Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore As to his worthier, and would have refign'd To him his heavenly office, nor was long His witness unconfirm'd: on him baptiz'd Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove The spirit descended, while the father's voice From heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved fon. That heard the adversary, who roving ftill About the world, at that affembly fam'd Would not be laft, and with the voice divine Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom Such high atteft was giv'n, a while furvey'd With wonder, then with envy fraught, and rage, Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air To council fummons all his mighty peers, Within thick clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd, A gloomy confiftory; and them amidst With looks agaft and fad he thus befpake.
O antient pow'rs of air and this wide world, For much more willingly I mention air, This our old conqueft, than remember hell Our hated habitation; well ye know How many ages, as the years of men, This universe we have possest, and rul'd In manner at our will th' affairs of earth, Since Adam and his facil confort Eve Loft paradife deceiv'd by me, though fince With dread attending when that fatal wound Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve Upon my head, long the decrees of heav'n Delay, for longeft time to him is fhort;
And now too foon for us the circling hours This dreaded time have compast, wherein we Muft bide the ftroak of that long threatn'd wound, At least if so we can, and by the head Broken be not intended all our power To be infring'd, our freedom and our being, In this fair empire won of earth and air: For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born,
His birth to our just fear gave no small cause, But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, difplaying All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve Things higheft, greateft, multiplies my fear. Before him a great prophet, to proclaim
His coming, is fent harbinger, who all Invites, and in the confecrated ftream Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them fo Purifi'd to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honour as their king; all come, And he himself among them was baptiz'd, Not thence to be more pure, but to receive The teftimony of heav'n, that who he is Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I saw The prophet do him reverence, on him rising Out of the water, heav'n above the clouds Unfold her chryftal doors, thence on his head A perfect dove defcend, what e'er it meant, And out of heav'n the fov'reign voice I heard, This is my fon belov'd, in him am pleas'd. His mother then is mortal, but his fire, He who obtains the monarchy of heav'n,
And what will he not do to advance his fon? His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt, When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; Who this is we must learn, for man he seems In all his lineaments, though in his face The glimpfes of his father's glory fhine; Ye fee our danger on the utmost edge Of hazard, which admits no long debate, But must with something sudden be oppos'd,
Not force, but well couch'd fraud, well woven fnares, Ere in the head of nations he appear
Their king, their leader, and fupream on earth. I, when no other durft, fole undertook
The dismal expedition to find out
And ruin Adam, and th' exploit perform'd Successfully; a calmer voyage now
Will waft me; and the way found profp'rous once Induces beft to hope of like fuccefs.
He ended, and his words impreffion left Of much amazement to th' infernal crew. Diftracted and furpriz'd with deep dismay At these fad tidings; but no time was then For long indulgence to their fears or grief: Unanimous they all commit the care And management of this main enterprize To him their great dictator, whofe attempt At first against mankind fo well had thriv'd In Adam's overthrow, and led their march From hell's deep-vaulted den to dwell in light, Regents and potentates, and kings, yea gods Of many a pleasant realm and province wide.
So to the coaft of Jordan he directs His eafie fteps; girded with fnaky wiles, Where he might likeliest find this new-declar'd,. This man of men, attefted fon of God, Temptation and all guile on him to try; So to fubvert whom he fufpected rais'd To end his reign on earth so long enjoy'd: But contrary unweeting he fulfill'd The purpos'd counsel pre-ordain'd and fixt Of the most high, who in full frequence bright Of angels, thus to Gabriel fmiling fpake. Gabriel this day by proof thou fshall behold, Thou and all angels converfant on earth With man or mens affairs, how I begin To verifie that folemn meffage late, On which I fent thee to the virgin pure- In Galilee, that she should bear a fon Great in renown, and call'd the son of God; Then toldft her, doubting how these things could be: To her a virgin, that on her should come The Holy-Ghost, and the power of the highest O'er-shadow her: this man born and now up-grown, To shew him worthy of his birth divine And high prediction, henceforth I expofe To fatan; let him tempt and now aflay His utmost fubtility, because he boafts And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng Of his apoftafie; he might have learnt Less overweening, fince he fail'd in Job, Whose conftant perfeverance overcame What e'er his cruel malice could invent.-
He now shall know I can produce a man Of female feed, far abler to refift
All his follicitations, and at length
All his vaft force, and drive him back to hell, Winning by conqueft what the first man lost By fallacy furpriz'd. But first I mean To exercise him in the wilderness,
There he shall first lay down the rudiments Of his great warfare, ere I send him forth To conquer fin and death the two grand foes, By humiliation and strong sufferance: His weakness shall o'ercome fatanick strength And all the world, and mass of finful flesh; That all the angels and aetherial powers, They now, and men hereafter may discern, From what confummate virtue I have chofe This perfect man, by merit call'd my son, To earn falvation for the fons of men.
So spake th' eternal father, and all heav'n Admiring stood a space, then into hymns Burst forth, and in celestial measures mov'd Circling the throne and finging, while the hand Sung with the voice, and this the argument. Victory and triumph to the son of God Now entering his great duel, not of arms, But to vanquish by wifdom hellish wiles. The father knows the fon; therefore fecure Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd, Against what e'er may tempt, what e'er feduce, Allure, or terrifie, or undermine.
Be fruftrate all ye ftratagems of hell,
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