Agha, 
358 
were purged and made white by the per- 
secution of Dioclesian.” 
To this testimony of Sir Isaac Newton, 
I may add that of the late Mr. Evanson, 
whose Sermons in two volumes are just 
published; which, on account of the im- 
portance of the matter treated of, extent 
of knowledge of the Scriptures, and un- 
equivocal regard to truth, highly merit the 
attention of the public. 
He has enlarged on this subject in a 
learned and ingenious discourse on Christ- 
mas-day, vol. 1, from which I make the 
following extract, p. 164.— The church 
of England observes only the feasts of eur 
Lord himself, his Apostles, and the prin- 
cipal Saints, and it is certain that all 
those days, which are kept holy in their 
names, are precisely the same, which be- 
ing distinguished by some signal circum- 
stance in the old Roman calendar, were 
by the Pagans held sacred to their imagi- 
nary gods. For instance, the first day of 
the month of May was dedicated by the 
heathen’ to Ceres and Flora, their two 
goddesses of corn and flowers: these 
early fathers of the Christian church, 
therefere, retained the feast, but chang- 
ed the names of the deities honoured by 
it, and consecrated it ta St. Philip and Sc. 
James. I mention that festival in parti- 
cular, because you yourselves are wit- 
nesses that part of the very same rites 
with which the heathen used to celebrate 
it, is still kept up among our own people. 
For when we consider the festive proces- 
‘sions customary on that day, with rural 
dances and garlands of flowers, it is easy 
to sce the propriety of such a ceremony, 
when connected with the Goddess Flora; 
ut it is impossible to discover any rela~ 
tion that it can have either to St. Philip or 
St. James. In the same manner the 
feasts of Saturn and Bacchus, which were 
celebrated at this very season (of Christ- 
mas), which continued for several days, 
and were accounted the chief annual fes- 
tival among the ancient Romans, were 
then unhappily appointed to be observed 
by Christians in the name of our blessed 
Saviour himself, and those who first were 
martyred for hissake. The fabulous God 
acchus was always represented by the 
heathen like 2 young boy; it is not im- 
probable, therefore, that with a view to 
preserve to the people their accustomed 
idea of a child,it was ordained to be the 
commemoration of the nativity of Jesus 
Christ; and the whole festival season, in- 
ssead of being generally called the Sa- 
turnaliasand Bacchanalia, was dignified 
with the appellation of the Christmas Ho- 
» 
o re 
Origin of placing Sprigs of Holly in Churches, &c.- [Nov. Ts 
lidays. Even now, in this reformed cour 
try, many vestiges remain of the rites and 
customs observed by our Pagan ancestors 
at the same festivals; they used always 
on such occasious to adorn the temples, 
altars, and images of the God, whose feast 
they celebrated, with boughs of such trees 
as were supposed to be agreeable to him, 
as emblematical of his peculiar attri- 
butes. And the characteristic descrip 
tion of their fabulous God of Wine be- 
ing that he was always young, ever-greens 
were looked upon as fit emblems of his 
nature in this respect, and the ivy, in 
particular, was esteemed peculiarly sacred 
to him. From hence arose that custom 
which so universally prevails among our 
own people, of thus decorating the 
churches and their own houses, at this 
particular season, with boughs of ivy 
and other ever-greens, And [| vie ‘this 
habitual and unmeaning practice, as it is 
now performed, were all the footsteps 
that remained among us of the Pagan 
manner of celebrating this festival; but 
besides the sports and gambols, and the 
indulgences granted at this seasom‘to, all 
ranks of people, which were peculiar to 
the feast of the Pagan god Saturn, those 
scenes of revelling, drunkenness, and de- 
bauchery, so frequent also during these 
holydays with far too great numbers of 
those whe call themselves after the name 
of Christ, are all of them the sad relics of 
these intemperate immoral practices of 
the idolatrous heathen which always cha- 
racterized the feast of Bacchus. How 
long the venerable names of Jesus Christ 
and the first teachers ef that Gospel, 
which is so eminently distinguished by 
the simplicity and purity of all its doc- 
trines, shall be made use of to support 
and sanctify the institutions of Pagan su- 
perstition, and whether it can. answer 
any useful purpose of sound policy or 
true religion, under the pretence of ob- 
serving extraordinary seasons of public- 
devotion, to unhinge the minds of the 
labouring people, take them off from the 
usual industry of their respective occu- 
pations, and by that means lead them 
into the temptation of mispending nog 
only their present idle time, but also the 
earnings of their former labour in dissi- 
pated amustments, gaming, and such 
kinds of disorderly living, as tend both 
to injure and impair their health, and to 
Vitiate and corrupt their morals, are 
points that must be left to the, determis 
nation of cur rulers.” spe 
- | Your's, &e. 
Suing AS ABOC Ey oi hag 
: i MEMOIRS 
