His Wounds, Our Cure
by Matthew Hale (1609-1676)

he Prince of Darkness, flushed with vict’ry
In our first parents’ first apostasy,
Usurped a lawless sovereignty on man,
Revolted thus from his first Sovereign.

And though by that apostasy he found,
Under the chains of death, his vassal bound,
Yet to secure his temper, he overspread
The world with darkness, and thereby did lead

His captives as he please. Thus he bears
His rule usurped near four thousand years;
Except some small confined plantation,
Within a family or nation.

But now to put a period to this reign
Of this usurper, and to reduce again
Man to his just subjection, ’tis decreed
That man from this just subjection shall be freed.

And this not by the absolute command
Of an immediate pow’r, nor shall the bands
Of angels, glorious hosts, engaged be
To rescue man from this captivity.

But God an unsuspected means intends,
And yet most suitable unto this end.
Sin stained our nature, and the serpents’ wile
Did man of innocence and life beguile;

By man his head is crushed; the lawful Lord
Unto His creature man to his life restored;
A virgin’s Son is born; this rising sun
The world’s enthralling darkness overruns.

A Child to us is born, whose innocence
Our nature’s spot and stain doth purge and cleanse;
His wounds, our cure; his bonds our liberty;
His death becomes our life, our victory.

—from Worthy Is the Lamb (Soli Deo Gloria, 2004).

Psalme 124 (Geneva Bible)
A song of degrees, or Psalme of Dauid.

1 If the Lord had not bene on our side, (may Israel now say)
2 If the Lord had not bene on our side, when men rose vp against vs,
3 They had then swallowed vs vp quicke, when their wrath was kindled against vs.
4 Then the waters had drowned vs, and the streame had gone ouer our soule:
5 Then had the swelling waters gone ouer our soule.
6 Praysed be the Lord, which hath not giuen vs as a praye vnto their teeth.
7 Our soule is escaped, euen as a bird out of the snare of the foulers: the snare is broken, and we are deliuered.
8 Our helpe is in the Name of the Lorde, which hath made heauen and earth.

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