Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.
Now Heav'n in all her glory fhone, and roll'd Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand 500 First wheel'd their course; earth in her rich attire Confummate, lovely, fmil'd; air, water, earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was fwum, was walk'd Frequent; and of the fixth day yet remain'd; There wanted yet the master work, the end Of all yet done; a creature who not prone And brute as other creatures, but indued With fanctity of reason, might erect
His ftature, and upright, with front ferene,
Govern the rest, self-knowing; and from thence 510
Magnanimous to correfpond with Heaven;
But grateful to acknowledge whence his good
Defcends, thither with heart and voice and eyes
Directed in devotion, to adore
And worship God fupreme, who made him chief 515
Of all his works: therefore th'Omnipotent
Eternal Father (for where is not he
Prefent?) thus to his Son audibly spake.
Let us make,now, Man,in our image, Man
In our fimilitude; and let them rule
Over the fish and fowl of fea and air,
Beaft of the field, and over all the earth,
And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.
This faid, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man,
Duft of the ground, and in thy noftrils breath'd 525
The breath of life; in his own image he
Created thee, in the image of God
Express, and thou becam'ft a living foul.
Male he created thee, but thy confort
Female,for race; then bless'd mankind, and said, 530
Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth,
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fifh of the fea, and fowl of th'air,
And every living thing that moves on th'earth,
Wherever thus created; for no place
Is yet diftinct by name; thence, as thou know'st,
He brought thee into this delicious grove,
This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and taste;
And freely all their pleasant fruit for food
Gave thee; all forts are here that all th'earth yields, Variety without end; but of the tree,
Which, tafted,works knowledge of good and evil, Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou dy’ft; Death is the penalty impos'd, beware,
And govern well thy appetite, left Sin
Surprise thee, and her black attendent Death.
Here finifh'd he, and all that he had made
View'd, and behold all was entirely good;
So ev❜n and morn accomplish'd the sixth day:
Yet not till the Creator, from his work
Defifting, though unwearied, up return'd,
Up to the Heav'n of Heav'ns his high abode,
Thence to behold this new created world,
Th'addition of his empire, how it show'd
In profpect from his throne; how good, how fair,
Answering his great idea. Up he rode,
Follow'd with acclamation, and the found
Symphonious of ten thousand harps,that tun'd
Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air
Refounded; (thou remember'ft, for thou heard❜ft)
The Heav'ns,and all the conftellations rung,
The planets in their station list'ning stood,
While the bright pomp ascended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates, they fung,
Open, ye Heav'ns, your living doors; let in
The great Creator, from his work return'd
Magnificent, his fix days work, a world;
Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign
To vifit oft the dwellings of just men
Delighted; and with frequent intercourse
Thither will fend his winged messengers
On errands of fupernal grace. So fung
The glorious train ascending: He through Heaven, That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house direct the way;
A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold
And pavement ftars, as ftars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy, that milky way,
Which nightly as a circling zone thou seest
Powder'd with ftars. And now on earth the seventh
Evening arose in Eden, for the fun
Was set, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning night; when at the holy mount
Of Heav'n's high-feated top, th' imperial throne 585
Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and fure,
The Filial Pow'r arriv'd, and fat him down
With his great Father, for he also went
Invisible, yet stay'd, (such privilege
Hath Omniprefence) and the work ordain'd,
Author and end of all things, and from work
Now refting, bless'd and hallow'd the sev'nth day,
As refting on that day from all his work,
But not in filence holy kept; the harp
Had work and refted not, the folemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All founds on fret,by ftring or golden wire,
Temper'd soft tunings, intermix'd with voice
Choral or unifon: of incenfe clouds,
Fuming from golden cenfers, hid the mount.
Creation and the fix days acts they fung;
Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite
Thy pow'r; what thought can measure thee or tongue
Relate thee? greater now, in thy return,
Than from the giant Angels; thee that day
Thy thunders magnify'd; but to create
Is greater than created to destroy.
Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire? easily the proud attempt
Of Spi rits apoftate and their counsels vain
Thou haft repell'd, while impioufly they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The number of thy worshippers. Who seeks
To leffen thee, against his purpose serves
To manifeft the more thy might: his evil
Thou useft, and from thence creat'ft more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven,
From Heaven gate not far; founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with stars
Numerous, and every flar perhaps a world
Of deftin'd habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons: among these the seat of Men,
Earth,with her nether ocean circumfus'd,
Their pleasant dwelling place. Thrice happy Men, 625
And fons of Men, whom God hath thus advanc'd,
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 juft: thrice happy,if they know
Their happiness, and persevere upright.
So fung they, and the empyréan rung,
With Halleluiahs: Thus was fabbath kept.
And thy request think now fulfill'd, that afk'd
How first this world and face of things began,
And what before thy memory was done
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