With tumult lefs, and with lefs hostile din ; 1040 1045 1050 Of fmalleft magnitude, clofe by the moon. Thither full fraught with mischievous revenge, 1055 END of the SECOND BOOK. M 3 ARGUMENT of Book III. God fitting on his throne fees. Satan flying towards this world, then newly created; shows him to the Son who fat at his right hand; foretells the fuccefs of Satan in perverting mankind; clears his own juftice and wif dom 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 feduced. The Son of God renders praises to his Father for the manifeftation of his gracious purpose towards man: but God again. declares, that grace cannot be extended towards man without the fatisfaction of divine juftice. Man hath offended the majesty of God by afpiring. to Godhead; and therefore, with all his progeny, devoted to death, muft die, unless fome one can be found fufficient 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 inearnation, pronounces his exaltation above all names in heaven and earth; commands all the angels to adore him: They obey and hymning to their harps in full quire, celebrate the Father and the Son. Mean while Satan alights upon the bare convex of this world's outermoft orb; where wandering he first finds a place, fince called the Limbo of Vanity: what persons and things fly up thither: thence comes to the gate of heaven, defcrib'd afcending by ftairs, 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 firft changes himself into the shape of a meaner angel; and pretending a zealous defire to behold the new creation, and man, whom God had placed here, inquires of him the place of his habitation, and is directed; alights firft on mount Niphates. ; PARADISE LOST.. BOOK III. H AIL, holy Light! offspring of Heav'n first-born! May I express thee' unblam'd? fince God is light, Efcap'd the Stygian pool, though long detain'd Through utter and through middle darkness borne, I fung of Chaos and eternal Night; 10 15 20 Taught by the heav'nly Mufe to venture down |