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in tents, as wanderers in the wilderness. So that with these, in common with other minor ceremonies, the miraculous events in the Jewish history were completely interwoven, and being so, the importance of a strict and perfect observance of them became essential; and a reference to the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, in which these ceremonies are commanded, will prove their admirable fitness to the then condition of the particular nation upon whom their observance was enjoined, and the essentially moral, as well as benevolent, objects with which they were attended, But, although the Jewish ritual appoints no days in commemoration of their really eminent men-their "heroes," to adopt the church phrasethe Christians, as they call themselves, in after times were careful to supply this great defect; and one of the reasons given for the establishment of Advent, or the forty days fast prior to what is styled the "coming of Christ," is—that "it was instituted in honour of the fast of Moses; as that "of Lent was in honour of the fast of Christ; and that as "Moses, by a fast of forty days upon the mount, was prepared to receive the two tables of the law from God, so it "is incumbent upon Christians to prepare themselves, by a "like abstinence, for the reception of the eternal word, the "true and great lawgiver coming in the flesh."-See Shepperd's Elucidation of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Churches of England and Ireland, 1801. But how desperate must have been the condition of that church which in "decreeing rites and ceremonies" is thus driven to institute a forty days' fast, in honour of an event, of which the individuals immediately concerned took no special cognizance;and which the Jewish people, though much addicted to ceremonial establishments, passed by, without observance; equally when they were the chosen nation of God, as since the dissolution of their polity, How absurd, too, is the conduct of this "holy church" in its " decrees;" for even if there had been such a fast among the Jews, unless it had been commanded to be continued by Jesus, those who observe it would, to the extent of this ceremony, constitute themselves Jews, not Christians; and then, indeed, they must really "fast" not as by the present mode, in which even the most rigid of the saints are permitted the "free use of oil, of wine, "and of all sorts of fish."*

*The season for observing this last fast, which we are told is "incumbent upon Christians," was, like Christmas, even among the holy fathers, subject to considerable variations: and some hot disputes arose in

But, in looking at the two codes of ceremonies in question, and without running a parallel between them-without even glancing at the really moral character of the Jewish, and at the pagan and immoral character of the English church calendar

without observing that the one had time, place, season, and object distinctly set forth-and that the other, which may be (according to the Book of Common Prayer)" varied "according to the various exigencies of times and occasions" -without referring to the authority of the one, which had God for its institutor-and of the other, which rests on a claim of the "church" to "decree rites and ceremonies," we would contend that, separate and apart from any of these considerations, the church calendar would not possess the slightest claim to the character of Christian; as we should contend that no ceremony, be it a fast or a festival, could be binding upon Christians, unless distinctly and positively appointed-not by Moses-but by Jesus. But, upon looking to this latter source, to him who only can be the lawgiver in Christianity, we find that his mission was to destroy those "shadows of things that were to come;" that the whole spirit and genius of his religion was opposed to ceremonial observances; and also that that great follower in his footsteps, the apostle Paul, expresses alarm for those Christians who had evinced a taste for their former bondage," from which they had been delivered by having "known God, or rather being known of God; how then" (exclaims he)" turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements of this world, by observing new moons and sabbaths, and days and months, and seasons and years. I am afraid of you," (says this greatest of the apostles) "lest I have "bestowed upon you labour in vain."

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The moral value of religious festivals will be best estimated by a reference to the ancient, as well as modern, authorized practices and observances appointed for those days. Though, if such facts did not exist, we should still find some difficulty in discovering how, in the language of

consequence, as the Missals of Ambrose and Gregory materially differed in relation to it. The church, therefore, being resolved to decide the controversy, appealed to a miracle. The two Missals were laid upon the altar of the cathedral of Milan, the church doors shut and sealed; in the morning Gregory's Missal was found torn in pieces, and Ambrose's placed upon the altar in a posture of being read; this might have appeared final against poor Gregory-but a power behind the altar, greater than the altar itself, sagely decided that Gregory's Missal being torn and scattered about, it should be used all over the world, and Ambrose's only in the church of Milan!

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"the

22 "the

the Book of Common Prayer, the " dull mind of man could
"be stirred up to a remembrance of his duty to God," by
an observance, for example, of the ember days; the three
rogation days; the days of the holy innocents; the nativity—
with their accompanying vigils-of Jesus and his apostles;
the purification of the virgin; or of the forty days of lent;
except, indeed, in regard to the latter, virtue can be
extracted from an act of parliament passed in 1549; in
which we are apprised "That though all days and meats
are in themselves alike, yet fasting being a great help
"to virtue, and to the subduing of the body to the mind;
"and that all persons, excepting the weak, or those that
"have the king's licence, shall, under several penalties,
fast; yet a distinction of meats being conducive to the
"advancement of the fishing trade, and therefore be it
"enacted that Lent, and all Saturdays, and Fridays, and
"ember days, shall be fish days." Neither can we dis-
cover religious truth, or much which should cause
"the
"dull mind of man" to venerate the Deity, in the instructions
given, in connexion with the festival of the "holy virgin,"
in which she is styled "the empress of heaven;"
queen of heaven;" "the lady of the universe;"
only hope of sinners ;" and where she is called upon "to
"command God her son to forgive those which he had
"forgotten, but now did it not for their-but for her sake."
Although the church of England may not fairly be charge-
able, in its festival dedicated to the virgin, with blasphemy
to the full extent of that above stated, yet the difference is
one of degree, not of kind, or of object; for, in regard to its
festivals, in common with every other part of its establish-
ment, the approach to its great prototype is so close, and
the imitation so perfect, that it is justly complimented by
Butler, the modern and liberal Roman catholic writer, in
his article on "The Church of France," in the following
unqualified manner: "Of all protestant churches the
"national church of England most nearly resembles the
"church of Rome. It has retained much of her dogma,
"and much of her discipline. Down to the sub-deacon it
"has retained the whole of her hierarchy; and, like her, has
"deans, chapters, prebends, archdeacons, rectors, and
"vicars; a liturgy taken, in a great measure, from the
catholic; and composed like it, of psalms, canticles, the
"three creeds, litanies, epistles, gospels, prayers, and
responses. Both churches have the sacraments of baptism
"and the eucharist; the absolution of the sick; the burial

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"service; the sign of the cross in baptism; the reservation "of confirmation and order to bishops; the different "episcopal and sacerdotal dress; the organ; a cathedral service; FEASTS AND FASTS. Without adopting all the "general councils of the church of Rome, the church of England has adopted the first three of them; and without acknowledging the authority of the other councils, or the authority of the fathers, the English divines of the "established church allow that the early councils, and early fathers, are entitled to a high degree of respect.'

Such approbation from a catholic writer must be rather humiliating to that class of easy, unread churchmen, who shudder at very the name of popery. It is, however, well merited; and both churches have proved themselves diligent imitators of their heathen instructors; in support of which, as it regards the church of England, and in relation to the subject of the present article, we refer to its "CALENDAR❞ a term which, in common with its contents, is of heathen origin→→ calendar, or kalendar, from calendarium; invented by Numa; for making known to his subjects all matters relative to their feasts or ceremonies, The "Christian Calendar," then of the church of England, (part of which is adopted by Mr. Belsham, in what ought to be entitled "The Essex Street Missal,") consists of the following days; which Nelson, in his "Companion to the Fasts and Festivals of "the Church of England," asserts are designed to "improve "the HOLY SEASONS to the advantage of our souls;" they are divided into two classes. First, Of those which are moveable, and therefore dependant upon Easter, there are eight. Secondly, Of immoveable feasts there are eighty-one, Besides these there are of vigils, fasts, and days of absti nence seventy-one; together with all the Fridays in the year, and "four certain solemn days for particular services," two of which are appropriated to that religious explosion, the gunpowder plot, and to the memory of our pious saint, Charles I., whose death is somewhat oddly termed a "martyrdom," making altogether 216 days; being more than half the year set apart by the law of the land, and by the solemn injunctions of the Book of Common Prayer, for religious observance;-to disregard which we are apprized "is no small offence before God." Now, as it would be tedious and unprofitable to trace up in detail this

*The Philological and Biographical Works of Charles Butler, of Lincoln's Inn, vol. 5, p. 176.-Clarke and Sons, 1817.

mass of absurdity, we shall confine ourselves to the more prominent days and seasons, beginning with Christmas day, which is held in commemoration of the nativity of our "Lord Jesus Christ;" then proceed to the "holy week," taking in Holy, or Good Friday, this period being "in "remembrance of Christ's passion and crucifixion;" then lent; from thence to Sundays, which, whether they be regarded as festivals instituted by the church, or as sabbaths in continuation of the Jewish institutions, or as having a reference to both, we design to prove, in common with the other days just named, are all without Christian authority -are violations of the religion of Jesus, and have for their chief, if not for their sole models, either Jewish observances, or generally the superstitious rites and ceremonies of the heathen nations.

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The "feast of the nativity," or Christmas day, is now held in Europe on the 25th December, in honour, as it is said, of the birth of Jesus, upon which day we are instructed, by the highest church authorities, to have in our minds great admiration of God"—"great thankfulness to the "blessed Jesus for consenting to be born on this day;" yet in despite of all this piety, this gratitude, and this high authority, we do not find that "Christ's nativity" was a matter ever referred to by Jesus himself:* we may safely infer, indeed, that it was an event never celebrated during his life, or after his resurrection, by his personal friends, by his apostles, or by the first Christians:-and we know that the second century gave birth to this "great festival," a period in church history in which little of Christianity remained, it having been corrupted by, and amalgamated with heathenism. The day of Jesus' birth, too, has been a matter of much laborious investigation, and not altogether without cause; for chronological accuracy with a church which "decrees rites and ceremonies," is supposed to

* The two first chapters of Matthew, and of Luke, in which such obscene stories are told, and such monstrous absurdities are recorded, concerning the birth of Jesus, are now admitted by the best authorities, to be forgeries; in proof of this assertion we refer the reader to Pope on the Miraculous Conception; Lardner's Works, vol. 1; Dr. Williams' "Free Inquiry; Priestly's Early Opinions; Evanson's Dissonance; the " Improved Version" of the New Testament; and the Freethinking Christians' Magazine for 1814. All, indeed, that we know of the commencement of the public life of Jesus, and of his age, is that the holy spirit descended upon him-that a voice from heaven proclaimed him to be the well-beloved son of God; and that at this time "Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being the son "of Joseph." Luke iii. 23.