That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyfelf,
That is, to thy obedience; therein ftand.
This was that caution giv'n thee; he advis'd.
God made thee perfect, not immutable;
And good he made thee; but to persevere 525
He left it in thy pow'r, ordain'd thy will
By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate
Inextricable, or ftrict neceffiy.
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our neceffitated; fuch with him.
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 destiny, and can no other chufe?
Myfelf and all th' Angelic hoft, that stand 555
In fight of God inthron'd, our happy state
Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;
On other furety none: freely we serve,
Because we freely love; as in our will
To love, or not; in this we stand or fall. 540
And fome are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n,
And fo from Heaven to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss, into what woe!
To whom our great progenitor. Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear, 545
Divine inftructor! I have heard, than when
Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills
Aereal mufic fend. Nor knew I not
M
To be both will and deed created free;
Yet that we never shall forget to love
Our Maker, and obey him, whofe command
Single is yet fo juft, my conftant thoughts
Affur'd me, and still affure; though what thou
tell'ft
Hath pass'd in Hea'vn, fome doubt within me
But more defire to hear, if thou consent, 555
The full relation; which must needs be strange,
Worthy of facred filence to be heard:
And we have yet large day, for scarce the fun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heav'n. 560
Thus Adam made request, and Raphael
After Thort paufe affenting, thus began.
High matter thou injoin'ft me, O prime of
Of warring fpirits? How, without remorse, The ruin of fo many glorious once,
And perfect, while they ftood? how laft unfold The fecrets of another world, perhaps
Not lawful to reveal! Yet for thy good
This is difpens'd: and what furmounts the reach
Of human fenfe, I fhall delineate fo,
By lik'ning spiritual to corporeal forms,
As may exprefs them beft: though, what if earth
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild Reign'd, where these Heav'n's now roll, where earth now rests
Upon her centre pois'd; when on a day,
For time, though eternity, apply'd
To motion meafures all things durable
By prefent, paft, and future, on fuch day
As Heav'n's great year brings forth, th' empy.
Of Angels by imperial fummons call'd,
Innumerable before th' Almighty's throne 585 Forthwith, from all the ends of Heav'n, ap!pear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:
Ten thousand thousand enfigns high advanc'd,
Standarts, and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear,
Stream in the air, and for diftiction ferve 590
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees:
Or in their glittering tissues 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 bliss imbosom'd fat the Son,
Amidft, as from a flaming mount, whofe top
Brightness had made invifible, thus fpake.
Hear all ye Angels, progeny of light.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues,
Powr's!
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 605
At my right hand; your Head I him appoint:
And by myself have fworn, to him fhall bow
All knees in Hev'n, and fhall 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. 615
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;
Myftical dance, which yonder starry sphere 620
Of Planets and of fix'd in all her wheels
Refembles neareft, mazes intricate,
Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular
Then most, when most irregular they seem:
And in their motions harmony divine
So fmooths her charming tones, that God's,
Liftens delighted. Evening now approach'd, For we have also our ev'ning and our morn, We ours for change delectable, not need, Forthwith from dance to fweet repaft they
Defirous: all in circles as they stood,
Tables are fet, and on a fudden pil'd
With Angels food, and rubied nectar flows
In pearl, in diamond, and mafly gold,
Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of
On flow'rs repof'd, and with fresh flow'rets
They eat, they drink, and in communion fweet
Quaff immortality and joy, fecure
Of furfeit, where full measure only bounds Excels, before th' all-bounteous King, who showr'd
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
To grateful twilight, for night comes not
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