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A89447
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A box of spikenard newly broken not so much for the preparation of the burial; as for the clearer illustration, and exornation of the birth and nativity of our blessed Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. Contained in a short and sweet discourse which was at first hinted, and occasioned through a question propounded by R.B.P. de K. Which is now answered and resloved by T.M. P. de P.
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Malpas, Thomas.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing M340; Thomason E2140_2; ESTC R208367
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46,250
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128
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God hath not made a duty But God never made the Celebration of the Nativity of Christ a Duty Ergo it is no Duty Though this Argument is Scholastically and Syllogistically propounded yet I shall be so bold as to deny the Minor or second proposition and that for these Reasons for although it be not in words plainly expressed yet in sense it is significantly and sufficiently implyed and by way of necessary consequence may be deduced and gathered out of the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews at the 6. Verse When he bringeth forth his first begotten Son into the World He saith And let all the Angels of Gods worship him and for proof hereof to shew the sweet harmony and consent of both Testaments the Old and the New and that one and the same Spirit speaks in both For the same God is Author of both and the same Christ is Subject of both insomuch that each Testament is in other for in the Law there is an hidden Gospel and in the Gospel a revealed Law Being like the two Cherubius on the Mercy-Seat whose faces looked one towards the other Exod. 15.20 St. Paul alleadgeth that in Psal 97.7 And howsoever the ordinary reading of the Psalm is worship Him all ye gods yet the Apostle Interprets it of Angels directly saying according as Tremelius renders it out of the Original Incurvanto se bonorem exhibentes ei omnes Angeli Let all the Angels of God worship Him For so we find it to be true indeed and so it was at Christ's Birth and upon the very Day of his Nativity That one Angel first reports it to the Shepheards of Bethlehem and many other of those Celestial Choristers sing Praises to God for it Fear not said Gabriel for Behold I bring you good tydings of great joy which shall be unto all Nations For unto you is born this Day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord and suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praysing God and saying Gloria Deo in Excelsis c. Luke 2.13.14 Now I inferr from hence that these Angels came not about this Errand without some special Commission and Command from God and therefore it was a Duty Commanded and Given in charge to them Now if the Angels for whom Christ came not were to performe it How much more ought we Men to observe it for whose sake and for whose Salvation he was Incarnate and became Man for verily He took not on Him Naturam Angelorum sed Semen Abrahami Heb. 2.10 not the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham saith the Apostle Dubartas Wherefore the Angels As they are called by a Divine Poet The sacred Tutors of the Saints and the guard of God's Elect c So they may also be called Tutors and Instructors to us to instruct and teach us this Lesson and may be also exemplary Patterns and Precedents to us in the practise and performance of this Duty Answerable and agreeable hereunto is the plat-form of our grand Master and blessed Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus who hath taught us in the third Petition of that his most absolute and perfect Prayer to pray thus Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven wherein we are taught to pray as all the best Orthodoxal Divines do expound it that the will of God may be obeyed and done by us as Chearfully Speedily Faithfully Constantly and Continually as it is done by the Angels in Heaven And therefore as the Angels melodiously chanted it here on Earth at the Birth of Christ So let us likewise unanimously celebrate set forth his praise and say Glory be to God on High in Earth Peace good will towards Men. We blesse Thee we praise Thee we glorifie Thee we give thanks to Thee for thy great Glory These words were at first added to the Heavenly Carroll of the Holy Angels by that famous Bishop Hilary and used by him in his own Church Anno 340. So saith Cassander's Litturgy Cap. 22. And that this is a Duty expected and required from us upon good ground and special Reasons and Causes that should move us hereunto grave St. Austin tells us wittily and profoundly This Quaery hath a sufficient Quaery Quia verbum caro factum est habitavit intra nos Because the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us vidimus Gloriam and we faw his Glory saith St. John as of the onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth John 1.14 Wherefore as those Persian Sages who were both Wisemen and Kings being led by the guidance and assistance and direction of a Starr to the place of Christ's Birth and there did adore and worship Him and presented gifts unto Him Gold Frankincense and Myrrh Math. 2.10 and this their coming made to the greater condemnation of the Jews and to shame their blockishness and blindness their sluggishness carnality and infidelity who standing hard-by saw not so much as they who came from far according to that speech of Leo Veritas illuminat magos Infidelitas obcoecat magistros So it is to be feared lest the Lord for our contempt of Christ and the unspeakable benefits that we have received by his first coming in the flesh lest the Lord I say for our ingratitude and for our carelessenesse and carnality take his Word from us Christians as he did his King â—om from the Jews and give it to such as we think to be most alien from God and his Gospel even to Moors and Tartars Turks and Infidells who perhaps may bring forth better fruits of Obedience and Thankfulness than we have done and so rise up in Judgment at the latter day and condemn us for if wisemen brought up in Gentilism and Idolatry come to Christ and believe what excuse then belongs to the Jews So if Infidels and Pagans believe and obey What shall become of us Christians who want both Faith and Obedience Thus much for the answering of the first Argument Answer to the second Argument The Words of the second Argument are these If I should observe this day I am fearfull lest I should deny the Perfection of the Scripture for in the Scripture all things are contained which are necessary to Salvation and all things which are needfull to be believed and done by a Christian man for the attainment of Salvation But the Celebration of Christ's Nativity is not contained therein Ergo If I should observe this I should deny the Perfection of the Scriptures To this I answer That the Article of our Faith touching Christ's Incarnation and Manifestation in the Flesh is both commended and commanded in the Scripture and I refer you or any other indifferent Man not onely to our Apostolicall Creed which although it be not Protocanonical Scripture yet as Ambrose speaks it is the Key of the Scripture and as Augustine terms it a plain short absolute summ of all holy Faith It is
confound the Persons with Sabellius nor divide the Substance with Arrius for there is one Person of the Father another of the Sonne another of the Holy Ghost but the God-head of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost is all One the Glory equal the Majesty co-eternal such as the Father is such is the Son c. And therefore the Glory Honour and Worship that is done to the One is done to the other or is both due and ought to be done to the other How then can it be otherwise that the least Homage Honour and Duty that is done to Christ on this day is accepted of God if it be done in Faith and Obedience Why then do you say That by keeping this day you are fearful lest you should offend God and set up a day against Him It may be you will object and say here as you do in your thirteenth Argument that God is in many places much dishonoured by the great Abuse and Disorders that is committed at this time To this I briefly answer by the way according to that true and well-known Rule The Abuse of any good thing cannot abrogate or take away the right and lawful Use of it and therefore why should you fear when there is no such just cause at all to fear Remember what Christ saieth Luk. 9.48 Whosoever shall receive me receiveth Him that sent me and in the same place and upon the very same occasion when John told Him saying Master we saw one casting out Devils in thy name and we forbade him because he followeth not with us But Jesus said For bid him not for there is no man which shall do a Miracle in my Name that can lightly speak evill of Me for he that is not against us is for us And I am verily perswaded in my Soul and Conscience that whosoever is truly really and sincerely addicted and devoted to Christ neither can nor will speak a word amiss against the due Festivity and Solemnity of this day thus as the Apostle speaks Rom. 14.5 One man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike Let every man be perswaded in his own mind he that regardeth a day regardeth it to the Lord and I am perswaded if any man regard this day as he ought to do the Lord will both regard reward him for so doing Answer to the fifth Argument The fifth Argument is this It is the Devil's policy to imitate God and when he will be holy he will be holier then God c. Sir This Argument is as strange stuff as ever I have either seen felt heard or understood for although the antecedent part cannot be much misliked it being taken pro concesso confesso for a thing granted and confessed to be true that it is the Devils policy to imitate God for in many things he is God's Ape as some Divines compare him seeking to counterfeit and resemble him as an Ape doth a Man in such gestures and tricks which he useth and where God will have his Church he will have his Chappel and he will have his Exorcisms and Charms and Spells instead of God's-spell i. e. the Gospel but your Sequel or Subsequent is a meer new fangled Parodox and a Proposition or rather a Supposition which is not onely absurd but ridiculous not onely erroneous but also blasphemous and may be ranked and reckoned amongst those evil-surmisings and perverse disputings which are mentioned by the Apostle 1 Tim. 4.5 and are utterly condemned by him but let us examine what you say in the latter part viz. That when the Devil will be holy he will be holier then God And is that possible But you instance for an example thus When he seeth God will have a Sabbath to be kept then will he set up a Day and he will have a Christmas day to be kept ô monstrum horrendum what a horrible terrible secret is this Is Saul among the Prophers is Sathan among the Saints of God Is it possible or it is probable or is it any way likely to be true That he that was even like the great Turk an Enemy to Christ and all Christendom should so far be a friend and favourer of Christ as to be a prime and forward Erector Abettor and Setter up of a Day for the celebrating and setting forth of his Praise and Honour Alas if this be so in what a lamentable and pittiful case are we and how have we and our forefathers been led hoodwinckt as it were and blindfolded all this while and have been taken in the snare of the Devil and be Captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.26 We have sure served a very ill Saint all this while if like the People of Callicut we have worshipped the Devil in observing that Day which you affirm he hath set up but I say it is not so Good Sir for toto erras coelo you are fouly and grosly deceived in this point Shall you or any man alive make me believe that ever the Devil had any desire or inclination this way to propagate or promote the Cause of Christ or of his Gospel who was ever an Adversary bonis incoeptis in germine and whose continual and daylie practise is suffocare Dei filios dum parvuli sunt to smother and murder the Children of God while they are little ones Was it not he who stirred up Pharoah at the first and moved him to command and charge the Midwives to drown the male-children of the Hebrew Women so soon as they were born Exod. 1.22 And was it not this Merchant or Factor or rather that old Serpent called the Devil and Sathan who went about the same designe at Christ's birth did not he instigate Herod to send his Men of Warr and to kill all the young Children of Bethlehem from two years Old and under intending thereby to murder Christ in Infancy and Childhood wherefore as devout Bernard cryeth out in the like Case so may we ô malitia Herediana nascentem persequi Christum nascentem persequi religionem O Herodian malice to persecute Christ and his Religion in their minority to destroy the Sprigg lest it become a Tree and break the Egg lest it prove a Dove O divelish malice indeed for as Expositors upon the place aptly observe and apply it thus Herod represents the Devil Apoc. 12.4 who stands before the Woman in the Wildernesse great with Child ready to devour her Babe Gen. 3.15 He knew that the seed which should break his head was to be born of the Jews and therefore caused Pharoah to murder all the Hebrew Males Exod 1. And stirred up Haman to destroy the whole Nation of the Jews Esther 3. And Athalia to kill all the sons of David 2 King 12. And so soon as the noise was of Christ's Birth Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him Math. 2. And he sent incontinent to cut the throats of all the Children in Bethlehem yea more