GOD, without the righteousness of the LORD JESUS CHRIST put upon your fouls? Can ye ftand in your own rags? Will ye dare to appear before a heart-fearching GoD, without the apparel of your elder brother? If ye do, I know your doom: CHRIST will frown you into hell: "Depart, depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire," shall be your portion. Think, I pray you, therefore, on these things; go home, go home, go home, pray over the text, and fay, "LORD GOD, thou haft brought an everlasting righteoufnefs into the world by the LORD JESUS CHRIST; by the bleffed Spirit bring it into my heart!" then, die when ye will, ye are fafe; if it be to-morrow, ye fhall be immediately tranflated into the prefence of the everlafting GoD: that will be fweet! Happy they who have got this robe on; happy they that can say, "My God hath loved me, and I fhall be loved by him with an everlasting love!" That every one of you may be able to fay fo, may God grant, for the fake of JESUS CHRIST, thế dear Redeemer; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

SERMON

SER

MON

XVI.

The Obfervation of the Birth of CHRIST, the Duty of all Chriftians; or the true Way of keeping Christmas,

MATTHEW i. 21.

And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his Name Jefus: For he shall fave his People from their Sins.

THE

HE celebration of the birth of CHRIST hath been efteemed a duty by most who profess chriftianity. When we confider the condefcenfion and love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, in fubmitting to be born of a virgin, a poor finful creature; and especially as he knew how he was to be treated in this world; that he was to be defpifed, fcoffed at, and at Jaft to die a painful, fhameful, and ignominious death; that he should be treated as though he was the off-fcouring of all mankind; used, not like the fon of a man, and, therefore, not at all like the Son of God; the confideration of these things fhould make us to admire the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who was fo willing to offer himself as a ransom for the fins of the people, that when the fulness of time was come, CHRIST came, made of a woman, made under the law: he came according to the eternal counsel of the Father; he came, not in glory or in splendor, not like him who brought all falyation with him: no, he was born in a ftable, and laid in a manger; oxen were his companions. O amazing condefcenon of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, to stoop to fuch low and

poor

poor things for our fake. What love is this, what great and wonderful love was here, that the Son of GOD fhould come into our world in fo mean a condition, to deliver us from the fin and mifery, in which we were involved by our fall in our first parents! And as all that proceeded from the fprings must be muddy, becaufe the fountain was fo, the LORD JESUS CHRIST came to take our natures upon him, to die a shameful, a painful, and an accurfed death, for our fakes; he died for our fins, and to bring us to GOD; he cleanfed us by his blood from the guilt of fin, he fatisfied for our imperfections; and now, my brethren, we have accefs unto him with boldnefs; he is a mediator between us and his offended Father.

Therefore, if we do but confider into what ftate, and at how great a distance from GoD we are fallen; how vile our natures were; what a depravity, and how incapable to reftore that image of GOD to our fouls, which we loft in our first parents when I confider these things, my brethren, and that the LORD JESUS CHRIST came to restore us to that favour with GOD which we had loft, and that CHRIST not only came down with an intent to do it, but actually accomplished all that was in his heart towards us; that he raised and brought us into favour with GOD, that we might find kindnefs and mercy in his fight; furely this calls for fome return of thanks on our part to our dear Redeemer, for this love and kindness to our fouls. How juft would it have been of him, to have left us in that deplorable ftate wherein we, by our guilt, had involved ourselves? For GoD could not, nor can receive any additional good by our falvation; but it was love, mere love; it was free love that brought the LORD JESUS CHRIST into our world, about 1700 years ago. What, hall we not remember the birth of our JESUS? Shall we yearly celebrate the birth of our temporal king, and shall that' of the King of kings be quite forgotten? Shall that only,' which ought to be had chiefly in remembrance, be quite forgotten? God forbid! No, my dear brethren, let us celebrate and keep this feftival of our church, with joy in our hearts: let the birth of a Redeemer, which redeemed us from fin, from wrath, from death, from hell, be always remembered; may this Saviour's love never be forgotten! but may we fing forth all his love and glory as long as life shall laft here, and through an

endles

endless eternity in the world above! may we chaunt forth the wonders of redeeming love, and the riches of free grace, amidft angels and archangels, cherubim and feraphim, without intermiffion, for ever and ever! And as, my brethren, 'the time for keeping this feftival is approaching, let us confider our duty in the true obfervation thereof, or the right way for the glory of GoD, and the good of immortal fouls, to celebrate the birth of our LORD JESUS CHRIST; an event which ought to be had in eternal remembrance.

It is my defign to lay down rules for the true keeping of that time of Christmas, which is now approaching.

I. I fhall fhew you when you may be faid, not to obferve this feftival aright.

II. I fhall fhew you, when your obfervation and celebrating of this feftival is done according to the glory of God, and to the true manner of keeping of it.

III. Shall conclude with an exhortation to all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to have a regard to your behaviour at all times, but more especially, my dear brethren, on this folemn occafion.

I. My brethren, I am to fhew when your celebration of this feftival is not of the right kind.

And Firft, you do not celebrate this aright, when you fpend most of your time in cards, dice, or gaming of any

fort.

This is a feafon, for which there is no more allowance for wafting of your precious time in thofe unlawful entertainments, than any other. Perfons are apt to flatter themfelves that they are free and at liberty to spend whole evenings now at cards, at dice, or any diverfion whatsoever, to pass away, as they call it, a tedious evening. They can do any thing now to pafs away that, which is haftening as faft as thought: time is always upon the wing; it is no fooner prefent but it is paft, and no fooner come but it is gone. And have we fo much to do, and fo little time to do it in, and yet complain of time lying heavy upon our hands? Have we not the devil and the beast to get out of our fouls? Are not our natures to be changed, our corruptions to be fubdued, our wills to be

brought

brought over to GOD, our hard hearts to be foftened, all old things to be done away, and all things to become new in our fouls? Is there not all this to be done? And yet we have too much time upon our hands! It is well, that inftead of having too much time, it be not found that we have got too little, when we come to die: then we fhall with, my brethren, that we had made more account of our time, that we had improved it for the glory of GOD, and the welfare of our immortal fouls.

Good GOD! how amazing is the confideration, that many can go to church in the morning, and take the Sacrament, and come home and spend the afternoon and evening in cards Is this, my brethren, difcerning the LORD's body ? Is this taking the facrament according to its inftitution? Is not this a pollution thereof, and making the blood of the covenant an unholy thing.

Therefore, thofe of you who have made this your practice in times paft, let me befeech you, in the bowels of mercy, not to do fo any more; for, indeed, it is earthly, it is fenfual, it is devilifh. Confider what is faid of those who eat and drink at the LORD's table unworthily, that they eat and drink their own damnation: And can they, my brethren, be faid to eat and drink any otherwife, who no fooner go from the table of the LORD, but run to the diverfions of the devil? Indeed this is exceeding finful, and displeasing unto the LORD; then forbear thofe diverfions which are fo evil in themfelves: O be not found in thofe exèrcifes, and in that pleasure, which you would not be found in when to die. Thus, my brethren, you fee it is not a right celebration of the birth of the LORD JESUS, to spend it in cards, dice, or any other diverfions, which proceed fo directly from the devil, and are deftructive to all true good nefs.

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Secondly, They cannot be faid truly to celebrate this time, who spend their time in eating and drinking to excefs.

This is a feafon when perfons are apt to indulge themfelves in all manner of luxury iniquity now abounds apace; nothing is scarcely to be feen but things of the greateft extravagance imaginable; not only for the neceffities of the body, but to pamper it in luft, to feed its vices, to make us go on in fin, to be a means for gratifying our carnal appetite; and