"Here, all ye Angels, prodigy of light, "Thrones, dominions, princedoms, virtues, pow'rs! "Hear my decree, which unrevok'd shall stand. "This day I have begot whom I declare "My only SON, and on this hill "Him have anointed, whom you now behold "At my right hand; your Head I Him appoint: "And my self have sworn to him shall bow "All knees in Heav'n, and shall confess him Lord, "Under his great vice-gerent reign abide "United, as one individual soul, "For ever happy: Him who disobeys, "Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day "Cast out from GOD, and blessed vision, falls "Into utter darkness, deep ingulph'd, his place "Ordain'd without redemption, without end. Satan, affronted at the appearance of a new Essence or Being in Heaven, call'd the Son of God; for God, says Mr. _Milton_, (tho' erroneously) declared himself at that time, saying, _This day have I begotten him_, and that he should be set up, above all the former Powers of Heaven, of whom Satan (as above) was the Chief and expecting, if any higher post could be granted, it might be his due; I say, affronted at this he resolv'd "With all his Legions to dislodge, and leave "Unworship'd, unobey'd, the throne supreme "Contemptuous. ------ _Par. lost_, lib. v. fo. 140. But Mr. _Milton_ is grosly erroneous in ascribing those words, _This day have I begotten thee_, to that declaration of the Father before Satan fell, and consequently to a time before the creation; whereas, it is by Interpreters agreed to be understood of the Incarnation of the Son of God, or at least of the Resurrection: [3] see _Pool_ upon _Acts_ xiii. 33. In a word, Satan withdrew with all his followers malecontent and chagrine, resolv'd to disobey this new command, and not yield obedience to the Son. But Mr. _Milton_ agrees in that opinion, that the number of Angels which rebel'd with _Satan_ was infinite, and suggests in one place, that they were the greatest half of all the angelick Body or seraphick Host. "But Satan with his Power, "An host "Innumerable as the stars of night, "Or stars of morning, dew drops, which the Sun "Impearls on ev'ry leaf and ev'ry flower. _ib._ lib. v. fo. 142. Be their number as it is, numberless millions and legions of millions, that is no part of my present enquiry; Satan the leader, guide and superior, as he was author of the celestial rebellion, is still the great Head and Master-Devil as before; under his authority they still act, not obeying but carrying on the same insurrection against God, which they begun in Heaven; making war still against Heaven, in the person of his Image and Creature man; and tho' vanquish'd by the thunder of the Son of God, and cast down headlong from Heaven, they have yet reassumed, or rather not lost either the will or the power of doing evil.