Milk-white Hind, immortal and unchang'd,
Fed on the lawns, and in the forest rang'd; Without unfpotted, innocent within,
She fear'd no danger, for the knew no fin.
Yethad fhe oft been chas'd with horns and hounds,
And Scythian fhafts; and many winged wounds
Aim'd at her heart; was often forced to fly,
And doom'd to death tho fated not to die.
Not fo her young; for their unequal line
Was hero's make, half human, half divine.
Their earthly mold obnoxious was to fate,
The immortal part affum'd immortal state.
Of these a flaughter'd army lay in blood,
Extended o'er the Caledonian wood,
Their native walk; whofe vocal blood arofe,
And cry'd for pardon on their perjur'd foes.
Their fate was fruitful, and the fanguine feed,
Endu'd with fouls, increas'd the facred breed.
So captive Ifrael multiply'd in chains,
A numerous exile, and enjoy'd her pains.
With grief and gladness mix'd, the mother view'd
Her martyr'd offspring, and their race renew'd;
Their corps to perish, but their kind to last,
So much the deathlefs plant the dying fruit
furpass'd.
Panting and penfive now the rang'd alone,
And wander'd in the kingdoms, once her own.
The common hunt, tho from their rage reftrain'd
By fovereign power her company disdain'd;
Grin'd as they pass'd, and with a glaring eye
Gave gloomy figns of fecret enmity.
'Tis true, fhe bounded by, and trip'd fo light,
They had not time to take a steady fight.
For truth has fuch a face and fuch a mien,
As to be lov'd needs only to be feen.
The bloody bear, an independent beast, Unlick'd to form, in groans her hate exprest. Among the timorous kind the quaking hare Profefs'd neutrality, but would not swear. Next her the buffoon ape as atheists use, Mimick'd all fects, and had his own to chufe: Still when the lion look'd his knees he bent, And paid at church a courtier's compliment. The bristled baptist boar, impure as he, But whiten'd with the foam of fanctity, With fat pollutions fill'd the facred place, And mountains levell'd in his furious race: So first rebellion founded was in grace. But fince the mighty ravage, which he made In German forefts, had his guilt betray'd, With broken tufks, and with a borrow'd name, He fhun'd the vengeance, and conceal'd the
So lurk'd in fects unfeen. With greater guile False reynard fed on confecrated spoil:
The graceless beaft by Athanafius first
Was chas'd from Nice, then by Socinus
His impious race their blafphemy renew'd,
And nature's king thro nature's optics view'd.
Revers'd they view'd him leffen'd to their eye,
Nor in an infant could a God descry,
New swarming fects to this obliquely tend,
Hence they began, and here they all will end.
What weight of antient witness can prevail,
If private reafon hold the public fcale?
But, gracious God, how well doft thou provide
For erring judgments an unerring guide?
Thy throne is darkness in the abyss of light,
A blaze of glory that forbids the fight.
O teach me to believe thee thus conceal'd,'
And fearch no farther than thyfelf reveal'd;
But her alone for my director take,
Whom thou haft promis'd never to forfake!
My thoughtless youth was wing'd with vain defires,
My manhood, long mifled by wandering fires,
Follow'd falfe lights; and, when their glimpse
My pride ftruck out new sparkles of her own.
Such was I, fuch by nature ftill I am;
Be thine the glory, and be mine the shame.
Good life be now my tafk my doubts are done:
What more could fright my faith, than three in one?
Can I believe eternal God could lie
Disguis'd in mortal mold and infancy?
That the great Maker of the world could die?
And after that truft my imperfect sense,
Which calls in queftion his omnipotence >
Can I my reason to my faith compel?
And shall my fight, and touch, and taf
Superior faculties are fet afide;
Shall their fubfervient organs be my guide?
Then let the moon ufurp the rule of day,
And winking tapers fhew the fun his way;
For what my fenfes can themselves perceive,
I need no revelation to believe.
Can they who fay the host should be defcry'd
By sense, define a body glorify'd?
Impaffable, and penetrating parts ?
Let them declare by what mysterious arts
He fhot that body thro the oppofing might
Of bolts and bars impervious to the light,
And ftood before his train confefs'd in open
fight.
For fince thus wonderously he pass'd, 'tis plain,
One fingle place two bodies did contain.
And fure the fame omnipotence as well
Can make one body in more places dwell.
|