But yet all is not done; Man difobeying, 205 210 Say heav'nly Pow'rs, where fhall we find fuch love? Which of ye will be mortal to redeem Man's mortal crime, and juft th' unjuft to fave? 215 Dwells in all Heaven charity fo dear? He afk'd, but all the heav'nly quire ftood mute, Much less that durft upon his own head draw In whom the fulnefs dwells of love divine, 220 225 Father, thy word is past, Man fhall find grace; And shall grace not find means, that finds her way, The speediest of thy winged meffengers, To vifit all thy creatures, and to all 230 Comes unprevented, unimplar'd, unfought? Happy for Man, fo coming; he her aid Can never feek, once dead in fins and loft; fall; Thy bofom, and this glory next to thee. Freely put off, and for him laftly die 235 240 Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreck all his rage; Lie vanquish'd; thou haft giv'n me to poffefs For ever with corruption there to dwell; My vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil; 245. 250 Death his death's wound shall then receive, and stoop Inglorious, of his mortal fting difarm'd. I through the ample air in triumph high Shall lead Hell captive maugre Hell, and show 255 The Pow'rs of darkness bound. Thou at the fight Death laft, and with his carcass glut the grave: 260 Of Of anger shall remain, but peace affur'd His words here ended, but his meek aspéct Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will Of his great Father. Admiration feis'd 265 270 All Heav'n, what this might mean, and whither tend Wond'ring; but soon th' Almighty thus reply'd. 275 O thou in Heav'n and Earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou My fole complacence! well thou know'ft how dear To me are all my works, nor Man the least, Though laft created; that for him I spare Thee from my bofom and right hand, to save, By lofing thee a while, the whole race loft. Thou therefore, whom thou only canft redeem, Their nature alfo to thy nature join; 280 And be thyfelf Man among men on earth, Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin feed, By wondrous birth: be thou in Adam's room 285 As from a fecond root, fhall be reftor'd As many as are reftor'd, without thee none. His crime makes guilty all his fons; thy merit 290 Imputed shall abfolve them who renounce And And live in thee transplanted, and from thee Shall fatisfy for Man, be judg'd and die, 295 And dying rife, and rifing with him raise In those who, when they may, accept not grace. Man's nature, leffen or degrade thine own. 300 Because thou haft, though thron'd in highest blifs 305 Equal to God, and equally enjoying God-like fruition, quitted all to fave A world from utter loss, and hast been found 310 With thee thy manhood also to this throne; Here fhalt thou fit incarnate, here shalt reign 315 Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man, I give thee; reign for ever, and affume When thou attended gloriously from Heaven 325 Shall haften, fuch a peal shall rouse their sleep. See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth. Then thou thy regal fceptre shalt lay by, For regal fceptre then no more fhall need, 340 God fhall be all in all. But all ye Gods, Adore him, who to compass all this dies; No fooner had th' Almighty ceas'd, but all The multitude of Angels, with a fhout 345 Loud as from numbers without number, sweet As from bleft voices, uttering joy, Heav'n rung With jubilee, and loud Hofanna's fill'd Th' eternal regions: lowly reverent Tow'ards either throne they bow, and to the ground` With folemn adoration down they caft Their crowns inwove with amarant and gold; · Immortal |