Now had the great Proclaimer with a voice More awful than the found of Trumpet, cry'd Repentance, and Heaven's Kingdom nigh at hand To all Baptiz'd: to his great Baptifm flock'd, With awe the Regions round, and with them came From Nazareth the Son of Jofeph deem'd, To the flood Jordan came, as then obfcure, Unmarkt, unknown; but him the Baptift foon Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witnefs bore As to his worthier, and would have refign'd To him his Heavenly Office, nor was long His witnefs 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 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 ancient Pow'rs of Air and this wide World, For much more willingly I mention Air, This our oid Conqueft, than remember Hell Our hated habitation; well ye know How many Ages, as the years of Men, This Universe we have poffeft, 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 Seed 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
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 Seed Deftin'd to this, is late of Woman born. His Birth to our juft fear gave no small cause, But his growth now to youth's full flower difplaying All virtue, grace, and wisdom to atchieve Things higheft, 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 so 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 Heaven, that who he is Thenceforth the Nations may not doubt; I faw The Prophet do him reverence, on him rifing Out of the Water, Heav'n above the Clouds Unfold her Crystal Doors, thence on his head A perfect Dove defcend, whate'er it meant, And out of Heav'n the Sovereign voice I heard, This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd. His Mother then is mortal, but his Sire He who obtains the Monarchy of Heaven; And what will he not do t' advance his Son? 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 glimpfes of his Father's glory fhine. Ye fee our danger on the utmost edge
Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
But muft with fomething fudden 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 Supream on Earth. I, when no other durft, fole undertook
The difmal 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, Distracted 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 pleafant Realm and Province wide, So to the Coast of Jordan he directs His eafie fteps, girded with fnaky wiles, Where he might likelieft find this new declar'd, This Man of men, attefted Son of God, Temptation and all guile on him to try; So to fubvert whom he fufpected rais'd
To end his Reign on Earth fo long enjoy'd:
But contrary, unweeting he fulfill'd
The purpos'd Counfel pre-ordain'd and fixt
Of the moft High, who in full frequence bright
Of Angels, thus to Gabriel fmiling fpake.
Gabriel, this day by proof thou shalt 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 Son
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 Ghoft, and the Power of the Highest O'erfhadow her: this Man born and now up grown, To fhew him worthy of his Birth Divine And high Prediction, henceforth I expose To Satan; let him tempt and now affay His utmost fubtilty, because he boafts And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng Of his Apoftafie; he might have learnt Lefs overweening, fince he fail'd in Job, Whose conftant perfeverance overcame Whate'er his cruel malice could invent. He now shall know I can produce a Man
Of female Seed, far abler to resist
All his follicitations, and at length
All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by conqueft what the first man loft,
To exercife him in the Wilderness,
'There he shall firft 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 Sufferance :
His weakness fhall o'ercome Satanick ftrength And all the world, and mafs of finful flesh; That all the Angels and Æthereal 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 Salvation for the Sons of men.
So fpake th' Eternal Father, and all Heav'n Admiring ftood a space, then into Hymns Burit 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 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 terrifie, 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 some 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 Publish 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 ftep by step led on, He entred now the bordering defart wild,
And with dark shades and rocks environ'd round, His holy meditation thus purfu'd.
O what a multitude of thoughts at once Awaken'd in me fwarm, while I confider What from within I feel my felf, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, lil 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 publick good; my felf 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 fweet,
« السابقةمتابعة » |