Cafting out Devils (he adds) is mere juggling; they never cast out any but what they firft caft in. They do it where for Reverence no Man fhall dare to examine it; they do it in a Corner, in a Mortice-hole, not in the Market-place. They do nothing but what may be done by Art; they make the Devil fly out of the Window in the Likeness of a Bat, or a Rat. Why do they not hold him? Why in the Likeness of a Bat, or a Rat, or some Creature? that is, Why not in fome Shape we paint him in, with Claws and Horns? Anfwer may be made to his pertinent Queftion, that real Bats and Rats may be procured-but every Carver is not to be trufted with the making of a horned or clovenfooted Image of the Devil.

Impious and antichriftian Rome*! it is impoffible to fay how much thou haft prejudiced the Cause of manly and rational Religion by these, and the like thy childish (to give no harfher Name to thy) Fooleries and Superftitions!

*In an Age when every wretched Sophifter, drawing his Conclufions from falfe Premifes, wishes to confound the pure Spirit of Chriftian Philofophy with thefe and the like Adulterations of it, I muft at least be pardoned for obtruding the fubfequent Eulogy, extracted from an old Tragedy;-no profeffed Divine has perhaps ever exhibited more forcibly the Grandeur and Utility of Chriftianity, than these few Lines do:

"If thefe are Chriftian Virtues, I am Chriftian,

"The Faith that can infpire this generous Change,

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Muft be divine-and glows with all its God!

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Friendship and Conftancy and Right and Pity,
"All these were Leffons I had learn'd before,
"But this unnatural Grandeur of the Soul
"Is more than mortal, and outreaches Virtue;
"It draws, it charms, it binds me to be Chriftian!"

Hill's Alzira.

СНАР

CHA P. XII.

Of Saturday Afternoon; how obferved of old, by the ancient Chriftians, the Church of Scotland, and the old Church of England: What End we should obferve it for: An Exhortation to the Obfervation of it.

no great Conqueft, to obferve fome particular Times with fome Ceremonies, which were customary in the Days of our Fore-fathers: Such are the great Festivals of Christmas, Eafter, and several others, which they obferve with Rites and Customs appropriated to them.

Among these we find a great Deference paid to Saturday Afternoon, above the other worky Days of the Week: Then the Labours of the Plough ceaft, and Refreshment and Eafe are over all the Village.

This feems to be the Remains of a laudable Custom once in this Land (but now almost buried in that general Contempt of Religion and Love of the World, which prevail fo much every where) of attending the Evening Prayers on Saturday, and laying afide the Concerns of this Life, to be fitter for the Duties of the

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Day following. For * "it was an holy Cuf*" tom among our Fore-fathers, when at the Ringing to Prayer the Eve before the Sab"bath, the Husbandman would give over his "Labour in the Field, and the Tradefman his "Work in the Shop, and go to Evening Prayer

in the Church, to prepare their Souls, that "their Minds might more chearfully attend "GOD's Worship on the Sabbath-Day."

And indeed it was the Custom both of the Jewish and the Christian Church. They neither of them entred upon the Sabbath, without fome Preparation for it. Mofes † taught the Jews to remember the Sabbath over Night; from whence in all Probability it comes to pass, that the Eve of the Jewish Sabbath is called the Preparation. The Preparation mentioned by the Evangelifts, begun at Three a Clock on Friday Afternoon; it was proclaimed with the Noife of Trumpets and Horns, that they might be better put in Mind of the Sabbath's drawing on, and of that Preparation which was requifite for it.

Among the primitive Christians the LORD's Day was always usher'd in with a Pernoctation or Vigil. They affembled in the House of GOD, and fung Pfalms and Praises to him a great Part

*Baily, Prac. Piety, P. 453.

Exod. xvi. Mark xiv.

of

of the Night, that they might be better prepared to ferve him on his own Day following.

In the Year of our LORD 1203, William King of Scotland* called a Council of the chief Men of his Kingdom, at which also was prefent the Pope's Legate; and it was then determin'd, that Saturday after the twelfth Hour fhould be kept holy; that no one should follow their Business nor Callings, but defift as on other Holy Days: That they should be put in Mind of it by the Tolling of the Bell, and then mind the Bufinefs of Religion as on Holy Days, be prefent at the Sermon, and hear Vefpers; that this fhould be the Practice till Munday Morning, and whoever acted otherwife should be feverely punished.

And this, as is faid before, was also the Custom of our own Country, long before this order'd in Scotland. For in the Year 958, when King Edgar made his Ecclefiaftical Laws, we find one made to this very Purpose: In which

* In Scotia anno falutis 1203, Gulielmus Rex primorum Regni fui concilium cogit, cui etiam interfuit Pontificius Legatus, in quo decretum eft, ut Saturni Dies abhora 12 Meridiei facer effet, neque quifquam res profanas exerceret, quemadmodum aliis quoque feftis diebus vetitum id erat. Idque campanæ pulfu populo indicaretur, ac poftea facris rebus, ut diebus feftis operam darint, concionibus intereffent, vefperas audirent, idque in diem lunæ facerent, conftituta tranfgrefforibus gravi pæna. Boet. Lib. 13. de Scot. ex Hofpin. P. 176.

it is order'd, That * the Sabbath or Sunday fhall be obferved from Saturday at † Noon, till the Light appear on Munday Morning.

Now hence hath come the present Custom, of spending a Part of Saturday Afternoon without fervile Labour. And that our Fore-fathers, when the Bell was heard, attended the Evening Prayer, not fearing the Lofs of Time, nor the Neceffities of Poverty. Happy would it be for us, would we fo banish the Care of the Body for the Care of the Soul! Would we leave to converse about fecular Business, and mind then

* Dies fabbati ab ipfa diei faturni hora pomeridiana tertia, ufque in luminarii diei diluculum feftus agitator, &c. Seld. Analect. Angl. Lib. 2. Cap. 6,

† Mr. Johnfon upon this Law fays, That the Noon-Tide fignifies Three in the Afternoon, according to our present Account : And this Practice, I conceive, continued down to the Reformation. In King Winfred's Time, the LORD's Day did not begin till Sun-fet on the Saturday. See 654. Numb. 10. Three in the Afternoon was hora nona in the Latin Account, and therefore called Noon. How it came afterwards to fignifie Mid-day, I can but guess. The Monks by their Rules, could not eat their Dinner, till they had faid their Noon Song, which was a Service regularly to be faid at Three a Clock; but they probably anticipated their Devotions and their Dinner, by faying their Noon Song immediately after their Mid-day Song, and prefently falling on. I wish they had never been guilty of a worfe Fraud than this. But it may fairly be supposed, that when Mid-day became the Time of Dining and faying Noon Song, it was for this Reafon called Noon by the Monks, who were the Mafters of the Language during the dark Ages. In the Shepherds Almanack, Noon is Mid-day, High-noon Three a Clock. Johnson, Conft. Part 1. Ann. 958.

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