Gospel discovery, or A poem on the life and death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

by James Braidwood

T H E

GOSPEL DISCOVERY,

OR A

P O E M

IN THE LIFE AND DEATH OF OUR LORD AND
SAVIOUR,

JESUS CHRIST.

BY
JAMES BRAIDWOOD

Isaiah, XLII.11, 12.
Let the wilderneſs and the critics thereof life
up their voice the villages that Kedar doth
inhabit; let the inhabitants of the Rock ſing,
let then ſhout from the roof top pf the moutains,
let them give glory unto the Lord, and de-
clare his Praise in the Iſlands.

E D I N B U R G H,
Printed, for the author, Lower Camp
Beli's Cloſe, Cowgate.

Here is that Man in whom is viſibly beſeen ſuch Glory, Majeſty, Lovelineſs Sweetneſs, Compaſſion, Mercy, Juſtice Wiſdom, and all treaſures of overflowing Fulneſs of Excellency, in ſuch a Incomprehenſible, Tranſcendent an Eminent, and Superabundant manner, as all the beholders are overwhelmed in a ſea of delightſome raviſhments for evermore,

THE GOSPEL DISCOVERY.

O Lord, my God, exert thy power,
Inſpire my ſoul to ſing,
The wonders of redeeming love,
To heaven's Almighty King.
2 He bows the heavens and comes down,
Into our lions den,
To vent his everlaſting love
unto the ſons of men.
3The wonder of wonders now appears,
BOth lowly meek and mild;
A Virgin Mary moſt conceive;
Our God appears a child.
4 The angels ſing, the ſhepherds run
And ſees Chriſt with their eyes,
Which was ordain d, by heaven’s decree,
For ſin, the ſacrfice.
5 Our great Immanuel, God-man,
Did in a manger lye,
Who ſoon did break the ſerpent's head,
And all his powers defy.
6Wiſe-men from the Eaſt proud Herod inform.
At Bethlehem city a Sav'our is born;
There Herod, his maſter, the devil deceive,
The ſen is all the innocent males to their grave.
7The eternal Father did order it ſo,
That Joſeph and Mary to Egypt did go
with glorious Jeſus, and there for to ſtay,
Till Herod, the tyrant, is taken away.
8The Baptiſt appears, preparing the ground,
For heavenly feed that waste be ſown
On deed, on hard, on barren, dry ground,
A hundred, ſome ſixty, ſome thirty are found.
9Judah’s bold lion Jeruſalem muſt ſee,
Then from Egypt thro’ Naſareth to the temple comes he;
There does begin his myſterious deſign,
To doctors and lawyers,he tells them his mind.
10 The light of the world to Jordan repairs,
To John to baptiſe him, for water was there.
The heavens are open’d; the work is begun,
For God muſt be glorified in his own Son.
11God ſpeaks to ſinners,My Son, my belov’d,
In whom I’m well pleaſed; ſure this may prove,
The Spirit deſcends and lights on our Lord;
John ſeeth the glory and bears the record.
12 Jacob’s bright Star to the wilderneſs goes,
Where Satan aſſults him, but cannot oppoſe;
The devil is beaten and forced to yield;
Still Judah’s bold lion triumphs in the field.
13The Antient of days to Cana he came,
By the word of his power turns water to wine;
Aſtoniſh’d, amaſ’d, his apoſtles behold
The glory of God, as the prophets fortold.
14The Firſt and the Laſt to the temple he goes.
Both buyer and ſellers he there did oppoſe;
His ſeal, as a cloak, he there did diſplay,
And orders te doves to be taken away.
15I Am that I Am, at ſamaria's well,
Converts a poor woman, the word does me to tell
Her water pot leaves and quickly to run,
Come, ſee a man tells me all I have done.
16With five loaves and wo fiſhes feeds fivethousand men.
With women and children aſſembled with them,
Chriſt's power and his glory he there did diſplay
Both God like and man like, he ſent them away
17A Voucher O ſee, on the Gad'rine coaſt,
A ſilly loſt ſheep by Satan is toſt,
Behold our good Shepherd ſoon ſet him free,
The ſwine and the legion he drives in the ſea.
18Then up to Mount Tabot Chriſt does ascend,
Elijah and Moſes muſt on him attend;
James, John and Peter, are struck with great fear,
When ſhining in glory the Lord did appear.
19Jehovah does ſpeak, himself from above,
The apoſtles did hear, my son, my belov'd;
In whom I'm well pleaſed, hear him God did ſay,
A bright cloud o'er ſhadows and paſſes away.
20 The pool of Bethſida our Lord paſſes by,
An impotent man there helpleſs did lye,
Here mercy and power divine did diſplay,
Cures the impotent man and ſent him away.
21The Father's delight, the Word bears record
The earth did own as her sovr'reign Lord,
The Firſt and the Laſt, there boldly did crave
A priſoner, Laz’rus out of the grave.
22 The plant of renown to Jericho came,
Sees a rich publican, ſaccheus by name,
On a ſycamor tree but quickly down came,
When the glory of God did ſalvation proclaim.
23The Father’s delight gives eyes to the blind,
Barthmews, the beggar, he leaves not behind.
Gave him eyes for to ſee and a heart for to ſing;
He joyfully follows his God and his king.
24Jeruſalem Chriſt does repair.
On an aſs he did rule, the word does declare.
The multitude ſiging, as Jeſus goes on,
Hoſonna, in the higheſf, a heavenly ſong.
25The time is now come, the hour does draw nigh,
That Chriſt; for poor ſinners intends for to die
The angels do wonder, the church now may ſing,
Ye mourners in ſion ſing ſongs to your King.
26Chriſt, our paſſover, ſent Peter and John
To the city, before him, to furniſh a room,
VVhere a ſupper of love he there did ordain,
In remembrance of Jeſus till he came again,
27Chriſt the heat of the day and burden did bear,
In Gethlemane's garden, does plainly appear,
Where rolling himſelf three times on the ground
In an agony praying, the blood dropping down.
28Now Judas, the traitor appears with the band
with lantrens and torchs and weapons in hand,
The firſt words of the Lamb them ſo did confound
they ſtumbl’d backward and fell to the ground.
29Again did our Lord then unto them ſay,
I am he whom ye ſeek, let theſe go their way.
Tho’ holy and harmleſs, the lot on him fell,
Like Jonah the type,Chriſt’s. word does me tell.
30Our Lord unto Annias then did repair,
Who ſent him to Caiphas, high prieſt that year,
With their wicked council and Pilate with them
They groſsly abus’d the Saviour of men.
31Buffeted, blindfolded, and ſmote with their hand?;
All crying to Pilate to fulfil their demands;
Denied by Peter, O great was his fall.
Set at nought by proud Herod, forſaken by all.
32Ye Arians, Socimans, and Doctor M‘Gill,
Chriſt’s ſaints can ſay you do them great ill.
You are dead from the power of our glorious Lord,
But thanks be to God, his word bears record,
33May the good will of him that dwelt in the buſh
With heavenly fire your hearts ſoon touch,
That a ram in the thicket like a Iſaac ye may ſee,
The offended moſt die, the offenders ſet free.
34A thorny crown on his head, a mock ſceptre in his hand
By the Roman ruſſian ſoldiers, at Pilate's command
Unjuſtly condemned; O, dark was the day,
Like a lamb to the ſlaughter they led him away.
35The deſire of all nations his work carries on,
With a crol's on his fhoulder, his blood running down;
Behold Chriſt a going from their judgment hall,
Who is bleſſed forever, and God over all.
36The Father’s delight, to mount Calvry repairs,
With ſcourging and bleeding his bones on him ſtare.
There both Jew and Gentile conjunctly agree.
That Chriſt moſt: be crucified on mount Calvry,
37Divine hidden mercy creation confounds,
The angels, from heaven, with wonder look'd down,
The clouds of wrath were ready to fall
And cruſh guilty ſinners, Chriſt ſuffers for all.
38His bleſs’d hands and his feet are nail’d to the tree,
Between two malefactors expended was he.
But O happy thief, ſav’d from ſatan’s paw,
Who was juſtly condemned for breaking the law
39Behold Thriſt, O Love him, all ſinning in blood
Between Heaven and earth in the midſt of the crowd;
See a ruſſian ſoldier, void of all fear,
There the ſide of our Saviour does pierce with a ſpear,
40Hell’s infernal furies our Lord overthrew,
Broke down the partition ’twixt Gentile and Jew.
Chriſt never gave out till he boldly did cry,
On the croſs, it is finiſh’d. his head bows & die.
41Then Joſeph from Pilate did boldly crave
Chriſt’s glorious body to lay in the grave,
Pilate does grant; then Joſeph takesdown
The body of Jeſus, and lays in his tomb.
42The church was benighted with grief and fear
But ſoon did comfort and joy appear
An angel from heaven, the word does me tell
Rolls back the great, stone defies earth and hell
43The women to the ſepulcher then disrepair,
Then. Chriſt’s reſurection did the angel declare
The angel to the women then kindly did ſay,
Jeſus is riſen, come ſee where he lay?
44Then Jeſus appears to Mary, near by,
As ſhe ſtood a weeping, the ſepulcher nigh,
Saying, go to my brethren, tell them from me
That they go to Gallilie, me they ſhall ſee.
45The diſciples ſoon heard the joyful news
In a room being aſſembled, fearing the Jews,
The doors being ſhut, affrighted for harm.
Then Jeſus appears in the midſt of them,
46His love and his peace on them did bestow
Chriſts hands & his ſide he did to them ſhow
Then were they glad, the word bears record.
And grealty rejoiced, when they ſaw the Lord
47The Lord to his people did often appear
After he was riſen, by ſea and by ſhore;
By infallible proofs was ſeen forty days;
Our glorious Redeemer their life was always
48Now our Lord his own people to Bethany, led.
With lifted up hands there bleſt them indeed
Then a change from natural to a ſpiritual
Chriſt Jeſus, triumphing, aſcended on high.

FINIS.