- Sep 2018
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www.dartmouth.edu www.dartmouth.edu
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or possibly his love desert [ 515 ] Who formd us from the dust
Adam seems to be asking if God will desert Mankind.
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Mean while enjoy Your fill what happiness this happie state Can comprehend, incapable of more.
Adam and Eve's state evokes the words of Nirvana - "I think I'm dumb, maybe I'm just happy".
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His praise ye Winds, that from four Quarters blow, Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye Pines, With every Plant, in sign of Worship wave.
Adam takes his responsibility to have dominion over all of Nature quite literally, commanding the winds and trees and animals to give God praise.
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And why not Gods of Men, since good, the more Communicated, more abundant growes, The Author not impair'd, but honourd more?
Satan conveniently forgets that the evil will be communicated as well.As a political metaphor, though, he is dead on - the more the King grants freedom, the more honored will be the King.
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And O fair Plant, said he, with fruit surcharg'd, Deigns none to ease thy load and taste thy sweet, Nor God, nor Man
Satan as usual makes his mischief sound like an act of kindness, by "deigning to ease the load" and plucking an apple.
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Millions of spiritual Creatures walk the Earth Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep: All these with ceasless praise his works behold Both day and night:
"Millions" of spiritual creatures and they can't keep Satan from Adam and Eve?Is this because they spend their time with ceaseless praise? This sounds like the demands of a tyrannical God.
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Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, With charm of earliest Birds; pleasant the Sun When first on this delightful Land he spreads His orient Beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flour, Glistring with dew; fragrant the fertil earth [ 645 ] After soft showers; and sweet the coming on Of grateful Eevning milde, then silent Night With this her solemn Bird and this fair Moon, And these the Gemms of Heav'n, her starrie train:
Eve refers to the sun as "him" and the "morn" and Night as "her". This is odd because she supposes that God made "he" and "She" with specific qualities - why does she make anthropomorphic the times of day?
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About them frisking playd [ 340 ] All Beasts of th' Earth, since wilde, and of all chase In Wood or Wilderness, Forrest or Den; Sporting the Lion rampd, and in his paw Dandl'd the Kid; Bears, Tygers, Ounces, Pards Gambold before them, th' unwieldy Elephant [ 345 ] To make them mirth us'd all his might, and wreathd His Lithe Proboscis; close the Serpent sly Insinuating, wove with Gordian twine His breaded train, and of his fatal guile Gave proof unheeded; others on the grass [ 350 ] Coucht, and now fild with pasture gazing sat, Or Bedward ruminating
It seems that the fall of Mankind also brought about the fall of the animals under their dominion, since the Lion no longer dandles the kid.
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Some I have chosen of peculiar grace Elect above the rest; so is my will:
This is the God I don't like, who seems to be choosing some men over others, even though all are apoarently sinners.
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- Aug 2018
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www.dartmouth.edu www.dartmouth.edu
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unless for him [ 210 ] Som other able, and as willing, pay The rigid satisfaction, death for death.
This is the God I don't like - the "rigid satisfaction," "death to death" like an eye-for-an-eye. Also, earlier God seemed to say he could not foresee all, and now he seems to be assuming that man will be as bad as Satan, not merely deceived by him.
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