Page:Poem on the creation of the world, or, A meditation on the wonderful operation of the divine hand.pdf/14

 When of the Waters God had thus diſpos'd,

Then the new Earth its naked Head diſclos'd.

The Sea being plac'd around upon each Hand,

Its ſwelling Waves invirons every Land;

Tho' it would ſeem a moſt unruly Creature,

'Tis yet obedient to the God of Nature:

It when ſequeſtrate from the Land, did ſeem

As if it would with one impetuous Stream

Break over all its Boundaries, and ſo

The Earth again entirely overflow:

But divine Power did prove to it a Let,

And Bars and Doors into its Way did ſet.

A Cloud its Garment made the divine Hand,

And Darkneſs thick to it a ſwaddling Band.

In fine, the Lord hath by divine Decree

Set Bounds unto the raging of the Sea;

Thus far ſhould come, us great Creator ſaid,

And here ſhall even thy proudeſt Waves be ſtaid.

Creation-Work thus far a length muſt be,

Own'd great indeed in its Kind and Degree;

How great ſoever here below, 'tis what

Entirely's dead, and quite inanimate.

Some thing more worthy of him yet remain'd,

In whom the Fountain of all Life's contain'd.

In all the World there's nothing growing found,

It lies as yet a Piece of empty Ground:

This must not be; it is too large a Field,

For to ly barren, and thus nothing yield.

How ſoon the Caſe thus alter'd was, we may

Find by what God did do on the third Day.

When on this Day the Earth thus to prepare,

Now from the Waters ſeparate, and there