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My bow and thunder, my almighty arms

Gird on, and fword upon thy puiffant thigh;

Pursue these fons of darkness, drive them out, 715
From all Heav'n's bounds into the utter deep:

There let them learn, as likes them, to defpife
God and Meffiah his anointed king.

He faid, and on his Son with rays direct
Shone full; he all his father full exprefs'd
Ineffably into his face receiv'd;

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And thus the filial Godhead andw'ring fpake.
O Father, O Supreme of heav'nly Thrones,
First, Highest, Holieft, Beft, thou always feek'st
To glorify thy Son, I always thee,

As is moft juft; this I my glory' account,
My exaltation, and my whole delight,

That thou in me well pleas'd, declar'ft thy will
Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all

The Pfalm here meant is the XLVth, ver. 3. & 4. Gird thy fwerd upon thy thigh, meft mighty, with thy giery and thy majeffy and in thy majefty ride prosperously &c.

714. and word upon thy pu

fant thigh;] A great man obferv'd to me, that the fentence falls in this place, and that it may

my

blifs.

725

Scepter

be improv'd by reading and pointing the whole paffage thus,

-bring forth all my war, My bow and thunder, my almighty arms; And gird my word upon thy puiffant thigh.

O Friends, why come not on thefe victors proud? Ere while they fierce were coming; and when we, To entertain them fair with open front

611

And breaft (what could we more?) propounded

terms

Of compofition, ftrait they chang`d their minds, Flew off, and into ftrange vagaries fell,

616

As they would dance; yet for a dance they seem'd
Somewhat extravagant and wild, perhaps
For joy of offer'd peace: but I fuppofe,
If our propofals once again were heard,
We should compel them to a quick refult.

To whom thus Belial in like gamesome mood. 620
Leader, the terms we fent were terms of weight,
Of hard contents, and full of force urg'd home,
Such as we might perceive amus'd them all,
And stumbled many; who receives them right,
Had need from head to foot well underftand; 62;
Not understood, this gift they have befides,

620. To whom thus Belial] Whoever remembers the character of Belial in the first and fecord books, and Mr. Addifon's remarks upon it, will easily fee the propriety

They

of making Belial reply to Satan upon this occafion and in this por tive manner, rather than Belasbub, or Moloch, or any of the evil Angels.

635. Rage

They show us when our foes walk not upright.
So they among themfelves in pleasant vein
Stood fcoffing, highten'd in their thoughts beyond
All doubt of victory; eternal might

To match with their inventions they prefum'd

So eafy', and of his thunder made a scorn
And all his hoft derided, while they ftood

630

A while in trouble: but they stood not long;
Rage prompted them at length, and found them

arms

Against fuch hellish mischief fit to' oppofe.
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power,
Which God hath in his mighty Angels plac'd)
Their arms away they threw, and to the hills
(For Earth hath this variety from Heaven

Of pleasure fituate in hill and dale)

635

640

Light as the lightning glimpse they ran, they flew;
From their foundations loofning to and fro
They pluck'd the feated hills with all their load,

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Scepter and pow'r, thy giving, I affume,
And gladlier shall refign, when in the end
Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee

For ever, and in me all whom thou lov'ft:
But whom thou hat'ft, I hate, and can put on
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,

Image of thee in all things; and fhall foon,

730

735

Arm'd with thy might, rid Heav'n of these re

bell'd,

To their prepar'd ill manfion driven down,

24

732. Thu fhalt be all in all, &c.] We may fill obferve that Milton generally makes the divine perfons talk in the ftile and language of Scripture. This paffage is manifellly taken from 1 Cor. XV. and 28. Then cometh the end when he fhall have delivered up the king dom to God: And when all things, fhall be fubdued unto him, then fell the Son alfo himself be fubj.& anto bim that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. And immediately afterwards when it is

faid

I in thee

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737-rid Heav'nof theferebell'd,] For ever, and in me all whom Of thefe rebellious, of thefe who have rebell'd; a remarkable expreffion.

thou lov'it:

this is plainly in allufion to feveral expreffions in John XVII. That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they allo may be one in us. ver. 21. In them, and thou in me, that they may

746. So faid, he o'er bis feepter

beaving, rofe &c.] The defcription of the Meffiah's going out against the rebel Angels is a fcene of the fame fort with Hefiod's Ju

To chains of darknefs, and th' undying worm,

That from thy juft obedience could revolt,

Whom to obey is happiness entire.

740

Then shall thy Saints unmix'd, and from th'impure

Far feparate, circling thy holy mount

Unfeigned Halleluiahs to thee fing,

Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief. 745
So faid, he o'er his fcepter bowing, rose

From the right hand of glory where he fat,
And the third facred morn began to fhine,

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