Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first Publish his God-like office now mature,
One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading, And his deep thoughts, the better to converse 190 With folitude, till far from track of men, Thought following thought, and step by step led on, He enter'd now the bord'ring defert wild, And with dark shades and rocks environ'd round, His holy meditations thus pursu’d.
O what a multitude of thoughts at once Awaken'd in me swarm, while I confider What from within I feel myfelf, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Ill forting with my present state compar'd! When I was yet a child, no childish play To me was pleasing; all my mind was set Serious to learn and know, and thence to do What might be public good; myself I thought Born to that end, born to promote all truth, 205 All righteous things: therefore above my years, The law of God I read, and found it sweet, Made it my whole delight, and in it grew To fuch perfection, that ere yet my age
Had measur'd twice fix years, at our great feast 210
I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propose What might improve my knowledge or their own; And was admir'd by all: yet this not all
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To which my Spi'rit afpir'd; victorious deeds 215 Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To rescue Ifrael from the Roman yoke, Then to fubdue and quell o'er all the earth Brute violence and proud tyrannic power, Till truth were freed, and equity reftor'd: Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly firft By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And make perfuafion do the work of fear; At least to try, and teach the erring foul Not wilfully mif-doing, but unware Misled; the ftubborn only to fubdue. These growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving By words at times caft forth inly rejoic'd, And faid to me apart, High are thy thoughts O Son, but nourish them and let them foar To what highth facred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high; By matchless deeds exprefs thy matchlefs Sire. For know, thou art no fon of mortal man; Though men efteem thee low of parentage, Thy Father is th' eternal King who rules All Heav'n and Earth, Angels and Sons of men; A messenger from God foretold thy birth
Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he foretold
Thou should'st be great and fit on David's throne, And of thy Kingdom there fhould be no end. 241 At thy nativity a glorious quire
Of Angels in the fields of Bethlehem fung To fhepherds watching at their folds by night, And told them the Meffiah now was born
Where they might see him, and to thee they came, Directed to the manger where thou lay'st, For in the inn was left no better room:
A star, not seen before, in Heav'n appearing Guided the wife men thither from the east, To honor thee with incense, myrrh, and gold, By whose bright course led on they found the place, Affirming it thy ftar new grav'n in Heaven, By which they knew the king of Ifrael born. Just Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd By vision, found thee in the temple', and spake Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that present stood. This having heard, ftrait I again revolv'd The law and prophets, searching what was writ 260 Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and foon found of whom they spake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard assay ev'n to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain,
Or work redemption for mankind, whose fins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet neither thus difhearten'd or dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited, when behold
The Baptist (of whose birth I oft had heard, 270
Not knew by fight) now come, who was to come Before Meffiah and his way prepare.
I as all others to his baptifm came,
Which I believ'd was from above; but he
Strait knew me, and with loudeft voice proclaim'd 275 Mẹ him (for it was shown him so from Heaven) Me him whose harbinger he was; and first Refus'd on me his baptism to confer,
As much his greater, and was hardly won: But as I rofe out of the laving stream, Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence The Spirit descended on me like a dove, And last the sum of all, my Father's voice, Audibly heard from Heav'n, pronounc'd me his, Me his beloved Son, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time Now full, that I no more fhould live obfcure, But openly begin, as best becomes Th' authority which I deriv'd from Heaven. And now by some strong motion I am led Into this wilderness, to what intent I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know; For what concerns my knowledge God reveals. So fpake our Morning Star then in his rife, And looking round on every fide beheld A pathless defert, dufk with horrid fhades;
The way he came not having mark'd, return Was difficult, by human steps untrod;
And he still on was led, but with such thoughts
Accompanied of things past and to come
Lodg'd in his breast, as well might recommend Such folitude before choiceft society.
Full forty days he pass'd, whether on hill
Sometimes, anon in fhady vale, each night Under the covert of some ancient oak,
Or cedar, to defend him from the dew,
Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd;
Nor tafted human food, nor hunger felt
Till those days ended, hunger'd then at last Among wild beafts: they at his fight grew mild, 310 Nor fleeping him nor waking harm'd, his walk The fiery ferpent fled, and noxious worm, The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof.
But now an aged man in rural weeds,
Following, as feem'd, the quest of some strayewe, 315 Or wither'd sticks to gather, which might serve Against a winter's day when winds blow keen, To warm him wet return'd from field at eve, He saw approach, who first with curious eye Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd spake. 320
Sir, what ill chance hath brought thee to this place So far from path or road of men, who pass In troop or caravan? for single none
Durst ever, who return'd, and dropt not here His carcass, pin'd with hunger and with drouth. 325 I ask the rather, and the more admire,
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