They whom I favour thrive in wealth amain, While virtue, valour, wisdom, sit in want."
To whom thus Jesus patiently replied: "Yet wealth, without these three, is impotent To gain dominion, or to keep it gain'd..... Witness those ancient empires of the earth, In highth of all their flowing wealth dissolv'd : But men endued with these have oft attain'd In lowest poverty to highest deeds; Gideon, and Jephtha, and the shepherd lad, Whose offspring on the throne of Judah sat So many ages, and shall yet regain That seat, and reign in Israel without end. Among the Heathen, (for throughout the world. To me is not unknown what hath been done.. Worthy of memorial,) canst thou not remember Quintius, Fabricius, Curius, Regulus? For I esteem those names of men so poor, Who could do mighty things, and could contemn Riches, though offer'd from the hand of kings. And what in me seems wanting, but that I May also in this poverty as soon Accomplish what they did, perhaps, and more? . Extol not riches then, the toil of fools, The wise man's cumbrance, if not snare; more apt To slacken virtue, and abate her edge, Than prompt her to do aught may merit praise. What if with like aversion I reject Riches and realms? yet not for that a crown, Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns, Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights To him who wears the regal diadem, When on his shoulders each man's burden lies; For therein stands the office of a king. His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise. That for the public all this weight be bears: Yet he, who reigns within himself, and rules Passions' desires, and fears, is more a king Which every wise and virtuous man attains.
And who attains not, ill aspires to rule Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes, Subject himself to anarchy within, Or lawless passions in him, which he serves. But to guide nations in the way of truth By saving doctrine, and from error lead To know, and knowing worship God aright, Is yet more kingly; this attracts the soul, Governs the inner man, the nobler part; That other o'er the body only reigns, And oft by force, which to a generous mind, So reigning, can be no sincere delight. Besides, to give a kingdom hath been thought Greater and nobler done, and to lay down Far more magnanimous, than to assume. Riches are needless then, both for themselves And for thy reason why they should be ought To gain a sceptre, oftest better miss'à."
Satan, in a speech of much flattering commendation, endes. vours to awaken in Jesus a passion for glory, by particular izing various instances of conquests achieved, and great ac tions performed, by persons at an early period of life. Our Lord replies, by showing the vanity of worldly fame, and the improper means by which it is generally attained; and contrasts with it the true glory of religious patience and virtuous wisdom, as exemplified in the character of Job. Satan justifies the love of glory from the example of God himself, who requires it from all his creatures. Jesus detects the fal. lacy of this argument, by showing that, as goodness is the true ground on which glory is due to the great Creator of all things, sinful man can have no right whatever to it. Satan hen urges our Lord respecting his claim to the throne of David; he tells him that the kingdom of Judea, being at that time a province of Rome, cannot be got possession of without much personal exertion on his part, and presses him to lose no time in beginning to reign. Jesus refers him to the time allotted for this, as tor all other things; and, af ter intimating somewhat respecting his own previous suffer. ings, asks Satan why he should be solicitous for the exalta tion of one, whose rising was destined to be his fall. Satan replies, that his own desperate state, by excluding all hope, leaves little room for fear; and that, as his own punishment was equally doomed, he is not interested in preventing the reign of one, for whose apparent benevolence he might ra. ther hope for some interference in his favour. Satan still pursues his former incitements, and supposing that the seeming reluctance of Jesus to be thus advanced might arise from his being unacquainted with the world and its glories, conveys him to the summit of a high mountain, and from thence shows him most of the kingdom of Asia, particular. ly pointing out to his notice some extraordinary military preparations of the Parthians to resist the incursions of the Scythians. He then informs our Lord, that he showed him this purposely, that he might see how necessary military ex. ertions are to retain the possession of kingdoms, as well as to subdue them at first, and advises him to consider how impossible it was to maintain Judea against two such powerful neighbours as the Romans and Parthians, and how neces sary it would be to f an alliance with one or other of
them. At the same time he recommends, and engages to secure to him, that of the Parthians; and tells him, that by this means his power will be defended from any thing that Rome or Cæsar might attempt against it, and that he willbe able to extend his glory wide, and especially to accomplish what was particularly necessary to make the throne of Judea really the throne of David, the deliverance and restoration of the ten tribes, still in a state of captivity. Jesus, having briefly noticed the vanity of military efforts, and the weskness of the arm of flesh, says, that when the time comes tor his ascending his allotted throne, he shall not be slack. He remarks on Satan's extraordinary zeal for the deliverance of the Israelites, to whom he had always showed himself an enemy, and declares their servitude to be the consequence of their idolatry, but adds, that at a future time it may perhaps please God to recall them, and restore them to their liberty and native land.
So spake the Son of God; and Satan stood A while as mute, confounded what to say, What to reply, confuted and convinc'd Of his weak arguing and fallacious drift; At length, collecting all his serpent wiles, With soothing words renew'd, him thus accosts:
" I see thou know'st what is of use to know,
What best to say canst say, to do canst do; Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart Contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape. Should kings and nations from thy mouth consult, Thy counsel would be as the oracle Urim and Thummim, those oraculous gems On Aaron's breast; or tongue of seers old, Infallible: or wert tkou sought to deeds That might require the array of war, thy skill Of conduct would be such, that all the world Could not sustain thy prowess, or subsist In battle, though against thy few in arms. These godlike virtues wherefore dost thou hide, Affecting private life, or more obscure In savage wilderness? wherefore deprive All earth her wonder at thy acts, thyself The fame and glory, glory the reward That sole excites to high attempts, the flame
Of most erected spirits, most temper'd pure Ethereal, who all pleasures else despise, All treasures and all gain esteem as dross, And dignities and powers all but the highest ? Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe; the son Of Macedonian Philip had ere these Won Asia, and the throne of Cyrus held At his dispose; young Scipio had brought down The Carthaginian Pride; young Pompey quell'd The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode. Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature, Quench not the thirst of glory, but augment. Great Julius, whom now all the world admires, The more he grew in years, the more inflam'd With glory, wept that he had liv'd so long Inglorious: but thou yet art not too late."
To whom our Saviour calmly thus replied: "Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth For empire's sake, nor empire to affect For glory's sake, by all thy argument. For what is glory but the blaze of fame, The people's praise, if always praise unmix'd? And what the people but a herd confus'd, A miscellaneous rabble, who extol
Things vulgar, and, well weigh'd, scarce worth the
They praise, and they admire, they know not what, And know not whom, but as one leads the other; And what delight to be by such extoll'd, To live upon their tongues, and be their talk, Of whom to be disprais'd were no small praise, His lot who dares be singularly good? The intelligent among them and the wise Are few, and g.ory scarce of few is rais'd, This is true glory and renown; when God, Looking on the earth, with approbation marks The just man, and divulges him through heaven To all his angels, who with true applause Recount his praises; thus he did to Job,
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