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 can'st not moré.
He added not; and Satan bowing low
His gray diffimulation, disappear'd
Into thin Air diffus'd: for now began
Night with her fullen wings to double-fhade
The Defart, Fowls in their clay nefts were couch'd;
And now wild Beafts came forth the Woods to roam.
The End of the First Book.
EAN while the new-baptiz'd, who yet remain'd
At Jordan with the Baptift, 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,
With others though in Holy Writ not nam'd,
Now miffing him their Joy fo lately found,
So lately found, and fo abruptly gone,
Began to doubt, and doubted many days,
And as the days increas'd, increas'd their doubt:
Sometimes they thought he might be only shewn,
And for a time caught up to God, as once
Mofes was in the Mount, and missing long;
And the great Thisbite who on fiery wheels
Rode up to Heav'n, yet once again to come.
Therefore as those young Prophets then with care
Sought loft Elijah, 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
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,
Their unexpected lofs and plaints out breath'd.
Alas, from that high hope to what relapfe
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 fhall to Ifrael be reftor'd:
Thus we rejoic'd, but foon our Joy is turn'd
Into perplexity and new amaze:
For whither is he gone, what accident.
him from us? will he now retire After appearance, and again prolong
Our expectation? God of Ifrael,
Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come;
Behold the Kings of th' Earth how they opprefs
Thy chofen, to what heighth their Pow'r unjust
They have exalted, and behind them caft
All fear of thee; arife and vindicate
Thy glory, free thy people from their yoke,
But let as 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
Norwill 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 refume
To find whom at the firft they found unfought:
But to his mother Mary, when fhe faw
Others return'd from Baptism, not her Son,
Nor left at Jordan, tidings of him none;
Within her breast, though calm; her breaft, though pure,
Motherly cares and fears got head, and rais'd
Some troubled thoughts, which fhe in fighs thus clad. 65
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 Sorrows am no less advanc'd,
And fears as eminent, above the lot
Of other Women, by the birth I bore,
In fuch a feafon born when fcarce a Shed
Could be obtain'd to fhelter him or me
From the bleak air, a Stable was our warmth,
A Manger his, yet foon enforc'd to fly
Thence into Egypt, till the murd'rous King
Were dead, who fought his life, and miffing fill'd
With Infant blood the ftreets of Bethlehem ;
From Egypt home return'd, in Nazareth
Hath been our dwelling many years, his life
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'd for fome great change; to Honour? no,
But trouble, as old Simèon plain foretold,
That to the fall and rifing he should be
Of many in Ifrael, and to a fign
Spoken against, that through my very Soul
A fword fhall pierce, this is my favour'd lot,
My Exaltation to Afflictions high;
Afflicted I may be, it seems, and bleft;
I will not argue that, nor will repine.
But where delays he now fome great
Conceals him when twelve years he scarce had seen,
I loft him, but fo found, as well I faw
He could not lofe himself; but went about
His Father's business; what he meant I mus'd,
Since understand; much more his abfence now
Thus long to fome great purpose he obfcures.
But I to wait with patience am inur'd;
My heart hath been a ftore-house long of things
And fayings laid up, portending ftrange events.
Thus Mary pond'ring oft, and oft to mind
Recalling what remarkably had pass'd
Since first her Salutation heard, with thoughts
Meekly compos'd awaited the fulfilling:
The while her Son tracing the Defart wild,
Sole but with holieft Meditations fed,"
Into himself defcended, and at once
All his
work to come before him fet; How to begin, how to accomplish beft
His end of being on Earth, and miffion high:
For Satan with fly preface to return
Had left him vacant, and with speed was gon
Up to the middle Region of thick Air,
Where all his Potentates in Council fate;
There without fign of boaft, or fing of joy,
Sollicitous and blank he thus began.
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