154
That far be from Thee, Father, who art judge
155
Of all things made, and judgest only right.
156
Or shall the adversary 2487 thus obtain
157
His end, and frustrate Thine? Shall he fulfill
158
His malice, and Thy goodness bring to nought?
159
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,2488
160
Yet with revenge accomplished, and to Hell
161
Draw after him the whole race of mankind,
162
By him corrupted? Or wilt Thou Thyself
163
Abolish Thy creation, and unmake
164
For him, what for Thy glory Thou hast made?
165
So should Thy goodness and Thy greatness both
166
Be questioned and blasphemed without defence.
167
To whom the great Creator thus replied:
168
“O Son, in whom my soul hath chief delight,
169
Son of my bosom, Son who art alone
170
My word, my wisdom, and effectual 2489 might,
171
All hast thou spoken as my thoughts are, all
172
As my eternal purpose hath decreed.
173
Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will,
174
Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
175
Freely vouchsafed.2490 Once more I will renew
176
His lapsèd 2491 powers, though forfeit 2492 and enthralled
177
By Sin to foul exorbitant desires.
178
Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
179
On even ground against his mortal foe,
180
By me upheld, that he may know how frail
181
His fall’n condition is, and to me owe
182
All his deliverance, and to none but me.
183
Some I have chosen of peculiar2493 grace,
184
Elect2494 above the rest; so is my will.
185
The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warned
186
Their sinful state, and to appease betimes2495
187
The incensed 2496 Deity, while offered 2497 grace
188
Invites, for I will clear their senses dark,
189
What may suffice, and soften stony hearts
190
To pray, repent, and bring obedience due. 2498
191
To prayer, repentance, and obedience due,
192
Though but endeavored with sincere intent,
193
Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut.
194
And I will place within them as a guide
195
My umpire2499 Conscience, whom if they will hear,
196
Light 2500 after light, well used, they shall attain,
197
And to the end, persisting, safe arrive.
198
This my long sufferance, 2501 and my day of grace,
199
They who neglect and scorn shall never taste,
200
But hard be hardened, blind be blinded more,
201
That they may stumble on, and deeper fall.
202
And none but such from mercy I exclude.
203
“But yet all is not done. Man disobeying,
204
Disloyal, breaks his fealty2502 and sins
205
Against the high supremacy of Heav’n,
206
Affecting2503 God-head and, so losing all,
207
To expiate his treason hath nought left,
208
But to destruction sacred2504 and devote,
209
He, with his whole posterity, must die.
210
Die he or justice must; unless for him
211
Some other able, and as willing, pay
212
The rigid2505 satisfaction,2506 death for death.
213
Say, Heav’nly Powers, where shall we find such love?
214
Which of you will be mortal, to redeem
215
Man’s mortal crime and, just, the unjust to save?
216
Dwells in all Heav’n charity 2507 so dear?
217
He asked, but all the Heav’nly choir2508 stood mute,
218
And silence was in Heav’n: on man’s behalf
219
Patron2509 or intercessor 2510 none appeared,
220
Much less that durst upon his own head draw
221
The deadly forfeiture and ransom set.
222
And now without redemption all mankind
223
Must have been lost, adjudged to Death and Hell
224
By doom2511 severe, had not the Son of God,
225
In whom the fullness dwells of love divine,
226
His dearest mediation thus renewed:
227
“Father, Thy word is past, man shall find grace;
228
And shall grace not find means? that finds her way,
229
The speediest of Thy wingèd messengers,
230
To visit all Thy creatures, and to all
231
Comes unprevented,2512 unimplored, unsought?
232
Happy for man, so coming. He her aid
233
Can never seek, once dead in sins, and lost:
234
Atonement for himself, or offering meet,2513
235
Indebted and undone, hath none to bring.
236
Behold me, then: me for him, life for life
237
I offer. On me let Thine anger fall;
238
Account2514 me man. I for his sake will leave
239
Thy bosom, and this glory next to Thee
240
Freely put off, and for him lastly2515 die
241
Well pleased. On me let Death wreak2516 all his rage.
242
Under his gloomy power I shall not long
243
Lie vanquished. Thou hast giv’n me to possess
244
Life in myself forever. By Thee I live,
245
Though now to Death I yield, and am his due2517
246
(All that of me can die), yet that debt paid,
247
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave
248
His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul
249
Forever with corruption there to dwell,
250
But I shall rise victorious, and subdue
251
My vanquisher, spoiled of his vaunted 2518 spoil.
252
Death his Death’s wound shall then receive, and stoop2519
253
Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarmed.
254
I through the ample2520 air in triumph high
255
Shall lead Hell captive maugre2521 Hell, and show2522
256
The powers of darkness bound. Thou, at the sight
257
Pleased, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile,
258
&nbs
p; While, by Thee raised, I ruin2523 all my foes,
259
Death last, and with his carcass glut2524 the grave.
260
Then with the multitude of my redeemed
261
Shall enter Heav’n, long absent, and return,
262
Father, to see Thy face, wherein no cloud
263
Of anger shall remain, but peace assured
264
And reconcilement. Wrath shall be no more,
265
Thenceforth, but in Thy presence joy entire.”2525
266
His words here ended, but his meek aspect,
267
Silent, yet spoke, and breathed immortal love
268
To mortal men, above which only shone
269
Filial obedience. As a sacrifice
270
Glad to be offered, he attends the will
271
Of his great Father. Admiration2526 seized
272
All Heav’n, what this might mean, and whither tend,2527
273
Wond’ring. But soon2528 th’Almighty thus replied:
274
“O thou, in Heav’n and earth the only peace
275
Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou
276
My sole complacence!2529 Well thou know’st how dear
277
To me are all my works, nor man the least,
278
Though last created, that for him I spare
279
Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,
280
By losing thee a while, the whole race lost.
281
Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem,2530
282
Their nature also to thy nature join,
283
And be thyself man among men on earth,
284
Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed,
285
By wondrous birth. Be thou in Adam’s room2531
286
The head of all mankind, though Adam’s son.
287
As in him perish all men, so in thee,
288
As from a second root, shall be restored
289
As many as are restored, without thee none.
290
His crime makes guilty all his sons: thy merit,
291
Imputed,2532 shall absolve them2533 who renounce
292
Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,
293
And live in thee transplanted, and from thee
294
Receive new life. So man, as is most just,
295
Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die,
296
And dying rise, and rising with him raise
297
His brethren, ransomed with his own dear life.
298
So Heav’nly love shall outdo hellish hate,
299
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
300
So dearly2534 to redeem what hellish hate
301
So easily destroyed, and still destroys
302
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
303
Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume
304
Man’s nature, lessen or degrade thine own.
305
Because thou hast, though throned in highest bliss
306
Equal to God, and equally enjoying
307
Godlike fruition,2535 quitted2536 all, to save
308
A world from utter loss, and hast been found
309
By merit more than birthright Son of God,
310
Found worthiest to be so by being good,
311
Far more than great or high—because in thee
312
Love hath abounded more than glory abounds.
313
314
With thee thy manhood also to this throne.
315
Here shalt thou sit incarnate, 2537 here shalt reign
316
Both God and man, Son both of God and man,
317
Anointed universal King. All power
318
I give thee: reign forever, and assume
319
Thy merits.2538 Under thee, as head supreme,
320
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions, I reduce. 2539
321
All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide2540
322
In Heav’n, or earth, or under earth in Hell.
323
When thou, attended gloriously from Heav’n
324
Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send
325
The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim
326
Thy dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds
327
The living, and forthwith the cited 2541 dead
328
Of all past ages, to the general doom2542
329
Shall hasten. Such a peal2543 shall rouse their sleep.
330
Then all thy Saints assembled, thou shalt judge
331
Bad men and Angels. They, arraigned,2544 shall sink
332
Beneath thy sentence. Hell, her numbers full,
333
Thenceforth shall be forever shut. Meanwhile
334
The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring
335
New Heav’n and earth, wherein the just shall dwell
336
And after all their tribulations long
337
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
338
With joy and peace triumphing, and fair truth.
339
Then thou thy regal scepter shalt lay by,
340
For regal scepter then no more shall need:
341
God shall be all in all. But all ye gods,
342
Adore him, who to compass2545 all this dies,
343
Adore the Son, and honor him as me.
344
No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but all
345
The multitude of Angels, with a shout
346
Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
347
As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav’n rung
348
With jubilee, 2546 and loud hosannas2547 filled
349
The eternal regions. Lowly reverent
350
Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground
351
With solemn adoration down they cast
352
Their crowns inwove with amarant2548 and gold,
353
Immortal amarant, a flower which once
354
In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life,
355
Began to bloom, but soon for man’s offence
356
To Heav’n removed, where first it grew, there grows,
357
And flow’rs aloft, shading the Fount of Life,
358
And where the river of bliss through midst of Heav’n
359
Rolls o’er Elysian flow’rs her amber stream.
360
With these that never fade the Spirits elect 2549
361
Bind their resplendent locks inwreathed with beams,
&nbs
p; 362
Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright
363
Pavement,2550 that like a sea of jasper shone,
364
Impurpled with celestial roses smiled.
365
Then, crowned again, their golden harps they took,