics, or any of a different Religion.-2. All Christians obliged to acquaint the Church with their Designs of Marriage before they completed it.-3. Not to marry with Persons of near Alliance either by Consanguinity or Affinity, to avoid suspicion of Incest.-4. Children under Age not to marry without the Consent of their Parents or Guardians or next Relations.-5. Slaves not to marry without Consent of their Masters. -6. Persons of Superior Rank not to marry Slaves.-7. Judges of Provinces not to marry any Provincial Woman during the Year of their Administration.-8. Widows not to marry again till Twelve Months after |