Now they're afham'd of all their mighty deeds,
And bear their fhame, the punishment of crimes,
With all the nations who inhabit hell,
Slain by the fword, uncircumcis'd, unclean.
Pharoah fhall fee the num'rous peoples there; 660
And that the mighty have no cause to boast,
And have this comfort that he's not alone,
(If this is comfort to the mis'rable)
This is the lamentation over him.
A dreadful warning to proud mighty men:
Though great their glory, great must be their fhame :
For just in that proportion as they have
In softness liv'd, and glorify'd themselves,
Juft fo much pain and forrow they must feel.
O what amazing numbers were confin'd
In these dark regions! most who liv'd and dy'd
During the period of four thousand
years. But far the greatest number fwept at once From earth, was by the flood in Noah's time. Millions have been deftroy'd in one campaign 675 By war, as was the cafe with Xerxes hoft
Earthquakes, volcanoes, famines, plagues and ftorms,
Wide wafting peftilences, raging flames,.
And dreadful inundations, whirlwinds fierce,
Have often flain their millions; but the flood: 680
Swept off a world at once; which then contain'd
Near twenty thousand millions of mankind;
Suppose they doubled twice each century;
Which cannot be improbable, because
No children dy'd in infancy; they liv'd
Nearly a thousand years in gen'ral then.
Seldom a fon before his father dy'd,
And but nine generations left the ftage
Before the dreadful flood of water came.
So, if my calculation's rightly made,
All but one thoufand and thirty were drown'd,
That ever had been born of woman kind.
Hades was peopled then at once with ghosts,
Who had been difobedient finners bold,
Infulted God's long suff'ring, ridicul'd
His fervant who through faith and fear prepar'd
An ark for the falvation of his houfe.
These were shut up in prifon, and remain'd
In hopeless darkness; not one chearful ray
Had pierc'd the difmal gloom in that long night,
(Almost two thousand and four hundred years.) 700
No wonder that our Savior firft began
To preach the gospel to those wretched fouls,
Who were a large proportion of mankind
That ever yet have liv'd fince time began.
Long, long they finn'd on earth; no others had,
Nor ever fhall have, half their years to fin.
By parity of reas'ning, plain it seems
They were the greatest finners of mankind;
As being first and longest in the ways
That lead to dire destruction, harden'd most
By long forbearing patience of the Lord.
Longest had they continu'd in despair.
Yet Jefus dy'd for them, as well as us;
And that the gofpel might to them be known, 715
He went, his foul defcended into hell;
The prifon doors he enter'd, and he preach'd
Unto the spirits there confined long.
Who fometime difobedient were, when once
God waited long in ancient Noah's days.
Christ preach'd to dead, distinguish'd from the quick, (As he is judge both of the quick and dead)
That by the gospel they might judged be,
Like those who heard it while they dwelt in flesh, And that they might in fpirit live to God,
And be compleatly free from fin and death.
Thus Jefus gave himself a facrifice,
A ranfom for the world, and ev'ry man,
From Adam, to the last that shall be born :
To be in due time teflify'd to all.
What great fuccefs attended Jefus then,
Who can conceive? What mortal can declare ?
He spoiled principalities and pow'rs,
And of them openly he made a fhew ;
Triumphing over those infernal hofts,
Who held their captives fast in hellish chains.
He from the mighty took the prey, and fet
The lawful captives at their liberty.
Thus he captivity did captive lead
And by his blood the pris'ners were sent forth, 740
Out of the pit of drouth, and deepest woe.
This work fulfill'd the prophecies, which faid,
Thus faith JEHOVAH, who created heav'ns
And stretch'd them out, and form'd the earth and feas,
Made man and gives him being, life, and breath,
And doth provide him ev'ry needful thing:
Thee have I call'd in righteousness divine,
Will hold thine hand, and thee in safety keep,
And give thee for the people's covenant;
To all the Gentiles thou shalt be a light.
Blind eyes to open, pris'ners to bring forth
Who fit in darkness, from the prison house,
Shall be the glorious work thou shalt perform.
For in a time acceptable I've heard
Thy voice, and help'd thee in falvation's day. 755
At thy command the pris'ners fhall be free,
The fons of darkness see the light again,
And fhew themselves, and feed in the high-ways,
And in high places find a pasture green ;
And being prefeht from tribulation great,
Shall be at ee tehung end thirft no more
Their fpirits han opprefs, nor fun, nor heat.
For God who gives them mercy, shall them lead,
Feed them and guide them by the water fprings.
Sing, O ye heav'ns, O earth, break forth with joy;
Ye mountains fing, and all the hills rejoice;
JIHOVAH hath his people comforted,
And will have mercy upon his diftrefs'd.
Such as in darkness fit, in death's fad fhade,
In chains of iron and affliction bound;
Because against Jehovah they rebell'd,
The words and counfel of the Lord contemn'd: Therefore their heart with labor he brought down; They fell, and there was none to help them up. They to Jehovah in their trouble cry'd
He faved them from their distreffes great.
He brought them out of darkness, where they fat, And from death's gloomy fhadow fet them free. In funder break their bands infrangible.
O praise Jehovah for his mercy's fake ! 78. His wond'rous works demand your noblest song. Not brazen gates, nor maffy iron bars, Nor gulf impaffable, nor hosts of foes, Nor all the pow'rs of hell, could him prevent From vifiting with light and love unknown The fpirits, who fo long had dwelt in night. He to the captives liberty proclaim'd, The opening of the prison to the bound;
And thofe confol'd who mourn'd in darkness long.
Thus plain it feels, that ancients thers heard 790
The glorious gofpel by the Savioral catch'd ;d
They difobedient once, his word bey'
For ought we know, and were by him reftor'd.
Though Sodom ftill remain'd, as Jude declares,
Set forth for an example to the world
Suff'ring the vengeance of eternal fire:
Yet glorious promifes await her ftill 4
That her captivity fhall be return'd ́;
She, with her daughters, by Jehovah giv'n,'
To proud Jerufalem, but humbled then,
Shall be receiv'd with kindeft arms of love,
(Though once defpis'd, forgot, contemn'd and scorn'd
And counted vile by her, more vile herfelf.)"
When all her fins fhall be forgiv 'n, and the
Shall find in God a father just, yet good;
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