in your assimilation to other Churches? a matter, wherein I need not tell you there is both honour and strength.

The mention whereof draws me, towards the closure of my long Letter, whether to an apology or interpretation of myself.

Belike, some captious hearers took hold of words, spoken in some Sermon of mine, that sounded of too much indifferency in these businesses: ubi bos herbam, vipera venenum, as he said: as if I had opened a gap to a lawless freedom, in teaching, that no Church should prescribe to other; that each should sit peaceably down with her own fashions. But did I say (you, that heard, can clear me) that one Church should not be moved with the good example of other? that there are not certain sacred observations, which should be common to all Churches? that, though one Church might not prescribe to other, because they are sisters, one King may not prescribe to two Churches, whereof he is head? None of these, which I hate as monstrous. Examples may move, authority may press the use of things indifferent, expedient; and it is odious to seem more holy than all others, or to seem more wise than our heads.

You have my opinion, at large, my loving and beloved Mr. Struthers. How pleasing it may be, I know not: how well meant, I know. If your Letter were a history, my answer is proved a volume. My love, and desire of your satisfaction, hath made me, against my use, tedious. How well were every word bestowed, if it might settle you where I would! Howsoever, my true endeavour looks for your acceptation, and my affections and prayers shall ever answer yours; who am,

Your unfeignedly loving friend

and fellow-labourer,

JOSEPH HALL.

Waltham Abbey,

Octob. 3.

Return my thanks and kind remembrance to those worthy gentle

men, from whom you sent me commendations; and to your wife and all our friends.

A LETTER

FOR THE

OBSERVATION OF THE FEAST

OF

CHRIST'S NATIVITY.

BY JOSEPH HALL.

SIR, WITH MY LOVING REMEMBRANCE:

IT cannot but be a great grief to any wise and moderate Christian to see zealous and well meaning souls carried away after the giddy humour of their new teachers, to a contempt of all holy and reverend antiquity, and to an eager affectation of novel fancies even while they cry out most bitterly against innovations: when the practice and judgment of the whole Christian World ever from the days of the blessed Apostles to this present age is pleaded for any form of government or laudable observation, they are strait taught, That old things are passed, and that all things are become new; making their word good by so new and unheard-of an interpretation of Scripture, whereby they may as justly argue the introducing of a new Church, a new Gospel, a new religion, with the annulling of the old and that they may not want an all-sufficient patronage of their fond conceit, our blessed Saviour himself is brought in, who in his Sermon on the Mount controlled the antiquity of the pharisaical glosses of the law; Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, thus, and thus; but I say unto you, &c: as if the Son of God, in checking the upstart antiquity of a misgrounded and unreasonable tradition, meant to condemn the truly ancient and commendable customs of the whole Christian Church; which all sober and judicious Christians are wont to look upon, with meet respect and reverence.

And, certainly, whosoever shall have set down this resolution. with himself, to slight those either institutions or practices, which

are derived to us from the Primitive Times, and have ever since been entertained by the whole Church of Christ upon earth, that man hath laid a sufficient foundation of schism and dangerous singularity; and doth that, which the most eminent of the Fathers, St. Augustin, chargeth with no less than most insolent madness.

For me and my friend, God give us grace to take the advice, which our Saviour gives to his Spouse, to Go forth by the footsteps of the flock, and to feed our kids beside the shepherds tents; Cant. 1. 8. and to walk in the sure paths of uncorrupt Antiquity.

For the celebration of the solemn Feasts of our Saviour's Nativity, Resurrection, Ascension, and the coming down of the Holy Ghost, which you say is cried down by your zealous Lecturer, one would think there should be reason enough, in those wonderful and unspeakable benefits, which those days serve to commemorate

unto us.

For, to instance in the late feast of the Nativity, when the angel brought the news of that blessed birth to the Jewish shepherds, Behold, saith he, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day a Saviour. If, then, the report of this blessing were the best tidings of the greatest joy that ever was, or ever could be possibly incident into mankind, why should not the commemoration thereof be answerable? Where we conceive the greatest joy, what should hinder us to express it in a joyful festivity?

But, you are taught to say, the day conferred nothing to the blessing that, every day, we should, with equal thankfulness, remember this inestimable benefit of the Incarnation of the Son of God; so as a set anniversary day is altogether needless.

Know, then, and consider, that the All-Wise God, who knew it fit that his people should every day think of the great work of the creation and of the miraculous deliverance out of the Egyptian servitude, and should daily give honour to the Almighty Creator and Deliverer, yet ordained one day of seven for the more special recognition of these marvellous works; as well knowing, how apt we are to forget those duties, wherewith we are only encharged in common, without the desigment of a particular rememoration. Besides, the same reason will hold proportionably against any monthly or annual celebration whatsoever: the Jews should have been much to blame, if they had not every day thankfully remembered the great deliverance, which God wrought for them from the bloody design of cruel Haman; yet it was thought requisite, if not necessary, that there should be two special days of Purim set apart, for the anniversary memorial of that wonderful preservation. The like may be said for the English Purim, of our November: it is well, if, besides the general tie of our thankfulness, a precise day, ordained by authority, can enough quicken our unthankful dulness to give God his own for so great a mercy: shall we say now, "It is the work of the year, what needs a day?" As, therefore, no day should pass over our head without a grateful acknowledgment of the great mystery of God Incarnate; so, withal, the

wisdom of the Primitive Church, no doubt by the direction of the Holy Ghost, hath pitched upon one special day wherein we should entirely devote our thoughts to the meditation of this work, which the angels of heaven cannot enough admire.

But, you are told, that, perhaps we miss of the day, since the season is litigious, uncertain, unknown; and, in likelihood, other than our December: and, that it is purposely not revealed, that it may not be kept.

As to the first, I deny not, that the just day is not certainly known. The great Saviour of the World, that would have his Second Coming without observation going before it, would have his First Coming without observation following it. He meant to come down without noise, without a recorded notice. Even in the second hundred (so ancient we are sure this festivity is) there was question and different opinions of the season: the just knowledge and determination whereof, matters nothing at all to the duty of our celebration. Most sure we are, that such a day there was; and no less sure, that it was the happiest day, that ever looked forth into the world. It is all one to us, whether this day or that: we content ourselves with this, that it hath pleased the Church, for many hundred years, to ordain this day for the commemoration of that transcendent blessing. What care we, to stand upon those twelve hours, that made up the artificial day, wherein this wonderful work was wrought; which we are sure cannot but be much changed by so many intercalations? So long and constant a practice of the Christian Church, upon so holy grounds, is no less warrant to us, than if an angel from heaven should have revealed unto us the just hour of this Blessed Nativity.

As to the second, surely, whosoever shall tell you, that God did purposely hide this day from us, that it might escape a celebration, as he concealed the burial of Moses to avoid the danger of an idolatrous adoration, makes himself a presumptuous commenter upon the actions of the Almighty. Where did God tell him so? or, what revelation can he pretend, for so bold an assertion? If this were the matter, why then did not the same God with equal caution conceal the day of the Passion, Resurrection, Ascension of our Blessed Saviour, and of the Descent of the Holy Ghost? the observation of all which days, is, with no less vehemence and upon the same danger, cried down by these scrupulous persons. Either, therefore, let him say, that God would have these other feast days observed, because he would have them known to the world; or yield, that he did not therefore conceal the day of the Nativity of Christ, because he would not have it observed.

But, you hear it said, "There is Popery and Superstition, in keeping that day."

Tell those, that suggest so, that they cast a foul slander upon the Saints of God in the Primitive Times; upon the holy and learned Fathers of the Church, who preached, and wrote for, and kept the Feast of Christ's Nativity with sacred solemnity, many hundred years before Popery was hatched: and, that they little

know, what wrong they do to religion and themselves, and what honour they put upon that Superstition which they profess to detest, in ascribing that to Popery, which was the mere act of holy and devout Christianity.

But, to colour this plea, you are taught that the Mystery of Iniquity began early to work, even in the very Apostolic Times; and that Antichrist did secretly put in his claw, before his whole body appeared.

Surely, there is singular use wont to be made of this shift, by those, which would avoid the countenance of all primitive authority, to any displeasing (however lawful and laudable) institutions and practices. So, the Anabaptist tells us, that the baptizing of children is one of the timely workings of the Mystery of Iniquity: so, the blasphemous Nearians of our time tell us, that the mystery of the Blessed Trinity of Persons in the Unity of One Godhead is but an ancient devise of Antichrist, working under-hand, before his formal exhibition. Every sect is apt to make this challenge: and, therefore, it behoves us wisely to distinguish betwixt those things, which men did as good Christians, and those, which they did as engaged to their own private or to the more common interest of others. What advantage can we conceive it might be to Antichrist, that Christ should have a day celebrated to the memory of his Blessed Birth; and that devout Christians should meet together in their holy assemblies, to praise God for the benefit of that happy Incarnation? and what other effect could be expected from so religious a work, but glory to God, and edification to men? Who can suppose, that the enemy of Christ should gain by the honour done to Christ? Away, therefore, with this groundless imagination: and let us be so popish, so superstitious as those holy Fathers and Doctors of the Primitive Church, famous for learning and piety, who lived and died devout observers of this Christian Festival.

But, you are bidden to ask, what warrant we find in the Word of God, which is to be the rule of all our actions, for the solemn keeping of this day.

In answer, you may, if you please, tell that questionist, that, to argue from Scripture negatively in things of this nature is somewhat untheological. Ask you him again, with better reason, what scripture he finds to forbid it: for, if it be unlawful to be done, which is not in God's Word commanded; then, much rather that, which is not there forbidden, cannot be unlawful to be done. General grounds of edification, decency, expedience, peaceable conformity to the injunctions of our spiritual governors, are, in these cases, more than enough to build our practice upon.

If it be replied, that we are enjoined six days to labour, and forbidden to observe days and times, as being a part of the Jewish pædagogue; two common pretences, wherewith the eyes of the ignorant are wont to be bleared: know, that, for the first, it is not so much preceptive as permissive; neither was it the intention of the Almighty to intersperse the command of human affairs in the