Thou and all Angels conversant on earth With man or men's affairs, how I begin To verify that folemn message late,
On which I fent thee to the Virgin pure
In Galilee, that she should bear a fon
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 Ghost, and the pow'r of the Highest O'er-fhadow 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 assay His utmost subtlety, because he boasts
And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng 145 Of his apostasy; he might have learnt
Lefs overweening fince he fail'd in Job, Whose constant perfeverance overcame Whate'er his cruel malice could invent. He now fhall know I can produce a man
Of female feed, far abler to resist
All his folicitations, and at length
All his vaft force, and drive him back to Hell, Winning by conquest what the first man lost
By fallacy furpris'd. But firft I mean To exercise him in the wilderness, There he shall 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 sufferance: His weakness fhall o'ercome Satanic ftrength, And all the world, and mass of finful flesh; That all the Angels and ethereal Powers, They now, and men hereafter may discern, 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 stood a space, then into hymns Burft 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 entring 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 terrify, 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 best the mighty work he might begin
Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first 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 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 swarm, while I confider What from within I feel myself, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Ill 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 measur'd twice fix years, at our great feaft 210 I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propose
What might improve my knowledge or their own; And was admir'd by all: yet this not all
To which my Spirit aspir'd; victorious deeds Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To rescue 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 restor❜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 mis-doing, but unware Misled; the flubborn only to fubdue.
These growing thoughts my mother foon perceiving By words at times cast forth inly rejoic'd, And faid to me apart, High are thy thoughts
O Son, but nourish them and let them foar To what highth facred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high; By matchless deeds express thy matchless Sire. For know, thou art no son of mortal man; Though men efteem thee low of parentage, Thy Father is th' eternal King who rules All Heav'n and Earth, Angels and Sons of men; A messenger from God foretold thy birth Conceiv'd in me a virgin, he foretold
Thou should'st be great and fit on David's throne, And of thy Kingdom there should be no end. At thy nativity a glorious quire
Of Angels in the fields of Bethlehem sung
To shepherds watching at their folds by night, And told them the Meffiah now was born
Where they might see 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 seen before, in Heav'n appearing Guided the wife men thither from the east, To honor thee with incenfe, myrrh, and gold,
By whose bright course led on they found the place, Affirming it thy flar new grav'n in Heaven,
By which they knew the king of Israel 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, strait I again revolv'd
The law and prophets, searching what was writ 260 Concerning the Meffiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and soon found of whom they spake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard assay ev'n to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain, Or work redemption for mankind, whofe 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 Baptift (of whose birth I oft had heard,
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