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Permillion from above; thou canst not more.
He added not; and Satan bowing low
His gray diffimolation, disappear'd
Into thin air diffus'd: for now began
Night with her fullen wings to double- fha-

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The defert; fowls in their clay nefts were couch'd;

And now wild beafts came forth the woods to

roam.

The End of the First Book.

BOOK II.

Mean while the new-baptiz'd, who yet re

main'd

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

And on that high authority had believ'd,

5

And with him talk'd', 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 to lately found,
So lately found, and fo abruptly goue,
Began to doubt, and doubted many days,
And as the days increas'd, increas'd their
doubt:

10

Sometimes they thought, he might be only fhown,

And for a time caught up to God, as once Mofes was in the mount, and mifling long; 15

And the great Thifbite, 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, so in each place these
Nigh to Bethabara; in Jericho

The city' of palms, Aenon, and Salem old,
Machaerus, and each town or city wall'd
On this fide the broad lake Genezaret,
Or in Peraea; but return'd in vain.

20

Then on the bank of Jordan, by a creek, 25 Where winds with reeds and ofiers whisp'ring play,

Plain fishermen, no greater men them call,
Clofe in cottage low together got,

Their unexpected lofs and plaints out breath'd.
Alas, from what high hope to what re-

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Unlook'd for are we fall'n! our eyes beheld
Meffiah certainly now come, so long
Expected of our fathers; we have heard
His words, his wifdom full of grace and

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Thus we rejoic'd, but foon our joy is turn'd

Into perplexity and new amaze:

For whither is he gone, what accident

Hath

Hath rapt him from us? will he now re

tire

After appearance, and again prolong
Our expectation; God of Ifraël,

40

Send thy Meffiah forth, the time is come; Behold the kings of th' earth, how they opprefs

Thy chofen, to what highth their pow'r un

just

45 They have exalted, and behind them caft All fear of thee; arife and vindicate

Thy glory, free thy people from their yoke.
But let us wait; thus far he hath perform'd,
Sent his Anointed, and to us reveal'd him, 50
By his great Prophet, pointed at and shown
In public, 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,
Nor will withdraw him now, nor will re-

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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 first they found unfought: But to his mother Mary, when she saw 60 Others return'd from baptifmi, not her fon, Nor left at Jordan, tidings of him none,

K

Within her breast though calm, her breast though pure,

Motherly cares and fears got head, and rais'd Some troubled thoughts, which she in fighs

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70

O what avails me now that honor high To have conceiv'd of God, or that falute Hail highly favor'd, among women bleft! While I to forrows am no less advenc'd, And fears as eminent, above the lot Of other woman, by the birth I bore, In such a season born, when scarce a shed Could be obtain'd to shelter him or me From the bleak air; a ftable 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 missing fill'd

75

With infant blood the streets of Bethlehem;
From Egypt home return'd, in Nazareth
Hath been our dwelling many years; his

life

Private, unactive, calm, contemplative,

80

Little fufpicious to any king; but now.
Full grown to man, acknowledg'd, as I hear,
By John the Baptift, and in public fhown,,
Son own'd from Heaven by his Father's

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I look'd for fome great change; to honor? no,

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