Sons of Men. Let not the scandalous Divisions amongst Christians, nor the ill Lives of those that profess thy Holy Religion, ever stagger or weaken my Belief of it, since Love, and Peace, and Unity, are Marks of thy true Disciples, and that thy Wrath is revealed from Heaven against all those that obey not the Gospel of thy Son. Keep my Mind free from all Prejudice, which puts so false a Bias upon the Understanding, even in Matters of the greatest Importance, and which may prove so fatal and destructive to my eternal Welfare; that seeing the Reasonableness of those Things thou hast required to be believed, the Perfection of those Duties thou hast enjoined to be practised, and the Power and Force of those Motives upon which both are founded, I may be stedfast and unmoveable, and at last receive the End of my Faith, even the Salvation of my Soul, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

IV.

O HOLY and Eternal God, who hast graciously For an ef

Faith.

condescended to establish with Christians a Cove-fectual nant of Faith and Obedience, with the Promises of a present Supply of Grace and Assistance, and of a future Reward to crown all those that persevere in thy Service; O let me for ever dwell upon this Rock, that, while I am surrounded with sensible Things, I may not be shaken by the Power of them. That no Charms of present sinful Pleasures, may make me forget that Place of Torment to which they consign me. That the Cares of this Life, and the Deceitfulness of Riches, may never make me neglect a Treasure that faileth not, an Inheritance with the Saints in Light. Work in me all those godly Affections that may make my Faith effectual to my Salvation. Let the Belief of thy paternal Care over me produce Love, Honour, and dutiful Obedience; the Belief of thy Almighty Power, Reverence and godly Fear; the Belief of thy Righteeusness, Holiness in all manner of Conversation;

that Faith being the governing Principle of my Life, it may compose my Mind under all Events, by a firm Trust and Confidence in thy wise Providence; and that it may dispel all Solicitude for worldly Supplies, by a settled Persuasion, that thou wilt withhold no good Thing from them that walk uprightly; and that thou art ready to bestow good Things, if we persevere in Prayer and Devotion; that ordering all my Actions with a Regard to another World, I may so pass through Things temporal, that I finally lose not the Things eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CHAP V.

THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, OR THE BIRTH-
DAY OF CHRIST, COMMONLY CALLED

CHRISTMAS DAY.-DECEMBER 25.

Q. WHAT Festival doth the Church celebrate this
Day?

A. The Great Festival of the Nativity of our Saviour Jesus Christ; or the Appearance of God in the Flesh.

Q. What Authority have we for the Observation of this Festival?

A. The Practice of the Primitive Church; for though we have no certain Evidence of the exact Time when it was first observed, yet it appeareth plainly, that it was very early received all over the West. And the immemorial Observation of it is an Argument of its primitive Institution.

Q. But is it not superstitious to observe this Festival upon the Twenty-fifth of December, when we cannot be certain that our Saviour was born upon that Day?

A. There is little Reason to doubt but that this which we now observe is the very Day; the TesChrysost. timony of St. Chrysostom is clear for the Tradition of it. Though, if the Day were mistaken, the

Tom. 5.

p. 467.

Matter of the Mistake being of no greater Moment than the false Calculation of a Day, will certainly be very pardonable in those who think they are not mistaken. And as long as those, who are supposed to be in this Error, do perform the Business of the Day with as much Piety and Devotion on a mistaken Day, as they could do on a true one, if they certainly knew it; the Excuse of blameless Ignorance will wash away greater Errors than this of the Day, supposing it were an Error.

Q. What are we to believe concerning the Birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ?

A. That the Virgin Mary espoused unto Joseph of Nazareth, who, before and after her Espousals, was a pure and unspotted Virgin, being and continuing in the same Virginity, did, by the immediate Operation of the Holy Ghost, conceive, within her Womb, the only-begotten Son of God; and, after the natural Time of other Women, brought him forth. Whereby the Saviour of the World was born of a Woman, made under the Law, without the least Pretence of any original Corruption, that he might deliver us from the Guilt of Sin. And he was born of a Virgin, of the House and Lineage of David, that he might sit upon his Throne, and rule for evermore.

Q. Was the promised Messias to be born after a miraculous Manner?

A. Yes, the Prophecies of the Old Testament foretold as much. Jeremiah says, The Lord hath crea- Jer. xxxi. ted a new Thing upon the Earth, a Woman shall com-22. pass a Man. That new Creation of a Man is therefore new, and therefore a Creation, because wrought in a Woman only, without a Man. Isaiah, Behold a Is. vii. 24. Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his Name Immanuel. The original Word was translated a Virgin, by such Interpreters as were Jews themselves, some hundred Years before our Saviour's Birth: and did not the Signification of the Word and the frequent Use thereof in Scripture import it,

E

the wonder of the Sign given by the Lord himself would evince as much. As for that Conceit of the Jews, that all should be fulfilled in Hezekiah, it is so manifestly false, that Nothing can make more for the Confirmation of our Faith. This Sign was given, and this Promise made, some time in the Reign of Ahaz. Now Ahaz reigned but sixteen Years in Jerusalem; and his Son Hezekiah who xvi. 2. ch. succeeded him, was Twenty-five Years old when he began to reign; and therefore born several Years before Ahaz was King, and consequently not now to be conceived when this Sign was given.

Cyril. Hie

ros. Catec. 4. § 10.

2 Kings

xviii. 2.

Luke i. 34.

Q. How doth it appear that these Prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus Christ?

A. His Mother that bore him was a pure Virgin, Mat. i. 25. as appeareth both from her own Account, and that of Joseph, her reputed Husband; both Persons of known Integrity and unquestionable Credit. When Joseph doubted of her Chastity, an Angel was dispatched to clear her Honour: and to assure him, that what was conceived in her was not any human Production, but of the Holy Ghost. When she objected the Impossibility of her being a Mother, the Luke i. 35. Angel explains it to her himself, by the Holy Ghost coming upon her, and the Power of the Highest overshadowing her. All which was so unquestionable, and plainly made out to the Apostles and primitive Christians, that they universally and firmly believed it, and thought it a Point of so great Moment, as to deserve a Place in that Summary of the Christian Faith called the Apostles' Creed.

Mic. v. 2.

Q. What were the Circumstances of our Saviour's Birth?

4. He was born at Bethlehem, according to the Prediction of the Prophet Micah; whither Joseph and Mary went in Obedience to the Decree of ÂuLuke ii. 4. gustus, to be taxed, being of the House and Lineage of David; the Providence of God making Use of this Conjuncture, by verifying a Prophecy, to signify and publish the Birth of the true Messias. The Concourse of People to Bethlehem was so great that

they could find no Accommodation but a Stable; where the blessed Virgin brought forth her first- Ver. 7. born Son, and wrapped him in swaddling Clothes, and laid him in a Manger; doing herself the Offices of

a pious and tender Parent, whilst all the Angels of Heb. i. 9. God worshipped him.

Q. How was the Birth of our Saviour published to the World?

A. By the Administration of Angels; for as certain Shepherds were keeping watch over their Flocks by Night, the Angel of the Lord came upon Luke ii. 6. them, and the Glory of the Lord shone round about them; so that the Splendour of the Appearance confounded their Senses, and made them sore afraid : But the Angel quickly dissipated the Terror that seized them, with the Tidings he brought of great Luke ii. Joy to all People, in those comfortable Words: 10, 11. Unto you is born this Day, in the City of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Q. How were the Shepherds directed to find this new-born King?

A. Lest they should expect a Prince accompanied with outward Pomp and Magnificence, the Angel described the Meanness and Obscurity of his Circumstances, as a Token to guide them in the Search of this new-born Prince. This shall be a ver. 12. Sign unto you, ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling Clothes, and lying in a Manger. Upon this Notice, the Shepherds, without Delay, went to Bethlehem, and found the Narrative verified, and published to the World both what they had seen and heard concerning the Holy Child Jesus.

Q. How was this joyful News received by the Angels and the Shepherds?

A. The Multitude of the heavenly Host praised God in that devout Hymn, Glory to God in the ver. 14. highest, and on Earth Peace, Good-will towards Men. And the Shepherds, when they had found the real Completion of what was told them by the Angel, Ver. 20. returned, glorifying and praising God.