Who though he will correct, will ne'er forfake,
But bring his ftraying children home at laft.
Sing, O ye heav'ns! Jehovah did the deed!
Shout, shout, shout, fhout, ye lower parts of earth!
Ye mountains, O break forth in songs of praise! 81.
O foreft wide, and ev'ry tree therein;
Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob's race,
And glorify'd himself in Ifrael's fons.
And this falvation great, is light compar'd
With those defigns fo marvellous, fo grand,
So worthy of a God; for thus he faith
To his eternal Son, the Lord from heav'n :
'Tis but a light thing that thou should't become
My fervant to raise up old Jacob's tribes,
And the preferv'd of Ifrael to restore :
I'll give thee to the Gentile world a light;
To earth's remoteft ends falvation be.
Perform thy pleasure, bring all knees to bow,
Bring ev'ry tongue to swear, and thee confefs
The univerfal Lord. But ask of me,
The heathen, thine inheritance, I'll give ;
Poffefs the utmost limits of the earth.
The Father to the Son all things hath giv'n,
In heav'n, on earth, and in the worlds below;
Therefore to fave the loft he freely came;
Was born, liv'd, dy'd, descended into hell,
Proclaim'd the gospel, triumph'd over him
Who led poor finners captive at his will.
These mighty acts I've fung; But Oh, how far, My higheft ftrains must fall below his deeds! 835
My theme is lofty, though my song is weak;
Fain would I praise him, but my words are faint!
My spirit finks beneath the pond'rous load.
Much still remains to fing, and much I fear
That I fhall ne'er be able to compleat
The mighty task I've ventur'd to begin.
But fince thus far I'm come, in Him I'll truft
Who can inspire my heart, and guide my pen ;
And from the mouth of fuch a helpless babe,
Perfect his praise, and still the enemy.
THE RESURRECTION.
CHILDREN of Adam listen to my fong;
A most important fubject is propos'd,
In which your int'reft and concern lie deep;
Christ's glorious refurrection is the theme;
That grand event on which falvation hangs;
The fure foundation of our chriftian faith.
This might employ an angel's nobleft pow'rs;
But God will not disdain a child's attempt.
The Savior crucify'd by wicked hands,
Had yielded up his life a facrifice;
His foes had triumph'd, and his friends defpair'd : His mangled body, wounded to the heart,
Was in the filent tomb fecurely laid,
Its entrance by a pond'rous ftone was clos'd:
What room, to feeble fenfe, remain'd for hope? 15
His followers had abandon'd now his caufe,
Chiefly confulting how they might be fafe.
Upon the following day, his cruel foes
The Scribes, Chief Priests, and Pharifees, combin'd,
And came to Pilate, thus addreffing him:
Sir we remember that Deceiver faid,
In three days time I shall arise again.
We therefore pray that thou wouldst place a guard,
Till the third day, to keep the tomb secure;
Left his difciples fteal his corpfe by night,
And then proclaim him rifen from the dead;
Thus the laft error fhall exceed the firft.
Go then, faid Pilate, you shall have a watch,
Be ev'ry thing according to your will:
Make it as fure as poffibly you can.
Thus authoriz'd, they feal'd the stone, and plac'd
A guard of foldiers round the fepulchre.
Now when the early dawn began to show
Its beauties, and declar'd the fun's approach,
The third, th' appointed day, its eye-lids op'd; 35
A train of women, faithful to their Lord,
Were walking early to furvey the place
Where lay deposited their dearest friend,
And bringing spices to embalm his flesh.
But lo! a glorious form from heav'n came down, An angel of the Lord, in light array'd;
At his approach the mountains feem'd to nod.
Instinctive, and the folid orb did quake:
The ftone was in a moment roll'd afide,
Which for a while, became a flaming throne,
On which he fat in terrible array;
His countenance as light'ning fiercely blaz'd :
The keepers fhook with fear, and fell as dead.
Juft in that moment rofe the royal Prince;
The Lord of glory left the darkfome tomb.
The brightest fun that ever fhone in heav'n,
From whom all light is borrow'd, was eclips'd;
Obfcur'd in darkest fhades, he fet in blood;
He dwelt in darkness, made the duft his bed,
Though fons and ftars are only fhades of him:
But foon he rofe triumphant, and appear'd
More beauteous than the radiant fource of day,
Which chears all nature, makes creation smile,
And gladdens ev'ry heart at its approach.
Or, as when darkest clouds had long o'ercaft 60 The horizon and dreadful ftorms of rain, Hailftones, and furious whirlwinds, tempefts drear, Have roar'd around the frighted mariners; When neither fun, nor moon, nor ftars are feen For many days, 'till all their hopes are lost.
But when at length, the fun appears in fight,
The clouds difperfe, the dreadful blasts are gone,
The day fhines clear, a fair and pleasant breeze
Brings them in fafety to their deftin'd port;
How joyful is the change! So chang'd the fcene 70
When Jefus rofe, and morn appear'd more fair
After fo fad a night; the ftorm was hufh'd,
And balmly zephyrs whifper'd, He is ris'n.
Or, as when Sol is totally eclips'd,
The gloomy fhade appears more dismal far
Than darkest midnight in its proper time.
What fudden confternation feizes all
The animals! The birds affrighted fly
To covert, or, as though depriv'd of life,
They drop their wings, and fall upon the ground; 80.
The beafts retire, as though 'twere darkest night,
Nations aftonifh'd gaze with terror fill'd !
Such the tremendous fcene when Jefus dy'd
But what pen can paint the genʼral joy,
When the bright fun emerges from the gloom; 85
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