Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A55674
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A preparation for Christmass, or The pious soul sighing out a oblation of praise and wonder on that miracle of divine love the incarnation of her saviour. To which is added a hymn on the same occasion. R.B.
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R. B.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing P3214A; ESTC R218349
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2,884
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9
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A Preparation for CHRISTMASS OR The Pious Soul sighing out an Oblation of Praise and Wonder on that Miracle of Divine Love The Incarnation of Her SAVIOUR To which is Added A HYMN on the same Occasion By R. B. LONDON Printed for G. Widdows at the Green Dragon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1674. A Christian Meditation on CHRITSMASS c. IS the wonderful Nativity of my blessed Saviour this day commemorated by a solemn Festival and shall my stupid Soul not endeavour by some awakening Meditations to blow the sparks of her gratitude into flames of Love and Wonder for such a Miracle of mercy Festivals t is true are proper seasons of Mirth and Gladness nor does Religion delight in that Sower look and unsociable posture wherein slie Hypocrites represent her T is possible the Conduit on some occasions may lawfully run wast and since a good Conscience is a continual Feast there is no doubt but we may be Merry with it yet certainly he who only minds his Good Châ—er in this days Solemâ—ity speak himself more an Epicure than a Christian and may be said to celebrate Bacchus his drunken Revels rather than the Birth of the Holy Jesus This was that glorious Moment which God in infinite mercy had promised our first Parents immediately after their unhappy Fall from primitive Innocence and which the Church had now sighed for near four thousand years wherein was born the expectation of Nations and the long long'd for Redeemer of the World did as his Prophetick Harbingers had foretold rend the Heavens and come down from Mansions of Glory in the vesture of Humanity Thou Oh my dearest Lord that by the virtue of the highest were conceived in the womb of an Inviolate Virgin of all women the mâ—st blessed and yet more blessed by being thy Daughter and thy Servant than in being thy Mother Thou at whose Birth the whole Quire of Heaven did sing Hallelujahs and Angels in kindness to mankind made hast to acquaint ever Shepherds with the blessed News But on my God! why wouldst thou be first made known to the meanest condition of men Why were they sent to see their Saviour not in some gorgeous Palace but in the â—ilest Room of a common Inn And instead of a Cradle deckt with rich Embroideries lying in a despicable Manger Way didst thou not choose for the place of thy blessed Mothers Delivery either Athens the Learned or Rome the Emperial or Jerusalem the holy City Or since poor Bethlehem to verify thy Prophets prediction must receive that Honor Why didst Thou not send Millions of Cherubins and Seraphins before thee for thy glorious Harbingers No my God! It was thy Will it was thy Will which is the highest of Reasons by thy low beginning in the Flesh to confound all Pride and reach the glories of the Earth to Blush Disobedient Adam had destroy'd us by Ambition and thou wilt Save us by thy Humility He thinking to become like God had precipitated us all into an Abyss of Death and Misery and thou the God of Compassions by becoming like to Man hast restor'd us to Life Eternal Yet thuâ— privately born and thus homely received denyed admittance into the Inn and forced by worse than brutish men to take up a lodging amongst Beasts Behold a new Star descending to Illustrate thy Obscurity and conduct the wise men of the East now wise indeed with their choicest presents to Adore thee On strange appearence in the Heavens and yet one more strange and glorious on the Earth Did ever Hippocritus Ptotomy the famous Tresmegist or the greater Moses or all the Aegypâ—ian Stargazâ—rs ever contemplate before such a Planet So Irregular so Exâ—entrical and yet constant to its designed end as if the Celestial lights has forsaken their proper â—â—â—ions and natural positions to welcome the Lord of all Nature into the World Thus oh my Lord didst thou descend to Earth that thou mayst raise us to Heaven Envelloping thy self in clouds of Obscurity to Crown us with Light and Immortality participating of humane Nature that we might partake of that Divine and cloathing thy self with our Flesh that we might be invested with thy Spirit In the whole course of thy precious Life what shall I first what shall I most admire All is Wonder all Amazement and forces my nonplust Reason in a holy Extasy to that Sanctuary of thy servant Paul Oh the Height oh the Depth c. Shall I first celebrate Thy ever blessed Name for convincing the great Doctors of the Law at twelve years of thine Age When thy divine Essence began to Blaze which had layn before as it were slumbring in the vail of thy Humanity Or shall I pass from this miracle of Knowledge to thy miracles of Charity in healing the Blind the Lame the Deaf the Dumb Or shall I more contemplate the Acts of thy Power in checking the unruly Winds unto a calm walking on the Waves raising the Dead and casting forth unclean Spirits Or shall I remain Stupifyed as all the Learnedst part of the World was which lay groveling in the contemplation of inferior Causes that at thy coming all their false Oracles and prophetick Delusions were strucken mute and no more answers could be had from Delphos or Hammon Or shall I run my thoughts from thy Cradle to thy Cross and consider how at thy passion all Nature did suffer the Earch shaking Graves opening and the Heavens by a Preternatural Eclispe of the Sun all over Invelloped with an affrighting Darkness Or lastly after thou hadst Triumphed over Death and Hell whose Keys are in thy Hand alone shall I glorify thy Assumption into the highest Heavens Yes blessed Lord all this and much more there is than the whole World can contein if it were Written Yet one thing remains even after thy gloriouâ— Departure for the comfort of our Souls that thou hast dispensed thy saving Doctrine not by Eloquent Sophists or subtle Schoolmen such as have since distracted and torn thy Church in pieces but by the simplest and seemingly contemptible Instruments so that it must needs be thy Divine truth since it was impressed by no humane means How should we have known or how should we have apprehended thy eternal Generation If thou hadst not been pleased to vouchsafe a silly Fitherman to lean on thy Breast and inspire him to tel us That In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God Therefore to Thee Thou Incarnate Word do we with an humble confidence Address our selves disowning all other Mediators Thou only true Messias The wisdom of the Father in whom all Prophecies are accomplished and the Will of God and Desires of Men fulfilled teach us to contemplate thy Nativity not vainly or Superficially as we do a curious Picture or pleasant History but to improve the same to the advantage of our Souls Let the meditation of thy Birth inflame us with desires to be born again and may we read in thy Incarnation the true model of our own Regeneration Look down upon us thy unworthy Creatures from thy Throne of Glory Teach us thy Love but such a Love as doth fear to offend thee teach us thy Fear but such a Fear as first doth love thee And endue us with thy Grace whilst by thy Permission we walk on this Globe which thy blessed Feet have trodden to Solemnize this Day of thy Nativity not with vain Delights or wanton Jollities but with Hymns of Joy and Meditations of like Comfort A Hymn for CHRISTMASS HAil sacred Tide Wherein a Bride A Virgin which is more Brought forth a Son The like was done Ne're in the World before Let none upbraid This Blessed maid Nor yet to her Address Worship which She Must blush to see And modestly wish Less Her womb most Chast Nine Months embrac't Him whom nor Earth nor Air Nor the vast mould Of Heaven can hold Cause he 's Ubiquitair Oh! would he Daign To come and Raign I' th centre of my heart And make it still His Domicil And residence in part But in sâ— foul a Cell Can he abide to dwell Yes when he please to move His Harbingers to sweep the Room And with rich Odors it perfume Of Faith of Hope and Love FINIS