And must, my God, thy forrowing fervant ftill
Quit my lone joys, to walk this world of ill ?-
Where spoiling rages, ftrife and wrong command,
And the flack'd laws no longer curb the land?

At this a strange and more than human found
Thus breaks the cloud, and daunts the trembling ground.
Behold, ye Gentiles; wondering all behold,
What scarce ye credit, though the work be told;
For, lo, the proud Chaldean troops I raise,

To march the breadth, and all the region feize;
Fierce as the prowling wolves, at clofe of day,
And swift as eagles in pursuit of prey.

As eaftern winds to blaft the feafon blow,
For blood and rapine flies the dreadful foe;
Leads the fad captives, countless as the fand,
Derides the princes, and deftroys the land.
Yet these, triumphant grown, offend me more,
And only thank the gods they chose before.

Art thou not holieft, here the prophet cries ;
Supreme, Eternal, of the pureft eyes?
And fhall thofe eyes the wicked realms regard,
Their crimes be great, yet victory their reward?
Shall these still ravage more and more to reign,
Draw the full net, and caft to fill again ?

As watch-men filent fit, I wait to fee

How folves my doubt, what speaks the Lord to me.
Then go, the Lord replies, suspend thy fears,
And write the vifion for a term of years:
Thy foes will feel their turn when thofe are past,
Wait, though it tarry; fure it comes at last.

'Tis for their rapine, lufts, and thirst of blood,
And all their unprotecting gods of wood,
The Lord is prefent on his facred hill,

Ceafe thy weak doubts, and let the world be still.
Here terror leaves me; with exalted head,
I breathe fine air, and find the vision fled;
The Seer withdrawn, infpir'd, and urg'd to write,
By the warm influence of the facred sight.
His writing finish'd, Prophet-like array'd,
He brings the burden on the region laid;
His hands a tablet and a volume bear,
The tablet threatenings, and the volume prayer;
Both for the temple, where, to shun decay,
Enroll'd the works of infpiration lay.

And awful, oft he stops, or marches flow,
While the dull'd nation hears him preach their woe.
Arriv'd at length, with grave concern for all,
He fix'd his table on the facred wall.

'Twas large infcrib'd, that those who run might read : "Habakkuk's burden, by the Lord decreed;

"For Judah's fins her empire is no more,

The fierce Chaldeans bathe her realm in gore." Next to the priest his volume he refign`d, 'Twas prayer, with praises mix'd, to raise the mind; 'Twas facts recounted, which their fathers knew, 'Twas power in wonders manifeft to view ; "Twas comfort, rais'd on love already past, And hope, that former love returns at last. The priests within the prophecy convey'd, The fingers' tunes to join his anthem made,

Hear,

Hear, and attend the words: and, holy Thou
That help'd the Prophet, help the Poet now.

O, Lord, who rul'ft the world, with mortal ear
I've heard thy judgments, and I shake for fear.
O, Lord, by whom their number'd years we find,
Ev'n in the midst receive the drooping mind;
Ev'n in the midst thou canst-then make it known,
Thy love, thy will, thy power, to fave thine own.
Remember mercy, though thine anger burn,
And foon to Salem bid thy flock return.

O, Lord, who gav'ft it with an outstretch'd hand,
We well remember how thou gav'ft the land.

God came from Teman, fouthward fprung the flame,
From Paron-mount the one that 's Holy came;
A glittering glory made the defert blaze,

High heaven was cover'd, earth was fill'd with praife.
Dazzling the brightness, not the fun fo bright,
'Twas here the pure fubftantial Fount of Light
Shot from his hand and fide in golden ftreams,
Came forward effluent horny-pointed beams :
Thus fhone his coming, as fublimely fair
As bounded nature has been fram'd to bear;
But all his further marks of grandeur hid,
Nor what he could was known, but what he did.
Dire plagues before him ran at his command,
To waste the nations in the promis`d land.
A fcorching flame went forth where'er he trod,
And burning fevers were the coals of God.
Fix'd on the mount he ftood, his measuring reed
Marks the rich realms for Jacob's feed decreed :-

H

He looks with anger, and the nations fly
From the fierce sparklings of his dreadful eye;
He turns, the mountain shakes its awful brow;
Awful he turns, and hills eternal bow.
How glory there, how terror here, displays
His great unknown, yet everlasting ways!
I see the fable tents along the strand
Where Cushan wander'd, defolately stand;
And Midian's high pavilions fhake with dread,
While the tam'd feas thy rescued nation tread.
What burft the path? what made the Lord engage?
Could waters anger, feas incite thy rage,
That thus thine horfes force the foaming tide,
And all the chariots of falvation ride?

Thy bow was bare for what thy mercy swore;
Thofe oaths, that promife, Ifrael had before.

The rock that felt thee cleav'd, the rivers flow,
The wondering defert lends them beds below.
Thy might the mountain's heaving fhocks confefs'd,
High fhatter'd Horeb trembled o'er the reft.
Great Jordan pafs'd its nether waters by,
Its upper waters rais'd the voice on high :
Safe in the deep we went, the liquid wall
Curling arofe, and had no leave to fall.
The fun effulgent, and the moon ferene,
Stopt by thy will, their heavenly course refrain:
The voice was man's, yet both the voice obey,
Till wars completed close the lengthen'd day.
Thy glittering fpears, thy rattling darts prevail,
Thy Spears of lightning, and thy darts of hail,

'Twas

*Twas thou that march'd against their heathen band, Rage in thy vifage, and thy flail in hand;

'Twas thou that went before to wound their head,
The captain follow'd where the Saviour led:

Torn from their earth, they feel the defperate wound,
And power unfounded fails for want of ground.
With village-war thy tribes, where'er they go,
Diftrefs the remnant of the fcatter'd foe;
Yet mad they rufh'd, as whirling wind defcends,
And deem'd for friendlefs thofe the Lord befriends.
Thy trampling horfe from fea to fea fubdue,
The bounding ocean left no more to do.

O, when I heard what thou vouchfaf'ft to win,
With works of wonder must be lost for sin ;

I quak'd through fear, the voice forfook my tongue,
Or, at my lips, with quivering accent hung;

Dry leannefs entering to my marrow came,
And every loofening nerve unftrung my frame.
How fhall I reft, in what protecting fhade,
When the day comes, and hottile troops invade

Though neither bloffoms on the fig appear,
Nor vines with clusters deck the purpling year;
Though all our labours olive-trees belie,
Though fields the substance of the bread deny ;
Though flocks are fever'd from the filent fold,
And the rais'd stalls no lowing cattle hold;
Yet fhall my foul be glad, in God rejoice,
Yet to my Saviour will I lift my voice;
Yet to my Saviour ftill my temper fings,
What David fet to inftruments of strings: