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Christmas carols

What difference there will be between carols and Christmas Hymns remains to be seen.

Contents

  1. A Virgin most pure, as the Prophets did tell
  2. Christmas now is drawing near at Hand
  3. God rest on merry, Gentlemen
  4. Have you not heard of Our Saviour's love?
  5. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
  6. On Christmas night all Christians sing
  7. O see man's Saviour in Bethlehem born
  8. Rejoice and be merry, set sorrow aside
  9. The first good Joy our Mary had
  10. The Moon shines bright
  11. When Joseph and Mary were to Bethlehem bound

A Virgin most pure, as the Prophets did tell

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1770.

An alternate version of 'rejoice and be merry, set sorrow aside'
This version also found in A choice collection of Christmas carols. No. 1, c1775.

CAROL II.

A Virgin most pure, as the Prophets did tell,
Should bring forth a young Son, as it befel,
To be our Redeemer from Death, Hell, and Sin,
Which by Adam's trangression we were wrapped in

And therefore be Merry, ay, therefore be Merry
Rejoice and be Merry, set Sorrow aside,
For Christ our Saviour was born on this Tide.

In Bethlehem, a City in Jewry it was,
Where Joseph and Mary together did pass.
And there to be taxed with many one more,
For Cæsar himself had ordered it so.
And therefore, &c.

They were constrain'd in the Stable to lie,
Where Horses and Oxen they used to tie;
Which Lodging tho' poor, they took in no Scorn,
But the next Morning Our Saviour was born.
And therefore, &c.

The King of Glory to this World was brought,
Small Store of fine Linen to wrap him was brought;
But when she had swaddled her young Son so sweet,
Within an Ox's Manger she laid him compleat.
And therefore, &c.

And when they were enter'd the City so fair,
Vast Numbers of People so mighty was there;
That Joseph and Mary, whose substance was small,
Could get in the Inn no lodging at all.
And therefore, &c.

Then God sent and Angel from Heaven so high,
To certain poor Shepherds in Fields where they lie,
Who bid them no longer in Sorrow to stay,
For Christ Our Saviour was born on that Day.
And therefore, &c.

Then presently after the Shepherds did spy,
Great numbers of Angels to stand in the Sky;
Who joyfully talked, and sweetly did sing,
To God be all Glory, our Heavenly King.
And therefore, &c.

Christmas now is drawing near at Hand

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1770.

CAROL III.

CHRISTMAS now is drawing near at Hand,
Serve the Lord, and be at his Command;
And for a Portion God he will provide,
And give a Blessing to your Souls beside.

Remember Man, that thou art made of Clay,
For in this World we have not long to stay;
This wicked World will never be content
With all the Gifts the Lord hath sent.

Down in the Garden, where Flowers grow in Ranks,
Down on your Knees, and give the Lord God Thanks;
Down on your Knees, and pray both Night and Day,
Leave off your Sins, and live Upright, I pray.

So proud and lofty is some Sort of Sin,
Which many take Delight and Pleasure in,
Which Conversation God he doth not like,
And yet he shakes his Sword before he strikes.

So proud and lofty do some People go,
Dressing themselves like Players in a Show,
They patch and they paint, and dress with idle Stuff,
As if God had not made them well enough.

For little Children learn to Curse and Swear,
And can't rehearse one Word of godly Prayer:
'Twas just in God that did prevent the Plot,
Concerning when our Throats were to be cut.

God rest on merry, Gentlemen

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1760.

GOD rest on merry, Gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born upon this Day.
To save poor souls from Satan's power,
Which long time had gone astray.
Which brings tidings of comfort and joy.

From God, who is our Saviour,
The holy angels came,
Unto some certain shepherds
Brought tidings of the same,
That there was born in Bethlehem
The Son of God by name.
Which brings, &c.

When the shepherds heard these tidings,
They much rejoic'd in mind,
And left their flocks a feeding
In tempestuous storms of wind,
And strait they run to Bethlehem
The Son of God to find.
Which brings, &c.

And when they came to Bethlehem,
Where our sweet Saviour lay,
They found him in a manger,
Where oxen fed on hay.
The Virgin Mary kneeling down,
Unto the Lord did pray.
Which brings, &c.

God bless the ruler of this house,
And all that are within.
God bless your loving children,
And grant you heaven may win.
God bless you and your children
That live both far and nerr;
God give you a merry Christmas,
And send you a joyful New Year.

God rest you merry, Gentlemen,
Who are within this place,
I wish you all good brethren
That truth you may embrace,
For the merry time of Christmas
Is drawing on apace.
Which brings, &.

Have you not heard of Our Saviour's love?

From A choice collection of Christmas carols. No. 1, pp2-4, c1775.

CAROL I.

HAVE you not heard of Our Saviour's love?
And how he suffered like a harmless dove,
But still we in our wickedness remain,
We crucifuy our blessed Lord again.

If you were going to be put to death,
You'll find it hard to find a friend on earth,
That would lay down his life to set you free,
But Christ did shed his precious blood for thee.

Consider what our Lord did undergo,
To prevent them from the g____ of woe:
Repent in time, your wickedness refrain,
Christ will not shed his blood for us again.

Then let each other, as we ought to do,
'Tis God's command, though kept by few.
For little love does in this world abound,
Nothing but spite and malice to be found.

Yet if we one another do not love,
How should we think that our great God above,
Will take us to his throne on high,
If we each other scorn and villify.

Here is a thing the scripture plainly shows,
To pray for them that are our greatest foes;
If we think ever to meet in heaven,
You must forgive, as you expect to be forgiven.

'Tis very apt for some to curst and swear,
But let me now persuade you to forbear:
And do not more abuse the name of God,
Lest he should scourge you with his heavy rod.

The sin of drunkenness leave off in time,
For that's another sad notorious crime;
Live sober lives, and lay that sin aside,
Nay, and likewise the horrid sin of pride.

Some make wealth their God, as we do know,
And to their neighbours no charity will show;
It's good to help the widow in distress,
Relieve the needy and the fatherless.

Give to the poor, you lend it to the Lord,
The chearful give God doth oft reward,
In that sweet place where saints and angels dwell,
How soon death may come, no tongue can tell.

Our latter end now let us all consider,
For when our life is gone we know not whither
Our precious souls may be condemn'd to go;
Lord! keep us from the burning lake below.

Some men by gaming spend their whole estate,
And they are sorry for it, when to late:
Therefore in time ward off these foolish things,
Which heavy sorrow and destruction brings.

Keep to the church, your sabbaths don't neglect,
The hold scriptures may your soul direct:
Then let it always be your chiefest care,
To spend the Lord's day in fervent prayer.

Some are deprived of their precious sight,
All worldly pleasures are hid from them quite;
'Tis best to live in darkness here on earth,
Than lose the light of heaven after death.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

From Cheap repository tracts, published during the year 1795. Forming volume I, pp23-4, 1797.

A NEW CHRISTMAS CAROL,

CALLED THE

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I SING (O ye neighbours come lend me your ear)
Of a good merry Christmas and happy new year,
But lest ye should blunde and take me quite wrong'
Ye must listen awhile to the turn of my song.

There is frolicksome Jack he will hear with surprise
That by merry I mean being merry and wise;
And by happy new year what I wish and intend
Is, may Jack be so happy this year as to mend.

See there's Dick at the alehouse who counts it no crime;
For Christmas he argues is holiday time;
Dick's holiday this is a drunken day solely,
Whereas holiday sure means a day that is holy.

But here with most humble submission I crave
The kind of leave of my Readers to grow rather grave;
And I hope it can't hurt you, ye sons of good cheer!
To hear a grave truth just for once in a year.

In the days of old time (as we find from a book
Into which it is not much the fashion to look)
There liv'd (you may read it yourself if you chuse)
A most famous and much favour'd nation of Jews.

These Jews (of whose children you still may see some)
Believ'd in a Christ and a Christmas to come;
And were thought one and all to be Jews good and true;
As well might one doubt that good Christians are you.

And yet it did prove to their horrible shame,
When this Christ long expected and Christmas day came,
Tho' instructed before in the whole of the plan,
That these Jews did so blunder they knew not the man.

For in truth they were wanton and worldly at heart,
And of some wordly kingdom they wanted a part;
They desir'd a fasle Christ who might please each gay sense,
And the true one of course gave them dreadful offence.

His mercy was scorn'd, from his truths they dissented,
If he warn'd them of danger their passion they vented;
Nay they dy'd their own hands in this Holy One's blood,
So the wrath of just Heaven swept them off like a flood.

Ye Christians so gay, who believe that without thinking,
And still keep your Christmas by dancing and drinking!
As you read this short story, perhaps it may strike,
That a Jew and a Christian may blunder alike.

For they both to true faith may make civil pretension,
Yet may both trust a Christ of their own vain invention;
And when told of their blunder they both may feel _ore,
And the Christian resent what the Jew did before.

Then cease, drunken Dick! by your dissolute mirth,
To record the blest day of your Jesus's birth;
And take heed, giddy Jack! how your dance you pursue,
Lest your keeping of Christmas should prove you a Jew.

On Christmas night all Christians sing

From A choice collection of Christmas carols. No. 1, p8, c1775.

CAROL V.

ON Christmas night all Christians sing,
To hear what news the angels bring,
News of great joy, news of great mirth,
News of our merciful king's birth.

The king of kings, of earth and heav'n.
The king of angels and of men;
Angels and men with joy may sing,
All for to see their new-born king.

Angels with joy sing in the air,
That Christ man's ruin will repair,
And prisoners in their chains rejoice,
To hear the echo of their voice.

And now on earth can man be sad?
Our Redeemer's come to make us glad,
From sin and death to set us free,
And for to buy our liberty.

Now sin depart, behold his grace;
And death, his life, comes in thy place:
And now thou may'st thy terror see,
And power great must conquer'd be.

From out of darkness we have light,
Which makes all angels sing this night,
Glory to God, and peace to man,
Both now and evermore, Amen.

O see man's Saviour in Bethlehem born

From A choice collection of Christmas carols. No. 1, pp5-6, c1775.

CAROL III.

O see man's Saviour in Bethlehem born,
His lodging base, himself held in scorn;
The crib at which the ox and ass were fed,
Mary, Christ's mother, makes her young son's bed.

Yet see how shepherds fall down flat before them,
And how the wisemen do with gifts adore him,
Hark! how a choir of heavenly angels sing,
Sweet carols at the birth of this new king.

O happy man, when thou thy soul to save,
Christ comes from heaven, and makes himself a slave:
See here that pillar, which being naked bound,
Thy Christ had his flesh tore with many a wound.

When the cock crows, let it this grief afford,
To think how Peter thrice deny'd his Lord:
See Judas's lanthorn, and see Judas pence,
See the dice threw, uncloath his innocence.

See pinchers, nails, and hammers how they meet,
To nail to the cross Christ's blessed hands and feet,
O wretched man! since Christ for thee thus dy'd,
Let him not still by thee be crucify'd.

Rejoice and be merry, set sorrow aside

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1770.

An alternate version of A Virgin most pure, as the Prophets did tell

CAROL I.

REjoice and be merry, set sorrow aside,
Jesus Christ our Saviour was born on this tide,
In Bethlehem city in Jewry it was,
Where Joseph and Mary together did pass.

CHORUS.

And therefore be merry, set sorrow aside,
Christ Jesus our Saviour was born on this tide.

And there to be taxed, with many one more,
And Cæsar commanded the same should be so.
And therefore, &c.

And when they enter'd the city so fair,
People from all parts to be taxed were there.
And therefore, &c.

Then Joseph and Mary, whose substance was small,
Could not in the inn have any lodging at all.
And therefore, &c.

Unless in the stable they would abide,
They might have no other at that same tide.
And therefore, &c.

Their loding so simple they took in no scorn,
And before the next morning our Saviour was
And therefore, &c.

When Mary had swaddled her young son so sweet,
Even in an ox's manger she laid him to sleep.
And therefore, &c.

Then God sent an angel from heaven so high,
To certain poor shepherds which in the fields did lie,
And therefore, &c.

And bid them no longer in sorrow to stay,
Because that their Saviour was born on that day.
And therefore, &c.

And presently after the shepherds did spy
A number of angels appear in the Sky.
And therefore, &c.

Now certain wise Princes thought it not unmeet,
To lay their rich offerings at our Saviour's feet.
And therefore, &c.

The first good Joy our Mary had

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1760.

THE first good Joy our Mary had,
It was the Joy of one;
To see her own son Jesus
To suck at her breast-bone.
To such at her breast-bone,
Good man, and blessed may he be
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
And Christ to eternity.

The next good Joy our Mary had,
It was the Joy of two;
To see her own son Jesus
To make the lame to go.
To make the lame, &c. Good Man, &c.

The next good Joy our Mary had,
It was the Joy of three;
To see her own son Jesus
To make the blind to see. [was "go", but handwritten correction to "see"]

The next good Joy our Mary had,
It was the joy of four;
To see her own son Jessu
To read the bible o'er.

The next good Joy our Mary had,
It was the joy of five;
To see her own son Jesus
To raise the dead to life.

The next good Joy our Mary had;
It was the Joy of six;
To see her own son Jesus
To wear the crucifix.

The next good Joy our Mary had,
It was the Joy of Seven;
To see her own son Jesus
To wear the crown of heaven.
To wear the crown of heaven,
Good man, and blessed may he be,
Both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
And Christ to eternity.

The Moon shines bright

From Three new Christmas carols, London, p1, c1760.

THE Moon shines bright,
And the start give a light;
And a little before it was day,
Our Lord our God he called on us,
And bid us awake and pray.

Awake, awake, good people all,
Awake, and you shall hear:
Our Lord our God died on the cross,
For us whom he lov'd so dear.

O fair, O fair Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?
When all thy grief be at an end,
Thy joy that we may see.

The fields were green as green could be,
When from his glorious seat,
Our Lord our God he water'd us
With his heavenly-dew so sweet,

And for the saving of our soulds
Christ died on the Cross:
We neer shall do for Jesus Christ
As he hath done for us.

The life of man is but a span,
And cut down in his flower:
We are here to-day, and gone to-morrow!
We are all dead in an hour.

O teach you well, your children, men,
The while that you are here;
It will be better for your souls, dear men,
When your corpse lies on the bier.

To-day you may be alive, dear man,
With many a thousand pound;
To-morrow you may be a dead man,
And your corpse laid under ground.

With a turf at your head, dear man,
And another at your feet,
Your good deeds and your bad ones
Then will together meet.

My song is done, and I must be gone,
I can stay no longer here.
God bless you all, both great and small,
And send you a joyful New Year.

When Joseph and Mary were to Bethlehem bound

From A choice collection of Christmas carols. No. 1, pp4-5, c1775.

CAROL II.

WHEN Jospeh and Mary were to Bethlehem bound,
They by travel were weary, no lodging they found,
In the city of David, tho' they sought it over all,
They alas! could not have it but in an Ox's stall.

Tho' this place was not brave, but as mean as might be,
Our Redeemer and Saviour the great King of Glory,
When the sweet babe of heaven was born there we find,
Whose life was once given for the sins of mankind.

While shepherds were feeding their flocks in the field,
The birth of our Saviour to them was reveal'd,
Many angels assembling in the clouds did appear,
While shepherds lay trembling, & smitten with fear.

Forbear to be fearful, you have reason to sing,
Rejoice and be chearful, glad tidings we bring,
There is born in the city of David therefore,
Such a Saviour of pity whom we do adore.

He's the Prince of salvation, then be not afraid,
With this salutation to the shepherds they said,
Be no longer strangers, for in swaddling-cloaths
He is laid in a manger. Then the shepherds arose.

Being resolved together, to Bethlehem they go,
And when they came thither they found it was so,
They in duty adore him, coming where he was laid,
Falling down before him obeysance they made.

Nay the wise men, whose prudence discover'd the star,
Came to pay their obeysance, and travelled far:
Bringing with them the choicest their country did afford.
Of gold, myrrh, and spices to present the Lord.

These examples engage all Christians to be,
Ever the same in all ages, both noble and free,
Then rejoice and be merry in a moderate way,
And never be weary to honour this day.

Which affordeth a blessing to the race of mankind,
Far beyond all expressions, if the sequel you mind,
While on earth he was living he was doing of good,
Nay in love so excelling, to shed his own blood.

To redeem and save us from the guilt of our sin,
For love he wou'd have us new life to begin,
Then remember the season, be kind to the poor,
It's no more than reason, there's a blessing in store.