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Return'd the wifer, or the more instruct
To flye or follow what concern'd him moft,
And run not fooner to his fatal fnare?
For God hath juftly giv'n the Nations up
To thy Delufions; juftly, fince they fell
Idolatrous, but when his purpose is
Among them to declare his Providence

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To thee not known, whence haft thou then thy truth, But from him or his Angels Prefident

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In every Province, who themselves disdaining
To approach thy Temples, give thee in command
What to the smallest tittle thou shalt say
To thy Adorers; thou with trembling fear,
Or like a Fawning Parafite obey'st;
Then to thy felf afcrib'ft the truth fore-told.
But this thy glory shall be soon retrench'd;
No more fhalt thou by oracling abuse
The Gentiles; henceforth Oracles are ceaft,
And thou no more with Pomp and Sacrifice
Shalt be enquir'd at Delphos or elsewhere,
At least in vain, for they shall find thee mute.
God hath now fent his living Oracle

Into the World, to teach his final will,

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And fends his Spirit of Truth henceforth to dwell In pious Hearts, an inward Oracle

To all truth requifite for men to know.

So fpake our Saviour; but the fubtle Fiend, Though inly stung with anger and disdain, Diffembl❜d, and this Answer smooth return'd. Sharply thou haft infifted on rebuke,

And urg'd me hard with doings, which not will
But mifery hath rested from me; where
Eafily canst thou find one miferable,

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And not inforc'd oft-times to part from truth;
If it may stand him more in ftead to lye,
Say and unfay, feign, flatter, or abjure?
But thou art plac't above me, thou art Lord;
From thee I can and must submiss endure
Check or reproof, and glad to scape fo quit.
Hard are the ways of truth, and rough to walk,
Smooth on the tongue difcourft, pleafing to th' ear,
And tuneable as Silvan Pipe or Song;
What wonder then if I delight to hear

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Her dictates from thy mouth? most men admire
Vertue, who follow not her lore: permit me
To hear thee when I come (fince no man comes)
And talk at least, though I despair to attain.
Thy Father, who is holy, wife and pure,
Suffers the Hypocrite or Atheous Priest
To tread his Sacred Courts, and minister
About his Altar, handling holy things,
Praying or vowing, and vouchfaf'd his voice
To Balaam Reprobate, a Prophet yet
Infpir'd; difdain not such access to me.

To whom our Saviour with unalter'd brow. Thy coming hither, though I know thy scope, I bid not or forbid; do as thou find'st Permiffion from above; thou canst not more. He added not; and Satan bowing low

His

gray diffimulation, disappear'd

Into thin Air diffus'd: for now began

Night with her fullen wing to double-shade

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The Defert, Fowls in thir clay nefts were couch't; And now wild Beafts came forth the woods to roam.

The End of the First Book.

Paradife Regain'd.

BOOK II.

EAN while the new-baptiz'd, who yet remain'd

At Jordan with the Baptist, and had seen Him whom they heard fo late exprefly call'd Jefus Meffiah Son of God declar'd,

And on that high Authority had believ'd,

And with him talkt, and with him lodg'd, I mean Andrew and Simon, famous after known

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With others though in Holy Writ not nam'd,
Now miffing him thir joy fo lately found,
So lately found, and so abruptly gone,
Began to doubt, and doubted many days,
And as the days increas'd, increas'd thir doubt:
Sometimes they thought he might be only fhewn,
And for a time caught up to God, as once
Mofes was in the Mount, and miffing long;
And the great Thifbite who on fiery wheels
Rode up to Heaven, yet once again to come.
Therefore as thofe young Prophets then with care
Sought loft Eliah, fo in each place these
Nigh to Bethabara; in Jerico

The City of Palms, Ænon, and Salem Old,
Macharus and each Town or City wall'd

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On this fide the broad lake Genezaret,

Or in Perea, but return'd in vain.

Then on the bank of Jordan, by a Creek :
Where winds with Reeds, and Ofiers whifp'ring play
Plain Fishermen, no greater men them call,
Clofe in a Cottage low together got

Thir unexpected lofs and plaints out breath'd.
Alas, from what high hope to what relapse
Unlook'd for are we fall'n, our eyes beheld
Meffiah certainly now come, fo long
Expected of our Fathers; we have heard
His words, his wifdom full of grace and truth,
Now, now, for fure, deliverance is at hand,
The Kingdom shall to Ifrael be restor’d :
Thus we rejoyc'd, but foon our joy is turn'd
Into perplexity and new amaze :

For whither is he gone, what accident
Hath rapt him from us? will he now retire
After
appearance, and again prolong

Our expectation? God of Ifrael,

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Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come;
Behold the Kings of the Earth how they oppress
Thy chofen, to what highth thir pow'r unjust
They have exalted, and behind them caft
All fear of thee, arise and vindicate
Thy Glory, free thy people from thir yoke,
But let us wait; thus far he hath perform'd,
Sent his Anointed, and to us reveal'd him,
By his great Prophet, pointed at and shown,
In publick, and with him we have convers'd;
Let us be glad of this, and all our fears
Lay on his Providence; he will not fail

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Nor will withdraw him now, nor will recall, Mock us with his bleft fight, then snatch him hence, Soon we shall see our hope, our joy return.

Thus they out of their plaints new hope resume To find whom at the first they found unfought: But to his Mother Mary, when she saw

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Others return'd from Baptifm, not her Son,
Nor left at Jordan, tydings of him none; [pure,
Within her breft, though calm; her breft though
Motherly cares and fears got head, and rais'd
Some troubl'd thoughts, which she in fighs thus clad.
O what avails me now that honour high

To have conceiv'd of God, or that falute
Hale highly favour'd, among women bleft;
While I to forrows am no less advanc't,
And fears as eminent, above the lot
Of other women, by the birth I bore,
In fuch a season born when scarce a Shed
Could be obtain'd to fhelter him or me
From the bleak air; a Stable was our warmth,
A Manger his, yet soon enforc't to flye

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Thence into Egypt, till the Murd'rous King
Were dead, who fought his life, and miffing fill'd
With Infant blood the streets of Bethlehem;
From Egypt home return'd, in Nazareth
Hath been our dwelling many years, his life 80
Private, unactive, calm, contemplative,
Little fufpicious to any King; but now
Full grown to Man, acknowledg'd, as I hear,
By John the Baptift, and in publick shown,
Son own'd from Heaven by his Father's voice;
I look't for fome great change; to Honour? no,

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