He said, and on his Son with rays direct Shone full; he all his Father full express'd Ineffably into his face receiv'd;
And thus the Filial Godhead answ'ring spake: O Father, O Supreme of heav'nly Thrones, First, Highest, Holiest, Best; thou always seek'st To glorify thy Son, I always thee,
As is most just: this I my glory account, My exaltation, and my whole delight, That thou in me well pleas'd declar'st thy will Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all my bliss. Sceptre and pow'r, thy giving, I assume ; And gladlier shall resign, when in the end Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee For ever, and in me all whom thou lov'st: But whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon, Arm'd with thy might, rid heav'n of these rebell'd, To their prepar'd ill mansion driven down,
To chains of darkness and th' undying worm, That from thy just obedience could revolt, Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy saints unmix'd, and from th' impure Far separate, circling thy holy mount
Unfeigned Halleluiahs to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief.
So said, he o'er his sceptre bowing, rose From the right hand of glory where he sat, And the third sacred morn began to shine, Dawning through heav'n. Forth rush'd with whirl- wind sound
The chariot of Paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, Itself instinct with spirit, but convoy'd
By four Cherubic shapes; four faces each
Had wondrous; as with stars their bodies all
And wings were set with eyes, with eyes the wheek Of beryl, and careering fires between;
Over their heads a crystal firmament,' Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure Amber, and colours of the show'ry arch. He in celestial panoply all arm'd
Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought, Ascended; at his right hand Victory
Sat eagle-wing'd; beside him hung his bow And quiver with three-bolted thunder stor'd; And from about him fierce effusion roll'd Of smoke, and bick'ring flame, and sparkles dire. Attended with ten thousand thousand saints, He onward came, far off his coming shone; And twenty thousand (I their number heard) Chariots of God, half on each hand were seen. He on the wings of Cherub rode sublime On the crystalline sky, in sapphire thron'd Illustrious far and wide; but by his own First seen them unexpected joy surpriz❜d, When the great ensign of Messiah blaz'd Aloft by Angels borne, his sign in heav'n; Under whose conduct Michael soon reduc'd His army, circumfus'd on either wing, Under their head imbodied all in one. Before him pow'r divine his way prepar'd; At his command th' uprooted hills retir'd Each to his place; they heard his voice, and went Obsequious; Heav'n his wonted face renew'd, And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley smil❜d. This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdur'd, And to rebellious fight rallied their powers Insensate, hope conceiving from despair.
In heav'nly sp'rits could such perverseness dwell? But to convince the proud, what signs avail, Or wonders move th' obdurate, to relent? They, harden'd more by what might most reclaim, Grieving to see his glory, at the sight Took envy; and aspiring to his height Stood re-imbattled fierce, by force or fraud Weening to prosper, and at length prevail
Against God and Messiah, or to fall In universal ruin lost; and now To final battle drew, disdaining flight, Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God To all his host on either hand thus spake:
Stand still in bright array, ye Saints, here stand Ye angels arm'd, this day from battle rest; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause; And us ye have receiv'd, so have ye done Invincibly, but of this cursed crew
The punishment to other hand belongs; Vengeance is his, or whose he sole appoints: Number to this day's work is not ordain'd, Nor multitude; stand only, and behold God's indignation on these godless pour'd By me; not you, but me, they have despis'd, Yet envied; against me is all their rage, Because the Father, t' whom in heav'n supreme Kingdom, and pow'r, and glory appertains, Hath honour'd me, according to his will. Therefore to me their doom he hath assign'd, That they may have their wish, to try with me In battle which the stronger proves, they all, Or I alone against them, since by strength They measure all, of other excellence Not emulous, nor care who them excells; Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe. So spake the Son, and into terror chang'd His count'nance too severe to be beheld, And full of wrath bent on his enemies. At once the Four spread out their starry wings With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the sound Of torrent floods, or of a numerous host. He on his impious foes right onward drove, Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels The steadfast empyrean shook throughout, All but the throne itself of God. Full soon
Among them he arriv'd, in his right hand Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent Before him, such as in their souls infix'd Plagues: they astonish'd all resistance lost, All courage; down their idle weapons dropt: O'er shields, and helms, and helmed heads he rode Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim prostrate, That wish'd the mountains now might be again Thrown on them, as a shelter from his ire. Nor less on either side tempestuous fell His arrows, from the fourfold-visag❜d Four Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels Distinct alike with multitude of eyes;
One spirit in them rul'd, and every eye
Glar'd lightning, and shot forth pernicious fire Among th' accurs'd, that wither'd all their strength, And of their wonted vigour left them drain'd, Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall'n.
Yet half his strength he put not forth, but check'd His thunder in mid volley; for he meant Not to destroy, but root them out of heav'n; The overthrown he rais'd, and as a herd Of goats or tim?rous flock together throng'd, Drove them before him thunder-struck, pursu❜d' With terrors and with furies to the bounds And crystal wall of heav'n; which op’ning wide Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap disclos'd Into the wasteful deep: the monstrous sight Struck them with horror backward, but far worse Urg'd them behind: headlong themselves they threw Down from the verge of heav'n; eternal wrath Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell heard th' unsufferable noise, hell saw Heaven running from heav'n, and would have fled Affrighted; but strict Fate had cast too deep Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound. Nine days they fell: confounded Chaos roar'd, And felt tenfold confusion in their fall Through his wild anarchy, so huge a rout
Incumber'd him with ruin: Hell at last
Yawning receiv'd them whole, and on them clos'd; Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain. Disburden'd heav'n rejoic'd, and soon repair'd Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd. Sole victor from th' expulsion of his foes Messiah his triumphal chariot turn'd;
To meet him all his Saints, who silent stood Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts,
With jubilee advanc'd; and as they went, Shaded with branching palm, each order bright, Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King, Son, Heir, and Lord, to whom dominion giv❜n, Worthiest to reign: he celebrated rode Triumphant through mid heav'n, into the courts And temple of his mighty Father thron'd On high; who into glory him receiv'd, Where now he sits at the right hand of bliss.
Thus measuring things in heav'n by things on earth, At thy request, and that thou may'st beware By what is past, to thee I have reveal'd
What might have else to human race been hid; The discord which befel, and war in heav'n Among th' angelic pow'rs, and the deep fall Of those too high aspiring, who rebell'd With Satan; he who envies now thy state, Who now is plotting how he may seduce Thee also from obedience, that with him Bereav'd of happiness thou may'st partake His punishment, eternal misery:
Which would be all his solace and revenge, As a despite done against the Most High, Thee once to gain companion of his woe. But listen not to his temptations, warn Thy weaker; "let it profit thee t'have heard, By terrible example, the reward Of disobedience; firm they might have stood, Yet fell; remember, and fear to transgress.
« السابقةمتابعة » |