He thus--- If God be ours, as once we thought,
Where are those Wonders he in Egypt wrought?
Are all our Mofes's, all our Fofhua's gone,

Our Othniel's, and our Ehud's? Are there none
To Heir their Virtues, that we ftill muft bear
The Heathens Yoke, and of Relief despair?
--- Yes--- one there is, fays God, and thou art he:
Go then, in this thy Might, thy Country free!
With Reformation he the Wars begins,
He knew their strongest Foes were Ifrael's Sins:
Baal's helpless Altar to the Ground he throws,
And fells the Grove which near his Altar grows:
Infpir'd, the Trumpet takes, and blew a Blaft,
Which first thro' Ophrah's narrow Confines pafs'd:
It pafs'd thro' Abiezer's utmoft bound;

Glad Ifrael hears, and gathers to the Sound:
From double trib'd Manaffeh thousands run,
From diftant Afber, and from Zebulun.
When Gideon thus did Ifrael's God addrefs,
And humbly asks an Omen of Success.

If one fo mean thy People muft defend,
O let the Dew on my fole Fleece defcend!
'Tis done--- the Graís and Floor around are dry;
Agen the Hero, Heav'n prefumes to try:
Upon his Fleece no drop of moisture found,
While Sheets of Silver Dew spread all the ambient
Ground.

C.

C.

JUDGES, Chap. VI. Ver. 36. to the

18 3

End.

Ver. 36. Gideon faid unto God, If thou wilt fave Ifrael by mine hand, as thou haft faid,

37. Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth befide, then fhall I know that thou wilt fave Ifrael by mine hand, as thou haft faid,

38. And it was fo: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl-ful of water.

G

CI.

Midian difcomfited.

Ideon reviews his Hoft on Harod's Plain, Too nam'rous yet the Victory to gain : Three Myriads who at firft the Hero joyn'd Melt off, Three hundred only left behind: By thefe, faid God, too few their Strength to boaft, Will I discomfit Midian's num'rous Hoft: This Night go down, in Moreh's Vale they lie, And welcom Omens meet of Victory! He goes, his faithful Phurah by his fide, They find their carelefs Army fcatter'd wide; They hear a Soldier no vain Dream relate Of Ifrael's Conqueft, and of Midian's Fare : From thence return'd fecure of with'd Success, The joyful News by Looks and Words exprefs. Gideon his Army, (fcarce an Army) heads, And not to Battel, but to Conqueft leads: (Word Around the flumb'ring Camps they shout; The Was Gideon's and Jehovah's vengeful Sword! Horror and Guilt the Paynim Hoft affright, Dread founds their Ears,their Eyes a ghaftly Light: They ran, they cry'd, they fled; their Swords they drew,

And each did in his Fellows's Blood imbrew;
Manaffeh, Afber, Nepthali pursue:

Fierce Ephraim feiz'd the Foords of Fordan's Flood,
And dy'd his Streams with Midianitish Blood:
Oreb and Zeeb in their Flight they meet,
Their bleeding Heads they bring, and caft at Gi
deon's Feet.

CI.

JUDGES, Chap. VII. Ver. 5. to the End.

185

Ver. 5, 6. ---The Lord faid unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou fet by himself; and the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men.

7. And the Lord faid, By the three hundred men that lapped will I fave you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand.

22,23. ---The Lord fet every man's fword against his fellow, even throughout all his hoft, and the hoft fled: and the men of Ifrael pursued the Midianites.

JUDGES, Chap. IX.

Abimelech made King, and Shechem deftroy'd.

UN

Nworthy to fupply Great Gideon's Place
Abimelech arofe of fpurious Race:

Without Remorfe his feventy Brethren flain,
He thought a Crown he ftill did cheaply gain:
To Shechem he his ill-got Empire ows,
Ally'd by Birth yet they his fecret Foes:
In narrow Paffes they an Ambush lay,
And hope Abimelech himself their Prey;
Their plenteous Vintage home, well-warm'd they
bring,

And by their Idol-Gods they curfe their Idol-King:
Nor this cou'd Gideon's Blood, tho' bafe endure;
To crush his Rebels, and his Friends fecure
He with a potent Army takes the Field,

To whole fuperior Force the double Traytors yield:

The Victor to the City them pursues,

Th' unwieldy Gates are clos'd, the War renews: 'The wrathful King, impetuous, preffes on, Their ill-defended Gates and Walls are gone: The Foe breaks in like an impetuous Flood, Which tops the Banks that long its Course withstood,

The City's fow'd with Salt, and moiften'd with their Blood,

One