To us for food and for delight, hath caus'd The earth to yield; unfavourie food perhaps To spiritual nature; only this I know, That one celeftial father gives to all,
To whom the angel. Therefore what he gives (Whose praise be ever fung), to man in part Spiritual, may of pureft fpirits be found No ingrateful food and food alike those pure Intelligential fubftances require
As doth your rational; and both contain
Within them every lower facultie
Of fenfe, whereby they hear, fee, fmell, touch, taste: Tafting concoct, digeft, affimilate,
And corporeal to incorporeal turn. For know, whatever was created, needs To be fuftain'd and fed; of elements The groffer feeds the purer, earth the sea, Earth and the fea feed air, the air thofe fires Ethereal, and as lowest first the moon; Whence in her visage round those spots, unpurg'd Vapours not yet into her substance turn'd. Nor doth the moon no nourishment exhale From her moist continent to higher orbes. The fun that light imparts to all, receives From all his alimental recompence
In humid exhalations, and at even
Sups with the ocean: though in heav'n the trees Of life ambrosial frutage bear, and vines
Yield nectar, though from off the boughs each morn • We brush mellifluous dewes, and find the ground Cover'd with pearly grain; yet God hath here
Varied his bounty so with new delights, As may compare with heaven; and to taste Think not I shall be nice. So down they fat, And to their viands fell, nor feemingly The angel, nor in mift, the common glofs Of theologians, but with keen dispatch Of real hunger, and concoctive heate
To tranfubftantiate; what redounds, transpires Through spirits with eafe; nor wonder, if by fire Of footy coal the empiric alchimist
Can turn, or holds it poffible to turn Metals of droffieft ore to perfect gold
As from the mine. Mean while at table Eve Minister'd naked, and their flowing cups With pleasant liquors crown'd: O innocence Deferving Paradise ! if ever, then,
Then had the fons of God excufe to have been Enamour'd at that fight; but in those hearts Love unlibidinous reign'd, nor jealousie Was understood, the injur'd lover's hell.
Thus when with meats and drinks they had fuffic'd, Not burden'd nature, fudden mind arose In Adam, not to let th'occafion pafs Given him by this great conference to know Of things above his world, and of their being Who dwell in heav'n, whose excellence he faw Tranfcend his own fo far, whose radiant forms, Divine effulgence, whose high power so far Exceeded human, and his wary speech Thus to th'empyreal minister he fram'd. Inhabitant with God, now know I well
Thy favour, in this honour done to man, Under whose lowly roof thou haft voutsaf't
To enter, and these earthly fruits to taste, Food not of angels, yet accepted fo,
As that more willingly thou couldst not seem
At heav'n's high feasts to have fed: yet what compare? To whom the winged hierarch repli'd.
O Adam, one almightie is, from whom All things proceed, and up to him return, If not deprav'd from good, created all Such to perfection, one first matter all, Indu'd with various forms, various degrees Of substance, and in things that live, of life; But more refin'd, more fpirituous, and pure, As neerer to him plac't or neerer tending Each in their several active sphears affign'd, Till body up to fpirit work in bounds Proportion'd to each kind, fo from the root Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves More aerie, laft the bright confummate floure Spirits odorous breathes: flours and their fruit. Man's nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd To vital fpirits afpire, to animal,
To intellectual, give both life and sense, Fancie and understanding, whence the foul Reafon receives, and reafon is her being, Difcurfive or intuitive; difcourfe
Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours, Differing but in degree, of kind the fame. →Wonder not then, what God for you faw good If I refuse not, but convert, as you,
To proper substance; time may come when men With angels may participate, and find
No inconvenient diet, nor too light fare: And from these corporal nutriments perhaps Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit, Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd ascend Ethereal, as we, or may at choice Here or in heav'nly Paradifes dwell; If ye be found obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire
Whose progenie you are. Mean while enjoy Your fill what happiness this happie ftate Can comprehend, incapable of more. To whom the patriarch of mankind repli'd,: O favourable spirit, propitious guest,
Well haft thou taught the way that might direct Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set From centre to circumference, whereon In contemplation of created things
By steps we may afcend to God. But say, What meant that caution join'd, “ if ye be found "Obedient?" can we want obedience then To him, or poffibly his love defert
Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here Full to the utmost measure of what bliss Human defires can feek or apprehend?
To whom the angel. Son of heav'n and earth, Attend That thou art happie, Owe to God; That thou continu'ft fuch, owe to thyself, That is, to thy obedience: therein stand. This was that caution giv’n thee; be advis’d.
God made thee perfect, not immutable; And good he made thee, but to perfevere He left it in thy power, ordain'd thy will: By nature free, not over-rul'd by fate Inextricable, or strict necessity; Our voluntarie fervice he requires, Not our neceffitated, fuch with him
Finds no acceptance, nor can find, for how Can hearts, not free, he tri'd whether they ferve Willing or no, who will but what they must By deftinie, and can no other choose? Myself and all th’angelic, host that stand In fight of God enthron'd, our happie 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: And some are fall'n,, to disobedience fall'n,, And fo from heav'n to deepest hell: O fall From what high ftate of blifs into what woe! To whom our great progenitors Thy words: Attentive, and with more delighted ear Divine inftructer, have heard, than when Cherubic fongs by night from neighbouring hills Aereal mufic fend': nor knew I not
To be both will and deed created free; Yet that we never fhall forget to love Our maker, and obey him whose command Single, is yet so just, my constant thoughts Affur'd me and still affure: though what thou telft Hath past in heav'n, fome doubt within me move,
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