Descry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore As to his worthier, and would have resign'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 defcended, while the father's voice From heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved son. That heard the adversary, who roving still About the world, at that assembly fam'd Would not be last, and with the voice divine Nigh thunder-struck, th' exalted man, to whom Such high attest was giv'n, a while survey'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 amidit With looks agast and sad he thus bespake.
O antient pow'rs of air and this wide world, For much more willingly I mention air, This our old conquest, 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 Lost paradise 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 longest time to him is short;
And now too foon for us the circling hours This dreaded time have compast, wherein we Must bide the stroke of that long threaten'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 Destin'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, displaying All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear. Before him a great prophet, to proclaim His coming, is fent harbinger, who all Invites, and in the confecrated stream 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 testimony 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 chrystal doors, thence on his head A perfect dove descend, what c'er it meant, And out of heav'n the sov'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 first-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 glimpses of his father's glory shine; Ye see our danger on the utmost edge Of hazard, which admits no long debate, But must with something fudden be oppos'd,
Not force, but well couch'd fraud, well woven snares,
Ere in the head of nations he appear
Their king, their leader, and fupream on earth. I, when no other durst, sole 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 best to hope of like fuccess, He ended, and his words impression left Of much amazement to th' infernal crew. Distracted and surpriz'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, whose attempt At first against mankind so 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 coast of Jordan he directs His easie steps; girded with snaky wiles, Where he might likeliest find this new-declar'd, This man of men, attested son of God, Temptation and all guile on him to try; So to fubvert whom he suspected 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 smiling spake. Gabriel this day by proof thou shalt behold, Thou and all angels converfant on earth With man or mens affairs, how I begin To verific that folemn message 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 toldst 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 expose To Satan; let him tempt and now aflay His utmost subtility, because he boafts And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng Of his apoftatie; he might have learnt Less overweening, since he fail'd in Job, Whose constant perseverance 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 vast force, and drive him back to hell, Winning by conquest what the first man lost By tallacy 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 trong fufferance: 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 difcern, From what confummate virtue I have chose This perfest man, by merit call'd my fon, To earn falvation for the fons of men.
So fpake 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 fon of God, Now entering his great duel, not of arms, Eut to vanquish by wisdom 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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