Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-12-28
RELIGIOUS MISCELLANY.
CHRIS TMAS,

time from which it is commonly reckoned
SO that we are now in the year 1910, from
: the true period OF his incarnation. The
cause of this error was, that even Chris
uans, to say nothing of others, did not reck
on time from the birth of Christ, till about
the beginning OF the sixth century after
bis advent; when it was no longer prac-
tlcabIe to fix that great epoch with GER
talnty. The public archives had been de-
Stroyed by the burning Of the greater part
OF the city of Rome, in the time of Nero,
and probably by his order; and hence,
although the empire IN the sixth Century
had long since become Christian, the &C.
cree Of Augustus for general taxing,
! which was cOtempOraneOuS with our Sa-
vlor's birth, and the account OF his death
sent to Rome by Plate, could not be rcsor-
ted to in determining the exact time of
these interesting and important events.
/ The word Christmas is composed ofthe
two words, Christ and Mass and was first
employed to denote the religious service
made use of in the Roman Catholic church,
IN celebrating our Savlor's birth; nor is it
Improbable, that this very term has in
creased if it did not originate the strong
dislike, which some Protestants have al
ways entertained aud expressed against the
performance of any religious service on
the day called Christmas.
There seems to be no probability that
! the great event which Christmas COM
memorates, happened on the 10Th of Ie-
cember; and it is wonderful that Pore
Julius, by whom that day was fixed for
religious observance, should have decjd,
as he did. Two events coincident with
/ the incarnation of our Redeemer, are fuI-
! ~ known-the resort OF the Jews, from
the most distant parts of Judra, to the city,
or place where they were born, that they
might be enrolled and taxed-and the
watching OF their foc!;s by night, of the
shepherds, In the vicinity Of Bethlehem.
Now, it is very improbable that the sea-
son OF the year, the most unfavorable ofall
for travelling, should have been ASST gncd
for the universal attendance Of the Jews at
the various places OF enrolment; and it is
still more improbable, that in climate net
very different from that Of the southern
part Of the United States,* shepherds
should be keeping watch over their focks
by night" on the 18th Of December-en-
camped as they clear y were, in he open
fields. Those who have investigated the
subject most carefully, have paced our
Lords nativity somewhere between the
middle Of August, and the middle of No.
vembcr; and the best and prevalent orin-
ion is, that it happened the latter part Of
September, or in the early part of Octo-
Der.
We have no evidence that Christmas
was ever observed as religious festival
till toward the end Of the second century
of the Christian era, under the Roman
emperor Commodus. The observance of
1t, however, soon became general, and
continued so till the time Of the Protestant
reformation. Neither, indeed, was its
observance prescribed or diSvountenanccd
by the retormerS, otherwise than that this
might seem to be implied in the great
Protestant principle that the Scriptures
alone contain the laws and institutions
which are binding on conscience and obi
!. gatory on the church, and that in the
, Scriptures, there is certainly 40 command,
) nor any recorded usage Of the primitive
church, in favor Of the Observance OF
| Christmas The Protestant churches,
nevertheless, both Lutheran and CalvinIs-
tic, have, in fact, generally observed the
day not on Y as season ofsocIal teStlvl-
Y ty, but by the performance OF some rell-
t gious service, commemorative ofthe birth
e OF Christ. 1t is believed that the Scotch
: church and the English purltans, with
tbcIr RI oil al
. the reformed churches whose origin is
r coeval with the reformation in their retu.
n sal to celebrate Christmas IN reHglous
D Misunderstanding such celebration as
: departure from the fundamental primer
pie Of Professionalism, already mentioned
= and viewing Ii as dangerous to make any
| observance habitual, without a clear scrip
. tural- warrant; or to act as if any Other
= day than the Sabbath could lawfully be
c regarded as sacred We are now pre-
v pared to make the following summary
t statement
= !. That the religious observance otthe
c day called Christmas, is not a divine lnsI
S tuition, and therefore to represent or regafC
e. it as such, is contrary TO truth and duty
d 2. That the day OF the year, and ever
J. the month in which our Savior was born
81 is not known.-The day oil his crucItlxlol
d we know exactly. 1t is ascertalned b!
o the Jewish Passover, the annual return 0
n which is most clearly specified in the Pen
J. tateuch, and has been ,punctually observes
.. by the Jews in every successive age. Bu
/ in the providence of God, we are not per
united to know the day on which on
: blessed Lord became incarnate,
m bethlehem, in Judea, is placed on maps