Of God moft High; fo God with Man unites.
Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise
Expect with mortal pain: fay where and when
Their fight, what stroke shall bruise 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 ftrength to foil
Thy enemy; nor fo is overcome
Satan, whose fall from Heav'n, a deadlier bruise,
Difabled not to give thee thy death's wound:
Which he, who comes thy Saviour, shall recure,
Not by destroying Satan, but his works
In thee and in thy feed: nor can this be,
But by fulfilling that which thou didst want,
Obedience to the law of God, impos'd
On penalty of death, and suffering death,
The penalty to thy tranfgreffion due,
And due to theirs which out of thine will
So only can high juftice reft 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 indure by coming in the flesh
To a reproachful life and curfed death,
Proclaming life to all who fhall believe
In his redemption, and that his obedience
Imputed becomes theirs by faith, his merits
To fave them, not their own, though legai works.
For this he shall live hated, be blafphem'd,
Seis'd on by force, judg'd, and to death condemn'd
A shameful and accurs'd, nail'd to the cross
By his own nation, flain for bringing life;
But to the cross he nails thy enemies,
The law that is against thee, and the fins
Of all mankind, with him there crucify'd,
Never to hurt them more who rightly trust
In this his fatisfaction; fo he dies,
But foon revives; death over him no power
Shall long ufurp; ere the third dawning light
Return, the stars of morn fhall fee him rife
Out of his grave, fresh as the dawning light,
Thy ransom paid, which man from death redeems,
His death for man, as many as offer'd life
Neglect not, and the benefit embrace
By faith not void of works: this God-like act
Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst have dy'd,
In fin for ever loft from life; this act
Shall bruife the head of Satan, crufh his ftrength, 430
Defeating fin and death, his two main arms,
And fix far deeper in his head their stings
Than temp'ral death shall bruise the victor's heel,
Or theirs whom he redeems, a death like fleep,
A gentle wafting to immortal life.
Nor after refurrection shall he stay
Longer on earth than certain times to' appear
To his difciples, men who in his life
Still follow'd him; to them fhall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of him they learn'd
And his falvation, them who fhall believe
Baptizing in the profluent stream, the fign
Of washing them from guilt of fin to life
Pure, and in mind prepar'd, if so befall,
For death, like that which the Redeemer dy'd.
All nations they fhall teach; for from that day
Not only to the fons of Abraham's loins
Salvation fhall be preach'd, but to the fons
Of Abraham's faith wherever through the world;
So in his feed all nations shall be bleft.
Then to the Heav'n of Heav'ns he fhall afcend
With victory, triumphing through the air
Over his foes and thine; there fhall furprise
The Serpent, prince of air, and drag in chains
Through all his realm, and there confounded leave;
Then enter into glory, and resume
His feat at God's right hand, exalted high
Above all names in Heav'n; and thence fhall come, When this world's diffolution shall be ripe,
With glory' and pow'r to judge both quick and dead, To judge th' unfaithful dead, but to reward
His faithful, and receive them into blifs,
Whether in Heav'n or Earth, for then the Earth
Shall all be Paradife, far happier place
Than this of Eden, and far happier days.
So fpake th' Arch-Angel Michaël, then paus’d, As at the world's great period; and our fire Replete with joy and wonder thus reply'd.
O Goodness infinite, Goodness immenfe ! That all this good of evil fhall 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 fin
By me done and occafion'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 fay, if our Deliverer up to Heaven
Muft reafcend, what will betide the few
His faithful, left among th' unfaithful herd,
The enemies of truth? who then shall guide
His people, who defend will they not deal
Worfe with his followers than with him they dealt?
Be fure they will, faid th' Angel; but from Heaven
He to his own a Comforter will fend,
The promise of the Father, who shall dwell
His Spirit within them, and the law of faith
Working through love, upon their hearts fhall write,
To guide them in all truth, and also arm
With spiritual armour, able to resist
Satan's affaults, and quench his fiery darts,
What man can do against them, not afraid,
Though to the death, against fuch cruelties
With inward confolations recompens'd,
And oft fupported so as shall amaze
Their proudest perfecutors: for the Spirit
Pour'd first on his Apoftles, whom he sends
To evangelize the nations, then on all
Baptiz'd, fhall them with wondrous gifts indue
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 Heav'n: at length
Their miniftry perform'd, and race well run,
Their doctrin and their story written left,
They die; but in their room, as they forewarn,
Wolves fhall fucceed for teachers, grievous wolves,
Who all the facred mysteries of Heaven
To their own vile advantages shall turn
Of lucre and ambition, and the truth
With fuperftitions 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, 515
Places, and titles, and with these to join
Secular pow'r; though feigning ftill to act
By fpiritual, to themselves appropriating
The Spirit of God, promis'd alike and given.
To all believers; and from that pretence,
Spiritual laws by carnal pow'r fhall force
On
every confcience; laws which none fhall find
Left them inroll'd, or what the Spi'rit within
Shall on the heart ingrave. What will they then
But force the Spi'rit of grace itself, and bind
His confort 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 confcience can be heard
Infallible? yet many will prefume:
Whence heavy perfecution thall arise
|