God-like fruition, quitted all to save
A world from utter loss, and hast been found By merit more than birthright 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 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, Pow'rs, Dominions I reduce: All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide 321 In Heav'n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell. When thou attended gloriously from Heav'n Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send Thy summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim Thy dread tribunal; forthwith from all winds The living, and forthwith the cited dead Of all past ages to the general doom Shall baston, such a peal shall rouse their sleep. Then all thy saints assembled, thou shalt judge 330 Pad men and Angels; they arraign'd shail sink Beneath thy sentence; Hell, her numbers full, Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring New Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall 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 sceptre shalt lay by, For regal sceptre then no more shall need, God shall be all in all. But all ye Gods, Adore him who to compass all this dies ; Adore the Son, and honour him as me.
No sooner had th' Almighty ceas'd, but all The multitude of Angels, with a shout Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav'n rung With jubilee, and loud Hosannas fill'd Th' eternal regions: lowly reverent
Tow'ards either throne they bow, and to the ground With solemn adoration down they cast
Their crowns inwove with amarant and gold: Immortal amarant, a flow'r which once
In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to bloom; but soon for man's offence To Heav'n remov'd, where first it grew, there grows, And flow'rs aloft shading the fount of life, And where the riv'er of bliss through midst of Heaven Rolls o'er Elysian flow'rs her amber stream; With these that never fade the Spi'rits elect 360 Bind their resplendent locks inwreath'd with beams, Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright Pavement, that like a sea of jasper shone, Impurpled with celestial roses smil'd.
Then crown'd again their golden harps they took, Harps ever tun'd, that glittering by their side
Like quivers hung, and with preamble sweet Of charming symphony they introduce
Their sacred song, and waken raptures high; No voice exempt, no voice but well could join 379 Melodious part, such concord is in Heaven. Thee, Father, first they sung, Omnipotent, Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; thee Author of all being, Fountain of light, thyself invisible
Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sitt'st Thron'd inaccessible, but when thou shad'st The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud Drawn round about thee like a radiant shrine, Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear, 380 Yet dazzle Heav'n, that brightest Seraphim Approach not but with both wings veil their eyes. Thee, next they sang, of all creation first, Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
In whose conspicuous count'nance, without cloud Made visible, th' almighty Father shines, Who else no creature can behold; on thee Impress'd th' effulgence of his glory' abides, Transfus'd on thee his ample Spirit rests. He Heav'n of Heav'ns and all the Pow'rs thercin By thee created, and by thee threw down Th' aspiring Dominations: thou that day Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare, Nor stop thy flamia, chariot wheels, that shook Heav'n's everlasting frame, while o'er the necks Thou drov'st of warring Angeis disarray'd.
Back from pursuit thy Pow'rs with loud acclaim Thee only' extoll'd, Son of thy Father's might, To execute fierce vengeance on his foes,
Not so on Man: him through their malice fall'n, Father of mercy' and grace, thou didst not doom So strictly, but much more to pity' incline: No sooner did thy dear and only Son
Perceive thee purpos'd not to doom frail Man So strictly, but much more to pity' incline, He to appease thy wrath, and end the strife Of mercy' and justice in thy face discern'd, Regardless of the bliss wherein he sat Second to thee, offer'd himself to die For Man's offence. O unexampled love, 410 Love no where to be found less than Divine ! Hail Son of God, Saviour of Men, thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song Henceforth, and never shall my harp thy praise Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoin.
Thus they in Heav'n, above the starry sphere, Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent. Meanwhile upon the firm opacous globe
Of this round world, whose first convex divides The luminous inferior orbs inclos'd From Chaos and th' inroad of Darkness old,
Satan alighted walks: a globe far off
It seem'd, now seems a boundless continent
Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night Starless expos'd, and ever-threat'ning storms
Of Chaos blust ring round, inclement sky;
Save on that side which from the wall of Heaven, Though distant far, some small reflection gains Of glimmering air less vex'd with tempest loud: Here walk'd the Fiend at large in spacious field. 430 As when a vulture on Imaus bred,
Whose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, Dislodging from a region scarce of prey
To gorge the flesh of lambs or yeanling kids On hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the springs Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams; But in his way lights on the barren plains Of Sericana, where Chineses drive
With sails and wind their cany waggons light: So on this windy sea of land, the Fiend Walk'd up and down alone, bent on his prey; Alone, for other creature in this place Living or lifeless to be found was none; None yet, but store hereafter from the earth Up hither like aerial vapours flew
Of all things transitory' and vain, when sin With vanity had fill'd the works of men; Both all things vain, and all who in vain things Built their fond hopes of glory' or lasting fame, Or happiness in this or th' other life;
450 All who have their reward on earth, the fruits Of painful superstition and blind zeal, Nought seeking but the praise of men, here find Fit retribution, empty as their deeds;
All the unaccomplish'd works of Nature's hand, Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mix'd, Dissoly'd on earth, fleet hither, and in vain,
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