A Brief REMEMBRANCER, OR, The Right IMPROVEMENT OF CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY.  
THe Glorious Day doth now begin to dawn;  
Now is the Curtain of thick darkness drawn:  
Now doth the Lord of all things condescend  
To take up in a Stable, and be penned  
Within a dirty Manger: Now thou'rt blest  
Ignorant Inn with this most Glorious Guest.  
And now the Saviour of the World's revealed  
From Heaven to Shepherds watching in the Field.  
The Glory of an Angel did surround them:  
The Glory was so great, it did confound them.  
Fear not, said he, perceiving them afraid,  
Fear not all, be not at all dismayed:  
'Tis Joyful Tidings that I come to bring,  
This Day is born your saviur and your King;  
In Bethlehem you'll find it as I said,  
The Babe's wrapped up, and in a Manger laid.  
And hardly had the Angel made an end,  
But there whole Quires of Angels did attend  
That King with Hallelujahs to adore,  
That sitteth on the Throne for evermore.  
Glory to God on High, Peace on the Earth,  
Good will to Men they Sung with holy Mirth.  
Then ran the Shepherds to the Town, and saw  
Mary and Joseph, and the Babe in Straw.  
They filled the Town with Fame; and their Relation  
Filled all that heard the same with Admiration.  
But Mary pondered all things in her Heart:  
And they with Joy and Praise to God depart.  
Him at the Time prefixed they circumcised,  
Naming Him Jesus, as they were advised.  
Some Five Weeks after that, his Parents went  
Up to Jerusalem him to present.  
Now while they were i'th' Temple, came to them  
Old upright Simeon of Jerusalem.  
Who by the Spirit had been certified  
Of seeing God's Anointed, ere the died.  
Filled with the Holy Ghost he came in haste,  
And in his Arms that Holy Child embraced.  
Now let thy Servant Lord (said he) decease  
According to thy holy Word in Peace;  
For I have seen the thing I waited for,  
Now I have seen my LORD my Saviour.  
Anna, a Proph'tess also thither came  
To render Praise and Glory to his Name,  
Affirming Jesus to be Christ, to them  
That waited for him at Jerusalem.  
The Wisemen from the East inquire for one  
Born amongst them to sit on Judah's Throne:  
We've seen said they the Star of your Great King,  
And came to worship with our offering.  
Herod's Amazed with this strange sudden News,  
With all the Learned Rabbis of the Jews:  
And having asked the Hebrew Doctors, where  
Messiah should be Born? 'twas made appear  
That bethlehem was the Place: from Bethlehem  
Micah sends forth this Ruler over them.  
Then Herod, after private Conference  
About the Star's appearing, sent them thence:  
Desiring them to search and find him out,  
Then to Return, and tell him where about.  
But warned of God to flee the Tyrant, they  
Returned home again another way.  
But seeing he was mocked, in cursed Fury  
Resolves the Death of every Child in Jury.  
But the all-piercing Eye this secret views,  
And unto Joseph swiftly sends the News.  
Up (said the Angel) Take the Child, and's Mother;  
This place is not secure, go seek another.  
Herod hath murderous thoughts, his rage is stirred,  
Go dwell in Egypt, till I bring you word.  
Joseph obeyed, and there he stayed, till thence  
God called his Son, as he had done long since.  

Christ's four Houses.  

His first House was the Blessed Virgin's Womb;  
The next a Cratch, the third a Cross, the fourth a Tomb.   

We often read our blessed Saviour wept;  
But never laughed, and seldom that he slept:  
Ah sure his heavy Eyes did wake and weep  
For us that sin, so oft, in mirth and sleep.   

O thou that wert the King of Heaven and Earth,  
How mean was thy Attendance at thy Birth!  
A Manger was thy Cradle, and a Stable  
Thy Privy Chamber, Ave-maries Knees thy Table.   

Thiefs were thy Courtiers, & the Cross thy Throne.  
Thy Diet Gall; A wreath of Thorns thy Crown;  
All this the King of Glory endured and more,  
To make us Kings that Rebels were before.    

Faith in this Jesus is the substance of things not seen, and the Evidence of things hoped for: By which Faith Abel offered, Enoch was Translated, Noah warned and prepared an Ark, to the saving of him, and his condemning the World; Abraham by this Faith, when called obeyed, and was a Sojourner in the Land of Promise; Through Faith Sarah conceived when she was past Age; After this Abraham being tried offered up Isaac; By Faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come; By Faith Jacob when he was dying blessed the Sons of Joseph; By Faith Joseph when he died made mention of the departure of Israel out of Egypt. By Faith Moses when he was born, was hid, and at Age refused to be called the Son of King Pharaoh's Daughter, rather choosing to suffer affliction with God's Israel in affliction; For the Esteem of the reproach of Christ, he forsook Egypt, kept the Passeover, passed through the Red Sea. By Faith the Walls of Jericho fell, and Rahab the Harlot by Faith escaped. Faith upheld Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephtha, David, Samuel, and the Prophets, who through Faith subdued Kingdoms, obtained Promises, stopped the mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of Fire, etc. Women received their dead raised to life, others were tortured, others tried with cruel mockings and scourge, others were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword; And others wandered about in Sheepskins and Goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the World was not worthy; they wandered in Deserts, and in Mountains, and in Dens and Caves of the Earth, and these all obtained a Good Report through Faith in this Jesus.  
Let the perished unbelieving Israelites mind you of Infidelity, and the condition of fallen Angels reserved in chains awake you, the suffering Sodomites in eternal fire affright you to leave off these spots of feeding without fear, of drinking without measure: foam not out your own shame; Leave off ungodly Deeds, hard Speeches, rash Censures; Mock not at Piety, but hate the Garment spotted by the Flesh; Oh all you that pretend to keep Christ's time and to observe Christ's Day, be in love with Christ's Ways and Worship, which is in Spirit and Truth.  Collected by T. C.  

Reader, there is Lately Extant Divine Examples of God's severe Judgements upon Sabbath-Breakers in their unlawsul Sports, Collected out of several Divine Subjects, viz, Mr. H. B. Mr. Beard, and the Practice of Piety: A fit Monument for our present Times, etc.    

Licenced and Entered According to Order  
London Printed by E. T. and R. H. for William Miller at the Gilded Acorn in S. Paul's Churchyard, near the Little North door. 167●