1080 And fecret friends may sometimes fervice do, And follow'd JESUS openly when dead, 1085 The Roman guards attend. They break the legs Of both the thieves who fuffer'd with the Lord, 10ge To make them die the fooner, through the pain And lofs of blood: (O punishment fevere !) But JESUS' legs they break not; for they found Him dead already; and the Scripture faid, Not one of all his bones fhall broken be. This was forefhewed by the pafchal lamb, A bone of which they were forbid to bteak. But Oh! there follows here a moving fcene A foldier with a fpear did pierce his fide, 1095 Pierc'd through the pericardium and the heart, 1100 7105 To help to take his facred body down; Foretold in ancient times, and must be done. 1115 On me, whom they have pierced, they shall look, And mourn for him, as tend'rest fire bere av'd, Lamenteth for his fon, his darling child, And is in bitterness for his first born; So fhall they be in bitterness for me. 1120 My Savior's fide a double flood pour'd out: That ftream which prov'd him dead, makes us to live Both blood and water ran to fave our fouls: The blood aton'd, the water purifies. Thus JESUS came by both, not one alone; 1125 The Spirit, Water, Blood, in one agree: And thus bear witness to God's truth on earth. But now his body, taken from the cross, With myrrh, and aloes, fpices, linen clean, In Jofeph's tomb, hewn from the folid rock; Here lay the Prince of Peace; and thus hath bleft And made the grave a quiet resting-place. 1136 Death and the grave have lost their horrid gloom, To blifs unfading, and a glorious crown. Here then we leave him in the tomb awhile, 1140 And take a little time to meditate Upon the great defigns he had in view, And thus fulfill'd the purposes divine. So while we mourn our Lord, untimely flain 1145 By cruel hands, we'll praise him for his love, END OF THE SECOND BOOK. BOOK III. THE INTERMEDIATE STATE. COME mortals, view your Savior here entomb'd ; But wherefore must it be, that he should tafte 5 And overcome the pow'rs of death and hell; Destroy the devil's works, and purge our ftains, 10 And reconcile the ruin'd world to God? No other means were found, and none could be Sufficient to atchieve thefe mighty things, Except his death, or Jefus had efcap'd ; (Ev'n to the very dregs) my foul fubmits. 'Twas long foretold that Jesus fhould be flain; 15 28 25 And therefore well deferve our serious thoughts: Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlafting Father, Prince of Peace. That in the time appointed, he should take Our flesh, and be the woman's promis'd Seed: Yet fhe a virgin pure should still remain. 30 35 'Twas faid that he from Abr'ham's loins should spring, From Ifaac's, Jacob's, Judah's, David's stock. That he in Bethl'em's city should be born, Was plainly by the prophet Micah told. The fceptre was departing at his birth From Judah's tribe, as Jacób had declar'd. Aud while the second temple ftill should stand, 40 45 49 And with his real prefence blefs the place. That Rachel's land fhould for its children mourn, While he for fafety, fhould to Egypt fly. His name was called Netzer, or The Branch; Was call'd, and thus fulfil'd the prophet's words. Twas farther prophefy'd, that he fhould have 55 |