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As to his worthier, and would have refign'd
To him his heav'nly office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm❜d: on him baptis'd
Heav'n open'd, and in likeness of a dove
The Spi'rit defcended, while the Father's voice
From Heav'n pronounc'd him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary, who roving still
About the world, at that affembly fam'd
Would not be last, and with the voice divine

not that he cry'd to all baptiz'd repentance &c. but Heav'n's kingdom nigh at hand to all baptiz'd. Heaven's kingdom was nigh at hand to all fuch as were baptiz'd with John's baptifm; they were thereby difpofed and prepared for the reception of the Gospel.

24. To the flood Jordan, came as then obfcure,] In Mr. Fenton's and moft other editions it is pointed thus,

To the flood Jordan came, as then obfcure,

but we have followed the punctuation of Milton's own edition; for there is very little force in the repetition, and with them came, to the flood Fordan came; but to fay that he came with them to the flood Jordan, and came as then obfcure, is very good fenfe, and worthy of the repetition.

25. but him the Baptift foon Defcry'd, divinely warn'd,] John

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35 Nigh

the Baptift had notice given him before, that he might certainly know the Meffiah by the Holy Ghoft defcending and abiding upon him. And I knew him not, but he that fent me to baptize with water, the fame faid unto me, Upon whom thou shalt fee the Spirit defcending and remaining on him, the fame is be which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John I. 33. But it appears from St. Matthew, that the Baptist knew him and acknowledged him before he was baptized, and before the Holy Ghost defcended upon him. Mat. III. 14. I have need to be baptix'd of thee, and comeft thou to me? To account for which we must admit with Milton, that another divine revelation was made to him at this very time, fignifying that this was the perfon, of whom he had had fuch notice before.

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Nigh thunder-ftruck, th' exalted man, to whom
Such high atteft was giv'n, a while survey'd
With wonder, then with envy fraught and rage
Flies to his place, nor refts, but in mid air
To council fummons all his mighty peers,
Within thick clouds and dark ten-fold involv'd,
A gloomy confiftory; and them amidst
With looks aghaft and fad he thus bespake.

O ancient Pow'rs of air and this wide world,
For much more willingly I mention air,
This our old conqueft, than remember Hell,
Our hated habitation; well

his eye upon the Latin divinitus, from Heaven, fince the word divinely in our language scarce ever comes up to this meaning. Milton ufes it in much the fame fenfe in Paradife Loft. VII. 500.

She heard me thus, and though

divinely brought. Thyer. 41. Within thick clouds &c.] Milton in making Satan's refidence to be in mid air, within thick clouds and dark, seems to have St. Auftin in his eye, who speaking of the region of clouds, ftorms, thunder, &c. fays-ad ifta caliginofa, id eft, ad hunc aerem, tanquam ad carcerem, damnatus eft diabolus &c. Enarr. in Pf. 148. S. 9. Tom. 5. p. 1677. Edit. Bened. Thyer.

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42. A gloomy confiftory;] This in imitation of Virgil Æn. ÍII. 677.

Cernimus aftantes nequicquam lumine torvo

Etneos fratres, cœlo capita alta ferentes,

Concilium horrendum.

By the word confiftory, I fuppofe Milton intends to glance at the meeting of the Pope and Cardinals fo nam'd, or perhaps at the epifcopal tribunal, to all which forts of courts or affemblies he was an avow'd enemy. The phrafe concilium horrendum Vida makes ufe of upon a like occafion of affembling the infernal Powers. Chrift. Lib. I.

Protinus

How many ages, as the years of men,

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This universe we have poffefs'd, and rul'd
In manner at our will th' affairs of earth,
Since Adam and his facil confort Eve
Loft Paradise deceiv'd by me, though fince
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the feed of Eve
Upon my head: long the decrees of Heav'n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;
And now too foon for us the circling hours
This dreaded time have compafs'd, wherein we
Muft bide the stroke of that long threaten'd wound,

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At least if so we can, and by the head

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Broken be not intended all our power

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To be infring'd, our freedom and our being,
In this fair empire won of earth and air
For this ill news I bring, the woman's feed
Deftin'd to this, is late of woman born:

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His birth to our juft fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youth's full flow'r, displaying
All virtue, grace, and wifdom to atchieve
Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear.
Before him a great prophet, to proclame
His coming, is fent harbinger, who all
Invites, and in the confecrated stream
Pretends to wash off fin, and fit them fo
Purified to receive him pure, or rather
To do him honor as their king; all come,

fpeeches in his former council, and therefore has affign'd the best reafon he could for not making any in this.

74. Purified to receive him pure,] alluding to the Scripture expreffion 1 John III. 3. And every man that bath this hope in him, purifieth himJelf even as he is pure.

83. A perfect dove dejcend,] He had expreffed it before ver. 30. in likeness of a dove, agreeably to

75 And

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And he himself among them was baptis'd,
Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The testimony' of Heav'n, that who he is
Thenceforth the nations may not doubt; I saw
The prophet do him reverence, on him rifing
Out of the water, Heav'n above the clouds
Unfold her crystal doors, thence on his head
A perfect dove defcend, whate'er it meant,
And out of Heav'n the fov'ran voice I heard,
This is my Son belov'd, in him am pleas'd.
His mother then is mortal, but his fire
He who obtains the monarchy of Heaven,
And what will he not do to' advance his Son?
His first-begot we know, and fore have felt,
When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep;
Who this is we must learn, for man he seems

those writers, Ignatius and others among the Ancients, and Beza and others among the Moderns, who believed that the Devil, tho' he might know Jefus to be fome extraordinary perfon, yet knew him not to be the Meffiah, the Son of God: and the words of the Devil If thou be the Son of God feem to exprefs his uncertainty concerning that matter. The Devils indeed afterwards knew him and pro

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claimed him to be the Son of God, but they might not know him to be fo at this time, before this temptation, or before he had enter'd upon his public miniftry, and manifefted himself by his miracles. And our author, who makes the Devil to hear the voice from Heaven This is my beloved Son, ftill makes him doubt in what sense Jesus was fo called. See IV. 514.

Thence

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