| OCR Text |
Show I v W d H r f t alone 3 firft Danger fought: And firft cxplor'd this new-createdR™*^ . Which fill'd our dusky Regions w th Fame . In hopes m v fainting Troops to fetridhere, And to defend againft your Thunderer This fpot of Earth, or nearer Heavn repair, And forme to his Gates from middle Air. I ^ / lool! To believe thou any part canft gain ) From Him who couldft notdly firft Ground^niaimain. ^ Gabriel. But whether that Dtlign, or one as vain, . ) T'mempt the Lives of thefe, firft drew thee here; Avoid the Place, and never more appear Upon this Hallow'd Earth, die prove our M M * . T/W/cr. Not that I fear, do I decline he Fight. You I difdain 3 let me with him con ten On whom your limitary Powers depend. More Honour from the Sender than the Sent 3 Till then, I have accompli uYd m y latent 5 And leave this Place which but augments m y Pain, Gazing to wifh, yet hopelefs to obr; Icxn- > J s ACT IV. SCENE 1. ParaJift. Adam (rw^ Eve. Adam. OTrange was your Dream, and full of fad Portent; _^ Avert it Heav'n, (if it from Heaven were fent: ) Let on thy Foes the dire Prefages fall 3 To us be good and eafie, when we call. Eve. Behold from far a breaking Cloud appears, Which, in it, many winged Warriors bears. Their Glory fhoots upon m y aking Senfe 3 Thou ftronger may'ft endure the Flood of Light 3 And while in Shades I chear m y fainting Sight, Encounter the defcending Excellence. [ Exit. The Cloud defends with Six Angels in it ; and when 'tis- near the ground, breaks ; and on each fide, difcover s Six more : They defend out of the Cloud. Raphael and Gabriel Difcourfe with Adam, the reft ftand at diftance. Raph. Firft of Mankind, that we from Heav'n are fent, Is from Heavn's Care thy Ruine to prevent. Th' Apoftate Angel has, by Night, been here, And whifper'd through thy fleeping Confort's Ear Delufive Dreams: Thus warn'd by us, beware 3 And guide her Frailty by thy timely Care. Gabriel. Thefe, as thy Guards from outward Harms, are fent 3 Ills from within, thy Reafon muft prevent. Adam. Natives of Heav'n, who in Compaflion deign To want that place where Joys Immortal Reign, In care of me 3 what Praifes can I pay, Defended in Obedience, taught t'Obev? Raph. Praife him alone, who*, God-like, form'd thee free, With Will unbounded, as a Deity 3 W h o gave thee Reafon as thy Aid, to chufe Apparent Good, and Evil to refufe. Obedience is that Good : This Heav'n exacts 3 And Heav'n, all Juft, from M a n requires not Afts Which M a n wants Pow'r to do: Pow'r then is giv'n Of doing good 3 but not compell'd by Heav'n. Gabriel. Made good 3 that thou doft to thy Maker owe : But to thy felf, if thou continu'ft fo. ~ " F ALL of MAN 607 . ,.„ .1 ,..-'•-~ Adam. Freedom of Will, of all good things is beft; But can it be by finite M a n poiTeft? I know not h o w Heav'n can communicate W h a t equals M a n to his Creator's State. Raphael. Heav'n cannot give his boundlefs Pow'r away.j But boundlefs Liberty of Choice he may. So Orbs, from the firft Mover, Motion take; Yet each their proper Revolutions make. Adam. Grant Heav'n could once have giv'n us liberty; Are w e not bounded, now, by firm Decree, Since whatfoe'er is pre-ordairid, muft be? Elfe Heav'n, for M a n , Events might pre-ordain, And Mans Free-will might make thofe Orders vain. Gabriel. Th' Eternal, when he did the World create, All other Agents did neceffitate: So, what he order'd, they, by Nature, d o; Thus light things mount, and heavy downward go. M a n only boafts an arbitrary State. Adam. Yet Caufes their Effects neceffitate In willing Agents: W h e r e is Freedom then ? Or w h o can break the Chain which limits M e n To aft what is unchangeably forecaft Since the firft Caufe gives motion to the laft ? Raphael. Heav'n by fore-knowing what will furely be, Does only, firft Effeds in Caufes fee; And finds, but does not make Neccffity. Creation is of Pow'r, and Will t h m a , Fore-knowledge only of his Intellect; His Prefcience makes not, but fuppofes things 3 Infers Necefuty to be ; not brings. Thus thou art not conftrain'd to Good or 111. Caufes which work th' Efitt, force not the W I Adam. The Force unfeen, ^ d <iitot, I i^els, Adam. I find that I can chufe to love, or hate, Obey, or difobey 3 do good, or 1U* Yet fuch a Choice is but Confent not W ill. SAW«__s9fe-»i. •_££_3asa5st*. Muft be fufficient to produce^thEtea Q+U. Sufficient ini.t felf* «£»*£__, _, laft, »2Sf&"'„!-_S- , I'll chufe the other 3 there 11 felves> projeft! Adm. O Chain, which Fools, to eaten |
