Who dwell in Heav's whofe excellence he faw
Tranfcend his own fo far, whose radiant forms,
Divine effulgence! whofe high pow'r fo far
Exceeded human; and his wary fpeech
Thus to th' empyreal minister he fram'd.
Inhabitant with Godd now know I well:
Thy favor, in this honor done to man;s
Under whofe lowly roof thou hust bouchlafidi od oubl
To enter, and thefe earthly fruits to tafte, repetier U
Food noot of Angels, yet accepted fo, v
As that more willingly thou couldft not feem
At Heav'n's high feaftst' have fed: yet what compare?
To whöfn the winged Hierarch reply'd, mode OF
O Adam! one Almighty is, from whom
All things proceed, and up to him return
If not deprav'd from good, created all,
Such to perfection, one first matter all, of 29120 mond Indued with various forms; various degrees
Of fubitance, and in things that live, of life;
But more refin'd, more fpiritous, and pure,
as neater to him plac'd, or nearer teneric 475
Each in their feveral active spheres affign'd;
Till body up to fpirit work, in bounds eu b AOT ONW
Proportion'd to each kind. So from the root of und
Springs lighter the green stalk; from thence the leaves
More aery; laft,vthe bright confummate How'r 181
Spirits odorous breathes; flow's and their fruit,gon A
Man's nourishment, by gradual fcale fublim'd,
To vital fpirits afpire, to animal,ibedo vils of
To intellectual; give both life and fenfe, as ba
Fancy and understanding; whence the foul
Reason receives;vand reafon is her being,
Difcourfive, or intuitive; difcourfen
Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours;
Differing but in degree, of kind the fame..
Wonder not then, what God for you faw good y 20
IfI refufe not, but convert, as you
To proper fubftance. Time may comes when Mene
With Angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare:
And from thefe, corporal nutriments perhaps
Your bodies may at laft turn all to fpirit,
Improv'd by tract of time; and wing'd afcend: T
Ethereal, as we; or may at choice,
Here, or in heavily Paradifes dwell; }
If ye be found obedient, and retain
Unalterably firm his love entire,ody
Whole progeny you are. Meanwhile, enjoy. Look
Your fill what happiness this happy state
Can comprehend, incapable of more
To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd. O favourable fpirit, propitious guest
Well haft thou taught the way that might directU HA Our knowledge, and the scale of nature fet b 100 ¡I From center to circumference; whereon, os rsim In contemplation of created things.
By steps we may afcent to God. But fay,
What meant that caution join'd, if ye be founder 201
Obedient? Can we want obedience then
To him, or poflibly his love defert, evimi ni mi 2515 Who form'd us from the duft, and placed us here, mer Full to the utmost measure of what blifs PCLICTI Human defires can feek, or apprehend?t
To whom the Angel. Son of heav'n and earth, 64 Attend: That thou art happy, owe to Godaco $520 That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself, kondi That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.
This was that caution giv'n thees he advis'd,,nics O
God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good he made thee; but to persevere a
He left it in thy pow'r, ordain'd thy will
By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate མ་ཏུཟླ་་ན་ད *10 af
Inextricable, or strict neceffity..cozgob ui me gervid
Our voluntary service he requires, ent of T IN
Not our neceflitated, such with bimbi madsartan 530
Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how.
Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they ferve
Willing or no.
who will but what they must
By deftiny, and can no other chufe?
Myfelf and all th' Angelic hoft, that ftand.
CMM 535
In fight of God inthron'd, our happy ftate,
TREN VAN
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds
On other furety none: freely we ferve,
Because we freely love; as in our will
To love, or not; in this we
s we stand or fall.
And fome are fall'n, to difobedience, fall'n,
And fo from Heaven to deepeft Hell; O fall
From what high ftate of blifs, into what woe!.
To whom our great progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine inftructor! I have heard, than when
Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills.I
Aereal mufic fen
fend. Nor knew I notiwubrod
To be both will and deed created free; vas nahu?▼
Yet that we never fhall forget to love
Our Maker, and obey him whofe command
Single is yet fo juft, my conftant thoughts
Affur'd me, and ftill affure; though what thou tellN
Hath pafs'd in Heav'n, fome doubt within me move
But more defire to hear, if thou confent,
The full relation; which muft needs be ftrange, bu
Worthy of facred filence to be heard:
And we have yet large day, for fcarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n..
Thus Adain made request, and Raphael
High matter thou injoin'st me, O prime of ment
After fhort paufe affenting, thus began,
Sad talk and hard! For how, fhall I relate
To human fenfe th' invifible exploits
Of warring fpirits? How, without remorfe
The ruin of fo many glorious once,
And perfect, while they ftood? how laft unfold 27. The fecrets of another world, perhaps joven, vd hwn
Not lawful to reveal! Yet for thy good
This is difpens'd: and what furmounts the reach
Of human fense, I shall delineate so,'
By lik❜ning fpiritual to corporeal forms,
As may exprefs them beft: though, what if earth
Be but the fhadow of heav'n, and things therein 375
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild
Reign'd where thefe Heav'n's now roll, where earth now
Upon her centre pois'd; when on a day,
For time, though in eternity, apply'd
To motion, measures all things durable
By prefent, pait, and future, on fuch day
Ab Heav'n's great year brings forth, th' empyreal hoft
Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,
Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne
Forthwith, from all the ends of Heav'n, appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:
Ten thousand thousand erfigns high advanc'd,
Standarts, and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear,
Stream in the air, and for diftiction ferve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees:
Or in their glittering tiffues bear imblaz❜d "
Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpreffible they ftood,
Orb within orb, the Father Infinite,
By whom in blifs imbofom'd fat the Son,
Amidit, as from a flaming mount, whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light, talk 600 Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow'rs ! Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand. This day I have begot whom I declare
My only Son, and on this holy hill
Him have anointed, whom ye now behold 29 Lang 605 At my fight hand; your Head I him appoint:
And by myself have (worn to him fhall bow
All knees in Heav'n, and shall confefs him Lord.
Under his great vice-gerent reign abide
United, as one individual foul,
For ever happy: Him who difobeys,
Me difobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Caft out from God and bleffed vifion, falls
Into utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.
So fpake th' Omnipotent, and with his words All feem'd well pleas'd: all feem'd, but were not all. That day, as other folemn days, they spent
In fong and dance about the facred hill;
So fmooths her charming tones, that God's own car
Liftens delighted. Evenng now approach'd,
For we have alfo our evning and our morn,
We ours for change del table, not need,
Forthwith from dance to fweet repait they turn
Defirous: all in circles as they stood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pid
With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows
In pearl, in diamond, and massy gɔld,
Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.se 635
On flow'rs repot'd, and with fresh flow'rets crown'd,
They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
Quaff immortality and joy, fecure
Of furfeit, where full measure, only bounds
Excefs, before th' all-bounteous King, who fhowr'd 640
With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.
Now when ambrofial night with clouds exhal'd
From that high mount of God, whence light and shade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heav'n had chang'd
To grateful twilight, for night comes not there 645
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