NEW HEAVEN, NEW WAR. Come to your heaven, you heavenly quires! This little Babe, so few days old, All hell doth at His presence quake, My soul, with Christ join thou in fight; Robert Southwell. For Christmas Day. 73 FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. Rejoice, rejoice, with heart and voice! This day did Christ man's soul from death remove, With glorious saints to dwell in heaven above. This day to man came pledge of perfect peace, This day man's grief began for to surcease, For each offence and every deadly sin, In Christé's flock let love be surely placed, From whence proceedeth all felicity. O sing unto this glittering, glorious king, Let lute, let shawm, with sound of sweet de light, The joy of Christé's birth this day recite. Francis Kinwelmersh, A.D. 1576. Sung to the King in the Presence at Whitehall. 75 SUNG TO THE KING IN THE PRESENCE AT WHITEHALL. Chor. What sweeter music can we bring, The birth of this our heavenly King? From the flourish they come to the song. If we may ask the reason, say Chor. We see Him come, and know Him ours, Who with His sunshine and His showers Turns all the patient ground to flowers. The darling of the world is come, To welcome Him. The nobler part Chor. Which we will give Him; and bequeath Robert Herrick. |