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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

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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

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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,

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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:

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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.

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Victory

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

firft

With folitude, till far from track of men,

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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

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Serious

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.

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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;

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By

By matchless deeds exprefs thy matchlefs Sire.
For know, thou art no fon of mortal man;
Though men efteem thee low of parentage,

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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,

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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

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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

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Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes

Known partly, and foon found of whom they spake

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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

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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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