But yet all is not done; man disobeying Disloyal breaks his fealty, and sins Against the high supremacy of heaven, Affecting Godhead, and so losing all, To expiate his treason hath naught left, But to destruction sacred and devote, He with his whole posterity must die, Die he or justice must; unless for him Some other able, and as willing, pay The rigid satisfaction, death for death. Say heavenly Powers, where shall we find such Which of ye will be mortal to redeem
Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to save? 215 Dwells in all heaven charity so dear?
He ask❜d, but all the heavenly choir stood mute, And silence was in heaven: on man's behalf Patron or intercessor none appear'd,
Much less that durst upon his own head draw 220 The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set. And now without redemption all mankind Must have been lost, adjudg'd to death and hell By doom severe, had not the Son of GOD, In whom the fulness dwells of love divine, His dearest mediation thus renew'd.
Father, thy word is pass'd, man shall find grace ; And shall grace not find means, that finds her way, The speediest of thy winged messengers,
To visit all thy creatures, and to all
Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unsought?
208 sacred] 'sacrate.' Bentl. MS.
Happy for man, so coming; he her aid Can never seek, once dead in sins and lost; 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 sake will leave Thy bosom, and this glory next to thee Freely put off, and for him lastly die
Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreak all his rage; Under his gloomy power I shall not long Lie vanquish'd; thou hast giv'n me to possess Life in myself 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 loathsome grave His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul For ever with corruption there to dwell: But I shall rise victorious, and subdue My vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil; Death his death's wound shall then receive, and Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarm'd.
I through the ample air in triumph high Shall lead hell captive maugre hell, and show 255 The powers of darkness bound. Thou, at the sight
236 me] The frequent repetition of 'me' is like Virgil, Æn. ix. 427.
‘Me, me, adsum qui feci in me convertite ferrum.' Newton. 255 maugre hell] 'Such Life that maugre Hell he lives.' Sir T. Hawkins' Horace, (1638) p. 72. Maugre thy fury,' v.
Pleas'd, out of heaven shalt look down and smile, While by thee rais'd I ruin all my foes, Death last, and with his carcase glut the grave: Then with the multitude of my redeem'd Shall enter heaven long absent, and return, Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud Of anger shall remain, but peace assur'd And reconcilement: wrath shall be no more Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire.
His words here ended, but his meek aspect Silent yet spake, 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 seiz’d
All heaven, what this might mean and whither tend Wond'ring; but soon th' Almighty thus reply'd: O thou in heaven and earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou 275 My soul complacence! well thou know'st how dear To me are all my works, nor man the least,
Marino's Sl. of the Inn. p. 58. 'Maugre thine enemies' hate.' Gayton's Ch. Script. p. 3. 4to.
267 immortal love] See Luceret. v. 122. • Immortalia mortali sermone notantes.' Aristot. de Rhetor. ii. 17. 2. ἀθανάτον ὅργην μὴ φύλαττε, θνητὸς ὤν.
277 least] Shakespeare's Lear, act i. scene 1. 'Now our joy,
Although the last, not least.'
and Jul. Cæs. act iii. 'scene 1.
'Though last, not least, in love.' Newton.
Though last created, that for him I spare Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save, By losing thee awhile, the whole race lost. Thou therefore whom thou only can'st redeem Their nature also to thy nature join ; And be thy self man among men on earth, Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed, By wondrous 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 second root, shall be restor❜d, As many as are restor'd, without thee none. His crime makes guilty all his sons; thy merit 290 Imputed shall absolve them who renounce Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds, And live in thee transplanted, and from thee Receive new life. So man, as is most just, Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die; And dying rise, and rising with him raise His brethren, ransom'd with his own dear life. So heavenly love shall outdo hellish hate, Giving to death, and dying to redeem, So dearly to redeem what hellish hate
So easily destroy'd, and still destroys
In those who, when they may, accept not grace. Nor shalt thou by descending to assume Man's nature lessen or degrade thine own. Because thou hast, though thron'd in highest bliss
301 destroys] The fall is spoken of as a thing past, but as perhaps present to the divine mind, so ver. 151 and 181. Pearce.
Equal to GOD, and equally enjoying God-like fruition, quitted all to save
A world from utter loss, and hast been found By merit more than birthrigh Son of GOD, Found worthiest to be so by being good, Far more than great or high; because in thee Love hath abounded more than glory abounds; Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt With thee thy manhood also to this throne; Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt reign 315 Both GOD and Man, Son both of GOD and Man, Anointed universal king; all power
I give thee, reign for ever, and assume Thy merits; under thee as head supreme
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions, I reduce: All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide 320 In heaven, or earth, or under earth in hell; When thou attended gloriously from heaven Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send The summoning archangels to proclaim Thy dread tribunal: forthwith from all winds The living, and forthwith the cited dead Of all past ages, to the general doom
306 Equal] Newton says, 'this is an instance of Milton's orthodoxy;' how could he have overlooked the lines that follow?
'By merit more than birthright Son of God.' 825 archangels] Archangel; v. Thessal. iv. 6. xxiv. 31. Bentl. MS. The Archangel Michael is the only Archangel of whom we know any thing from holy Writ.' Horsley's Sermons, p. 583, 8vo.
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