Such follow him, as shall be register'd
Part good, part bad; of bad the longer scroll;
Whose foul idolatries, and other faults

Heap'd to the popular sum, will so incense
God, as to leave them, and expose their land,
Their city, his temple, and his holy ark,

With all his sacred things, a scorn and prey
To that proud city, whose high walls thou saw'st
Left in confusion; Babylon thence call'd

There in captivity he lets them dwell

The space of seventy years; then brings them back
Remembering mercy, and his covenant sworn
To David, stablish'd as the days of heaven.
Return'd from Babylon by leave of kings
Their lords, whom God disposed, the house of God
They first reedify; and for awhile

In mean estate live moderate; till, grown
In wealth and multitude, factions they grow;
But first among the priests dissension springs,
Men who attend the altar, and should most
Endeavour peace: their strife pollution brings
Upon the temple itself: at last they seize
The sceptre, and regard not David's sons;
Then lose it to a stranger, that the true
Anointed King Messiah might be born
Barr'd of his right; yet at his birth a star,
Unseen before in heaven, proclaims him come;
And guides the eastern sages, who inquire
His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold:
His place of birth a solemn Angel tells
To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night;
They gladly thither haste, and by a choir
Of squadron'd Angel hear his carol sung.

A virgin is his mother, but his sire

The power of the Most High: he shall ascend
The throne hereditary, and bound his reign

With earth's wide bounds, his glory with the heavens.

He ceased, discerning Adam with such joy Surcharged, as had like grief been dew'd in tears, Without the vent of words; which these he breathed;

O prophet of glad tidings, finisher

Of utmost hope! now clear I understand

What oft my steadiest thoughts have search'd in vain;

Why our great expectation should be call'd
The seed of woman: Virgin mother, hail,
High in the love of heaven; yet from my loins
Thou shalt proceed, and from thy womb the Son
Of God Most High: so God with man unites!
Need must the serpent now his capital bruise
Expect with mortal pain: say where and when
Their fight, what stroke shall bruise the victor's
heel.

To whom thus Michael: Dream not of their fight As of a duel, or the local wounds

Of head or heel: not therefore joins the Son
Manhood to Godhead, with more strength to foil
Thy enemy; nor so is overcome

Satan, whose fall from heaven, a deadlier bruise,
Disabled, not to give thee thy death's wound:
Which he, who comes thy Saviour, shall recure,
Not by destroying Satan, but his works
In thee and in thy seed: nor can this be,
But by fulfiling that which thou didst want,

Obedience to the law of God, imposed
On penalty of death, and suffering death;
The penalty to thy transgression due,
And due to theirs which out of thine will grow
So only can high justice rest appaid.

The law of God exact he shall fulfil
Both by obedience and by love, though love
Alone fulfil the law; thy punishment
He shall endure, by coming in the flesh
To a reproachful life and cursed death;
Proclaiming life to all who shall believe
In his redemption; and that his obedience,
Imputed, becomes theirs by faith; his merits
To save them, not their own, though legal, works,
For this he shall live hated, be blasphemed,
Seized on by force, judged, and to death con
demn'd

A shameful and accursed, nail'd to the cross
By his own nation; slain for bringing life:
But to the cross he nails thy enemies,
The law that is against thee, and the sins
Of all mankind, with him there crucified,
Never to hurt them more who rightly trust
In this his satisfaction; so she dies,
But soon revives: Death over him no power
Shall long usurp; ere the third dawning light
Return, the stars of morn shall see him rise
Out of his grave, fresh as the dawning light,
Thy ransom paid, which man from death redeems
His death for man as many as offer'd life
Neglect not, and the benefit embrace

By faith not void of works: this godlike act
Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst hav

died,

In sin for ever lost from life; this act

Shall bruise the head of Satan, crush his strength,
Defeating sin and death, his two main arms;
And fix far deeper in his head their stings
Than temporal death shall bruise the victor's heel,
Or theirs whom he redeems; a death, like sleep,
A gentle wafting to immortal life..

Nor after resurrection shall he stay

Longer on earth than certain times to appear
To his disciples, men who in his life

Still follow'd him; to them shall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of him they learn'd
And his salvation; them who shall believe
Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign
Of washing them from guilt of sin to life
Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befal,
For death, like that which the Redeemer died
All nations they shall teach; for, from that day
Not only to the sons of Abraham's loins
Salvation shall be preach'd but to the sons
Of Abraham's faith wherever through the world,
So in his seed all nations shall be bless'd,
Then to the heaven of heavens he shall ascend
With victory, triumphing through the air
Over his foes and thine, there shall surprise
The serpent, prince of air, and drag in chains
Through all his realm, and there confounded
Then enter into gory, and resume

His seat at God's right hand, exalted high

[leave;

Above all namely in heaven; and thence shall

come,

When this world's dissolution shall be ripe,

With glory and power to judge both quick and To judge the unfaithful dead, but to reward dead; His faithful, and receive them into bliss,

Whether in heaven or earth; for then the earth, Shall all be Paradise, far happier place

Than this of Eden, and far happier days.

So spake the archangel Michael; then paused, As at the world's great period; and our sire, Replete with joy and wonder, thus replied: O Goodness infinite, Goodness immense ! That all this good of evil shall produce, And evil turn to good; more wonderful Than that which by creation first brought forth Light out of darkness! Full of doubt I stand, Whether I should repent me now of sin

By me done and occasion'd; or rejoice

Much more, that much more good thereof shaði spring

To God more glory, more good-will to men
From God, and over wrath grace shall abound.
But say, if our Deliverer up to heaven
Must reascend, what will betide the few
His faithful, left among the unfaithful herd,
The enemies of truth? Who then shall guide
His people, who defend? Will they not deal
Worse with his followers than with him they dealt
Be sure they will, said the angel; but from
He to his own a Comforter will send,

[heaven
The promise of the Father, who shall dwell
His spirit within them; and the law of faith,
Working through love,upon their hearts shall write
To guide them in all truth: and also arm