MEAN while the new-baptiz'd, who yet remain'd At Jordan with the Baptist, and had seen Him whom they heard so late expressly call'd Jesus Messiah, Son of God declar'd, And on that high authority had believ'd, And with him talk'd & with him lodg'd; I mean Andrew and Simon, famous after known, With others though in Holy Writ not nam'd; Now missing him, their joy so lately found, (So lately found, and so abruptly gone), Began to doubt, and doubted many days, And, as the days increas'd, increas'd their doubt. Sometimes they thought he might be only shown, And for a time caught up to God, as once Moses was in the mount and missing long; And the great Thisbite, who on fiery wheels Rode up to Heaven, yet once again to come; Therefore, as those young prophets then with care Sought lost Elijah, so in each place these Nigh to Bethabara, in Jericho
The city of palms, Enon, and Salem old Macharus, and each town or city wall'd On this side the broad lake Genezaret, Or in Peræa; but return'd in vain. Then on the bank of Jordan, by a creek, Where winds with reeds and osiers whispering play, Plain fishermen (no greater men them call), Close in a cottage low together got, Their unexpected loss and plaints out breathed.
"Alas, from what high hope to what relapse Unlook'd for are we fall'n! our eyes beheld Messiah certainly now come, so long Expected of our fathers; we have heard His words, his wisdom full of grace and truth Now, now, for sure, deliverance is at hand The kingdom shall to Israel be restor❜d; Thus we rejoic'd, but soon 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 Israel, Send thy Messiah forth, the time is come; Behold the kings of the earth, how they oppress Thy chosen; to what highth their power unjust They have exalted, and behind them cast All fear of thee; arise, 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, 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 recall, Mock us with his blest sight, then snatch him hence; Soon we shall see our Hope, our Joy, return."
Thus they, out of their plaints, new hope resume To find whom at the first they found unsought: But, to his mother Mary, when she saw Others return'd from baptism, not her son, Nor left at Jordan, tidings of him none, Within her breast though calm, her breast though pure, Motherly cares and fears got head, and rais'd Some troubled thoughts, which she in sighs thus clad. "O what avails me now that honour high To have conceiv'd of God, or that salute, Hail highly favour'd, among women blest!' While I to sorrows am no less advanc'd, And fears as eminent, above the lot Of other women, by the birth I bore; In such a season born, when scarce a shed Could be obtained to shelter him or me From the bleak air; a stable was our warmth, A manger his; yet soon enforc'd to fly Thence into Egypt, till the murderous king Were dead, who sought his life, and missing fill'd 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, Little suspicious to any king; but now, Full grown to man, acknowledg'd, as I hear, By John the Baptist, and in public shown,
Son own'd from Heaven by his Father's voice, I look'd for some great change; to honour? no; But trouble, as old Simeon plain foretold, That to the fall and rising he should be Of many in Israel, and to a sign Spoken against, that through my very soul A sword shall pierce: this is my favour'd lot, My exaltation to afflictions high; Afflicted I may be, it seems, and blest; I will not argue that, nor will repine.
But where delays he now? some great intent Conceals him: when twelve years he scarce had seen, I lost him, but so found, as well I saw He could not lose himself, but went about His Father's business; what he meant I mus'd, Since understand; much more his absence now Thus long to some great purpose he obscures. But I to wait with patience am inur'd; My heart hath been a store-house long of things And sayings laid up, portending strange events." Thus Mary, pondering oft, and oft to mind Recalling what remarkably had pass'd Since first her salutation heard, with thoughts Meekly compos'd awaited the fulfilling: While her Son, tracing the desert wild, Sole, but with holiest meditations fed, Into himself descended, and at once All his great work to come before him set; How to begin, how to accomplish best His end of being on earth, & mission high: For Satan, with sly preface to return, Had left him vacant, & with speed was gone Up to the middle region of thick air, Where all his potentates in council sat; There, without sign of boast, or sign of joy, Solicitous and blank, he thus began:
'Princes, Heaven's ancient Sons, ethereal Thrones, Demonian Spirits now, from the element Each of his reign allotted, rightlier call'd Powers of fire, air, water, and earth beneath, So may we hold our place & these mild seats Without new trouble, such an enemy Is risen to invade us, who no less Threatens than our expulsion down to Hell; I, as I undertook, and with the vote Consenting in full frequence was empower'd, Have found him, view'd him, tasted him; but find
Far other labour to be undergone
Than when I dealt with Adam, first of Men,
Though Adam by his wife's allurement fell, However to this Man inferior far;
If he be Man by mother's side, at least
With more than human gifts from Heaven adorn'd, Perfections absolute, graces divine, And amplitude of mind to greatest deeds. Therefore I am return'd, lest confidence Of my success with Eve in Paradise Deceive ye to persuasion over-sure Of like succeeding here: I summon all Rather to be in readiness, with hand Or counsel to assist; lest I, who erst Thought none my equal, now be over-match'd."
So spake the old Serpent, doubting; & from all With clamour was assured their utmost aid At his command; when from amidst them rose Belial, the dissolutest Spirit that fell, The sensuallest, and, after Asmodai, The fleshliest Incubus; and thus advis'd. "Set women in his eye, and in his walk, Among daughters of men the fairest found: Many are in each region passing fair As the noon sky; more like to Goddesses Than mortal creatures, graceful and discreet, Expert in amorous arts, enchanting tongues Persuasive, virgin majesty with mild And sweet allay'd, yet terrible to approach, Skill'd to retire, and, in retiring, draw Hearts after them tangled in amorous nets.
Such object hath the power to soften & tame Severest temper, smooth the rugged'st brow, Enerve, and with voluptuous hope dissolve, Draw out with credulous desire, and lead At will the manliest, resolutest breast, As the magnetic hardest iron draws. Women, when nothing else, beguil'd the heart Of wisest Solomon, and made him build, And made him bow, to the Gods of his wives." To whom quick answer Satan thus return'd. "Belial, in much uneven scale thou weigh'st All others by thyself; because of old Thou thyself doat'dst on womankind, admiring Their shape, their colour, and attractive grace, None are, thou think'st, but taken with such toys Before the Flood thou with thy lusty crew,
False titled' sons of God, roaming the earth Cast wanton eyes on the daughters of men, And coupled with them, and begot a race. Have we not seen, or by relation heard, In courts & regal chambers how thou lurk'st, In wood or grove, by mossy fountain side, In valley or green meadow, to way-lay Some beauty rare, Calisto, Clymene, Daphne, or Semele, Antiopa,
Or Amymone, Syrinx, many more
Too long, then lay'st thy scapes on names ador'd, Apollo, Neptune, Jupiter, or Pan,
Satyr, or Faun, or Sylvan? But these haunts
Delight not all; among the sons of men, How many have with a smile made small account Of Beauty and her lures, easily scorn'd All her assaults, on worthier things intent! Remember that Pellean conqueror,
A youth, how all the beauties of the East He slightly view'd, & slightly overpass'd; How he surnam'd of Africa, dismiss'd, In his prime youth, the fair Iberian maid. For Solomon, he liv'd at ease, and full Of honour, wealth, high fare, aim'd not beyond Higher design than to enjoy his state; Thence to the bait of women lay expos'd: But he, whom we attempt, is wiser far Than Solomon, of more exalted mind, Made & set wholly on the accomplishment Of greatest things. What woman will you find, Though of this age the wonder & the fame, On whom his leisure will vouchsafe an eye Of fond desire? Or should she, confident, As sitting queen ador'd on Beauty's throne, Descend with all her winning charms begirt To enamour, as the zone of Venus once Wrought that effect on Jove, so fables tell; How would one look from his majestic brow, Seated as on the top of Virtue's hill,
Discountenance her despis'd, & put to rout All her array; her female pride deject, Or turn to reverent awe! for Beauty stands In the admiration only of weak minds Led captive; cease to admire, & all her plumes Fall flat, and shrink into a trivial toy, At every sudden slighting quite abash'd. Therefore with manlier objects we must try
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