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And fecret friends may sometimes fervice do,
When open ones may have no chance at all.
Thus David fent his faithful Hushai back
To follow with the faithlefs Abfalom:
To ferve his turn the better, and defeat
The dang'rous counfels of Ahitophel.
Joseph and Nicodemus, hid fo long,
Through weakness, ignorance, or doubt, or fear,
Came forth the boldeft foldiers at the laft,

And follow'd JESUS openly when dead,
And honorably they did bury him,
Though he was flain most ignominiously).
Whom while, alive, they never dar'd to own.

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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,

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Pierc'd through the pericardium and the heart, 1100
Both blood and water flowing out at once!
O barb'rous action! ne'er to be forgot:
Pray was it not enough that he was dead?
As the Centurion had affur'd the judge.
they were fatisfy'd and order'd thee

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To help to take his facred body down;
Who gave thee leave his bleffed fide to pierce ?
What could poffefs thee thus to use his corpse,
Now fince the governor had giv'n him up
To the difpofal of his dearest friends?
How must they feel to fee thee ftab him thus !
But was this accident, or chance, that so
Directed him the Savior thus to stab ?
'Twas the fulfilment of a prophecy,

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.

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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;

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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,
Was drefs'd; and being thus prepar'd, was laid 1130

In Jofeph's tomb, hewn from the folid rock;
Where never man was laid before, nor fince.
One ftone fo large as clos'd the fepulchre
Was brought and laid, that all might be fecure.

Here lay the Prince of Peace; and thus hath bleft

And made the grave a quiet resting-place.

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Death and the grave have lost their horrid gloom,
Since JESUS pafs'd their empire in his way

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,
"When on the cross he suffer'd pain and death,

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,
That made him willingly to death submit,
To raise our fouls to everlasting life!

END OF THE SECOND BOOK.

BOOK III.

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE.

COME mortals, view your Savior here entomb'd ;
O fight enough to break an heart of stone!
JESUS, the Lord of glory, fleeps in duft!

But wherefore must it be, that he should tafte
The cup of death? Was there no other way
In which he could perform the Father's will,
Fulfil the law, and save a guilty race;
Accomplish all the written prophecies,

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 ;
For thus he pray'd :-Father, if poffible,
Let this cup pafs from me, this bitter draught:
But if it is thy will that I muft drink,

(Ev'n to the very dregs) my foul fubmits.

'Twas long foretold that Jesus fhould be flain;
Not for himself, but for the people's crimes.
Thus in his fuff'ring fcene, 'tis often faid,
All this was done the Scriptures to fulfil,
The prophecies by ancient prophets wrote.
The following things of him were prophefy'd,
Which to the nicest point have been fulfil'd,

15

28

25

And therefore well deferve our serious thoughts:
i hat the Meffiah, who should reconcile
Both God and man together, should be nam'd
IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US, The FATHER'S SON.
Only-begotten Son of God moft high,

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.
'Twas faid Meffiah fhould be born and flain
Within the term of feventy weeks of years,
From the decree by Artaxerxes giv'n
Jerufalem's fam'd city to rebuild.

Aud while the second temple ftill should stand,
Whofe greatest glory fhould in this confift,
That in it the Meffiah fhould appear,

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;
He dwelt at Nazareth, a Nazarene

Was call'd, and thus fulfil'd the prophet's words.

Twas farther prophefy'd, that he fhould have 55