On Christmas-day

Lord, when this universe began, And thy Almighty power fram'd man, From sin was he created free, And meant for happiness and thee: But soon, from happiness he fell And thee into the depths of hell.

Yet, notwithstanding this offence, Thy love, not less than pow'r immense, In pity of his state forlorn, Decreed a saviour should be born— Of human loins; thine only son, To suffer for what man had done.

To suffer life's worst ills, that we, From sin, so graciously set free, Might live to righteousness again, And our lost heirship re-obtain, That heirship to eternal bliss In the next world, we lost in this.

And lo! the long-wish'd day appears; The Saviour comes! a child of tears! I see him in a manger laid! God's only son, thus human made, To live a life of pain, and then Die for the sins of thankless men. Oh! may his life my model be; And I still breathe, great God, for thee: To those, from whom my breath I drew, May I, like him, be subject too; Live as he liv'd, and when I die, Hail my Redemption then draw nigh.