"H

Death the old Serpent's fon ; It carry'd hell and burning fire:

But those black days are done. z. Now he's a tame and harmless thing;

In one Wound deep and wide His foolish Spite bury'd his Sting,

Ev'n in our Saviour's Side.

3. He's now a porter at the door Of Life, his enemy; Our conqu'ring God fo ftript him for Th' affront upon the Tree. 4. Thou who'rt that Door, command that he,

When we from hence shall flit, Into the courts of Heav'n thro' thee Us readily admit.

409.

Pant towards thee,
Source of eternal Life :
Since Flesh retards me,
Speak that, to end the ftrife,
I may
My fpirit once unclay.
2. Then from grief unbind
Me, Conqueror of death!
Who to fave mankind

Haft fpent thy holy Breath:
Thy Child

And Prize may I be ftil'd,
3. When laid my body
In Duft, then take my Soul
To Skies ne'er cloudy,
And it with Saints enrol;
May I
In thy Arms ever lic.

410.

ORD, I have finn'd! and fuch the fum,

That now to vanquish the black number,

Shall ftony heart, and eyes, each member

Of this vile trunk, a flood become? 2. Yet if they did, to pay my Score, Yea but to count, all drops were fcanty:

Lo, thou, my God, haft Blood in plenty,

And art the Patron of the poor. 3. Thou in whofe fweet, but pen

five Face

7.

"Which his own Sin hath spun : "I must be true "And just; unthankful man, thou "haft thy due."

8. But 'twas not fo: tho' Man the mastery With his Creator's pow'r and will dares try;

9. The great and glorious God, the mighty King

Of heav'n and earth, defpifed by fuch a thing

10. As man, a Worm of his own making, breaks

The rules of Greatnefs, and his Creature feeks,

11. His froward creature; not in fuch a way,

As once he did in th' cool of Eden's Day.

12. But the eternal Son of God, the Word

By whom all things were made, the mighty Lord,

13. Affumes our flesh, and under that he lays

And hides his Greatnefs, and those

19. And now, O Man, could this excefs of Love

Thy thankfulness to fuch a height improve,

20. That it could fire thy foul into one flame

Of

love to only Him, that bought the fame!

21. Once did he give thee Being from the duft,

And for that only Being 'twere but just

22. To pay thy utmoft felf: but when once more

Thy being and thy blifs he did reftore

23. By fuch a Means as this, it doth bereave

Thy mind of hopes of recompence, and leave

24.

Thy foul infolvent! twice to him that day

Thou ow'dft thyself, yet but one Self can't pay:

M. H.

HE Prince of darkness, flush'd with victory In our firft Parents firft apoftafy, 2. Ufurp'd a lawless fov'reignty o'er Man, Revolted thus from his firft Sovereign:

3. And to fecure his empire, he o'er

spread

The world with Darkness, and thereby did lead

4.

His captives as he pleafed: thus

he bears

His rule ufurped near four thousand

5.

Years.

But now to put a period to the reign

Of this ufurper, and reduce again

6. Man

decreed

Of an immediate Pow'r, nor fhall the band

8. Of Angels glorious hofts engaged be,

To refcue man from this captivity: 9. But God an unfufpected Means intends,

And yet moft fuitable unto this End. 10. Sin ftain'd our nature, and the Serpent's wile

Did man of innocence and life beguile :

11. By Man his head is crufh'd! the lawful Lord

Is to his Creature, man to life reftor'd.

12. A Virgin's Son is born; this rifing Sun

The world's inthralling darkness does o'er-run.

13. A Child to us is giv'n, whose Innocence

Our nature's spot and ftain doth

purge and cleanse :

14. His Wounds, our cure; his Bonds, our liberty;

was pleas'd to take

His creature's nature for his creature's fake,

5. And tread thofe steps of Birth and Infancy,

Which mortals walk, and after all to die,

6. And fuch a Death: the wonder doth amaze

My thoughts, whilft on this mystery I gaze.

7. Bleffed Creator! what were it to thee,

If Man had never been, or if that he, 8. Once fall'n and loft, had lain eternally

Under his juft-deserved mifery ? 9. But if thou wilt thy creature have reftor'd,

Can no less Rate fuffice? muft the great Lord

10. Of heav'n and earth, to compass fuch an end,

So undeferv'd, beneath himself des..cend?

11. Or if he muft, yet why fo low?

the Son

Of the immortal God, Man to be

come!

12. Had it not been descent enough for Him,

fteps of nature,

And ftrait affum'd that ripeness and that ftature,

17. That Adam had at firft, and fo pafs'd by

And mifs'd this natural Infirmity? 18. Or if that might not be, yet why begins

Our Lord his infant-days thus in an Inn,

19. A ftable and a manger tofs'd from thence

To Egypt, for his safe-guard and defence?

20. His Education mean, and as his Years Increase, so do his Sorrows and his tears,

21. Until it was full Tide that bitter

only fakes

Duft to vifit mortals? could no lefs

3. A condefcenfion ferve? and after all,

The mean reception of a Cratch and ftall!

4. Dear Lord, I'll fetch thee thence! I have a room,

('Tis poor, but 'tis my beft) if thou wilt come