The church celebrates this day, the birth of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus, blessed for ever; and though it fall amongst the shortest days in the year, yet of all the festivals in the year, it is the longest: it is a day that consists of twelve days; a day not measured by the natural and ordinary motion of the sun, but by a supernatural and extraordinary star, which appeared to the wise men of the East, this day, and brought them to Christ, at Bethlehem, upon Twelfth Day. That day, Twelfth Day, the church now calls the Epiphany; the ancient church called this day (Christmas day) the Epiphany. Both days together, and all the days between, this day, when Christ was manifested to the Jews, in the shepherds by the angels, and Twelfth Day, when Christ was manifested to the Gentiles in those wise men of the East, make up the Epiphany, that is, the manifestation of God to man.
From a
sermon of John Donne, preached on Christmas Day.
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