Senfe of new joy ineffable diffus'd:""
Beyond compare the Son of God was feen
Moft glorious; in him all his Father shone
Subftantially exprefs'd; and in his face
Divine compaffion vifibly appear'd
Love without end, and without measure grace,
Which uttering, thus he to his Father fpake.
O Father, gracious was that word which clos'd
Thy fov'reign fentence, that man fhould find grace: 145
For which both Heav'n and earth fhall high extol
Thy praifes, with th' innumerable found
Of hymns and facred fongs, wherewith thy throne
Encompafs'd fhall refound thee ever bleft.
For fhould Man finally be loft, fhould Man
Thy creature late fo lov'd, thy youngest son;
Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd
With his own folly? that be from thee far, *
That far be from thee, Father, who art judge
Of all things made, and judgeft only right.
Or fhalk the Adverfary thus obtain
His end, and fruftrate thine? fhall he fulfil E
His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought,
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,
Yet with revenge accomplish'd, and to Hell 1
Draw after him the whole race of mankind,
By him corrupted? or wilt thou thyfelf
Abolish thy creation, and unmake
For him, what for thy glory thou haft made?
So fhould thy goodnefs and thy greatness both
Be question'd, and blafphem'd without defence.
To whom the great Creator thus reply'd.
O Son, in whom my foul hath chief delight,
Son of my bofom, Son who art alone
My word, my wifdom, and effectual might,
All haft thou spoken as my thoughts are, alla quota
As my eternal purpofe hath decreed.
Man fhall not quite be loft, but fav'd who will,
Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
Freely vouchfaf'd: once more I will renew
His lapied pow'rs, though forfeit and inthrall'd
By finto foul exorbitant defires;
Upheld by me, yet once more, he shall stand
On even ground against his mortal foe,
By me upheld, that he may know how frail
His fall'n condition is, and to me owe
All his deliverance, and to none but me.. to
Some I have chofen of peculiar grace
Elect above the reft: fo is my will:
The reft fhall hear me call, and oft be warn'd
Their finful state, and to appease betimes
The incenfed Deity, while offer'd grace
Invites: for I will clear their fenfes dark,
What may fuffice, and foften fony hearts!
To pray, repent, and bring obedience due.
To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due,
Though but endeavour'd with fincere intent,
Mine ear fhall not be flow, mine eye not shut.
And I will place within them as a guide
My umpire confcience: whom if they will hear,
Light after light well us'd they fhall attain,
And to the end perfifting, fafe arrive.
This my long fufferance, and my day of grace,
They who neglect and feorn, shall never tafte;
But hard be harden'd, blind be blinded more,
That they may stumble on, and deeper fall:
And none but fuch from mercy I exclude.
But yet all is not done: Man disobeying.
Difloyal breaks his fealty, and fins
Against the high fupremacy of Heav'n,
Affecting God-head, and fo lofing all.
To expiate his treafon hath nought left, 2
But to deftruction facred and devote, da
He with his whole posterity muft die,:
Die he or juftice muft; unlefs for him mor
Some other able, and as willing, payme
The rigid fatisfaction, death for death, Mir?
D 5
Say heav'nly Pow'rs, where fhall we find fuch love? Which of ye will be mortal to redeem
Man's mortal crime, and just, th' unjust to fave? 215 Dwells in all Heaven charity foodear?
He afk'd, but all the heav'nly quire ftood mute,
And filence was in Heav'n: on man's behalf
Patron or interceffor none appear'd,
Much less that durft upon his own head draw
The deadly forfeiture, and ransome set.
And now without redemption all mankind
Muft have been loft, adjudg'd to Death and Hell
By doom fevere, had not the Son of God,
In whom the fulness dwells of love divine,
His deareft mediation thus renew'd.
Father, thy word is past, Man fhall find grace;
And shall grace not find means, that finds her way,
The speedieft of thy winged meffengers,
To vifit all thy creatures, and to all
Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unfought?
Happy for Man, fo coming; he her aid
Can never feek, once dead in fins and loft;
Atonement for himself or offering meet,
Indebted, and undone, hath none to bring:
Behold me then; me for him, life for life
I offer, on me let thine anger fall;
Account me Man: I for his fake will leave
Thy befom, and this glory next to thee、
Freely put off, and for him lastly die
Well pleas'd, on me let Death Wreak all him rage;
Under his gloomy pow'r I fall not long
Lie vanquish thou haft giv'n me to poffefs
Life in mylelf for ever; by thee ime,
Though new to Death I yield, and am his due
All that of me can die: yet that debt paid, mobet
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave
His prey, nor fuffer my unspotted foul
For ever with corruption there to dwell;
But I fhall rife victorious, and fubdue
My vanquisher, fpoil'd of his vaunted spoil;
Death his death's wound fhall then receive, and stoop
Inglorious, of his mortal sting difarm'd.
I through the ample air in triumph high
Shall lead Hell captive, maugre Hell; and fhow
The Pow'rs of darkness bound. Thou at the fight
Pleas'd, out of Heaven shalt look down and fmile,
While by thee rais'd I ruin all my foes,
Death last, and with his carcafs glut the grave:
Then with the multitude of my redeem'd
Shall enter Heav'n long abfent, and return,
Father, to fee thy face, wherein no cloud
Of anger fhall remain, but peace affur'd
And reconcilement; wrath fhall be no more
Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire.
His words here ended, but his meek afpe&t
Silent yet fpake, and breath'd immortal love
To mortal men, above which only shone
Filial obedience: as a sacrifice
Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will
Of his great Father. Admiration feis'd
All Heav'n, what this might mean, and whither tend
Wond'ring; but foon th Almighty thus reply'd.
O Thou in Heav'n and Earth the only peace
Found out for mankind under wrath, O Thou
My fole complacence! well thou know'st how dear
To me are all my works, nor Man the leaft
Though-laft created that for him I fpare
Thee from my bofom and right hand, to fave,
By lofing thee a while, the whole race loft.
Thou therefore, whom thou only canft redeem,
Their nature alfo to thy nature join;
And be thyfelf man among men on earth,
Made flesh, when time fhall be, of virgin-feed,
By wondrous birth; be thou in Adam's room
The head of all mankind, though Adam's fon.
As in him perish all men, fo in thee,
As from a fecond root, fhall be reftor'd
As many as are réftor'd, without thee none.
His crime makes guilty all his fons; thy merit
Imputed fhall abfolve them who renounce
Their own both. righteous and unrighteous deeds:
And live in thee tranfplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So Man, as is most juft,
Shall fatisfy for man, be judg'd and die;
And dying rife, and rifing with him raise
His brethren, ranfom'd with his own dear life.
So heav'nly love fhall outdo hellish hate,
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
So dearly to redeem what hellish hate
So easily destroy'd, and still deftroysen
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
Nor fhalt thou, by defcending to affume
Man's nature, leffen or degrade thine own.
Because thou haft, tho' thron'd in highest bliss * $395 Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to faver
A world from utter lofs, and hast been found
By merit more than birthright Son of God,
Found worthieft to be fo by being good,
Far more than great or high; because in thee
Love hath abounded more than glory abounds,
Therefore thy humiliation fhall exalt
With thee thy manhood alfo to this throne;
Here fhalt thou fit incarnate, here fhalt reig❜n
Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,
Anointed universal king; all power
I give thee; reign for ever, and affume
Thy merits under thee as head fupreme
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce:
All knees to thee fhall bow, of them that 'bide
In Heav'n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell.
When thou attended gloriously from Heav'n
Shalt in the ky appear, and from thee fend
The fummoning Arch-Angels to proclaim
Thy dread tribunal: forthwith from all winds
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