Where dwell they now, where dwelt in ancient day
A people planted, water'd, bleft as they?
Let Egypt's plagues, and Canaan's woes proclaim,
The favours pour'd upon the Jewish name;
Their freedom purchas'd for them, at the cost
Of all their hard oppreffors valued most,
Their title to a country not their own,
Made fure by prodigies 'till then unknown;
For them, the state they left made waste and void,
For them, the states to which they went destroy'd;
A cloud to measure out their march by day,
By night a fire to cheer the gloomy way,
That moving fignal fummoning, when best,
Their host to move, and when it stay'd to reft.
For them the rocks diffolv'd into a flood,
The dews condens'd into angelic food.
Their very garments facred, old yet new,
And Time forbid to touch them as he flew ;
Streams fwell'd above the bank, enjoin'd to stand, While they pass'd through to their appointed land;
Their leader arm'd with meeknefs, zeal and love,
And grac'd with clear credentials from above,
Themselves fecur'd beneath th' Almighty wing,
Their God their captain*, lawgiver and king;
Crown'd with a thousand vict'ries, and at laft
Lords of the conquer'd foil, there rooted fast,
In peace poffeffing what they won by war,
Their name far publish'd and rever'd as far;
Where will you find a race like theirs, endow'd
With all that man e'er wish'd, or heav'n bestow'd?
They and they only amongst all mankind
Receiv'd the transcript of th' eternal mind,
Were trufted with his own engraven laws,
And conftituted guardians of his caufe;
Theirs were the prophets, theirs the priestly call,
And theirs by birth the Saviour of us all.
In vain the nations that had feen them rise,
With fierce and envious, yet admiring eyes,
Had fought to crufh them, guarded as they were
By power divine, and skill that could not err;
Had they maintain'd allegiance firm and fure,
And kept the faith immaculate and pure,
Then the proud eagles of all-conqu’ring Rome,
Had found one city not to be o'ercome,
And the twelve ftandards of the tribes unfurl'd,
Had bid defiance to the warring world,
But grace abus'd brings forth the fouleft deeds,
As richest foil the moft luxuriant weeds;
Cur'd of the golden calves, their fathers sin,
They set up felf, that idol god within,
View'd a Deliv'rer with difdain and hate,
Who left them ftill a tributary state,
Seiz'd faft his hand, held out to set them free
From a worse yoke, and nail'd it to the tree;
There was the confummation and the crown
The flow'r of Ifrael's infamy full blown ;
Thence date their fad declenfion and their fall,
Their woes not yet repeal'd, thence date them all.
Thus fell the best instructed in her day,
And the most favour'd land, look where we may..
Philofophy indeed on Grecian eyes
Had pour'd the day, and clear'd the Roman skies:
In other climes perhaps creative art,
With pow'r furpaffing theirs, perform'd her part,
Might give more life to marble, or might fill
The glowing tablets with a juster skill,
Might shine in fable, and grace idle themes
With all th' embroid'ry of poetic dreams;
'Twas theirs alone to dive into the plan
That truth and mercy had reveal'd to man,
And while the world befide, that plan unknown,
Deified useless wood or fenfeless stone,
They breath'd in faith their well-directed pray'rs,
And the true God, the God of truth was theirs.
Their glory faded, and their race difpers'd,
The laft of nations now, though once the first ;
They warn and teach the proudeft, would they learn,
Keep wisdom or meet vengeance in your turn:
If we efcap'd not, if Heav'n fpar'd not us,
Peel'd, fcatter'd, and exterminated thus;
If vice receiv'd her retribution due
When we were vifited, what hope for you ?
When God arises with an awful frown,
To punish luft, or pluck prefumption down ;
When gifts perverted, or not duly priz❜d,
Pleasure o'ervalued and his grace defpis'd,
Provoke the vengeance of his righteous hand
Το pour down wrath upon a thankless land,
He will be found impartially fevere,
Too juft to wink, or fpeak the guilty clear.
Oh Ifrael, of all nations moft undone !
Thy diadem difplac'd, thy fceptre gone ;
Thy temple, once thy glory, fall'n and ras'd,
And thou a worshipper e'en where thou may'ft;
Thy services once holy without fpot,
Mere fhadows now, their ancient
Thy Levites, once a confecrated host,
No longer Levites, and their lineage loft,
And thou thyself o'er ev'ry country sown,
With none on earth that thou canft call thine own;
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