To Satan; let him tempt and now assay His utmost subtilty, because he boasts And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng Of his apostacy; he might have learnt Less overweening since he fail'd in Job, Whose constant perseverance: overcame What'er his cruel malice could invent. He now shall know I can produce a Man Of female seed, far abler to resist All his solicitations, and at length
All his vast force, and drive him back to hell, Winning by conquest what the first man lost, By fallacy surpris'd. But first I mean To exercise him in the wilderness;
There shall he first lay down the rudiments Of his great warfare, ere I send him forth To conquer Sin and Death, the two grand foes By humiliation and strong sufferance;
His weakness shall o'ercome Satanic strength, And all the world, and mass of sinful flesh; That all the angels and ethereal powers, They now, and men hereafter, may discern From what consummate virtue I have chose This perfect Man, by merit call'd my Son. To earn salvation for the sons of men.
So spake th' eternal Father, and all heaven Admiring stood a space, then into hymns Burst forth, and in celestial measures mov'd, Circling the throne and singing, while the hand Sung with the voice, and this the argument: Vict'ry and triumph to the Son of God, Now ent'ring his great duel, not of arms, But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles. The Father knows the Son; therefore secure Ventures his filial virtue, though untried, Against whate'er may tempt, whate'er seduce, Allure, or terrify, or undermine.
Be frustrate all ye stratagems of hell, And devilish machinations come to nought.
So they in heaven their odes and vigils tun'd; Meanwhile the Son of God, who yet some days Lodg'd in Bethabara, where John baptiz'd, Musing and much revolving in his breast, How best the mighty work he might begin Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first Publish his godlike office now mature,
One day forth walk'd alone, the Spirit leading, And his deep thoughts, the better to converse With Solitude, till far from track of men, Thought following thought, and step by step led on, He enter'd now the bord'ring desert wild,
And with dark shades and rocks environ'd round, His holy meditations thus pursu❜d':
O what a multitude of thoughts at once Awaken'd in me swarm, while I consider What from within I feel myself, and hear What from without comes often to my ears, Ill sorting with my present state compar'd! When I was yet a child, no childish play To me was pleasing all my mind was set Serious to learn and know, and thence to do What might be public good: myself I thought Born to that end, born to promote all truth, All righteous things: therefore above my years, The law of God I read, and found it sweet, Made it my whole delight, and in it grew To such perfection, that ere yet my age Had measur'd twice six years, at our great feast I went into the temple, there to hear The teachers of our law, and to propose What might improve my knowledge, or their own; And was admir'd by all: yet this not all To which my spirit aspir'd: victorious deeds Flam'd in my heart, heroic acts, one while To rescue Israel from the Roman yoke, Then to subdue and quell o'er all the earth Brute violence and proud tyrannic power, Till truth were freed, and equity restor❜d:
Yet held it more humane, more heavenly, first, By winning words, to conquer willing hearts, And make Persuasion do the work of Fear; At least to try, and teach the erring soul Not wilfully mis-doing, but unaware Misled; the stubborn only to subdue.
These growing thoughts, my mother soon perceiving By words at times cast forth, inly rejoic'd," And said to me apart,- High are thy thoughts, O Son, but nourish them, and let them soar To what height sacred virtue and true worth Can raise them, though above example high; By matchless deeds express thy matchless Sire. For know, thou art no son of mortal man ; Though men esteem thee low of parentage, Thy Father is th' eternal King, who rules All heaven and earth, angels and sons of men. A messenger from God foretold thy birth Conceiv'd in me a virgin; he foretold
Thou shouldst be great, and sit on David's throne, And of thy kingdom there should be no end. At thy nativity a glorious choir
Of angels in the fields of Bethlehem sung To shepherds, watching at their folds by night, And told them the Messiah now was born, Where they might see him, and to thee they came, Directed to the manger where thou lay'st, For in the inn was left no better room; A star, not seen before, in heaven appearing, Guided the wise men thither from the east, To honour thee with incense, myrrh, and gold, By whose bright course led on they found the place, Affirming it thy star new graven in heaven, By which they knew the King of Israel born. Just Simeon and prophetic Anna, warn'd By vision, found thee in the temple, and spake Before the altar and the vested priest, Like things of thee to all that present stood.'- This having heard, straight I again revolv'd
The law and prophets, searching what was writ Concerning the Messiah, to our scribes
Known partly, and soon found of whom they spake I am; this chiefly, that my way must lie Through many a hard essay, ev'n to the death, Ere I the promis'd kingdom can attain,
Or work redemption for mankind, whose sins Full weight must be transferr'd upon my head. Yet neither thus dishearten'd or dismay'd, The time prefix'd I waited, when behold The Baptist (of whose birth I oft have heard, Not knew by sight) now come, who was to come Before Messiah, and his way prepare.
I, as all others to his baptism came,
Which I believ'd was from above: but he
Straight knew me, and with loudest voice proclaim'd Me him, (for it was shown him so from heaven,) Me him, whose harbinger he was; and first Refus'd on me his baptism to confer,
As much his greater, and was hardly won: But as I rose out of the laving stream, Heaven open'd her eternal doors, from whence The Spirit descended on me like a dove. And last, the sum of all, my Father's voice Audibly heard from heaven, pronounc'd me his, Me his beloved Son, in whom alone
He was well pleas'd; by which I knew the time Now full, that I no more should live obscure, But openly begin, as best becomes
Th' authority which I deriv'd from heaven. And now by some strong motion I am led Into this wildernss; to what intent
I learn not yet, perhaps I need not know; For what concerns my knowledge God reveals. So spoke our Morning Star, then in his rise, And, looking round on every side, beheld A pathless desert dusk with horrid shades: The way he came not having mark'd, return Was difficult, by human steps untrod;
And he still on was led, but with such thoughts Accompanied of things past and to come Lodg'd in his breast, as well might recommend Such solitude before choicest society. Full forty days he pass'd, whether on hill Sometimes, anon in shady vale, each night Under the covert of some ancient oak, Or cedar, to defend him from the dew, Or harbour'd in lone cave, is not reveal'd; Nor tasted human food, nor hunger felt Till those days ended, hunger'd then at last Among wild beasts; they at his sight grew mild, Nor sleeping him nor waking harm'd; his walk The fiery serpent fled, and noxious worm, The lion and fierce tiger glar'd aloof. But now an aged man, in rural weeds,
Following, as seem'd the quest of some stray ewe, Or wither'd sticks to gather, which might serve Against a winter's day, when winds blow keen, To warm him, wet return'd from field at eve, He saw approach, who first with curious eye Perus'd him, then with words thus utter'd spoke: Sir, what ill chance hath brought thee to this place So far from path or road of men, who pass In troop or caravan? for single none
Durst ever, who return'd, and dropp'd not here His carcass, pin'd with hunger and with drought. I ask thee rather, and the more admire,
For that to me thou seem'st the Man whom late Our new baptising Prophet at the ford
Of Jordan honour'd so, and call'd thee Son
Of God, I saw and heard; for we sometimes,
Who dwell this wild; constrain'd by want come forth To town or village nigh, (nighest is far,)
Where ought we hear, and curious are to hear, What happens new: Fame also finds us out."
To whom the Son of God: Who brought me hither, Will bring me hence; no other guide I seek. By miracle he may, replied the swain ;
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