blood, as though ye had never offended heretofore. Ye have heard again, that as Christ shall die for your sins, so shall he rise again for your justification, obtaining for you the victory over sin, death, and hell, by this his most glorious resurrection. Ye have heard that after he is once risen again, he shall remain here certain days, and then ascend corporeally into heaven, and sit down on the right hand of God the Father, sending down the Holy Ghost, who shall lead you into all truth. Ye have heard also, that Christ, sitting on the right hand of God the Father, shall not be idle, but shall provide and seek your health. He shall be your Mediator and Advocate. He shall make continual intercession for you. He shall plead your cause before God his Father. He shall advance your matter before the presence of God. If ye at any time excite or stir up God's wrath against you through your iniquity, he shall straightways appease it, and make God the Father still your loving Father, who else would be to you an extreme avenger. Ye have heard again that Christ, at the last day, shall come gloriously from the right hand of his Father to judge the quick and the dead, and how that after the judgment is once done, ye shall enter into glory with him, living for ever after in such joy, pleasure, and gladness, as cannot by any means either be expressed by tongue or conceived in heart.

All these benefits, pleasures, and profits shall ye have by this your new King and Saviour Jesus Christ, who this day is born in Bethlehem, a city of David. What more pleasant and thankworthy news could be brought to you than these? What could have set such a joy in your hearts, as the hearing of these news? Can anything like unto these befall you, so great, so welcome, so acceptable, so joyful? Verily if ye seriously consider the misery wherewith ye were obtruded* and overwhelmed before, ye shall easily perceive that ye have an earnest cause to rejoice. No prisoner, no captive, no bond-slave was ever in such great captivity and thraldom as ye were, before these news were brought to you. If a prisoner rejoices for his deliverance out of prison, which must needs have an end, if none otherwise, yet at the least by death, how great a cause then have you to rejoice for your deliverance, who were captives and prisoners to that horrible monster and pestiferous serpent, even Satan himself, yea, and that not for * Oppressed.

certain years, but for ever, world without end! Neither was it your body alone that was in captivity and bondage, but your soul also. Both your body and soul were captive to him, so that if this your new King, Redeemer, and Saviour should not help you, it could none otherwise be but that you must needs have been damned, cast into hell fire, there to burn, to weep, to lament for ever and ever, remediless. But from this most grievous destruction shall this child Jesus Christ deliver you, and make you heirs of everlasting glory. What a cause have ye now to rejoice! Your joy cannot be expressed, your gladness is unmeasurable!

Therefore seeing ye shall receive of this your new King so many, so great, so inestimable benefits, look that ye be not unthankful. Receive this your Saviour with embracing arms; run unto him, if not with the feet of your body, yet with the feet of your mind. Acknowledge him to be your only and all sufficient Saviour, and that there is none other name given unto men under heaven, wherein they must be saved, but only this name of Jesus Christ. Confess him to be the true Son of the living God, who hath now taken flesh of the most pure and clean virgin Mary for Confess him alone to be your peace, life, your sake. health, defence, goodness, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Your pastor, shepherd, bishop, and head. In all your troubles resort unto him as unto a strong bulwark, that he may ease you of your miserable burdens. Pour out your hearts before this Lord; know him to be your only Mediator and Advocate. Ask all things in his name. Doubt nothing of his great goodness and exceeding mercy towards you. Can a woman forget the child of her womb, and the son whom she hath borne? And though she doth forget him, yet God will not forget you. For behold he hath written you upon his hands, so that ye are ever in his sight. He will undoubtedly ease you of your burdens, be they ever so great. If ye thirst, he will give you of the well of the water of life freely. If ye hunger, he is that bread of life which came down from heaven; if any man eat of that bread, he shall live for ever. If ye be sick, he is a Physician ready to cure and heal all your diseases. If ye be bond and in servitude, he will make you free, and set you at liberty. If ye be dead in sin, he is the resurrection and life. If ye walk in darkness, he is the Light of the world. He that followeth

him walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life. If ye be poor, he is rich unto all them that call upon him. If ye be wicked, profane, and foolish, he is righteous, holy, and wise. If ye be oppressed with sin, death, or hell, he hath subdued them all. If ye fear the wrath of God the Father, he is your Mediator, Advocate, and Atonement-maker. If ye have condemned yourselves through sin, he is a Saviour, and will save his people from their sins. What would ye have more? Ye want nothing, but he will supply it for you abundantly, and to the uttermost. Fear not therefore to come to this your new King Jesus Christ. For the very cause of his coming is not to destroy, but to save the souls of men. Receive him therefore with joyful hearts. Forsake all idolatry and vain superstition. Believe in him alone; put your affiance and trust in none other but in him only.

And let not this your faith be dead, but quick, lively, and mighty in operation. Let it be such a faith as worketh by love. First, let your faith bring forth an earnest love toward God, and out of this love toward God, let such a love proceed towards your neighbour, that out of that love there may spring plenty of good works. Be like unto a good tree which bringeth forth her fruit in due time. Be no barren and unfruitful fig-tree, lest the malediction and curse of God fall on you. While ye have time, work good unto all men. For God hath not delivered you from the power of your enemies, and of all such as hate you, that you should still continue evil, or return to your own wickedness; but that ye, set at liberty and void of all fear, should serve him in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of your life. The law of the Spirit of life, through Jesus Christ, hath made you free from the law of sin and death. Notwithstanding, though ye be called unto liberty, yet let not your liberty be an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve ye one another. as free, not having the liberty for a cloak of wickedness, but even as the servants of God. For Christ hath not, of his own mere bounty, delivered you from the miserable servitude of Satan, that ye should run again to that your enemy, but that ye should serve him, who hath showed you such great kindness. Ye are now Christ's altogether, therefore must ye look what he will have you do. For if he be punished who disdained to fulfil the commandment

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of a terrestrial and earthly prince, in what case are ye, if ye do either cast away or despise the commandment of a heavenly Governor. Certainly ye ought so to institute and order your life, that it should serve Christ your Captain, in such manner that Satan should have nothing to do with you, nor ye with him. For he that doeth sin is the servant of sin; therefore ought you to cast away all sin from you, and give your minds to purity and holiness of life, and ever study to maintain mutual love. For not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of God which is in heaven. He that pertaineth to Christ is a new creature; and they that belong unto him, have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof. Therefore if ye be soldiers of Christ, declare it in outward works. For it is a point of notable unshamefacedness to boast yourselves that ye pertain to Christ's army, and yet do nothing at all that he commandeth. He that saith that he dwelleth in Him, ought to walk as he hath walked. If ye say that ye have fellowship with Christ, and yet walk in darkness, ye lie and do not the truth; but if ye walk in light as he is light, then have ye fellowship together, and the blood of this your Saviour Jesus Christ, God's own Son, maketh you clean from all sin.

Wherefore if ye will enjoy these most pleasant news, which I have brought from heaven, and have now declared unto you, now forsake all wickedness, and embrace all godliness; reject all idolatry, and practise the true worshipping of God; cast away the works of the flesh, and put on the fruits of the Spirit; mortify old Adam, and become new men. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. To whom, with this your new King, and all-sufficient Saviour Jesus Christ, God's own Son, and the Holy Ghost, that most sweet Comforter, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. GIVE THE GLORY TO GOD ALONE.

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NEW YEAR'S GIFT.

PUBLISHED

BY THOMAS BECON.

A. D. 1542.

A young child is born for our sake, a Son is given unto us; upon his shoulder shall the kingdom lie, and he shall be called with his own name, the wondrous giver of counsel, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. He shall make no end to increase the kingdom and peace. And he shall sit upon the seat of David, and in his kingdom, to set up the same, to establish it with equity and righteousness from henceforth for evermore. This shall the jealousy of the Lord of hosts bring to pass.—Isaiah ix.

God hath not spared his own Son, but hath given him for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things also.-Romans viii.

To the right worshipful Master Thomas Royden, Esquire and Justice of the Peace, Thomas Becon wisheth long life, continual health, and prosperous felicity.

I CANNOT but highly praise the honest fashions, commendable usages, and friendly customs, which our ancestors and elders have used heretofore, unto the good and great example of their posterity, for the maintenance of all humanity and gentleness. Among many others, who will not account the custom of giving New Year's Gifts, to be so commendable and praiseworthy, that he may seem to be utterly estranged from all civility who does not observe it unto the uttermost of his power?* For

* In former times it was usual among all classes of persons to present New Year's Gifts. Several ancient records give a particular account of the presents made to the king and queen, and by them to the nobility, on those occasions, about the period when Becon wrote.