Christmas Day XI
by Sir Matthew Hale
The Angels whose pure nature had no spot
Of sin or guilt, and therefore needed not
An expiation; yet when sent they were,
The tidings of that peace and joy to bear1
Which this day dawn’d to man, they fill the skies
With acclamations: Glory to God on high2 ,
Peace on the earth, good will to man3 : thus they
Rejoyce to see the spring of others joy
And shall the Angels when the news they bring
Of bliss to man an Heavenly Anthem sing,
And man be silent; man, for whose only sake
Our blessed Lord did Humane nature take4
And stoopt blow the Angels, to instal
And place man in a state Angelical5
Dear Lord, our hearts are narrow, let thy love
Fill and inlarge their compass and improve
Their dew returns6 , and as thy loves extent
Did cause that strang and wonderfull descent
Of heaven to Earth, so it again may raise
Our earth to Heaven7 , so our hearts to thee in praise.
1 Though, in her notes, Newell claimed this line was in reference to Luke 2:13, it more accurately fits Luke 2:10 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
2 Luke 2:13-14 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
3 Luke 2:14 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
4 Philippians 2:6-7 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
5 Matthew 22:30 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
6 Matthew 16:27 (1611 King James Bible). Back to text.
7 Use of the poetic technique chiasmus, which is “a grammatical figure by which the order of words in one of two parallel clauses is inverted in the other” (OED). Back to text.