That shake heaven's basis, bring forth all my war, My bow and thunder, my almighty arms Gird on, and sword upon thy puissant thigh;- Pursue these sons of darkness, drive them out From all heaven's bounds into the utter deep: There let them learn, as likes them, to despise God, and Messiah his anointed king.
He said, and on his Son with rays direct Shone full; he all his Father full express'd Ineffably into his face receiv'd;
And thus the filial Godhead answering spake :
« O Father, O supreme of heavenly thrones, First, Highest, Holiest, Best! thou always seek'st To glorify thy Son, I always thee,
As is most just this I my glory account, My exaltation, and my whole delight,
That thou, in me well pleas'd, declar'st thy will Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all my bliss. Sceptre and power, thy giving, I assume, And gladlier shall resign, when in the end Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee
For ever; and in me all whom thou lov'st: But whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Arm'd with thy might, rid heaven of these rebell'd ; To their prepar'd ill mansion driven down,
To chains of darkness, and the undying worm; That from thy just obedience could revolt, Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy saints unmix'd, and from the impure Far separate, circling thy holy mount,
Unfeigned halleluiahs to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them Chief. »
So said, he, o'er his sceptre bowing, rose
From the right hand of glory where he sat;
And the third sacred morn began to shine,
Dawning through heaven. Forth rush'd with whirlwindsound
The chariot of paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,
Itself instinct with spirit, but convoy'd
By four cherubic shapes; four faces each
Had wondrous; as with stars, their bodies all
And wings were set with eyes; with eyes the wheels Of beryl, and careering fires between ;
Over their heads a crystal firmament,
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure Amber, and colours of the showery arch. He, in celestial panoply all arm'd Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought, Ascended at his right hand Victory Sat eagle-wing'd; beside him hung his bow And quiver, with three-bolted thunder stor'd; And from about him fierce effusion roll'd Of smoke, and bickering flame and sparkles dire. Attended with ten thousand thousand saints, He onward came; far off his coming shone; And twenty thousand (I their number heard) Chariots of God, half on each hand, were seen : He on the wings of cherub rode sublime On the crystalline sky, in sapphire thron'd, Illustrious far and wide; but by his own First seen; them unexpected joy surpris'd, When the great ensign of Messiah blaz'd
Aloft by angels borne, his sign in heaven; Under whose conduct Michael soon reduc'd His army, circumfus'd on either wing, Under their head imbodied all in one. Before him Power Divine his way prepar'd; At his command the uprooted hills retir'd Each to his place; they heard his voice, and went Obsequious; heaven his wonted face renew'd, And with fresh flowerets hill and valley smil'd. This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdur'd, And to rebellious fight rallied their powers, Insensate, hope conceiving from despair.
In heavenly spirits could such perverseness dwell? But to convince the proud, what signs avail, Or wonders move the obdurate to relent?
They, harden'd more by what might most reclaim, Grieving to see his glory, at the sight Took envy; and aspiring to bis height, Stood re-embattled fierce, by force or fraud Weening to prosper, and at length prevail Against God and Messiah, or to fall In universal ruin last; and now To final battle drew, disdaining flight,
Or faint retreat; when the great son of God To all his host on either hand thus spake :
<< Stand still in bright array, ye saints; here stand.
Ye angels arm'd; this day from battle rest; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause; And as ye have receiv'd, so have done, Invincibly but of this cursed crew The punishment to other hand belongs;
Vengeance is his, or whose he sole appoints : Number to this day's work is not ordain'd, Nor multitude, stand only, and behold God's indignation on these godless pour'd By me; not you, but me, they have despis'd, Yet envied; against me is all their rage,
Because the Father, to whom in heaven supreme Kingdom, and power, and glory appertains, Hath honour'd me, according to his will. Therefore to me their doom he hath assign'd; That they may have their wish, to try with me In battle which the stronger proves : they all Or I alone against them; since by strength They measure all, of other excellence Not emulous, nor care who them excels; Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe. »> So spake the Son, and into terror, chang'd His countenance too severe to be beheld, And full of wrath bent on his enemies. At once the four spread out their starry wings With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the sound Of torrent floods, or of a numerous host. He on his impious foes right onward drove, Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels The stedfast empyrean shook throughout, All but the throne itself of God. Full soon Among them he arrived; in his right hand Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent Before him, such as in their souls infix'd Plagues they, astonish'd, all resistance lost, All courage; down their idle weapons dropt:
O'er shields, and helms, and helmed heads he rode Of thrones and mighty seraphim prostrate,
That wish'd the mountains now might be again Thrown on them as a shelter from his ire.
Nor less on either side tempestuous fell His arrows, from the fourfold-visag❜d four Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels Distinct alike with multitude of
One spirit in them rul'd; and every eye
Glar'd lightning, and shot forth pernicious fire Among the accurs'd, that wither'd all their strength, And of their wonted vigour left them drain'd, Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall'n.
Yet half his strength he put not forth, but check'd His thunder in mid volley; for he meant
Not to destroy, but root them out of heaven; The overthrown he rais'd, and as a herd Of goats or timorous flock together throng'd, Drove them before him thunder-struck, pursued With terrors, and with furies, to the bounds And crystal wall of heaven; which, opening wide, Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap disclos'd Into the wasteful deep; the monstrous sight Struck them with horror backward, but far worse Urg'd them behind; headlong themselves they threw Down from the verge of heaven; eternal wrath Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell heard the unsufferable noise, hell saw Heaven ruining from heaven, and would have fled Affrighted; but strict fate had cast too deep Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound. Nine days they fell: confounded chaos roar'd,
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