The just man, and divulges him through Heaven To all his Angels, who with true applaufe Recount his praises: thus he did to Job,
When to extend his fame through Heav'n and Earth, As thou to thy reproach may'it well remember, 66 He afk'd thee, Haft thou feen my fervant Job? Famous he was in Heav'n, on Earth lefs known; Where glory is falfe glory, attributed
To things not glorious, men not worthy' of fame.
They err who count it glorious to fubdue
By conqueft far and wide, to over-run
Large countries, and in field great battels win,
Great cities by affault: what do thefe worthies,
But rob and spoil, burn, flaughter, and inflave 75
Peaceable nations, neighb'ring, or remote,
Made captive, yet deserving freedom more
Than those their conquerors, who leave behind
Nothing but ruin wherefoe'er they rove,
And all the florifhing works of peace deftroy,
Then fwell with pride, and must be titled Gods,
Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
Worshipt with temple, `priest and sacrifice ;
One is the fon of Jove, of Mars the other;
Till conqueror Death discover them scarce men, 85,
Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd,
Violent or fhameful death their due reward.
But if there be in glory ought of good,
It may by means far different be attain'd
Without ambition, war, or violence;
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,
By patience, temperance: I mention still
Him whom thy wrongs with faintly patience borne
Made famous in a land and times obfcure;
Who names not now with honor patient Job? 95
Poor Socrates (who next more memorable ?)
By what he taught and fuffer'd for fo doing,
For truth's fake fuffering death, unjust, lives now
Equal in fame to proudest conquerors.
Yet if for fame and glory ought be done,
Ought fuffer'd; if young African for fame
His wafted country freed from Punic rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least,
And lofes, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I feek glory then, as vain men feek,
Oft not deferv'd? I feek not mine, but his
Who fent me', and thereby witness whence I am.
To whom the Tempter murm'ring thus reply'd.
Think not fo flight of glory; therein least
Refembling thy great Father: he feeks glory, 110
And for his glory all things made, all things
Orders and governs; nor content in Heaven
By all his Angels glorify'd, requires
Glory from men, from all men good or bad,
Wife or unwife, no difference, no exemption; 115
Above all facrifice, or hallow'd gift
Glory' he requires, and glory he receives
Promifcuous from all nations, Jew, or Greek,
Or barbarous, nor exception hath declar'd ;
From us his foes pronounc'd glory' he exacts. 120
To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd.
And reafon; fince his word all things produc'd,
Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,
But to fhow forth his goodness, and impart
His good communicable to every foul
Freely; of whom what could he lefs expect
Than glory' and benediction, that is thanks,
The flighteft, eaficft, readieft recompenfe
From them who could return him nothing else,
And not returning that would likelieft render 130
Contempt instead, difhonor, obloquy ?
Hard recompenfe, unfuitable return
For fo much good, fo much beneficence.
But why should man feek glory, who of his own
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs 135
But condemnation, ignominy', and shame?
Who for fo many benefits receiv'd
Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd,
Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take
That which to God alone of right belongs;
Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace,
That who advance his glory, not their own,
Them he himself to glory will advance.
So fpake the Son of God; and here again
Satan had not to answer, but stood ftruck
With guilt of his own fin, for he himself
Infatiable of glory had lost all,
Yet of another plea bethought him foon.
Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, fo deem, Worth or not worth the feeking, let it pass: But to a kingdom thou art born, ordain'd To fit upon thy father David's throne;
By mother's fide thy father; though thy right.
Be now in pow'rful hands, that will not part 155
Easily from poffeffion won with arms:
Judæa now and all the promis'd land,
Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,
Obeys Tiberius; nor is always rul'd
With temp'rate fway; oft have they violated 160
The temple, oft the law with foul affronts,
Abominations rather, as did once
Antiochus and think'ft thou to regain
Thy right by fitting fill or thus retiring?
So did not Maccabeus: he indeed
Retir'd unto the defert, but with arms;
And o'er a mighty king fo oft prevail'd,
That by ftrong hand his family obtain'd,
Though priests, the crown, and David's throne ufurp'd,
With Modin and her fuburbs once content.
If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal
And duty; zeal and duty are not flow;
But on occafion's forelock watchful wait.
They themselves rather are occafion beft,
Zeal of thy Father's houfe, duty to free
Thy country from her Heathen fervitude;
So fhalt thou beft fulfil, beft verify
The prophets old, who fung thy endless reign;
The happier reign the fooner it begins;
Reign then; what canft thou better do the while?
To whom our Saviour anfwer thus return'd,
All things are beft fulfill'd in their due time,
And time there is for all things, Truth hath said:
If of my reign prophetic Writ hath told,
That it shall never end, fo when begin
The Father in his purpose hath decreed,
He in whofe hand all times and seasons roll.
What if he hath decreed that I fhall firft
Be try'd in humble ftate, and things adverse,
By tribulations, injuries, infults,
Contempts, and fcorns, and fnares, and violence,
Suffering, abftaining, quietly expecting,
Without diftruft or doubt, that he may know
What I can fuffer, how obey? who beft
Can fuffer, beft can do; best reign, who first 195
Well hath obey'd; just trial ere I merit
My exaltation without change or end.
But what concerns it thee when I begin
My everlasting kingdom, why art thou
Solicitous, what moves thy inquifition?
Know'st thou not that my rifing is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy deftruction?
To whom the Tempter inly rack'd reply'd.
Let that come when it comes; all hope is loft
Of my reception into grace; what worse?
For where no hope is left, is left no fear :
If there be worse, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
I would be at the worst; worst is my port,
My harbour and my ultimate repofe,
The end I would attain, my final good.
My error was my error, and my crime
My crime; whatever for itself condemn'd,
And will alike be punish'd, whether thou
Reign or reign not; though to that gentle brow 215
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign,
From that placid afpéct and meek regard,
Rather than aggravate my evil ftate,
Would stand between me and thy Father's ire (Whofe ire I dread more than the fire of Hell) 220 A fhelter and a kind of fhading cool
Interpofition, as a fummer's cloud.
If I then to the worst that can be haste,
Why move thy feet fo flow to what is beft,
Happieft both to thyself and all the world,
That thou who worthieft art should'st be their king
Perhaps thou linger'ft in deep thoughts detain'd
Of th' enterprise so hazardous and high;
No wonder, for though in thee be united
What of perfection can in man be found,
Or human nature can receive, confider
Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent
At home, fcarce view'd the Galilean towns,
And once a year Jerufalem, few days
Short fojourn; and what thence could ft thou obferve?
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