To Satan; let him tempt and now assay
His utmost subtlety, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng Of his apoftafy; he might have learnt
Lefs overweening, fince he fail'd in Job, Whofe conftant perfeverance overcame Whate'er his cruel malice could invent.
He now fhall know I can produce a man
Of female feed, far abler to refift
All his folicitations, and at length
All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell, Winning by conqueft what the first man loft
By fallacy furpris'd. But first I mean To exercife him in the wilderness,
There he fhall 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 weakness fhall o'ercome Satanic ftrength,
And all the world, and mafs of finful flesh; That all the Angels and ethereal Powers,. They now, and men hereafter may difcern, From what confummate virtue I have chose 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 ftood a space, then into hymns Burft forth, and in celeftial 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 wifdom hellish wiles.
The Father knows the Son; therefore fecure Ventures his filial virtue, though untry'd, Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er seduce, Allure, or terrify, or undermine.
Be frustrate 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, Musing and much revolving in his breast, How beft the mighty work he might begin Of Saviour to mankind, and which way Publifh his God-like office now mature, One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading, And his deep thoughts, the better to converfe
With folitude, till far from track of men,
Thought following thought, and step by step led on, He enter'd now the bord'ring defert wild,
And with dark fhades and rocks environ'd round, His holy meditations thus purfu'd.
O what a multitude of thoughts at once Awaken'd in me fwarm, while I confider What from within I feel myself, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Hl forting with my present state 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; myself 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, Made it my whole delight, and in it grew
To fuch perfection, that ere yet my age Had meafur'd twice fix years, at our great feaft I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propofe
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. Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To refcue 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 reftor'd: Yet held it more humane, more heav'nly first 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 said to me apart, High are thy thoughts O Son, but nourish them and let them foar To what highth sacred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high;
By matchless 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 Heay'n and Earth, Angels and Sons of men; A messenger from God foretold thy birth
Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he foretold
Thou shouldst be great, and fit on David's throne, 240
And of thy kingdom there fhould 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 Mellah 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 feen before, in Heav'n appearing Guided the wife men thither from the east,
To honor 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 vision, found thee in the temple', and spake Before the altar and the vested priest,
Like things of thee to all that present stood. This having heard, ftrait I again revolv'd
The law and prophets, searching what was writ
Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and foon found of whom they spake
I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard affay ev'n to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain,
Or work redemption for mankind, whose fins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet neither thus difhearten'd or dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited, when behold The Baptist (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 loudeft voice proclam'd 275 Me him (for it was fhown 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 last, 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 should live obfcure, But openly begin, as best becomes Th' authority which I deriv'd from Heaven. And now by fome strong motion I am led Into this wilderness, to what intent
I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know;
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