To stoop with wearied wings, and willing feet 75 88 80 85 Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage Transports our adversary, whom no bounds Prescrib'd, no bars of hell, nor all the chains Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyss Wide interrupt, can hold, so bent he seems On desperate revenge, that shall redound Upon his own rebellious head? And now Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way Not far off heaven, in the precincts of light, Directly towards the new created world, And man there plac'd, with purpose to assay If him by force he can destroy, or worse, By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert; For man will hearken to his glozing lies, And easily transgress the sole command, Sole pledge of his obedience: so will fall He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault? Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me All he could have: I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. 93 glozing lies] See Beaumont's Psyche, c. v. 37. 'With humble lies, and oaths of glozings drest.' See also B. ix. 549, 'so gloz'd the tempter.' 90 95 Such I created all th' ethereal Powers 100 And Spirits, both them who stood and them who fail'd: Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have giv'n sincere Of true allegiance, constant faith, or love, Where only, what they needs must do, appear'd, 105 Not what they would? what praise could they receive? What pleasure I from such obedience paid, Their will, dispos'd by absolute decree 110 115 120 Or high foreknowledge: they themselves decreed 108 When God gave him reason he gave him freedom to choose; for reason is but choosing.' Milton's Areopagitica. Their nature, and revoke the high decree, 126 Their freedom; they themselves ordain'd their fall. The first sort by their own suggestion fell, Self-tempted, self deprav'd: man falls deceiv'd 130 By the other first: man therefore shall find grace, The other none in mercy and justice both, Through heaven and earth, so shall my glory excel; But mercy first and last shall brightest shine. 136 Thus while GoD spake, ambrosial fragrance fill'd All heav'n, and in the blessed spirits elect Sense of new joy ineffable diffus'd. Beyond compare the Son of GOD was seen Most glorious; in him all his Father shone Substantially express'd, and in his face Divine compassion visibly appear'd, Love without end, and without measure grace; Which uttering thus he to his Father spake. 140 O Father, gracious was that word which clos'd Thy sov'reign sentence, that man should find grace; For which both heaven and earth shall high extol Thy praises, with th' innumerable sound Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne Encompass'd shall resound thee ever blest. For should man finally be lost, should man Thy creature late so lov'd, thy youngest son, Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd 139 Father] P. Fletcher. P. Isl. c. xii. st. 81. 'Full of his father shines his glorious face.' Todd. 150 With his own folly? that be from thee far, His end, and frustrate thine? shall he fulfil To whom the great Creator thus replied. 155 160 165 170 175 153 that] Newton observes that this is from Genesis, xviii. 25. That be far from thee,' &c. 169 Son] My Son, my only stay, My hand, my honor, and my might.' See Golding's Ovid. p. 62. 176 lapsed] lapsas acuit mentes,' v. Sil. Ital. x. 606. Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd 180 185 190 My umpire Conscience, whom if they will hear, 195 Against the high supremacy of heaven, 200 205 189 stony] Ezek. xxxvi. 26. ‘I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh.' Gillies. |