A paraphrase upon the canticles and some select hymns of the New and Old Testament, with other occasional compositions in English verse. By Samuel Woodford |
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| The VI great HYMNS of St. LUKE. |
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| II. |
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 | A paraphrase upon the canticles |  |
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The VI great HYMNS of St. LUKE.
I. HYMN. The ANGELS Salutation.
Ave Gratiâ plena.
Lucæ 1. 28.
Hail of Heaven highly Grace'd,
Hail, O VIRGIN full of Grace!
Heav'ns Blessings all on Thee be place'd,
In whom Heav'ns GOD takes up his Place!
Blest Thou among all Women be,
Blest be Thy Name and Memory,
Blest VIRGIN-MOTHER be Thy Stile to' Eternity!
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II. HYMN. The Salutation of ELIZABETH.
Benedicta Tu inter Mulieres.
Lucæ 1. 42.
I
Blest Thou among all Women be,And blest the FRUIT, which Thou dost bear!
But whence is this great Honour done to me,
That my LORD'S MOTHER should approach thus near
And greater joys supprest at Home,
In mine to 'assist should hither come?
II
Yet not at Home those greater Joys,Tho there supprest, couldst Thou wholly leave;
For scarce was heard Thy salutations Voice,
But my glad Womb the Signal did receive:
And there with joy the Babe did spring,
It's present GOD to' attest, and King.
III
Thrice blest the Faith, which firm does hold!For a Performance there shall be
Of all, that was by th' Heav'nly Message told,
And, or Thy happy FRUIT concerns, or Thee;
The Sender was the Eternal Lord,
Who having past will Crown his Word.
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III. HYMN. The Song of the BLESSED VIRGIN.
Et ait Maria,—Magnificat anima, &c.
Lucæ 1. 47.
I
My SOUL does Magnifie the Lord,My Spirit in God my Saviour does rejoyce;
My Spirit his thankful Praises shall record,
And my Soul, thence awak't, provoke my Voice:
Nor Soul, nor Spirit, my Judgment, or my Will,
My Voice, or Lyre, shall in his Praise lie still,
But all my Powers I'll summon, and their noblest skill.
II
For (Lo!) his Hand-Maids low estate,He from on High has view'd with kind regard;
His Hand-Maids, to th' encrease of whose sad Fate,
The Royal Blood, from whence she sprang, prest hard:
But now all Nations shall Record me BLEST,
And David's Seed, of David's Throne possest,
To' his Blood the Glory shall return, to' his Land its rest.
III
Great are the things, which He hath done,And done for me, who' Himself is great of Might;
Great tho He be, 'tis Holiness alone,
Wherein He of all Names does most delight:
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He to Gen'erations therefore does Proclaim,
And keep with them, who fear Him, and his Holy Name.
IV
To all beside, by His Arm He is known,And strength Almighty, which none can repel;
His Arm, that from their height the Proud pulls down,
And open throws their Plots hid deep as Hell:
That Kings and Kingdoms at its Will does sway,
And gives their Crowns to those ith' dust who lay,
With good things th' Hungry fills, the' Rich empty sends away.
V
Israel thus hath He fill'd, thus rais'd,And rais'd up thus, will with his Hand uphold;
Israel his First-born; And our God be prais'd,
Who mindful of th' Inheritance past of Old,
Warrants to' His Child, and with it all Decreed
By' His Word to our Fathers, to' Abraham and his Seed,
And all whom Abraham's Faith makes Parties to the Deed.
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IV. HYMN. The Song of ZACHARIAS.
Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel.
Lucæ 1. 68.
I
Israels Great God eternally be Prais'd,Who Israel from the Dust at length hath rais'd;
And mindful of his Ancient Care,
Forgotten, when we thought we were,
Israel to visit has himself come down,
The Prison Doors wide open thrown,
And by th' Redemption wrought, made his great Presence known.
II
Redemption for his People has he wrought,And to the Throne the Royal Pris'ner brought;
To David's Throne, and 'tis his Son
Sprung from his Loyns, holds David's Throne;
With Empire, which no place or time can bound,
With Subjects, in all Countrys found,
Subjects, which like him shall be Kings, and like him Crown'd.
III
This by his Prophets, which have been of old,In every Age he wondrously foretold;
(For every Age have Prophets been,
From since the World did first begin,
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That God our Wrongs would vindicate,
And from one Ruine save us, and our threatned State.
IV
Not for our Righteousness, but to performThe Mercy promis'd, and his Covenant sworn;
Promis'd the Fathers, who first were,
But which himself did to' Abraham swear,
By Oath most Sacred; for to be no more
Doubted, tho stablisht 'twas before,
By' himself, Heav'ns greatest Oath, the God most Highest swore.
V
So God most Highest, so by' Himself he Swore,And that from Heav'n we should receive the Power,
(Deliver'd from our Enemies Hands,
Their Captive Chains and Servile Bands)
His own more Noble Service to attend,
Fearless of all that may offend,
In Righteousness, and holy Praise, which ne're shall end.
VI
And now he comes, O Child, who this hath wrought;He comes, who has the great Salvation brought:
Be thou his Prophet, and his Ways
Prepare, while He a moment stays,
Only till thou before Him canst prepare
His Ways, which deep and wondrous are,
By laying down his own, the Life o'th' World to spare.
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VII
Teach the World, Child, and make his Israel knowWhence their Salvations mighty Source does flow;
That from Remission of their Sin,
The mighty Source does first begin:
Through our God's tender Mercy, who the Way
To Pardon does by Penance lay;
Penance, which does the glories of his Grace display.
VIII
That Grace, whereby the Day-spring from on High,Now visits us with Streams, which ne're shall die.
Streams of pure Æthereal Light,
To shine on those, who in darkness sit;
Which Death's pale shadow shall with Rays encrease,
And hopes long Pris'ners thence release,
And both theirs guide, and our feet into th' way of Peace.
V. HYMN. The ANGELIC Hymn.
Gloria in Altissimis, &c.
Lucæ 2. 24.
Glory be to God on High!
Ith' Highest Great Jehovah bless!
Good will tow'rds Men, on Earth be Peace!
Glory to God on High!
And may this Round, begun thus, last eternally.
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VI. HYMN. The Song of SIMEON.
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, &c.
Lucæ 2. 29.
I
Enough, my God, enough! I beg no more:Nor Thou, tho begg'd, canst greater Grace bestow;
My Prayers at length are answer'd, and I 'adore
The Word, which from thy Mouth did go,
The Word, which like thy Self no change does know:
And now Thy Servant is content to die,
Now, as the best time, since Thy Word and Life's so nigh.
II
Nigh is the Word, which Thou to me didst pass,Nor has Death come, me and Thy CHRIST between;
As nigh is Life, Thy other Word, which I embrace,
And who, that has thus happy been,
In two great Words, fulfill'd one, t'other seen,
Would not like me desire in peace to die,
And mortal Life exchange for Immortality?
III
In Peace I die, and Thou dismissest me,My God, in Peace, since with these very Eyes,
Before their change, I Thy Salvation see,
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As Prophets must to 'approve their Prophecies:
By Faith they only at a distance saw,
What in my Arms I hold, the end of all their Law.
IV
Hail, blest Salvation of the Eternal King!Hail Thou, who hither bringst it, Blessed Child!
In whom, as holy Bards inspir'd do sing,
Those wondrous Truths shall be fulfill'd,
Which to Immortal Verse shall subject yield!
Hail to you both, prepar'd of God to be,
This Worlds Redemption, Heav'ns and Angels scrutiny!
V
Such is the great Behest; such is Thy Will,Who now before all Nations dost prepare
What shall with joyous Praise all Nations fill,
As in Him all have equal share:
Thy Son, who shall to those who' in darkness are,
Rise, as the World's Sun does, with scattered Light,
But Israels Glory be, with Rays like 'his own Flames bright.
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Comiato.
To Sir Nicholas Stuart, Baronet.
Songs, made in lieu of many more,
(And more than Songs,) which to his Love I owe,
Who, when your Master waited at the Door,
First let him in, and sacred Honours did bestow;
(You, blessed Songs, ith' Temple first to sing,
And then to Descant, on an humbler thing.)
To his, and your lov'd Patron go,
And tho you ne're can recompence
The ease, and leasure both of us have thence,
Proffer the utmost service Verse can do;
And as He is your Ornament,
Be of my grat'itude and his Virtue the fixt Monument.
| A paraphrase upon the canticles | |