A Sacred Memorie of the Miracles wrought by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Written by Samuel Rowlands |
 |
|
 | A Sacred Memorie of the Miracles wrought by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ |  |
44
Lazarus raysed from death: The Souldiers at Christes
betraying cast to the ground. Malcus eare cut off by
Peter, healed, The temples veile rent, stones diuide,
graues open, the dead arise.
Iohn. 11. Iohn. 18. Luk. 22. Mathew. 27.
Two holy sisters had theyr brother lying,
In Bethany, euen at the point of dying;
One blessed Magdalen (that with her teares
Did wash Christs feet, & dri'd them with her haires)
The other gratious Martha, these sent thus
To Iesus, for their brother Lazarus,
Oh Lord behold he whom thou louest deere,
45
His danger will admit of no delayes,
Yet Iesus tarried where he was two dayes;
Then said to his Disciples, our kind friend
Lazarus sleepes; but wake him I entend:
Lord they reply'd, if he but sleepe, we know
He shall doe well, there will no danger grow:
But then he plainely spake, his breath is fled,
And soule departed, Lazarus is dead;
And I am glad for your sakes in this case
That I was absent with you from the place,
Because you may belieue, now you and I,
Will goe and visite him at Bethany.
When they came thither, there they notice haue,
That he had lyen foure dayes within his graue,
And many of the Iewes (whom loue did lead)
Were comforting the sisters of the dead.
Martha saw Iesus, and alow'd she cride,
Had'st thou been here my brother had not dyed,
Yet this I know assured truth to be,
What thou dost aske of God heele giue it thee.
Then Iesus sayd, arise againe he shall,
I know it Lord (quoth she) and so must all
At that great day of Resurrection, when
All shall arise, both good and wicked men.
I resurrection am, and Life doe giue,
He that beleeues in me, though dead shall liue,
And he that liueth and belieues in me,
Shall neuer dye. Beleeu'st thou this (quoth he)
Yea Lord, she said, thou art Gods sonne I know,
Should come into this world, and grace bestow.
46
Saying, deare Lord, our brother we had kept,
Hadst thou been heere, his life preseru'd had bin,
And these woe teares we had not bathed in.
Then Iesus groned in the Spirit, and said,
Show me the place, where is the body layd?
They said, come Lord behold, and therewithall,
From his most holy blessed eyes did fall
The teares of pitty; quoth the Iewes, Oh see
How deere he lou'd; affection this must be.
Being come vnto the deads mans house, the graue,
He bad remoue the stone from off the caue:
Quoth Martha Lord, he loathsome will be found,
For lying all this time within the ground.
Did I not say (sayd Christ) this instant hower,
If thou hast faith, thou shalt behold Gods power.
Then they remoue the stone which on him lyes,
While vnto heauen Iesus lifts his eyes,
And God the Father thankfull glorified,
Then with a loud voyce, Lazarus he cri'd,
Come forth, at which life-giuing breath and sound,
The dead arose, being in graue clothes bound,
His hands and feet, a napkin on his face,
Amazing all with wonder were in place,
To see a man restor'd to life againe,
That did with death foure dayes in graue remayne,
Committed to corruptions rotten roome,
There to haue rested till the day of doome;
This sight put all beholders in great feare,
And many Iewes that came with Mary there,
Beleeu'd on Iesus, giuing God the prayse,
47
When all those glorious Lampes, adorne the skie,
Were hid with sable cloudes from mortall eye.
And euery creature hauing vitall sprite,
Mourn'd at the darknesse of blacke vgly night,
Perditions child (whom Sathan did insence,)
Bribed against his Lord with thirty pence.
The way by night, with armed troupes he tooke,
To meete his Master towards Cedron brooke;
Where comming to him giues all hayle, and kisse.
To make him knowne vnto the Iewes by this;
When Peter saw the villany intended,
His Lord most traytrous to be apprehended:
He champion-like did thinke to fight it out,
And drew his sword and valiant lay'd about,
With such a manly resolution than,
He made a crop-eare of the High-Priests man,
And wounded Malcus; which when Iesus saw,
He thus reprou'd rashnesse in him to draw.
Put vp thy sword into the sheath againe,
Who therewith woundeth, shall therewith be slaine:
By Prayer, downe from my Father I could call,
More then twelue Legions, Spirites Angelicall,
But how shall then the Scriptures be fulfilde,
As God hath in eternall counsell wilde:
Then Iesus healed Malcus eare so sound,
That there appear'd no signe of any wound;
With Miracle with them preuay'ld no more,
Then striking all vnto the ground before,
VVhich onely but demaunding whom they sought,
All falling backwards, to the earth were brought.
48
No bolts of thunder to procure them fall;
But that most powerfull word that spake and made,
Vnto this band of armed souldiers sayde,
Whom looke you for, at which as men strooke dead,
They fell at once, yet hardned had no dread.
When the most iust, vniust was doom'd to dye,
Expos'd by Pylate, to Iewes cruelty,
With whips tormented, and by sinners scornes
Reuiled, spit vpon, and crownd with thornes,
Buffeted, blinded, and compel'd to beare
The Crosse, which Christians for their badge do weare
When all his sences suffre'd for the sinne
Which Adams sences had offended in:
Whose sight did like the fruit which was forbidden,
For which Christs sight was blinded and eyes hidden:
And for his touch that to take hold consented,
Christs feeling was with whips and nayles tormented:
His smell, that to the rest did liking lincke,
At Golgotha was choak'd with lothsome stincke.
His hearing, that did Eues bad counsell chuse,
Brought Christ to heare the raylings of the Iewes.
His taste, which eating he did sinne withall,
Made Iesus taste of vineger and gall.
When all these great and grieuous paines were ended,
And Spirit to his Father recommended;
When that great darknesse neuer seene before,
From sixe to nine, obscur'd the earth all ore,
Extinguishing the sunne (dayes golden eye)
Because that day the sonne of God did dye.
Wonders were wrought that did mēs harts confound
64
Was rent quite thorow, to beholders feare,
Which saw that Curtaine admirable teare,
The sollid hardest flint and marble stones,
Vnder whose massie burden, ground-worke grones,
Diuiding, cleaue, and into pieces fall;
Which were supporters to the strongest wall.
And monuments that in them did containe,
Flesh made of clay, turning to dust againe;
The Sepulchres of Saints (that resting lay
From all their labours) on this nere-like day,
Did open, and deliuer liue, with breath
The bodies were receyued dead from death,
In such a true perfection found and showne,
As if mortality they nere had known.
Within the holy City they appeare,
To manifest Gods mighty power more cleere
Vnto Beholders eyes, many did see
Their resurrection from the dead to be,
Like that which when the Angels trumpe doth call,
Shall cause a rising vnto life of all,
That euer in this world (since world began)
Haue been the ofspring of the first made man.
When the Centurion with his armed guard,
Which were the men for bloud & death prepar'd,
Beheld the fearefull wonders that were wrought,
And how gainst nature, things to passe were brought:
Day turn'd to light, darkned before theyr eyes.
The graues to open, and the dead arise,
The vayle to diuide, the trembling earth to quake,
50
Both Captaine and his cursed crue confesse
VVith inward terror of soules guiltinesse,
That Iesus which by Iudas trechery,
VVas false betray'd, vniust condemn'd to dye
By wicked Pylate, and by their misdeed,
His precious wounds were opened wide to bleed,
Was Gods most true, and deere and onely son,
And hell was due for what their sins had done.
| A Sacred Memorie of the Miracles wrought by our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ | |