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A79487
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A Christian plea against Chrismass and an out-cry against Chrismas-mongers.
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Chidley, Samuel.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing C3834C; ESTC R173825
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3,966
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8
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A Christian PLEA Against CHRISMASS AND An OUT-CRY against Chrismas-mongers 2 COR. 5.16 Though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more TITUS 1.16 Their minde and conscience is defiled They profess they know God but in their works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate 1 COR. 10.7 Neither be ye idolaters as were some of them as it is written The people sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play LONDON Printed for the Author 1656. To his Highness OLIVER Lord Protector AND To the Parliament of England c. O ye Assembly of Mortal Gods I Formerly presented you with a Treatise against Idols Temples Here is a Tractate against Idols Times It 's in your power to demolish the Idols Temples and abolish the idolatrous Times and to suppress the prophane crew of Chrismas-mongers and expel such unclean Spirits from your coasts and destroy the names of the Idols out of these places The Antichristian sect of Chrismas-mongers is of many hundred years standing and to be rooted out especially considering that it hath over-spread the Nations like a Gangrene and this their way is their folly yet their posterity approve of their sayings Psal 49.13 And although their fore-fathers have inherited lying vanities yet they will not be wiser But you Legislators have a restraining power over them and therefore I am bold humbly to present these lines following unto you who are the Heads of the People and leave you to do as God shall perswade your hearts and so rest Your Friend and servant Samuel Chidley A Christian Plea against Chrismass SInce the Mass is put down by the Supream Authority and that Christ is no Masse-monger It concerneth you Noble Senators not to keep Christs Masse falsely so called for it is Antichrists Masse and I think then it will appear that there are many Antichrists and more Papists besides Roman Catholiques for they are Papists and Masse-mongers who solemnize the Masse or swear by it as the Israelites of old by the sin of Samaria or keep Chrismas vulgarly so called though they would be all counted Protestants If you say it 's Christs time tide or birth-day Wot you not that Christs tide or time is the first day of every week which well-informed Christians observe from Even to Even two and fifty times a year still keeping in Remembrance the Lords birth death and Resurrection whereas Chrissmas comes but once a year as say the Masse-mongers themselves onely there is ten dayes difference between the old Style and the New the Hollanders observing it ten dayes before the English for Christ indeed foreseeing the vanity of the Gentiles hath hid the day of his birth so that all the Christians in the world cannot finde that time more then the Jews the place of Moses Sepulchre Nevertheless the supream Sabbath even the Lords day the first day of the week Joh. 20.1 rightly called by the papists the Dominical day in the Rhemish Testament Rev. 1.10 is known throughout all Christendome It is the day which God hath made Psal 118.24 a holy convocation Lev. 23.7 a day of better acceptation v. 11. the day of Christs resurrection Mar. 16. and of the holy Ghosts descension Act. 2. as is shew'd by Chidley in his book called the Evening Star this is the day wherein we are called to rejoyce Psal 118.24 one day of solemn assembly in the Lords Courts is better then a thousand Psal 84.10 a thousand then a thousand thousand And although our enemies and the Hollanders keep their chrismas-Chrismas-day more solemnly then the Lords day and profane the sacred time which God hath so highly honoured yet the Apostle of the Gentiles who had the minde of Christ saith Henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more 2 Cor. 5 16. For if the day of Christs death were better then the day of his birth how much more then his resurrection St. Paul saith If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain And again he saith If Christ be not raised your Faith is vain ye are yet in your sins 1 Cor. 15.14 17. Why then do the fleshly-minded Gentiles feed themselves with such fancies of their own imaginations and reproach others that will not dance with them about such Calves of invention A foolish people Who hath bewitched them For they have not the true Christ neither do they serve him but their own bellies For Christ was not as they set him forth to be He was no Mass-monger or belly God No drunkard He wanted neither cards dice nor Tables to play with to pass away the time nor Lord of mis-rule to take his place He needed no new Games to make him merry no Holly or Ivy to dress his windowes nor Misletow to conjure his lovers nor other toyes to please his fancy or blindfolded fools or Hot Cockle payers to make him sport But was born in poverty lived in affliction and died in distress A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief as a worm and no man Yet not without hope for God had caused him to trust in him from his mothers womb And though he was crucified through weakness yet was he raised up with power and made an high Priest not after the law of a carnal Commandment but after the power of an endless life Therefore it is humbly desired by the well-affected That the Parliament would with great severity punish the profanation of the Lords day decree That no Chrismass-day or such like fooleries be set in the Almanacks or observed That the names of Idols may be no more in remembrance throughout the Dominions of the Common-wealth of England And it 's also humbly desired that the High and Mighty States of England would not adjourne but sit all the idle time called Chrismass in direct opposition to the vanity of the Gentiles who profess that they know God but in works deny him Nevertheless it is in your Honours liberty So that if any one bid you to a Feast and ye be disposed to go you may eat that which is set before you asking no question for conscience sake But if any one say unto you This or that is offered in sacrifice to an Idol as the Mass is an abominable Idol eat not for his sake that shewed it and for conscience sake but rather feed with bread and water Consider Daniel and his fellowes whose health and countenance in holy abstinence was well and their wisdome transcending all the wisest men in Babylon and God delivered them from all their enemies and he is able to deliver us If we will seek for experience the right way we shall finde much of God in Jesus Christ whilst Mass-mongers feed their bodies with Anti Chrismass-Pies and famish their souls and perish eternally being without Christ the bread of life which came
down from heaven An OUT-CRY AGAINST CHRISMASS-MONGERS CHrismass-mongers are the worst sort of Christians when Antichrismas comes they shew themselves by their fruits to be Christians in name but Antichristians in nature and their hearts not worth a halfpeny Prov. 10.20 for they are the Popes Imps Malignants in soul and flesh polluted in lips and life Their Religion at the best is but like a thred-bare cloak out-worn and their Conversation spotted by the flesh they are not filled with grace but with meat Chrismass cheer is their charity and their hope is in this life and their faith no better then the faith of devils who believe and tremble Jam. 2.19 They are often drunk with wine and strong drink but never filled with the Spirit but with the spirit of envie their Hymns are carnal not spiritual unless spiritual wickednesses set up in their high places Their songs are Chrismas Carols not of the Lamb Christ their contemplation is on their Cards to play at 31. a fraction of Antichrist's number They make use of Christ Jesus his name chawing it in their mouth as common beggers do for their private advantage but care neither for him nor his substitutes here on earth but for their Soveraign Lord their belly that is their God and their glory is their shame shall not their end be destruction for they are enemies to Jesus Christ and minde earthly things and make the devil their play-fellow And yet these children of wrath will needs be called Christians and fly unto Christ the Saviour of Saints to rescue them from the wrath to come without bringing forth fruits meet for repentance O thou earthly Protector and Parliament of England not of Israel Was not Sion called Sodome because of the Crying sins therein Pride Idleness Gluttony and Cruelty And now at such Massing times these abominations are cloked under the pretence of Chrismass What greater patcht impiety and impurity then now the Protestants mangle Christ with their minced Pies the Papists like Caniballs eat him up flesh blood bones and all if they may be believed For Chrismass sake the Parliaments Orders have been contemned tumults raised the Ten Commandments broken Yea the Thief will steal and rob his own father against Chrismass though it cost him dear and the poor will pawn all to the cloaths of their back to provide Chrismass Pies for their be lies and the broath of Abominable things in their vessels though they starve or pine for it all the year after Is not this religion rebellion O ye rulers of this people yea it is so And he that refraineth himself from these evils maketh himself a prey Samuel Chidley A lesson for the whole sect of Chrismas-mongers MAsks Mummings Massings are made Coverings For Chrismass-mongers to do evil things There 's carding diceing drinking bellowing roaring And under Chrismass cloaks rogues go a whoring In fudling Schools ' mongst fools there Bacchus bears the Bell And Chrismass-mongers dance and prance away to hell S. C. Post-script SInce this was in the press I understand that the Right Honorable Sir Robert Tichburne Knight Lord Mayor of the City of London hath taken Order for the protecting of those who shall open their shops on Chrismass day good reason it is that the Parliament should give due encouragement to such zealous Magistrates in the execution of their duty and by one Act put down Chrismass wholly throughout City and Country Here followeth an order of the first Parliament against Chrismass which order the Malignants condemned and abused the honest Citizens in their shops on Chrismass Day for want of an effectual course against Chrismass Friday the 24 of December 1652. REsolved by the Parliament That the Markets be kept to morrow being the 25 day of December and that the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London and Middlesex and the Justices of Peace for the City of Westminster and liberties thereof do take care that all such persons as shall open their shops on that day be protected from wrong or violence and the offenders punished Resolved by the Parliament That no observation shall be had of the 25 of December commonly called CHRISMASS DAY nor any solemnity used or exercised in Churches upon that day in respect thereof Ordered by the Parliament That the Lord Mayor in the City of London and Sheriffs of London and Middlesex and the Justices of the Peace of Middlesex respectively be authorized and required to see this order duly observed within the lines of Communication and Weekly Bills of Mortality Hen Scobel Cler. Parl. FINIS