Funere: ab His retrahet mea fe Clementia folis. Nec fatis Hoc: legem fummi violare Parentis Aufus Homo, & cœli perrumpere fœdera, honores Divinos pofcit demens: jam degener, exfpes, Omnium inops, nec habet fcelerata unde expiet ausa. Hinc Illi miferæ cladi æternæque ruinæ
Devoto, fimul infandâ cum ftirpe, cadendum:
Aut pereundum Illi, aut pereat Divina neceffe eft Juftitia: immenfum ni fponte Potentior Alter Perfolvat pretium, & mortem moriendo repellat. Dicite vos Superæ, Pietas ubi tanta, Cohortes? Quis vestrûm membra indutus mortalia lapsum Eripiet genus, atque infons pro fonte peribit? Tantus Amor latis cœli inveniendus in oris?
Dixerat: aft Divûm toto fimul agmine turmæ Omnes conticuere, & facta filentia cœlo. Ufque adeo genti deerat Sponforque Patronufque Humanæ; grave nec pretium perfolvere quifquam
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 Supremacy of Heav'n, Affecting Godhead, and so lofing all, To expiate his Treafon hath nought left: But to deftruction facred and devote, He with his whole posterity must die; Die He or Justice muft; unless for him Some other able, and as willing, pay
The rigid fatisfaction, death for death.
Say, heav'nly Pow'rs, where fhall we find fuch [love?
Which of ye will be mortal to redeem Man's mortal crime, and juft, th' unjust to save ? Dwells in all Heaven Charity fo dear?
He ask'd, but all the Heav'nly Choir stood 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 Aufus,
Aufus, & immani caput objectare ruinæ.
Jamque Hominum ftirps tota omni viduata salute Conciderat, morti duræ damnata tenebrisque Æternis; magni nifi Filius ipfe Parentis, Cui fons divini largiffimus undat Amoris, Se Medium intulerat, placido fic ore locutus: Gratia, dixifti Pater irrevocabile verbum, Gratia lapfo Homini conceditur: Ergone eunti Non aditus datur, aut via Te mittente patebit? Quam nullæ tenuere moræ, quæ præpete pennâ Omnia pervolitat loca; quæ diverfa Animantum Sæcula, quot vivunt, tua velociffima visens Nuntia fe fert fponte, & vota precesque volatu Antevenit. Felicem Hominem! Nam quâ prece, Jam vultu, lapfus tantùm vitiifque fepultus, Poffet opem petere? Ut dignè commiffa piare Crimina?
Me, memet Tibi tradam, animamque cadentis
Ipfe animâ redimam noftrâ: in Me tota furoris
The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set. And now without redemption all mankind Must 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 dearest Mediation thus renew'd.
FATHER, thy word is paft; Man fhall find grace: And fhall Grace not find that finds her
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) Attonement 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;
Vis cadat. Ipfe finum veftrum & Tibi proxima regna Linquam ultro, miferans Hominem: quin Illius ergô Mortem etiam, mortifque afperrima tela subibo. Sed Me non longum imperiis pallentibus Hades Infultans premet; æternam per Te mihi vitam Concilias. Equidem cedam, mî cedere quantum Fas erit: Haud omnis moriar, penitusve fepulchro Obruar; immaculatam Animai fimplicis auram Nunquam atras patiere inter putrefcere fordes. At referam attonito ingentes ex Hofte triumphos, At fpolia eripiam oftentata, ipfumque domabo Victorem: ipfe Hades lethali procidet i&tu, Contufofque animos & fracta fatebitur arma. Altus ego incedens fpatiofis ætheris arvis Multa Erebum luctantem indignantemque catenas Acer agam, regefque umbrarum in vincula miffos Oftendam cœlo. Tu puro lumine lætus Defpectans procul æthereâ ridebis ab arce,
Account Me Man: I for his fake will leave Thy bofom, and this glory next to Thee Freely put off, and for him laftly die
His prey, nor fuffer My unfpotted Soul For ever with corruption there to dwell; But I fhall rife Victorious, and fubdue
Well pleas'd. On Me let Death wreak all his rage. My vanquisher, fpoil'd of his vaunted spoil; Under his gloomy pow'r I shall not long Lie vanquifh'd; Thou haft giv'n me to poffefs Life in My felf for ever; by Thee I live, Though now to Death I yield, and am his due All that of Me can die. Yet that debt paid, Thou wilt not leave Me in the loathfome grave
Death his death's wound fhall then receive, and Inglorious, of his mortal fting difarm'd.
I through the ample Air in Triumph high Shall lead Hell captive, maugre Hell, and show The Pow'rs of darkness bound. Thou at the fight Pleas'd, out of Heaven shalt look down, and smile; Dum
Dum vires Te dante tuas poft cuncta fupremum Sub pedibus calcabo Haden, faucefque fepulchri Horribiles prædâ faturabo victor opimâ.
Tum demum leto ereptas noftroque redemptas Sanguine Dux referens turmas, patria astra revertar; Teque iterum, venerande Pater, tuaque ora videbo Explicita, & nebulis irarum blanda fugatis. Pax stabilis lætamque ornabit Gratia frontem, Vividaque æternis manabunt Gaudia rivis. Conticuit: vultu tacitus fed perftitit almo Suave loqui: fpirat miti divinus in ore
Gentem Amor humanam amplexus; fuper omnia fulget
In Patrem Pietas. Ceu victima læta Parentis
Imperium magni expectat. Stupor occupat omnes Calicolas; nec quifquam ingens fcrutarier orfus Arcanum. Deinde Omnipotens fic voce remifit:
O cœlo terrifque Homini Pax fola caduco, Sola relicta Salus! O unica noftra Voluptas!
While by Thee rais'd I ruin all My Foes, Death laft, and with his Carcass glut the Grave: Then with the multitude of My redeem'd Shall enter Heav'n long abfent, and return, FATHER, to see Thy face, wherein no cloud Of anger shall remain; but peace affur'd And reconcilement: Wrath fhall be no more Thenceforth, but in Thy prefence Joy entire.
His words here ended, but His meek afpect
Silent yet fpake, and breath'd immortal love To mortal men, above which only shon Filial obedience: as a facrifice
Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will Of his great FATHER. Admiration feiz'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
Scis bene, quàm dilecta Mihi quæcunque creavi, Utque Hominem, noras, operum licet ultima pars fit, Non minus indulgens foveam. Te quippe propinquo Hoc folio, Te complexu fecedere nostro, Dulce Decus, patiar paulum nudatus, ut ipsum Eripiam penitùs leto gentemque caducam. Quam folus fervare potes, Tute indue Gentis Naturam, humanofque artus; Hominefque morare Inter Homo, infuetâ mirandum! Virginis alvo Quondam emerfurus, veniet cum tempus: Adamo Te natum, caput & fontem ftirps nofcet Adami. Omnis in Illo Hominum gens lapfa; repullulat in Te Haud fecus ac radice aliâ, cuicunque renafci Contigerit. Gentem Noxa illius inquinat omnem : At Tua purgabit Pietas, quot fe fuaque ultro Abnuerint, quemcunque ferent ea Facta colorem. Per Te frondescent iterum, atque inferta feraci Germina læta magis furgent & fortia trunco.
My fole complacence! well Thou know'ft how dear To Me are all My works, nor Man the least Though last created; that for him I fpare Thee from My bosom, and right hand, to save (By lofing Thee a while) the whole Race loft. Thou therefore, whom thou only canft redeem, Their Nature also to Thy Nature join ; And be Thy felf Man among men on earth, Made flesh, when time fhall be, of Virgin feed,
By wond'rous birth: be Thou in Adam's room The Head of all mankind, though Adam's Son. As in him perish all men, so in Thee, As from a fecond root, fhall be reftor'd As many as are reftor'd; without Thee none. His crime makes guilty all his Sons; Thy merit Imputed shall absolve them, who renounce Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds: And live in Thee tranfplanted, and from Thee
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