Sect. 5.
The Argvment.
Manoah desires to understand,
but is deny'd the Angels name:
He offers by the Angels hand:
the Angel vanishes in a flame.
So said, The sonne of Israel, (easly apt
To credit, what his soule desir'd, and rapt
With better hopes, which serv'd him as a guide
To his beliefe, o'rejoy'd) he thus replide;
Let not the man of God, whose Heavenly voyce
Hath blest mine eare, and made my soule rejoyce,
Beyond expression, now refuse to come
Within my Tent, and honour my poore home
With his desired presence; there to taste
His servants slender diet, and repast
Vpon his Rurall fare: These hands shall take
A tender Kidde from out the flockes, and make,
(Without long tarriance) some delighfull meate
Which may invite the man of God to eate:
Come, come (my Lord) and what defect of food
Shall be, thy servants welcome shall make good:
Whereto the Angel (who as yet had made
Himselfe unknowne) reanswer'd thus, and said.
Excuse me: Though thy hospitable love
Prevaile to make me stay, it cannot move
My thankfull lips to taste thy liberall cheare;
Let not thy bounty urge in vaine; Forbeare
To strive with whom thy welcome cannot leade
To eate thy Kid, or tast thy profer'd bread;
Convert thy bounty to a better end,
And let thy undefiled hands commend
A burnt oblation to the King of Kings;
'Tis he, deserves the thanks; his servant brings
But that bare message which his lips enjoyne;
His be the glory of the Act, not mine.
Said then the Israelite, Jf my desire
Be not too over-rash, but may conspire
With thy good pleasure, let thy servants eare
Be honourd with thy name; that whensoere
These blessed tidings (that possesse my heart
With firme beleefe) shall in due time impart
Their full perfection, and desir'd successe
To my expecting eye, my soule may blesse
The tongue that brought the message, and proclaime
An equall honour to his honour'd name.
To whom, the Angell (whose severer brow
Sent forth a frowne) made answere; Doe not thou
Trouble thy busie thoughts with things, that are
Above thy reach; Enquier not too farre;
My name is cloath'd in mists; 'Tis not my taske,
To make it knowne to thee; nor thine, to aske:
With that, the Danite tooke a tender Kid,
And said; my Lord, The Tribe of Dan's forbid
To burne an offering; Onely Levites may,
And holy Prophets, If thou please to lay
The sacrifice on yonder sacred Stone,
I'le fetch thee fire, for fier there is none,
Forbeare thy needlesse paines, the Angell said,
Heaven will supply that want; With that, he laid
The offering on; and, from the stone, there came
A sudden fire, whose high ascending flame
Burnt and consum'd th'accepted Sacrifice;
Now whilst th'amaz'd beholders wondring eyes
Were taken Captives with so strange a sight,
And whilst the new-wrought miracle did affright
Their trēbling harts, the Man of God (whose name
Must not b'inquired) vanisht in the flame,
And left them both unable to expound
Each others feares; both groveling on the ground.
Meditat. 5.
A thankfull heart hath earnd one favour twice;
But he that is ungratefull, wants no vice:
The beast, that onely lives the life of Sense,
Prone to his severall actions and propense
To what he does, without th'advice of will,
Guided by nature, (that does nothing ill)
In practicke Maximes, proves it a thing hatefull,
T'accept a Favonr, and to live ungratefull:
But man, whose more diviner soule hath gain'd
A higher step to reason: nay, attain'd
A higher step then that, the light of grace,
Comes short of them; and in that point, more base
Then they most prompt and perfect in that rude,
Vnnaturall, and high sinne, Ingratitude:
The Stall-fed Oxe, that is growne fat, will know
His carefull feeder, and acknowledge too:
The prouder Stallion, will at length espie,
His Masters bounty, in his Keepers eye:
The ayre-dividing Faulkon, will requite
Her Faulkners paines, with a well pleasing flight:
The generous Spaniell, loves his Masters eye,
And licks his fingers, though no meate be by;
But Man, ungratefull Man, that's borne, and bred
By Heavens immediate pow'r; maitain'd and fed
By his providing hand; observ'd, attended
By his indulgent grace; preserv'd, defended
By his prevailing arme; this Man, I say,
Is more ungratefull, more obdure than they:
By him, we live and move; from him, we have
What blessings he can give, or we can crave:
Food for our hunger; Dainties, for our pleasure;
Trades, for our buisnes; Pastimes, for our leasure;
In griefe, he is our Ioy; in want, our Wealth;
In bondage, Freedome; and in sicknesse, Health;
In peace, our Counsell; and in warre, our Leader;
At Sea, our Pilot; and, in Suites, our Pleader;
In paine, our Helpe; in Triumph, our Renowne;
In life, our Comfort; and in death our Crowne;
Yet Man, O most ungratefull Man, can ever
Enjoy the Gift, but never minde the Giver;
And like the Swine, though pamper'd with enough,
His eyes are never higher than the Trough:
We still receive: our hearts we seldome lift
To heaven; but drowne the giver in the Gift;
We taste the Skollops, and returne the Shels;
Our sweet Pomgranats want their silver Bells:
We take the Gift; the hand that did present it,
We oft reward; forget the Friend that sent it,
A blessing given to those, will not disburse
Some thanks, is little better then a curse.
Great giver of all blessings; thou that art
The Lord of Gifts; give me a gratefull heart:
O give me that, or keepe thy favours from me:
I wish no blessings, with a Vengeance to me.
