of his Nativity which they might easily learn from his Holy Mother in Prayer Reading Hearing and Meditating that Mystery with all it's circumstances and the ends for which it was so wrought VVould not such an Observation as this in every Christian Parish in the VVorld have strangely conduced to a pious profitable grateful memory of that Miracle of Love of God's becoming a little Infant for the Salvation of the VVorld And this methinks should be sufficient to satisfie any reasonable man that the keeping Holy by a yearly Observation of the sacred time of our deer Lord's Nativity was not only worthy the Holy Apostles Institution but also that it cannot be well understood how they could be faithful in their Office without the making of such an Ordination or at least without leaving Power and Charge to their Successors so to ordain Such Ordinations being absolutely necessary to posterity at a long distance howsoever less needful they might be to them who lived so near the time when that and the other Mysteries of our Lord Jesus were acted Nor let us deceive our selves and posterity by pretending to remember our Lord's Nativity every Day too sad Experience telling us this is the way seldom or never soundly and heartily to think of it In our own Country what 's become of all memory of Gowry's Conspiracy for want of a day to remember it And had not the fifth of November been set a part particularly to remember the Gun-powder Treason but had every one been left to remember it every day in all likelyhood the memory of that horrid Plot had been by this time quite lost in the memories of the vulgar people But all that I have hitherto been saying only shews that the appointment of a particular time to remember our Lord's Nativity was worthy of the Holy Apostles but what evidence have we that the Holy Apostles have actually made any such Ordination Why what evidence would you have Indeed they have written no Book to recommend the Observation of any particular day to Posterity but if they have taught such an Observation by word of mouth to all the Countries in the World where they preached the Gospel is not this sufficient Let us then in our thoughts Travel into the several Christian Countries of the World and see what they observe And first let us take a view of our own Native Country and enquire when we began upon the 25th of December every year particularly to lay aside all our worldly Affairs and with Prayers and other Holy Exercises to remember our deer Lord's Birth The oldest man alive can tell us no beginning of this our practice No Chronicles no Annals give us any account of it's beginning neither They tell us indeed that St. Joseph of Arimathea not long after our Blessed Saviour's Departure into Heaven brought Christianity into our Country but they do not tell us of any one since that time who enjoyned us to keep Christmas-Day Holy The same Annals tell us that about the year six hundred one Austin with certain Companions came from Rome to convert our Nation the over-run by the Infidel Saxons from Paganism to Christianity They tell us also that the same Austin found certain British Christians driven into Wales by the Saxons and make mention also how the said Austin and the Christian Brittains differed about certain Ceremonies in the administration of Baptism and moreover upon what Sunday they should keep Easter Day both agreeing Easter Day was to be kept the one holding upon the 14th of the Moon of March in case it hapned on the Sunday the other not till the Sunday following But now had they differed about the keeping of Christmas Day and that so as one should have said a day was to be kept and precisely the 25th of December and the other should have contended no Day at all was to be kept This would have been a more notorious Disagreement than upon what Sunday Easter was to be solemnized and consequently would have been taken notice of by our Historiographers Hence I infer the Britains kept holy Christmas Day before the coming of Austin For it cannot be doubted but Austin brought from Rome the Religion that was then practised at Rome And 't is manifest that at Rome they then and many years before kept Holy the day of our Lord's Nativity For we have Sermons preached at Rome upon the day of our Lord's Nativity by St. Leo Pope above a hundred years before Nor let any one be afraid of Rome and her way of VVorship thus early the Church of England willingly appeals to the Faith and Practice of Rome and other Christian Cities for the first six hundred years after our Blessed Saviour Besides had the Observation of Christmas in our Nation been begun since our Conversion to Christianity by Austin our Chronicles would make mention what National Synod or Council commanded it to be so universally observed as it has been time out of mind in every Parish in England Should any Forreiner that comes into our Country take notice of the standing of our Plows the shutting up of our Shops and the frequenting of Divine Service in every Parish upon the fifth of November he would instantly conclude we never fell upon such a Practice by chance but that it was so commanded and ordained by some Soveraign power Ecclesiastical or Civil The like Discourse will every rational man make upon the general Religious Observations of Christmas Day To wit that we never fell upon such an Observance by chance but either we were all taught so by the first Planters of Christanity in our Nation or enjoyned so to do by some Supreme Authority since but our Annals making no mention of any such Ordination 't is rightly concluded we were so taught by our first Christian Masters But if you give a little more scope to your Thoughts and Consider that not only England but Holland Germany France Spain Italy and other Christian Country's have Immemorially from their first Conversion to Christianity kept Holy the Day of our Lords Nativity Nor is there any mention of any General Council or other Universal Authority's imposing any such Observation upon them this Reflection will compel you to acknowledg this Practice must needs have been taught the several Nations of Christendom by the first Preachers of the Gospel the Holy Apostles And remarkable to my present purpose is the Rule of the Great St. Augustin VVhatsoever we find universally practised over all the Christian VVorld we safely Conclude either to have been Ordained by the Apostles or some General Council for that it cannot be presumed that whole Nations could by chance fall upon the Religious Observation of the same Day or other Ceremonial Right And he whom such a Discourse as this does not satisfy but he still Doubts Disputes How can he be sure the Apostles ever taught any such Observation Such an one I say let him take heed for he is dangerously disposed to throw
THE HOLY TIME OF CHRISTMAS Defended Against NON-CONFORMISTS and all others its Prophaners and Opposers OR A Discourse shewing That a Religious Observation of CHRISTMAS is Apostolical and Worthy every good Christian LONDON Printed in the Year MDCLXXVI Christmas Defended against it's Prophaners UNhappy times in which we live That we should all believe that sixteen Hundred years ago a certain Man who was also God called Jesus was born in a Stable for the Salvation of Mankind and yet that there should be certain amongst us who should count it a piece of Religion not to keep Holy the Day on the which our said Great Redeemer was born O unhappy Times O cross Manners of mis-instructed Zelots Does not Reason the Light of God within us tell us that if the Consubstantial Son of the Almighty has been so Good as for our sakes to become Man cloathing himself with the Raggs of our Mortality We ought with Joy and Thanksgiving to remember so high a Favour And does not the same Reason and Experience teach us that the setting a part that particular Day as near as we can guess on which some notable Accident has happened in Memory of it does strangely help us more livelily freshly and affectionatly to commemorate the said Wonder Tell me candidly your Thoughts Should we by no other Memorial but the History of Boscobel relate to Posterity the wonderful Restauration of our Gracious Soveraign how little knowledge and how faint a Belief think you would there be all over England of that strange Wonder and all it's circumstances a thousand years hence We cannot reasonably imagin but the generality of the common People would be wholly ignorant of it and we may without rash Judgment surmize there would not want Cavilling Wits who would call in question the whole Story and for some seemingly unlikely circumstances condemn the whole Narration as fabulous or at best of very doubtful and uncertain credit So that in effect Posterity some Ages hence would have little more Belief of that undoubted History than we have now of the Fable of Guy of Warwick But let us go on as we have begun to commemorate that strange accident with a Day set a part on purpose Religiously to be observed in all the Parishes of England by publick Prayers and Sermons suited to the occasion and 't is not possible but till Dooms-day come there shall be an assured Belief and fresh Memory of it in the generality of all English Hearts Has Nature then made us so cunning for ever to keep in memory what we have a mind should never be forgotten And can you think Grace or the Holy Ghost was wanting to make the first Planters of Christianity so wise as to think upon a happy Expedient how all Generations all the World over might have a fresh Memory and assured Faith of the wonderful Nativity of their Lord and Saviour especially when the lively Memory of the said their Lord's Nativity with all it's circumstances is strangely conducing to the Salvation of the World But why do I urge the authority of Reason and Nature Did not infinit unerring Wisdom and the God of Nature use this very Means to propagate to posterity the Memory of the stupendious Wonders he wrought amidst his beloved People the Jews by the hand of his Servant Moses Read from the sixth Chapter to the fourteenth in the Book of Exodus and take notice of those strange VVonders Almighty God wrought to compel Pharaoh to let his chosen People go into the VVilderness to worship him turning all the Rivers of Egypt into Blood filling the whole Country in their very houses with Froggs c. and finally killing all their First-born both of Man and Beasts And now because a lively Memory of these VVonders to all Generations would be of admirable benefit to every Age as well to preserve in them a strong actual Faith of the true God the Author of all those Miracles as a Holy Dread of the same Divine Majesty and care to observe his Commandements Almighty God ordained that for ever that very day on which his People came out of Egypt should be Solemn and Sacred and observed with such Ceremonies as might make Posterity even see their Ancestors going out of Egypt many hundreds of years before They must kill a Lamb and eat the flesh of the same Lamb with Unleavened Bread c. in token of what their Ancestors did in like manner in Egypt and to remember the great haste in which they departed with unleavened Dough on their backs and for ever offer to Almighty God their First-born both of Man and Beasts in memory of his killing the Firstlings of the Egyptians and sparing theirs And this account they were to give of this Ceremonial observance when they should in future Generations be asked the reason of it by their Children Exod. 13. v. 14. When thy Son shall ask thee to Morrow saying What is this Thou shalt answer him in a strong hand the Lord brought us out of the Land of Egypt For when Pharaoh was hardned and would not let us goe the Lord killed all the First-born in the Land of Egypt from the First born of Man to the Firstling of Beasts therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that opens the Womb of the Masculine Sex and all the First-begotten of my Sons I redeem Such a provision as this made it utterly impossible to the Jews ever to forget for all Generations what the Almighty had wrought in favour of their Ancestors in bringing them out of Egypt And he must be out of his VVits or devoid of common sense that could question a matter of Fact so solemnly immemorially commemorated and so particularly recounted in a Book which a whole People time out of mind has venerated as a most true History For had the Rivers of Egypt not been turned into Blood the like I say of the rest of the VVonders no man could have had the impudence to have committed to VVriting as most certain Truths what thousands must necessarily have known to be most notorious Lyes Much less could any one have prevailed with many thousands in a most serious and solemn manner to commemorate yearly with thanksgiving to God what they all knew had never happened And can it now enter into any Christian mans heart to think that Moses was more faithful and careful to preserve in the Memories of the Jews the VVonders the Almighty wrought to deliver that particular People from under the Bondage of Pharaoh Then was Jesus Christ and his Apostles to keep in the fresh memory of all Christians the stupendious VVonders wrought to deliver the whole VVorld from the Eternal slavery of Sin and Devils Let it be Four of our Lords followers have left written Memorials of his Birth Life Death Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven But had all his first Missionaries to the VVorld ordained in every County converted by them to the Christian Faith that they should yearly spend the Day
found Abettors of Anti-Christ Consider Anti-Christ is to Deny and Oppose Christ and then think Who are more like Anti-Christ those who piously observe certain Dayes in Memory of the Birth Death and Resurrection of Christ or those who prophane and decry all such Dayes as Superstitious Who are most likely to promote Anti-Christ's Design that is to Abollish and Root all Memory of Christ out of the World the Devout Observers or Irreligious Prophaners of Christian Solemnities But were it not better to remember and ponder the Mystery of our Lord's Nativity with it's circumstances every day No He that would grasp many things together holds fast few or perhaps none The capacity of our Souls is so limited that if we would have the Thoughts of our Lord 's humble Nativity sink deep into us and efficaciously work the spiritual Fruit they are apt to work in us we must entertain them and no other but them for a good season together and repeat them over and over He that will pretend to have all sorts of spiritual Thoughts every day will I fear upon no day have any to any Spiritual purpose Let us not pretend to be wiser than God Almighty He ordered the Jews and he has ordered us Christians also a grateful Variety of Spiritual Seasons Let it therefore be concluded against the Nonconformists the All-Merciful Jesus open their Eyes that a Religious Observation of Christmass has nothing of Superstition but a great deal of Christian Piety in it And now we are resolved Christmass ought to be kept but how must we keep it If any Man keep a day let him keep it to the Lord So as his keeping of it may not Contristate but Recreate and Rejoyce his Dear and Greatest Lord So as his keeping of it may make him all the Year after more strong and ready to imitate and tread in the Steps as neer as Humane-Frailty will permit of his same Lord Let now this Holy time be spent as to the far greatest part of it in devout Prayers frequent Meditations upon the Mysteries of the Solemnity Reading Spiritual Books Hearing Sermons suited to the occasion Giving large Alms to God Almighty in his poor and needy in gratitude to him who at this time gave as no less than his only Son c. And the truth is that which makes many well meaning and tenderly Conscientious Christians to make no distinction of this Sacred Time from another was the intolerable abuse of it by its pretended Religious Observers Time would fail me if I should go about to enumerate the Debaucherys with which this Sacred Time has been prophaned May they never be Remembred unless it be to VVeep for them and to excite our selves to make amends for them by a double diligence in all Holy and Christian Exercises these Daies of Christ Had this holy Time been ever spent according to its Primitive Institution in more abundant VVorks of Piety and Charity And when our Spirits had been wearied out with Spiritual exercises had we refreshed Nature by a Festival Reflection or some harmless Disport but still with a vigilant Watch in honor of the Sacred Season so to play as our Pastime might not make our Great little Jesus VVeep Had I say this Holy Time been ever thus holily Observed the Devil himself could not have had the Impudence to have declared against it as Antichristian But indeed as it has been of late Observed or rather Prophaned we may without a slander say it was become a truly Antichristian Time indeed But what Remedy then Abandon the new prophane Abuse and tetrive the first pious Use But what Fruit may we expect from a Religious Observation of this Holy Time Observe it as was said above and you 'l be better able to tell me afterwards at Twelf-tide then I can tell you before on Christmass-Eve Gloria in Excelsis Deo
away the whole New Testament For how can he tell St. Matthew wrote this Book St. Luke that and so of the rest but by the universal immemorial Testimony of several Christian Countrys If Almighty God will Oblige me to keep such Daies Holy as were so appointed and reverence such Books as Divine as were by Divine Inspiration written sixteen Hundred Years before I was born he cannot reasonably expect I should know and distinguish either the one or the other but by the immemorial Testimonys of my Ancestors in several Countries But how at the Day of Iudgment I should Answer the refusal of such a Book or the Non-Observance of such a Day So immemorially recommended by my Ancestors I cannot tell It belongs to the providence of our Blessed Saviour to take care that no Age should be so devilishly malitious universally to tell their Children a Book of their own forging the like may be said of a Holy-Day or other Ritual Observance was written by a Holy Apostle of Jesus Christ some hundred of Years before One Man may be presumed to be so Malicious whole Nations never did nor ever can do any such thing Nor does the Church of England in this differ from the Church of Rome as if she thought what the Apostles VVrit was of greater Authority then what they Taught or Ordained She willingly admits all Traditions of which she can have good proof that they come from the Apostles Such are the Observations of Christmass Lent Easter c. But if Christmas Day was taught the VVorld by the Apostles how comes it to pass we have no mention of it in all the New Testament VVhat daies were to be Observed by the Jews are made mention of over and over in the old Testament how comes it to pass if Christmas Day or other Days be to be Observed by Christians we find no mention of them in any of the Books of the New Scripture Reflect upon the nature of the Books of the two Testaments and the Reason is Manifest For if you consider the Old Testament you will find not only Historical Books such are the books of Judges the Kings c. and moral Books which treat of good Life c. such are the Proverbs Ecclesiastes others But besides these there are Ritual Books which by the very subject of them every one sees their Design was to describe the external Mosaical VVorship as to Observation of Daies Priestly Garments Sacrifices c. Such are the Books of Exodus Leviticus and Deuteronomy And therefore no wonder if you find exactly set down what Daies that people was to keep Holy How their Priests were to be Consecrated and how Vested in time of Divine Service c. But now cast your Eye upon all the Books of the New-Testament and you 'l not find one that you can reasonably presume the Author of it had a Design in it to Describe the External VVorship of the Gospel VVhat daies for Example we Christians are to observe in memory of Christian Mercies and Misters what Garments our Priests are to use in Divine Service c. And yet the Light of God within us tells us such Institutions are very useful to increase Piety when Religiously Observed and all History tells us that immemorially in all Nations there have been certain external Christian Rites not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures ever since the first planting of Christianity amongst them The four Gospels are a History of our Blessed Saviours Life and Death who lived as to the external Rites of Religion according to the Jewish Law and so we cannot reasonably in any of them expect what Days we Christians are to observe in the time of the Gospel Indeed had the Acts of the Apostles been intended as an exact Narration how the Apostles lived as to the whole course of their Life what Days they kept Holy and what Days they Fasted c. VVe might reasonably have expected some mention there of Christmas Day and Lent But that Holy Book making mention only of some few particular passages of two or three of the Apostles Lives the Apostles might well keep Christmas Day and Lent too and teach them also to their first Converts and yet there be a profound silence of such Observations in the Book of their Acts. As for St. Johns Prophetical Book it were no ways proper in it to treat either of Christmas Day or Lent Though I must tell you for ought you or I know when St. John says he was in the Spirit on the Lords Day he may mean the Day of our Lords Birth or the yearly Easter Day of his Resurrection as well as our VVeekly Sunday The rest of the New Testament are certain Epistles or Letters of spiritual Counsels written by St. Paul or some other Apostle to particular Persons or whole Cities already instructed in the Christian way of VVorship But why they should needs make mention therein of Christmas Day I understand not unless perchance the Persons they wrote unto had been deficient in keeping it Holy But does not St. Paul expresly deery the keeping of Christmass-Day in one of his Epistles and tells the Christians he wrote to he was afraid he had laboured in vain amongst them by reason of their Superstitious Observation of Dayes Gal. 4.9 10. How are ye Converted again to weak and beggarly Elements which you will Serve again Ye observe Dayes and Months and Times and Years I am afraid of you lest I should have laboured amongst you in Vain Was then the Holy Apostle afraid lest the Galations should leave Christianity and return to Judaism or Paganism because of their Observing Christmass-Day in Memory of our Blessed Saviour's Birth or Lent in Memory of his Fasting forty Dayes or Easter in Memory of his Resurrection Is this a likely Story Or is it not evident from the Context Of their returning again to weak and poor Elements that because of their returning to the Observation of Jewish-Dayes Commanded by Moses or Pagan Dayes in honour of Jupiter Mars or Saturn he was afraid they would Relinquish the Gospel by them Received and become Jews again or Pagans But still methinks I am afraid of Superstition and Will-Worship by observing a Day which I fear God has never Commanded me But you have more reason to be afraid of Prophaners in neglecting a Day which you have all reason to think God has Commanded you to keep Holy if you Reflect well upon what I have said above Seeing you are Commanded to keep Holy Christmass-Day by doing only such Actions as you acknowledge to be Christianly and Good What danger can there be of Superstition Especially when you are not Taught neither that such Actions are then more acceptable to God Almighty than at another times Only you are Commanded at that Set-Time to do them lest otherwise you should wholly omit Them My deerest Relations whom I pity with my Soul take heed whilst under pretence of Opposing Anti-Christ you be not one day