A paraphrase on the Book of Job As likewise on the Songs of Moses, Deborah, David: On Four Select Psalms: Some Chapters of Isaiah, and the Third Chapter of Habakkuk. By Sir Richard Blackmore |
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| THE SONGS of Moses, Deborah, &c.
WITH SOME Select Psalms and Chapters of Isaiah,
AND THE Third Chapter of Habakkuk,
PARAPHRAS'D. |
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 | A paraphrase on the Book of Job |  |
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THE SONGS of Moses, Deborah, &c. WITH SOME Select Psalms and Chapters of Isaiah, AND THE Third Chapter of Habakkuk, PARAPHRAS'D.
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THE Song of MOSES PARAPHRAS'D.
Your Shouts to Heav'n, ye Sons of Jacob raise,
And celebrate in Songs of Praise
The glorious Triumphs of Jehovah's Pow'r,
Applaud th' Almighty Conquerour.
Let all the wide stretcht Mouths of Fame,
From Pole to Pole his wondrous Work proclaim,
To make Men tremble, and adore his Name.
Let it to all the Realms around be known,
How he his Foes has overthrown:
How he disclos'd the Water's hideous Womb,
And did in Crystal Graves their Troops entomb.
They sunk and perish'd in the Tyde,
Where now triumphant Waves o'er Horse and Horsemen ride.
And celebrate in Songs of Praise
The glorious Triumphs of Jehovah's Pow'r,
Applaud th' Almighty Conquerour.
Let all the wide stretcht Mouths of Fame,
From Pole to Pole his wondrous Work proclaim,
To make Men tremble, and adore his Name.
Let it to all the Realms around be known,
How he his Foes has overthrown:
How he disclos'd the Water's hideous Womb,
And did in Crystal Graves their Troops entomb.
They sunk and perish'd in the Tyde,
Where now triumphant Waves o'er Horse and Horsemen ride.
He is our Bulwark and Defence,
Shielded by his Omnipotence
We all the Heathen World defy:
This mighty Warriour, this our great Ally,
With his Etherial Shield and Arms Divine,
Does at the head of our Battalions shine.
Griping his bright Immortal Lance
He does before our Host to charge the Foe advance.
Israel by strength deriv'd from him is strong,
And as he is our Strength, he shall be too our Song.
Shielded by his Omnipotence
We all the Heathen World defy:
This mighty Warriour, this our great Ally,
With his Etherial Shield and Arms Divine,
Does at the head of our Battalions shine.
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He does before our Host to charge the Foe advance.
Israel by strength deriv'd from him is strong,
And as he is our Strength, he shall be too our Song.
He to discharge us from our Bondage, broke
Th' inexorable Tyrant's Yoke.
He from our heavy Chains our Feet releas'd,
And our gall'd Shoulders of their Burdens eas'd.
He brought us from th' inhospitable Land,
And rescu'd us from Pharoah's salvage hand.
He terribly chastis'd these Pagan Pow'rs;
And as this Lord of Hosts was ours,
He was our Fathers All-sufficient God;
We therefore will prepare him an Abode:
We will an Altar and a Temple reer,
A sacred Place of Praise and Pray'r,
There we'll adore our great Deliverer.
Th' inexorable Tyrant's Yoke.
He from our heavy Chains our Feet releas'd,
And our gall'd Shoulders of their Burdens eas'd.
He brought us from th' inhospitable Land,
And rescu'd us from Pharoah's salvage hand.
He terribly chastis'd these Pagan Pow'rs;
And as this Lord of Hosts was ours,
He was our Fathers All-sufficient God;
We therefore will prepare him an Abode:
We will an Altar and a Temple reer,
A sacred Place of Praise and Pray'r,
There we'll adore our great Deliverer.
Th'Eternal does in Arms excel;
What Pow'r can his projected Darts repel?
Who can against his Thunder stand,
Or who elude his never-erring Hand?
Let him but weild his dreadful Blade
Of malleable Light'ning made,
Let him advance into the Field,
And lift on high his Adamantine Shield,
Whose brighter Lustre drowns the waining Sun,
As much as that the sick'ning Moon;
Let him with his Celestial Equipage
March on as ready to engage;
And where's th' undaunted Man that would not fly,
Or if he stay'd, would not with Terror dye.
What Pow'r can his projected Darts repel?
Who can against his Thunder stand,
Or who elude his never-erring Hand?
Let him but weild his dreadful Blade
Of malleable Light'ning made,
Let him advance into the Field,
And lift on high his Adamantine Shield,
Whose brighter Lustre drowns the waining Sun,
As much as that the sick'ning Moon;
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March on as ready to engage;
And where's th' undaunted Man that would not fly,
Or if he stay'd, would not with Terror dye.
He sharply has rebuk'd th' Egyptian's Pride,
Who his Almighty Arm defy'd.
Against their mighty Host he did prepare
An unexpected Watry War.
He on the Deep his Terrors did display,
And drew his rolling Legions in Array:
He bad the Waves in Martial Order flow,
And made his fluid Squadrons charge the Foe.
Who his Almighty Arm defy'd.
Against their mighty Host he did prepare
An unexpected Watry War.
He on the Deep his Terrors did display,
And drew his rolling Legions in Array:
He bad the Waves in Martial Order flow,
And made his fluid Squadrons charge the Foe.
Th' amaz'd Egyptians fled for fear,
While roaring Surges hung upon their Rear:
The foaming Files o'ertook them in the Chase,
And overwhelm'd the cruel Race.
Bows, Banners, Spears, an unexampled Wreck,
Lay floating on the Ocean's back.
While Chariots, Horse and Horsemen kill'd,
The Seas inferiour Chambers fill'd.
The mighty Host the Caves beneath opprest,
And the low horrors of the Deep increast.
Of such a wealthy Spoil the Sea before
Ne'er rob'd the Land, while pent within the Shore.
While no Detachment of its Waves it made,
The Frontier Regions to invade,
No Watry Partys sent abroad
To sweep the neighb'ring Fields, and plunder Mens Abode.
While roaring Surges hung upon their Rear:
The foaming Files o'ertook them in the Chase,
And overwhelm'd the cruel Race.
Bows, Banners, Spears, an unexampled Wreck,
Lay floating on the Ocean's back.
While Chariots, Horse and Horsemen kill'd,
The Seas inferiour Chambers fill'd.
The mighty Host the Caves beneath opprest,
And the low horrors of the Deep increast.
Of such a wealthy Spoil the Sea before
Ne'er rob'd the Land, while pent within the Shore.
While no Detachment of its Waves it made,
The Frontier Regions to invade,
No Watry Partys sent abroad
To sweep the neighb'ring Fields, and plunder Mens Abode.
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High heaps of Swords and Bucklers stood
Like Rocks of polish'd Iron in the Flood.
The Fish made hast to seize their Prey,
But when they saw the shining Shields display
Thro' the dark Realm a monstrous unknown Day,
And how the Dead in Armour shone
With scaly Sides far brighter than their own;
Away th' affrighted Spoilers fled,
And thus their Arms that could not give
Protection to th' Egyptians when alive,
Protected them when Dead.
Like Rocks of polish'd Iron in the Flood.
The Fish made hast to seize their Prey,
But when they saw the shining Shields display
Thro' the dark Realm a monstrous unknown Day,
And how the Dead in Armour shone
With scaly Sides far brighter than their own;
Away th' affrighted Spoilers fled,
And thus their Arms that could not give
Protection to th' Egyptians when alive,
Protected them when Dead.
Like Stones they sank beneath the Flood,
And the Red Sea appeas'd their Thirst of Blood.
Glorious in Pow'r, great Lord of Hosts,
Is thy right hand which such Atchievments boasts,
Which has defeated Pharoah's Troops,
And sunk to Hell the proud Egyptian's Hopes.
In the low Prisons of the Deep
Thou dost thy Captive Rebels keep,
Mountains of liquid Crystal on 'em cast,
Secure the Doors, and bar the Dungeons fast.
And the Red Sea appeas'd their Thirst of Blood.
Glorious in Pow'r, great Lord of Hosts,
Is thy right hand which such Atchievments boasts,
Which has defeated Pharoah's Troops,
And sunk to Hell the proud Egyptian's Hopes.
In the low Prisons of the Deep
Thou dost thy Captive Rebels keep,
Mountains of liquid Crystal on 'em cast,
Secure the Doors, and bar the Dungeons fast.
Array'd with fearful Glory, girt with Might,
Thou didst thy Peoples Battels fight.
Thou hast o'erthrown the impious Foes,
Who against thee and Israel rose;
They were in Storms of Fury on them pour'd,
As Stubble is by raging Flames devour'd.
Thou didst thy Peoples Battels fight.
Thou hast o'erthrown the impious Foes,
Who against thee and Israel rose;
They were in Storms of Fury on them pour'd,
As Stubble is by raging Flames devour'd.
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Commanded by thy Breath th' obsequious Main
Stood still, and gather'd up its flowing Train.
Th' Almighty did the Sea divide,
And as he rends the Hills, he split the cleaving Tyde.
Benumb'd with fear the Waves erected stood,
O'erlooking all the distant Flood.
Mountains of Craggy Billows did arise,
And Rocks of stiffen'd Water reach'd the Skys.
Remoter Waves came crowding on to see
This strange Transforming Mystery,
But they approaching near
Where the high Crystal Ridges did appear,
Felt the Divine Contagion's Force,
Mov'd slothfully a while, and then quite stopt their course.
Stood still, and gather'd up its flowing Train.
Th' Almighty did the Sea divide,
And as he rends the Hills, he split the cleaving Tyde.
Benumb'd with fear the Waves erected stood,
O'erlooking all the distant Flood.
Mountains of Craggy Billows did arise,
And Rocks of stiffen'd Water reach'd the Skys.
Remoter Waves came crowding on to see
This strange Transforming Mystery,
But they approaching near
Where the high Crystal Ridges did appear,
Felt the Divine Contagion's Force,
Mov'd slothfully a while, and then quite stopt their course.
Upon their March they insolently cry'd,
Let us pursue the flying Slaves,
We'll overtake them, and the Spoil divide,
Where is the God that Israel saves?
We'll our Revenge, and Lust of Slaughter cloy,
Without relenting we'll destroy,
We'll weild the Spear, and draw the Sword,
And root this Nation out by all abhor'd.
We'll bath the Desart with a Purple Flood,
And heal its gaping Wounds with Hebrew Blood!
While one vile Wretch alive is found,
The Trumpet no retreat shall sound.
In dreadful Language we'll declare,
Th' Egyptians still their Masters are.
Tho' their Rebellion they should mourn,
And ask to Egypt's Brick-kilns to return,
We would not spare the hateful Race,
We would all marks of Jacob's House efface.
Let 'em to Moses cry they are opprest,
While we in Vengeance reign, and on Destruction feast.
Let us pursue the flying Slaves,
We'll overtake them, and the Spoil divide,
Where is the God that Israel saves?
We'll our Revenge, and Lust of Slaughter cloy,
Without relenting we'll destroy,
We'll weild the Spear, and draw the Sword,
And root this Nation out by all abhor'd.
We'll bath the Desart with a Purple Flood,
And heal its gaping Wounds with Hebrew Blood!
While one vile Wretch alive is found,
The Trumpet no retreat shall sound.
In dreadful Language we'll declare,
Th' Egyptians still their Masters are.
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And ask to Egypt's Brick-kilns to return,
We would not spare the hateful Race,
We would all marks of Jacob's House efface.
Let 'em to Moses cry they are opprest,
While we in Vengeance reign, and on Destruction feast.
As thus the Gulph the proud Egyptians crost,
And with loud threats pursu'd our trembling Host,
Thou with thy powerful Wind didst blow,
And strait the thawing Heaps began to flow.
The Waves that stood as Bullwarks were dissolv'd,
And Pharoah's Chariots and his Troops involv'd.
They from the roaring Deluge would have fled,
But to the bottom sank as Lead.
And with loud threats pursu'd our trembling Host,
Thou with thy powerful Wind didst blow,
And strait the thawing Heaps began to flow.
The Waves that stood as Bullwarks were dissolv'd,
And Pharoah's Chariots and his Troops involv'd.
They from the roaring Deluge would have fled,
But to the bottom sank as Lead.
Among the Gods of all the Nations round,
Equal to thee is any found?
Any that can with Rival Glory shine,
And shew as perfect Holiness as thine?
When we thy various Triumphs sing,
And great Atchievments which exalt thy Name,
To us thy Praises Joy and Comfort bring,
But to thy Foes Confusion, Fear and Shame.
Thou art a wonder-working God, thy Might
Does all thy trembling Enemys affright,
But grateful Admiration in our Breasts excite.
Equal to thee is any found?
Any that can with Rival Glory shine,
And shew as perfect Holiness as thine?
When we thy various Triumphs sing,
And great Atchievments which exalt thy Name,
To us thy Praises Joy and Comfort bring,
But to thy Foes Confusion, Fear and Shame.
Thou art a wonder-working God, thy Might
Does all thy trembling Enemys affright,
But grateful Admiration in our Breasts excite.
When thou extendest o'er the Tyde
Thy hand, that does all Nature guide,
The conscious Waves the high Command obey'd,
Like melting heaps of Snow they flow'd apace,
Marching with fury on, they disarray'd,
Then swallow'd up the impious Race.
In great Compassion thou hast broke
Th' Oppressor's hard unsufferable Yoke;
For Jacob's Sons in Person thou hast fought,
Amazing Miracles hast wrought,
And Israel back from Egypt brought.
To sacred Canaan's promis'd Land,
Thou with thy mighty outstretcht hand
Shalt rescu'd Israel guide,
Where with thy favour blest they shall in Peace abide.
Thy hand, that does all Nature guide,
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Like melting heaps of Snow they flow'd apace,
Marching with fury on, they disarray'd,
Then swallow'd up the impious Race.
In great Compassion thou hast broke
Th' Oppressor's hard unsufferable Yoke;
For Jacob's Sons in Person thou hast fought,
Amazing Miracles hast wrought,
And Israel back from Egypt brought.
To sacred Canaan's promis'd Land,
Thou with thy mighty outstretcht hand
Shalt rescu'd Israel guide,
Where with thy favour blest they shall in Peace abide.
Fame shall together with these Tydings spread
Thro' all the Nations Universal dread;
Wild looks and gestures shall declare,
How great their Fears and Sorrows are.
Th' Inhabitants of Palestina's Land
Shall trembling and astonish'd stand,
Edom's proud Potentates shall be afraid,
And Moab's mighty Men dismay'd.
The dreadful News shall make pale Tyrants start,
And melt within his Breast the stoutest Warriour's Heart.
Thro' all the Nations Universal dread;
Wild looks and gestures shall declare,
How great their Fears and Sorrows are.
Th' Inhabitants of Palestina's Land
Shall trembling and astonish'd stand,
Edom's proud Potentates shall be afraid,
And Moab's mighty Men dismay'd.
The dreadful News shall make pale Tyrants start,
And melt within his Breast the stoutest Warriour's Heart.
The Lords of Canaan shall their fears express,
And all their People their distress.
The Terrors of thy Conqu'ring Arm,
These of their Strength and Courage shall disarm.
Thy Wonders will their Captains so amaze,
That they will still and Speechless stand and gaze;
While Jacob's Sons by thee from Bondage brought,
The People thou hast bought,
And for the Purchase newly made,
Such mighty Sums of Miracles hast paid,
To Canaans happy Land shall safely be convey'd.
And all their People their distress.
The Terrors of thy Conqu'ring Arm,
These of their Strength and Courage shall disarm.
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That they will still and Speechless stand and gaze;
While Jacob's Sons by thee from Bondage brought,
The People thou hast bought,
And for the Purchase newly made,
Such mighty Sums of Miracles hast paid,
To Canaans happy Land shall safely be convey'd.
Thither thou'lt lead the favour'd Race,
And give them safe Possession of the Place;
Thou wilt fulfil thy great design,
By planting there these Colonys Divine,
Their happy Dwellings shall be spread,
Around Moriah's lofty head,
On which thy sacred Dome shall stand,
Diffusing pious Awe thro' all the Land.
And give them safe Possession of the Place;
Thou wilt fulfil thy great design,
By planting there these Colonys Divine,
Their happy Dwellings shall be spread,
Around Moriah's lofty head,
On which thy sacred Dome shall stand,
Diffusing pious Awe thro' all the Land.
The Lord shall rule with Power and Glory crown'd,
No Time or Space shall e'er his Empire bound.
Immortal Pillars his fixt Throne sustain,
And as himself, Eternal is his Reign.
No Time or Space shall e'er his Empire bound.
Immortal Pillars his fixt Throne sustain,
And as himself, Eternal is his Reign.
Not like proud Pharoah's, who his Army led
To chase our Youth, who from his Fury fled.
Who enter'd with his Troops the opening Sea,
And hop'd to pass the dreadful Defile;
But God who had his way beset,
Drew o'er the Host his watry Net;
To finish this miraculous Campaign,
He loos'd the Bonds that did the Waves restrain;
Strait the congested Billows tumbled down,
And liquid Ruins did the Tyrant drown:
His Chariots and his Horse were swept away,
Ingulph'd, and swallow'd by th'o'erwhelming Sea.
But the firm Waters did erected stand,
On either hand,
And left dry ground between till Israel gain'd the Land.
To chase our Youth, who from his Fury fled.
Who enter'd with his Troops the opening Sea,
And hop'd to pass the dreadful Defile;
But God who had his way beset,
Drew o'er the Host his watry Net;
To finish this miraculous Campaign,
He loos'd the Bonds that did the Waves restrain;
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And liquid Ruins did the Tyrant drown:
His Chariots and his Horse were swept away,
Ingulph'd, and swallow'd by th'o'erwhelming Sea.
But the firm Waters did erected stand,
On either hand,
And left dry ground between till Israel gain'd the Land.
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THE Song of DEBORAH PARAPHRAS'D.
Let the Victorious Tribes of Israel sing,
Let their loud Shouts thro' Heav'ns wide Chambers ring.
Let them applaud with one united Voice,
Their God, the glorious Author of their Joys.
Let them Triumphant Acclamations raise,
And spend the Breath he gives them, in his Praise.
Let their loud Shouts thro' Heav'ns wide Chambers ring.
Let them applaud with one united Voice,
Their God, the glorious Author of their Joys.
Let them Triumphant Acclamations raise,
And spend the Breath he gives them, in his Praise.
He has our Swords with Conquest crown'd,
And spread the fear of Israel's Name around.
He to avenge us on our Foes,
Has crush'd the haughty Pow'rs that did our Arms oppose.
Our Troops from Heav'n with noble Zeal inspir'd,
The glorious Hazards of the Field desir'd.
God fir'd their Veins with Military Rage,
And made 'em long for Arms, and eager to engage.
And spread the fear of Israel's Name around.
He to avenge us on our Foes,
Has crush'd the haughty Pow'rs that did our Arms oppose.
Our Troops from Heav'n with noble Zeal inspir'd,
The glorious Hazards of the Field desir'd.
God fir'd their Veins with Military Rage,
And made 'em long for Arms, and eager to engage.
Ye Potentates and Princes hear,
Ye Kings and Rulers of the Earth give Ear.
I Deb'rah I, will in a lofty strain
Sing the great King, by whom you live and reign.
When God in Person did our Tribes command,
And led 'em with a mighty Hand
From wild Arabia's Rocks to Canaan's Land:
As soon as he had pass'd the Field,
By th' Idumean Farmer till'd,
What marks of Greatness did his March attend?
What Pow'r in Miracles did he expend?
What Terrors did he send before to fright
The Lords of Canaan and the Amorite?
What Pomp and Majesty did he display?
Floods of impetuous Glory delug'd all his way.
From his refulgent Sword, and radiant Shield,
Flushes of rapid Splendor spread the Field.
The trembling Heathen fled for fear,
For who could such a stress of Lustre bear?
Ye Kings and Rulers of the Earth give Ear.
I Deb'rah I, will in a lofty strain
Sing the great King, by whom you live and reign.
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And led 'em with a mighty Hand
From wild Arabia's Rocks to Canaan's Land:
As soon as he had pass'd the Field,
By th' Idumean Farmer till'd,
What marks of Greatness did his March attend?
What Pow'r in Miracles did he expend?
What Terrors did he send before to fright
The Lords of Canaan and the Amorite?
What Pomp and Majesty did he display?
Floods of impetuous Glory delug'd all his way.
From his refulgent Sword, and radiant Shield,
Flushes of rapid Splendor spread the Field.
The trembling Heathen fled for fear,
For who could such a stress of Lustre bear?
At every step th' Almighty Leader took,
Th' astonish'd Earth down to its Center shook.
Contending Tempests bellow'd under ground,
And strong Convulsions did with horrid sound
The low Apartments break, and all the Vaults confound.
The Earth with dreadful Gripes was sore opprest,
Which did its twisted Bowels wrest.
From their low Channels, Subterranean Waves
Were thrown on Sulphur Mines, and fiery Caves.
The Chasms of gaping Plains and Mountains rent,
Did yield to struggling Vapours vent,
And suffocated Nature to relieve,
To ambient Air admission give.
Th' astonish'd Earth down to its Center shook.
Contending Tempests bellow'd under ground,
And strong Convulsions did with horrid sound
The low Apartments break, and all the Vaults confound.
The Earth with dreadful Gripes was sore opprest,
Which did its twisted Bowels wrest.
From their low Channels, Subterranean Waves
Were thrown on Sulphur Mines, and fiery Caves.
The Chasms of gaping Plains and Mountains rent,
Did yield to struggling Vapours vent,
And suffocated Nature to relieve,
To ambient Air admission give.
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Heav'ns Crystal Battlements to pieces dash'd,
In Storms of Hail were downward hurl'd;
Loud Thunder roar'd, red Lightning flash'd,
And universal Uproar fill'd the World.
Torrents of Water, Floods of Flame
From Heav'n in fighting Ruins came.
At once the Hills that to the Clouds aspire,
Were wash'd with Rain, and scorcht with Fire.
The Waters down the Mountains Sides were pour'd,
And o'er the Vale th' unbridled Deluge roar'd.
Canaan's proud Hills with this affright
Shook to their Base, and well they might;
For Sinai rock'd and quak'd, when God
Made on its Brow his terrible Abode.
In Storms of Hail were downward hurl'd;
Loud Thunder roar'd, red Lightning flash'd,
And universal Uproar fill'd the World.
Torrents of Water, Floods of Flame
From Heav'n in fighting Ruins came.
At once the Hills that to the Clouds aspire,
Were wash'd with Rain, and scorcht with Fire.
The Waters down the Mountains Sides were pour'd,
And o'er the Vale th' unbridled Deluge roar'd.
Canaan's proud Hills with this affright
Shook to their Base, and well they might;
For Sinai rock'd and quak'd, when God
Made on its Brow his terrible Abode.
In Shamgar's and in Jael's days,
Robbers and Thieves infested all the ways.
These Sons of Violence pursu'd their Prey
On publick Roads in open day.
Poor Trav'llers to escape the cruel hands
Of these Licentious, lawless Bands,
They pass'd thro' Ways and Paths unknown,
Yet still in fear, from Town to Town.
The trembling People by these Spoilers scar'd,
To Towns of Strength in Troops repair'd.
They left their old Abodes to be possest
By Owls and Bats, and every rav'ning Beast:
Until their fruitful Land at last,
Became a wild Inhospitable Wast.
Robbers and Thieves infested all the ways.
These Sons of Violence pursu'd their Prey
On publick Roads in open day.
Poor Trav'llers to escape the cruel hands
Of these Licentious, lawless Bands,
They pass'd thro' Ways and Paths unknown,
Yet still in fear, from Town to Town.
The trembling People by these Spoilers scar'd,
To Towns of Strength in Troops repair'd.
They left their old Abodes to be possest
By Owls and Bats, and every rav'ning Beast:
Until their fruitful Land at last,
Became a wild Inhospitable Wast.
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O Israel, these were thy sad Wants and Woes,
These thy Oppressions when I Deb'rah rose;
When I arose a Mother to restore
Thy former Peace, and Wealth, and Pow'r.
Till then thy blind Apostate Sons forsook
Theirs, and their Father's God, and took
New fangled Gods, of old unknown,
Gods lately into Reputation grown,
Gods carv'd in Wood, or cut in Stone.
These thy Oppressions when I Deb'rah rose;
When I arose a Mother to restore
Thy former Peace, and Wealth, and Pow'r.
Till then thy blind Apostate Sons forsook
Theirs, and their Father's God, and took
New fangled Gods, of old unknown,
Gods lately into Reputation grown,
Gods carv'd in Wood, or cut in Stone.
Heav'n thus provok'd, excited Foes,
Who full of rage against our Citys rose.
Confed'rate Kingdoms War with Israel wag'd,
And horrid Slaughter in our Bowels rag'd:
And well it might, for we were so disarm'd,
That when the Foe our Gates alarm'd,
Did there a single Shield or Spear,
Midst forty Thousand Israelites appear?
O Israel then, I rose to rescue thee
From thy vile Chains to set thee free.
Who full of rage against our Citys rose.
Confed'rate Kingdoms War with Israel wag'd,
And horrid Slaughter in our Bowels rag'd:
And well it might, for we were so disarm'd,
That when the Foe our Gates alarm'd,
Did there a single Shield or Spear,
Midst forty Thousand Israelites appear?
O Israel then, I rose to rescue thee
From thy vile Chains to set thee free.
Nor can my Song too much exalt the Fame
Of those great Chiefs, who freely came
To give me Aid, and to subdue our Foes,
Did gen'rously their Lives expose.
Give them their due Applause, but chiefly bless
The God, who gave them Courage and Success.
Of those great Chiefs, who freely came
To give me Aid, and to subdue our Foes,
Did gen'rously their Lives expose.
Give them their due Applause, but chiefly bless
The God, who gave them Courage and Success.
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Ye Lords in Courts of Judgment who preside,
And thro' the Streets in awful State,
With num'rous Trains attended ride,
Th' Almighty's wondrous Work relate.
Ye People who can leave your safe Abodes,
And travel now secure in Publick Roads;
You that do now in Joy and Peace,
Your Fig-trees and your Vines possess;
You who no more the noise of Archers hear,
But unmolested to your Springs repair;
Do you rehearse God's righteous Deeds,
Whence this your unexpected Peace proceeds.
And thro' the Streets in awful State,
With num'rous Trains attended ride,
Th' Almighty's wondrous Work relate.
Ye People who can leave your safe Abodes,
And travel now secure in Publick Roads;
You that do now in Joy and Peace,
Your Fig-trees and your Vines possess;
You who no more the noise of Archers hear,
But unmolested to your Springs repair;
Do you rehearse God's righteous Deeds,
Whence this your unexpected Peace proceeds.
Awake, awake, O Deborah, awake,
Quickly thy Harp and Timbrel take.
A Song of Triumph and of Joy rehearse,
In lofty Strains, and noble Verse.
A Song that may just Honour pay
To the great Deeds of this illustrious Day.
Quickly thy Harp and Timbrel take.
A Song of Triumph and of Joy rehearse,
In lofty Strains, and noble Verse.
A Song that may just Honour pay
To the great Deeds of this illustrious Day.
O Barak rise, arise thou valiant Chief,
Whose Conqu'ring Arms have brought relief
To Israel in our vast distress,
And made our haughty Foes their Impotence confess.
Thou mighty Man advance, and lead along
Thy Spoils and Trophys thro' the cleaving Throng,
Thy Captives lead in clanking Chains,
All their vast Army's small Rematns.
Thou who the dreadful Battel didst display
On that decisive, glorious Day,
Now draw thy Pomp and Triumph in Array.
Whose Conqu'ring Arms have brought relief
To Israel in our vast distress,
And made our haughty Foes their Impotence confess.
Thou mighty Man advance, and lead along
Thy Spoils and Trophys thro' the cleaving Throng,
Thy Captives lead in clanking Chains,
All their vast Army's small Rematns.
206
On that decisive, glorious Day,
Now draw thy Pomp and Triumph in Array.
Jacob's Remains by Heav'n with Empire crown'd
Have laid their Yoke on Canaan's Kings around.
Ev'n me the Lord has rais'd to Regal Sway,
And made the Mighty my Commands obey.
Thy Sons did first the War embrace,
Forward in Arms, O Benjamin;
And next to thee a few of Ephraim's Race
Advanc'd, and joyn'd their Troops with thine.
Rulers and Nobles from Manasses came,
Whose brave example did the rest inflame.
The Scribes of Zebulun, and learned Men,
To weild the Sword laid down the Pen.
The Princes and the Lords of Issachar,
Despising Danger, undertook the War.
With Zeal they follow'd me their Head,
And Barak to the Field their valiant Squadrons led.
Have laid their Yoke on Canaan's Kings around.
Ev'n me the Lord has rais'd to Regal Sway,
And made the Mighty my Commands obey.
Thy Sons did first the War embrace,
Forward in Arms, O Benjamin;
And next to thee a few of Ephraim's Race
Advanc'd, and joyn'd their Troops with thine.
Rulers and Nobles from Manasses came,
Whose brave example did the rest inflame.
The Scribes of Zebulun, and learned Men,
To weild the Sword laid down the Pen.
The Princes and the Lords of Issachar,
Despising Danger, undertook the War.
With Zeal they follow'd me their Head,
And Barak to the Field their valiant Squadrons led.
Ah Reuben, how were we dismay'd,
To be defrauded of thy Aid!
Ah, why didst thou desert thy Country's Cause?
Why did not Reuben share this day's applause?
Say when thy Breth'ren arm'd with Sword and Shield,
For Liberty advanc'd into the Field,
Why didst thou sullen in thy Tents abide,
As if in Blood and Int'rest not Ally'd?
Couldst thou to Arms thy Shepherd's Crook prefer,
And rather chuse thy bleating Sheep to hear,
Than the loud Thunder of a noble War?
Oh, how much Trouble to our State,
Did this ignoble Deed of thine create?
To be defrauded of thy Aid!
Ah, why didst thou desert thy Country's Cause?
Why did not Reuben share this day's applause?
Say when thy Breth'ren arm'd with Sword and Shield,
For Liberty advanc'd into the Field,
Why didst thou sullen in thy Tents abide,
As if in Blood and Int'rest not Ally'd?
207
And rather chuse thy bleating Sheep to hear,
Than the loud Thunder of a noble War?
Oh, how much Trouble to our State,
Did this ignoble Deed of thine create?
Gilead beyond the Flood of Jopran stay'd,
And of the haughty Foe afraid,
Refus'd to give his Brethren Aid.
Dan on his Wealth and Shipping too intent,
No Succours to our Army sent.
Asher with like inglorious Negligence,
Trusting to Rocks and Caves as his defence,
Stay'd on the Shore, and no Assistance gave,
Our Worship, or our Liberty to save.
And of the haughty Foe afraid,
Refus'd to give his Brethren Aid.
Dan on his Wealth and Shipping too intent,
No Succours to our Army sent.
Asher with like inglorious Negligence,
Trusting to Rocks and Caves as his defence,
Stay'd on the Shore, and no Assistance gave,
Our Worship, or our Liberty to save.
But oh! what wondrous Deeds were done
By Napthali and Zebulun!
With what an ardour, what a warlike rage
Did those brave Men in Fight engage?
Methinks I see those Warriours make
Their bold and irresistible Attack.
Greedy and fond of Danger, they
The Squadrons cleft, and cut the way
To the chief Places of the Field,
Which did the chiefest choice of ruin yield,
Which were with plenty of Destruction stor'd,
And all the horrid shapes of danger did afford:
Where Death triumphant in the Battel stood,
Besmear'd with Brains, and Dust, and Blood.
By Napthali and Zebulun!
With what an ardour, what a warlike rage
Did those brave Men in Fight engage?
Methinks I see those Warriours make
Their bold and irresistible Attack.
Greedy and fond of Danger, they
The Squadrons cleft, and cut the way
To the chief Places of the Field,
Which did the chiefest choice of ruin yield,
Which were with plenty of Destruction stor'd,
And all the horrid shapes of danger did afford:
Where Death triumphant in the Battel stood,
Besmear'd with Brains, and Dust, and Blood.
208
Great Potentates of formidable Fame,
Captains and Kings against us came;
Their confluent Troops from every Coast,
Compos'd a vast o'erflowing Host.
We saw th' advancing Deluge from afar,
And all the must'ring Tydes of complicated War.
They stopt, and in Battalia stood,
Upon the Banks of Kishon's Flood;
Thither our eager Squadrons flew,
There did we fight, and there proud Jabin's Troops subdue.
Captains and Kings against us came;
Their confluent Troops from every Coast,
Compos'd a vast o'erflowing Host.
We saw th' advancing Deluge from afar,
And all the must'ring Tydes of complicated War.
They stopt, and in Battalia stood,
Upon the Banks of Kishon's Flood;
Thither our eager Squadrons flew,
There did we fight, and there proud Jabin's Troops subdue.
The radiant Host of Stars above
Drew out, and did in warlike order move.
They did their Darts from Heav'n's high Turrets throw,
And charg'd with fatal influence the Foe.
They to our Aid their glitt'ring Forces brought
And against Sisera in their Courses fought.
Drew out, and did in warlike order move.
They did their Darts from Heav'n's high Turrets throw,
And charg'd with fatal influence the Foe.
They to our Aid their glitt'ring Forces brought
And against Sisera in their Courses fought.
O Kishon, then thy troubled Tyde
Was choak'd with Carcasses, with Crimson dy'd.
Swords, Helmets, Shields roll'd all beneath,
And of the lighter Instruments of Death
Spears, Arrows, Darts, a floating Wood
O'erspread the surface of thy Flood.
Thy current swept their Troops away,
And with their mighty Spoils enrich'd the wondring Sea.
Thy banks, and all the Vale about,
Were spread with marks of ignominious rout.
Chariots o'erturn'd, and scatter'd Shields,
And broken Hoofs deform'd the Fields:
Hoofs torn, and on the stony places cast,
O'er which the flying Horsemen past.
Was choak'd with Carcasses, with Crimson dy'd.
Swords, Helmets, Shields roll'd all beneath,
And of the lighter Instruments of Death
Spears, Arrows, Darts, a floating Wood
O'erspread the surface of thy Flood.
Thy current swept their Troops away,
And with their mighty Spoils enrich'd the wondring Sea.
Thy banks, and all the Vale about,
Were spread with marks of ignominious rout.
209
And broken Hoofs deform'd the Fields:
Hoofs torn, and on the stony places cast,
O'er which the flying Horsemen past.
Accurst th' Almighty's Angel cry'd,
Accurst be Meroz who her help deny'd.
Vengeance and Plagues on her vile People light,
Who would not for their God and Country fight.
But let us Jael's Courage sing,
Let loud Applauses thro' our Citys ring
Of Heber's Wife, above the rest
Of Womankind may she be blest.
Great Sis'ra choak'd with heat and dust,
Demanded Water from the Spring;
She to allay the Gen'ral's thirst,
Did Milk and Cream in costly Vessels bring.
She to the Nail the left apply'd,
And with her right hand did the Hammer guide.
And as the mighty Sisera
Stretcht on the Pavement fleeping lay,
Th'undaunted Woman with a noble blow,
Drove in the Nail, and pierc'd his Temples thro.
Amaz'd, not waken'd with the Wound,
He sprung, and bounded from the ground:
The brave Virago did her blow repeat,
And laid him prostrate at her feet.
He bow'd and fell, and gasping lay,
Quiver'd and groan'd his Life away.
She drew his Sword, and with a Manly stroke,
The Warriours Head from off his Shoulders took.
Accurst be Meroz who her help deny'd.
Vengeance and Plagues on her vile People light,
Who would not for their God and Country fight.
But let us Jael's Courage sing,
Let loud Applauses thro' our Citys ring
Of Heber's Wife, above the rest
Of Womankind may she be blest.
Great Sis'ra choak'd with heat and dust,
Demanded Water from the Spring;
She to allay the Gen'ral's thirst,
Did Milk and Cream in costly Vessels bring.
She to the Nail the left apply'd,
And with her right hand did the Hammer guide.
And as the mighty Sisera
Stretcht on the Pavement fleeping lay,
Th'undaunted Woman with a noble blow,
Drove in the Nail, and pierc'd his Temples thro.
Amaz'd, not waken'd with the Wound,
He sprung, and bounded from the ground:
The brave Virago did her blow repeat,
And laid him prostrate at her feet.
He bow'd and fell, and gasping lay,
Quiver'd and groan'd his Life away.
210
The Warriours Head from off his Shoulders took.
His Mother looking thro' her Window said,
Why is his Triumph thus delay'd?
Why does his lingring Chariot stay?
Why roll his Wheels so slowly on the way?
Her Maids, nay, she her self reply'd,
The Conqu'rors stay their Booty to divide.
The distribution made, each Chief can shew
A Damsel for his share, or two.
But Sis'ra's Prey outshines the rest,
His is a party-colour'd Vest
Which Gems and rich Embroidery adorn,
Fit by the greatest Princes to be worn.
Why is his Triumph thus delay'd?
Why does his lingring Chariot stay?
Why roll his Wheels so slowly on the way?
Her Maids, nay, she her self reply'd,
The Conqu'rors stay their Booty to divide.
The distribution made, each Chief can shew
A Damsel for his share, or two.
But Sis'ra's Prey outshines the rest,
His is a party-colour'd Vest
Which Gems and rich Embroidery adorn,
Fit by the greatest Princes to be worn.
These boastful words she spoke, while Sisera
Dead in the Tent of Jael lay.
Lord let his Fate attend thine Enemys,
So let them perish who against thee rise.
But let the Men who Wickedness abhor,
Who love thee, and thy Name adore,
Be like the Sun,
Who when refresh'd, does in his Vigour rise,
Eager to run
All the blew Stages of the spacious Skys.
Dead in the Tent of Jael lay.
Lord let his Fate attend thine Enemys,
So let them perish who against thee rise.
But let the Men who Wickedness abhor,
Who love thee, and thy Name adore,
Be like the Sun,
Who when refresh'd, does in his Vigour rise,
Eager to run
All the blew Stages of the spacious Skys.
211
David's Lamentation, Occasion'd by the Death of Saul and Jonathan.
When
Jonathan and Saul expiring lay,
On the curst Hills of Gilboa,
(Ah black, inglorious, fatal Day!)
'Twas then, unhappy Israel,
Thy Beauty, Strength and Glory fell.
How were thy mighty Warriours slain?
What a red Deluge bath'd the reeking Plain?
How were thy Sons to Conquest long inur'd,
How were thy Valiant Chiefs devour'd
By the Philistine's unrelenting Sword?
How terrible, how sudden was their Fate?
These Pillars fal'n that prop'd thy State,
Who shall support thy sinking Empire's weight?
On the curst Hills of Gilboa,
(Ah black, inglorious, fatal Day!)
'Twas then, unhappy Israel,
Thy Beauty, Strength and Glory fell.
How were thy mighty Warriours slain?
What a red Deluge bath'd the reeking Plain?
How were thy Sons to Conquest long inur'd,
How were thy Valiant Chiefs devour'd
By the Philistine's unrelenting Sword?
How terrible, how sudden was their Fate?
These Pillars fal'n that prop'd thy State,
Who shall support thy sinking Empire's weight?
Let Fame be struck with horror dumb,
That to our Foes the News may never come.
Let our dishonour be to Gath unknown,
Proclaim it not in Askelon;
Lest if their Daughters come to know
Our loss, and unexampled Woe,
They in their Feasts and Dances should express,
Insultingly their Joy at our distress;
And impiously devout, should raise
Their carv'd and graven Gods, in wicked Songs of Praise
That to our Foes the News may never come.
Let our dishonour be to Gath unknown,
Proclaim it not in Askelon;
Lest if their Daughters come to know
Our loss, and unexampled Woe,
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Insultingly their Joy at our distress;
And impiously devout, should raise
Their carv'd and graven Gods, in wicked Songs of Praise
Ye Hills of Gilboa, the fatal place,
O'er which the Foe did Israel chase,
Ye luckless Hills,
Spred with your Monarch's Ignominious Spoils,
May you the marks of Heav'n's displeasure bear;
Be you no more the Farmer's care:
Let no kind Cloud hereafter, pour
On your parch'd Heads one fruitful Shower:
May the relentless, harden'd Sky,
No Rain by Day, or Dew by Night supply
To ease your Thirst, and gaping clefts cement;
With Fire be blasted, and with Thunder rent.
Let not a blade of Grass or Corn,
Nor one green Tree your Heads adorn.
By Heav'n accurst, to future Ages stand
Uncultivated Heaps of barren Sand.
For vanquish'd Israel o'er these Mountains fled,
There with ignoble Rout the Fields were spred,
There lay our Weapons mingled with our Dead.
There scatter'd Bucklers lay,
Which routed Israel cast away.
There may the Shield of Saul be found,
Midst common Bucklers on the ground.
Thy Body too, unhappy Monarch, there
Lys mixt with vulgar Corps, expos'd in open Air.
O'er which the Foe did Israel chase,
Ye luckless Hills,
Spred with your Monarch's Ignominious Spoils,
May you the marks of Heav'n's displeasure bear;
Be you no more the Farmer's care:
Let no kind Cloud hereafter, pour
On your parch'd Heads one fruitful Shower:
May the relentless, harden'd Sky,
No Rain by Day, or Dew by Night supply
To ease your Thirst, and gaping clefts cement;
With Fire be blasted, and with Thunder rent.
Let not a blade of Grass or Corn,
Nor one green Tree your Heads adorn.
By Heav'n accurst, to future Ages stand
Uncultivated Heaps of barren Sand.
For vanquish'd Israel o'er these Mountains fled,
There with ignoble Rout the Fields were spred,
There lay our Weapons mingled with our Dead.
There scatter'd Bucklers lay,
Which routed Israel cast away.
There may the Shield of Saul be found,
Midst common Bucklers on the ground.
Thy Body too, unhappy Monarch, there
Lys mixt with vulgar Corps, expos'd in open Air.
213
O Saul, O Jonathan, ye mighty Dead,
You ne'er before in Battel fled.
The Arrows from the Son's unerring Bow,
Have pierc'd ten thousand valiant Warriours thro'.
The Father's unresisted Sword,
Like raging Fires around devour'd:
By no Opposer e'er withstood,
The crimson Conq'ror reek'd in Hostile Blood.
Till now, you ever us'd to come
Laden with Spoils and Trophys home.
Your Chariots thro' the confluent, gazing Throng,
Us'd in slow State to roll along:
While crowds of Captive Princes chain'd,
Wiping their Brows with dust and sweat distain'd,
Did panting in the Pomp appear,
Part of the long Procession of the Rear.
Our Daughters, both in Mind and Habit gay,
With Songs and Dances on the way,
Met, and increast the Triumph of the Day.
Thus Vict'ry us'd to crown
The mighty Father, and the valiant Son.
Now vanquish'd, o'er the Hills they fly
From the pursuing Enemy.
Surprising change of Providence,
Those who resistless were, can now make no defence!
You ne'er before in Battel fled.
The Arrows from the Son's unerring Bow,
Have pierc'd ten thousand valiant Warriours thro'.
The Father's unresisted Sword,
Like raging Fires around devour'd:
By no Opposer e'er withstood,
The crimson Conq'ror reek'd in Hostile Blood.
Till now, you ever us'd to come
Laden with Spoils and Trophys home.
Your Chariots thro' the confluent, gazing Throng,
Us'd in slow State to roll along:
While crowds of Captive Princes chain'd,
Wiping their Brows with dust and sweat distain'd,
Did panting in the Pomp appear,
Part of the long Procession of the Rear.
Our Daughters, both in Mind and Habit gay,
With Songs and Dances on the way,
Met, and increast the Triumph of the Day.
Thus Vict'ry us'd to crown
The mighty Father, and the valiant Son.
Now vanquish'd, o'er the Hills they fly
From the pursuing Enemy.
Surprising change of Providence,
Those who resistless were, can now make no defence!
So courteous were the Royal Pair,
So condescending, mild and Debonnair,
That they became to all the Nation dear.
No more their kindness fail'd to move
The People's universal Love,
Than their fam'd Courage did their Neighbours fear.
They liv'd-in strongest bonds of Love combin'd,
And as they liv'd, so they together dy'd;
So close was their Affection joyn'd,
That Death it self could not the knot divide.
For tho' they fell opprest with Pagan Power,
Their Love still triumph'd o'er the Conquerour.
And yet their Clemency did ne'er abate
Their Courage, and their Martial heat.
For they, as swift as hungry Eagles, flew,
Or to attack, or to pursue:
And when they were in fight engag'd,
Like Lyons when provok'd, they thro' the Battel rag'd.
So condescending, mild and Debonnair,
That they became to all the Nation dear.
214
The People's universal Love,
Than their fam'd Courage did their Neighbours fear.
They liv'd-in strongest bonds of Love combin'd,
And as they liv'd, so they together dy'd;
So close was their Affection joyn'd,
That Death it self could not the knot divide.
For tho' they fell opprest with Pagan Power,
Their Love still triumph'd o'er the Conquerour.
And yet their Clemency did ne'er abate
Their Courage, and their Martial heat.
For they, as swift as hungry Eagles, flew,
Or to attack, or to pursue:
And when they were in fight engag'd,
Like Lyons when provok'd, they thro' the Battel rag'd.
O Daughters of Jerusalem express,
A Sorrow worthy of our vast distress.
Unite your Groans and mournful Crys,
Unite your Tears and Agonys.
Apply your selves to weeping day and night,
Raptures of Grief be your Delight.
Thro' every Street lamenting go,
Strains of unruly Anguish show,
And howling Tempests raise of wild despairing Woe.
Too exquisite Affliction can't be shown,
Since Saul is fal'n from his Imperial Throne.
Saul lys upon the Mountains dead,
Who with abundance Israel fed:
Who gave you Garments glorious to behold,
Scarlet adorn'd with Needle-work and Gold.
Who hung rich Bracelets on your Arms,
And with bright Gems increas'd your native Charms.
Whose Arms enrich'd your Towns with precious Spoil,
And fill'd with Foreign Wealth Judea's happy Soil.
A Sorrow worthy of our vast distress.
Unite your Groans and mournful Crys,
Unite your Tears and Agonys.
Apply your selves to weeping day and night,
Raptures of Grief be your Delight.
Thro' every Street lamenting go,
Strains of unruly Anguish show,
And howling Tempests raise of wild despairing Woe.
Too exquisite Affliction can't be shown,
Since Saul is fal'n from his Imperial Throne.
Saul lys upon the Mountains dead,
Who with abundance Israel fed:
215
Scarlet adorn'd with Needle-work and Gold.
Who hung rich Bracelets on your Arms,
And with bright Gems increas'd your native Charms.
Whose Arms enrich'd your Towns with precious Spoil,
And fill'd with Foreign Wealth Judea's happy Soil.
How did the mighty Prince, and all
His valiant Chiefs in Battel fall!
How are the Hills with Slaughter spred!
How are our Captive Sons in Triumph led!
Captives who drag th' inglorious Chain,
Captives less happy than the Slain!
Horror and Shame! hark, how the shouting Foe,
How proud Philistia mocks our Woe!
Thro' all their Streets what Acclamations ring?
Hear how their Daughters sing,
See how they dance,
While their victorious Troops with Israel's Spoils advance:
His valiant Chiefs in Battel fall!
How are the Hills with Slaughter spred!
How are our Captive Sons in Triumph led!
Captives who drag th' inglorious Chain,
Captives less happy than the Slain!
Horror and Shame! hark, how the shouting Foe,
How proud Philistia mocks our Woe!
Thro' all their Streets what Acclamations ring?
Hear how their Daughters sing,
See how they dance,
While their victorious Troops with Israel's Spoils advance:
O Isræl, where is now thy warlike Fame?
How will thy once much dreaded Name,
By Foes so often vanquish'd, be despis'd
By all the Nations of th' Uncircumcis'd?
How will thy once much dreaded Name,
By Foes so often vanquish'd, be despis'd
By all the Nations of th' Uncircumcis'd?
Oh Jonathan, how dear wert thou to me?
How dear must be thy Memory?
No Time can from my Breast remove
Thy Image, or thy wondrous love:
A Love, like which we none recorded find,
A Love surpassing that of Womankind.
Their Love was ne'er so tender, pure and strong,
And never lasted in excess so long.
What gen'rous Friendship hast thou shown,
What dreadful Dangers undergone,
To raise thy Rival to thy Father's Throne?
How dear must be thy Memory?
No Time can from my Breast remove
Thy Image, or thy wondrous love:
216
A Love surpassing that of Womankind.
Their Love was ne'er so tender, pure and strong,
And never lasted in excess so long.
What gen'rous Friendship hast thou shown,
What dreadful Dangers undergone,
To raise thy Rival to thy Father's Throne?
Kindest of Brothers, my afflicted Soul,
Does thy unhappy Fall condole.
Thy suddain, thy disast'rous Fate,
Does Agonies of Grief create.
As in a Storm, my rolling Bowels move
With strong Convulsive Throws of sad, distracted Love.
I would the highest marks express
Of uncontroul'd, unmerciful distress:
For if my Grief does not outrageous grow,
'Tis unbecoming my unmeasur'd Woe,
Nothing's enough that's less than all that Love can show.
Does thy unhappy Fall condole.
Thy suddain, thy disast'rous Fate,
Does Agonies of Grief create.
As in a Storm, my rolling Bowels move
With strong Convulsive Throws of sad, distracted Love.
I would the highest marks express
Of uncontroul'd, unmerciful distress:
For if my Grief does not outrageous grow,
'Tis unbecoming my unmeasur'd Woe,
Nothing's enough that's less than all that Love can show.
217
THE Second PSALM PARAPHRAS'D.
What means this mighty Uproar? whence arise
This great Commotion, these tumultuous Crys?
What has alarm'd the Nations? what offence
Does all the jealous States around incense?
What does the Heathen Fire with so much Rage?
What Jacob's Sons in such Designs engage
As they can ne'er effect, or if they do,
They'll miss the end they furiously pursue?
Infatuated Men! you'll sure repent
Your rash Attempts, too late the sad event
Will show your Projects vain, your Malice impotent.
Confed'rate Princes wicked Friendship make,
And in their Anger desp'rate Councels take
Against their great Creator and his Son,
And hope the Lord's Anointed to dethrone.
This great Commotion, these tumultuous Crys?
What has alarm'd the Nations? what offence
Does all the jealous States around incense?
What does the Heathen Fire with so much Rage?
What Jacob's Sons in such Designs engage
As they can ne'er effect, or if they do,
They'll miss the end they furiously pursue?
Infatuated Men! you'll sure repent
Your rash Attempts, too late the sad event
Will show your Projects vain, your Malice impotent.
Confed'rate Princes wicked Friendship make,
And in their Anger desp'rate Councels take
Against their great Creator and his Son,
And hope the Lord's Anointed to dethrone.
Let us, say they, assert our Liberty,
And keep our Kingdoms from Oppression free.
We'll ne'er agree to vindicate the Cause
Of this new King, nor e'er obey his Laws.
Th' Almighty sets his Fav'rite up in vain,
We'll ne'er consent to this Usurper's Reign.
We his proud Yoke will never tamely bear,
But will his servile Chains asunder tear.
And keep our Kingdoms from Oppression free.
We'll ne'er agree to vindicate the Cause
Of this new King, nor e'er obey his Laws.
218
We'll ne'er consent to this Usurper's Reign.
We his proud Yoke will never tamely bear,
But will his servile Chains asunder tear.
But the great God who sits enthron'd on high,
Above the Starry Convex of the Sky,
Insultingly will mock their foolish Pride,
Laugh at their Threats, and their vain Plots deride.
In fiery Indignation, he shall pass
A dreadful Sentence on this impious Race.
The marks of high Displeasure he shall show,
And pour Destruction on th' audacious Foe.
Above the Starry Convex of the Sky,
Insultingly will mock their foolish Pride,
Laugh at their Threats, and their vain Plots deride.
In fiery Indignation, he shall pass
A dreadful Sentence on this impious Race.
The marks of high Displeasure he shall show,
And pour Destruction on th' audacious Foe.
Thus from his Throne sublime th' Eternal spoke,
And with his awful Voice the Frame of Nature shook,
In spite of all the Princes that combine,
Or to retard, or frustrate my design;
On Sion's Hill my Fav'rite I'll enthrone,
And fix upon his Head th' Imperial Crown.
Submissive States his Empire shall obey,
And at his Footstool Kings their Scepters lay.
He shall Tyrannic Cruelty correct,
And tenderly his Subject's Rights protect.
He shall assert Divine Religion's Cause,
Heav'n's sacred Int'rests manage with Applause,
And rule the World with just and equal Laws.
To execute his high important Charge,
My Viceroy I invest with Pow'r at large:
Vast Pow'r I give him, but I give him none,
But what is mixt with Mercy like my own.
No other Pow'r, but what is understood
To be intended for his Subjects good.
His just and gentle Conduct shall confess,
He seeks his Glory in their Happiness.
And with his awful Voice the Frame of Nature shook,
In spite of all the Princes that combine,
Or to retard, or frustrate my design;
On Sion's Hill my Fav'rite I'll enthrone,
And fix upon his Head th' Imperial Crown.
Submissive States his Empire shall obey,
And at his Footstool Kings their Scepters lay.
He shall Tyrannic Cruelty correct,
And tenderly his Subject's Rights protect.
He shall assert Divine Religion's Cause,
Heav'n's sacred Int'rests manage with Applause,
And rule the World with just and equal Laws.
To execute his high important Charge,
My Viceroy I invest with Pow'r at large:
219
But what is mixt with Mercy like my own.
No other Pow'r, but what is understood
To be intended for his Subjects good.
His just and gentle Conduct shall confess,
He seeks his Glory in their Happiness.
I to the World will publish thy Decree,
That raises me to Regal Dignity.
Thus said the Lord, let it this Day be known,
That thou art my begotten only Son,
Thy high Descent let all the Nations own.
Thou art intitul'd by thy Royal Birth,
To all the Realms and Nations of the Earth:
Make thy demand, and by my Grant divine,
The Pagan States and Kingdoms shall be thine.
I'll subject all the spacious tracks of Land,
From Pole to Pole to thy supream command.
Thou shalt of all the Regions be possest,
From the Sun's rising to the adverse West.
Only the limits which the World surround,
Thy Universal Monarchy shall bound.
Arm'd with a Rod of Iron thou shalt reign
O'er proud Oppressors, and their Rage restrain.
Thou shalt in pieces dash, like Potters Clay,
Thy stubborn Foes, who insolently say,
We'll ne'er his Title own, nor his Commands obey.
That raises me to Regal Dignity.
Thus said the Lord, let it this Day be known,
That thou art my begotten only Son,
Thy high Descent let all the Nations own.
Thou art intitul'd by thy Royal Birth,
To all the Realms and Nations of the Earth:
Make thy demand, and by my Grant divine,
The Pagan States and Kingdoms shall be thine.
I'll subject all the spacious tracks of Land,
From Pole to Pole to thy supream command.
Thou shalt of all the Regions be possest,
From the Sun's rising to the adverse West.
Only the limits which the World surround,
Thy Universal Monarchy shall bound.
Arm'd with a Rod of Iron thou shalt reign
O'er proud Oppressors, and their Rage restrain.
Thou shalt in pieces dash, like Potters Clay,
Thy stubborn Foes, who insolently say,
We'll ne'er his Title own, nor his Commands obey.
Ye foolish Kings and Potentates be wise,
And be instructed where your Safety lies.
The Son of God with Acclamations meet,
And prostrate lye adoring at his feet.
Bow down your Necks to take his gentle Yoke,
Lest your neglect his Fury should provoke.
If you refuse this Monarch to obey,
Be sure you'll perish in your wicked way.
For if his Wrath so dreadful does appear,
When scarcely kindled, what have you to fear
Who by your desp'rate Provocations raise
The Spark to Flames, and make his Fury blaze?
No longer your Subjection then delay,
The safe and happy Men are only they
Who as their Refuge and secure Defence,
Repose in him their Trust and Confidence.
And be instructed where your Safety lies.
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And prostrate lye adoring at his feet.
Bow down your Necks to take his gentle Yoke,
Lest your neglect his Fury should provoke.
If you refuse this Monarch to obey,
Be sure you'll perish in your wicked way.
For if his Wrath so dreadful does appear,
When scarcely kindled, what have you to fear
Who by your desp'rate Provocations raise
The Spark to Flames, and make his Fury blaze?
No longer your Subjection then delay,
The safe and happy Men are only they
Who as their Refuge and secure Defence,
Repose in him their Trust and Confidence.
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THE CIVth PSALM PARAPHRAS'D.
My grateful Soul th' Almighty's Name adore;
Great is his Being, great his Works of Pow'r.
Immortal Honours, Majesty, Renown,
And Dignity Divine his Temples crown.
His Robe of State is wrought with Light refin'd;
An endless Train of Lustre flows behind.
His Throne's of massy, burnish'd Glory made,
With Heav'nly Pearl, and Gems Divine inlaid:
Whence Floods of Joy, and Seas of Splendour flow,
On all th' Angelic gazing Throng below:
Who drink in Pleasures by their ravish'd Sight,
Delug'd in vast ineffable Delight.
Great is his Being, great his Works of Pow'r.
Immortal Honours, Majesty, Renown,
And Dignity Divine his Temples crown.
His Robe of State is wrought with Light refin'd;
An endless Train of Lustre flows behind.
His Throne's of massy, burnish'd Glory made,
With Heav'nly Pearl, and Gems Divine inlaid:
Whence Floods of Joy, and Seas of Splendour flow,
On all th' Angelic gazing Throng below:
Who drink in Pleasures by their ravish'd Sight,
Delug'd in vast ineffable Delight.
He as a Tent the Heav'n's expansion reers,
And as a Curtain stretches out the Sphears.
He makes the Mists his Pillars to sustain
His airy Rooms, and lays their Beams in Rain.
The Clouds th' Almighty's rolling Chariots bear
Their Lord thro' all the spacious Fields of Air.
He harnasses the manag'd Winds, and flys
On their swift Wings to visit all the Skys.
The various Meteors of the Air above
Wait his Commands, and by his Order move.
Tempests and Windy Vapours, rais'd on high
To do his Will, like Menial Servants fly.
Lightnings, and all his wildest Works of Fire,
His Ministers, to serve their Lord conspire.
These sensless Creatures such Obedience shew
To their great Master, as his Angels do.
And as a Curtain stretches out the Sphears.
He makes the Mists his Pillars to sustain
His airy Rooms, and lays their Beams in Rain.
The Clouds th' Almighty's rolling Chariots bear
Their Lord thro' all the spacious Fields of Air.
He harnasses the manag'd Winds, and flys
On their swift Wings to visit all the Skys.
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Wait his Commands, and by his Order move.
Tempests and Windy Vapours, rais'd on high
To do his Will, like Menial Servants fly.
Lightnings, and all his wildest Works of Fire,
His Ministers, to serve their Lord conspire.
These sensless Creatures such Obedience shew
To their great Master, as his Angels do.
To him her Father, Nature owes her Birth,
He laid the deep Foundations of the Earth.
He hung the pondrous heap in fluid Air,
And made its weight its own Supporter there.
Then he the Waters o'er its Bosom roll'd;
And liquid Garments did the Earth enfold.
The Rocks and Hills conceal'd in Billows stood,
And o'er the Mountains tops the Deluge rais'd its Flood.
God's great Command chastis'd the Water's Pride,
He bad the Flood call down its tow'ring Tide,
And strait the ebbing Deluge did subside.
Th' Almighty form'd a vast capacious Deep,
Where he his Watry Regiments might keep:
The waves file off, and thither make their way,
To form the mighty Body of the Sea.
Where they encamp, and in their Stations stand,
Entrench'd in Works of Rock and Lines of Sand.
He laid the deep Foundations of the Earth.
He hung the pondrous heap in fluid Air,
And made its weight its own Supporter there.
Then he the Waters o'er its Bosom roll'd;
And liquid Garments did the Earth enfold.
The Rocks and Hills conceal'd in Billows stood,
And o'er the Mountains tops the Deluge rais'd its Flood.
God's great Command chastis'd the Water's Pride,
He bad the Flood call down its tow'ring Tide,
And strait the ebbing Deluge did subside.
Th' Almighty form'd a vast capacious Deep,
Where he his Watry Regiments might keep:
The waves file off, and thither make their way,
To form the mighty Body of the Sea.
Where they encamp, and in their Stations stand,
Entrench'd in Works of Rock and Lines of Sand.
Yet some Deserters still the Sea forsake,
And from their Posts by stealth Excursions make.
The Sun to some lets down his helping Ray,
They climb the golden Line, and thus convey
Themselves in Vapours high amidst the Air,
And to the Hills aspiring heads repair.
Others by secret Channels from the Deep
Pass undiscern'd, and up the Mountains creep:
Whence gushing out in Springs they downward flow.
And thro' the flowry Vales back to the Ocean go.
And from their Posts by stealth Excursions make.
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They climb the golden Line, and thus convey
Themselves in Vapours high amidst the Air,
And to the Hills aspiring heads repair.
Others by secret Channels from the Deep
Pass undiscern'd, and up the Mountains creep:
Whence gushing out in Springs they downward flow.
And thro' the flowry Vales back to the Ocean go.
While God in Prison holds the mighty Deep,
And does in rocky Chains the raging Monster keep,
That it may ne'er surmount the ambient Shore,
And with its Flood may drown the Earth no more,
He to refresh, and cloath the Meads with Grass,
Bids all his Rivers thro' the Vallys pass.
Kindly their course th' indented Banks restrain,
Kindly the Hills retard their gliding train.
For thus the ling'ring Streams at leisure flow,
And greater Riches on the Fields bestow.
Beasts tame and salvage to the River's brink,
Come from the Fields and Wilderness to drink.
Thither the feather'd Singers of the Air,
To quench their thirst and prune their Wings, repair.
Then midst the Willows that adorn the Flood,
Or on the Branches in some neighb'ring Wood,
The painted Heralds in melodious Lays,
Proclaim their gracious Benefactor's Praise.
And does in rocky Chains the raging Monster keep,
That it may ne'er surmount the ambient Shore,
And with its Flood may drown the Earth no more,
He to refresh, and cloath the Meads with Grass,
Bids all his Rivers thro' the Vallys pass.
Kindly their course th' indented Banks restrain,
Kindly the Hills retard their gliding train.
For thus the ling'ring Streams at leisure flow,
And greater Riches on the Fields bestow.
Beasts tame and salvage to the River's brink,
Come from the Fields and Wilderness to drink.
Thither the feather'd Singers of the Air,
To quench their thirst and prune their Wings, repair.
Then midst the Willows that adorn the Flood,
Or on the Branches in some neighb'ring Wood,
The painted Heralds in melodious Lays,
Proclaim their gracious Benefactor's Praise.
He from his high Aerial Chambers, where
Th'Almighty Chymist does his Works prepare,
Digests his Lightnings, and distills his Rain,
Pours down his Waters on the thirsty Plain.
He sends refreshing Showers to cheer the Hills,
And with his Bounty all the Vally fills;
The Earth made fruitful with his Heav'nly drops,
With a rich Harvest crowns the Farmer's Hopes.
He does the Fields his open Table spred,
Where all the Beasts with grassy Meat are fed.
He Plants, for Food and Physic does produce
Thro' all the Earth, for Man his Viceroys use.
He pours from Heav'n his Rain upon the Vine,
And thus converts the Water into Wine.
Which does revive Man's Heart, his Cares relieve,
And to his Face a better Lustre give,
Than when with Oyl it does anointed shine,
With Oyl, another noble Gift Divine.
He fills the teeming Glebe with Crops of Corn,
Which cloath the Vallys, and the Hills adorn.
The Staff of Humane Life at his Command,
Springs from the Furrows of the fruitful Land.
Th'Almighty Chymist does his Works prepare,
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Pours down his Waters on the thirsty Plain.
He sends refreshing Showers to cheer the Hills,
And with his Bounty all the Vally fills;
The Earth made fruitful with his Heav'nly drops,
With a rich Harvest crowns the Farmer's Hopes.
He does the Fields his open Table spred,
Where all the Beasts with grassy Meat are fed.
He Plants, for Food and Physic does produce
Thro' all the Earth, for Man his Viceroys use.
He pours from Heav'n his Rain upon the Vine,
And thus converts the Water into Wine.
Which does revive Man's Heart, his Cares relieve,
And to his Face a better Lustre give,
Than when with Oyl it does anointed shine,
With Oyl, another noble Gift Divine.
He fills the teeming Glebe with Crops of Corn,
Which cloath the Vallys, and the Hills adorn.
The Staff of Humane Life at his Command,
Springs from the Furrows of the fruitful Land.
He from the Clouds does the sweet Liquor squeeze,
Which cheers the Forests and the Garden Trees,
With the rich Juice he feeds their thirsty root,
Which fills their Limbs with Sap, their Heads with Fruit.
To this the Cedars that adorn the Brow
Of Lebanon, their Height and Beauty owe.
The Firs too thrive by drops from Heav'n distill'd,
In which the Storks their Airy Houses build.
The Mountains reer'd their Heads at his Command,
And Pillars to his Praise erected stand:
In these, and in the Rocks, the salvage Kind,
From the pursuer's Arms safe Refuge find.
Which cheers the Forests and the Garden Trees,
With the rich Juice he feeds their thirsty root,
Which fills their Limbs with Sap, their Heads with Fruit.
To this the Cedars that adorn the Brow
Of Lebanon, their Height and Beauty owe.
The Firs too thrive by drops from Heav'n distill'd,
In which the Storks their Airy Houses build.
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And Pillars to his Praise erected stand:
In these, and in the Rocks, the salvage Kind,
From the pursuer's Arms safe Refuge find.
He form'd the Moon the Seasons to divide,
And gave it Empire o'er the Ocean's tide.
The Sun he burnish'd, till its Orb became
A Spring of Light, and undecaying Flame.
Which knows the Stages of its heav'nly way,
And does by turns roll up, by turns display
The wide and bright expansion of the Day.
'Tis God who made the Day, that makes the Night,
He in the Air to suffocate the Light,
Does from his open'd Stores of Darkness let
A gloomy Deluge out of liquid Jet.
He wipes the Colours off from Nature's Face,
And lays on Night's deep Shadows in their place.
Now the wild Beasts by Hunger bit awake,
And from their drowsy Eyes their Slumber shake.
From out their Dens the Spoilers yawning come,
The Forests Range, and o'er the Mountains roam.
Young rav'ning Lyons from the Woods retreat,
Roar out to Heav'n, and beg from God their Meat.
They on his Providential Care rely,
Who does his Creatures various Wants supply.
But when with his reviving Morning Ray
The rising Sun regenerates the Day,
They to their Dens retire with Toil opprest,
Stretch out their weary Limbs, and take their rest.
But Man goes forth to labour in the Morn,
When the tir'd Lyon does from his return.
And gave it Empire o'er the Ocean's tide.
The Sun he burnish'd, till its Orb became
A Spring of Light, and undecaying Flame.
Which knows the Stages of its heav'nly way,
And does by turns roll up, by turns display
The wide and bright expansion of the Day.
'Tis God who made the Day, that makes the Night,
He in the Air to suffocate the Light,
Does from his open'd Stores of Darkness let
A gloomy Deluge out of liquid Jet.
He wipes the Colours off from Nature's Face,
And lays on Night's deep Shadows in their place.
Now the wild Beasts by Hunger bit awake,
And from their drowsy Eyes their Slumber shake.
From out their Dens the Spoilers yawning come,
The Forests Range, and o'er the Mountains roam.
Young rav'ning Lyons from the Woods retreat,
Roar out to Heav'n, and beg from God their Meat.
They on his Providential Care rely,
Who does his Creatures various Wants supply.
But when with his reviving Morning Ray
The rising Sun regenerates the Day,
They to their Dens retire with Toil opprest,
Stretch out their weary Limbs, and take their rest.
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When the tir'd Lyon does from his return.
God's Works of Pow'r our Wonder, and his Praise
Thro' all the World his Works of Goodness raise.
To form the Sea he drew his Compass round,
And with the mark it left describ'd the ground:
Then dug th' unfathom'd Hollow, which the Main
And all the Floods and Rivers might contain.
So populous these watry Regions are,
That Nations numberless inhabit there.
Mute Nations that are here supply'd with Food,
Whose Finny Wings divide the crystal Flood.
Here 'tis the Ships along the yielding Tide,
Before the Wind upon their Bellys glide.
The Whale, the Soveraign that the Sea controlls,
Here takes his Pleasure, and in Pastime rolls.
He plays, and tumbles in his Watry Court,
And troubles all the Ocean with his Sport.
He makes his Spouts for his Diversion play,
And toss against the Clouds th' uplifted Sea.
Projected Billows from his Nostrils rise,
And mix the Ocean with th' astonish'd Skys.
This mighty Monster who does Monarch reign,
And all the Nations that possess the Main;
All creeping Creatures, Herds and harmless Flocks,
All Beasts that range the Woods, or hide in Rocks,
All Passengers that beat th' Etherial Road
With feather'd Wings, wait for their Meat from God.
At his expence they eat, by various ways
He for his numerous Family purveys.
His open'd Hand dispences fresh supplys,
That more than all his Creatures Wants suffice.
Thro' all the World his Works of Goodness raise.
To form the Sea he drew his Compass round,
And with the mark it left describ'd the ground:
Then dug th' unfathom'd Hollow, which the Main
And all the Floods and Rivers might contain.
So populous these watry Regions are,
That Nations numberless inhabit there.
Mute Nations that are here supply'd with Food,
Whose Finny Wings divide the crystal Flood.
Here 'tis the Ships along the yielding Tide,
Before the Wind upon their Bellys glide.
The Whale, the Soveraign that the Sea controlls,
Here takes his Pleasure, and in Pastime rolls.
He plays, and tumbles in his Watry Court,
And troubles all the Ocean with his Sport.
He makes his Spouts for his Diversion play,
And toss against the Clouds th' uplifted Sea.
Projected Billows from his Nostrils rise,
And mix the Ocean with th' astonish'd Skys.
This mighty Monster who does Monarch reign,
And all the Nations that possess the Main;
All creeping Creatures, Herds and harmless Flocks,
All Beasts that range the Woods, or hide in Rocks,
All Passengers that beat th' Etherial Road
With feather'd Wings, wait for their Meat from God.
229
He for his numerous Family purveys.
His open'd Hand dispences fresh supplys,
That more than all his Creatures Wants suffice.
To substitute Successors in the place
Of those that perish, and to save the Race
And Kind of every living Creature, God
Does his prolific Spirit send abroad;
Which thro' the Earth does quick'ning Pow'r diffuse,
And Heat, which fresh Productions there produce.
Since on the Earth th' Almighty does dispence
Th' unnumber'd Blessings of his Providence,
And with his Favours has all Nature crown'd,
Let all the World with Songs of Joy resound.
Let Men for ever bless his glorious Name,
Recite his Wonders, and his Praise proclaim.
If stupid Man this Tribute should neglect,
His God th' ungrateful Wretch can soon correct.
If on the Earth he does in Anger look,
It trembles at the terrible Rebuke.
It from its strong Foundations starts for fear,
And twisting Gripes its working Entrails tear.
The Mountains shiver, and their Heads incline
At the reproof of Majesty Divine.
The Hills forget they're fixt, and in their fright
Of all their weight they strip themselves for flight.
The Rocks from off their Marble Pillars break,
And which they us'd to give, a Refuge seek.
The Woods with Terror wing'd outstrip the Wind,
And leave the heavy, panting Hills behind.
All Nature troubled and in deep distress,
Of God's Displeasure does her Fear express.
Of those that perish, and to save the Race
And Kind of every living Creature, God
Does his prolific Spirit send abroad;
Which thro' the Earth does quick'ning Pow'r diffuse,
And Heat, which fresh Productions there produce.
Since on the Earth th' Almighty does dispence
Th' unnumber'd Blessings of his Providence,
And with his Favours has all Nature crown'd,
Let all the World with Songs of Joy resound.
Let Men for ever bless his glorious Name,
Recite his Wonders, and his Praise proclaim.
If stupid Man this Tribute should neglect,
His God th' ungrateful Wretch can soon correct.
If on the Earth he does in Anger look,
It trembles at the terrible Rebuke.
It from its strong Foundations starts for fear,
And twisting Gripes its working Entrails tear.
The Mountains shiver, and their Heads incline
At the reproof of Majesty Divine.
The Hills forget they're fixt, and in their fright
Of all their weight they strip themselves for flight.
The Rocks from off their Marble Pillars break,
And which they us'd to give, a Refuge seek.
230
And leave the heavy, panting Hills behind.
All Nature troubled and in deep distress,
Of God's Displeasure does her Fear express.
But I, whatever others do, will sing
The due Applauses of th' Eternal King.
With pleasure I'll contemplate, all my days
His wondrous Works, and wondrous Goodness praise.
And let obdurate Sinners, who refuse
To give him Glory, and his Gifts abuse,
Be from the Earth, as they deserve, destroy'd,
While, thou my Soul, art in his Praise employ'd.
The due Applauses of th' Eternal King.
With pleasure I'll contemplate, all my days
His wondrous Works, and wondrous Goodness praise.
And let obdurate Sinners, who refuse
To give him Glory, and his Gifts abuse,
Be from the Earth, as they deserve, destroy'd,
While, thou my Soul, art in his Praise employ'd.
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THE CXIVth PSALM PARAPHRAS'D.
When God a thousand Miracles had wrought,
The fav'rite Tribes Deliv'rance to promote,
And marching on in Triumph at their head,
Their Host to promis'd Canaan led;
Then, Jacob, was thy rescu'd Race,
Distinguish'd by peculiar marks of Grace.
Their Happiness and Honour to advance,
He chose them for his own Inheritance.
With whom alone their gracious God
Would make his Residence, and blest abode.
They were from Heav'n instructed to adore
Their God, and with Celestial Light,
Canaan was blest, as Goshen was before,
While all their Neighbours lay involv'd in Night.
God the Foundations of their Empire laid,
The Model of their Constitution made:
He on their Throne their King in Person sate,
And rul'd with equal Laws the Sacred State.
The fav'rite Tribes Deliv'rance to promote,
And marching on in Triumph at their head,
Their Host to promis'd Canaan led;
Then, Jacob, was thy rescu'd Race,
Distinguish'd by peculiar marks of Grace.
Their Happiness and Honour to advance,
He chose them for his own Inheritance.
With whom alone their gracious God
Would make his Residence, and blest abode.
They were from Heav'n instructed to adore
Their God, and with Celestial Light,
Canaan was blest, as Goshen was before,
While all their Neighbours lay involv'd in Night.
God the Foundations of their Empire laid,
The Model of their Constitution made:
He on their Throne their King in Person sate,
And rul'd with equal Laws the Sacred State.
For this blest purpose Jacob's Seed
Was from Egyptian Bondage freed,
When God to do this wondrous work was pleas'd,
Great Consternation Nature seiz'd.
The restif Floods refus'd to flow,
Panting with Fear the Winds could find no Breath to blow.
Th' astonish'd Sea did motionless become,
Horror its Waters did benumb.
The briny Waves that reer'd themselves to see
Th' Almighty's Judgments, and his Majesty,
With Terror crystaliz'd began to halt,
Then Pillars grew, and Rocks of Salt.
Was from Egyptian Bondage freed,
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Great Consternation Nature seiz'd.
The restif Floods refus'd to flow,
Panting with Fear the Winds could find no Breath to blow.
Th' astonish'd Sea did motionless become,
Horror its Waters did benumb.
The briny Waves that reer'd themselves to see
Th' Almighty's Judgments, and his Majesty,
With Terror crystaliz'd began to halt,
Then Pillars grew, and Rocks of Salt.
Jordan as soon as this great Deed it saw,
Struck with a reverential Aw
Started, and with Precipitation fled,
In hast the thronging Waves ran backward to their Head.
Struck with a reverential Aw
Started, and with Precipitation fled,
In hast the thronging Waves ran backward to their Head.
Vast Hills were mov'd from out their place,
Terror the Mountains did constrain
To lift themselves from off their Base,
And on their rocky Roots to dance about the Plain.
The little Hills astonish'd at the Sight,
Flew to the Mother Mountains in a fright,
And did about them skip, as Lambs
Run to, and bleat around their trembling Dams.
What ail'd thee, O thou troubled Sea,
That thou with all thy watry Troops didst flee?
What ail'd thee, Jordan? tell the cause
That made thy Flood break Nature's Laws:
Thy Course thou didst not only stop,
And roll thy liquid Volumes up,
But didst ev'n backward flow, to hide,
Within thy Fountain's Head thy refluent Tyde.
Terror the Mountains did constrain
To lift themselves from off their Base,
And on their rocky Roots to dance about the Plain.
The little Hills astonish'd at the Sight,
Flew to the Mother Mountains in a fright,
And did about them skip, as Lambs
Run to, and bleat around their trembling Dams.
What ail'd thee, O thou troubled Sea,
That thou with all thy watry Troops didst flee?
What ail'd thee, Jordan? tell the cause
That made thy Flood break Nature's Laws:
233
And roll thy liquid Volumes up,
But didst ev'n backward flow, to hide,
Within thy Fountain's Head thy refluent Tyde.
What did the lofty Mountains ail?
What Pangs of Fear did all the Hills assail
That they their Station could not keep,
But scar'd with danger run, like tim'rous scatter'd Sheep?
What Pangs of Fear did all the Hills assail
That they their Station could not keep,
But scar'd with danger run, like tim'rous scatter'd Sheep?
But why do I demand a Cause
Of your Amazement, which deserves Applause?
Yours was a just becoming Fear,
For when th' Almighty does appear,
Not only you, but the whole Earth should quake,
And out of Rev'rence should its place forsake.
For he is Nature's Sov'raign Lord,
Who by his great commanding Word,
Can make the Floods to solid Crystal grow,
Or melt the Rocks, and make their Marble flow.
Of your Amazement, which deserves Applause?
Yours was a just becoming Fear,
For when th' Almighty does appear,
Not only you, but the whole Earth should quake,
And out of Rev'rence should its place forsake.
For he is Nature's Sov'raign Lord,
Who by his great commanding Word,
Can make the Floods to solid Crystal grow,
Or melt the Rocks, and make their Marble flow.
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THE CXLVIII PSALM PARAPHRAS'D.
Ye bright, Immortal Colonys,
That People all the Regions of the Skys,
That in your blissful Seats above
Inhabit Glory, dwell in Light and Love:
Ye mighty Gen'rals, who command
Th' Almighty's Host, ye Ministers that stand
In his blest Presence to receive
What Orders he is pleas'd to give:
Ye Guards and Houshold Servants who resort
To pay attendance at his Court:
Ye Saints and Seraphs who astonish'd see
His Greatness, and essential Majesty:
Tune your Celestial Harps, and sing
The Triumphs of th' Eternal King.
All ye his Heav'nly Hosts applaud
In long continu'd Shouts your wonder-working God.
That People all the Regions of the Skys,
That in your blissful Seats above
Inhabit Glory, dwell in Light and Love:
Ye mighty Gen'rals, who command
Th' Almighty's Host, ye Ministers that stand
In his blest Presence to receive
What Orders he is pleas'd to give:
Ye Guards and Houshold Servants who resort
To pay attendance at his Court:
Ye Saints and Seraphs who astonish'd see
His Greatness, and essential Majesty:
Tune your Celestial Harps, and sing
The Triumphs of th' Eternal King.
All ye his Heav'nly Hosts applaud
In long continu'd Shouts your wonder-working God.
Ye Sun and Moon and Stars, that grace the Night,
Praise him the unexhausted Spring of Light,
Whence your dependent Influence streams,
Whence you derive your delegated Beams.
Exalt his Name, and spread his Praise
As far as you diffuse your Rays.
Let all the glorious Worlds above agree
In this Celestial Harmony:
And let the dancing, ecchoing Sphears around
Reverberate the Joy, and propagate the sound.
Praise him the unexhausted Spring of Light,
Whence your dependent Influence streams,
Whence you derive your delegated Beams.
236
As far as you diffuse your Rays.
Let all the glorious Worlds above agree
In this Celestial Harmony:
And let the dancing, ecchoing Sphears around
Reverberate the Joy, and propagate the sound.
Ye thin transparent Regions of the Air,
And all ye flying Nations there
With one melodious Voice th' Eternals Praise declare.
And all ye flying Nations there
With one melodious Voice th' Eternals Praise declare.
Let Tempests with their stormy Noise,
And Thunder with its roaring Voice,
God's own Artillery, proclaim
Thro' all the list'ning World th' Eternal's Fame.
From ev'ry Quarter all ye Winds arise,
On whose swift Wings th' Almighty flys,
When he his Progress makes into th'inferiour Skys.
Blow all your Blasts, and all your Breath employ
In loud Applauses, and in Songs of Joy.
And Thunder with its roaring Voice,
God's own Artillery, proclaim
Thro' all the list'ning World th' Eternal's Fame.
From ev'ry Quarter all ye Winds arise,
On whose swift Wings th' Almighty flys,
When he his Progress makes into th'inferiour Skys.
Blow all your Blasts, and all your Breath employ
In loud Applauses, and in Songs of Joy.
Ye Vapours that by God's Command arise,
To fill Heav'n's Magazines with fresh Supplys,
And for the Meteors new Materials bring,
As you ascend to Heav'n, th' Eternal's Praises sing.
Ye Clouds that by pursuing Winds are driv'n,
Pour with your Rain your Praises forth,
Let these ascend, as high as Heav'n,
As that descends to bless the Earth.
To fill Heav'n's Magazines with fresh Supplys,
And for the Meteors new Materials bring,
As you ascend to Heav'n, th' Eternal's Praises sing.
Ye Clouds that by pursuing Winds are driv'n,
Pour with your Rain your Praises forth,
Let these ascend, as high as Heav'n,
As that descends to bless the Earth.
237
Praise the Divine Artificer,
Ye Lightnings, which his Hands prepare,
And all ye curious Fireworks of the Air.
Praise him ye other Meteors of the Sky,
Ye Hailstones, Mists and Woolly Snow,
The Manufactures which he works on high,
For Nature's Service here below.
Ye Lightnings, which his Hands prepare,
And all ye curious Fireworks of the Air.
Praise him ye other Meteors of the Sky,
Ye Hailstones, Mists and Woolly Snow,
The Manufactures which he works on high,
For Nature's Service here below.
Let Nature's mighty Sov'raign Lord,
Be by the Deep, and all the Floods ador'd.
In Consort let the Billows roar,
And make his Praise rebound from Shore to Shore.
Let the scaly People dance
Before 'em let their Lords, the mighty Whales advance:
And high amidst the Air on this great Day
Let all the Waterworks from their vast Nostrils play.
Be by the Deep, and all the Floods ador'd.
In Consort let the Billows roar,
And make his Praise rebound from Shore to Shore.
Let the scaly People dance
Before 'em let their Lords, the mighty Whales advance:
And high amidst the Air on this great Day
Let all the Waterworks from their vast Nostrils play.
And while the Deep, the Air and Sky,
Vocal become th' Almighty's Name to raise,
Let not the Earth stand silent by,
But joyn to celebrate his Praise.
Ye Dragons, Wolves, and all ye salvage Kind
On ecchoing Hills in Consort joyn'd,
To him your Adoration pay,
Whose Bounty in the Desart finds you Prey.
Do you your Gratitude express,
And make his Praises ring thro' all the Wilderness.
Ye Pines and Cedars tune your selves to play
Th'Almighty's Praises on this solemn Day.
And sing ye Mountains, Hills, and Floods,
To th' Instrumental Music of the Woods.
Vocal become th' Almighty's Name to raise,
Let not the Earth stand silent by,
But joyn to celebrate his Praise.
Ye Dragons, Wolves, and all ye salvage Kind
On ecchoing Hills in Consort joyn'd,
To him your Adoration pay,
Whose Bounty in the Desart finds you Prey.
Do you your Gratitude express,
And make his Praises ring thro' all the Wilderness.
Ye Pines and Cedars tune your selves to play
Th'Almighty's Praises on this solemn Day.
238
To th' Instrumental Music of the Woods.
Ye Kings, the King of Kings adore,
And at his Feet your borrow'd Scepters lay,
Applaud the Spring of all Imperial Pow'r,
You're here but Subjects, and should Homage pay.
Let Songs of Praise the Gratitude attest
Of Aged Men, long by his Favours blest.
Let rapt'rous Zeal Young Men and Maids inflame,
To celebrate their Maker's Fame,
Let lisping Infants at his Praises aim.
Let all th' Eternal's Works conspire
To execute this blest design,
To praise him let them all combine,
And make the World one Universal Quire.
And at his Feet your borrow'd Scepters lay,
Applaud the Spring of all Imperial Pow'r,
You're here but Subjects, and should Homage pay.
Let Songs of Praise the Gratitude attest
Of Aged Men, long by his Favours blest.
Let rapt'rous Zeal Young Men and Maids inflame,
To celebrate their Maker's Fame,
Let lisping Infants at his Praises aim.
Let all th' Eternal's Works conspire
To execute this blest design,
To praise him let them all combine,
And make the World one Universal Quire.
239
THE Song of MOSES PARAPHRAS'D.
Attend, O Heav'ns, and you Empyreal Sphears
Did you possess as many list'ning Ears,
As Starry Eyes, all, as you roll along,
Should be employ'd to hear my following Song.
To my important words a while attend,
And back my Notes in tuneful Ecchoes send.
Peace, ye tumultuous Waters of the Deep,
A while ye yelling Monsters silence keep,
And let the Billows roll, and rock themselves asleep.
Be still, ye Earthquakes, in the Caves beneath,
Ye Winds be husht, and stop your stormy Breath.
Thunders, your bellowing, deaf'ning Noise forbear,
Tempests be gone, and leave in Peace the Air;
That so the quiet Earth, and Air, and Sea,
Without disturbance may attention pay,
Whilst I th' Almighty's wondrous Deeds display.
Did you possess as many list'ning Ears,
As Starry Eyes, all, as you roll along,
Should be employ'd to hear my following Song.
To my important words a while attend,
And back my Notes in tuneful Ecchoes send.
Peace, ye tumultuous Waters of the Deep,
A while ye yelling Monsters silence keep,
And let the Billows roll, and rock themselves asleep.
Be still, ye Earthquakes, in the Caves beneath,
Ye Winds be husht, and stop your stormy Breath.
Thunders, your bellowing, deaf'ning Noise forbear,
Tempests be gone, and leave in Peace the Air;
That so the quiet Earth, and Air, and Sea,
Without disturbance may attention pay,
Whilst I th' Almighty's wondrous Deeds display.
And let not my Divine Discourse be vain,
Let it distill as Dew, and drop as Rain,
That in their grassy Garments cloaths the Hills,
And with rich Fruits the smiling Vally fills.
Whilst I to all the World aloud proclaim
His Majesty, his great and awful Name,
Whilst I his Triumphs sing, ye Tribes, do you
To God ascribe the Pow'r and Glory due.
Let it distill as Dew, and drop as Rain,
240
And with rich Fruits the smiling Vally fills.
Whilst I to all the World aloud proclaim
His Majesty, his great and awful Name,
Whilst I his Triumphs sing, ye Tribes, do you
To God ascribe the Pow'r and Glory due.
God is a Rock unchang'd by Ages past,
And by the future shall unshaken last.
Perfect are all his Works, and all his Ways;
From Truth's Eternal Rule he never strays.
Upright and Equal all his Acts appear,
He's just, when kind, and gracious, when severe.
Therefore, ye Sons of Jacob, be it known
On your own heads you've pull'd Destruction down.
Your black Offences have incens'd your God,
And forc'd his hand to take his vengeful Rod.
Say not that yours, the Faults of Children are,
Which a kind Father is induc'd to spare:
Your Crimson Spots, your foul and loathsome stains
Tell the rank Poison that infects your Veins.
Your unexampled Contumacy shows
You are not Children, but invet'rate Foes.
Th' Almighty's Goodness do you thus despise,
Ah foolish Generation and unwise!
Your Great Deliverer do you thus requite?
His Pow'r and Mercy thus perversly slight?
You by a vast expence of Wonders bought,
He from your Bondage back from Egypt brought.
He then advanc'd you to Imperial Sway,
And made the Pagan Kings your Laws obey.
From all Mankind he chose you for his own,
And did your Sons with Pow'r and Plenty crown.
Consult our antient Fathers, to the source
Of our recorded Story have recourse:
You'll find when God did with a lib'ral hand
Among the Nations give the parted Land,
He Canaan's happy Region did divide,
Where Jacob's Offspring should at last reside.
He from the Pagan did his People bound,
And for himself fenc'd this Inclosure round,
And blest with his Abode the sacred Ground.
To Wealth and Pow'r he Israel did advance,
And with his Gifts enrich'd his own Inheritance.
And by the future shall unshaken last.
Perfect are all his Works, and all his Ways;
From Truth's Eternal Rule he never strays.
Upright and Equal all his Acts appear,
He's just, when kind, and gracious, when severe.
Therefore, ye Sons of Jacob, be it known
On your own heads you've pull'd Destruction down.
Your black Offences have incens'd your God,
And forc'd his hand to take his vengeful Rod.
Say not that yours, the Faults of Children are,
Which a kind Father is induc'd to spare:
Your Crimson Spots, your foul and loathsome stains
Tell the rank Poison that infects your Veins.
Your unexampled Contumacy shows
You are not Children, but invet'rate Foes.
Th' Almighty's Goodness do you thus despise,
Ah foolish Generation and unwise!
Your Great Deliverer do you thus requite?
His Pow'r and Mercy thus perversly slight?
You by a vast expence of Wonders bought,
He from your Bondage back from Egypt brought.
241
And made the Pagan Kings your Laws obey.
From all Mankind he chose you for his own,
And did your Sons with Pow'r and Plenty crown.
Consult our antient Fathers, to the source
Of our recorded Story have recourse:
You'll find when God did with a lib'ral hand
Among the Nations give the parted Land,
He Canaan's happy Region did divide,
Where Jacob's Offspring should at last reside.
He from the Pagan did his People bound,
And for himself fenc'd this Inclosure round,
And blest with his Abode the sacred Ground.
To Wealth and Pow'r he Israel did advance,
And with his Gifts enrich'd his own Inheritance.
To seek out Jacob he the Desart past,
And found him in a lonesome yelling Wast,
With pain and want, and servile Chains opprest,
A Prey to every fierce Egyptian Beast.
God with Compassion mov'd to such distress,
Led the lost Stranger thro' the Wilderness.
He shielded him with his resistless Might,
And to direct him to proceed aright,
He on his Mind diffus'd his Heav'nly Light.
He did his Wants and Pleasures too supply,
And kept him as the Apple of his Eye.
See as an Eagle o'er her young ones flys,
Spreads out her Wings, and flutters in the Skys.
How from their Nest she does her Offspring bear,
Their Courage to provoke, and make 'em dare
To try their Wings, and trust themselves in Air:
So did th' Almighty Jacob's Sons excite,
From Egypt's Prisons to attempt their flight:
Which he assisted with a Father's Care,
And did their way thro' parting Waves prepare.
He thro' the pathless Desart was their guide,
And when the Tribes for Egypt's Onions cry'd,
He in the Wilderness his Table spread,
And in his Airy Ovens bak'd the Bread,
With which th' ungrateful Murmurers were fed.
And found him in a lonesome yelling Wast,
With pain and want, and servile Chains opprest,
A Prey to every fierce Egyptian Beast.
God with Compassion mov'd to such distress,
Led the lost Stranger thro' the Wilderness.
He shielded him with his resistless Might,
And to direct him to proceed aright,
He on his Mind diffus'd his Heav'nly Light.
He did his Wants and Pleasures too supply,
And kept him as the Apple of his Eye.
See as an Eagle o'er her young ones flys,
Spreads out her Wings, and flutters in the Skys.
242
Their Courage to provoke, and make 'em dare
To try their Wings, and trust themselves in Air:
So did th' Almighty Jacob's Sons excite,
From Egypt's Prisons to attempt their flight:
Which he assisted with a Father's Care,
And did their way thro' parting Waves prepare.
He thro' the pathless Desart was their guide,
And when the Tribes for Egypt's Onions cry'd,
He in the Wilderness his Table spread,
And in his Airy Ovens bak'd the Bread,
With which th' ungrateful Murmurers were fed.
Then marching onward with a mighty hand,
He led them to possess a fertile Land.
There they the vanquish'd Heathen Lords pursu'd,
Reduc'd their Towns, and their strong Forts subdu'd,
That they the fruitful Region might enjoy,
And with delights their ravish'd Senses cloy.
A Soil which Nature's choicest Favours crown,
With Floods of Milk and Hony overflown:
Hony, that runs in yellow, fragrant Seas,
From out the holes of Rocks and hollow Trees.
Bath'd in their Oyl their chearful Faces shone,
And with the Grape's rich blood they warm'd their own.
And yet the Tribes by gracious Heav'n carest,
Rever'd abroad, at home with Plenty blest,
Grew fat and vicious, like a pamper'd Beast.
They all the Bounds of grateful Duty broke,
Spurn'd at their Lord, and kick'd against his Yoke.
Strange Gods inveigled their perfidious Heart
The Worship of th' Almighty to desert;
Tho' he had unexampled Kindness shown,
And had espous'd their Int'rests, as his own.
Then in his Breast fierce Jealousy began,
The Rage of God, as well as 'tis of Man.
He led them to possess a fertile Land.
There they the vanquish'd Heathen Lords pursu'd,
Reduc'd their Towns, and their strong Forts subdu'd,
That they the fruitful Region might enjoy,
And with delights their ravish'd Senses cloy.
A Soil which Nature's choicest Favours crown,
With Floods of Milk and Hony overflown:
Hony, that runs in yellow, fragrant Seas,
From out the holes of Rocks and hollow Trees.
Bath'd in their Oyl their chearful Faces shone,
And with the Grape's rich blood they warm'd their own.
And yet the Tribes by gracious Heav'n carest,
Rever'd abroad, at home with Plenty blest,
Grew fat and vicious, like a pamper'd Beast.
They all the Bounds of grateful Duty broke,
Spurn'd at their Lord, and kick'd against his Yoke.
243
The Worship of th' Almighty to desert;
Tho' he had unexampled Kindness shown,
And had espous'd their Int'rests, as his own.
Then in his Breast fierce Jealousy began,
The Rage of God, as well as 'tis of Man.
They impious Adoration prostrate pay,
And Sacrifices in their Temples slay
To foul Infernal Fiends, that there abide,
And in the Mock-Divinitys reside.
The Fools, the Gods they serve, themselves create,
All upstart Deitys of modern Date.
Gods the productions of fantastic Fear,
Not Gods above, but manufactur'd here.
And Sacrifices in their Temples slay
To foul Infernal Fiends, that there abide,
And in the Mock-Divinitys reside.
The Fools, the Gods they serve, themselves create,
All upstart Deitys of modern Date.
Gods the productions of fantastic Fear,
Not Gods above, but manufactur'd here.
But their Celestial Father they forgot,
Who their unthankful Tribes from Egypt brought.
Who as a Rock did them in danger hide,
Remove their Fears, and for their Wants provide.
Who gave them Riches with a bounteous Hand,
Rais'd them to Honour, and to wide Command.
Such their Perversness and Offences were,
That God his People, once his tender Care,
In his fierce Indignation did disclaim,
And threw his Children off, his Children but in Name.
Henceforth, he said, I will conceal my Face,
And hide my self from this unfaithful Race.
Then they, and all the Nations round shall see
The sad Event of their Apostacy.
From my Protection and my Favour cast,
Which they have long abus'd, they shall at last,
The dreadful fruits of their Rebellions tast.
Who their unthankful Tribes from Egypt brought.
Who as a Rock did them in danger hide,
Remove their Fears, and for their Wants provide.
Who gave them Riches with a bounteous Hand,
Rais'd them to Honour, and to wide Command.
Such their Perversness and Offences were,
That God his People, once his tender Care,
In his fierce Indignation did disclaim,
And threw his Children off, his Children but in Name.
Henceforth, he said, I will conceal my Face,
And hide my self from this unfaithful Race.
Then they, and all the Nations round shall see
The sad Event of their Apostacy.
244
Which they have long abus'd, they shall at last,
The dreadful fruits of their Rebellions tast.
Since the perverse and stubborn Tribes agree,
To fire my Soul with Rage and Jealousy,
Imaginary Gods while they adore,
And to their Fictions give Almighty Pow'r;
In like designs against them I'll engage,
And will their Sons with Jealousy enrage.
The Time will come when I'll no more confine
My Favours and Regard to Jacob's Line,
To grieve their Sons, my Blessing I'll dispence
Among a salvage People void of Sense.
I'll, like my Sun, spread my inlightning Grace
On every Nation sprung from Adam's Race.
To fire my Soul with Rage and Jealousy,
Imaginary Gods while they adore,
And to their Fictions give Almighty Pow'r;
In like designs against them I'll engage,
And will their Sons with Jealousy enrage.
The Time will come when I'll no more confine
My Favours and Regard to Jacob's Line,
To grieve their Sons, my Blessing I'll dispence
Among a salvage People void of Sense.
I'll, like my Sun, spread my inlightning Grace
On every Nation sprung from Adam's Race.
On thee, O Jacob, I thy angry God,
Vast heaps of heavy Mischief will unload.
For kindled by my Wrath a Fire shall burn
The Forrests down, and Hills to Cinders turn.
It thro' the Bowels of the Earth shall spread,
And scorch the cold Apartments of the Dead.
All Nature's Frame shall my fierce Anger feel,
And surfeited with Wrath, the drunken Earth shall reel.
I all my Stores and Arsenals will drain,
To pour Destruction down, and deadly Pain.
I'll from my Quiver all my Arrows send,
And Israel to destroy will all my Vengeance spend.
Some shall by ling'ring Famine wasted ly,
And shall not, till 'tis late, have leave to dy.
Their Air shall be infected, and the Breath
That fed their Life, shall now give certain Death.
Fevers in livid, poisonous Steams convey'd,
And burning Plagues their Dwellings shall invade,
If any shou'd these foremost Plagues outlive,
I'll to the Forrest Beasts Commissions give,
And to the Serpents that in Caves abide,
Or in the Dust their speckled Terrors hide,
Th' Apostate Sons of Jacob to devour,
That slight my Favours, and defy my Pow'r.
If these Domestic Mischiefs can't destroy
This stubborn Nation, I'll the Sword employ.
I'll bring in sure Destruction from afar,
And all the Terrors of resistless War.
Their Innocence in vain the Virgins plead,
Young Men their Youth, the Old their Hoary Head.
Pierc'd with the Sword the sucking Infant crys,
And in th' expiring Mother's Bosom dys.
I from the Earth would these Apostates drive,
And leave no Soul of Jacob's Line alive;
Did not I fear the Heathen would blaspheme,
Reproach my Conduct, and my Wrath condemn.
That they would vaunt, and say their mighty hand
Israel subdu'd, and chas'd him from his Land.
Vast heaps of heavy Mischief will unload.
For kindled by my Wrath a Fire shall burn
The Forrests down, and Hills to Cinders turn.
It thro' the Bowels of the Earth shall spread,
And scorch the cold Apartments of the Dead.
All Nature's Frame shall my fierce Anger feel,
And surfeited with Wrath, the drunken Earth shall reel.
I all my Stores and Arsenals will drain,
To pour Destruction down, and deadly Pain.
I'll from my Quiver all my Arrows send,
And Israel to destroy will all my Vengeance spend.
245
And shall not, till 'tis late, have leave to dy.
Their Air shall be infected, and the Breath
That fed their Life, shall now give certain Death.
Fevers in livid, poisonous Steams convey'd,
And burning Plagues their Dwellings shall invade,
If any shou'd these foremost Plagues outlive,
I'll to the Forrest Beasts Commissions give,
And to the Serpents that in Caves abide,
Or in the Dust their speckled Terrors hide,
Th' Apostate Sons of Jacob to devour,
That slight my Favours, and defy my Pow'r.
If these Domestic Mischiefs can't destroy
This stubborn Nation, I'll the Sword employ.
I'll bring in sure Destruction from afar,
And all the Terrors of resistless War.
Their Innocence in vain the Virgins plead,
Young Men their Youth, the Old their Hoary Head.
Pierc'd with the Sword the sucking Infant crys,
And in th' expiring Mother's Bosom dys.
I from the Earth would these Apostates drive,
And leave no Soul of Jacob's Line alive;
Did not I fear the Heathen would blaspheme,
Reproach my Conduct, and my Wrath condemn.
That they would vaunt, and say their mighty hand
Israel subdu'd, and chas'd him from his Land.
For Jacob's void of Sense, and does reject
Th' Advice by which he should his ways direct.
O that these unconsidering Tribes were wise!
O that they knew wherein their Int'rest lyes!
That they to wholesome Counsels would attend,
Think on their Ways, and on their later End!
That they would thus reflect, God's vengeful Blow
Is sure and fatal, be it ne'er so slow.
The Debt of Vengeance does by his delay
Augment the Sum, which he at last will pay.
Th' Advice by which he should his ways direct.
246
O that they knew wherein their Int'rest lyes!
That they to wholesome Counsels would attend,
Think on their Ways, and on their later End!
That they would thus reflect, God's vengeful Blow
Is sure and fatal, be it ne'er so slow.
The Debt of Vengeance does by his delay
Augment the Sum, which he at last will pay.
How should a Man a Thousand chase, and two
Ten Thousand flying Enemys pursue,
Had not their God in Wrath withdrawn his Aid
And their high Fences flat and open laid;
Had he not shut them up in Holes and Caves,
Or sold 'em to th' insulting Foe for Slaves?
For, let our Foes be Judges, they'll declare
That to our God, their own inferiour are.
This by th' Suffrings which they undergo,
Their conquer'd Towns and routed Armys know.
Had he been pleas'd among us to abide,
Conquest had still attended Israel's side.
'Tis from our selves alone our Suff'rings spring,
For Sin at last will sure Destruction bring.
Ten Thousand flying Enemys pursue,
Had not their God in Wrath withdrawn his Aid
And their high Fences flat and open laid;
Had he not shut them up in Holes and Caves,
Or sold 'em to th' insulting Foe for Slaves?
For, let our Foes be Judges, they'll declare
That to our God, their own inferiour are.
This by th' Suffrings which they undergo,
Their conquer'd Towns and routed Armys know.
Had he been pleas'd among us to abide,
Conquest had still attended Israel's side.
'Tis from our selves alone our Suff'rings spring,
For Sin at last will sure Destruction bring.
I planted Jacob as a noble Vine,
Expecting thence a rich and gen'rous Wine,
But 'tis degenerate, and a sourer Juice
The Vines in Sodom's Fields did ne'er produce.
No baser Stock did in Gomorrah grow;
Wormwood and Gall from its prest Clusters flow.
No ranker Poison wild Arabia yields
Than this, that grows in Palestina's Fields.
Their Wine outdoes the Venom Asps afford,
Or that, with which the Serpent's Teeth are stor'd.
But tho' I suffer long they grosly err,
That thence shall their Impunity infer.
Their Wickedness exactly I record,
Their Crimes are safely with my Treasure stor'd,
Next to the Caves where I my Vengeance hoard.
To me belongs to punish and reward,
The Debt is ne'er forgotten, tho' deferr'd.
Vengeance digests, and strengthens as it lies,
And will at last to full Perfection rise.
Sin and Destruction still together go,
Vengeance is ripe, whenever Sin is so.
The black and dismal Day approaches near,
When Justice in its Terrors will appear.
A Day of greater Sorrow and Distress
Than Fear can apprehend, or Words express.
Then suff'ring Israel will in Anguish say,
I did not pardon, tho' I did delay.
Expecting thence a rich and gen'rous Wine,
But 'tis degenerate, and a sourer Juice
The Vines in Sodom's Fields did ne'er produce.
No baser Stock did in Gomorrah grow;
Wormwood and Gall from its prest Clusters flow.
247
Than this, that grows in Palestina's Fields.
Their Wine outdoes the Venom Asps afford,
Or that, with which the Serpent's Teeth are stor'd.
But tho' I suffer long they grosly err,
That thence shall their Impunity infer.
Their Wickedness exactly I record,
Their Crimes are safely with my Treasure stor'd,
Next to the Caves where I my Vengeance hoard.
To me belongs to punish and reward,
The Debt is ne'er forgotten, tho' deferr'd.
Vengeance digests, and strengthens as it lies,
And will at last to full Perfection rise.
Sin and Destruction still together go,
Vengeance is ripe, whenever Sin is so.
The black and dismal Day approaches near,
When Justice in its Terrors will appear.
A Day of greater Sorrow and Distress
Than Fear can apprehend, or Words express.
Then suff'ring Israel will in Anguish say,
I did not pardon, tho' I did delay.
Yet God at last will from his Wrath depart,
Plead for his People, and their Cause assert.
His tender Nature will at last relent,
And if his People do, he'll soon repent.
Commiseration will possess his Breast,
When he shall see his Israel sore opprest.
When he shall find the Plagues that he employ'd,
Has almost Jacob's guilty Race destroy'd.
He'll thus the stupid Criminals upbraid,
Where are the Gods to whom you bow'd and pray'd?
Now for Protection to your Idols flee,
The Gods you chose, when you rejected me.
You did your Adoration to them pay;
Your Sacrifices at their Altars slay,
And rich Oblations there profusely lay.
To these Abominations, Israel, cry,
In thy distress their Power and Goodness try.
With loud repeated Pray'rs thy Gods invoke,
To bring thee Aid and break thy heavy Yoke.
Now by your sad experience learn and see,
That I the Lord, ev'n I alone am he,
That can subdue your Foes and set your Captives free.
I at my Pleasure Kill and make alive,
I wound and heal, I health and sickness give.
Where is the Arm that can my Pow'r withstand,
And tear a Pris'ner from my griping Hand?
I lift my hand, most solemnly I swear,
And, as I live for ever, I declare
That when I once begin to take the Field,
To whet my glitt'ring Sword, and raise my Shield,
When I my deadly Instruments prepare,
And arm my self to undertake the War;
My Fury shall my Enemys devour,
And on their Land I'll Storms of Vengeance pour.
I'll give my hungry Sword their Flesh for Food,
And make my thirsty Arrows drunk with Blood.
Plead for his People, and their Cause assert.
His tender Nature will at last relent,
And if his People do, he'll soon repent.
Commiseration will possess his Breast,
When he shall see his Israel sore opprest.
When he shall find the Plagues that he employ'd,
Has almost Jacob's guilty Race destroy'd.
248
Where are the Gods to whom you bow'd and pray'd?
Now for Protection to your Idols flee,
The Gods you chose, when you rejected me.
You did your Adoration to them pay;
Your Sacrifices at their Altars slay,
And rich Oblations there profusely lay.
To these Abominations, Israel, cry,
In thy distress their Power and Goodness try.
With loud repeated Pray'rs thy Gods invoke,
To bring thee Aid and break thy heavy Yoke.
Now by your sad experience learn and see,
That I the Lord, ev'n I alone am he,
That can subdue your Foes and set your Captives free.
I at my Pleasure Kill and make alive,
I wound and heal, I health and sickness give.
Where is the Arm that can my Pow'r withstand,
And tear a Pris'ner from my griping Hand?
I lift my hand, most solemnly I swear,
And, as I live for ever, I declare
That when I once begin to take the Field,
To whet my glitt'ring Sword, and raise my Shield,
When I my deadly Instruments prepare,
And arm my self to undertake the War;
My Fury shall my Enemys devour,
And on their Land I'll Storms of Vengeance pour.
I'll give my hungry Sword their Flesh for Food,
And make my thirsty Arrows drunk with Blood.
249
Their Voices let the Gentile World employ,
And joyn with Jacob's Sons in Songs of Joy:
For on their Foes God will avenge the blood
Of those who stedfast in his Service stood.
To Israel he his Mercy will extend,
And Heav'nly Light and Truth amidst their Dwellings send.
And joyn with Jacob's Sons in Songs of Joy:
For on their Foes God will avenge the blood
Of those who stedfast in his Service stood.
To Israel he his Mercy will extend,
And Heav'nly Light and Truth amidst their Dwellings send.
251
A PARAPHRASE On part of the xivth Cha. of Isaiah.
The Nations round amaz'd and overjoy'd,
Shall crowd to see proud Babylon destroy'd.
They'll spred their Hands to Heav'n, and say,
O blest, O long expected Day!
How from his Throne is the great Tyrant cast,
The Ravager that all our Towns defac't,
Ruin'd Mankind, and laid all Nature wast!
How is th' Imperial, Purple Plague that reign'd,
And rag'd so long at last restrain'd?
Where are the Guards who us'd to wait
Before th' Oppressor's Palace Gate?
Where are the awful Ensigns of his State?
Where is the fawning flatt'ring Throng,
That to his Court did once belong?
Who did the Monster as a God adore,
And bless the rav'ning Jaws that did Mankind devour.
Shall crowd to see proud Babylon destroy'd.
They'll spred their Hands to Heav'n, and say,
O blest, O long expected Day!
How from his Throne is the great Tyrant cast,
The Ravager that all our Towns defac't,
Ruin'd Mankind, and laid all Nature wast!
How is th' Imperial, Purple Plague that reign'd,
And rag'd so long at last restrain'd?
Where are the Guards who us'd to wait
Before th' Oppressor's Palace Gate?
Where are the awful Ensigns of his State?
Where is the fawning flatt'ring Throng,
That to his Court did once belong?
Who did the Monster as a God adore,
And bless the rav'ning Jaws that did Mankind devour.
The haughty City which the World controul'd,
Magnificent with Cedar, and with Gold,
Which tow'ring stood amidst the Skys,
See where her Head in heaps of Rubbish lys.
Is this the City will Spectators say,
That all the World her Empire did survey?
That made the Nations tremble with her Frowns,
And gave to Kings their Tributary Crowns?
How great a Change! good Heav'ns, how soon
Is all her Pride and Glory gone!
God by a great illustrious Stroke
Of Justice, has her Monarch's Scepter broke,
And freed the groaning Nations from his Yoke.
He has destroy'd the Tow'rs of Babylon,
And rent the Pillars that upheld her Throne.
He has her cruel Pow'r withstood,
And on her Head aveng'd the Nation's Blood.
She that the Faces of the Poor did grind,
That ne'er to Mercy was inclin'd,
Shall no Compassion from the Conq'rour find.
The People by her Yoke opprest,
By Heav'n deliver'd from their Bondage rest.
Kingdoms enslav'd their Liberty regain,
And Captives from their Feet shake off the servile Chain.
Loud Triumphs, universal Joy,
And Songs of Praise shall all the Earth employ.
Magnificent with Cedar, and with Gold,
252
See where her Head in heaps of Rubbish lys.
Is this the City will Spectators say,
That all the World her Empire did survey?
That made the Nations tremble with her Frowns,
And gave to Kings their Tributary Crowns?
How great a Change! good Heav'ns, how soon
Is all her Pride and Glory gone!
God by a great illustrious Stroke
Of Justice, has her Monarch's Scepter broke,
And freed the groaning Nations from his Yoke.
He has destroy'd the Tow'rs of Babylon,
And rent the Pillars that upheld her Throne.
He has her cruel Pow'r withstood,
And on her Head aveng'd the Nation's Blood.
She that the Faces of the Poor did grind,
That ne'er to Mercy was inclin'd,
Shall no Compassion from the Conq'rour find.
The People by her Yoke opprest,
By Heav'n deliver'd from their Bondage rest.
Kingdoms enslav'd their Liberty regain,
And Captives from their Feet shake off the servile Chain.
Loud Triumphs, universal Joy,
And Songs of Praise shall all the Earth employ.
The Pines and Fir-trees on the Hills rejoyce,
And with a grateful Voice
The Cedars that in stately Order grow
On Lebanon's high Airy Brow,
Cry, we of this Deliv'rance too partake,
Let us as well as Men our thankful Off'ring make.
We Liberty, as well as they, enjoy;
No more shall Babylon employ,
Her Ravagers our quiet to annoy.
Our Spoils shall yield no more supply
To the proud City's Luxury.
No more the Feller shall our Forest wound,
No more the Axe shall thro' the Hills resound,
Nor shall our mangl'd Limbs o'erspred th'encumber'd ground
And with a grateful Voice
The Cedars that in stately Order grow
On Lebanon's high Airy Brow,
253
Let us as well as Men our thankful Off'ring make.
We Liberty, as well as they, enjoy;
No more shall Babylon employ,
Her Ravagers our quiet to annoy.
Our Spoils shall yield no more supply
To the proud City's Luxury.
No more the Feller shall our Forest wound,
No more the Axe shall thro' the Hills resound,
Nor shall our mangl'd Limbs o'erspred th'encumber'd ground
The Grave shall for th' Assyrian Monarch's sake
Disturb the Peaceful Dead, and make
Her drousy Lodgers rise,
Shake from their Feet their Chains, and Slumber from their Eyes.
Princes and Kings who underground
Only with Worms and Dust are crown'd,
She from their Beds of Darkness shall release,
The only Thrones they now possess:
To meet Assyria's Tyrant on his way,
The Grave this Royal Embassy shall send;
And, as instructed, they shall say,
O King, does thus thy Pomp and Empire end?
Feeble as we art thou become?
Must we conduct thee to a narrow Tomb,
For whom the World before had scarce sufficient room?
Art thou whose Scepter had so vast a sway,
Whose Will ev'n Kings themselves did once obey,
Stript of thy Pow'r and Majesty,
Art thou as Naked, Poor and Weak as we?
Disturb the Peaceful Dead, and make
Her drousy Lodgers rise,
Shake from their Feet their Chains, and Slumber from their Eyes.
Princes and Kings who underground
Only with Worms and Dust are crown'd,
She from their Beds of Darkness shall release,
The only Thrones they now possess:
To meet Assyria's Tyrant on his way,
The Grave this Royal Embassy shall send;
And, as instructed, they shall say,
O King, does thus thy Pomp and Empire end?
Feeble as we art thou become?
Must we conduct thee to a narrow Tomb,
For whom the World before had scarce sufficient room?
Art thou whose Scepter had so vast a sway,
Whose Will ev'n Kings themselves did once obey,
Stript of thy Pow'r and Majesty,
Art thou as Naked, Poor and Weak as we?
254
Could not thy Conq'ring Armys save
Their mighty Monarch from the Grave?
Must thou too in a dark and dusty Bed
Lay thy Imperial awful Head,
And be with Worms instead of Scarlet spread?
And must the Ear
That us'd to hear
The Viol's, or the Harp's melodious Noise,
Or the Flatterer's softer Voice,
Be now with us the Dead entomb'd,
To everlasting Silence doom'd?
Their mighty Monarch from the Grave?
Must thou too in a dark and dusty Bed
Lay thy Imperial awful Head,
And be with Worms instead of Scarlet spread?
And must the Ear
That us'd to hear
The Viol's, or the Harp's melodious Noise,
Or the Flatterer's softer Voice,
Be now with us the Dead entomb'd,
To everlasting Silence doom'd?
How art thou fal'n from Heav'n, O Lucifer,
Son of the Morn,
How does thy Glory disappear,
Which once thy Temples did adorn?
Grown mad with Pride, by Flatt'ry fed,
Thou in thy Heart has oft blaspheming said,
I into Heav'n, will, as a God, arise,
And shine above the Stars amidst the Skys.
Worship Divine will me befit,
I base Mortality disown,
And therefore will on Zion fix my Throne,
And there to be ador'd in Majesty will sit.
Above the Clouds of Heav'n will I ascend,
And my Dominion o'er the World extend.
My Greatness Men shall like to God's adore,
And uncontroul'd, like his, shall be my Sov'raign Pow'r.
Son of the Morn,
How does thy Glory disappear,
Which once thy Temples did adorn?
Grown mad with Pride, by Flatt'ry fed,
Thou in thy Heart has oft blaspheming said,
I into Heav'n, will, as a God, arise,
And shine above the Stars amidst the Skys.
Worship Divine will me befit,
I base Mortality disown,
And therefore will on Zion fix my Throne,
And there to be ador'd in Majesty will sit.
Above the Clouds of Heav'n will I ascend,
And my Dominion o'er the World extend.
My Greatness Men shall like to God's adore,
And uncontroul'd, like his, shall be my Sov'raign Pow'r.
255
Yet, Tyrant, thou shalt sink as low as Hell,
And of thy State divested dwell
In the gloomy Shades beneath,
In the dusty Courts of Death.
Where thy Arrival will the Dead amaze,
On thee the pale Inhabitants will gaze,
And cry, is this the late pretended God
That govern'd Millions with his Nod,
And on the Necks of Captive Princes trod?
Is this th'Immortal Man that never cloy'd
With Blood and Rapine all the Earth destroy'd?
That Princes of their Thrones did dispossess
Did wasted Nations with his Yoke oppress,
And made the empty World a howling Wilderness?
Who Tow'rs demolish'd, goodly Buildings burn'd
And Cities into Rubbish turn'd;
Who never gave his People rest,
Nor once his Pris'ners from their Chains releast.
And of thy State divested dwell
In the gloomy Shades beneath,
In the dusty Courts of Death.
Where thy Arrival will the Dead amaze,
On thee the pale Inhabitants will gaze,
And cry, is this the late pretended God
That govern'd Millions with his Nod,
And on the Necks of Captive Princes trod?
Is this th'Immortal Man that never cloy'd
With Blood and Rapine all the Earth destroy'd?
That Princes of their Thrones did dispossess
Did wasted Nations with his Yoke oppress,
And made the empty World a howling Wilderness?
Who Tow'rs demolish'd, goodly Buildings burn'd
And Cities into Rubbish turn'd;
Who never gave his People rest,
Nor once his Pris'ners from their Chains releast.
When other Sov'raign Princes die,
They lie in pompous Sepulchres, prepar'd
To Lodge their Royal Family,
And as they liv'd they are in State inter'd.
But none thy Body in the Tomb shall lay,
They'll cast it as a rotten Branch away.
No Funeral Honours shall thy Herse adorn,
But as the bloody Raiment of the Slain
Whom the next Pit or Quarries entertain,
Thy more polluted Carcass shall with scorn
Be trodden under foot, and into pieces torn.
They lie in pompous Sepulchres, prepar'd
To Lodge their Royal Family,
And as they liv'd they are in State inter'd.
But none thy Body in the Tomb shall lay,
They'll cast it as a rotten Branch away.
No Funeral Honours shall thy Herse adorn,
But as the bloody Raiment of the Slain
Whom the next Pit or Quarries entertain,
256
Be trodden under foot, and into pieces torn.
Thou shalt not from thy Palace be convey'd
As other Monarchs use to be,
Nor in a stately Tomb be laid
With costly Rites and sad Solemnity.
Because thy Salvage Hand
Has slain thy People and destroy'd thy Land.
God shall all Marks and Monuments efface
Of this ungodly, cruel Race.
His Hand that rais'd them up shall pull'em down,
And strip them of their Glory and Renown.
Resistless Ruin he will on 'em send,
Their House and Empire shall together end.
As other Monarchs use to be,
Nor in a stately Tomb be laid
With costly Rites and sad Solemnity.
Because thy Salvage Hand
Has slain thy People and destroy'd thy Land.
God shall all Marks and Monuments efface
Of this ungodly, cruel Race.
His Hand that rais'd them up shall pull'em down,
And strip them of their Glory and Renown.
Resistless Ruin he will on 'em send,
Their House and Empire shall together end.
Let it ye Medes and Persians be you Care
Destruction for their Children to prepare.
No tenderness to Age or Sex express,
But on the Sons avenge the Father's Wickedness.
That this curst House may never more
Regain their Splendor and their former Pow'r.
Destruction for their Children to prepare.
No tenderness to Age or Sex express,
But on the Sons avenge the Father's Wickedness.
That this curst House may never more
Regain their Splendor and their former Pow'r.
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, O Babilon,
Thou'rt fully ripe for Ruin grown:
In Storms of Vengeance I'll against thee rise
Which shall thy careless Sons surprise.
Thy lofty Tow'rs I'll level lay,
And sweep thy vile Inhabitants away.
Thou'rt fully ripe for Ruin grown:
In Storms of Vengeance I'll against thee rise
Which shall thy careless Sons surprise.
Thy lofty Tow'rs I'll level lay,
And sweep thy vile Inhabitants away.
257
Thee like to Sodom I will make,
And turn thee to a mighty Lake.
The lonesome Bittern shall possess
This Fenny Seat, this Reedy Wilderness.
The Waves shall thro' thy Cedar Chambers rowl,
And on thy Shore shall Water-Monsters howl.
The Palaces where cruel Kings did reign,
In time to come shall entertain
The mute Oppressors of the Main.
So Babylon shall always be
The Seat of Blood and Tyranny.
A scaly Garrison shall dwell
In every Fort and Cittadel.
The swift Assassins of the Flood shall sport
Within thy Monarch's weedy Court;
Thither shall Fish of every Kind resort.
There thy Luxurious Sons they shall devour,
And feed on those; who fed on them before.
And turn thee to a mighty Lake.
The lonesome Bittern shall possess
This Fenny Seat, this Reedy Wilderness.
The Waves shall thro' thy Cedar Chambers rowl,
And on thy Shore shall Water-Monsters howl.
The Palaces where cruel Kings did reign,
In time to come shall entertain
The mute Oppressors of the Main.
So Babylon shall always be
The Seat of Blood and Tyranny.
A scaly Garrison shall dwell
In every Fort and Cittadel.
The swift Assassins of the Flood shall sport
Within thy Monarch's weedy Court;
Thither shall Fish of every Kind resort.
There thy Luxurious Sons they shall devour,
And feed on those; who fed on them before.
259
THE xxxivth Cha. of Isaiah. PARAPHRAS'D.
Ye various Nations who disperse
Your Dwellings thro' the spacious Universe,
Inhabitants of every distant Soil,
Of every Continent and every Isle,
At Heav'n's dread Summons all appear;
Let all the World collected throng to hear
Things that will melt their trembling Hearts with fear.
Your Dwellings thro' the spacious Universe,
Inhabitants of every distant Soil,
Of every Continent and every Isle,
At Heav'n's dread Summons all appear;
Let all the World collected throng to hear
Things that will melt their trembling Hearts with fear.
Against the Nations God's fierce Anger burns,
Against them he his pointed Vengeance turns.
He brings his oldest Stores of Fury forth,
Hidden Reserves of Rage, and high fermented Wrath.
He will the swiftest Kinds of Death employ
The Heathen Nations to destroy;
Who mixing Arms advance from far
Against our Land Confed'rate War.
Their Bodies shall unburied lie, a Feast
To every rav'ning Forrest Beast.
Vultures and all the Rovers of the Air,
To the red Fields of Slaughter shall repair;
Where they great Chiefs and Potentates shall eat,
And royal Banquets shall their Hunger treat.
From heaps of putrifying Dead,
Amidst the Skies
A noisome Scent shall rise,
And thro' the tainted Air Malignant Vapours spread.
Against them he his pointed Vengeance turns.
He brings his oldest Stores of Fury forth,
Hidden Reserves of Rage, and high fermented Wrath.
He will the swiftest Kinds of Death employ
The Heathen Nations to destroy;
Who mixing Arms advance from far
Against our Land Confed'rate War.
Their Bodies shall unburied lie, a Feast
To every rav'ning Forrest Beast.
Vultures and all the Rovers of the Air,
To the red Fields of Slaughter shall repair;
Where they great Chiefs and Potentates shall eat,
And royal Banquets shall their Hunger treat.
260
Amidst the Skies
A noisome Scent shall rise,
And thro' the tainted Air Malignant Vapours spread.
Down from the Hills on which their Armys stood
Torrents shall run of reeking Blood,
And rocky Fragments roll along th' impetous Flood.
The Plains shall lie, and all the Vales around
Beneath the Purple Inundation drown'd.
Torrents shall run of reeking Blood,
And rocky Fragments roll along th' impetous Flood.
The Plains shall lie, and all the Vales around
Beneath the Purple Inundation drown'd.
Nature shall groan, and during this attack
Her universal Frame shall with Convulsions shake.
The Sun and Moon amaz'd to see
Nature's convulsive Agony
Shall spring, and start from out their Sphears;
And all the glitt'ring Host of Stars
Seiz'd with no less affright,
Shall fly away from Mortals sight,
And in the Bosom hide of antient Night.
The vast Expansion drawn around the World,
Shall like a useless Sail be furl'd.
All the blew Volumes of the Sky shall roll
Themselves together, as a Parchment Scrole.
Celestial Orbs that round us shine
Falling from Heav'n the World shall see
As Leaves in Autumn from the Vine,
Or Figgs when ripe, fall from the shaken Tree.
Her universal Frame shall with Convulsions shake.
The Sun and Moon amaz'd to see
Nature's convulsive Agony
Shall spring, and start from out their Sphears;
And all the glitt'ring Host of Stars
Seiz'd with no less affright,
Shall fly away from Mortals sight,
And in the Bosom hide of antient Night.
The vast Expansion drawn around the World,
Shall like a useless Sail be furl'd.
All the blew Volumes of the Sky shall roll
Themselves together, as a Parchment Scrole.
Celestial Orbs that round us shine
Falling from Heav'n the World shall see
As Leaves in Autumn from the Vine,
Or Figgs when ripe, fall from the shaken Tree.
261
Th' Almighty's Sword, so 'tis in Heav'n decreed,
Shall bath it self in Blood, and on Destruction feed.
The radiant Spoiler down the Sky
Shall like projected Lightning fly.
On Edom's Fields he'll make his swift descent
To execute his dire Intent.
The reeking Ravager will march in hast
To slay the Men, and lay the Country wast.
Where e'er his Course the Conq'rour bends,
Ruin in all its frightful Forms attends.
Death and Destruction keep an equal pace,
And Desolation shews her ghastly, wastful Face.
Shall bath it self in Blood, and on Destruction feed.
The radiant Spoiler down the Sky
Shall like projected Lightning fly.
On Edom's Fields he'll make his swift descent
To execute his dire Intent.
The reeking Ravager will march in hast
To slay the Men, and lay the Country wast.
Where e'er his Course the Conq'rour bends,
Ruin in all its frightful Forms attends.
Death and Destruction keep an equal pace,
And Desolation shews her ghastly, wastful Face.
The glitt'ring Glutton shall be gorg'd with Food
Made fat with Spoil and drunk with Blood.
Not with the Blood of Goats and Lambs,
Nor fatted with the Flesh of Rams,
But with the Blood of Israel's Foes,
And with their Flesh who Israel's God oppose.
Princes and Lords with these combin'd
Against us, in Destruction too are joyn'd.
Princes and Lords who arm'd with Pow'r
The People, as their Prey devour:
Who lawless sway like Unicorns possess,
Or the wild Bulls that range the Wilderness.
God has a mighty Sacrifice in hand
In Bozrah, and at his command
Vast slaughter will be made in Edom's Land.
A Slaughter and a Sacrifice
Where harmless Beasts are sav'd, and Man th' Offender dies.
Made fat with Spoil and drunk with Blood.
Not with the Blood of Goats and Lambs,
Nor fatted with the Flesh of Rams,
But with the Blood of Israel's Foes,
And with their Flesh who Israel's God oppose.
Princes and Lords with these combin'd
Against us, in Destruction too are joyn'd.
Princes and Lords who arm'd with Pow'r
The People, as their Prey devour:
Who lawless sway like Unicorns possess,
Or the wild Bulls that range the Wilderness.
God has a mighty Sacrifice in hand
In Bozrah, and at his command
Vast slaughter will be made in Edom's Land.
262
Where harmless Beasts are sav'd, and Man th' Offender dies.
So great a Slaughter shall be made,
That all the Land shall under Blood be laid.
The Carcasses of Idumeans slain
Shall cover every Hill and Plain.
For this is that tremendous Day
Which God appoints, wherein to pay
The mighty Sums of Fury in arrear,
And his vast Debt of Vengeance clear;
His long contracted Debt of Vengeance due
To Nations, that his People's fall pursue.
That all the Land shall under Blood be laid.
The Carcasses of Idumeans slain
Shall cover every Hill and Plain.
For this is that tremendous Day
Which God appoints, wherein to pay
The mighty Sums of Fury in arrear,
And his vast Debt of Vengeance clear;
His long contracted Debt of Vengeance due
To Nations, that his People's fall pursue.
Their Floods to lazy Streams of Pitch shall turn,
And kindled Brimstone shall their Cities burn.
The Clouds shall spouts of Flame on Edom pour,
Such as Gomorrah did devour;
Whence everlasting Smoke shall rise,
As from a burning Mount amidst the Skies.
No People more shall e'er possess
This ruin'd Land, this burning Wilderness.
No Trav'ller ever more shall pass
Thro' this accurs'd, inhospitable Place.
Ne'er shall be seen the footsteps of a Man,
But the hoarce Bittern, and the Pelican,
The Owl and Raven shall inhabit there
With all th' illboding Monsters of the Air.
God to accomplish his design,
O'er Edom shall extend his measuring Line:
Shall draw his Compass round about,
And for Destruction mark the People out.
And kindled Brimstone shall their Cities burn.
The Clouds shall spouts of Flame on Edom pour,
Such as Gomorrah did devour;
Whence everlasting Smoke shall rise,
As from a burning Mount amidst the Skies.
No People more shall e'er possess
This ruin'd Land, this burning Wilderness.
No Trav'ller ever more shall pass
Thro' this accurs'd, inhospitable Place.
Ne'er shall be seen the footsteps of a Man,
But the hoarce Bittern, and the Pelican,
The Owl and Raven shall inhabit there
With all th' illboding Monsters of the Air.
God to accomplish his design,
O'er Edom shall extend his measuring Line:
263
And for Destruction mark the People out.
No Idumean Prince or Lord
Shall scape the Conq'ring Sword.
Thistles and thorny Trees
Shall flourish in their Princes Palaces.
Nettles shall spring around their Monarch's Throne;
Their Forts with Brambles shall be overgrown,
And mossy Turf shall cover every Stone.
Their gilded Roofs shall lodge the Bat and Owl,
And in their lofty Rooms of State
Where cringing Sycophants did wait,
Dragons shall hiss, and hungry Wolves shall howl.
In Courts before by mighty Lords possest,
The Serpent shall erect his speckled Crest,
Or fold his circling Spires to rest.
Shall scape the Conq'ring Sword.
Thistles and thorny Trees
Shall flourish in their Princes Palaces.
Nettles shall spring around their Monarch's Throne;
Their Forts with Brambles shall be overgrown,
And mossy Turf shall cover every Stone.
Their gilded Roofs shall lodge the Bat and Owl,
And in their lofty Rooms of State
Where cringing Sycophants did wait,
Dragons shall hiss, and hungry Wolves shall howl.
In Courts before by mighty Lords possest,
The Serpent shall erect his speckled Crest,
Or fold his circling Spires to rest.
The long-neck'd Gyant of the feather'd Kind
The Ostrich, there a sandy Nest shall find.
Leopards and all the rav'ning Brotherhoods
That range the Plains, or lurk in Woods,
Each other shall invite to come
And make this wilder Place their home.
Fierce Beasts of every frightful shape and size,
Shall setle here their bloody Colonys.
Satyrs shall to their Fellows cry, advance,
Let us to Edom's Land make hast,
'Tis a silent, lonesome Wast,
There let us dwell, there let us sport and dance.
The Ostrich, there a sandy Nest shall find.
Leopards and all the rav'ning Brotherhoods
That range the Plains, or lurk in Woods,
Each other shall invite to come
And make this wilder Place their home.
Fierce Beasts of every frightful shape and size,
Shall setle here their bloody Colonys.
Satyrs shall to their Fellows cry, advance,
Let us to Edom's Land make hast,
'Tis a silent, lonesome Wast,
There let us dwell, there let us sport and dance.
264
The Screech-Owl thither shall direct her flight,
With all the Hooping Horrors of the Night:
There they shall build their Nests and breed;
Their Eggs they'll unmolested lay,
There o'er their Young their Wings display
And there the gaping Callow Monsters feed.
The Vultures there and all the Eagle Kind
Shall rendezvous o'erjoy'd to find
A perfect desolation to their Mind.
With all the Hooping Horrors of the Night:
There they shall build their Nests and breed;
Their Eggs they'll unmolested lay,
There o'er their Young their Wings display
And there the gaping Callow Monsters feed.
The Vultures there and all the Eagle Kind
Shall rendezvous o'erjoy'd to find
A perfect desolation to their Mind.
265
THE xlth Chap. of Isaiah. PARAPHRAS'D.
Ye Prophets who divine Credentials bear
Distinguish'd by your Sacred Character,
Envoys and Agents, who by my Command
Reside in Palestina's Land;
To whom Commission I have giv'n
To manage there the Interests of Heav'n;
Ye holy Heralds who proclaim
Or War or Peace in mine your Master's Name,
Let my desponding People know,
That I their God will mitigate their Woe,
Tell them Compassion melts my Heart
That I of punishing Repent,
And that their bleeding Wounds and Smart
Which my own hand inflicted, I Lament.
Comfort Jerusalem, and cry
The time of her Deliverance is nigh.
Say her Offences I'll forget,
Nor more my scourging Strokes repeat.
Her Suffrings and her Servitude shall cease,
And from Oppression I'll her Sons release.
Th' Allarms of War she shall no longer hear,
No more Assyrian Armys fear.
She shall enjoy uninterrupted Ease,
Gather'd beneath the downy Wings of Peace.
The Suff'rings she has undergone
Abundantly my Wrath for all her Sins atone.
Distinguish'd by your Sacred Character,
Envoys and Agents, who by my Command
Reside in Palestina's Land;
To whom Commission I have giv'n
To manage there the Interests of Heav'n;
Ye holy Heralds who proclaim
Or War or Peace in mine your Master's Name,
Let my desponding People know,
That I their God will mitigate their Woe,
Tell them Compassion melts my Heart
That I of punishing Repent,
And that their bleeding Wounds and Smart
Which my own hand inflicted, I Lament.
Comfort Jerusalem, and cry
The time of her Deliverance is nigh.
Say her Offences I'll forget,
Nor more my scourging Strokes repeat.
Her Suffrings and her Servitude shall cease,
And from Oppression I'll her Sons release.
Th' Allarms of War she shall no longer hear,
No more Assyrian Armys fear.
266
Gather'd beneath the downy Wings of Peace.
The Suff'rings she has undergone
Abundantly my Wrath for all her Sins atone.
Hark! What a loud Majestic sound
What awful Accents from the Hills rebound!
Listen with Rev'rence, Hark! the noise
Grows more distinct; 'tis the commanding Voice
Of one that in the Desart crys,
Let all the Nations round arise:
Ye Pioneers of Heav'n prepare a Road
Thro' the pathless Wilderness,
Make it plain and strait and broad,
And let your Shouts your Joy express.
Th' obstructing Groves and Forrests level lay,
And for th' Almighty make a way;
For he in Person will his People head
And out from Babylon his rescu'd Captives lead.
He will from Heav'n descend to free
The Nations from Infernal Slavery.
He'll bring them out by Miracles of Might
From Pagan Darkness to Celestial Light.
What awful Accents from the Hills rebound!
Listen with Rev'rence, Hark! the noise
Grows more distinct; 'tis the commanding Voice
Of one that in the Desart crys,
Let all the Nations round arise:
Ye Pioneers of Heav'n prepare a Road
Thro' the pathless Wilderness,
Make it plain and strait and broad,
And let your Shouts your Joy express.
Th' obstructing Groves and Forrests level lay,
And for th' Almighty make a way;
For he in Person will his People head
And out from Babylon his rescu'd Captives lead.
He will from Heav'n descend to free
The Nations from Infernal Slavery.
He'll bring them out by Miracles of Might
From Pagan Darkness to Celestial Light.
Sink every Mountain, every Hill,
And with their Ruins every vally fill.
Smooth every rugged, rocky place,
And every narrow Defile enlarge,
For God this way in Triumph means to pass,
As he from Babylon conducts his Charge.
And with their Ruins every vally fill.
Smooth every rugged, rocky place,
And every narrow Defile enlarge,
For God this way in Triumph means to pass,
As he from Babylon conducts his Charge.
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Make an open, easy way,
Where God his Glory may display;
For the Divine Deliverer
Will on his March in Majesty appear.
His high Perfections he'll reveal, and shew
Th' astonish'd World what Wonders he can do.
That he'll effect this mighty Work, the Lord
Has giv'n his never-failing Word.
Where God his Glory may display;
For the Divine Deliverer
Will on his March in Majesty appear.
His high Perfections he'll reveal, and shew
Th' astonish'd World what Wonders he can do.
That he'll effect this mighty Work, the Lord
Has giv'n his never-failing Word.
Th' Almighty bid his Prophet say,
All Men are subject to decay,
And wither, like the Grass, away.
To every Storm or Blast they yield,
And Fade, like Flowers, that paint the Field;
But the Almighty's Word shall stand secure,
And like himself for ever shall endure.
All Men are subject to decay,
And wither, like the Grass, away.
To every Storm or Blast they yield,
And Fade, like Flowers, that paint the Field;
But the Almighty's Word shall stand secure,
And like himself for ever shall endure.
O Zion! whose impending, airy Brow
Surveys the Hills, as well as Vales below.
The joyful Tydings thou hast got, impart
To raise my People's drooping Heart.
Lift up thy Voice and let the Ecchoing sound
From Wood to Wood, from Hill to Hill rebound,
And ring thro' all the Vales and all the Towns around.
Cry with a loud and fearless Voice,
Let all thy Cities, Palestine, rejoyce.
Your sinking Heads ye Towns of Judah reer
Behold your God your great Deliverer
In Person to your Aid advances near.
Surveys the Hills, as well as Vales below.
The joyful Tydings thou hast got, impart
To raise my People's drooping Heart.
Lift up thy Voice and let the Ecchoing sound
From Wood to Wood, from Hill to Hill rebound,
And ring thro' all the Vales and all the Towns around.
Cry with a loud and fearless Voice,
Let all thy Cities, Palestine, rejoyce.
Your sinking Heads ye Towns of Judah reer
Behold your God your great Deliverer
In Person to your Aid advances near.
268
See where th'Almighty Conq'rour takes the Field;
In his strong Hand what Terrors does he wield?
How dreadful are his Steps? how bright his Sword and Shield?
See how the Forrests at his Presence bow
How silently the Rivers flow.
How do the Plains, thro' which he marches, smoke!
How do the troubled Mountains rock!
He needs the Aid of no Confed'rate Pow'r,
His single Arms will Victory ensure.
He brings to crown the Just a bright Reward,
And for the Wicked Vengeance has prepar'd.
In his strong Hand what Terrors does he wield?
How dreadful are his Steps? how bright his Sword and Shield?
See how the Forrests at his Presence bow
How silently the Rivers flow.
How do the Plains, thro' which he marches, smoke!
How do the troubled Mountains rock!
He needs the Aid of no Confed'rate Pow'r,
His single Arms will Victory ensure.
He brings to crown the Just a bright Reward,
And for the Wicked Vengeance has prepar'd.
He as a faithful Shepherd, will attend
His Flock with tender Care, and condescend
To carry in his Arms the Feeble Lambs,
And gently lead the pregnant Dams.
His People in his Word may, rest secure,
For Boundless, as his Mercy, is his Pow'r.
His Flock with tender Care, and condescend
To carry in his Arms the Feeble Lambs,
And gently lead the pregnant Dams.
His People in his Word may, rest secure,
For Boundless, as his Mercy, is his Pow'r.
In the wide hollow of his Hand may sleep
All the collected Waters of the Deep:
Let all the Rivers too be thither roll'd,
The vast Abyss will yet more Seas and Rivers hold.
His Span across the widest Heav'ns can stretch,
And the vast Void beyond 'em over-reach.
The Rocks and Hills he in a Ballance lays
And high amid'st the Air th' uplifted Mountains weighs.
This Globe when held in his Capacious Hand,
Seems a small Atome, or a single Sand.
All the collected Waters of the Deep:
Let all the Rivers too be thither roll'd,
The vast Abyss will yet more Seas and Rivers hold.
His Span across the widest Heav'ns can stretch,
And the vast Void beyond 'em over-reach.
The Rocks and Hills he in a Ballance lays
And high amid'st the Air th' uplifted Mountains weighs.
This Globe when held in his Capacious Hand,
Seems a small Atome, or a single Sand.
269
When God the Draughts of Heav'n and Earth design'd,
And form'd the noble Platform in his Mind,
Did any skilful Architect
Help him his wondrous Model to correct?
When he the World's Foundations laid
And rais'd the lofty Pillars with his Hand,
To give him or Advice or Aid
Did any Wise Surveyor by him stand?
Did he from any, Counsel need
How in Creation to proceed?
When by a thousand Wonders wrought
His vast Design was to perfection brought,
What Councellour of State did him instruct
The World his Creature to conduct?
Who taught him how the Universe to sway,
And form the Maxims of his Government,
To settle Nature in a stedy Way,
And all destructive Uproar to prevent?
How, where ten thousand Creatures disagree,
To make their Motions end in perfect Harmony?
How with unerring Methods to pursue
The glorious Ends he had at first in view?
And form'd the noble Platform in his Mind,
Did any skilful Architect
Help him his wondrous Model to correct?
When he the World's Foundations laid
And rais'd the lofty Pillars with his Hand,
To give him or Advice or Aid
Did any Wise Surveyor by him stand?
Did he from any, Counsel need
How in Creation to proceed?
When by a thousand Wonders wrought
His vast Design was to perfection brought,
What Councellour of State did him instruct
The World his Creature to conduct?
Who taught him how the Universe to sway,
And form the Maxims of his Government,
To settle Nature in a stedy Way,
And all destructive Uproar to prevent?
How, where ten thousand Creatures disagree,
To make their Motions end in perfect Harmony?
How with unerring Methods to pursue
The glorious Ends he had at first in view?
God does the Nations of the World regard
As a small drop with the vast Deep compar'd;
Or Dust that in the Ballance gives no Weight
To press the Scale and change its equal State.
God by their rocky Roots takes up the Hills,
And from their Oazy Beds the Isles.
He hurls them from their former Seat,
As things of neither Bulk, nor Weight.
As a small drop with the vast Deep compar'd;
Or Dust that in the Ballance gives no Weight
To press the Scale and change its equal State.
God by their rocky Roots takes up the Hills,
And from their Oazy Beds the Isles.
270
As things of neither Bulk, nor Weight.
O Lebanon whose spacious Head
Is with aspiring Cedars spread,
With Wood sufficient is thy Forrest stor'd,
Or can it Beasts enough afford
For a Burnt off'ring for all Nature's Lord?
Against him should the Nations rise
He would neglect their weak alarms,
This wretched Host of Worms he would despise,
And laugh at empty Vanity in Arms.
If God the Spring of Life and Pow'r
By whose supplys his various Worlds endure,
Held back his Streams, Mankind would soon expire,
Dissolve, and into nothing strait retire.
Is with aspiring Cedars spread,
With Wood sufficient is thy Forrest stor'd,
Or can it Beasts enough afford
For a Burnt off'ring for all Nature's Lord?
Against him should the Nations rise
He would neglect their weak alarms,
This wretched Host of Worms he would despise,
And laugh at empty Vanity in Arms.
If God the Spring of Life and Pow'r
By whose supplys his various Worlds endure,
Held back his Streams, Mankind would soon expire,
Dissolve, and into nothing strait retire.
Since his Perfections so transcendent are,
What Image can his Being represent?
What can you with Almighty Strength compare?
What Figure of Infinity invent?
The senseless Heathens to the Artist run
Who deals in Deities of Wood and Stone;
The Fools bespeak an Antick lacker'd God
To Guard their Persons, and Abode.
What Image can his Being represent?
What can you with Almighty Strength compare?
What Figure of Infinity invent?
The senseless Heathens to the Artist run
Who deals in Deities of Wood and Stone;
The Fools bespeak an Antick lacker'd God
To Guard their Persons, and Abode.
The melted Metal in the Furnace flows
Then in the Mould the stiff'ning Idol glows:
And when their God grows Hard and Cold,
The Workman makes him fine, and daubs him o'er with Gold.
The Crowd their gaudy Deity admire
Th' effect of Art, the Creature of the Fire—
Then least their Feeble God should fall
With Silver Chains they fix him to the Wall.
A likely Guardian this, to save
The Men, that his Protection crave.
Then in the Mould the stiff'ning Idol glows:
And when their God grows Hard and Cold,
The Workman makes him fine, and daubs him o'er with Gold.
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Th' effect of Art, the Creature of the Fire—
Then least their Feeble God should fall
With Silver Chains they fix him to the Wall.
A likely Guardian this, to save
The Men, that his Protection crave.
The Man that's grown so Indigent and Poor
He can't an Off'ring for his God procure,
To Idols he's so much inclind,
Will ways to get Materials find,
And to engage the chiefest Artist's Care
A Graven Image to prepare.
Tho' after all his Cost and Pains
The worthless Piece fixt in his Place remains.
It can't advance a Step, or move a Hand
In his Defence that does his help demand.
He can't an Off'ring for his God procure,
To Idols he's so much inclind,
Will ways to get Materials find,
And to engage the chiefest Artist's Care
A Graven Image to prepare.
Tho' after all his Cost and Pains
The worthless Piece fixt in his Place remains.
It can't advance a Step, or move a Hand
In his Defence that does his help demand.
Ye Pagan Realms that cover'd lie
With the thick Darkness of Idolatry,
How can a Truth to all reveal'd,
As clear as Day, be still from you conceal'd?
That is, that God's the only God, to whom
You should with humble Adoration come.
The Starry Heav'ns which he has made,
The Earth whose deep Foundations he has laid,
His Being and his Majesty declare,
And shew how boundless his Perfections are:
Above the Circle of the Earth, on high
He sits enthron'd amidst th' Emperial Sky;
Whence when he casts his Eyes around,
And views the Earth hung low in Air,
As little Insects creeping on the Ground,
Contemptible Mankind appear.
The Heav'nly Sphears as Curtains he expands,
With Orbs of Light Magnificent,
His fine transparent Ether with his Hands,
He spreads to form his Royal Tent.
He at his Pleasure can destroy
The Kings that greatest Pow'r and Wealth enjoy.
He can their royal Heads uncrown
And from their Thrones can cast them headlong down.
Deep Root they shall not take nor spread
Amidst the Clouds their shady Head.
Blasted, and with th' Almighty's Breath opprest,
As with a furious Tempest from the East,
Their ruin'd Branches shall decay,
And fade, like with'ring Plants, away.
With the thick Darkness of Idolatry,
How can a Truth to all reveal'd,
As clear as Day, be still from you conceal'd?
That is, that God's the only God, to whom
You should with humble Adoration come.
The Starry Heav'ns which he has made,
The Earth whose deep Foundations he has laid,
His Being and his Majesty declare,
And shew how boundless his Perfections are:
272
He sits enthron'd amidst th' Emperial Sky;
Whence when he casts his Eyes around,
And views the Earth hung low in Air,
As little Insects creeping on the Ground,
Contemptible Mankind appear.
The Heav'nly Sphears as Curtains he expands,
With Orbs of Light Magnificent,
His fine transparent Ether with his Hands,
He spreads to form his Royal Tent.
He at his Pleasure can destroy
The Kings that greatest Pow'r and Wealth enjoy.
He can their royal Heads uncrown
And from their Thrones can cast them headlong down.
Deep Root they shall not take nor spread
Amidst the Clouds their shady Head.
Blasted, and with th' Almighty's Breath opprest,
As with a furious Tempest from the East,
Their ruin'd Branches shall decay,
And fade, like with'ring Plants, away.
Where then, says God, can Men my Equal see?
What Object can resemble me?
Lift up, O Man, on high thy wond'ring Eyes,
Regard the Palace of the Holy One,
View the bright Constellations of the Skies
Where he has fixt his Adamantine Throne.
Did not th' Eternal from th' Abyss of Night
Call forth those Heav'ns, and all those Orbs of Light?
Do they not run their Courses and dispence
At his Command their Light and Influence?
He their great Gen'ral Day by Day
Draws out his glitt'ring Armys in Array.
In constant Musters on th' Etherial Plains
The Squadrons he reviews, and all their Posts ordains.
As Master of his Starry Family,
He calls his shining Servants out by Name,
Gives them their Tasks to which they all agree,
Whereby his Pow'r and Greatness they proclaim.
What Object can resemble me?
Lift up, O Man, on high thy wond'ring Eyes,
Regard the Palace of the Holy One,
View the bright Constellations of the Skies
Where he has fixt his Adamantine Throne.
Did not th' Eternal from th' Abyss of Night
Call forth those Heav'ns, and all those Orbs of Light?
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At his Command their Light and Influence?
He their great Gen'ral Day by Day
Draws out his glitt'ring Armys in Array.
In constant Musters on th' Etherial Plains
The Squadrons he reviews, and all their Posts ordains.
As Master of his Starry Family,
He calls his shining Servants out by Name,
Gives them their Tasks to which they all agree,
Whereby his Pow'r and Greatness they proclaim.
Why dost thou say, O Jacob, I complain,
And make to God my moan in Vain.
He to my Sorrow no Compassion shows,
Neglects my Tears, and disregards my Woes.
The proud Oppressors cruel Yoke
Does not his vengeful Wrath provoke.
I am no more th' Almighty's Care,
Else he would hear my mournful Pray'r,
And not desert me in my deep Despair.
He'll be no more my Advocate,
My Cause to manage in debate.
He will no more my Injuries redress,
No more condemn my Foes, who me oppress.
He's pleas'd so long his People to disown,
That now our Case is desp'rate grown.
Now, if he would, he can't assistance give,
We're ruin'd, and undone, past all retrieve.
And make to God my moan in Vain.
He to my Sorrow no Compassion shows,
Neglects my Tears, and disregards my Woes.
The proud Oppressors cruel Yoke
Does not his vengeful Wrath provoke.
I am no more th' Almighty's Care,
Else he would hear my mournful Pray'r,
And not desert me in my deep Despair.
He'll be no more my Advocate,
My Cause to manage in debate.
He will no more my Injuries redress,
No more condemn my Foes, who me oppress.
He's pleas'd so long his People to disown,
That now our Case is desp'rate grown.
Now, if he would, he can't assistance give,
We're ruin'd, and undone, past all retrieve.
274
O, dost thou not unthoughtful Jacob, know
Who made the Heav'ns above and Earth below?
Did not thy God, th' Eternal Lord
Create them with his great commanding Word?
He rules the World he made, with equal Laws,
Will such a God desert his Peoples Cause?
Will he that all things wisely does direct,
His People's Interests neglect,
Will he their Suff'rings slight, and earnest Pray'rs reject?
Who made the Heav'ns above and Earth below?
Did not thy God, th' Eternal Lord
Create them with his great commanding Word?
He rules the World he made, with equal Laws,
Will such a God desert his Peoples Cause?
Will he that all things wisely does direct,
His People's Interests neglect,
Will he their Suff'rings slight, and earnest Pray'rs reject?
He grows not faint, nor does his Vigour wast
With Age, or with his Labour past.
His undeclining Strength feels no decay,
Still can he punish those who disobey.
He can as strong an arms as e'er extend
To crush his Foes, his People to defend.
Nor dos he with a less attentive Ear
The Crys of guiltless Suff'rers hear:
But then the Seasons of Deliv'rance rest
As Secrets in th' Almighty's Breast.
The Depths of Providence are fathomless,
Nor will its Heights admit access,
And therefore in his Pleasure Man must Acquiesce.
He to his People still Deliv'rance sends
When it promotes their Good, and serves his glorious Ends.
His Counsels, which so far exceed our reach,
Sould Patience and Submission teach.
With Age, or with his Labour past.
His undeclining Strength feels no decay,
Still can he punish those who disobey.
He can as strong an arms as e'er extend
To crush his Foes, his People to defend.
Nor dos he with a less attentive Ear
The Crys of guiltless Suff'rers hear:
But then the Seasons of Deliv'rance rest
As Secrets in th' Almighty's Breast.
The Depths of Providence are fathomless,
Nor will its Heights admit access,
And therefore in his Pleasure Man must Acquiesce.
He to his People still Deliv'rance sends
When it promotes their Good, and serves his glorious Ends.
His Counsels, which so far exceed our reach,
Sould Patience and Submission teach.
275
He gives supplies of Pow'r to those that want,
Strengthens the Feeble and revives the Faint.
The Youngest Men in whose distended Veins,
And brawny Nerves Athletic Vigor reigns,
If they on God should not rely,
Would quickly languish, sink and die.
But those who humbly on his Strength depend,
Their stock of Vigor ne'er shall spend.
He'll reinforce them with recruits of Pow'r,
And their decaying Strength restore.
They shall on Wings like Eagles mount on high,
And with like force and swiftness cut the Sky.
They shall or Walk or Run, still forward press,
And ne'er complain of Weariness.
God daily shall their Strength encrease,
That they their Burdens may sustain with Ease,
Till he shall chuse his time his Captives to release.
Strengthens the Feeble and revives the Faint.
The Youngest Men in whose distended Veins,
And brawny Nerves Athletic Vigor reigns,
If they on God should not rely,
Would quickly languish, sink and die.
But those who humbly on his Strength depend,
Their stock of Vigor ne'er shall spend.
He'll reinforce them with recruits of Pow'r,
And their decaying Strength restore.
They shall on Wings like Eagles mount on high,
And with like force and swiftness cut the Sky.
They shall or Walk or Run, still forward press,
And ne'er complain of Weariness.
God daily shall their Strength encrease,
That they their Burdens may sustain with Ease,
Till he shall chuse his time his Captives to release.
277
Part of the LII And the whole LIII Chap. of Isaiah, PARAPHRAS'D.
My Servant shall acquire divine Renown,And regal Honours shall his Temples crown.
Kings at his Feet their Diadems shall lay,
And all the willing World his Empire shall obey.
His Godlike Government and righteous Laws
From Men and Angels shall receive applause.
He shall his own and Subjects Rights maintain,
Protect his Friends, Oppressors rage restrain,
And everlasting Peace shall bless his glorious Reign.
As Men at his Affliction were amaz'd
And on his wondrous Woe with Horror gaz'd,
(Whose Face was so deform'd, his Flesh so worn
With all the Toyl and Torments he had born,
No Eye e'er saw, no Tongue can e'er express
Such perfect Grief such infinite distress.)
So shall he be exalted and his height,
Shall bear proportion to his humble state.
His Heav'nly Doctrines on the Nations round
Shall fall as dropping Rain upon the Ground
278
Shall all his wise Divine Instructions hear.
They'll with profound Humility receive
The Oracles and Counsels he shall give.
No more their impious Tongues shall him condemn,
No more Religion or its God blaspheme.
His Godlike Wisdom they shall all adore,
And joyful Tydings hear they never heard before.
Tydings that new and wondrous Things assert,
That God the Nations will at length convert
And of his Kingdom make the Heathen World a part.
Ch. LIII.
When the Messiah by his Love inclin'd
And tender Mercy mov'd to lost Mankind,
From his Immortal Throne on high descends
To compass all his great and glorious Ends,
Who in the blest Redeemer will believe?
Who'll the Divine Commissioner receive,
Or to his Heav'nly Message Credit give?
He'll not advance in Pomp and regal State,
No shouting Crowds shall on his Chariot wait.
No Harbengers or Heralds shall proclaim
His coming down, and spread abroad his Fame.
He shall no Guards, no long Retinue take
Like earthly Kings that Publick Entrys make.
He'll not as Lords and mighty Conq'rours do,
Vast Armys head the Nations to subdue,
And found an Empire for th' ambitious Jew.
Mean and obscure shall be my Servants Birth,
As that of Plants in dry and barren Earth.
Expecting some great Gen'ral should arise
The Jews his Poor Extraction shall despise.
They will his Sacred Person too condemn,
And the great Pow'r and Word of God blaspheme.
As his Condition and his Birth are low,
Mean and despis'd, his Person too is so.
They'll in his Face no Air of Greatness see,
Nor in his Mien the marks of Majesty.
He'll by uncommon Beauty ne'er be known
Distinguish'd by Calamity alone.
His Presence will not cause or Love, or Aw,
But great Contempt from all Spectators draw.
Hence Men will my Commissioner neglect,
And all his gracious Overtures reject.
His Life shall be but one continu'd Chain
Of Labour, Sorrow, and consuming Pain.
He dayly shall converse with Grief and Woe,
And with Affliction shall familiar grow.
Unmeasured Suff'rings, exquisite Distress,
And pondrous Trouble shall his Soul oppress.
These sad Companions shall around him stay,
Consume his Flesh and on his Vitals prey.
And tender Mercy mov'd to lost Mankind,
From his Immortal Throne on high descends
To compass all his great and glorious Ends,
Who in the blest Redeemer will believe?
Who'll the Divine Commissioner receive,
Or to his Heav'nly Message Credit give?
He'll not advance in Pomp and regal State,
No shouting Crowds shall on his Chariot wait.
No Harbengers or Heralds shall proclaim
His coming down, and spread abroad his Fame.
He shall no Guards, no long Retinue take
Like earthly Kings that Publick Entrys make.
He'll not as Lords and mighty Conq'rours do,
Vast Armys head the Nations to subdue,
And found an Empire for th' ambitious Jew.
279
As that of Plants in dry and barren Earth.
Expecting some great Gen'ral should arise
The Jews his Poor Extraction shall despise.
They will his Sacred Person too condemn,
And the great Pow'r and Word of God blaspheme.
As his Condition and his Birth are low,
Mean and despis'd, his Person too is so.
They'll in his Face no Air of Greatness see,
Nor in his Mien the marks of Majesty.
He'll by uncommon Beauty ne'er be known
Distinguish'd by Calamity alone.
His Presence will not cause or Love, or Aw,
But great Contempt from all Spectators draw.
Hence Men will my Commissioner neglect,
And all his gracious Overtures reject.
His Life shall be but one continu'd Chain
Of Labour, Sorrow, and consuming Pain.
He dayly shall converse with Grief and Woe,
And with Affliction shall familiar grow.
Unmeasured Suff'rings, exquisite Distress,
And pondrous Trouble shall his Soul oppress.
These sad Companions shall around him stay,
Consume his Flesh and on his Vitals prey.
Th' obdurate Jews my Servant will defame,
And of his low Estate express their Shame.
The guiltless, just and wondrous Man shall bear
Such heavy Grief and Torments so severe
Th' Almighty's high displeasure to atone
For other Mens Transgressions, not his own.
He shall the whole Collected Guilt assume
Of lost Mankind, and suffer in their room;
Yet will the spiteful Jew blaspheme, and say
That God did all this Vengeance on him lay
To punish his enormous Crimes, who ne'er
Was known from Virtue's strictest Rule to err.
No, our Offences all his Pains procure,
For our Transgressions he'll his Wounds endure.
By his most free and merciful Consent
He'll undergo the mighty Punishment
Due to the Sins of Men, and so remove
Th' Almighty's Wrath, and make our Peace above.
He on his Guiltless self our Guilt shall take,
And by his Suff'rings full attonement make.
By his sharp Stripes he'll Ease to us procure,
And by his Death Eternal Life ensure.
And of his low Estate express their Shame.
The guiltless, just and wondrous Man shall bear
Such heavy Grief and Torments so severe
280
For other Mens Transgressions, not his own.
He shall the whole Collected Guilt assume
Of lost Mankind, and suffer in their room;
Yet will the spiteful Jew blaspheme, and say
That God did all this Vengeance on him lay
To punish his enormous Crimes, who ne'er
Was known from Virtue's strictest Rule to err.
No, our Offences all his Pains procure,
For our Transgressions he'll his Wounds endure.
By his most free and merciful Consent
He'll undergo the mighty Punishment
Due to the Sins of Men, and so remove
Th' Almighty's Wrath, and make our Peace above.
He on his Guiltless self our Guilt shall take,
And by his Suff'rings full attonement make.
By his sharp Stripes he'll Ease to us procure,
And by his Death Eternal Life ensure.
Since Adam fell, all his degenerate Kind
The Heav'nly Paths of Virtue have declin'd:
Fond of their own pernicious, sinful way
They're lost like straggling Sheep and gone astray.
All-gracious God has on his Servant laid
The Sins of all, for all have disobey'd.
All the black Streams of Guilt do hither flow
As all the Rivers to the Ocean go.
He that so vast a load would not decline,
Must sure be conscious of a Strength Divine.
Justice incens'd did Punishment demand,
Exacting Payment at th' offenders Hand:
And since we could not pay so great a Sum,
The blest Messiah Surety did become.
He did himself the mighty Debt discharge
Due to offended Heav'n and Man enlarge.
When God's Right-Hand with Vengeance arm'd, design'd
To execute his Wrath on Humane Kind,
He interposing, on his Guiltless Head
Receiv'd the Blow, and suffer'd in our Stead.
For as the harmless Sheep beneath the Shears
Is Dumb, and all his Suff'rings meekly bears,
Dos ev'n without Resistance, Noise or Strife
When to the Slaughter led, lay down his Life:
With like Submission does the Lamb of God,
Bear furious Persecution's Iron Rod.
In prosecution of his blest design
His Pains he'll undergo, his Life resign
Serene as Heav'n, and mild as Love Divine.
The Heav'nly Paths of Virtue have declin'd:
Fond of their own pernicious, sinful way
They're lost like straggling Sheep and gone astray.
All-gracious God has on his Servant laid
The Sins of all, for all have disobey'd.
All the black Streams of Guilt do hither flow
As all the Rivers to the Ocean go.
He that so vast a load would not decline,
Must sure be conscious of a Strength Divine.
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Exacting Payment at th' offenders Hand:
And since we could not pay so great a Sum,
The blest Messiah Surety did become.
He did himself the mighty Debt discharge
Due to offended Heav'n and Man enlarge.
When God's Right-Hand with Vengeance arm'd, design'd
To execute his Wrath on Humane Kind,
He interposing, on his Guiltless Head
Receiv'd the Blow, and suffer'd in our Stead.
For as the harmless Sheep beneath the Shears
Is Dumb, and all his Suff'rings meekly bears,
Dos ev'n without Resistance, Noise or Strife
When to the Slaughter led, lay down his Life:
With like Submission does the Lamb of God,
Bear furious Persecution's Iron Rod.
In prosecution of his blest design
His Pains he'll undergo, his Life resign
Serene as Heav'n, and mild as Love Divine.
'Tis true, at last he shall surmount his Woes,
Break all the Pow'rs, that his high Aims oppose,
And Triumph o'er the Malice of his Foes.
He'll from the Iron Prisons of the Dead,
And from the Dust raise his Victorious Head.
He shall with brighter Glory to the Skys
After a red and bloody Seting rise.
The Conq'rour shall ascend in Royal State,
And Death it self in Chains shall on him wait.
When thus Exalted he shall live to see
A numberless believing Progeny.
Of his Adopted Sons the Godlike Race
Exceed the Stars that Heav'n's high Arches grace.
A willing Victim he resign'd his Breath
In all the Tortures of a ling'ring Death.
To suffer as a Criminal convey'd.
The Grave his Bed he with the Wicked made.
Tho' so much Pain and Shame he underwent,
Yet was he Righteous, Pure and Innocent.
He all his Ignominious Torments bore,
Man to his Maker's Favour to restore.
To raise laps'd Adam's Race from Death and Hell
To the most happy State from whence they fell.
Break all the Pow'rs, that his high Aims oppose,
And Triumph o'er the Malice of his Foes.
He'll from the Iron Prisons of the Dead,
And from the Dust raise his Victorious Head.
He shall with brighter Glory to the Skys
After a red and bloody Seting rise.
The Conq'rour shall ascend in Royal State,
And Death it self in Chains shall on him wait.
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A numberless believing Progeny.
Of his Adopted Sons the Godlike Race
Exceed the Stars that Heav'n's high Arches grace.
A willing Victim he resign'd his Breath
In all the Tortures of a ling'ring Death.
To suffer as a Criminal convey'd.
The Grave his Bed he with the Wicked made.
Tho' so much Pain and Shame he underwent,
Yet was he Righteous, Pure and Innocent.
He all his Ignominious Torments bore,
Man to his Maker's Favour to restore.
To raise laps'd Adam's Race from Death and Hell
To the most happy State from whence they fell.
Tho' he was just and spotless, yet his God
Was pleas'd to bruise and wound him with his Rod.
When that a Ransom may for Man be paid
He of his Life an Off'ring shall have made,
He from the Grave shall as a Conq'rour come,
And next his Father's Throne his former Seat resume.
Where he shall dwell secure from Death and Pain,
And endless, as his Life, shall be his Reign.
A numerous Seed a pure and Godlike Line
Breathing Repentance, and Belief Divine,
Quicken'd by his Prolific Death shall crown
His Suff'rings past, and him their Father own.
His work compleated he'll with great content
Review the Torments which he underwent.
He shall enjoy the Travel of his Soul;
Pleas'd to have drank th' Almighty's wrathful Bowl.
The Glory of his Father he'll regard
And Man's Redemption as a ful reward.
For by his Knowledge and Celestial Grace
He'll many save of Adam's sinful Race.
He of their Guilt shall the vast Burden bear,
Shall all their Debt by Sin contracted clear,
And at th' Almighty's Bar their Advocate appear.
Was pleas'd to bruise and wound him with his Rod.
When that a Ransom may for Man be paid
He of his Life an Off'ring shall have made,
He from the Grave shall as a Conq'rour come,
And next his Father's Throne his former Seat resume.
Where he shall dwell secure from Death and Pain,
And endless, as his Life, shall be his Reign.
A numerous Seed a pure and Godlike Line
Breathing Repentance, and Belief Divine,
Quicken'd by his Prolific Death shall crown
His Suff'rings past, and him their Father own.
His work compleated he'll with great content
Review the Torments which he underwent.
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Pleas'd to have drank th' Almighty's wrathful Bowl.
The Glory of his Father he'll regard
And Man's Redemption as a ful reward.
For by his Knowledge and Celestial Grace
He'll many save of Adam's sinful Race.
He of their Guilt shall the vast Burden bear,
Shall all their Debt by Sin contracted clear,
And at th' Almighty's Bar their Advocate appear.
Therefore th' Eternal said, above the Skys
My righteous Servant shall in Triumph rise.
He with the Mighty and the Great shall share
Renown, Applauses, and the Spoils of War.
Wide as the World shall be his regal Sway,
And subject Monarchs shall his Laws obey.
He all triumphant Conq'rours shall excel,
Rich with the spoils of Death, the Grave and Hell.
His Chariot-Wheels shall drag along the ground
Destruction ruin'd with a deadly Wound.
Captivity expos'd to publick scorn,
A fetter'd Slave his triumph shall adorn.
These Honours on my Servant I'll confer,
Because he chose the Pains of Death to bear,
From Man impending Vengeance to avert,
And of the ruin'd Race a chosen part
To save from Death and Hell, their due desert.
My righteous Servant shall in Triumph rise.
He with the Mighty and the Great shall share
Renown, Applauses, and the Spoils of War.
Wide as the World shall be his regal Sway,
And subject Monarchs shall his Laws obey.
He all triumphant Conq'rours shall excel,
Rich with the spoils of Death, the Grave and Hell.
His Chariot-Wheels shall drag along the ground
Destruction ruin'd with a deadly Wound.
Captivity expos'd to publick scorn,
A fetter'd Slave his triumph shall adorn.
These Honours on my Servant I'll confer,
Because he chose the Pains of Death to bear,
From Man impending Vengeance to avert,
And of the ruin'd Race a chosen part
To save from Death and Hell, their due desert.
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THE III Ch. of Habakkuk. PARAPHRAS'D.
As God advanc'd from lofty Teman's Head,
And o'er the Plains of Paran came,
The Heav'ns around were with his glory spread,
And Wonders on the Earth his Presence did proclaim.
He did the Marks of Majesty display,
And fearful Ensigns of Omnipotence,
Ten thousand Prodigys prepar'd his way,
Such Power th' Almighty did dispence.
And o'er the Plains of Paran came,
The Heav'ns around were with his glory spread,
And Wonders on the Earth his Presence did proclaim.
He did the Marks of Majesty display,
And fearful Ensigns of Omnipotence,
Ten thousand Prodigys prepar'd his way,
Such Power th' Almighty did dispence.
Torrents of Glory dazling bright,
Too fierce and keen for Humane Sight
Broke from th'immense Abyss of uncreated Light.
Ev'n from his Hands a bright Eruption came,
A pointed Efflux of Immortal Flame.
Transcendant Splendor did th' Almighty shroud;
No less than did the thick surrounding Cloud.
His Being thus lay hidden either way,
In too much Darkness, or in too much Day.
Too fierce and keen for Humane Sight
Broke from th'immense Abyss of uncreated Light.
Ev'n from his Hands a bright Eruption came,
A pointed Efflux of Immortal Flame.
Transcendant Splendor did th' Almighty shroud;
No less than did the thick surrounding Cloud.
His Being thus lay hidden either way,
In too much Darkness, or in too much Day.
Of thirsty, panting Plagues a fiery Train,
Pale Pestilence and yelling Pain,
His dreadful Equipage, before him ran,
And of his Terrors led the Van.
While Famine, Desolation and Despair,
Wringing their Hands and tearing off their Hair,
A formidable Troop, came howling in the Reer.
Pale Pestilence and yelling Pain,
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And of his Terrors led the Van.
While Famine, Desolation and Despair,
Wringing their Hands and tearing off their Hair,
A formidable Troop, came howling in the Reer.
Th'Almighty on the Frontiers made a stand
To measure out the promis'd Land.
He did distinctly circumscribe
Th'Inheritance of every Tribe.
That done the Nations he asunder drove,
And march'd the Lords of Canaan to remove.
To measure out the promis'd Land.
He did distinctly circumscribe
Th'Inheritance of every Tribe.
That done the Nations he asunder drove,
And march'd the Lords of Canaan to remove.
His swift-wing'd Whirlwinds onward flew,
And o'er the Hills his Chariot drew;
Whose awful Wheels roll'd on in Clouds and Smoke,
Whence Flakes of Fire and flashing Lightnings broke.
Such Bolts were cast, such Thunder claps did roar,
As shook the Rocks which never shook before.
The shudd'ring Hills exprest their dread
And everlasting Mountains bow'd their aged Head.
And o'er the Hills his Chariot drew;
Whose awful Wheels roll'd on in Clouds and Smoke,
Whence Flakes of Fire and flashing Lightnings broke.
Such Bolts were cast, such Thunder claps did roar,
As shook the Rocks which never shook before.
The shudd'ring Hills exprest their dread
And everlasting Mountains bow'd their aged Head.
When Isr'el march'd o'er dry Arabia's Sand,
By Moses led to Canaan's Land,
How were the States on either side
At their approach alarm'd and terrify'd?
How did the Tents of Cushan shake?
How did the Kings of Midian quake?
How did they dread the Fame of Isr'el's God,
And his great Gen'ral's wonder-working Rod?
That Rod which turn'd to Crystal Walls the Flood,
Its Virtue still retains,
And in the trembling Heathens Veins
Chills and congeals their Vital Streams of Blood.
By Moses led to Canaan's Land,
How were the States on either side
At their approach alarm'd and terrify'd?
How did the Tents of Cushan shake?
How did the Kings of Midian quake?
How did they dread the Fame of Isr'el's God,
And his great Gen'ral's wonder-working Rod?
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Its Virtue still retains,
And in the trembling Heathens Veins
Chills and congeals their Vital Streams of Blood.
Did e'er the Rivers God displease?
Or did his Anger rise against the Seas,
That he their Waters did divide,
And roll'd them up on Heaps on either side,
When he prepar'd his warlike Equipage
His Chariots and his Horse King Pharoah to engage?
No, those amazing Miracles were shown
To make his kindness to his People known.
His Chariots and his Horsemen brought
Salvation to the Tribes, for whom he fought.
Or did his Anger rise against the Seas,
That he their Waters did divide,
And roll'd them up on Heaps on either side,
When he prepar'd his warlike Equipage
His Chariots and his Horse King Pharoah to engage?
No, those amazing Miracles were shown
To make his kindness to his People known.
His Chariots and his Horsemen brought
Salvation to the Tribes, for whom he fought.
He did his fatal Bow prepare,
And all his dreadful Instruments of War,
Which put the Pagan Lords to flight
And from their Country chas'd the Cananite.
Thus to his Promise God was true
Which to the Tribes he did so oft renew.
And all his dreadful Instruments of War,
Which put the Pagan Lords to flight
And from their Country chas'd the Cananite.
Thus to his Promise God was true
Which to the Tribes he did so oft renew.
As Israel's Host advanc'd to Canaan's Land,
Opprest with drought amidst the Sand.
Refreshing Streams were in the Desart found,
And bubbling Springs broke from the thirsty Ground.
Instead of Fire th' Almighty struck
Fresh Water from the Flinty Rock.
Opprest with drought amidst the Sand.
Refreshing Streams were in the Desart found,
And bubbling Springs broke from the thirsty Ground.
Instead of Fire th' Almighty struck
Fresh Water from the Flinty Rock.
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When God in Triumph did appear,
The lofty Mountains shook for fear.
Jordan held back his cleaving Flood
And high in Craggy Heaps the Crystal Waters stood.
Bare and defrauded of its Tyde,
The sandy Chanel lay from side to side;
This Passage for the Tribes th' Almighty did provide.
Th' obsequious Deep did raise its roaring Voice
And split asunder with prodigious noise
It shew'd as if by lifting up the Hand
It's Readiness t' obey the high Command.
The lofty Mountains shook for fear.
Jordan held back his cleaving Flood
And high in Craggy Heaps the Crystal Waters stood.
Bare and defrauded of its Tyde,
The sandy Chanel lay from side to side;
This Passage for the Tribes th' Almighty did provide.
Th' obsequious Deep did raise its roaring Voice
And split asunder with prodigious noise
It shew'd as if by lifting up the Hand
It's Readiness t' obey the high Command.
At God's command the restless Sun
That as a Gyant loves his Course to run,
Did in his full Carreer his Chariot stay
On Heav'ns Descent, and stopt the falling Day.
Progressive Time was at a stand,
His drooping Wings unable to expand.
The Constellations, and th' astonish'd Moon,
Halted to gaze upon the standing Sun.
So long its ling'ring Orb its Light did lend
As Joshuah's Troops had Spears to spend;
As long as they had Darts to cast away,
Or there remain'd a Foe to slay.
That as a Gyant loves his Course to run,
Did in his full Carreer his Chariot stay
On Heav'ns Descent, and stopt the falling Day.
Progressive Time was at a stand,
His drooping Wings unable to expand.
The Constellations, and th' astonish'd Moon,
Halted to gaze upon the standing Sun.
So long its ling'ring Orb its Light did lend
As Joshuah's Troops had Spears to spend;
As long as they had Darts to cast away,
Or there remain'd a Foe to slay.
In Indignation God thro' Canaan past,
And with his terrible alarms
And Conq'ring Arms
He chas'd the Kings, and laid the Nations wast.
Isr'els Salvation to compleat
He onward march'd the Heathen to defeat.
To save his People and to crown
Great Josua's Arms with Triumph and Renown,
To Canaan's Kings he gave a deadly Wound
And did their Friends and Familys confound.
He overthrew their Palaces
Th' Imperial Seats of Pride and Wickedness.
He broke the Pillars that sustain'd their weight,
And raz'd the strong Foundations of their State.
And with his terrible alarms
And Conq'ring Arms
He chas'd the Kings, and laid the Nations wast.
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He onward march'd the Heathen to defeat.
To save his People and to crown
Great Josua's Arms with Triumph and Renown,
To Canaan's Kings he gave a deadly Wound
And did their Friends and Familys confound.
He overthrew their Palaces
Th' Imperial Seats of Pride and Wickedness.
He broke the Pillars that sustain'd their weight,
And raz'd the strong Foundations of their State.
God did by Isr'el's Arms subdue
Their Towns and all their Villages o'erthrew.
Tho' at the first the Nations round arose
And like a Tempest did our March oppose,
They onward came with Shouts of Joy
As sure the Tribes they should destroy:
They did our Army so much slight
They thought they came to Plunder, not to fight.
O Israel, in despight of these alarms,
In spite of all their Plots and Arms:
Thou with thy Conq'ring Sword didst make thy way,
From Jordan's Flood to the great Western Sea.
Their Towns and all their Villages o'erthrew.
Tho' at the first the Nations round arose
And like a Tempest did our March oppose,
They onward came with Shouts of Joy
As sure the Tribes they should destroy:
They did our Army so much slight
They thought they came to Plunder, not to fight.
O Israel, in despight of these alarms,
In spite of all their Plots and Arms:
Thou with thy Conq'ring Sword didst make thy way,
From Jordan's Flood to the great Western Sea.
Thus for the Tribes th' Almighty did appear,
Once to their God his People were so dear.
But now he threatens to employ
Assyrian Arms his People to destroy.
For this my Blood hangs curdled in my Veins,
And strong Convulsions rend my tortur'd Reins
My Bones all rattle in their rocking Frame,
And in my Heart Fear damps the Vital Flame.
Horror my Spirits does possess,
Nor can my quiv'ring Lips one perfect word express.
I Tremble now, and Weep and Mourn,
That when the sad amazing Turn
Shall happen, and the gloomy Day
Of Vengeance all its Terrors shall display;
Safe from the Tempest I may find,
Peace in my House, and Comfort in my Mind.
I'll to th' Almighty's Mercy fly
And on his faithful Providence rely,
When Babylon's insulting King
Shall all his fierce and numerous Armys bring,
Armys to Blood and Rapine bred,
To pull down Isr'el's lofty Head,
And dreadful Desolation o'er our Citys spread
Once to their God his People were so dear.
But now he threatens to employ
Assyrian Arms his People to destroy.
For this my Blood hangs curdled in my Veins,
And strong Convulsions rend my tortur'd Reins
290
And in my Heart Fear damps the Vital Flame.
Horror my Spirits does possess,
Nor can my quiv'ring Lips one perfect word express.
I Tremble now, and Weep and Mourn,
That when the sad amazing Turn
Shall happen, and the gloomy Day
Of Vengeance all its Terrors shall display;
Safe from the Tempest I may find,
Peace in my House, and Comfort in my Mind.
I'll to th' Almighty's Mercy fly
And on his faithful Providence rely,
When Babylon's insulting King
Shall all his fierce and numerous Armys bring,
Armys to Blood and Rapine bred,
To pull down Isr'el's lofty Head,
And dreadful Desolation o'er our Citys spread
And then tho' Famine should invade,
Tho' Plants and Flow'rs and Fruits should fade;
Tho' on the Vine no Clusters should appear,
And tho' the Fig-tree should no Blossoms bear;
Tho' th' Olive yields not to the Dresser Oyl,
And barren Fields defeat the Farmer's toyl;
Tho' the high Folds no bleating Flocks surround,
And in the Stalls no lowing Heards are found;
Yet I'll rejoyce in God my sure defence,
And in his Strength repose my Confidence.
Still will I trust him still I will believe,
That he will Isr'el's Captive State retrieve:
That to our Country he'll our Sons restore,
And rescue them from Babylonish Pow'r.
Tho' Plants and Flow'rs and Fruits should fade;
Tho' on the Vine no Clusters should appear,
And tho' the Fig-tree should no Blossoms bear;
Tho' th' Olive yields not to the Dresser Oyl,
And barren Fields defeat the Farmer's toyl;
Tho' the high Folds no bleating Flocks surround,
And in the Stalls no lowing Heards are found;
Yet I'll rejoyce in God my sure defence,
And in his Strength repose my Confidence.
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That he will Isr'el's Captive State retrieve:
That to our Country he'll our Sons restore,
And rescue them from Babylonish Pow'r.
| A paraphrase on the Book of Job | |