An army form'd, her impious captain led
His marshal'd ranks to fight the hosts of God.
Omniscience, perceiving the foul scene
As tranquil seated on his azure throne,
Gave the command, bade His bright legions go
To pour destruction on His daring foe.
Tremendous thunders roll'd ;-from heavenly ire
Rose clouds of darkness;-glow'd ethereal fire ;—
The vivid flame from divine essence flew,
Whose force the haughty fiends should quickly know ;-
Fork'd lightnings flash'd, and fiery arrows sprang
With
On wings of whirlwind's borne the radiant cloud,
On which the conq'ring Hero's chariot rode;—
And flamy rob'd, the glorious Prince of Peace
First rose to punish a rebellious race:
Allegiant seraphs, in embattl'd host,
power resistless from Jehovah's arm.
March'd with their Prince upon celestial coast, And in grand chorus tun'd the sublime song, "THE LORD, Our God, omniPOTENT SHALL REIGN.”
Appall'd at the majestic, awful sight,
The hostile legions seek the speedy flight,
Call for the cover of each trembling rock
To hide them from the death-impending shock
Of heavenly wrath, quick pacing all to hurl
From bliss celestial to tormenting hell.—
Lo! they're arrested, and, unfit for heav'n,
Are headlong cast into eternal flame.
Pride, malice, envy, Satan's children dear
As counsellors in this distress appear,
And strenuous urge their sire to seek revenge
On Him Whose justice caus'd this dreadful change.
Man's ruin being the council's fix'd intent,
Succeed or not, the fiend resolves th' attempt.
But 'tis contriv'd by prince and by compeers,
No more to risk the chance of open wars,
But with hypocrisy, and lying art
Strive to pervert man's unsuspecting heart.
Thus said hell's king-" My friends, I'll try alone,
"O'er our great foe the victory to gain;
"I'll tempt yon pair to disobey command,
"So win their wo and all the human kind;
"This conquest made, yon beauteous earth will be
"Domain of my imperial majesty."
Then off the wizard flew, resolv'd to find,
The two new subjects God so lately form'd;
In Eden's groves beheld the happy pair
Unconscious that an enemy was there :
But durst not in his own foul shape be seen,
So, thief like, he disguis'd in serpent's form,
Approached Eve, when from her partner stray'd,
Knowing she, the weaker, might be best betray'd.
And flattering, fawning, lying, soft deceit,
He breathed thus her innocence to cheat:
+"Ah, beauteous creature, amiable, fair,
"Restricted though by the pretended care
* See Genesis, chap. iii.
+ Though I am not authorized by the sacred writings to make the devil
"Of Him Who made thee! Thou art fair indeed,
"Yet of more knowledge pressing is thy need:
"The charms of goodness thou canst never know,
"Without a knowledge of what's evil too.
"In nought but goodness no variety,..
"And sameness will thy mental powers cloy*
"Till thou art weary; nothing but the same
"In repetition, o'er and o'er again,
“Is next to knowing nothing; as a fool,
"Thou canst be nothing but thy Master's tool,
"To work His task-work; worship and obey,
"For that He bids thou must submissive do.
"To be subservient to His haughty call,
"In ev'ry deed obeisive to His will,
"Is abject slavery that's unworthy thee,
"So shake it off!-determine to be free!
"Now in the midst of this fair garden grows
"A lofty tree; and on its spreading boughs
66 Hangs fruit most exquisite and beautiful,
"That grow in these sweet groves excelling all;
"Its sweet inspiring juice will make thee wise,
"Thy subject state 'twill cause thee to despise;
"Exalted as thy God's thy mind will be,
"And know both good and evil same as He."
use these words; yet few will doubt but his address to Eve was a complication of refined hypocrisy, and probably similar to this I have given him. That through Satan's temptations alone, our first parents disobeyed the commandment of their Almighty Parent, none can with propriety deny.
* See Genesis, chap. iii.
Thus Beelzebub hypocrisy display'd,
To whom, this answer man's great mother made :— "But if ye eat," said God, " fruit of that tree "Which I command you not, you both shall die." To this the tempter cunningly repli'd
"Fair creature, trust me, ye are but deni'd, "The use of this delightful precious fruit "To keep you ignorant of what's your right; "More knowledge you obtain the better ye, "And learn ye wisdom's pleasing path from me. "Thou clearly hears't that I have learn'd to speak, “And am superior to the beasts that walk
"O'er this fair garden ground, not one
"Of them has utt'rance; only I alone "Have that exalted faculty attain'd,
"And 'twas by eating of this fruit obtain'd.
"Thou hear'st, I've knowledge, yet I have not di’d,
"And my superior excellence has tri'd
“The truth or falsehood of thy Tutor's word:
"Behold me! don't I live?—Then how absurd
"To give this silly caution unto thee,
"Who better ought to know by far than He
"What's fitting for thyself!-Go;-pull and eat,
"Then will thy happiness be consummate,
"For wise as gods thee and thy husband made,
"You'll scorn the bonds that on you both are laid.”
These curs'd persuasions so insinuate,
Pure innocence allur'd; Eve pull'd and ate,
And to her husband bore death's fatal sting;
But he well knew his wife had acted wrong:
Yet, through the love he to his partner bore,
Resolv'd with her an equal fate to share ;*
So took the portion from her trembling hand,
In conscious wrong rejected God's command.
Ah, fatal moment !-Earth the power of sin
Instinctive felt, and gave the dreadful groan ;
Perfection faded :-as the deadly blow
Her vitals pierc'd, fled her eternal glow;
Bright nature shrunk before her torturer's power,
Perpetual glory here to wear no more.
The mountains howl'd, the vallies shed their bloom,
The smiling heavens display'd the angry frown,
Embattled clouds exuded fiery showers,
And life astounded with their dreadful roars,
And guilty man ran to the lonely shade
To hide from vengeance his ingratitude,
To shun that God he'd wilfully despis'd,
Who soon inform'd him how He had been us'd;
That He, Creator, great Omniscient,
Saw all His creatures, knew their heart's intent.
What dreadful change this disobedience wrought!
How soon conspicuous both in act and thought
Of man and wife! who quarrelling began,
And one blam'd t'other for what both had done.
The dumb creation the dire influence feel,
In savage rage they roam to tear and kill;
* See Genesis, chap. iii.
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