Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
Worship'd with Temple, Prieft and Sacrifice; One is the Son of Jove, of Mars the other, Till Conqu❜ror Death discover them scarce men, Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd, Violent or shameful death their due reward. But if there be in glory aught of good, It may by means far different be attain'd Without ambition, war, or violence; By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent, By patience, temperance; I mention still
Him whom thy wrongs with Saintly patience born, Made famous in a Land and times obfcure;
Who names not now with honour patient Job? Poor Socrates (who next more memorable?) By what he taught and suffer'd for fo doing, For truth's fake fuffering death unjust, lives now Equal in fame to proudest Conquerors. Yet if for fame and glory aught be done, Aught fuffer'd; if young African for fame His wafted Country freed from Punic rage, The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least, And loses, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I seek glory then, as vain Men seek
Oft not deferv'd? I feck not mine, but his Who fent me, and thereby witness whence I am. To whom the Tempter murm'ring thus reply'd. Think not fo flight of glory, therein least Resembling thy great Father: he secks glory, And for his glory all things made, all things Orders and Governs, not content in Heav'n By all his Angels glorify'd, requires
Glory from men, from all men good or bad, Wife or unwife, no difference, no exemption; Above all Sacrifice, or hallow'd gift
Glory he requires, and glory he receives Promifcuous from all Nations, Jew, or Greek, Or Barbarous, nor exception hath declar'd, From us his foes pronounc'd glory he exacts.
To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd. And reafon; fince his word all things produc'd, Though chiefly not for glory as prime end, But to fhew forth his goodness and impart His good communicable t'ev'ry foul) Freely, of whom what could he lefs expect Than glory and benediction, that is thanks, E 2
The flightest, cafieft, readieft recompence
From them who could return him nothing else, And not returning what would likelieft render Contempt instead, dishonour obloquy?
Hard recompence, unfutable return
For fo much good, fo much beneficence.
But why should man seek glory? who of his own Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs But condemnation, ignominy, and shame? Who for fo many benefits receiv'd Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false, And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd, Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take That which to God alone of right belongs; Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace, That who advance his glory, not their own, Them he himself to glory will advance.
So fpake the Son of God; and here again Satan had not to anfwer, but stood ftruck With guilt of his own fin, for he himself Infatiable of glory had lost all,
Yet of another Plea bethought him soon.
Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, fo deem, Worth or not worth their fecking, let it pass: But to a Kingdom thou art born, ordain'd To fit upon thy Father David's Throne;
By Mother's fide thy Father, though thy right Be now in pow'rful hands, that will not part Easily from poffeffion won with arms, Judaa now and all the promis'd land, Reduc'd a Province under Roman yoke, Obeys Tiberius; nor is always rul'd
With temp❜rate fway; oft have they violated The Temple, oft the Law with foul affronts, Abominations rather, as did once
Antiochus: and think'st thou to regain Thy right by fitting ítill or thus retiring? So did not Machabeus: he indeed
Retir'd unto the Defart, but with arms; And o'er a mighty King so oft prevail'd That by ftrong hand his Family obtain❜d, Tho'Priefts, theCrown,and David's Throne ufurp'd, With Modin and her Suburbs once content. If Kingdom move thee not, let move thee Zeal And Duty, Zeal and Duty are not flow;
But on Occafion's forelock watchful wait,
They themselves rather are occafion beft,
Zeal of thy Father's house, Duty to free
Thy Country from her Heathen fervitude; So fhalt thou beft fulfil, best verifie
The Prophets old, who fung thy endless reign, The happier reign the fooner it begins,
Reign then, what canft thou better do the while? To whom our Saviour answer thus return'd.
All things are beft fulfill'd in their due time, And time there is for all things, Truth hath faid: If of my reign prophetic Writ hath told, That it shall never end, fo when begin
The Father in his purpose hath decreed, He in whose hand all times and seasons rolļ. What if he hath decreed that I shall first
Be try'd in humble state, and things adverse, By tribulations, injuries, infults,
Contempts, and scorns, and fnares, and violence,
Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting,
Without diftruft or doubt, that he may know What I can fuffer, how obey? who best Can fuffer, best can do; beft reign, who first
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