POEMS
On the Principal Festivals and Fafts of the
Church of ENGLAND.
On the Annunciation of the bleffed Virgin Mary, March 25. commonly called Lady-Day. Which hath a peculiar Refpect to the Incarnation of our bleffed SAVIOUR.
HE Subject of this Day's Meditation,
Is the myfterious Incarnation
Of our Almighty Saviour, God the Son:
Which, with great Rev'rence, we should think
No Man, nor Angel, can declare, or tell
How that was done, which is infcrutable.
Yet let us fee what Light the Scriptures give,
And what is there reveal'd, let us believe.
They fhew us that the Angel Gabriel
Was to the Virgin Mary fent, to tell
This moft furprizing News to her, that she-
The Mother of the Son of God fhould be.
And Jefus was the Name that he should have,
For, He his People from their Sins would fave.*
And thus the Angel did addrefs the Maid,
Hail, Thou that highly favour'd art! he said,
The Glory of thy Sex! I'm fent to Thee,
Upon the most important Embaffy.
Thou shalt conceive within thy Womb a Son,
Who can declare his Generation? +
He is th' Eternal Son of God, moft High:
And He the Son of God fhall alfo be,
Because the Holy Ghost fhall over-fhadow thee.
Whereby this Son fhall be in thee conceiv'd,
Of thee, without concurrence of a Man:
*Mat. i. 21. Ifa. liii. 8.
This firmly is of thee to be believ'd;
That God all this, both will effect, and can.
Of all the Virgins which in Ifrael be,
God hath been pleas'd to make his Choice of
To be the Mother of his only Son,
By a mysterious Operation.
Then, with a Virgin-Modefty, the Maid
Transported at that which the Angel faid,
Reply'd, Behold the Handmaid of the Lord!
Be it to me according to thy Word.
I to it do confent with all my Heart.
Then did the Angel Gabriel depart :
And then immediately (as I believe)
The Virgin did within her Womb conceive
The Second Perfon in the Trinity,
The true and only Son of God, was he,
Who thus our Human Nature did affume,
And God and Man, one Perfon, did become.
And thus the Thing fo long foretold, was done,
A Virgin fhall conceive, and bear a Son.**
Whofe Name was to be call'd Immanuel,
Which fignifies, that God with Man fhould dwell.
Accordingly, after nine Months were gone,
The Virgin then brought forth her bleffed Son;
Who took our Nature without Spot of Sin:
Thus did his Being in our Flesh begin.
O most profound, amazing Mystery!
For Humane, or Angelic Search too high!
Let us, poor Men, with grateful Hearts adore
Our wife and gracious God, who would restore
Our fallen Race, in this ftupendous Way, I
From that moft woful State wherein we lay!
This must be evermore by All confefs'd
To be fuch Love as cannot be exprefsid!
That God fhould think nothing too great, or
To part with for Mankind: what Love was here!
Oh! how fhall we express our Gratitude
To him, who unto us fuch Love hath thew'd;
How careful fhou'd we be, we don't offend
So dear, and fo omnipotent a Friend?
How zealous for his Honour fhould we be?
How circumfpect, his Precepts to obey?
Rememb'ring we have dedicated been
To him, who came to fave us from our Sin;
And if fuch mighty Love we do defpife,
And from the Chriftian Faith apoftatize,
If we rebel against God's only Son,
Who came from Heav'n for our Salvation,
And fide with his grand Enemy the Devil,
Refufing good, and madly chufing Evil:
Such, no Way can escape the Wrath to come,
The hottest Place in Hell will be their Doom.
But, Reader, better Hopes I have of thee,
That thou wilt do no more fo wickedly
As thou haft done, but wilt in Chrift believe,
Who took our Flesh, to die that we might live.
Think of th'amazing Condefcenfion,
Admire th'Humility of God the Son!
Who ftoop'd fo infinitely for our Sake,
When he did our Redemption undertake!
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