The Blessed Birth-day celebrated in some religious meditations on the Angels Anthem. Lvc. 2. 14. Also holy transportations, in contemplating some of the most obserueable adiuncts about our Saviours Nativity. Extracted for the most part out of the Sacred Scriptures, Ancient Fathers, Christian Poets. And some moderne Approved Authors. By Charles Fitz-Geffry. The second Edition with Additions |
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 | The Blessed Birth-day |  |
To day wars end, and Peace begins: To day
Wandring doth cease, for we haue found the Way:
Falsehood's remou'd, for truth to light is brought,
Death perisheth, for Life to day is wrought.
Now life begins to liue. To liue, said I?
Nay rather now life doth begin to dy.
God who is life, mans life did therefore take
That he a way to his owne Death might make.
Vnlesse God man becomes he cannot dy,
Vnlesse God dye man dies eternally.
Rather then we should suffer endlesse paine
He would be borne of purpose to be slaine.
Thinke not that Christ did then begin suffer
When Iudas sold him, and the Iewes did offer
To apprehend him. He did then begin
To make his soule a sacrifice for sinne,
When he tooke body. He began to dy
Then, when assuming our mortality,
He made himselfe one able to be slaine:
To put on man is but to put on paine.
His death was at his birth, he then began
To dy when he began to put on man.
This Flowre ere it sprang forth began to fade,
Thus was his Crosse before his Cradle made.
The drops of bloud which at his death he shed
Were but his infant drops of teares di'de red:
His swathing clothes did with that linnen meet,
Whereof good Ioseph made his winding sheet:
His bloud was as a salue bespred thereon:
This plaister cures our soules corruption,
Behold how he, a tender infant, cries
Who wipes all teares from true repentant eyes.
O let vs of this infant learne to weep
That from eternall teares he may vs keep.
Restore ô man the groanings which he lent,
Returne the teares which he for thee hath spent.
Consider how much thou to him doest owe
Who would for thee a double suffring know:
Suffring for thee who wert a wretch forlorne
Worst at his Death, but first in being borne.
Who therefore wept for thee, that thou mightst sing
With holy Angels to thy heauenly King,
Glory to God on high, on earth be peace,
And let goodwill t'wards Christians never cease.
Wandring doth cease, for we haue found the Way:
Falsehood's remou'd, for truth to light is brought,
Death perisheth, for Life to day is wrought.
Now life begins to liue. To liue, said I?
Nay rather now life doth begin to dy.
God who is life, mans life did therefore take
That he a way to his owne Death might make.
Vnlesse God man becomes he cannot dy,
Vnlesse God dye man dies eternally.
Rather then we should suffer endlesse paine
He would be borne of purpose to be slaine.
Thinke not that Christ did then begin suffer
When Iudas sold him, and the Iewes did offer
To apprehend him. He did then begin
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When he tooke body. He began to dy
Then, when assuming our mortality,
He made himselfe one able to be slaine:
To put on man is but to put on paine.
His death was at his birth, he then began
To dy when he began to put on man.
This Flowre ere it sprang forth began to fade,
Thus was his Crosse before his Cradle made.
The drops of bloud which at his death he shed
Were but his infant drops of teares di'de red:
His swathing clothes did with that linnen meet,
Whereof good Ioseph made his winding sheet:
His bloud was as a salue bespred thereon:
This plaister cures our soules corruption,
Behold how he, a tender infant, cries
Who wipes all teares from true repentant eyes.
O let vs of this infant learne to weep
That from eternall teares he may vs keep.
Restore ô man the groanings which he lent,
Returne the teares which he for thee hath spent.
Consider how much thou to him doest owe
Who would for thee a double suffring know:
Suffring for thee who wert a wretch forlorne
Worst at his Death, but first in being borne.
Who therefore wept for thee, that thou mightst sing
With holy Angels to thy heauenly King,
Glory to God on high, on earth be peace,
And let goodwill t'wards Christians never cease.
| The Blessed Birth-day | |