tomless Pit, and everlasting Destruction, where he was doom'd to live, in fuch Pains and Bondage, as are beft exprefs'd by Chains and Fire; who had the Prefumption to defy, and fet himself against the omnipotent Creator of all Things.. As long as would feem many Days and Nights to mortal Men, he lay with his horrid Companions, totally fubdu'd, and reftlefs, as if they had been rolling in a fiery Gulph; for though they were immortal Spirits, yet were they confounded: But his Doom was to be referv'd to more Wrath, for now the Thought of the Happiness he had loft, and the lafting Pain which had feiz'd, tormented him, and fpeaking after the Manner of Men, he caft his forrowful Eyes around, which fhew'd that he was difmay'd, and very much afflicted; but not fo, but that he retain'd ftedfaft Hate, and inflexible Pride. At once, as far as it was in the Power of an Angel, to difcern, he perceiv'd the dismal Situation, that it was wafte, and wild, and his Idea reprefented to him a horrible Dungeon, that flam'd round on all Sides, like a great Furnace, and yet there feem'd to be no Light, but only perceptible Darkness; in which terrible Sights of Woe might be difcover'd; Regions of Sorrow, Shades of Hell, where Peace and Reft could never have Habitation, where Hope the only Comforter nevér comes, but endless Tortures urge continually, and a fiery Deluge, fed with what always burns, and never confumes: This Place eternal Juftice had prepar'd for those rebellious Angels, and here given them their Portion, farther remov'd from the Light of Heaven, and from GoD, than it is from the Center (f) three times to the fartheft Pole, (f) Center; Fr. Ital. Span. Lat. from the Gr. i. e. A Point, An AftronomicalT. The Middle Point of a Circle. Here, the ven Pole, (g) but oh! how unlike was this Place from that he fell from! There he foon difcern'd the Companions of his Fall overwhelm'd as with Floods and Whirlwinds of tempeftous Fire; and weltering by his Side, one that was next himself in Power, and next in Wickedness, who a great while afterwards was worshipp'd in PALESTINE, (b) and call'd BEELZEBUB, (i) to whom the Arch-Enemy (who thenceforward in Heaven, was call'd (k) SATAN,) breaking B 4 ven, as the two Poles are diftant from the Equator, which is a vaft Distance indeed. (g) Pole; Fr. Lat. Gr. i. e. Turning round. An Aftron. T. The two Ends of an imaginary Circle, on which Aftronomers fay the World turns round from Eaft to Weft daily. The Poles are two, the Artic or North Pole; and the Antartic or South Pole. (b) Palatine; Heb. i. e. Sprinkled with Duft and Sand; because it is a very dry Land. A Country of Afia upon the Mediterranean Sea. It was call'd, 1. Canaan, from Canaan the Son of Ham; 2. Philiftaa or Paleftine, from a mighty People defcended from Mizraim, another of his Sons, Gen. 10. 14. who inhabited fome Part of it. 3. The Land of Promife; because God promised to give it to Abrabam and his Pofterity, for an Inheritance. 4. Judæa; from Judab, whofe Offspring had it long in Poffeffion. And 5. the Holy Land; because it was honoured with God's extraordinary Prefence, Worship, Mercies, Bleffings, Miracles above all Countries upon Earth; and with the Nativity, Life, Actions, and # West to East (i) Beelzebub, Baal-zebub, or Bel-zebub; Heb. i. e. The Lord of Flies; either because the People believed, that he drove away and deftroyed Flies, which very much infefted them; or because Multitudes of thefe Vermin fwarmed about the Blood of the Sacrifices offered to him. He was worshipped first at Babylon, and then every where; but chiefly by the People of Ekron, 2 Kings, I. 2. Here it is the Name of one Grand Prince of the Devils, and next to Satan; our Saviour calls him the Prince of the Devils, Mat. 12. 24. (k) Satan; Heb. i. e. The Adverfary. The very Prince of all Devils. As there are diffe reni ing the horrid Silence with bold Words thus began to speak: If thou art he, who in the happy Kingdoms of Light, cloath'd with exceffive Brightness, didft outfaine Millions of the other Angels, though they were bright! If Mifery hath now join'd with me in the fame Ruin, him whofe united Thoughts, and Counfels, whofe equal Hope, and Hazard with mutual League, join'd with me once in the glorious Enterprize: How art thou fallen and chang'd! Thou feeft into what Pit, and from what Height we are thrown down; so much stronger HE prov'd with his Thunders, and till then who had ever known the Force of thofe fatal Arms? And yet not on the Account of those, or what the powerful Conqueror in his greatest Anger can inflict elfe, do I either change, or repent of that fix'd Mind, (tho' my outward Luftre may feem diminish'd) nor of that high Difdain which arose in me from a Sense of injur'd Merit, that rais'd me to contend with him who is call'd MIGHTIEST, and brought along to the fierce Contention, a numberlefs Force of arm'd Spirits, who durft disapprove of his Government; and preferring me, with adverse Power oppos'd his utmoft Power, in a doubtful Battle fought in Heaven, in fuch a Manner as fhook his Throne. What though we have fuffer'd fome Lofs? We have not loft all, our Will still remains unconquer'd; immortal Hate, and Study of Revenge yet remain, and a couragious Refolution never to yield or fubmit, that Glory his greatest Wrath or Power shall never extort from me, (what other Proof needs there, that we are not overcome?) To bow and pe rent Orders and Degrees of the Holy Angels, fo there are still among the wicked ones: Their Chief Prince is called Satan, Belzebub, the Old Serpent, &c. tition. For as every good Angel is not a Michael or a Gabriel; fo every Devil is not a Satan, a Lucifer, &c. And a Kingdom is afcribed to him, Mat. 12. 26. Eph. 2. 2. tition for Grace, and with Supplications and bended. Knees, acknowledge a Power to be infinite, and divine, who fo lately had Reason from the Terror of my Power to doubt the Continuance of his Dominion: That would be low indeed, that would be worse Difgrace, worfe Shame and Ignominy than this Downfall. Since we have (as well as He) by Fate (1) the Strength of Gods, and the Subftance of which we are, is immortal and cannot fail; fince by this laft great Event we have gain'd much Experience and Forefight, and for Oppofition ftill are not worse, we may now make a Refolution, (and hope well for Succefs,) to make either by Force or Fraud eternal and irreconcileable War upon our great Enemy; who now indeed triumphs in the Excess of Joy, and having no Competitor arbitrarily holds the Ty ranny of Heaven. THUS vaunting aloud fpoke the apoftate Angel, tho' he was in great Pain, and ftung with Tortures of the deepest Despair; and his intrepid Companion BEELZEBUB foon replied. GREAT Prince! Chief of the many throned Powers, (m) that lead the Seraphim (n) to War in Order of Battle under thy Conduct, and fearless, brought (1) Fate; Fr. Lat. i. e. The Speech or Decree of God. A Word much used by the Stoicks, and other Heathen Philofophers for the Providence of God; the eternal and unchangeableCourse of Things, the unalterable Law of Nature, Destiny. (m) Powers; Fr. from the Lat. Such Angels as have Ability, Authority, Might and Force in Heaven. Here, fuch Princes among the Fallen Angels, who ftill retained that high Order among themselves, which they had before their Fall. (n) Seraphim and Seraph; Heb. i. e. Burning and Flaming like Fire, to fhew the vaft Love and Zeal of those bleffed Spirits to God. In Scripture this Word denotes holy Angels of the firft Order of the Celeftial Hierarchy. Here, Satan, who had been one of that high and happy Order. brought into Danger the perpetual King of Heaven, and put his high Supremacy to the Proof; whether he be upheld by Strength, by Chance, or by Fate, I fee too well and am griev'd for the forrowful Event, that with.foul Defeat and fad Deftruction hath loft us Heaven, and with horrible Overthrow, thus low, laid all this mighty Hoft, as far as Gods, and heavenly Beings can perifh; for the Mind and Spirit remain invincible, and Vigour foon returns; tho' all our Glory is extinct, and our happy Eftate here fwallow'd up in endless Mifery. But what if our Conqueror (whom I now by Force believe to be almighty, fince nothing fhort of Omnipotence could have overcome fuch Force as ours) hath left us this our Spirit, and this our Strength intire, only to enable us to endure our Pains; that fo we may afford Satiffaction to his Wrath, or do him greater Service, as his Captives by Right of War; whatever his Bufinefs may be, either to work in Fire, here in the Midst of Hell, or do his Errands in the dark and gloomy Deep? Then what can it avail, that we feel no Decay of our Strength; or is eternal Being a Good, only to undergo eternal Punishment? Whereto SATAN, breaking in upon his Difcourfe, reply'd: FALLEN Cherub! (0) to be weak is to be miferable, either acting or fuffering; but be certain of this, that to do any Thing good will never be our Business, but our only Delight always to do Ill, as being directly contrary to his high Will, whom we oppofe: So that if his Providence feeks out of our Evil to bring forth any Good, it must be our Labour to pervert that End, and ftill to find Means of Evil out of Good; which (0) Cherub, in the Singular Number, and Cherubim in the Plural, Heb. i. e. Fullness of Knowledge, Angels of the I. Order first mentioned, Gen. 3. 24. They were reprefented in the |
