Virtue as human Nature can arrive at. If the Tenour of our Actions have any other Motive than the Defire to be pleafing in the Eye of the Deity, it will neceffarily follow that we must be more than Men, if we are not too much exalted in Prosperity and depreffed in Adverfity: But the Chriftian World has a Leader, the Contemplation of whofe Life and Sufferings must adminifter Comfort in Affliction, while the Senfe of his Power and Omnipotence must give them Humiliation in Prosperity.

IT is owing to the forbidden and unlovely Conftraint with which Men of low Conceptions act when they think they conform themselves to Religion, as well as to the more odious Conduct of Hypocrites, that the Word Chriftian does not carry with it at first View all that is great, worthy, friendly, generous and heroick. The Man who fufpends his Hopes of the Reward of worthy Actions till after Death, who can beftow unfeen, who can overlook Hatred, do good to his Slanderer, who can never be angry at his Friend, never revengeful to his Enemy, is certainly formed for the Benefit of Society: Yet these are so far from heroick Virtues, that they are but the ordinary Duties of a Chriftian.

WHEN a Man with a fteddy Faith looks back on the great Cataftrophe of this Day, with what bleeding Emotions of Heart muft he contemplate the Life and Sufferings of his Deliverer? When his Agonies occur to him, how will he weep to reflect that he has often forgot them for the Glance of a Wanton, for the Applaufe of a vain World, for an heap of fleeting paft Pleasures, which are at prefent aking Sorrows?

HOW pleafing is the Contemplation of the lowly Steps our Almighty Leader took in conducting us to his heavenly Manfions! In plain and apt Parable, Similitude, and Allegory, our great Mafter enforced the Doctrine of our Salvation; but they of his Acquaintance, instead of receiving what they could not oppofe, were offended at the Prefumption of being wifer than they: They could not raife their little Ideas above the Confideration of him, in thofe Circumstances familiar to them, or conceive that he who appear'd not more terrible or pompous, fhould have any thing more exalted than themselves; he in that Place therefore would not longer ineffectually exert a Power

which was incapable of conquering the Prepoffeffion of their narrow and mean Conceptions.

MULTITUDES follow'd him, and brought him the Dumb, the Blind, the Sick, and Maim'd; whom when their Creator had touch'd, with a fecond Life they faw, fpoke, leap'd, and ran. In Affection to him, and Admiration of his Actions, the Crowd could not leave him, but waited near him till they were almoft as faint and helplefs as others they brought for Succour. He had Compaffion on them, and by a Miracle fupplied their Neceffities. Oh, the ecftatic Entertainment, when they could behold their Food immediately increase to the Distributer's Hand, and fee their God in Perfon feeding and refreshing his Creatures! Oh envied Happiness! But why do I fay envied? as if our God did not ftill prefide over our temperate Meals, chearful Hours, and innocent Conversations.

BUT tho' the facred Story is every where full of Miracle not inferior to this, and tho' in the midst of those Acts of Divinity he never gave the leaft Hint of a Defign to become a fecular Prince, yet had not hitherto the Apoftles themselves any other than Hopes of worldly Power, Preferment, Riches and Pomp; for Peter, upon an Accident of Ambition among the Apoftles, hearing his Mafter explain that his Kingdom was not of this World, was fo fcandaliz'd that he whom he had fo long follow'd should fuffer the Ignominy, Shame, and Death which he foretold, that he took him aside and said, Be it far from thee, Lord, this fhall not be unto thee: For which he fuffered a fevere Reprehenfion from his Mafter, as having in his View the Glory of Man rather than that of God.

THE great Change of things began to draw near, when the Lord of Nature thought fit as a Saviour and Deliverer to make his publick Entry into Jerufalem with more than the Power and Joy, but none of the Oftentation and Pomp of a Triumph; he came humble, meek, and lowly with an unfelt new Ecstasy, Multitudes ftrewed his Way with Garments and Olive-Branches, crying, with loud Gladnefs and Acclamation, Hofannah to the Son of David, Bleed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! At this great King's Acceffion to his Throne, Men were not enabled, but fav'd; Crimes were not remitted, but Sins forgiven; he did not bestow Medals, Honours, FaVOL. V.

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Yours,

vours, but Health, Joy, Sight, Speech. The firft Object the Blind ever faw, was the Author of Sight; while the Lame ran before, and the Dumb repeated the Hofannah. Thus attended, he entered into his own House, the facred Temple, and by his Divine Authority expell'd Traders and Worldlings that profaned it; and thus did he, for a time, ufe a great and defpotick Power, to let Unbelievers understand, that 'twas not want of, but Superiority to all worldly Dominion, that made him not exert it. But is this then the Saviour? is this the Deliverer? Shall this obfcure Nazarene command Ifrael, and fit on the Throne of David? Their proud and difdainful Hearts, which were petrefied with the Love and Pride of this World, were impregnable to the Reception of fo mean a Benefactor, and were now enough exasperated with Benefits to confpire his Death. Our Lord was fenfible of their Defign, and prepared his Difciples for it, by recounting to 'em now more diftinctly what should befal him; but Peter with an ungrounded Refolution, and in a Flush of Temper, made a fanguine Proteftation, that tho' all Men were offended in him, yet would not he be offended. It was a great Article of our Saviour's Business in the World, to bring us to a Senfe of our Inability, without God's Affiftance, to do any thing great or good; he therefore told Peter, who thought fo well of his Courage and Fidelity, that they would both fail him, and even he fhould deny him thrice that very Night.

BUT what Heart can conceive, what Tongue utter the Sequel? Who is that yonder buffeted, mock'd and spurn'd? Whom do they drag like a Felon? Whither do they carry my Lord, my King, my Saviour, and my God? And will be die to expiate thofe very Injuries? See where they have nailed the Lord and Giver of Life! How his Wounds blacken, bis Body writhes, and Heart beaves with Pity and with Agony? Ob Almighty Sufferer, look down, look down from thy triumphant Infamy: Lo he inclines his Head to his facred Bofom! Hark, he groans! fee, he expires! The Earth trembles, the Temple rends, the Rocks burst, the Dead arife:. Which are the Quick? Which are the Dead? Sure Nature, all Nature is departing with her Creator.

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Virg.

HE tenth Book of Paradife Loft has a greater variety of Persons in it than any other in the whole Poem. The Author upon the winding up of his Action introduces all those who had any Concern in it, and fhews with great Beauty the Influence which it had upon each of them. It is like the last Act of a well-written Tragedy, in which all who had a part in it are generally drawn up before the Audience, and reprefented under thofe Circumftances in which the Determination of the Action places them.

I shall therefore confider this Book under four Heads, in relation to the Celestial, the Infernal, the Human, and the Imaginary Perfons, who have their respective Parts allotted in it.

TO begin with the Celestial Perfons: The Guardian Angels of Paradife are defcrib'd as returning to Heaven upon the Fall of Man, in order to approve their Vigilance; their Arrival, their Manner of Reception, with the Sorrow which appear'd in themselves, and in those Spirits who are faid to rejoice at the Converfion of a Sinner, are very finely laid together in the following Lines.

Up into Heav'n from Paradife in hafle
Th' Angelick Guards afcended, mute and fad
For Man; for of his State by this they knew:
Much wond ring bow the fubtle Fiend had ftol'n
Entrance unfeen. Soon as th' unwelcome News
From Earth arriv'd at Heaven-Gate, difpleas'd
All were who heard: dim Sadness did not spare
That time Celestial Vifages; yet mixt
With Pity, violated not their Blifs.
About the new-arriv'd, in multitudes
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ThE

Th' Ethereal People ran, to hear and know
How all befel: They tow'rds the Throne fupreme
Accountable made hafte, to make appear
With righteous Plea, their utmoft vigilance,
And easily approv'd; when the most High
Eternal Father, from his fecret cloud
Amidft, in thunder utter'd thus his voice.

THE fame Divine Perfon, who in the foregoing Parts of this Poem interceded for our firft Parents before their Fall, overthrew the Rebel Angels, and created the World, is now represented as defcending to Paradife, and pronouncing Sentence upon the three Offenders. The Cool of the Evening, being a Circumftance with which Holy Writ introduces this great Scene, it is poetically defcribed by our Author, who has alfo kept religiously to the Form of Words, in which the three feveral Sentences were paffed upon Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. He has rather chofen to neglect the Numeroufnefs of his Verfe, than to deviate from thofe Speeches which are recorded on this great Occafion. The Guilt and Confufion of our first Parents ftanding naked before their Judge, is touched with great Beauty. Upon the Arrival of Sin and Death into the Works of the Creation, the Almighty is again introduced as fpeaking to his Angels that furrounded him.

See! with what beat thefe Dogs of Hell advance,
To wafle and havock yonder World, which I
So fair and good created; &c.

THE following Paffage is form'd upon that glorious Image in Holy Writ, which compares the Voice of an innumerable Hoft of Angels, uttering Hallelujahs, to the Voice of mighty Thunderings, or of many Waters.

He ended, and the Heav'nly Audience loud
Sung Hallelujah, as the Sound of Seas,
Through Multitude that fung: Juft are thy Ways,
Righteous are thy Decrees in all thy Works,
Who can extenuate thee?

THO' the Author in the whole Course of his Poem, and particularly in the Book we are now examining, has infinite Allufions to Places of Scripture, I have only taken.