Their nature, and revoke the high decree
Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain'd
Tbeir freedom, they themselves ordain'd their fali
T'be first sort by their own suggestion fell,
Self-tempted, self-depraved : man falls, deceived
By the other first: man therefore shall find grace,
The other none : in mercy and justice both,
Through heaven and earth, so shall my glory excel;
But mercy, first and last, shall brightest shine."

Thus while God spako, ambrosial fragrance fillid
All heaven, and in the blessed spirits elect
Sense of new joy ineffable diffus'd.
Beyond compare the Son of God was seen
Most glorious : in him all his Father shone
Substantially express'd ; and in his face
Divine compassion visibly appear'd,
Love without end, and without measure grace,
Which uttering, thus he to his Father spake :
“O Father! gracious was that word whieb

clos'd Thy sovran sentence, that man should find grace; For which both heaven and earth shall high exto Thy praises, with the innumerable suund Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne Encompass'd shall resound thee ever blest. For should man finally be lost, should man, Thy creature late so lov'd, thy youngest son, Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd With his own folly ? That be from thee far, That far be from thee, Father, who art judge Of all things made, and judgest only right. Or shall the adversary thus obtain His end, and frustrate thine ? shall he fulfil His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought, Or proud return, though to his heavier doom, Yet with revenge accomplisb’d, and to hell Draw after him the whole race of mankind, By him corrupted ? or wilt thou thyself Abolish thy creation, and unmake

For him, what for thy glory thou hast made ?
Ses should thy goodness and thy greatness both
Be question'd and blasphem'd without defence."

To whom the great Creator thus replied :
“ O Son, in whom my soul bath chief delight,
Son of my bosom, Son who art alone
My word, my wisdom, and effectual might,
All hast thou spoken as my thoughts are, all
As my eterual purpose hath decreed :
Man shall not quite be lost, but sav'd who will;
Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
Freely vouchsafed ; once more I will renew
His lapsed powers, though forfeit, and enthrall'd
By sin to foul exorbitant desires ;
Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
On even ground against his mortal foe;
By ine upheld, that he may know how frajl
His fallen condition is, and to me owe
All his deliverance, and to none but me.
Sume I have chosen of peculiår grace,
Elect above the rest ; 80 iş my will :
The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd
Their sinful state, and to appease betimes
'The incensed Deity, while offer'd grace
Invites ; for I will clear their senses dark,
What may suffice, and soften stony hearts
To pray, repent, and bring obedience dne.
To prayer, repentance, and obedience dne,
Though but endeavour'd with sincere intent,
Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut.
And I will place within them as a guide,
Aly umpire, Conscience { whom if they will hear,
Light after light, well us'd they shall attain,
And to the end persisting, safe arrive.
This my long sufferance, and my day of grace,
They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste ;
But hard be hardened, blind be blinded more,
'That they may stumble on, and deeper fall:
And none but such from merey I exclude,
But yet all is not done : man disobeyings

}

Disloyal, breaks his fealty, and sins
Against the high supremacy of Heaven,
Affecting godhead, and so losing all,
To expiate his treason hath nought left,
But to destruction sacred and devote,
He, with his whole posterity, must die.
Die he or justice must; unless for him
Some other able, and as willing, pay
The rigid satisfaction, death for death. (love ?
Say, heavenly Powers, where shall we find such
Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem
Man's mortal crime, and just the unjust to save ?
Dwells in all heaven charity so dear ?"

He ask'd, but all the heavenly quire stood mute,
And silence was in heaven : on man's behalf
Patron nor intercersor none appear'd,
Much less than durst upon his own head draw
The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set.
And now without redemption all mankind
Must have been lost, adjudgid to death and hell
By doom severe, had not the Son of God,
In whom the fulness dwells of love divine,
His dearest mediat thus renewed :

“ Father! thy word is past, man skall find grace; and shall grace not find means, that finds her way, The speediest of thy winged messengers, To visit all thy creatures, and to all Comes unprevented, unimplor’d, unsought ? Happy for man, so coming ; he her aid Can never seek, once dead in sins, and lost; Atonement for himself, or offering meet, Indebted and undone, hath none to bring : Beisold me then ; me for him, life for life I offer; on me let thine anger fall; Account me man ; I for his sake will leare Thiy bosom, and this glory next to thee Freely put off, and for him lastly die Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreak all his

rage, Uuder his gloomy power I sball put long

Lie vanquish'd ; thou hast given me to possess
Life in myself for ever ; by thee I live,
Though now to death 1 yield, and am his due
All that of me can die : yet, that debt paid,
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave
His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul
For ever with corruption there to dwell :
But I shall rise victorious, and subdue
My vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil';
Death his death's wound shall then receive, and
Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarm'd. (stoop
I through the ample air in triumph high
Shall lead hell captive, maugre hell, and shew
The powers of darkness hound. Thou, at the sight
Pleas'd, out of heaven, sbalt look down and smile,
While, hy thee rais'd, I ruin all my foes,
Death last, and with his carcass glut the grave :
Then, with the multitude of my redeem'd,
Shall enter heaven, long absent, and return,
Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud
Of anger shall remain, but peace assur'd
And reconcilement ; wrath shall be no more
Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire."

His words here ended, but his meek aspect
Silent yet spake, and breath'd immortal love
To mortal men, above which only shone
Filial obedience : as a sacrifice
Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will
Of his great Father. Admiration seiz'd
All heaven, what thismightmean, and whithertend,
Wondering; but soon the Almighty thus replied :

“ O chou in heaven and earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath ! O thou My sole complacence! well thou knowest how deat To me are all my works, nor man the least, Though last created ; that for him I spare Thue from my bosom and right hand, to save, By losing thee a while, the whole race lost. Thou therefore, whom thou only canst redeemy

Their nature also to thy nature join ;
And be thyself man among men on earth,
Made Alesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed,
By wondrous birth : be thou in Adam's room
The head of all mankind, though Adam's son.
As in him perish all men, so in thee,
As from a second root, shall be restor'd
As many as are restor'd, without thee none.
His crime makes guilty all his sons; thy merito
Imputed, shall absolve them who renounce
Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,
And live in thee transplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So man, as is most just,
Shall satisfy for man, be judg’d and die,
And dying rise, and rising with him raise
His brethren, ransom'd with his own dear life.
So heavenly love shall outdo bellish hate,
Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
So dearly to redeem, what hellish bate
So easily destroyed, and still destroys
In those woo, when they may, acoept not grace.
Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume
Man's nature, lessen or degrade thine own.
Because thou hast, though thron'd in highest bliss
Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all, to save
A world from utter loss, and hast been found
By merit more than birth-right 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, bere shalt reigo
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, princedums, powers, dominions, I reduce