in accident; they are continued without design; the popularity of a name recommends them to respect; one imitates another: and thus, or ever we are aware, they glide into the worship of God, and usurp the dignity of his institutions.” And again, “It seems evident that they crept into the church by degrees; that custom regardless of the reason of things, and equally tenacious of the wrong as of the right, transmitted them to posterity; and that undistinguishing habit, and the belief of the cradle, have numbered them with the ordinances of Jesus Christ.”[1]
It is more than probable, that they were gradually introduced during the prevalence of Episcopacy, and of the cruel persecution by which it was introduced and established against the general sentiment of the nation, during the first forty years of the 17th century. In the course of this period, many godly conscientious ministers were banished to Ireland, where they preached with great success, and from whence they occasionally visited their native land, ⟨to⟩ preach to their countrymen. On those occasions, ⟨the⟩ people crowded from all parts of the country ⟨to⟩ hear them, and to enjoy the Lord’s Supper in the way to which they had been accustomed. Nothing was more natural than that the people, who ⟨had⟩ literally a famine of the word of God, should ⟨in⟩ those occasions eagerly desire as many sermons ⟨as⟩ could be afforded; and that those godly men ⟨should⟩, as far as possible, gratify them. Saturday ⟨and⟩ Monday sermons, were therefore, exceedingly ⟨natural⟩, when crowds were collected at the appointed places, on, or before Saturday, who could ⟨not⟩ retire to their homes till the following week.— It is indeed probable, that such occurrences ⟨occasionally⟩ at least, took place previously to the
- ↑ Letters on frequent Communion.— Letter 6th.
