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 which clos'd
Thy sovran sentence, that Man should find grace: 145
For which both heav'n and earth shall high extol
Thy praises, with th' innumerable sound
Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne
Incompass'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

the Son of God is styled, the
brightness of his Father's glory,
and the express image of his per-
son ; χαρακτης της ὑποστασεως αυτον,
the character of his substance,
as the original expresses it.
Hume.

147. -with th' innumerable
sound

Of hymns and sacred songs,]
Innumerable sound of songs is
here the same with innumerable
force of spirits in i. 101. In both
places the word innumerable,
though joined to sound and force,
yet in sense refers to songs and
spirits. See also x. 268. Dr.
Bentley dislikes sound, because
resound follows in the next verse
but one.
But this way of writ-
ing is common in this poem:

150

155

See i. 642. and ii. 190, 192. So in i. 441, 442. we read songs unsung. And we have the very thing which the Doctor finds fault with in vii. 558.

Follow'd with acclamation and the sound

Symphonious of ten thousand harps
that tun'd

Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air
Resounded.

Pearce.

153. that be from thee far, &c.] An imitation of Genesis xviii. 25. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought,
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,
Yet with revenge accomplish'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?
So 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 hath 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 eternal 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 vouchsaf'd; once more I will renew
His lapsed pow'rs, though forfeit and inthrall'd
By sin to foul exorbitant desires

;

Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
On even ground against his mortal foe,
By me upheld, that he may know how frail

158. nought,] This word and ought our author most usually spells naught and aught, and they may be spelt either way; but this is grown obsolete, and the other may be justified as well from the Saxon.

168. O Son, &c.] The Son is here addressed by several titles and appellations borrowed from Scripture. O Son, in whom my soul hath chief delight, from

160

165

170

175

180

Matt. iii. 17. My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Son of my bosom, from John i. 18. The only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. My word, from Rev. xix. 13. And his name is called the word of God. My wisdom and effectual might, from 1 Cor. i. 24. Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

180. By me upheld,] It was before, ver. 178. Upheld by me.

His fall'n condition is, and to me owe

All his deliverance, and to none but me.
Some I have chosen of peculiar grace

Elect above the rest; so is my will:

The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd
Their sinful state, and to appease betimes
Th' 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 due.
To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due,
Though but endevor'd with sincere intent,
Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut.
And I will place within them as a guide
My 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

The turn of the words is remarkable. And we have the oftener taken notice of these turns of the words, because it has been objected by Dryden and others, that there were no turns of the words in Milton.

183. Some I have chosen of peculiar grace &c.] Our author did not hold the doctrine of rigid predestination; he was of the sentiments of the more moderate Calvinists, and thought that some indeed were elected of peculiar grace, the rest might be saved complying with the terms and conditions of the Gospel.

192. endevor'd] So Milton spells this word, and it is most

grace

185

190

195

agreeable to our pronunciation of it, as well as to its derivation from the French en and devoir.

197. And to the end persisting, safe arrive.] He that endureth to the end shall be saved, Matt. x. 22. 198. This my long sufferance

and my day of grace They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste;] It is a great pity that our author should have thus debased the dignity of the Deity by putting in his mouth this horrid doctrine of a day of grace, after which it is not possible for a man to repent; and there can be no sort of excuse for him, except the candid reader will make some

They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste;
But hard be harden'd, blind be blinded more,
That they may stumble on, and deeper fall;
And none but such from mercy I exclude.
But yet all is not done; Man disobeying,
Disloyal breaks his feälty, 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.

200

205

210

Say heav'nly Pow'rs, where shall we find such love?
Which of ye will be mortal to redeem

Man's mortal crime, and just th' unjust to save?
Dwells in all heaven charity so dear?

He ask'd, but all the heav'nly quire stood mute,

allowance for the prejudices, which he might possibly receive from the gloomy divinity of that enthusiastic age in which he lived. Thyer.

215. —and just th' unjust to save?] That is, Which of ye will be so just as to save the unjust? Which of ye will be righteous enough to supply the defects of others' righteousness? It is plainly an allusion to 1 Pet. iii. 18. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust.

217. stood mute,] I need not point out the beauty of that cir

215

cumstance, wherein the whole host of angels are represented as standing mute, nor shew how proper the occasion was to produce such a silence in heaven. Addison.

This beautiful circumstance is raised upon Rev. viii. 1. where upon a certain occasion it is said, There was silence in heaven. And so, as there was silence in hell, when it was proposed who should be sent on the dangerous expedition to destroy mankind, there is likewise silence in heaven, when it is asked who would be willing to pay the price of their

And silence was in heav'n: on Man's behalf
Patron or intercessor none appear'd,

Much less that durst upon his own head draw
The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set.
And now without redemption all mankind
Must have been lost, adjudg'd to death and hell
By doom severe, had not the Son of God,
In whom the fulness dwells of love divine,
His dearest mediation thus renew'd.

way,

Father, thy word is past, Man shall find grace;
And shall grace not find means, that finds her
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:
Behold me then; me for him, life for life

redemption. Satan alone was
fit to undertake the one, as the
Son of God the other.

219. —intercessor none] Isaiah lix. 16. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness, it sustained him. Greenwood.

231. Comes unprevented,] Prevent from prævenire to come before. This grace is not preceded by merit or supplication; itself prevents or goes before; it is a free gift, as xi. 3. Prevenient grace descending, &c. 2 Tim. i. 9. Not according to our works, but

220

225

230

235

according to his own purpose and grace. Psalm 1xxxviii. 13. But unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. Here the favour if it comes, comes not unprevented; prayer prevents or goes before God's goodness. Richardson.

236. Behold me then; me for

him, life for life I offer; on me let thine anger fall;

Account me Man ;] The frequent and vehement repetition of me here is very like that in Virgil, Æn. ix. 427.

Me, me: adsum qui feci: in me convertite ferrum: