_Moses._ Forgive them yet, Lord, for this time, if it may be. _Pater Cœlestis._ Thinkest thou that I will so soon change my decree? No, no, friend Moses, so light thou shalt not find me. I will punish them all; Israel shall it see. _Moses._ I know, thy people have wrought abomination, Worshipping false gods, to thy honour's derogation, Yet mercifully thou mayest upon them look; And if thou wilt not, thrust me out of thy book. _Pater Cœlestis._ Those great blasphemers shall out of my book clean, But thou shalt not so, for I know what thou dost mean. Conduct my people, mine angel shall assist thee, That sin in a day will not uncorrected be. And for the true zeal that thou to my people hast, I add this covenant unto my promises past. Raise them up I will a prophet from among them, Not unlike to thee, to speak my words unto them. Whoso heareth not that he shall speak in my name, I will revenge it to his perpetual shame. The passover lamb will be a token just Of this strong covenant. This have I clearly discussed, In my appointment this hour for your deliverance. _Moses._ Never shall this thing depart from my remembrance. Praise be for ever to thee, most merciful Lord, Who never withdrawest from man thy heavenly comfort, But from age to age thy benefits do record What thy goodness is, and hath been to his sort. As we find thy grace, so ought we to report. And doubtless it is to us most bounteous, Yea, for all our sins most ripe and plenteous. Abraham our father found thee benevolous,[616] So did good Isaac in his distress among. To Jacob thou wert a guide most gracious. Joseph thou savedst from dangerous deadly wrong, Melchisedec and Job felt thy great goodness strong, So did good Sarah, Rebecca, and fair Rachel, With Zephorah my wife, the daughter of Raguel. To praise thee, sweet Lord, my faith doth me compel, For thy covenant's sake wherein rests our salvation, The seed of promise, all other seeds excel, For therein remaineth our full justification. From Adam to Noah, in Abraham's generation, That seed procureth God's mighty grace and power; For the same seed's sake, I will sing now this hour. [_Then he begins to sing an antiphon in a clear voice, "O Emmanuel," which the chorus (as before) follows with instruments._ O high king Emmanuel, and our liege Lord! the long expectation of the Gentiles, and the mighty Saviour of their multitude, the health and consolation of sinners, come now to save us, as our Lord and our Redeemer. ACT V OF PIUS KING DAVID _Pater Cœlestis._ For all the favour I have shewed Israel, Delivering it from Pharaoh's tyranny, And giving the land, _fluentem lac et mel_,[617] Yet will it not leave its old idolatry, Nor know me for God. I abhor its misery. Vexed it I have with battles and decays, Still must I plague it, I see no other ways.