He instructed them also, that as by the second Commandment we are
required not to bow down to, or worship an idol, or false god; so,
by the contrary rule, we are to bow down and kneel, or stand up and
worship the true God. And he instructed them why the Church required
the congregation to stand up at the repetition of the Creeds; namely,
because they thereby declare both their obedience to the Church, and
an assent to that faith into which they had been baptized. And he
taught them, that in that shorter Creed or Doxology, so often repeated
daily, they also stood up to testify their belief to be, that "the God
that they trusted in was one God, and three persons; the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost; to whom they and the Priest gave glory." And
because there had been heretics that had denied some of those three
persons to be God, therefore the congregation stood up and honoured
him, by confessing and saying, "It was so in the beginning, is now so,
and shall ever be so world without end." And all gave their assent to
this belief, by standing up and saying, Amen.
[Sidenote: Commemorations]
He instructed them also what benefit they had by the Church's
appointing the celebration of holidays and the excellent use of them,
namely, that they were set apart for particular commemorations of
particular mercies received from Almighty God; and--as Reverend Mr.
Hooker says--to be the landmarks to distinguish times; for by them we
are taught to take notice how time passes by us, and that we ought
not to let the years pass without a celebration of praise for those
mercies which those days give us occasion to remember, and therefore
they were to note that the year is appointed to begin the 25th day
of March; a day in which we commemorate the Angel's appearing to the
Blessed Virgin, with the joyful tidings that "she should conceive and
bear a son, that should be the Redeemer of mankind." And she did so
forty weeks after this joyful salutation; namely, at our Christmas:
a day in which we commemorate his Birth with joy and praise: and
that eight days after this happy birth we celebrate his Circumcision;
namely, in that which we call New-year's day. And that, upon that day
which we call Twelfth-day, we commemorate the manifestation of the
unsearchable riches of Jesus to the Gentiles: and that that day we
also celebrate the memory of his goodness in sending a star to guide
the three Wise Men from the East to Bethlehem, that they might there
worship, and present him with their oblations of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. And he--Mr. Herbert--instructed them, that Jesus was forty
days after his birth presented by his blessed Mother in the Temple;
namely, on that day which we call, "The Purification of the Blessed
Virgin, Saint Mary."
[Sidenote: Other instructions]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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