is,
for meat or drink taken, or for any holiday, or any part of an holiday
neglected.(179) Two other reasons the Apostle giveth in this place against
festival days; one, ver. 17, What should we do with the shadow, when we
have the body? another, ver. 20, Why should we be subject to human
ordinances, since through Christ we are dead to them, and have nothing ado
with them? Now, by the same reasons are all holidays to be condemned, as
taking away Christian liberty; and so, that which the Apostle saith doth
militate as well against them as against any other holidays; for whereas
it might be thought, that the Apostle doth not condemn all holidays,
because both he permitteth others to observe days, Rom. xiv. 5, and he
himself also did observe one of the Jewish feasts, Acts xviii. 21: it is
easily answered, that our holidays have no warrant from these places,
except our opposites will say, that they esteem their festival days holier
than other days, and that they observe the Jewish festivities, neither of
which they do acknowledge, and if they did, yet they must consider, that
that which the Apostle either said or did hereanent, is to be expounded
and understood of bearing with the weak Jews, whom he permitted to esteem
one day above another, and for whose cause he did, in his own practice,
thus far apply himself to their infirmity at that time when they could not
possibly be as yet fully and thoroughly instructed concerning Christian
liberty, and the abrogation of the ceremonial law, because the gospel was
as yet not fully propagated; and when the Mosaical rites were like a dead
man not yet buried, as Augustine's simile runs. So that all this can make
nothing for holidays after the full promulgation of the gospel, and after
that the Jewish ceremonies are not only dead, but also buried, and so
deadly to be used by us. Hence it is, that the Apostle will not bear with
the observation of days in Christian churches, who have known God, as he
speaks.

_Sect._ 2. The defenders of holidays answer to these places which we
allege against them, that the Apostle condemneth the observation of
Judaical days, not of ecclesiastical days, which the church instituteth
for order and policy; which evasion Bishop Lindsey(180) followeth so hard,
that he sticketh not to hold, that "all the days whereof the Apostle
condemneth the observation were Judaical days prescribed in the ceremonial
law," &c. And this he is not contented to maintain himself,