Of threefcore and ten thousand Ifraelites By three days peftilence? fuch was thy zeal To Ifrael then, the fame that now to me. As for those captive tribes, themselves were they Who wrought their own captivity, fell off From God to worship calves, the deities Of Egypt, Baal next and Afhtaroth,
And all th' idolatries of Heathen round,
Befides their other worse than heath'nish crimes; Nor in the land of their captivity
Humbled themselves, or penitent befought
The God of their forefathers; but fo dy'd Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce From Gentiles, but by circumcifion vain, And God with idols in their worship join'd. Should I of these the liberty regard, Who freed, as to their ancient patrimony, Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreform'd,
Headlong would follow'; and to their Gods perhaps Of Bethel and of Dan? no, let them serve Their enemies, who ferve idols with God. Yet he at length, time to himself best known, Remembring Abraham, by fome wondrous call May bring them back. repentant and fincere, And at their paffing cleave th' Affyrian flood, While to their native land with joy they hafte, As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft, When to the promis'd land their fathers pass'd; To his due time and providence I leave them. 440 So fpake Ifrael's true king, and to the Fiend Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles. So fares it when with truth falfhood contends.
The end of the Third Book.
Erplex'd and troubled at his bad fuccefs
The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply, Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric
That fleek'd his tongue, and won fo much on Eve, s So little here, nay loft; but Eve was Eve, This far his over-match, who felf-deceiv'd And rafh, before-hand had no better weigh'd The ftrength he was to cope with, or his own: But as a man who had been matchlefs held In cunning, over-reach'd where least he thought, To falve his credit, and for very fpite, Still will be tempting him who foils him ftill, And never ceafe, though to his fhame the more; Or as a fwarm of flies in vintage time, IS About the wine-prefs where fweet must is pour'd, Beat off, returns as oft with humming found; Or furging waves against a solid rock, Though all to fhivers dafh'd, th'affault renew, Vain batt ry, and in froth or bubbles end; So Satan, whom repulfe upon repulfe Met ever, and to fhameful filence brought, Yet gives not o'er though defp'rate of fuccefs, And his vain importunity pursues. He brought our Saviour to the western fide®
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