First, Highest, Holieft, Beft; thon always feek'st To glorify thy Son, I always thee,
As is moft juft; this I my glory' account, My exaltation, and my whole delight,
That thou in me well pleas'd, declar'ft thy will Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all my bliss.
Sceptre and power, thy giving, I affume; And gladlier fhall.refign, 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't, I hate, and can put on Thy terrours, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Arm'd with thy might, rid heaven of thefe rebell'd, To their prepar'd ill manfion driven down,
To chains of darkness, and th' undying worm, That from thy juft obedience could revolt,
Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then fhall thy faints unmix'd, and from th' impure Far feparate, circling thy holy mount
Unfeigned Hallelujahs to thee fing,
Hymns of high praife, and I among them chief. 745 So faid, he o'er his fceptre bowing, rofe 'From the right hand of Glory where he fat; And the third facred morn began to shine, Dawning through heaven, Forth rufh'd with whirlwind The chariot of Paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, Itself instinct with fpirit, but convoy'd
By four Cherubic fhapes; four faces each Had wondrous; as with ftars, their bodies. all, And wings, were fet with eyes, with eyes the wheels Of beryl, and careering fires between ;
Over their heads a crystal firmament, Whereon a faphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colours of the fhow'ry arch. He in celeftial panoply all arm'd
Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought, Afcended; at his right hand victory
Sat eagle-wing'd; befide him hung his bow, And quiver with three-bolted thunder ftor'd;
And from about him fierce effufion roll'd
Of fmoke, and bick'ring flame, and sparkles dire. Attended with ten thousand thousand faints,
He onward came, far off his coming fhone; And twenty thoufand (I their number heard)
Chariots of God, half on each hand, were feen. 770 He on the wings of Cherub rode fublime On the cryftalline fky, in faphir thron'd, Illuftrious far and wide; but by his own First feen them unexpected joy furpris'd, When the great enfign of Meffiah blaz'd Aloft by angels borne, his fign in heaven; Under whofe conduct Michael foon reduce'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 th' uprooted hills retir'd
Each to his place they heard his voice, and went Obfequious; heav'n his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley fmil'd. This faw his hapless foes, but ftood obdur'd, 785 And to rebellious fight rallied their powers Infenfate, hope conceiving from despair.
In heavenly fpi'rits could fuch perverfenefs dwell? But to convince the proud what figns avail, Or wonders more th' obdurate to relent?
They harden'd more by what might most reclaim, Grieving to fee his glory, at the fight
Took envy; and afpiring to his height,
Stood reimbattled fierce, by force or fraud Weening to profper, and at length prevail Against God and Meffiah, or to fall In univerfal ruin last; and now
To final battle drew, difdaining flight, Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God To all his hoft on either hand thus fpake.
Stand ftill in bright array, ye faints, here ftand, Ye angels arm'd, this day from battle reft; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God Accepted, fearless in his righteous caufe; And as ye have receiv'd, fo have Invincibly but of this curfed crew
The punishment to other hand belongs ; Vengeance is his, or whose he fole appoints : Number to this day's work is not ordain'd, Nor multitude; ftand only, and behold God's indignation on these godlefs pour'd By me; not you, but me, they have defpis'd, Yet envied; against me is all their rage, Because the Father, t' whom in heaven fupreme Kingdom, and power, and glory appertains, Hath honour'd me, according to his will. Therefore to me their doom he hath affign'd; That they may have their wifh, to try with me In battle which the ftronger proves, they all, Or I alone against them, fince by strength They measure all, of other excellence Not emulous, nor care who them excels; Nor other ftrife with them do I vouchfafe.
So fpake the Son, and into terrour chang'd
His count'nance too fevere to be beheld,
And full of wrath bent on his enemies.
At once the four spread out their starry wings With dreadful fhade contiguous, and the orbs
Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the found
Of torrent floods, or of a numerous holt. He on his impious foes right onward drove, Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels The stedfaft empyréan fhook throughout, · All but the throne itself of God
Among them he arriv'd, in his right hand
Grafping ten thousand thunders, which he fent Before him, fuch as in their fouls infix'd Plagues: they astonish'd all resistence loft, All courage; down their idle weapons dropt:
O'er shields, and helms, and helmed heads he rude 840 Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim proftráte, That wifh'd the mountains now might be again Thrown on them, as a fhelter from his ire. Nor lefs on either fide tempeftuous fell His arrows, from the fourfold-vifag'd four Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels Distinct alike with multitude of eyes;
One fpirit in them rul'd, and every eye Glar'd lightning, and fhot forth pernicious fire Among th' accurs'd, that wither'd all their ftrength, And of their wonted vigour left them drain'd, Exhaufted, fpiritlefs, afflicted, fallen.
Yet half his ftrength he put not forth, but check'd
His thunder in mid volley; for he meant
Not to destroy, but root them out of heaven: 855 The overthrown he rais'd, and as a herd
Of goats, or timorous flock together throng'd,
Drove them before him thunder-ftruck, purfu'd With terrours and with furies to the bounds
And crystal wall of heav'n; which op'ning wide, 860 Roll'd inward, and a fpacious gap difclos'd Into the wasteful deep: the monstrous fight Sruck them with horrour backward, but far worse
'Urg'd them behind: headlong themselves they threw Down from the verge of heaven; eternal wrath 865 Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell heard th' unfufferable noife, hell faw Heaven ruining from heaven, and would have fled Affrighted; but strict Fate had caft too deep Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound. 870 Nine days they fell: confounded Chaos roar'd,
And felt tenfold confufion in their fall
Through his wild anarchy, fo huge a rout Incumber'd him with ruin: hell at last -
Yawning receiv'd them whole, and on them clos'd; Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire. Unquenchable, the houfe of woe and pain. Difburden'd heaven rejoic'd, and foon repair'd Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd. Sole viator from th' expulfion of his foes Meffiah his triumphal chariot turn'd: To meet him all his faints, who filent stood Eye-witneffes of his almighty acts,
With jubilee advanc'd; and, as they went,
Shaded with branching palm, each order bright, 885. Sung triumph, and him fung victorious King, Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion giv'n, Worthiest to reign! He celebrated rode Triumphant through mid heav'n, into the courts And temple of his mighty Father thron'd On high; who into glory him receiv'd, Where now he fits at the right hand of Bliss.
Thus measuring things in heav'n by things on earth, At thy request, and that thou mayst beware By what is past, to thee I have reveal'd What might have elfe to human race been hid; The difcord which befel, and war in heaven Among th' angelic powers, and the deep fall
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