“The wisdom of the Spirit seeth the grain of mustard-seed, that is the least of all seeds, how it shall become a great tree, and the fowls of heaven shall lodge in its branches.  Let us, then, lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and let us hope that, like as great salvation to all people came out of small beginnings of Bethlehem, so the work which we shall begin to-morrow shall be for the good of many nations.

“It is a custom on this Christmas Day to give love-presents.  What love-gift giveth our Lord Jesus on this day?  Brethren, it is a great one and a precious; as St. Paul said to the Philippians:  ’For unto you it is given for Christ, not only that ye should believe on Him, but also that ye should suffer for His sake;’ and St. Peter also saith, ’Behold, we count them blessed which endure.’  And the holy Apostles rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Jesus.

“Our Lord Christ giveth us of His cup and His baptism; He giveth of the manger and the straw; He giveth of persecutions and afflictions; He giveth of the crown of thorns, and right dear unto us be these gifts.

“And now will I tell these children a story, which a cunning playwright, whom I once knew in our Queen’s court, hath made concerning gifts: 

“A great king would marry his daughter worthily, and so he caused three caskets to be made, in one of which he hid her picture.  The one casket was of gold set with diamonds, the second of silver set with pearls, and the third a poor casket of lead.

“Now it was given out that each comer should have but one choice, and if he chose the one with the picture he should have the lady to wife.

“Divers kings, knights, and gentlemen came from far, but they never won, because they always snatched at the gold and the silver caskets, with the pearls and diamonds.  So, when they opened these, they found only a grinning death’s-head or a fool’s cap.

“But anon cometh a true, brave knight and gentleman, who chooseth for love alone the old leaden casket; and, behold, within is the picture of her he loveth! and they were married with great feasting and content.

“So our Lord Jesus doth not offer himself to us in silver and gold and jewels, but in poverty and hardness and want; but whoso chooseth them for His love’s sake shall find Him therein whom his soul loveth, and shall enter with joy to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

“And when the Lord shall come again in his glory, then he shall bring worthy gifts with him, for he saith:  ’Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life; to him that overcometh I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone with a new name that no man knoweth save he that receiveth it.  He that overcometh and keepeth my words, I will give power over the nations and I will give him the morning star.’

“Let us then take joyfully Christ’s Christmas gifts of labors and adversities and crosses to-day, that when he shall appear we may have these great and wonderful gifts at his coming; for if we suffer with him we shall also reign; but if we deny him, he also will deny us.”