There he fhall first lay down the rudiments Of his great warfare, ere I fend him forth To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes, By humiliation and strong sufferance; His weakness fhall o'ercome Satanic strength, And all the world, and mafs of finful flesh; That all the angels and etherial powers, They now, and men hereafter, may difcern From what confuinmate virtue I have chofe This perfect Man, by merit call'd my Son, To earn falvation for the fons of men.
So fpake th' eternal Father, and all heav'n Admiring ftood a fpice, then into hymns Built forth, and in celeftial measures mov'd, Circling the throne, and finging, while the hand Sung with the voice, and this the argument: Vict❜ry and triumph to the Son of God Now ent'ring his great duel, not of arms, But to vanquish by wifdom hellish wiles. The Father knows the Son; therefore fecure Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd, Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er feduce, Allure, or terrify, or undermine.
Be fruftrate all ye ftratagems of hell,
And devilish inachinations come to nought.
So they in, heav'n their odes and vigils tun'd:
Mean while the Son of God, who yet fome days Lodg'd in Bethabara, where John baptiz'd, Muting and much revolving in his breast, How belt the mighty work he might begin Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first Publish his God-like office now mature,
One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading, And his deep thoughts, the better to converfe With Solitude, till, far from track of men, Thought following thought, and ftep by step led on, He enter'd now the bord'ring defert wild, And with dark fhades and rocks enviro'd round, His holy meditations thus parfu’d,
O what a multitude of thoughts at once Awaken'd in me fwarm, while I confider What from within I feel myfelf, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Ill forting with my present state compar'd ! When I was yet a child, no childish play To me was pleafing; all my mind was fet Serious to learn or know, and thence to do What might be public good: myself I thought Born to that end, born to promote all truth, All righteous things: therefore above my years, The law of God I read, and found it fweet, Made it my whole delight, and in it grew To fuch perfection, that ere yet my age Had meafur'd twice fix years, at our geat feaft I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propofe What might improve my knowledge or their And was admir'd by all: yet this not all To which my fpirit afpir'd; victorious deeds Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To refcue Ifrael from the Roman yoke, Then to fubdue and quell o'er all the earth Brute violence and proud tyrannic power, Till truth were freed, and equity reftor'd: Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly, first, By winning words, to conquer willing hearts, And make Perfuafion do the work of Fear; At least to try, and teach the erring soul Not willfully mil-doing, but unware Misled; the stubborn only to fubdue.
Thefe growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving, By words at times caft forth, inly rejoic'd, And faid to me apart,-High are thy thoughts, O Son, but nourish them, and let them foar To what height facred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high; By matchle's deeds exprefs thy matchless Sire. Forknow, thou art no fon of mortal man; Though men efteem thee low of parentage,
Thy Father is th' eternal King who rules All heav'n and earth, angels and fons of men. A meffenger from God foretold thy birth Conceiv'd in me a virgin; he foretold
Thou should't be great, and fit on David's throne, And of thy kingdom there fhould be no end. At thy nativity a glorious choir
Of angels in the fields of Bethlehem fung
To thepherds watching at their folds by night, And told them the Meffiah now was born,
Where they might fee him, and to thee they came, Directed to the manger where thou iayd'ft, For in the inn was left no better room: A ftar, not feen before, in Heav'n appearing, Guided the wife men thither from the east, To honour thee with incenfe, myrrh, and gold, By whofe bright courfe led on they found the place, Affirming it thy ftar new grav'n in heav'n, By which they knew the King of Ifrael born. Juft Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd By vifion, found thee in the temple, and spake, Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that prefent ftood.- This having heard, strait I again revolv'd The law and prophets, fearching what was writ Concerning the Messiah, to our (cribes
Known partly, and foon found of whom they fpake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard afsay, e’en to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain, Or work redemption for mankind, whose fins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet neither thus difhearten'd or dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited, when behold The Baptift (of whofe birth I oft had heard,
Not knew by fight) now come, who was to come Before Meffiah, and his way prepare.
I as all others to his baptifin came,
Which I believ'd was from above; but he
Strait knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim'd
Me him, (for it was thewn him to from heav'n,) Me him whole harbinger he was; and first Refus'd on me his baptifin to confer, As much his greater, and was hardly won: But as I rofe out of the laving stream, Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence The Spirit defcended on me like a dove, And laft, the fum of all, my Father's voice,
Audibly heard from heav'n, pronounc'd me his, Me his beloved Son, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time Now full, that I no more fhould live obfcure, But openly begin, as best becomes
Th' authority which I deriv'd from heav'n. And now by fome trong motion I am led Into this wildernefs; to what intent I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know; For what concerns my knowledge God reveals.- So fpake our Morning Star, then in his rise, And, looking round on every fide, beheld A pathlefs defert, dusk with horrid fhades: The way he came not having mark'd, return Was difficult, by human fteps untrod;
And he still on was led, but with fuch thoughts Accompanied of things paft and to come Lodg'd in his breaft, as well might recommend Such folitude before choiceft fociety. Full forty days he pafs'd, whether on hill Sometimes, anon in fhady vale, each night Under the covert of fome ancient oak, Or cedar, to defend him from the dew, Or harbour'd in lone cave, is not reveal'd;
Nor tafted human food, nor hunger felt
Till thofe days ended, hunger'd then at last
Among wild beafts: they at his fight grew mild,
Nor fleeping him nor waking haim'd; his walk
The fiery ferpent fled, and noxious worm ; The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof. But now an aged man, in rural weeds, Following, as feem'd, the queft of fome fray ewe,
Or whither'd sticks to gather, which might ferve Against a winter's day, when winds blow keen, To warm him, wet return'd from field at eve, He faw approach, who firft with curious eye
Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd fpake: 320 Sir, what ill chance hath brought thee to this place So far from path or road of men, who pafs
In troop or caravan ? for fingle none
Durft ever, who return'd, and dropt not here
His carcafe, pin'd with hunger and with drouth.
I ask thee rather, and the more admire,
For that to me thou feem'ft the Man whom late
Our new baptizing Prophet at the ford
Of Jordan honour'd fo, and call'd thee Son
Of God. I faw and heard; for we fometimes,
Who dwell this wild, conftrain'd by want, come forth
To town or village nigh, (nigheft is far,)
Where ought we hear, and curious are to hear,
What happens new: Fame alfo finds us out.
To whom the Son of God: Who brought me hither,
Will bring me hence; no other guide I feek. By miracle he may, reply'd the fwain;
What other way I fee not; for we here
Live on tough roots and ftubs, to thirst inur'd
More than the camel, and to drink go far,
Men to much mifery and hardship born;
But if thou be the Son of God, command
That out of thefe hard ftones be made thee bread,
So fhalt thou fave thyfelf, and us relieve
With food, whereof we wretched feldom tafte. He ended, and the Son of God reply'd :
Think't thou fuch force in bread? Is it not written
(For I difcern thee other than thou feem'ft) Man lives not by bread only, but each word Proceeding from the mouth of God, who fed Our fathers here with manna? In the mount Mofes was forty days, nor ate nor drank; And forty days Elijah without food Wander'd this barren wafte; the fame I now:
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