Freely put off, and for him laftly die
Well pleas'd, on me let Death wreck all his rage;
Under his gloomy power I shall not long
Lie vanquisht 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 245
All that of me can die; yet that debt paid,
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathfom grave
His prey, nor fuffer my unfpotted Soul
For ever with corruption there to dwell;
But I fhall rife Victorious, and fubdue
My vanquisher, fpoil'd of his vaunted fpoile; Death his death's wound fhall then receive, and stoop Inglorious, of his mortal fting disarm'd.
I through the ample Air in Triumph high
Shall lead Hell captive maugre Hell, and fhow 255
The powers of darknefs bound. Thou at the fight
Pleas'd, out of Heav'n fhalt look down and smile,
While by thee rais'd I ruin all my Foes,
Death laft, and with his Carcafs glut the Grave:
Then with the multitude of my redeem'd
Shall enter Heav'n long absent, and return,
Father, to fee thy face, wherein no cloud
of
anger fhall remain, but peace affur'd
And reconcilement; wrauth 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 fhon
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, or 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 wrauth, O thou 275 My fole complacence! well thou know'ft 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. 280 Thou therefore whom thou only canft redeem,
Their Nature also to thy Nature joyn ;
And be thy felf Man among men on Earth,
Made flesh, when time fhall be, of Virgin feed,
By wondrous birth: Be thou in Adam's room 285
The Head of all mankind, though Adam's Son.
As in him perish all men, fo in thee
As from a fecond root shall be reftor'd,
As many as are reftor'd, without thee none.
His crime makes guilty all his Sons, thy merit 290
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 moft juft,
Shall fatisfic 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 outdoo Hellish hate
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate
So easily deftroy'd, and still destroys
In those who, when they may, accept nor grace.
Nor fhalt thou by defcending to affume
Man's Nature, lefs'n or degrade thine own.
Because thou haft, tho' Thron'd in highest bliss 309
Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to fave
A World from utter lofs, and haft 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 shall exalt
With thee thy Manliood alfo to this Throne;
Here halt thou fit incarnate, here fhalt reign 315
Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,
Anointed univerfal King, and Power
I give thee, reign for ever, and affume
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 Heav'n
Shalt in the Sky appear, and from thee fend
The fummoning Arch-Angels to proclaim
Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Winds
The living, and forthwith the cited dead
Of all paft Ages to the general Doom
Shall haf'n, fuch a peal fhall roufe their fleep.
Then all thy Saint's affembl'd, thou fhalt judge 330
Bad men and Angels, they arraign'd shall sink
Beneath thy Sentence; Hell, her numbers full,
Thenceforth fhall be for ever fhut. Mean while
The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring
New Heav'n and Earth, wherein the juft fhall dwell,
And after all their tribulations long
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth.
Then thou thy regal Scepter fhalt lay by,
For regal Scepter then no more fiall need
God fhall be All in All. But all ye Gods,
Adore him, who to compafs all this dies,
Adore the Son, and honour him as me.
No fooner had th' Almighty ceas'd, but all
The multitude of Angels with a shout
Loud as from numbers without number, fweet
As from bleft voices, uttering joy, Heav'n rung
With Jubilee, and loud Hofanna's fill'd
Th' eternal Regions: lowly reverent
Towards either Throne they bow, and to the ground
With folemn adoration down they caft
Their Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold,
Immortal Amarant, a Flour which once
In Paradife, faft by the Tree of Life
Began to bloom, but foon for man's offence
To Heav'n remov'd, where firft it grew, there grows,
And flours aloft fhading the Fount of Life,
And where the River of Blifs thro' midft of Heav'n
Rowls o'er Elysian Flours her Amber stream;
With these that never fade the Spirits elect
Bind their refplendent locks inwreath'd with beams,
Now in loofe Garlands thick thrown off, the bright
Pavement that like a Sea of Jasper fhon
Impurpl'd with Celestial Roses smil’d.
Then Crown'd again their gold'n Harps they took,
Harps ever tun'd, that glittering by their fide
Like Quivers hung, and with Præamble sweet
Of charming fymphony they introduce
Their facred Song, and waken raptures high;
No voice exempt, no voice but well could joyn 370
Melodious part, fuch concord is in Heav'n.
Thee Father first they fung Omnipotent,
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; thee Author of all being,
Fountain of Light, thy self invisible
Amidst the glorious brightness where thou fit'ft
Thron'd inacceffible, but when thou had'ft
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud
Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine,
Dark with exceffive bright thy skirts appear,
Yet dazle Heav'n, that bright eft Seraphim
Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes.
Thee next they fang of all Creation first,
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
In whofe confpicuous count'nance, without cloud
Made vifible, th' Almighty Father shines,
Whom elfe no Creature can behold; on thee
Imprefs'd the effulgence of his Glory abides,
Transfus'd on thee his ample Spirit refts.
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