A carol for the 3rd Day of Christmas. Ye sons of men with me rejoice, And praise the Heavns with heart and voice, For joyful tidings you we bring, Of this Heavnly Babe, the new born King. Who from His mighty throne above Came down to manifest His love To all such as would Him embrace, And would be born again in grace. The mystery for to unfold: When the King of Kings He did behold The poor unhappy state of man,, He sent His dear beloved Son. From the brink of Hell He set us free: A greater love could never be. The Son of God to be made Man, And man to be made Gods own son. An angel sent by Heavens command To a spotless virgin in the land; To one of the seed of David, King, These joyful tidings for to bring. He hailed this Virgin, full of grace, And told Her that in nine month’s space, She should bring forth a Son and He The Saviour of mankind should be. When Mary, that most blessed maid, Heard all the Angel to her said, She to retirement straight did hie, The Lord to praise and magnify. She piously with great content Each day in contemplation spent; Until at length the time drew near, To Bethlehem she did repair. She, friendless, rangèd up and down To find a lodging in the town, But oh! alas! that heavenly guest No pity found in grief oppressed. She in pain was forced to hie Unto a stable that was nigh, Where of a Son she delivered was Between an ox and a silly1 ass. The spotless mother, wife and maid, No mortal had to lend her aid; Exposed to want and piercing cold, The Lord of life you may behold. The night of His Nativity The people in the Heavens did see Strange wonders which did them surprise, But none the reason could premise. The learned men thought it to be A sign of Cæsars’ prosperitie, But some that notion did control And said that Isaac had foretold The coming of this heavenly Boy, Who would their oracles destroy, Their magic spells and temples tear, Which afterwards performèd were. As earth with a new Son is blessed, So heaven with a new star is dressed, The shepherds, warned by an angel, were To Bethlehem straight to repair. The shepherds gladly did obey; To Bethlehem they take their way, And as the angel did report, They found the Saviour in that sort Within a manger there he lay, His dress was neither rich nor gay, In Him you truly there might see A pattern of humility. Three eastern kings came forth to see This heavenly Babe come from on high, Directed by a glorious star Which they espied from afar. Their gifts of gold and precious things They laid before the King of Kings, Their homage paid with humble heart, Then joyfully did they depart. The rumour spread both far and near Of the Birth of Christ, Our Saviour dear. That which King Herod came to know, And strove His work to overthrow. An angel sent down from on high, Then ordered Joseph for to fly To Egypt with Mother and Child, And there remain for a while. But Herod full of wrath and gall Commanded that both great and small, All under two years old should be Throughout the land slain instantly. Deep lamentations you might hear By every tender mother dear, To hear their infants sighs and groans, Their brains dashed out against the stones. This massacre was carried on, Thinking to murder God’s own Son; His persecution soon begun, But His hour was not yet come. He in the temple did dispute, And many errors did confute; He healed the lepers—raised the dead; At His command the devils fled. For all those great and mighty things Performèd by the King of Kings, To bring us to the light of grace, They threw dirt in His Blessed Face. Let each good Christian great and small Repair unto the ox’s stall: From those three kings example take; To this sweet Babe your offering make. Give Him your heart the first of all, Free from all malice, wrath and gall. And now He’s on His throne on high, He will crown you eternally,
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 00:10:44 +0000
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