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ε WAS 1 Jesus born of a Virgin pure | |
| With narrow soul and looks demure? | |
| If He intended to take on sin | |
| The Mother should an harlot been, | |
| Just such a one as Magdalen, | 5 |
| With seven devils in her pen. | |
| Or were Jew virgins still more curs’d, | |
| And more sucking devils nurs’d? | |
| Or what was it which He took on | |
| That He might bring salvation? | 10 |
| A body subject to be tempted, | |
| From neither pain nor grief exempted; | |
| Or such a body as might not feel | |
| The passions that with sinners deal? | |
| Yes, but they say He never fell. | 15 |
| Ask Caiaphas; for he can tell.— | |
| ‘He mock’d the Sabbath, and He mock’d | |
| The Sabbath’s God, and He unlock’d | |
| The evil spirits from their shrines, | |
| And turn’d fishermen to divines; | 20 |
| O’erturn’d the tent of secret sins, | |
| And its golden cords and pins, | |
| In the bloody shrine of war | |
| Pour’d around from star to star,— | |
| Halls of justice, hating vice, | 25 |
| Where the Devil combs his lice. | |
| He turn’d the devils into swine | |
| That He might tempt the Jews to dine; | |
| Since which, a pig has got a look | |
| That for a Jew may be mistook. | 30 |
| “Obey your parents.”—What says He? | |
| “Woman, what have I to do with thee? | |
| No earthly parents I confess: | |
| I am doing My Father’s business.” | |
| He scorn’d Earth’s parents, scorn’d Earth’s God, | 35 |
| And mock’d the one and the other’s rod; | |
| His seventy Disciples sent | |
| Against Religion and Government— | |
| They by the sword of Justice fell, | |
| And Him their cruel murderer tell. | 40 |
| He left His father’s trade to roam, | |
| A wand’ring vagrant without home; | |
| And thus He others’ labour stole, | |
| That He might live above control. | |
| The publicans and harlots He | 45 |
| Selected for His company, | |
| And from the adulteress turn’d away | |
| God’s righteous law, that lost its prey.’ | |
