Unseen before in Heaven, proclaims him come; And guides the eastern sages, who inquire His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold: His place of birth a solemn Angel tells
To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night; They gladly thither haste, and by a choir Of squadron'd Angel hear his carol sung. A virgin in his mother, but his sire
The power of the Most High: he shall ascend The throne hereditary, and bounds, his reign
With Earth's wide bounds his glory with the Heavens. He ceased, discerning Adam with such joy Surcharged, as had like grief been dew'd in tears, Without the vent ofwords; which these he breahed; "O prophet of glad tidings, finisher
of utmost hope! now clear I understand
What oft my steadiest thoughts have search'd in vain ; Why our great expecation should be call'd
The seed of women: Virgin mother, hail, High in the love of Heaven; yet from my loins Thou shalt proceed, and from thy womb the Son Of God Most High: so God with man unites ! Need must the serpent now his capital bruise Expect with mortal pain: say where and when Their fight, what stroke shall bruse the victor's heel." To whom thus Michael: "Dream not of their fight As of a duel, or the local wounds
Of head or heel: not therefore joins the Son Manhood to God head, with more strength to foil Thy enemy; nor so is overcome
Satan, whose fall from Heaven, a deadlier bruised, Disabled, not to give thee thy death's wound: Which he, who comes thy Saviour, shall rescue. Not by destroying Satan, but his works
In thee and thy seed: nor can this be, But by fulfiling that which thou didst want Obedience to the law of God, imposed
On penalty of death, and suffering death; The penalty to thy transgression due, And due to theirs which out of thine will grow So only can high justice rest appaid.
The law of God exact he shall fulfil Both by obedience and 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, becoms 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 condemn'd A shameful and accursed, nail'd 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 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 any offer'd 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, Of 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 follow'd him; to them shall leave in charge To teach all nations what of him they learn'd 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 befal, 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 preach'd but to the sons Of Abraham's faith wherever through the world, So in his seed all nations shall be bless'd, 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 dessolution 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 all be Paradise, far happier place Than this of Eden, and far happier days."
So spake the Arch-Angel 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 occasion'd; 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, The enemies of truth? Who then shall guide His people, who defend? Will they not deal Worse with his followers than with him they dealt?', "Be sure they will, said the Angel; but from 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, Pour'd first on his apostles, whom he sends To evangelize the natious, then on all Baptized, shall them with wonderous 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: at length Their ministry perform'd 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 superstition and traditions taint, Left only in those written records pure. Though not but by the spirit understood.
Then they shall 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 inroll'd, 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 womans seed: obscurely then foretold, Now ampler known thy Saviour and thy Lord
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