Chapter 18 17
He said, and on his Son with Rayes direct
Shon full, he all his Father full exprest [ 720 ]
Ineffably into his face received,
And thus the filial Godhead answering spake.
O Father, O Supream of heavnly Thrones,
First, Highest, Holiest, Best, thou always seekst
To glorify thy Son, I always thee, [ 725 ]
As is most just; this I my Glorie account,
My exaltation, and my whole delight,
That thou in me well pleasd, declare thy will
Fulfill, which to fulfill is all my bliss.
Scepter and Power, thy giving, I assume, [ 730 ]
And gladlier shall resign, when in the end
Thou shalt be All in All, and I in thee
For ever, and in mee all whom thou lovst:
But whom thou hatst, I hate, and can put on
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on, [ 735 ]
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Armd with thy might, rid heavn of these rebelled,
To thir prepared ill Mansion driven down
To chains of darkness, and th undying Worm,
That from thy just obedience could revolt, [ 740 ]
Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy Saints unmixt, and from th impure
Farr separate, circling thy holy Mount
Unfeigned Halleluiahs to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief. [ 745 ]
So said, he ore his Scepter bowing, rose
From the right hand of Glorie where he sate,
And the third sacred Morn began to shine
Dawning through Heavn: forth rushd with whirl-wind sound
The Chariot of Paternal Deitie, [ 750 ]
Flashing thick flames, Wheele within Wheele, undrawn,
It self instinct with Spirit, but convoyd
By four Cherubic shapes, four Faces each
Had wondrous, as with Starrs thir bodies all
And Wings were set with Eyes, with Eyes the wheels [ 755 ]
Of Beril, and career Fires between;
Over thir heads a chrystal Firmament,
Whereon a Saphir Throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colors of the showrie Arch.
Hee in Celestial Panoplie all armd [ 760 ]
Of radiant Urim, work divinely wrought,
Ascended, at his right hand Victorie
Sate Eagle-winged, beside him hung his Bow
And Quiver with three-bolted Thunder stord,
And from about him fierce Effusion rowld [ 765 ]
Of smoak and bickering flame, and sparkles dire;
Attended with ten thousand thousand Saints,
He onward came, farr off his coming shon,
And twenty thousand (I thir number heard)
Chariots of God, half on each hand were seen: [ 770 ]
Hee on the wings of Cherub rode sublime
On the Chrystallin Skie, in Saphir Thrond.