All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by conqueft what the first man loft
By fallacy furpris'd. But firft I mean.
To exercife him in the wilderness,
There fhall he first lay down the rudiments
Of his great warfare, ere I fend him forth
To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes,'
By humiliation and strong fufferance:
His weaknefs fhall o'ercome Satanic ftrength,
And all the world, and mass of finful flesh;
That all the Angels and ethereal Powers,
They now, and men hereafter, may difcern,
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 fpake th' eternal Father, and all Heaven
Admiring flood a fpace, then into hymns
Burft 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 entring his great duel, not of arms,
But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles.
The Father knows the Son; therefore fecure
Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd,
Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er feduce.
Allure, or terrify, or undermine.
Be fruftrate all ye ftratagems of Hell,
And devilish machinations come to nought,
So they in Heav'n their odes and vigils tun'd: Mean while the Son of God, who yet fome days
Lodg'd in Bethabara where John baptiz'd,
Mufing and much revolving in his breast,
How beft the mighty work he might begin
Of Saviour to mankind, and which way firft
Publifh his God-like office now mature,
One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading,
And his deep thoughts, the better to converse
With folitude, till far from track of men,
Thought following thought, and step by step led on,
He enter'd now the bord'ring desert wild,
And with dark shades and rocks environ'd round,
His holy meditations thus purfu'd.
◇ what a multitude of thoughts at once-
Awaken'd in me (warm, while I confider
What from within I feel myself, and hear
What from without comes often to my ears,
Ill forting with my prefent ftate compar'd
When I was yet a child, no childish play
To me was pleafing; all my mind was fet
Serious to learn and know, and thence to do
What might be public good; myfelf I thought
Born to that end, born to promote all truth,
All righteous things: therefore above my years,
The law of God I read, and found it sweet,
Made it my whole delight, and in it grew
To fuch perfection, that ere yet my age
Had measur'd twice fix years, at our great feast
I went into the temple, there to hear
The teachers of our law, and to propose
What might improve my knowledge or their own ;
And was admir'd by all: yet this not all
To which my fpi'rit aspir'd; victorious deeds
Elam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while
To rescue Ifrael from the Roman yoke,
Then to fubdue and quell o'er all the earth
Brute violence and proud tyrannic power,
Till truth were freed, and equity restor❜d:
Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly firft
By winning words to conquer willing hearts,
And make perfuafion do the work of fear;
At least to try, and teach the erring foul
Not wilfully mif-doing, but unware
Mifled; the ftubborn only to fubdue.
'Thefe growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving
By words at times caft forth inly rejoic❜d,
And faid to me apart, High are thy thoughts
O Son, but nourish them and let them foar
To what heighth facred virtue and true worth
Can raise them, though above example high;
By matchlefs deeds exprefs thy matchlefs Sire.
For know, thou art no fon of mortal man ;
Though men efteem thee low of parentage,
Thy father is th' eternal King who rules
All Heav'n and Earth, Angels, and Sons of men:
A meffenger from God foretold thy birth
Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he foretold
Thou should't be great and fit on David's throne, 240
And of thy kingdom there fhall be no end.
At thy nativity a glorious quire
Of Angels in the fields of Bethlehem fung
To fhepherds watching at their folds by night,
And told them the Meffiah now was born
Where they might fee him, and to thee they came,
Directed to the manger where thou lay'st,
For in the inn was left no better room:
A ftar, not seen before, in Heav'n appearing
Guided the wife men thither from the east,
To honour thee with incenfe, myrrh, and gold,
By whofe bright courfe led on they found the place,
Affirming it thy ftar new grav'n in Heaven,
By which they knew the king of Ifrael born.
Juft Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd
By vifion, found thee in the temple', and spake
Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that prefent ftood.
This having heard, strait I again revolv'd
The law and prophets, fearching what was writ
Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and foon found of whom they fpake
I am; this chiefly, that my way muft lie
Through many a hard affay ev'n to the death,
Ere I the promis'd Kingdom can attain,
Or work redemption for mankind, whofe fins
Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head.
Yet neither thus difhearten'd or difmay'd,
The time prefix'd I waited, when behold
The Baptift (of whose birth I oft had heard,
Not knew by fight) now come, who was to come
Before Meffiah and his way prepare.
I as all others to his baptifm came,
Which I believ'd was from above; but he
Strait knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim'd
Me him (for it was shown him fo from Heaven)
Me him whofe harbinger he was; and first
Refus'd on me his baptifm to confer,
As much his greater, and was hardly won:
But as I rofe out of the laving stream,
Heav'n open'd her eternal doors, from whence
The Spirit defcended on me like a dove,
And laft the fum of all, my Father's voice,
Audibly heard from Heav'n, pronounc'd me his,
Me his beloved Son, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time
Now full, that I no more fhall live obfcure,
But openly begin, as best becomes
The authority which I deriv'd from Heaven.
And now by fome ftrong motion I am led
Into this wilderness, to what intent
I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know;
For what concerns my knowledge God reveals.
So fpake our Morning Star then in his rife,
And looking round on every fide beheld
A pathlefs defert, dusk with horrid fhades;
The way he came not having mark'd, return
Was difficult, by human fteps untrod;
And he ftill on was led, but with fuch thoughts
Accompanied of things paft and to come
Lodg'd in his breast, as well might recommend
Such folitude before choiceft fociety.
Full forty days he pass'd, whether on hill
Sometimes, anon in fhady vale, each night
Under the covert of fome ancient oak,
Or cedar, to defend him from the dew,
Or harbour'd in one cave, is not reveal'd;
Nor tafted human food, nor hunger felt
Till thofe days ended, hunger'd then at laft
Among wild beafts: they at his fight grew mild,
Nor fleeping him nor waking harm'd, his walk
The fiery ferpent fled, and noxious worm,
The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof,
But now an aged man in rural weeds
Following, as feem'd, the queft of fome ftray ewe, 315
Or wither'd flicks to gather, which might ferve
Against a winter's day when winds blow keen,
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