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 condemned
A shameful and accursed, nailed 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 he 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 offered life Neglect not, and the benefit embrace
By faith not void of works. This godlike act
Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst have 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 followed him; to them shall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of him they learned 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 befall, 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 preached, but to the sons
Of Abraham's faith wherever through the world; So in his seed all nations shall be blest. 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 leave; Then enter into glory, and resume
His seat at God's right hand, exalted high
Above all names in Heaven; and thence shall come,
When this World's dissolution shall be ripe,
With glory and power, to judge both quick and dead
To judge the unfaithful dead, but to reward
His faithful, and receive them into bliss,
Whether in Heaven or Earth; for then the Earth Shall be all 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 occasioned, or rejoice
Much more that much more good thereof shall 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,
His people, who defend? Will they not deal
The enemies of truth. Who then shall guide
Worse with his followers than with him they dealt?"
"Be sure they will," said the Angel; "but from Heaven
He to his own a Comforter will send,
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 With spiritual armour, able to resist Satan's assaults, and quench his fiery darts- What man can do against them not afraid, Though to the death; against such cruelties
With inward consolations recompensed, And oft supported so as shall amaze Their proudest persecutors. For the Spirit, Poured first on his Apostles, whom he sends To evangelize the nations, then on all
Baptized, shall them with wondrous gifts endue To speak all tongues, and do all miracles, As did their Lord before them. Thus they win Great numbers of each nation to receive With joy the tidings brought from Heaven Their ministry performed, and race well run, Their doctrine and their story written left, They die; but in their room, as they forewarn,
Wolves shall succeed for teachers, grievous wolves, Who all the sacred mysteries of Heaven To their own vile advantages shall turn Of lucre and ambition, and the truth With superstitions and traditions taint, Left only in those written records pure,
Though not but by the Spirit understood.
Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names, Places, and titles, and with these to join
Secular power, though feigning still to act By spiritual; to themselves appropriating The Spirit of God, promised alike and given To all believers; and, from that pretence, Spiritual laws by carnal power shall force
On every conscience-laws which none shall find Left them enrolled, or what the Spirit within Shall on the heart engrave. What will they then But force the Spirit of Grace itself, and bind His consort, Liberty? what but unbuild His living temples, built by faith to stand— Their own faith, not another's? for, on Earth, Who against faith and conscience can be heard Infallible? Yet many will presume: Whence heavy persecution shall arise On all who in the worship persevere
Of Spirit and Truth; the rest, far greater part,
Will deem in outward rites and specious forms
Religion satisfied; Truth shall retire
Bestuck with slanderous darts, and works of Faith
Rarely be found. So shall the World go on,
To good malignant, to bad men benign,
Under her own weight groaning, till the day Appear of respiration to the just
And vengeance to the wicked, at return
Of Him so lately promised to thy aid, The Woman's Seed-obscurely then foretold, Now amplier known thy Saviour and thy Lord; Last in the clouds from Heaven to be revealed In glory of the Father, to dissolve
Satan with his perverted World; then raise From the conflagrant mass, purged and refined, New Heavens, new Earth, Ages of endless date Founded in righteousness and peace and love, To bring forth fruits, joy and eternal bliss." He ended; and thus Adam last replied:- How soon hath thy prediction, Seer blest, Measured this transient World, the race of Time, Till Time stand fixed! Beyond is all abyss- Eternity, whose end no eye can reach. Greatly instructed I shall hence depart, Greatly in peace of thought, and have iny fill Of knowledge, what this vessel can contain ; Beyond which was my folly to aspire. Henceforth I learn that to obey is best, And love with fear the only God, to walk As in his presence, ever to observe
His providence, and on him sole depend,
Merciful over all his works, with good
Still overcoming evil, and by small
By simply meek; that suffering for Truth's sake
Accomplishing great things-by things deemed weak Subverting worldly-strong, and worldly-wise
Is fortitude to highest victory,
And to the faithful death the gate of life- Taught this by his example whom I now Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest."
To whom thus also the Angel last replied:- "This having learned, thou hast attained the sum Of wisdom; hope no higher, though all the stars Thou knew'st by name, and all the ethereal powers, All secrets of the Deep, all Nature's works, Or works of God in heaven, air, earth, or sea, And all the riches of this world enjoy'dst, And all the rule, one empire. Only add Deeds to thy knowledge answerable; add faith ; Add virtue, patience, temperance; add love, By name to come called Charity, the soul Of all the rest then wilt thou not be loth To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess A Paradise within thee, happier far. Let us descend now, therefore, from this top
Of speculation; for the hour precise
Exacts our parting hence; and, see! the guards, By me encamped on yonder hill, expect Their motion, at whose front a flaming sword, In signal of remove, waves fiercely round. We may no longer stay. Go, waken Eve; Her also I with gentle dreams have calmed, Portending good, and all her spirits composed To meek submission: thou, at season fit,
Let her with thee partake what thou hast heard- Chiefly what may concern her faith to know, The great deliverance by her seed to come (For by the Woman's Seed) on all mankind— That ye may live, which will be many days, Both in one faith unanimous; though sad With cause for evils past, yet much more cheered With meditation on the happy end."
He ended, and they both descend the hill. Descended, Adam to the bower where Eve
Lay sleeping ran before, but found her waked;
And thus with words not sad she him received:
"Whence thou return'st and whither went'st I know;
For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise,
Which he hath sent propitious, some great good Presaging, since, with sorrow and heart's distress Wearied, I fell asleep. But now lead on; In me is no delay; with thee to go XIs to stay here; without thee here to stay X Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me
Art all things under Heaven, all places thou, Who for my wilful crime art banished hence. This further consolation yet secure
I carry hence: though all by me is lost, Such favour I unworthy am voutsafed,
By me the Promised Seed shall all restore."
So spake our mother Eve; and Adam heard
Well pleased, but answered not; for now too nigh
The Archangel stood, and from the other hill
To their fixed station, all in bright array,
The Cherubim descended, on the ground Gliding meteorous, as evening mist
Risen from a river o'er the marish glides,
And gathers ground fast at the labourer's heel
Homeward returning. High in front advanced,
The brandished sword of God before them blazed, Fierce as a comet; which with torrid heat, And vapour as the Libyan air adust,
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