Who ere while the happy Garden fung, By one Man's Difobedience loft, now fing Recover'd Paradife to all mankind,
By one man's firm obedience fully try'd Through all temptation, and the Tempter foil'd
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls'd,
And Eden rais'd in the wafte Wilderness.
Thou Spirit who ledst this glorious Eremite Into the Defart, his victorious Field
Against the fpiritual Foe, and brought'ft him thence By proof the undoubted Son of God, inspire, As thou art wont, my prompted Song else mute, And bear through heighth or depth of Nature's bounds With profp'rous wing full fumm'd to tell of deeds Above Heroic, though in secret done,
And unrecorded left through many an Age, Worthy t' have not remain'd fo long unfung.
Now had the great Proclaimer with a voice More awful than the found of Trumpet, cry'd Repentance, and Heav'ns Kingdom nigh at hand To all Baptiz'd: to his great Baptifm flock'd With awe the Regions round, and with them came
rom Nazareth the Son of Joseph deem'd To the flood Jordan came, as then obscure, Unmark't, unknown; but him the Baptift foon Defcry'd, divinely warn'd, and witness bore As to his worthier, and would have refign'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 pronounced 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 involy'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 old 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 longeft time to him is fhort;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compaft, wherein we
Muft bide the ftroke of that long threatn'd wound,
At least if fo 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 Deftin'd to this, is late of Woman born, His birth to our juft fear gave no fmall cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying 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 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 Teftimony of Heav'n, that who he is Thenceforth the Nations may not doubt; 1 faw The Propher do him reverence, on him rising Out of the Water, Heav'n above the Clouds Unfold her Chryftal Doors, thence on his head A perfect Dove descend, what e'er it meant, And out of Heav'n the Sovereign voice I hear, This is my Son belov'd in him I'm pleas'd. His Mother then is mortal, but his Sire, He who obtains the Monarchy of Heav'n, And what will he not do to advance his Son? His firft-begot we know, and fore have felt, When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep; Who this is we muft learn, for Man he feems In all his lineaments, though in his face The glimpfes of his Father's glory shine; Yet fee our danger on the utmoft edge Of hazard, which admits no long debate, But muft with fomething sudden 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 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 beft to hope of like fuccess.
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 thy 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 Coaft 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 Council pre-ordain'd and fixt
Of the moft 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 verifie that folemn Meffage late,
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