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The lovers with endearment mutual thus Promiscuous talk'd, and questions intricate His manly judgment still refolv'd, and still Held her attention fix'd: she musing fat On the sweet mention of incarnate Love, Till rapture wak'd her voice to foftest strains. “She fang the Infant God, (mysterious theme!) "How vile his birthplace and his cradle vile! "The or and afs his mean companions; there "In habit vile the fhepherds flock around "Saluting the great Mother, and adore "Ifrael's anointed King, th' appointed Heir "Of the creation. How debas'd he lies "Beneath his regal state, for thee, my Mitio, "Debas'd in fervile form; but angels ftood "Minist'ring round their charge with folded wings "Obfequious, tho' unseen, while lightsome hours 121 "Fulfill'd the day, and the gray ev'ning rofe: “Then the fair guardians hovʼring o'er his head, "Wakeful all night, drive the foul fpirits far, "And with their fanning pinions purge the air 125 "From bufy phantoms, from infectious damps “And impure taint, while their ambrosial plumes "A dewy flumber on his fenfes fhed.

"Alternate hymns the heav'nly watchers fung

Melodious, foothing the furrounding fhades, 130 "And kept the darkness chafte and holy: then

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"Midnight was charm'd, and all her gazing eyes "Wonder'd to fee their mighty Maker fleep. "Behold the glooms difperfe, the rosy Morn "Smiles in the eaft with eyelids op'ning fair, 135 "But not fo fair as thine. O! I could fold thee, "My young Almighty, my Creator-babe, "For ever in thefe arms! for ever dwell "Upon thy lovely form with gazing joy,

"And ev'ry pulfe fhould beat feraphick love! 140 "Around my feat should crowding cherubs come * With swift ambition, zealous to attend “Their Prince, and form a heav'n below the sky. "Forbear, Charissa, O forbear the thought "Of female fondness, and forgive the man "That interrupts fuch melting harmony!" Thus Mitio, and awakes her nobler pow'rs To pay juft worship to the facred King, Jefus the God, nor with devotion pure Mix the careffes of her fofter fex;

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(Vain blandifhment!) Come, turn thine eyes afide * From Bethle’em, and climb up the doleful steep "Of bloody Calvary, where naked fculls

"Pave the fad road and fright the traveller.

"Can my beloved bear to trace the feet

"Of her Redeemer panting up the hill

Hard burden'd? can thy heart attend his cross? "Nail'd to the cruel wood he groans, he dies,

For thee he dies! Beneath thy fins and mine.

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' (Horrible load!) the finless Saviour groans, "And in fierce anguifh of his foul expires.

Adoring angels pry with bending head, "Searching the deep contrivance, and admire "This infinite defign. Here peace is made

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"'Twixt God the Sov'reign and the rebel man; 165 "Here Satan, overthrown with all his hofts, "In fecond ruin rages and defpairs;

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« Malice itself despairs. The captive prey
"Long held in flav'ry hopes a sweet release,
"And Adam's ruin'd offspring fhall revive,
"Thus ranfom'd from the greedy jaws of Death."
The fair difciple heard; her paffions move
Harmonious to the great discourse, and breathe
Refin'd devotion, while new fmiles of love
Repay her teacher. Both with bended knees 173
Read o'er the cov'nant of eternal life

Brought down to men, feal'd by the facred Three
In heav'n, and feal'd on earth with God's own blood:
Here they unite their names again and sign
Those peaceful articles. (Hail, blefs'd coheirs 130
Celestial! ye shall grow to manly age,

And spite of earth and hell in season due
Poffefs the fair inheritance above.)
With joyous admiration they furvey
The gospel treasures infinite, unseen
By mortal eye, by mortal ear unheard,
And unconceiv'd by thought, riches divine,

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And honours, which th' almighty Father-God Pour'd with immenfe profufion on his Son, High-treasurer of heav'n. The Son bestows The life, the love, the bleffing, and the joy, On bankrupt mortals who believe and love His name. "Then my Chariffa all is thine;" "And thine, my Mitio, the fair saint replies. "Life, death, the world below, and worlds on high, "And place and time are ours, and things to come, "And past and prefent, for our int'rest stands **Firm in our myftick Head, the title fure. " 'Tis for our health and sweet refreshment, while "We fojourn ftrangers here, the fruitful earth co "Bears plenteous, and revolving feasons still "Drefs her vaft globe in various ornament: "For us this cheerful fun and cheerful light "Diurnal fhine; this blue expanse of sky "Hangs a rich

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canopy above our heads Covering our flumbers, all with starry gold "Inwrought, when night alternates her return : "For us Time wears his wings out, Nature keeps "Her wheels in motion, and her fabrick ftands. "Glories beyond our ken of mortal fight "Are now preparing, and a mansion fair "Awaits us where the faints unbody'd live, 'Spirits releas'd from clay and purg'd from fin: "Thither our hearts with most inceffant wish

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"Panting afpire; when fhall that deareft hour 215

"Shine and release us hence and bear us high,

"Bear us at once unfever'd to our better home!" O blefs'd connubial state! O happy pair,

Envy'd by yet unsociated fouls

Who seek their faithful twins! Your pleasures rise 220
Sweet as the morn, advancing as the day,

Fervent as glorious noon, ferenely calm
As fummer ev'nings. The vile fons of earth
Grov'ling in duft, with all their noisy jars
Reflefs, fhall interrupt your joys no more
Than barking animals affright the moon
Sublime, and riding in her midnight way.
Friendship and love shall undistinguish'd reign
O'er all your paffions with unrivall'd sway,
Mutual and everlasting: friendship knows
No property in good, but all things common
That each poffeffes, as the light or air

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In which we breathe and live: there's not one thought Can lurk in close reserve, no barriers fix'd,

But ev'ry paffage open as the day

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To one another's breast and inmost mind.

Thus by communion your delight shall grow, [flow," Thus ftreams of mingled blifs fwell higher as they Thus angels mix their flames and more divinely

glow.

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