C 
 
 SUNDAY READING, 
 A NEW 
 
 HRISTMAS TRACT; 
 
 OR, THE 
 
 at 
 
 i n mas 
 
 Right Way oj — j 
 
 » \n6 the Reafons we Have for Jcy at the Event of Out 
 * ieW,Ilg Saviour's Birth 
 
 i which alfo a Defcription is given of the dreadful State the 
 " World was ia before His coming; with fome Remarks 
 fluted to the Times in which we live. 
 
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A NEW 
 
 CHRISTMAS TRACT, &c. 
 
 THERE arc two ways of keeping Chriftmas : 
 fome feem to keep it much in the fame way in 
 which the unbelieving Jews kept their feaft in 
 honour of tne calf which they had made. cc And 
 ff they made a calf in Horeb in rhofe days, and the 
 "people fat down to eat and drink, and rofe up to 
 
 "play." But what a sad sort of Chriftianity is 
 mil am no enemy to mirth of a proper kind, and 
 « proper feaJons ; but the mirth I now fpeak of is 
 k mirth of Incanfideratiori and of Folly, and it is 
 o&n mm with much loofenefs of conduct and 
 Jrunkennefs. Is this, then, the fort of mirth proper 
 R>r Chriftians ? 
 
 Let us fuppofe now ^ a ^ wag tQ c}mge a 
 ^chasihe place in which he was to sit and sine 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 his jolly fong, and to drink till he was 
 
 intoxicated, 
 
 of 
 
 furely this would imply that he was a p er f 0n 
 .ordinary wickednefs. But this you will f • 
 nobody is fo bad as to be guilty of; well tfc 
 pofe, that inftead of chufmg a church astk* 
 keel he fliduld chufe Chriftmas as the time for the 
 :e afts of riot and drunkennefs; methinks this 
 muft imply no fmall degree of the fame kind of 
 wickednefs; for, as he that fiioutd get drunk ina 
 church would infult the church, fo he that m 
 drunk at Chriftmas, which is the feafon for comme- 
 morating the birth of Chrift, infults Chrift and | 
 religion. 
 
 I know it may be faid, that thofe who take thefs 
 liberties at Chriftmas do not mean to infult Chrift, 
 and that they aft from inconfideration •> to which I 
 anfwer, that they are then very guilty in being fo 
 inconfiderate $ for I would iuft remark by the way, 
 that thefe people, who are fo very inconfiderate 
 in fome things, are apt to be very confiderate is 
 others ; for inftance, they are very confiderate abort 
 their pleafures, but very inconfiderate about thai 
 duty ; they are often, perhaps, very confiderate abon: 
 this world, always very inconfiderate about eternal 
 very confiderate for themfelves, and very 
 fo about other people extremely confiderate 
 their own fide of a bargain, but as inconf« 
 about the fide of the other party j and when** 
 
- tr ,d a fm they are apt to be very confi- 
 
 ^ eC °TainEOUt excufes for it, but very incon- 
 derate m hn |^ our t h e guilt and mifchief of their 
 fid^ate in tra j n ^ ort ^ then, let it be remembered, 
 * iCk f tconfidcrate way of ipending Chriftmas, 
 
 ison1 ^ in othcr words ' 
 
 Iwicked way of Ipending it. ; 
 
 But let us now come to the true way of Keeping 
 . pirftj then , in order to know how the time of 
 Chrift's birth ought to be remembered by us, I 
 would obferve, that it is ncceffary to imderftand well 
 who Chrift was, and for what purpofe he came on 
 the earth. How abfurd would it be to celebrate 
 the Fifth of November, without knowing that, on 
 that day, the Homes of Parliament were faved from 
 fire, and our happy Constitution, as well as our 
 Religion, was prefer ved to us. Again : how afrford 
 would it be for any man to celebrate the King's 
 Birth Day, or Coronation Day, who did net feel 
 within his heart loyalty and affection towards his 
 Sovereign, and who did not think that any fefefffelgs 
 were deriVed from our Kingly Government 
 
 Let every one, therefore, who wimes to tpei d 
 Chriftmas aright, get acquainted with the fifes 
 which have followed from Chrift's coming into th% 
 world. We will endeavour, now, to ihe#i. } • 
 Portly, what trtefe Benefits have been., The wo«v 
 ff the time of Chrift's appearing, was civ idea 
 
 A 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 Jews and Gentiles. The word Gentile 
 
 s Sgnific 
 
 nations, that is, all the nations except the 
 Let us fpeak of the Gentiles firfVand of H JT' 
 
 ffiSPW 4 Hit 
 
 afterwards. The Gentiles were worfhi 
 gods, fpme of one kind, fome of another tl 
 all, however, agreed in this, that they thought L, 
 God as good as another, and no one ampng then 
 had any anxiety to bring his neighbour over tofi 
 religion, which is a plain proof that they had no trot 
 religion among them; for, whoever is pottle! 
 true religion, is poffefied of a great comfort wc 
 bleffing, which he will therefore be glad to conyev 
 to other people alfo. It was the cuftom of fome of 
 thefe Gentiles to worfihip flocks and ftones; others 
 -bowed down to living animals, fuch as bulls orgoats. 
 or lizards ; and others paid their flupid adoration to 
 the fun, inftcad of the Author of it. Many of their, 
 worfhipped their deceafed fellow- creatures, aofljtk 
 dead men, who were thus turned into gods, had he. 
 in general, fome of the moll wicked and abominabl; 
 ©f the human race. 
 
 Now this ignorance of the true God was follow 
 (as all ignorance of him is apt to be) by greatv: 
 cdnefs in their practice. They were <c given o^ r 
 <z on this account (as St. Paul, the infpircd Ap olllf! 
 <c declares) to a reprobate mind ; to work all * 
 " cleannefs with greediness. " They learnt to o* 
 fotmd good and e v il_vices were then cornel 
 
w d fuch as are not named among Chriftians. 
 pr Mhl« and falfe maxims of every kind, 
 fndd Slavery prevailed even in the moft 
 Sed lands, for almoft all fervants were Haves in 
 
 I days The earth, was filled with violence. 
 2 that had killed the greateft number of his fellow- 
 crW u,res got ufually the greateft praife Wars were 
 carried on with dreadful ferocity, and multitudes 
 were maffacred at the public games, in battles fought 
 for the amufement of the people. Humanity, kind- 
 nefs, and benevolence, were made no account of; 
 andVuch a thing as an hofpital was not known. 
 Revenge was both praclifed and recommended; and 
 thofe excellent chriftian graces, humility, univerfal 
 charity, and forgivenefs of injuries, were confidered 
 as weakneffes and faults. I fhudder to think of the 
 dreadful ftate of mankind in thofe days. God gran t 
 that the fame evils may never return. They are the 
 natural confeauenees of being without Chriftianity 
 in the world ; for when Chriftianity is gone there is 
 no ride to go by. Every man may then fet up a 
 falfe goodnefs of his own. Morals, of courfe, grow 
 worie and worfe j a fierce and proud fpirit comes in 
 the place of chriftian meeknefs and benevolence/ 
 and claims the name of Virtue 5 and the Saviour oi 
 the World, with all his works of mercy, being for- 
 got, man becomes cruel, and u:duft> and felfijh. 
 
 A 4 
 
and implacable, and unmerciful, f or a n 
 paffions of our nature are let loofe. V ' oltn: 
 
 If we enquire alfo into the charter of the , 
 who lived before the coming of -ir S S ' 
 ftall find them to have been deplorably 10 *' 
 though they expected his coming, and ^ 
 
 fome meafure, acquainted with true religion * 
 little knowledge which they had, fe ems to have b, t 
 perverted, through the wickedncfs of thri 
 
 The 
 
 and, in fhort, the Scriptures affure us 3 that Hodi 
 " Jews and Gentiles were all under fyi? Such 
 the ftate into which the world was funk beiWe the 
 time of our Saviour's appearance in it. 
 
 Let us defcribe, next, who Chrift was, and what 
 were the conferences of his coming. He is called 
 in Scripture « the Son of God;" and in fome 
 m lzcts > " God ' s only Son;" which fhews that there 
 is no other Being like unto him. We know that a 
 fon, by his very birth, derives privileges from his 
 father which belong to no other perfon ; that he 
 partakes in the fame rank and inheritance with nis 
 father; and that he poffeffes alfo, in an cfpecial man- 
 ner, his father's favour, and altogether differs from a 
 ftranger or a fervant. Chrift, then, is to be confi- 
 dered, in all fuch fenfes as thefe, as the Son of God. 
 It is true, he is called alfo the Son of Man, for he was 
 born of a woman (namely, of the Virgin Mary,) 
 and he took upon him Qur nature, dwelling w 
 
— (1 * . v 
 
 t riurtV ye^s. We ihould take great care, 
 
 £ ' hat his appearance among us, as a man, 
 However, ^ to r form any low and unworthy no- 
 
 d0CS n °f I'm Suppofc now that the fon of a king 
 l, ° nS fr ll in the drefs of a private fubjed, on. 
 f t0 merc ;fal and condescending errand, to a diftant 
 IbSr part of his territory, furely it would be 
 : y t Onerous and ungrateful, if the poor villagers, 
 ihe came to ferve, were to deny to him the 
 honours of a king's fon, merely becaufe they could 
 not believe that fo great a perfon could ftoop fo low 
 3S to come among them, efpecially if he brought 
 proofs of his power and greatnefs along with him. 
 Tuft fo, methinks, are all thofe perfons ungenerous 
 and ungrateful, who refufe to Chrift that divine 
 honour which belongs to him, merely becaufe he 
 condefcended to be made flefh and blood, and to 
 dwell among us. Let us, then, receive, with fim- 
 plicity and humility, the fcripture teftimony con- 
 cerning him. It fpeaks of him in terms that are 
 suite aftonifhing. " His name," fays the Prophet 
 foretelling of his birth, " fliall be called Wonderful, 
 " Counfellor, the Mighty God, the Everlafting 
 " Father, the Prince of Peace, and the Government 
 "fliall be on his Shoulders." The Evangelift 
 Job tells us, that cc the Word (meaning Chrift) 
 " — s with God, and the Word was God."—" By 
 " it is faid, in the Hebrews, « God made the 
 
 was 
 Him, 
 
<c 
 
 *\WQrld;'\and again, ft let ah 1 the angels of God 
 < £ worfhip him. All power hath been given hi 
 " both in heaven and earth, and God hath com' 
 ",mitted all judgment to the Son."-- M The hour 
 y alio cometh when they that are in their graves 
 i( . iUalj hear the voice of the Son of Man, and (lull 
 come forth, they that have done 'good to the re- 
 furre&ion of life, and they that have done evil 
 " to the refurrecliqn of damnation." 
 
 Such are a few of the expressions ufed in fcripturc 
 c»ncerninR Chrift. Let us learn from thefe to adore 
 his Divine Majefty, and truft his power, as well as 
 to fear his wrath, and to account him able to fulfil 
 ail the purpofes of his coming. 
 
 But let us nextdefcribe what tnefe purpofes were 
 ft may be laid in general, thai " it was for us men, 
 lt and for our falvation, that he came down from 
 £c heaven;'' or, as the Scripture exprefles it, u th 
 < c Son of Man came to feek and to lave that which 
 « was loft,, and to give his life a ranfom for many." 
 
 The world, as hath been already fliewn, was iunk 
 in lin, and not in iin only, but in condemnation 
 Eve.r finer the fad of our fir ft parent Adam, 
 had become a finfii creature. « But as in Adam* 
 - Lad dlcd ? ; fo now in Chrift were ail (that 
 " wLo would. receive him,) to be made M$ 
 Chnfo, then, was the fecond Adam : as |c«i - 
 thc-Deftrover, lb Chrift was the Tlcftorcr of P'^f' 
 
-be Devil, who i-s called the Prince of Darknrfs 
 , , aswe are told in Scripture, become the g*d 
 the prince of this world. Chrift, there* -re, 
 
 came into 
 cover an 
 
 the world as a conqueror comes, no pe 
 
 empire that was loft, and to bring back the 
 XVio their obedience, and to hapinneis.; He 
 came to overthrow that kingdom of darkn.dk vi Hfch 
 through the power of the Devil, and the domiptfos 
 of J n , had been fet up. a For this purpofr the 
 "Son of God' was nranifefted, that he might deiii oy 
 "the works of the Devil." Tie came « to r. d<**m 
 v us from all iniquity/ and 1 to purhy unto hioifdf a 
 "peculiar people, zealous of good works. " 
 
 But how does timk fulfil his purpose of deliver- 
 ing us ? Firrf; I would obferve, that he lived a 'molt 
 holy lift, hereby letting Before us an example that Ave 
 fliould tread in "his fteps. -He went about drfag 
 good. Never was any one fo kind and gracious L o 
 all who came to him as Jefus Chrift. i T %wtd here 
 obferve WSJ that he preached the •Gofpel to imn- 
 kind;' he told us what we mud believe and do, in 
 order to enter into the K ingdom o [Heaven. Througti 
 him alfo the Holy Spirit of Gad is granted to us. 
 And, to crown all, he died for us. He was nailed to 
 the Crofs, and fuffered a cruel death for our fakes, 
 bearing the wrath of God in our ftead. <c Herein^ 
 is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved 
 us, and fent His Son to be the propitiation for our 
 1 fins/' Chrift is that Lamb of God " which has 
 
 (C 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 " r>een offered up as a facrifice," and „ 
 
 /^__ _r i : _ j ) which 
 
 s 
 
 taketh away the fins of the world/ 7 n 
 let us rejoice and fay triumphantly with th e °p 
 of old, « Unto us a Child is born, unto us a* * 
 
 « given/ 1 —- Behold, (laid the Angels ^ I 
 « ii • j • r . n iD cls j; J brine 
 
 you glad tidings of great joy; for unto y ou \ 
 
 " born, this day, a Saviour, which is Chrift the 
 « Lord.-—- Glory be to God in the higheft, on 
 " earth peace, gjod-will towards men." 
 
 Oh ! how many thoufands have had reafon toblefi 
 the feafon which we are now commemorating—the 
 feafeh of the Birth of Jefus Chrift ! The world, it is 
 true, is flriU wicked, for there are many who do not 
 believe in this Saviour; and there are not a few who 
 think they believe in him, and who do not. Never- 
 thelefs, even the world in general has been the 
 better for his coming, for the thick darknefs is pari, 
 and the true light now fhineth. Through Chrift's 
 coming iniquity has been leffened even among un- 
 believers ; for the real Chriftians, though few, have 
 held up to view the nature of true goodnefs, and 
 even bad men have, in fome meafure, been con- 
 ftrained to imitate them ; they have alfo grown more 
 afliarned, than they otherwise would have been, of 
 their vices. 
 
 But who can calculate the blefiing which Chrif- 
 tianity hath been to thoufands of true believers? 
 How many lives hare been made hoiy here on earth 
 
I 
 
 ( 13 ) 
 
 .tiahy hearts have been cneered and comforted 
 • how .many deaths, which would otherwife 
 by 1 been moft gloomy, have been rendered joyful 
 triumphant ; and, above all, how many immortal 
 fouls have been faved, and made happy to all eter- 
 nity, through faith in this bleffed Redeemer ! cc My 
 « flieep (fr/s Chrifl,)- hear my voice, and thef 
 «' follow me, and I give unto my fheep eternal life 3 
 it an a they fliall never periih, neither fhall any 
 * pluck them out of my hands."—" I go to prepare 
 k ; place for them, that where I am they may be 
 
 And now, Reader, what are your thoughts on tie 
 fybje&of your Saviour's appearance on this earth of 
 our's ? If you are a true Chriftian, your language will 
 be fuch as the following : " It is through the coming 
 of thrift into the world that I have learnt to know 
 myfelf, and to know the God who made me. I am 
 by nature blind and ignorant; I am alio fmful and 
 undone; I am utterly without hope, except through 
 the mercy of my Saviour; and even though I have 
 been born in a chriftian land, I can trace back, in my 
 recollection, many proofs of this my natural igno- 
 rance, and corruption, and hardnefs of heart. I was 
 once like a fheep going aftray, but I am now re- 
 turned to the ft^pherd of my foul. I followed the 
 bent of my own foolifh will, but the grace of God 
 ^ Jefus Chiift* hath changed my fmful heart i the 
 
( 14 ) 
 
 knowledge of my corruption has hfumblcd me . ^ 
 thought of my Saviour's dying fot mfc has ftirred 
 
 ■divine gratitude within rue, and that acquaintance 
 with his Gofpel which I have gained hath eha n o-^ 
 my whole views of life. ChnhVs character delists 
 rne \ I read the hiftory of his humble birth, his pain 
 to! 'death, and his glorious resurrection, as it is re- 
 corded m Scripture, with hope and joy, and with 
 holy confidence and trull. How (hall I fufficiendy 
 bids God for Jefus Chrift ! Whatever change has 
 been wrought in mc I trace to ChrifVs coming into 
 the world. If Chrift had never come, how cprofupt 
 fhculd I at this moment have been, how blind, how 
 dark, how ignorant, how diricrcnt from what, 
 rhiough die grace of God, I now ami How mifcr- 
 ab!e in comp.udbv: of my prefent h^ppinefs !• I am 
 ensured, inaced, in a. 'fiurp conflict. with my fins; 
 but, through my Saviour's help,.! hope to gain 
 flours; againfi: them. I. have occafionally doubts 
 .and fears, but, in genera-, I reel confident that the 
 promiles of God are Jure and certain in Chrift Jefusf 
 for I know in whom I have believed, and i am per* 
 fuaded that he is able to keep that foul which I have 
 commkud to him tiii die great; day." 
 
A CHRISTMAS HYMN. 
 
 J 
 
 OY to the world, the Lord is come, 
 £et earth receive the King'; 
 Let every heart prepare him room, 
 And Heav'n and Nature sing. 
 
 Joy to the earth the Saviour reigns, 
 
 Let men their songs employ, 
 While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains. 
 
 Repeat the sounding joy. 
 
 No more let sins and sorrows grow, 
 
 Nor thorns infest the ground ; 
 He comes to make his blessing flow 
 
 Far as the curse is found. 
 
 Our father ate forbidden fruit, 
 
 And from his glory fell, 
 And we, his children, thus were brought 
 
 To death, and near to hell. 
 
 Blest be the Lord who sent his Son 
 
 To take our flesh and blood, 
 He for our lives gave up his own, 
 
 To make our peace with God. 
 
 & honours a11 Ms Father's laws, 
 Which we have disobey 'd; 
 bore 0Ur sins upon the Cross, 
 
 And w f«U ransQio paid. 
 
(• ) 
 
 Behold him nfmg from the grave • 
 Behold him rais'd on hio-h * 
 
 He pleads his merit there, to fave 
 Trangrefibrs, doom'd to die. 
 
 Soon (hall the Lord to judgment come, 
 And with a fovereign voice 
 
 Shall call, and break up every tomb, 
 And bid his faints rejoice. 
 
 O may I then with joy appear 
 
 Before the Judge's face, 
 And with the blefs'd assembly there 
 
 Sing kis redeeming grac*« 
 
 F ! N I S.