ISAIAH XXXV.

WHEN Idumea, and the nations round,
Th' inveterate foes of Israel, and of God,
Lie vanquish'd, dormant on the dreary waste
Of far extended ruin; and involv'd
In hideous woe, and desolation wide,
Then shall Judea lift her cheerful head;
Put forth the leaves of glad prosperity;
And, after all the gloomy scene of grief
And sad affliction, flourish and revive
In all the bright serenity of peace.
As the gay rose, when winter storms are past,
Warm'd with the influence of a kinder sun,
Comes from the bud with a vermilion blush,
Cheering the sight, and scattering all around
A balmy odour, that perfumes the skies.
She shall rejoice with joy unspeakable,
And, fraught with richest blessings from above,
Spring forth in all the pride of Lebanon,
Whose lofty cedars, wond'rous to behold,
In bodies huge, and to the skies erect
Stand eminent, branch over branch out-spread
In reg'lar distances, and verdant shades,
Emblem of happy state. Nor shall the hills
Of fragrant Carmel, rich in fruitful soil;
Nor Sharon's flow'ry plain in all its bloom,
Array'd in Nature's goodliest attire,
And breathing fresh a gale of heav'nly sweets,
Spring forth in greater glory. For the Lord
His goodness will declare, that knows no bounds;
And all the people shall behold his might,
And see the wonders of omnipotence.

Strengthen the languid nerves, ye seers! and bid
The trembling hand be strong. Call into life
The dissipated spirits; and confirm
The feeble knees; th' unactive joints support;
And bid the lazy blood flow briskly on,
And circulate with joy thro' every vein.
Comfort th' oppress'd; and smooth the ruffled mind;
Say to th' afflicted heart, devoid of hope,
Behold! th' Almighty rushes from the skies,
Ev'n Israel's God from his refulgent throne
Of glory comes, but not with radiant blaze
Of light, ev'n light invisible, as when
To Moses on Mount Horeb he appear'd,
And sent his faithful servant to redeem
Ungrateful Israel from Egyptian bonds;
Nor with the music of a still, soft voice,
As when h' inform'd the prophet of his will;
But in a black and dreadful hemisphere
Of darkness, arm'd with flaming thunderbolts,
And flashes of red lightning to increase
The woe, and make ev'n darkness visible.
The hills shall tremble at his dire approach;
And fearful mountains, pil'd up to the clouds,
Fall down precipitant with rapid force,
And spread a plain immense. For God will come
Full fraught with vengeance to consume your foes;
You in his bounteous mercy to protect.

Then shall the eyes long clos'd in blackest night.
To whom no gladsome dawn of light appear'd,
But comfortless, impenetrable shade,
Shake off the film of darkness, and behold
The long-expected day. New scenes of joy.
Shall then appear, and various prospects rise
To cheer the new-born sight. The deafen'd ear,
On whose dull nerves sad-moping Silence dwelt,
And lock'd from music's note, or voice of man,
Shall open glad its labyrinths of sound,
Again the stringed instrument shall feel,
And the sweet words of social converse hear.

The lame, infirm, creeping with slow advance,
Dragging with pain reluctant feet along,
And scarcely by the friendly crutch sustain'd,
Shall throw th' unserviceable prop aside,
And stand erect, exulting like a roe
Upon Mount Tabor, frisking nimbly round
On the soft verdant turf, with wanton tread
Skimming along the surface of the plain,
Or lightly bounding o'er the rising ground.
The dumb for melancholy silence fram'd,
Cut off from friendly converse with mankind,
Striving in vain the sad defect to mend
With gabb'ring noise of broken syllables
Confus'd, shall talk in dialects compleat;
And tongues, that knew not how to speak, shall sing.
New scenes of joy shall gladden ev'ry face;
And universal peace o'erspread the land.

The glowing ground, gaping with burning thirst,
Shall greedily suck in the humid tide,
Pouring from caverns of the craggy hills
In limpid streams, still warbling, as they fall,
Melodious murmurs down the ample glade,
And crystal springs refresh the thirsty land.
Where heretofore the curling serpent lay
In many a wily labyrinth self-roll'd,
Or swept deceitful o'er the dusty plain
In horrid spires, and many a tow'ring maze,
The trembling reed shall wave his fringed top;
And the tall rush in slender spires up-rise.
The swampy marsh shall its broad flag produce,
With bending willow, sport of every wind;
And vegetable earth new bloom display
Delightful, with prolific verdure cloth'd,
A wasteful desart now, and barren soil.

A way shall be prepar'd, a path direct,
Mark'd out by line with an unerring hand,
Ev'n a streight path, which God himself shall make;
It shall be call'd, THE WAY OF HOLINESS;
A way to sacred footsteps only known,
Where the unhallow'd shall no entrance find,
Nor impious feet profane the sacred ground.
God shall attend the motions of the just,
Watch o'er their steps, and guide them as they go;
And none shall wander from the obvious path,
For who can err, when God directs the way?

The rampant lion shall not wander there,
Nor fiery tiger, roaring for his prey;
Nor prowling wolf, that howls along the plain,
With the keen pangs of raging hunger stung;
Nor surly bear in Nebo's mountains bred,
Or Carmel's forest ranging merciless;
Such as came furious from the neighb'ring groves
Of ancient Bethel with voracious speed,
Grinning destruction as they roam'd along,
And slew the mockers of the good old seer.
But free, and unmolested shall they walk
Whom heav'n protects, and God vouchsafes to guide.
The ransom'd captives, weary of the yoke,
The heavy yoke of long oppressive thrall,
Shall cheerfully return to happier climes,
In melody break forth the gladden'd heart,
That speaks deliverance, and the voice of joy.
Judah shall witness to the grateful song;
And faithful Zion echo back the sound.
No signs of woe shall hang upon the cheek,
No shuddering fear, nor horrible despair;
But grief with all its melancholy train
Of huge dismay shall fly from ev'ry face.
Gladness shall crown the head, peace fill the heart,
And endless rapture dwell on ev'ry brow.