THE ARGUMENT. God, sitting on his throne, sees Satan flying towards this world, then newly created: shows him to the Son, who sat at his right hand; foretells the success of Satan in perverting mankind, clears his own justice and wisdom from all imputation, having created man free, and able enough to have withstood his tempter; yet declares his purpose of grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by him seduced. The Son of God renders praises to his Father for the manifestation of his gracious purpose towards man; but God again declares, that grace cannot be extended towards man without the satisfaction of divine justice: man hath offended the majesty of God by aspiring to godhead, and therefore, with all his progeny devoted to death, must die, unless some one can be found sufficient to answer for his offence, and undergo his punishment. The Son of God freely offers himself a ransom for man: the Father accepts him, ordains his incarnation, pronounces his exaltation above all names in heaven and earth: commands all the angels to adore him. They obey, and by hymning to their harps in full quire, celebrate the Father and the Son. Meanwhile, Satan alights upon the bare convex of this world's outermost orb; where, wandering, he first finds a place, since called the "Limbo of Vanity:" what persons and things fly up thither: thence comes to the gate of heaven, described ascending by stairs, and the waters above the firmament that flow about it: his passage thence to the orb of the sun: he finds there Uriel, the regent of that orb, but first changes himself into the shape of a meaner angel; and, pretending a zealous desire to behold the new creation, and man, whom God had placed here, inquires of him the place of his habitation, and is directed: alights first on mount Niphates. PARADISE LOST. BOOK III. HAIL, holy Light! offspring of heaven first-born! Or of the Eternal coeternal beam, May I express thee unblamed? since God is light, Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, Escaped the Stygian pool, though long detain'd I sung of Chaos and eternal Night; Taught by the heavenly muse to venture down H Revisit'st not these eyes, that roll in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; Those other two equall'd with me in fate, Of Nature's works, to me expunged and rased, powers, Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell Now had the Almighty Father from above, High throned above all height, bent down his eye, Stood thick as stars, and from his sight received In blissful solitude; he then survey'd To stoop, with wearied wings, and willing feet, Him God beholding from his prospect high, "Only-begotten Son, seest thou what rage |