THis Festivall and good-time of Christmas, or of our Saviours birth, when God became man, born of a pure Virgin, when the brightnes of the glory became co­ [...]ered with mans nature, when the word was made fl [...]sh, and dwelt amongst us, when Christ Jesus came into the world to restore mankinde to an everlasting glorious e­state. Again, this very good time of Christs birth some men do not greatly desire to have this day sanctified with thanksgiving, nor yet their poore kinred and poor neighbours feasted with Christian mirth and love, but I hope th [...]se men will change their judgement, when it shall please God to increase faith and knowledge, and it may please God this book may give or shew a little light to their knowledg, for by Gods help we wil bring both Scripture and reason, and that godly and wise Christians of very ancient time have kept it and main­tained it, and therefore I hope that good and reasonable men will incline to that which is good & right, and first of al you will [...] both before Christs comming, and since both for thanksgiving and for feast­ing on anoth [...]r witnesse▪ the free will offering and joy, of the Jews for their deliverance from the plot of Haman by Q. Ester and M [...]r [...] under God and we our selves doe offer fr [...]e will offerings of thanksgiving to God Almighty, and we make merry and feast one another for the deliverance from the Gun powder Treason and other dangers of late, And see in the 12^th. Chap. of Exo­dus the 14 ver. how God comanded the people of Israel to keepe the very type of Christs shadowed out in the paschall lamb, these are the words, And this day shall be unto you for a memoriall, and you shall keepe it a feast to the [Page] Lord throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever, Here is an Ordinance of God Almighty for his people to keepe the type and shadow of Christ, and ver. 16. to have a holy convocation on the first day, and on the last day, no work must be done but to dresse good chear, and then shall not we offer free will offerings of thanksgiving & praise, when the substance of the true pascal lamb Christ Iesus was borne, and came to deliver all the beleeving world from hell and damnation, and by him▪ we have blessings both spirituall & temporall, Psal. 110. 3. which is a prophesie of Christ, In the day of thy power shall the people offer thee free will offerings, and with a holy worship­ing, the dew of thy birth is the womb of the morning, And Levit. 33. we read of a great many feasts, and the first & last day are to have a holy Assembly, and the people were commanded to leave some of the fruit of the land and of the corn, for the poor, and Levit. 35. the people of Israel had a yeare of lubile wherein they were to rest and to help the poore the people of God, and had their Feasts and rests and joy before Christ coming into the world, both by command and by their free will offe­ring, then let us Christians give God Almighty free­will offerings of thanksgiving and praise on Christmas day. For the birth of our Saviour and let us remember Christs poore members upon earth, both poore kindred and neighbours; and give occasion for them to rejoyce with money or feasting. For in S. Luke 2. 13 there was a multitude of heavenly Angels praysing God, and say­ing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, towards men good will▪ then let not us that have this peace of conscience and good will of God our heavenly Father be backward, but let us give thanks and make good chear, but some men will say; how can you tell this is [Page] the day, I answer, that it hath been kept many hundred yeares at this time of the year; and the learned do hold it was at this time of the year; if that there be ten dayes difference between other countries beyond Seas & ours: that is nothing to us. For a thousand years with God al­mighty is but as on day, hee holds time and times in his power: therefore let us keep our owne countries good times, and shew as much charity on to another as the people of Israel did before Christ, for wee have the pro­mises fulfilled which they waited and looked for by faith: Did not thy fathers eat, drink and prosper, when they executed judgment and righteousnes, and helped the poore? saith the Prophet Jeremiah, to that ungodly and cruell K. Jehoiakim. so as at a such time as Christ­mas, those whom God Almighty hath given a good share of the wealth of this world, may wear the best; eat & drink the best with moderation, so that they remember Christ's poor members with mercy and charity, and this year requireth more charity then ordinary, because of the dearness of provision of corn and victuals. What if gen­tlemen of great wealth should spend a hundred pound in charitable works this year more then they have coming in, they may help out a dear yeare, and God Almighty hath promised to be good unto such men, and to blesse them with many blessings: and let every man according to his estate do some good for his Saviours sake. And then we may sing, that Christ our King was born as this day of a pure Virgin, of a pure Virgin, and now seeing wee are a speaking of Christmass, let us not be too sad but a little merry and cheerfull. Consider what great joy there was through all the Kingdoms of the great King Ahashueroh, among all the people of Israel, which were scattered in all the lands of that great heathen King, Ester [Page] 9. 20. then Queen Ester the daughter of Abihail and Mordecay the Jew wrote with all authority to confirme the second letters of Purim, and all this people of the Jews obeyed Queen Ester and Mordecai, and keep these days of deliverance from the wicked plot of Haman, & they feasted with joy, and sent portions on to another, and gifts to the poor: this deliverance from this wicked designe of Haman was a great earthly deliverance, but Haman could not have hurt their soules, but they might have been saved, but our enemy Satan had and would have hurt our souls and bodies, and our souls had been accursed and perished, had not Christ came in­to the world to redeem them, their deliverance was but to that Nation, but our deliverance by Christ Iesus com­ing into the world, and taking mans nature and condition upon him without sin, the eternall Son of God by com­ing into the world, and suffering and making satisfacti­on for mankind, hath delivered all the believing world, which lay hold on him by a lively faith: then wee Chri­stians have great cause of joy and thanksgiving for the birth of our Saviour, the blessed spirits the Angels were never seen in such multitudes since that time or before on the earth, praysing God in that manner, and singing as they were that day, the people of Israel which were God Almighties true Church, were comanded to keep the Feast of the Paschall Lambe for ever, which was but a type or shadow of Christ; especially untill Christ the Lambe of God came, which took away the sins of the believing world, Exodus 12. 26. and it shall come to passe when your children shall say unto you; what mean you by this service, ye shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lords Passover, who passed over the houses of the chil­dren of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, & [Page] delivered our houses, and the people bowed the head and worshipped.

So when our children shall aske us, or thinke upon Christmas, we may say unto them, Christ Iesus came into the world to redeeme mankinde, God so loved the world that he gave his only son to save mankind, therefore let us be merry in the Lord, and give thanks to God. Al­mighty, and be liber all to the poore on that day, and so leave a good example to our children and successors. For the Lord is very well pleased with free will offerings of praise and thanksgiving, and King David saith, What shall I pay the Lord for all his benefits to me? the wholsome cup of saving health I thankfully will take, & on the Lords name will I call when I my prayers make, And Ps. 118. 21. I will praise thee, for thou hast heard me, and art became my salvation, the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner, this is the Lord [...] doing, and it is marvelou [...] in our eyes, this is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoyce and be glad in it, and Luke [...]. And it came to passe in those dayes, that there went a Decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria, and all went to be taxed, every one in his own City, and Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the City of Nazareth into Judea, into the City of David, which is called Bethlem, because he was of the house and linage of David to be taxed with Mary his espoused wif [...] being gr [...]at with childe, and so it was that while they were there, the dayes were accomplished that shee should be delivered and she brought forth her first born Son and wrapt him in swadling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the Inne, and there was [Page] in the same Country Shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night, And loe, The Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shon round about them, and they were sore afraid, and the Angel said unto them, fear not, for behold I bring you good tydings of great joy, which shall be to all the people: for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a signe unto you, ye shall finde the babe wrapt in swadling clothes, and laid in a manger, and sodainly there was with the Angel a multi­tude of the heavenly Hoast, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, and good will towards men, and it came to passe as the Angels were gon away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another let us now goe to Bethlem and see this thing which is come to passe which the Lord hath made known unto us, and they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger, and when they had seen it, they spread a­broad the saying which was told them concerning this child and all that heard it, wondered at those things that were told them of the shepherds, but Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart, and the shepherds retur­ned praising and glorifying God for all the things which they had heard and seen, as it was told them, here was great joy among the Jews, but in Mat. 2. we read of greater men among the Gentiles, and of greater joy, and of greater pains and travell to finde out the birth of Christ, and of greater cost of gold and rich commodi­ties, which may be great joy unto us which were Gen­tiles and Heathens before Christ came into the world, as well as they, now when Jesus was borne at Bethlem [Page] of Judea, in the dayes of Herod the King, Behold there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is borne King of the Jews? for we have seen his s [...]ar in the East, and are come to worship him, and ver. 10. When they saw the star they rejoyced with an exceeding great joy and when they were come into the house, they saw the young childe with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him, and when they had opened their treasury, they presented unto him gifts, Gold, Frankinsence and Myrrh.

Thus we see what love, and joy, and pains, and tra­vell, and great cost, these wise men thought well be­stowed upon their Saviour, but now our Saviour is gone into heaven, and is there glorified, and now he is very well pleased when men relieve the wants of his faithfull people for his sake; well then, I say, this is the greatest deliverance at the first hand by God Almighty that ever mankind received, and therefore we should return the greatest free will offering of praise and thanksgiving for it.