Who ever by confulting at thy fhrine
Return'd the wiser, or the more inftru&t
To flie or follow what concern'd him most,
And run not fooner to his fatal fnare?
For God hath justly giv'n the Nations up
To thy Delufions; juftly, fince they fell
Idolatrous, but when his purpofe is
Among them to declare his Providence
To thee not known,whence haft thou then thy truth, But from him or his Angels Prefident
In ev'ry Province, who themselves disdaining
T'approach thy Temples, give thee in command
What to the fmalleft tittle thou shalt say
To thy Adorers; thou with trembling fear,
Or like a fawning Parasite obey'st;
Then to thy felf afcrib'ft the truth foretold.
But this thy glory fhall be foon retrench'd;
No more fhalt thou by oracling abuse
The Gentiles; henceforth Oracles are ceas'd,
And thou no more with Pomp and Sacrifice
Shalt be enquir'd at Delphos or elfe-where,
At least in vain, for they shall find thee mute.
God hath now fent his loving Oracle
Into the World to teach his final will,
And fends his Spirit of Truth henceforth to dwell In pious Hearts, and inward Oracle
To all truth requifite for men to know.
So fpake our Saviour; but the fubtle Fiend, 465 Though inly ftung with anger and disdain, Diffembled, and this Anfwer fmooth return'd,
Sharply thou haft infifted on rebuke,
And urg'd me hard with doings, which not will
But mifery hath wrefted from me; where
Eafily canft thou find one miferable,
And not inforc'd oft-times to part from truth;
If it may ftand him more in ftead to lie,
Say and unfay, feign, flatter, or abjure?
But thou art plac'd above me, thou art Lord; 475
From thee I can and muft fubmifs endure
Check or reproof, and glad t'efcape fo quit.
Hard are the ways of truth, and rough to walk,
Smooth on the tongue difcours'd, pleafing to th'ears
And tuneable as Silvan Pipe or Song;
What wonder then if I delight to hear
Her dictates from thy mouth? moft men admire
Virtue, who follow not her lore: permit me
To hear thee when I come (fince no man comes)
And talk at least, tho' I defpair t' attain.
Thy Father, who is holy, wife and pure,
Suffers the Hypocrite or Atheous Prieft
To tread his Sacred Courts, and minifter
About his Altar, handling holy things,
Praying or vowing, and vouchfaf'd his voice 490 To Balaam Reprobate, a Prophet yet
Infpir'd; difdain not fuch accefs to me.
To whom our Saviour with unalter'd brow. Thy coming hither, though I know thy fcope, 1 bid not or forbid; do as as thou find'ft Permiffion from above; thou can't 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 wings to double-fade
The Defart, Fowls in their clay nefts were couch'd; And now wild Beafts came forth the Woods to roam
Meanwhile the new-baptiz'd, who yet rem
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,
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, inèreas'd their doubt :
Sometimes they thought he might be only thewn,
And for a time caught up to God, as once
Mofes was in the Mount, and miffing long;
And the great Thisbite who on fiery wheels
Rode up to Heav'n, yet once again to come.
Therefore as thofe young Prophets then with eare
Sought loft Elijah, fo in each place thefe
Nigh to Bethabara; in Jerico
non, 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 loss 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 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,
Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come;'
Behold the Kings of th'Earth how they oppress
Thy chofen, to what heighth their Pow'r unjust 45
They have exalted, and behind them caft
All fear of thee, arife and vindicate
Thy Glory, free thy people from their yoke,
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