While the bright Pomp afcended jubilant. Open, ye everlasting Gates, they fung, Open, ye Heav'ns, your living dores; let in The great Creator from his work returnd Magnificent, his Six days work, a World; Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deigne To vifit oft the dwellings of just Men Delighted, and with frequent intercourse Thither will fend his winged Meffengers On errands of fupernal Grace. So fung The glorious Train afcending: He through Heav'n, That open'd wide her blazing Portals, led To Gods Eternal house direct the way, A broad and ample rode, whofe duft is Gold And pavement Starrs, as Starrs to thee appeer, Seen in the Galaxie, that Milkie way
Pouderd with Starrs. And now on Earth the Seaventh
Which nightly as a circling Zone thou seest
Eev'ning arose in Eden, for the Sun
Was fet, and twilight from the East came on, Forerunning Night; when at the holy mount Of Heav'ns high-feated top, th' Impereal Throne Of Godhead, fixt for ever firm and fure,
The Filial Power arriv'd, and fate him down With his great Father (for he also went Invisible, yet ftaid (fuch priviledge
Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordain'd, 590 Author and end of all things, and from work Now refting, bless'd and hallowd the Seav'nth day, As resting on that day from all his work, But not in filence holy kept; the Harp Had work and rested not, the folemn Pipe,
And Dulcimer, all Organs of sweet stop, All founds on Fret by String or Golden Wire Temper'd foft Tunings, intermixt with Voice Choral or Unifon; of incense Clouds
Fuming from Golden Cenfers hid the Mount. 600 Creation and the Six dayes acts they fung, Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite
Thy power; what thought can measure thee or Relate thee; greater now in thy return [tongue Then from the Giant Angels; thee that day Thy Thunders magnifi'd; but to create Is greater then created to destroy.
Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound Thy Empire? easily the proud attempt Of Spirits apoftat and thir Counsels vaine Thou haft repeld, while impiously they thought Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw The number of thy worshippers. Who feekes To leffen thee, against his purpose serves To manifest the more thy might: his evil Thou useft, and from thence creat'st more good. Witness this new-made World, another Heav'n From Heaven Gate not farr, founded in view On the cleer Hyaline, the Glaffie Sea; Of amplitude almost immenfe, with Starr's Numerous, and every Starr perhaps a World Of deftind habitation; but thou know'st Thir seasons among these the feat of men, Earth with her nether Ocean circumfus'd, Thir pleasant dwelling place. Thrice happie men, And fons of men, whom God hath thus advanc't, Created in his Image, there to dwell
And worship him, and in reward to rule Over his Works, on Earth, in Sea, or Air, And multiply a Race of Worshippers Holy and just thrice happie if they know Thir happiness, and persevere upright.
So fung they, and the Empyrean rung, With Halleluiahs: Thus was Sabbath kept. And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd How first this World and face of things began, And what before thy memorie was don From the beginning, that posteritie
Informd by thee might know; if else thou seek'st Aught, not surpaffing humane measure, say. 640
The End of the Seventh Book.
HE Angel Ended and in Adam's Ear So Charming left his Voice that he a [fixt to hear; Thought him still speaking, ftill ftood Then as new waked thus gratefully replied. What thanks fufficient, or what recompence Equal have I to render thee, Divine Hyftorian, who thus largely haft allayd The thirst I had of knowledge, and voutsaf't This friendly condescention to relate Things elfe by me unfearchable, now heard With wonder, but delight, and, as is due, With glorie attributed to the high Creator; fome thing yet of doubt remaines, Which onely thy folution can refolve. When I behold this goodly Frame, this World Of Heav'n and Earth confifting, and compute, Thir magnitudes, this Earth a spot, a graine, An Atom, with the Firmament compar'd And all her numberd Starrs, that feem to rowle Spaces incomprehenfible (for fuch
Thir distance argues and thir fwift return Diurnal) meerly to officiate light
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