Deceived by Subtle Snares of Hell

Deceived by sub­tle snares of hell

Adam

our head

our fa­ther

fell;

When Sa­tan

in the ser­pent hid

Proposed the fruit that God for­bid.

Death was the threat­en­ing: death be­gan

To take pos­sess­ion of the man;

His un­born race re­ceived the wound

And hea­vy curs­es smote the ground.

But Sa­tan found a worse re­ward:

Thus saith the ven­geance of the Lord:

“Let ev­er­last­ing hat­red be

Betwixt the wo­man’s seed and thee.

The wo­man’s seed shall be my Son;

He shall de­stroy what thou hast done;

Shall break thy head

and on­ly feel

Thy ma­lice rag­ing at His heel.

He spake; and bid four thou­sand years

Roll on; at length His Son ap­pears;

Angels with joy des­cend to earth

And sing the young Re­deem­er’s birth.

Lo

by the sons of hell He dies;

But as He hung ’twixt earth and skies

He gave their prince a fa­tal blow

And tri­umphed o’er the pow­ers be­low.