Classic Poem

The Coaeternall, consubstanciall WORD,
Self-WISDOMS wisedome, Image of the HIGHST,
Sole KING of Kings, of Lordes the onely LORD
And, heaunly HEAD of CHRISTIANS, IESVS CHRIST,
In compleate Time, tooke FLESH by MIRACLE,
Of a pure VIRGIN; through HIS Work that was
The Prompter of each sacred ORACLE,
That did fore Show how THIS should come to passe:
With his vnualued Wonder-working BLOVD,
To manumise vile Man a Slaue to Sin,
Was borne in Beth'lem without Liuelihood;
And, without all that State doth glory in
His THRONE, a Manager, and, a Crach, his Cradle:
His ROBES, course Ragges poore Reliques of meane Lynnen.
His WAITERS Beasts, his COVRT, a stinking Stable:
That worse no Begger euer borne had been in;
Where, yet foorth-with, by Angels glorifiying,
Sheepherds agnition, worship of the WISE,
The guiding STARRE, Old Symeons Prophecying,
And Doctors wondering, ALL, HIM GREAT Agnize,
Who, in his youth, grew quickly old in grace
With GOD, and Man: for GOD, and Man was HEE:
Baptis'd by him which made and gaue Him place,
That HEE to all might Pieties Patterne bee:
Conquering his FLESH with fasting unconstrain'd,
The World with meeknesse, and the Fiend, with Prai'r:
And when the WEEKS of DANIELL end attaind
Hee taught and sought RIGHTS Ruines to repaire:
Sometimes, with Words, that wonder-mazed men
Sometimes, with Deedes, that Angels did admire:
With mercy, still, with Iustice, seldome when
He made (as HEE was) God and man entire.
He tought EARTH, Truth; and HELL, to know her error:
He showed the MEEDE ordaind for Good and Bad:
Then to confirme All [to Alls ioy, and terror]
Hee calmd the Elements: reformd the madd:
Heald all Diseases: brought, to life the Dead:
Hee quickt' obedience: secret thoughts to light;
To Sinnes restraint, or to be bunished,
And lastly to the Deuil, feare and flight!
These [notwithstanding] and much more then these,
(For, all the World the Bookes would not comprise
That of his Acts should hold the working Seas,
Which to a boundlesse Magnitude do rise!)
Hee was, (alas when he had vnder-gon
All Paines and Passions (Sin all onely saud)
Proper to Man [yet had his God-head showne]
By his owne People scorned and depraud!
Yea, by his owne (his owne chiefe Officer
Iudas betraying Him) He was accusd
Arraignd, condemnd, bound, scurgd, hald here and there,
With Thorns, Crownd, crucified, and worse abusd
So He, [All being fulfild: the Sun obscurd,
The Earth, all quaking, Graues self-opening.
And, NATVRES Frame dissoluing] Death endurd:
Life, thereby to his Enemies, to bring!
Then being interd, loost Hell; and rose againe
In triumph, hauing conquered Death, and Sin;
And forty Daies (with HIS) on Earth did raigne
A Man-GOD glorified, without, and in!
And of his age, the three and thirtith yeare,
He in the sight of his Saints, did assend
To Heaun with glory, triumph, ioy and cheere,
And sits on his right Hand that Him did send!
From whence [being now our Spokes man] He shall come,
(When all this All shall melt in funerall fire)
On Quick, and Dead to giue his finall Doom:
When as their Works shalbe, shalbe their Hire
Then, Good, and Bad diulded, endlesly,
The Worlde refind and all things put in frame
To this greate Iudge, the totall EMPERY
Shalbee giu'n vp, of this Great double FRAME!
To whome Celestiall, and Terrestriall knees,
And knees infernall, shall for euer bow:
And, eu'ry Tongue confesse, and Eye that sees,
That HEE is All, in All, in High, and Low,
Vnto His glory that Was, Is, and shall
(In all Æternity) be ALL, in All!