st for the exercise of religion,
as if he had so great power in sacred as in civil things.

_Sect._ 6. The Bishop hath yet a third dart to throw at us: "If the church
(saith he)(168) hath power, upon occasional motives, to appoint occasional
fasts or festivities, may not she, for constant and eternal blessings,
which do infinitely excel all occasional benefits, appoint ordinary times
of commemoration or thanksgiving?" _Ans._ There are two reasons for which
the church may and should appoint fasts or festivities upon occasional
motives, and neither of them agreeth with ordinary festivities. 1.
Extraordinary fasts, either for obtaining some great blessing, or averting
some great judgment, are necessary means to be used in such cases,
likewise, extraordinary festivities are necessary testifications of our
thankfulness for the benefits which we have impetrate by our extraordinary
fasts, but ordinary festivities, for constant and eternal blessings, have
no necessary use. The celebration of set anniversary days is no necessary
mean for conserving the commemoration of the benefits of redemption,
because we have occasion, not only every Sabbath day, but every other day,
to call to mind these benefits, either in hearing, or reading, or
meditating upon God's word. _Dies Christo dicatos tollendos existimo
judicoque_, saith Danaeus(169) _quotidie nobis in evangelii proedicatione
nascitur, circumciditur, moritur, resurgit Christus._ God hath given his
church a general precept for extraordinary fasts, Joel i. 14, ii. 15, as
likewise for extraordinary festivities to praise God, and to give him
thanks in the public assembly of his people, upon the occasional motive of
some great benefit which, by the means of our fasting and praying, we have
obtained, Zech. viii. 19 with vii. 3. If it be said that there is a
general command for set festivities, because there is a command for
preaching and hearing the word, and for praising God for his benefits; and
that there is no precept for particular fasts more than for particular
festivities, I answer: Albeit there is a command for preaching and hearing
the word, and for praising God for his benefits, yet is there no command
(no, not in the most general generality) for annexing these exercises of
religion to set anniversary days more than to other days; whereas it is
plain, that there is a general command for fasting and humiliation at some
times more than at other times. And as for particularities,