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β WAS 1 Jesus gentle, or did He | |
| Give any marks of gentility? | |
| When twelve years old He ran away, | |
| And left His parents in dismay. | |
| When after three days’ sorrow found, | 5 |
| Loud as Sinai’s trumpet-sound: | |
| ‘No earthly parents I confess— | |
| My Heavenly Father’s business! | |
| Ye understand not what I say, | |
| And, angry, force Me to obey. | 10 |
| Obedience is a duty then, | |
| And favour gains with God and men. | |
| John from the wilderness loud cried; | |
| Satan gloried in his pride. | |
| ‘Come,’ said Satan, ‘come away, | 15 |
| I’ll soon see if you’ll obey! | |
| John for disobedience bled, | |
| But you can turn the stones to bread. | |
| God’s high king and God’s high priest | |
| Shall plant their glories in your breast, | 20 |
| If Caiaphas you will obey, | |
| If Herod you with bloody prey | |
| Feed with the sacrifice, and be | |
| Obedient, fall down, worship me.’ | |
| Thunders and lightnings broke around, | 25 |
| And Jesus’ voice in thunders’ sound: | |
| ‘Thus I seize the spiritual prey. | |
| Ye smiters with disease, make way. | |
| I come your King and God to seize, | |
| Is God a smiter with disease?’ | 30 |
| The God of this world rag’d in vain: | |
| He bound old Satan in His chain, | |
| And, bursting forth, His furious ire | |
| Became a chariot of fire. | |
| Throughout the land He took His course, | 35 |
| And trac’d diseases to their source. | |
| He curs’d the Scribe and Pharisee, | |
| Trampling down hypocrisy. | |
| Where’er His chariot took its way, | |
| There Gates of Death let in the Day, | 40 |
| Broke down from every chain and bar; | |
| And Satan in His spiritual war | |
| Dragg’d at His chariot-wheels: loud howl’d | |
| The God of this world: louder roll’d | |
| The chariot-wheels, and louder still | 45 |
| His voice was heard from Zion’s Hill, | |
| And in His hand the scourge shone bright; | |
| He scourg’d the merchant Canaanite | |
| From out the Temple of His Mind, | |
| And in his body tight does bind | 50 |
| Satan and all his hellish crew; | |
| And thus with wrath He did subdue | |
| The serpent bulk of Nature’s dross, | |
| Till He had nail’d it to the Cross. | |
| He took on sin in the Virgin’s womb | 55 |
| And put it off on the Cross and tomb | |
| To be worshipp’d by the Church of Rome. | |
