The ferpent feeds on duft, as 'twas ordain'd,
And on his belly prone he ftill fhall crawl;
But all his enmity is now defroy'd:
The fucking child upon his hold may play,
The weaned child with bafilifks may sport.
Nothing fhall hurt, destroy, disturb, affright,
In all my holy mountain, faith the Lord.
And lo thefe wonders now fhall be reveal'd.
I from my Father fent, once fu ffer'd here,
And now I come on earth to rule and reign,
And here will fix my throne; with you to dwell
I am well pleas'd: and fince you now receive
Me as your Lord and King I will declare,
That you fhall never be rejected more,
But always fhall be mine, a people dear
To God, who greatest honors fhall bestow
Upon your favor'd race, and thus fulfil
The glorious cov❜nant with your fathers made.
Thus you shall be the bleffed of the Lord,
And all the nations fhall be bleft in you.
You shall from me the faving truth receive,
And through the earth its precepts fhall convey. Fear then no more, arife, rejoice in God. [joy,
Thefe glorious words pronounc'd, they heard with Their hearts were full, and thus they gave them vent, Lord, what are we? and what is all our race, 531 That thou for our deliv'rance should appear? Nay more, instead of wrath and fore rebukes, Should in fuch mildeft accents comfort us, And fpeak fuch multitudes of promifes,
Which though by Prophets long ago declar'd,
We fcarcely ever hop'd to fee fulfill'd.
With greatest gladness we rejoice in. Thee,
Our great Redeemer, Lord, and rightful King
1ord we will praise Thee, for we now can fay, 540
Tho' thou with us waft angry for our fins,
For which thou hadft indeed abundant caufe,*
Yet now thine anger fierce is turn'd away,
And thou doft comfort us, by kindeft words,
And glorious actions in our favor wrought.
Thou art our fhield, Thou art our confidence,
In thee we truft, nor fhall we be afham'd.
For thou art our falvation, Thou our hope,
Our strength, our helper and our joyful fong.
Is this the way of finful men? O Lord!
Would they requite their cruel enemies
With fuch kind words and deeds of love? Ah, no.
But thou art gracious, and shalt have the praise,
With highest gratitude our bofoms glow
And never can we utter what we feel
Our hearts are full, nor can we give them vent,
By all the words we utter; language fails.
But thee with joy we own our Lord and King.
Our highest honor is to bow to Thee.
Reign thou for ever, Jefus always reign
Thou art the God for whom we waited long :
Thou art our Lord, in Thee we will rejoice;
In thy falvation we will now confide.
Though our Lords have rul'd us, yet henceforth,
lee, only Thee, as Ruler will we own
Accept us as thy flock, we afk no more.
O what a day was this! their grief was turn'd To greatest joy and gladness; and their Lord Well pleas'd to fee the great and happy change, Acknowledg'd them his brethren, who before 570 Set him at naught, and him defpis'd and fold, Thus Jofeph's brethren dealt unfaithfully With him their precious brother, him betray'd, And would have murder'd, but were hindered, But fold him as a flave: yet God ordain'd That he should rife to greateft dignity. At laft these brethren, driv'n by hunger for Unto the land of Egypt did repair,
Where Jofeph rul'd as Governor fupreme :
But him they knew not, though he knew them well,
But made his first appearance rough and strange. 581
The fecond time they went, and them he brought
Into fuch circumftances of diftrefs,
As made them, weeping, fall before his feet,
And there confefs the bafenefs of their crime. 585
Till finally himself he did reveal
To all his brethren, and forgave their fault,
And spake to them in moft confoling strains ;
Receiv'd them as his friends, and nourifh'd them,
Became their father, brother, lord, and friend. 590
Thus Jefus Jofeph's antitype, hath fhew'd
Himfelf a faithful friend, and brother dear,
In dying for his greatest enemies
And when he shall appear the fecond time,
He will conduct himfelf as Jofeph did :
First bring them low, and then exalt them high;
And give them pardon, and obtain their praise.
Thus fhall the happy period begin,
When Jefus to his brethren fhall be known.
Great fcenes fhall follow, fuch as none have dar'd
To paint in verfe heroic, but my pen
Would fain attempt in numbers to defcribe.
But O, my God, thou knowest what is best,
And I fubmit to what thou fhalt appoint.
If I ne'er live to finish what's begun,
I truft I shall have better exercise.
In au afright world of blifs to which I foar,
Where I fhall fee my Savior face to face,
And praise his name in nobler strains than these : Joining with all the heav'nly company,
His everlasting honors to proclaim.
NOW let my pen affume a bolder ft rain,
And paint in fweetest words and loftieft ftile,
That fubject which can never be exprefs'd
In full perfection, the Redeemer's reign:
But hence dull thoughts, and worldly cares away;5
Let nothing hinder, nothing difcompofe,
While I attempt the glories of that age,
When Jefus Christ, our Lord, fhall rule the world. From fea to fea his kingdom fhall extend, And from the rifing to the fetting fun, Through ev'ry kingdom, over ev'ry land. All kings fhall fall before him, and shall bow • In humble rev'rence at his facred feet ; And all the nations fhall his word obey. His laws how juft! his precepts how divine! How righteous fhall his government be found! No fraud, injuftice, or oppreffion, then, Shall evermore prevail among mankind, During the glorious period of that age
When Chrift shall reign on earth, and Satan bound,
No more fhall tempt mankind, nor fouls deceive. 21
What wond'rous things are spoken of that day!
What glories have the ancient feers foretold!
Nor lefs will they appear when once fulfill'd,
Than by the grand predictions they would feem 25
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