Birth was to be esteemed very highly by them then living and therefore that they were to rejoyce for that great blessing of God that same day of his birth so many as could take notice of that day no man will deny this to be a truth unless such as are of a diabolical spirit And also that the birth of Christ is to be much esteemed by all those that at any time afterwards do trust for salvation by him as it was by them that lived at that time and so rejoyced in it But a question is made Whether it be to be celebrated annually and solemnly with such joy for ever after if in case his birth-day be known to us now as it was to them then or whether that incitation given by the Angel to the Shepherds belongs to us Christians successively and annually or no First I answer that it concerneth us now as much as it did those shepherds and others then living and believing in him For the chief reason or cause of their joy at his Birth was from the benefit which by and from him they were to receive who then and at that time was newly born and we that do believe in him do obtain the same benefit by his birth as they did that then rejoyced in him and therefore it needed not to be commanded in express words successively But some object farther That when the Jews were to keep any day successively and annually for the remembrance and solemn Thanks-giving for any special benefit received they then were enjoyned to do it by Gods special command successively and annually To this I answer plainly That those benefits did concern them in some temporal deliverances and were for that particular people only or chiefly at the most as the Israelites deliverance out of Aegypt and their deliverance from an intended slaughter in the time of Queen Hester c. But this Birth of Christ concerneth all Believers in all places to the end of the World for so saith the Angel Behold I bring you good tydings of great joy that shall be to all people c. And therefore it being for the good of all Believers in Christ of all sorts of people to the end of the world it belongeth to all Believers in Christ to rejoyce for the Birth of Christ as it did belong to them to rejoyce that were then living for the message is belonging to us as much as it was to them in as much as the good tydings belongeth to all people And therefore it being for the good of all Believers to the end of the World the Angel requireth our greater attention and admiration by this word Behold Behold I bring you good Tydings of great joy that shall be to all People for unto you is born this day c. a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And we read of no command from God for the keeping of the new-Purim but it is noted as well done by them c. And that it ought annually to be celebrated with joy we may collect farther by reason that it ought so to be For if great temporal deliverances deserved annual thanks-givings on some special daies then doth an everlasting deliverance from damnation deserve much more such manner of thanks But it is farther objected That all Believers in Christ do give thanks for that great mercy of God as they do for all other his benefits upon the Lords daies in special and upon all ordinary occasions To this I answer thus so were the Jews to do upon their sabbaths for all their temporal deliverances as for their deliverance from Egyptian Bondage and Hamans decree of their death and yet they had their feast of Passeover and Purim to commemorate those deliverances more specially and we have special daies set apart for us to praise the Lord for our deliverances from the Spanish Invasion and the Gun-powder Treason and also for many deliverances from divers great dangers in these our times of War But it is objected again That we do not know certainly what day in our yeer Christs birth-day can be celebrated as the right and true annual day it being not certainly known or at the least it is questioned by many Learned Christians To this I answer first That it is not so great a matter whether we know strictly the day or no so as we do solemnize one day thankfully so neer the true day as we can guess for in such a case we shall be accepted for so saith the Apostle God accepteth the willing mind of his children for the deed which endeavoureth to perform according to their knowledge Secondly if in case we do know the day strictly yet it is not absolutely necessary for us to keep it upon that day alwaies 〈◊〉 for the Jews did not keep their Purim upon the same day of the Yeer wherein their Deliverance was given them but as on the next Day after as you may see in the Book of Esther the ninth Chapter and the sixteenth verse to the two and twentienth And Christ Jesus himself did excuse David for eating the Shew-Bread in his great necessity And he excused his owne Disciples for plucking the eares of Corne upon the Sabbath Day c. upon their necessity and therein was the ancient Proverb verified viz. Necessity hath no Law We are necessitated to observe a day neer the day of Christs Birth And the Passeover was to be eaten in the first moneth as you may see in Exodus 12. 2 3. c. Neverthelesse if you look in 2 Chron. 30. 2 3. compared with verses the 13. and 15. you may there finde that Hezekiah and his People kept it at that time in the second moneth contrary to the institution in that particular and the reason is there rendred viz. that they could not keep it at that time in the first moneth And yet they were accepted of God too as in the 20. verse you may see And although it be said in the last verse now quoted that Hezekiah prayed for the people and that the Lord healed them which implyeth that God was offended with them You shall see that the reason thereof was for their not preparing themselves better when they did come as in the 18. verse you may see for they came unpreparedly to that holy Sacrament If it be questioned whether we may keep it Festivally or not I answer We may and ought so to do though not in excesse thereof but first we are to be exercised in the use of the publike Ordinances as the preaching and hearing the Word and in Godly prayers and praises c. and after that in plentifull feasting and giving gifts to the poor according to our several abilities for though Fasting be for mourners yet Feasting is for joy and mirth as you may see in the 8. chapter of the book of Nehemiah the former part of that chapter to the 13 verse these are those words Eat the fat and drink the sweet and send portions to those for whom
or not to do some things and therefore David inciteth us to it in Psal 50. 14. in these words Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows to the most high And in Colos. 27. Paul will have us to abound in thanksgiving And likewise they might offer some burnt-offerings of their voluntary free will without any strict injunction in that particular as in 2 Chron. 22. 31. you may see And in the New Testament it is said that Paul had a vow and in Acts 21. 23 it is said that there were foure men that had a vow on them for we have liberty to vow to humble and afflict our souls as they of the Jews had when we please upon divers occasions as in Numb. 30. 13. and Act. 21. 23. c. And so likewise have we libertie to give thanks with joy to God particularly and specially upon divers occasions concurring and solemnly too For although all kinds of sacrifices might not be offered at mans choice of times yet some kinds of sacrifices might be offered at mans choice and choice of times for the more part and voluntarily of their free will onely as in Deut. 23. 23. What think you of that which the Israelites did in the time of the Reign of King Hezekiah as in 2 Chron. 30. 23. you may read for they kept other seven dayes festivally to the Lord after they had kept the feast of the Passeover And that 7. dayes feast was of their own free will and affections by their own counsell saith the text there And you may there perceive that the holy Ghost noteth it to their commendation And truly if this solemne joyous thankfulnesse in a festivall way was so acceptable to God without any speciall command then much more will the joyous and thankfull celebration of Christs birth-day in a festivall way be acceptable upon a more warrantable ground namely the proclamation from God by his holy Angel to the shepherds at first to rejoyce for a great good given for the good of all people for we must abound in thanksgiving and rejoyce evermore these being our spirituall sacrifices as those corporall sacrifices were for them then Besides all this alreadie premised let us take notice of the great inconveniences that cometh to the Civill State of the whole Kingdom by the endeavouring to overthrow the joyous observation of this birth-day of our Saviour and especially in these times wherein the State standeth so fickle wicked men being apt to make an insurrection upon the least occasion and much more upon such an occasion as this wherein ungodly men may procure so great a partie of better men to joyne with them though not to so bad an end but in an holy indignation for many of those that love Christ with a well-informed judgement in this particular upon the consideration of the great love that Christ hath shewed to them in coming to be their Saviour taking flesh in and of the Virgin will be apt to be jealous of the losse of the occasion of the especiall remembring of his coming in the flesh And besides wicked men will be forward to take this occasion as a cloak to put on to make a parâ—ie for a worse end when they see the observation thereof so much opposed Therefore it is fitting that we i 〈◊〉 itate the Apostle in the cutting off occasion from them that seek occasion to do wickednes and mischief and especially in a matter that is so clearly lawfull and convenient too as the speciall giving of thanks with joy is or as the joyous celebration of Christs birth-day is to the Spouse of Christ For although the Leviticall-ceremoniall daies times months and yeers are abolished being but types of those things that are fulfilled by Christ as is mentioned in Gal. 4. 10. see v. 3. yet the same Apostle affirmeth confidently that he that thinketh he may not set apart some dayes now under the Gospel to celebrate Evangelicall duties as hearing the Word and receiving the Sacraments and offering the sacrifice of speciall thanksgivings for some speciall mercies of God is as weak as he that thinketh that he may eat but hearbs as you may see in Rom. 14. 1 2 3 4 5 6. And therefore I entreat all well affected people to use their endeavour to get vitious men to be restrained from their abusing of themselves and the time to the dishonour of our Saviour the wounding of their own souls to everlasting death and to the scandalizing of good men and the perverting of others And this may be done sometimes by gentle means and sometimes by chastisements and punishments provided that the fault be a notorious sin or at the least more then an ordinary blemish for I know that some make mountains of mole-hils comparing one sin to another against some men And truly I beleeve that some do rejoyce to see some men transgresse against God in that day because they would thereby take an occasion to make the observation of it to be odious to some that may be a mean to take it quite away out of a malignant spirit towards the observers of it I hope better of many I entreat you to consider that when men are restrained from the libertie of timely recreation they then for a time will be the more unruly when first they come to obtain it again and especially from youths and young raw-manner'd men as it is with horses and cows that have been stalled up c. If we under the Gospel be not afforded daies of refreshing yea and somewhat often too we shall be in greater bondage in this kinde then the Jews in or under the Old Testament for they had many festivals and they were much refreshed by them shall we be in greater bondage to labour then they were And shall not we have liberty from sparing dyeâ— for feasting as well as they They feasted divers dayes together sometimes and thereby love and good will was the better occasioned in many that were godly and we may do so too though not with all the same ceremonies as they did because not altogether to the same end as they did And at such times the poore may be the more easily relieved and give thanks to God and pray for us And by this means men will not be so forward to borrow so much of the Sabbath or Lords day to prophane it as perhaps now they do when they shall have other convenient time for their necessarie recreation I do confesse that some things that are lawfull to be observed and celebrated may for a time be suspended and not celebrated provided that it be not forborn as a thing unlawfull but as a thing inconvenient as to prevent a farther mischief for the present time but if that which in it self is lawfull be forborn as a thing unlawfull then will honest knowing men be offended and so it will breed a great disturbance in the State evill men taking that occasion as a fair cloak to put on for to begin a
quarrell and so incite some better men to take part with them though not ayming at the same end therefore it is fitting that men be taught how to distinguish between things lawfull and things unlawfull and between those things that are so lawfull as that they may not be dispensed with so as to neglect the celebration thereof at the instant time and those things that may be dispensed with for a time to prevent some great mischief And now I will note to those that shall either read or hear the premises in this little Tract some of the particulars contained in the same for their better remembring what I have been hitherto spelling First that the celebration of Christs birth with joy was promulgated to the Shepherds because he was born to them a Saviour Secondly that they had an example set before them to lead them on to the performance of that their duty by a multitude of Angels singing out his glory at his birth Thirdly that his birth was much respected by the Prophet Isaiah he seeing it but by faith Fourthly that the Wisemen of the East were sent by the speciall providence of God by a speciall Star to honour Christ being new born Fifthly that because the Angel told Zachariah that many should rejoyce at the birth of John the Baptist who was but the fore-runner of Christ therefore they were to rejoyce at the birth of Christ their Saviour much more Sixthly that it is our dutie to rejoyce for the birth of Christ as much as it was their duty so to do because the benefit of his birth belongeth to us as much as it did unto them then for the tydings of joy by reason of the birth of our Saviour Christ belong to all those that at any time did do or shall beleeve in him as said the Angel Seventhly divers questions are answered as first whether we are or ought to keep it annually and successively in case the day of his birth be known to us annually in the strict time Eightly whether we ought or may keep the celebration of Christs birth as neer the annuall day as may be if in case the strict time be not known to us as it was to those Shepherds then living at his birth c. and many the like questions Ninthly that if in case there had been no command given for the joyous celebration of his birth yet we may do it at our freedome of choice which is left us by the will of God for I have proved that as the Jews might afflict their souls voluntarily as they had occasions so they might rejoyce and offer thanksgivings at their own free will solemnly without any speciall command at some convenient time at their own choice Tenthly I have proved that the Jews in the dayes of King Hezekiah did keep seven dayes with joyous feasting to the Lord by their own counsell after they had kept the Passeover without any command from God so to do And yet the holy Ghost noteth it as acceptable and therefore it is an example for us to do the like And if we kept more dayes evangelically holy we should not sin in so doing Eleventhly I have noted divers reasons for the keeping of the celebration of his birth-day as to prevent us from being seduced to the heresie of those that did and perhaps now do deny that Christ came in the flesh and that he did not take it in and of the Virgin Mary c. And lastly I have noted divers other inconveniences that may hap to the Civill State by our not observing it in times of divisions in some cases and therefore the premises well considered especially with the leave of Authority I will conclude with the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinth 5. 8. though he spake it in a spirituall way Let us keep the Feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice and wickednesse but with the unleavened bread of sinceritie and truth Thus let strength bear down weaknesse Octob. 17. 1648. Imprimatur John Downame FINIS
The Lawfulness of the CELEBRATION OF CHRISTS BIRTH-DAY Debated In case it be Annnally known or not known Discussed By Scripture and Consequence of Scripture and many Objections answered and refuted by Reasons By George Palmer Wel-willer to a particular and solemn joyous-thankfulness to God for his several special mercies in Christ by way of Gradation Job 32. 7 8. Daies should speak and multitude of yeers should teach knowledge but there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding Isa. 29. 13 14. 1 Cor. 1. 19 20. For as much as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous work and wonder For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shal be hid LONDON Printed in the Yeer 1649. To the READER BEloved It may seem strange to many that I am intermedling with Controversies amongst the Learned in Divinity And therefore it is likely that some will say of me as it was somtime said of one Thou art but a stripling but they are men of War from their youth and therefore not to be encountred with by thee And they will think it more safer for me to be employed about meaner matters of a lower Nature rather than to encounter with gyants And perhaps give me a nipping check like that of Eliab to David viz. Where are those few sheep left in the Wilderness It is thy pride that moved thee to come and see the battel But my answer is as that which then was made What have I now done Is there not a cause c. There were Israelites on the one side that stood for the glory of God and the lawful liberty of his children and there were Philistines on the other side that did defie Christ and his redeemed Ones and they had one great Goliah on whom they did cast their confidence and he did approach towards the Israelites with reproach and defiance and yet those Israelites remained in a kind of astonishment Our condition is somwhat like theirs if well examined And although I am not furnished with such complete Armour as some other spiritual Warriours are yet if the stone of Israel be with me I shall have good success You know a jaw-bone was but a strange peice of Armour yet a thousand Philistins could not stand against it for God was with it And his riddle did occasion the quarrel between them for they brake the Covenant of Garments and Sheets as some have done in a Covenant with me here I will not compare my self with any of those Warriours yet give me leave to put forth a Riddle By weakness comes strength Yet strength beareth down weakness Canterbury May 1648. Yours for Truth GEORGE PALMER THE LAWFVLNESSE OF THE CELEBRATION OF CHRISTS BIRTH-DAY Debated c. IN the second Chapter of the Gospel by Saint Luke from the tenth verse to the fourteenth verse you may find that the Angel of the Lord the same day that Christ Jesus was born did incite the Shepherds to rejoyce by reason of the good tydings which he then the same day brought them concerning the Birth of Christ the Lord And for their Example and greater Encouragement thereunto the Lord our God had then the same day appointed a multitude of holy Angels to begin the songs of praise with joy praising God and saying Glory to God in the Highest and on earth Peace good will towards men Yea the first Angel did render them an exceeding strong reason to move their affections and wills thereunto in these words For unto you is born this day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord From whence I will note one thing by the way from the speedy delivery of this message to the Shepherds That if it had not bin the Will of our God that that day should be the day of their solemn joyous praise then the Angel might have divulged the Birth-day of our Saviour afterwards only and not soo speedily in the same day of his Birth but he was speedy in the delivery of his message and emphatical in his expression viz. This Day is born unto you a Saviour which is Christ the Lord And very great reason there was that men should then so rejoyce For if the Angel told Zechariah that many should rejoyce at the birth of John the Baptist who was but the fore-runner of Christ to prepare his way before him as in Chap. 1. verse 14. you may see then much more cause had the children of God had to rejoyce at the Birth of Christ their Saviour In the next place I will observe what our Lord God hath caused to be written for our instruction in this particular by the Evangelist S. Matthew in Chap. 2. and some of the former verses There we may see how the Lord God would cause the wise men of the East to honour Christ being new-born with precious Gifts Gold Franckincense and Myrrhe yea you may see in the second verse that the Star that appeared unto them did denote to them his Birth These are the words Where is he that is born King of the Iews For we have seen his Star in the East and are come to worship him This birth of Christ was much respected by the Prophet Isaiah as in the ninth chapter of his Prophesie doth appear For he seeing it by faith admired it in these words Behold unto us a Child is born c. Many Scriptures might be brought in to prove the excellent esteem or account of his Birth The Apostle took good notice of the excellent resemblance that is between Christs bodily-birth and our spiritual-birth as well as of his Circumcision and our heart-circumcision and of his death and our dying to sin and of his resurrection and our rising again to newness of life And farther the excellencie of his birth was typified before-hand to be very much esteemed of in a particular respect For every male that first opened the womb was to be accounted holy to the Lord And if the type was to be accounted holy then much more was the thing typified to be esteemed holy Thus I have noted to you the message of the angel to the shepherds inciting them to rejoyce with the reason to move them to perform that their duty and also the example set before them to encourage them therein by a multitude of Angels singing out his praise proclaming his Glory at his birth And how the wise men did honour him being moved by a Star denoting his birth in an especial manner And how the Prophet Isaiah admired and esteemed of it he seeing it but by faith And how his birth was esteemed in the Types of it viz. The first born male was to be esteemed holy to the Lord Therefore I cannot but conclude that Christs
nothing is prepared c. for the joy of the Lord is your strength And the Jewes Purim was kept festivally as in the ninth chapter doth appear in verses the 19 20. 22. But it is objected again that the name that is given to the day or the manner of its celebration is now justly excepted against for it is called Christ-masse day which causeth us to beleeve that it was instituted by the Pope or at the least thus named by the Pope for his service which he pretendeth to Christ is called Masse or at least much of his service is so called To this I answer briefly that it is not taken for a bad service in its signification but indifferently for either bad or good service as some affirm and some one word may have divers significations And besides it is by some Expositors taken for an heap and greatnesse in quantitie and so we often now use the word as a masse of money and the like but it was taken as some affirm to dismisse an assembly with a blessing called missa And besides if the name were given to a bad intent at the first which I do not beleeve if in case the Pope first gave this name to it for the first Popes were such as did accompany us in the way to salvation and were not so bad as in latter times they have been and now are yet may we not omit so great a duty of joyous praise as the celebration of so great a mercy is because some have cast in some evill weed into it but refine it again that it may be better spirituall nutriment And therefore take this example of the Prophet Elisha who did not cast away all the pottage which had some gourds of the wilde Vine in it but did put in some meal that might over-powre the killing strength of the gourds of that wilde vine as you may see 2 King 4. 38. to 42. Therefore if the name offend you you may take as quick a way to alter that fault as the Anabaptists do in a thing not so warrantable as this for they can provide a new name against their next washing But it is further objected that of late time this feasting hath been abused by excesse therein and many vicious actions have been committed in that day we lately so celebrated to that end we now plead so much for and therefore it ought to be no more observed as a day of joyous feasting in the remembrance of the birth of Christ our Saviour To this I answer Thus the best things have been abused as namely the Lords day it self but many things which are abused may not be taken away or made void but the abuses purged from them as I said before concerning the name of the day for though some things may be taken away or suspended when they are much abused yet such things whose losse will produce very great ill consequences may not be made void for in so doing we shall lose many good substances which are maintained and preserved by some means that are of lesse concernment in themselves considered and especially it is very dangerous to clip off the speciall occasioning of the remembring of so great a mercy as the celebration of the birth of so dear a Saviour And if we clip off so great a commemoration of Christs birth now it will make way to the neglecting of some other the like mercy another time and so ere long be we shall through the displeasure of our God lose all good occasions of our speciall thankfulnesse to our God for his sending of Christ in the flesh Selah The especiall celebration of Christs birth-day though uncertainly known doth strengthen our faith concerning his humain nature or of his taking it in and of the Virgin Mary contrary to the heresie of divers Hereticks as the Valentinians c. and very likely it was therefore so specially divulged by the Angel as Gods messenger to be noted and celebrated with joy by those shepheards and also performed by the multitude of Angels as an example to men on earth to preserve the Saints from the heresies of those Hereticks as are mentioned by St. John in his 1. Epistle Chap. 4. 1 2 3. and his 2d Epistle ver. 7. For that men may be assured that he took his humane nature in and of the Virgin Mary and not otherwise therefore his birth is expressed by name in these words Vnto you is born c. And because they should rejoyce for it timely therefore the time is made known to them also in these words This day And lest they should not be incited or moved thereunto by the bare promulgation therfore their welfare in him is divulged unto them in this word Saviour And that they might not think that it should be to them onely they are therefore certified that the benefit belonged to all sorts of people And because he was to save them from their sins therfore it was tydings of great joy said the Angel And that they might take the greater notice of this so great a mercy therefore the Angel prepareth their attention with this word Behold Behold I bring you tydings of great joy c. Thus we may see how the all-sufficient fore-knowing God hath provided for us a speciall means to strengthen our faith concerning the humane nature of our Saviour taking it in and from the Virgin Mary against all those hereticall seducings of men that afterwards were to deny the same by noting his birth to the shepherds for its joyfull celebration And surely as it is reported the Polonians do kneel at the receiving of the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ because many Arrians deny him to be God So we may upon the like reason and with a better warrant solemnize the commemoration of Christs birth because many now begin to question his humanitie I say upon better warrant viz from the Angel his inciting the Shepherds to rejoyce at his birth and the multitude of the heavenly host promulgating of their exemplary praises for that transcendent gift given for the everlasting joy of all sorts of people And also from the Shepherds exemplary gloryfying and praising God as they returned from that joyfull sight of Christ then new born as appears ver. 20. And surely the chief question is by our Christians that oppose the celebration of a day in commemoration of his birth whether we may set apart some speciall day for a joyous and festivall celebration of his birth or whether we ought to do it onely in the generall And me thinks it is a very weak question for wise and knowing men to make the premises wel considered And you may take notice that the children of Israel being enjoyned to offer divers offerings might offer some offerings over and above to the Lord of their own voluntary will and affections as thank-offerings and the like as you may see in Levit. 22. 29. and Chap. 6. 16. And they might make some vows to do