harmony of qualities that could be, that fo it might be a fuitable organ for his excellent foul." And if fo, then it follows, that the flesh of our Lord's body was fo foft and tender, and his feeling fo exquifitely quick and fenfible, as never any man's was before: And confequently, the fevere ufages which he underwent, not only at his Paffion, but throughout his whole life, muft needs be in a fingular manner afflictive to him. And hence appears the vanity of their opinion, who are little or nothing affected with the confideration of our Lord's Paffion, because they think it was made light to him, by reafon of his union with the Godhead. 'Twas easy for him (fome inconfiderate perfons are ready to fay) to fuffer this, or this; for he was God, and not mere man, as we are. True," he was fo; but his being God did no way leffen the punishment he underwent as man, but only fupported him in his Existence under it, in the fame manner as God is fuppofed, by an act of his Almighty power, to preferve the bodies of the damn'd, incorruptible among the everlasting burnings. But this I think is no kindness to them. Neither did the fociety of the divine nature any more diminish the fufferings of our deareft Lord; nay, in one respect, it proved an accidental aggravation to them, because upon the account of this noble union, he had given him a body of a moft admirable complexion and harmonious temperature, and confequently of a flesh exceeding tender, and most exquifitely perceptive of the least impreffions.

So long the fympathizing Sun his light withdrew,

And wonder'd how the Stars their dying Lord couldview. The Eclipfe which accompany'd the Paffion of our Saviour was fo remarkable and miraculous, that 'twas taken notice of by the Gentile hiftorians. There are three things which made this Eclipfe fo very remarkable; the time of its appearance; the time of its duration; and the degree of it. 1. For the time of its appearance; it

B s

was

was at full Moon, when the Moon was not in conjunction with, but in oppofition to the Sun. And this appears not only from the testimony of Dionyfius, who is obferved to affirm, that he faw it at that time, but alfo from the time of our Lord's Paffion, which, according to the relation of the Evangelift, was at the celebration of the Paffover. Now the Jews were bound to celebrate the Pafchal folemnity always at full Moon; as is to be feen in the twelfth of Exodus. This was no time therefore for a natural Eclipfe, becaufe 'twas impoffible that the Moon fhould then interpofe betwixt us and the Sun. 2. For the time of its duration; it was full three hours; which is another evidence that this was no natural Eclipfe: For the natural Eclipfe of the Sun can never laft fo long, both becaufe of the great difproportion between the Sun's magnitude, and that of the Moon, and because of the fwift motion of the latter. 3. For the degree of it, it was a total Eclipfe. The Sun was fo darkned, that (as an eminent hiftorian is faid to report, writing of that Eclipfe) the Stars appear'd. And that is another argument that it was no natural Phænomenon, it being impoffible that the body of the Moon, which is fo infinitely less than that of the Sun, fhould totally eclipfe it. Now all thefe three remarkables are comprised in the compafs of these two verfes. For in that it is faid, that the Sun withdrew his light, it is intimated that the light of the Sun was not intercepted by the ordinary conjunction of the Moon, but that by an extraordinary commiffion from the God of nature, the Sun rein'd in his light, and fufpended the emiffion of his beams. And this denotes the time of its appearance, (viz.) when the Moon was not in conjunction. The time of its duration is implied by the words, fo long. And lastly, the degree of it is implied in the laft verfe, where the appearance of the Stars is not directly exprefs'd, but only infinuated and couch'd, for the more elegancy of the thought.

And

And calm the relicks of his grief with Hymns divine. It is here fuppofed, that the Paffion of our Saviour was now over, and his Father's wrath wholly appeas'd. For whatever becomes of the doctrine of Chrift's local defcent into Hell, concerning which I am not minded at prefent to move any difpute, I cannot think that he went thither, there to fuffer any torment or punishment. His own words upon the Crofs, It is finish'd, do apparently contradi& it. But yet, though the bitter cup was wholly drank off upon the Crofs, 'tis natural to imagine fome little relish of it to remain behind for a time. Though all his fufferings and penal inflictions were ended before his death, yet, I fuppofe, (and I think very naturally) fome little difcompofures of mind, remaining like the after-droppings of a fhower, which his foul could not immediately fhake off, upon her release from the body. In allufion to that of Virgil,

Inter quas Phanissa recens à vulnere Dido,

Errabat fylva in magna----

Where the Poet fancies the ghoft of Dido being. newly releas'd from the pains of love, could not prefently forget her fhady walks and melancholy retirements: Now thefe remains of forrow and after-difturbances of mind which cleav'd to the foul of the holy Jefus, I fuppofe here to be allay'd by the mufick of Angels in his paffage to Paradife.

An HYMN upon the TRANSFIGURATION.

I.

Hurhining all we here call bright:

AIL, King of glory, clad in robes of light,

Hail, light's divineft Galaxy,

Hail, exprefs image of the Deity.

Could now thy amorous fpoufe thy beauties view, How would her wounds all bleed anew!

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Lovely

Lovely thou art all o're and bright, Thou Ifrael's glory, and thou Gentile's light.

II.

But whence this brightnefs, whence this fuddain day?
Who did thee thus with light array?
Did thy Divinity difpenfe

T'its confort a more liberal influence?
Or did fome curious Angel's chymick art
The fpirits of pureft light impart,
Drawn from the native fpring of day,
And wrought into an organized ray?

III.

How e're 'twas done, 'tis glorious and divine,
Thou doft with radiant wonders fhine.
The Sun with his bright company,

Are all grofs meteors if compar'd to thee.
Thou art the fountain whence their light does flow,
But to thy Will thine own doft owe.
For (as at firft) thou didst but fay,
Let there be light, and ftrait sprang forth this wond'rous

IV.

Let now the Eastern Princes come and bring
Their tributary offering.

[day.

There needs no Star to guide their flight, They'll find thee now, great King, by thine own light. And thou, my foul, adore, love, and admire, And follow this bright guide of fire.

Do thou thy Hymns and praifes bring, Whilft Angels with veil'd faces, Anthems fing.

DE

The PARTING.

I.

Epart! The fentence of the damn'd I hear;
Compendious grief, and black defpair.
I now believe the Schools with cafe,
(Tho' once an happy Infidel)

That should the fenfe no torment feize,
Yet pain of lofs alone would make a Hell,

II.

Take all, fince me of this you Gods deprive,
'Tis hardly now worth while to live.
Nought in exchange can grateful prove,
No fecond friendship can be found

To match my mourning widow'd love; Eden is loft, the reft's but common ground.

III.

Why are the greatest bleffings fent in vain,
Which must be loft with greater pain?
Or why do we fondly admire

The greateft good which life can boast When fate will have the blifs expire, Like life, with painful agonies 'tis loft.

IV.

How fading are the joys we dote upon,
Like apparitions feen and gone:
But thofe which fooneft take their flight,
Are the most exquifite and ftrong.
Like Angels vifits, fhort and bright;
Mortality's too weak to bear them long.

V..

No pleasure certainly is fo divine,

As when two fouls in love combine:
He has the fubftance of all bliss,
To whom a virtuous friend is given,
So fweet harmonious friendship is,
Add but Eternity, you'll make it Heaven.
VI.

The minutes in your converfation spent,
Were feftivals of true content.

Here, here, an ark of pleasing rest,
My fout had found that reftlefs dove,
My prefent ftate methought was beft,
I envy'd none below, fcarce thofe above.
VII.

But now the better part of me is gone,
My Sun is fet, my turtle йown.
Tho' here and there of leffer blifs,
Some twinkling Stars give feeble light,
Still there a mournful darkness is,

They fhine but just enough to fhew 'tis night.