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be in it, is certainly very ancient. We have, it mentioned by the Christian Poet Prudentius, who flourished in the Beginning of the fourth Century, as a Tradition of Common Belief: His Words are these,

Ferunt Vagantes Dæmones
Latos Tenebris Noctium,
Gallo canente exterritos,
Sparsim timere & cedere.

Invisa nam Vicinitas,
Lucis, salutis, numinis,
Rupto Tenebrarum situ,

Noctis Fugat satellites,

Hoc esse signum præscii
Norunt repromissæ spei,
Qua Nos soporis Liberi
Speramus adventum Dei.

They say the wandering Powers, that love
The silent Darkness of the Night,
At Cock-crowing give o'er to rove,
And all in Fear do take their Flight.

The approaching salutary Morn,

The Approach divine of hated Day,
Makes Darkness to its Place return,
And drives the Midnight Ghosts away,

They

They know that this an Emblem is,
Of what preceeds our lasting Bliss,
That Morn, when Graves give up their Dead,
In certain Hope to meet their God.

Cassian also, who lived in the same Century, giving an Account of a Multitude of Devils, who had been Abroad in the Night, says, * That as soon as the Morn approached, they all vanished and fled away. By this we see, that this was a current Opinion at this Time of Day; but what Reason they had for it, except some Relations of the disappearing of Evil Spirits at that Hour, I never yet have met with: But there have been produc'd at that Time of Night, Things of very memorable Worth, which might perhaps raise the pious Credulity of some Men to imagine, that there was something more in it, than in other Times. It was about the Time of Cock-crowing when our Saviour was born, and the Angels sung the first Christmas-Carrol to the poor Shepherds, in the Fields of Bethlehem. Now it may be presum'd, that as the Saviour of the World was then born, and the heavenly Host had then descended to proclaim the

* Aurora itaque superveniente, cum omnis hæc ab oculis evanisset Dæmonum multitudo. Cass. Coll. 8. C. 16.

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News, that the Angels of Darkness would be terrified and confounded, and immediately fly away: And perhaps this Consideration has partly been the Foundation of this Opinion; for as this may easily be supposed, so perhaps it has been imagin'd, that the Spirits of Darkness, having always in Memory that fatal Hour, are startled and frighted away as the Cock proclaims it.

It was also about this Time when he rose from the Dead. And when the great Sun of Righteousness was risen upon the World, no Wonder that all the Clouds of Darkness and Wickedness were dispell'd; no Wonder that the conquer'd Powers of Hell were not able to shew their Heads: And this perhaps hath been another Reason of their imagining that Spirits go away at that Time.

A third Reason is, that Passage in the Book of Genesis, where Jacob wrestled with the Angel for a Blessing; where the Angel says unto him, * Let me go, for the Day breaketh.

But indeed this Tradition seems more especially to have risen from some particular Circumstances attending the Time of Cock-crowing; and which, as Prudentius seems to say

* Gen. xxxii.

above, are an Emblem of the Approach of the Day of the Resurrection. For when we leave the World, we lie down in our Graves, and Rest from our Labours; Sleep and Darkness lay hold upon us, and there we abide till the last Day appear, when the Voice of the ArchAngel shall awake us, that we may meet the LORD of Light and Day. And when we leave the common Business and Care of Life, we lie down in our Beds, as in a Grave, buried as it were in Sleep and Darkness, till the Cock-crow, the welcome Messenger of the News of Day.

The Circumstances therefore of the Time of Cock-crowing, being so natural a Figure and Representation of the Morning of the Resurrection; the Night so shadowing out the Night of the Grave; the third Watch, being as some suppose, the Time our Saviour will come to Judgment at; the Noise of the Cock awakening sleepy Man, and telling him. as it were, the Night is so far spent, the Day is at Hand; representing so naturally the Voice of the Arch-Angel awakening the Dead, and calling up the Righteous to everlasting Day; so naturally does the Time of Cock-crowing shadow out these Things, that probably some good

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good well meaning Men, have been brought to believe, that the very Devils themselves, when the Cock crew, and reminded them of them, did fear and tremble, and shun the Light.

Now in Answer to the first of these Conjectures: 'Tis very likely the Evil Spirits did fly away in the Morning of the Nativity, and because of our Saviour's Birth and that Company of the heavenly Host, might be afraid and retire into thick Darkness; yet it will not hence follow, that it always happens so at the Time of Cock-crowing: For if they did fly away that Morning, the Circumstances of our Saviour's Birth, the heavenly glory of the Angelick Quire, their Musick and their Presence were the Occasion of it: And why only the bare Remembrance of what happened at that Time, should always at the Time of Cockcrowing drive them away, rather than when they remember it at another, no Reason seems to be given.

As to the second Conjecture, namely, That it was the Time of our Saviour's Rising from the Dead, I answer in the same Manner, That tho' it be allowed, that the Evil Spirits might. have returned to the Land of Darkness, upon

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