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النشر الإلكتروني

Just Abraham and his seed: now first I find

Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eased;

Erewhile perplex'd with thoughts, what would become 275

Of me and all mankind: but now I see

His day, in whom all nations shall be blest;
Favour unmerited by me, who sought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
This yet I apprehend not; why to those,
Among whom God will deign to dwell on earth,
So many and so various laws are given:

So many laws argue so many sins
Among them: how can God with such reside?

To whom thus Michael: Doubt not but that sin

Will reign among them, as of thee begot;
And therefore was law given them, to evince
Their natural pravity, by stirring up

Sin against law to fight; that when they see
Law can discover sin, but not remove,
Save by those shadowy expiations weak,

The blood of bulls and goats; they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for man;
Just for unjust; that in such righteousness
To them by faith imputed, they may find
Justification towards God, and peace
Of conscience; which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appease; nor man the moral part
Perform; and, not performing, cannot live.
So law appears imperfect; and but given
With purpose to resign them, in full time,
Up to a better covenant; disciplined

From shadowy types to truth; from flesh to spirit;
From imposition of strict laws to free

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Acceptance of large grace; from servile fear

To filial; works of law to works of faith.

And therefore shall not Moses, though of God

Highly beloved, being but the minister

Of law, his people into Canaan lead;

But Joshua, whom the Gentiles Jesus call,

His name and office bearing, who shall quell

The adversary-serpent, and bring back

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Through the world's wilderness long-wander'd man
Safe to eternal Paradise of rest.

Meanwhile they, in their earthly Canaan placed,
Long time shall dwell and prosper, but when sins

277. His day. John viii. 56.

283-306. Compare the following texts with the poet-Gal. iii. 11, 12, 19, 23, and iv. 7; Rom. vii. 7, 8; iii. 20; iv. 22, 23, 24; and v. 1; Heb. ix. 13, 14; x. 1, 4, 5; vii. 18, 19. Milton has here, in a few verses, admirably summed up the argument of these and more texts of Scripture. It is really wonderful, how he could comprise

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so much divinity in so few words, and at the same time express it with so much strength and perspicuity.-NEWTON.

311. Joshua was in many things a type of Jesus, and the names are the same, (Joshua according to the Hebrew, and Jesus in Greek,) both signifying a Saviour.

National interrupt their public peace,
Provoking God to raise them enemies;
From whom as oft he saves them penitent
By judges first, then under kings; of whom
The second, both for piety renown'd
And puissant deeds, a promise shall receive
Irrevocable, that his regal throne

For ever shall endure; the like shall sing
All prophecy, that of the royal stock
Of David (so I name this king) shall rise
A son, the woman's seed to thee foretold,
Foretold to Abraham, as in whom shall trust
All nations; and to kings foretold, of kings
The last; for of his reign shall be no end.
But first, a long succession must ensue;
And his next son, for wealth and wisdom famed,
The clouded ark of God, till then in tents
Wandering, shall in a glorious temple enshrine.
Such follow him as shall be register'd
Part good, part bad; of bad the longer scroll:
Whose foul idolatries, and other faults
Heap'd to the popular sum, will so incense
God, as to leave them, and expose their land,
Their city, his temple, and his holy ark,
With all his sacred things, a scorn and prey

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To that proud city, whose high walls thou saw'st

Left in confusion; Babylon thence call'd.

There in captivity he lets them dwell

The space of seventy years; then brings them back,
Remembering mercy, and his covenant sworn

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To David, 'stablish'd as the days of heaven.
Return'd from Babylon by leave of kings

Their lords, whom God disposed, the house of God
They first re-edify; and for a while

In mean estate live moderate; till, grown
In wealth and multitude, factious they grow:
But first among the priests dissension springs,
Men who attend the altar, and should most
Endeavour peace: their strife pollution brings
Upon the temple itself: at last they seize
The sceptre, and regard not David's sons;
Then lose it to a stranger, that the true
Anointed King Messiah might be born
Barr'd of his right; yet at his birth a star,
Unseen before in heaven, proclaims him come;
And guides the eastern sages, who inquire
His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold:
His place of birth a solemn angel tells

To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night:
They gladly thither haste, and by a quire
Of squadron'd angels hear his carol sung.
A virgin is his mother, but his sire

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The power of the Most High: he shall ascend
The throne hereditary, and bound his reign
With earth's wide bounds, his glory with the heavens.
He ceased; discerning Adam with such joy
Surcharged, as had like grief been dew'd in tears,
Without the vent of words; which these he breathed:
O prophet of glad tidings, finisher

Of utmost hope; now clear I understand

What oft my steadiest thoughts have search'd in vain;
Why our great Expectation should be call'd
The seed of woman: virgin mother, hail,
High in the love of Heaven; yet from my loins
Thou shalt proceed, and from thy womb the Son
Of God Most High; so God with man unites.
Needs must the serpent now his capital bruise
Expect with mortal pain: say 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 godhead, with more strength to foil
Thy enemy; nor so is overcome

Satan, whose fall from heaven, a deadlier bruise,
Disabled 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 seed: nor can this be,
But by fulfilling that which thou didst want,
Obedience to the law of God, imposed

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On penalty of death; and suffering death,

The penalty to thy transgression due,

And due to theirs which out of thine will grow:

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So only can high justice rest 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 endure, by coming in the flesh
To a reproachful life and cursed death;
Proclaiming life to all who shall believe
In his redemption; and that his obedience,
Imputed, becomes theirs by faith; his merits
To save them, not their own, though legal, works.
For this he shall live hated, be blasphemed,

Seized on by force, judged, and to death condemn'd
As shameful and accursed, nail'd to the cross
By his own nation; slain for bringing life:
But to the cross he nails thy enemies,

394. But his works. See 1 John iii. 8. 408. That his obedience. That is, and shall believe that his obedience imputed, becomes theirs by faith; and shall believe¦

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that his merits shall be able to save them,
and not their own works, though legal,
or in conformity to the law.

415. See Coloss. ii. 14.
401. Appaid, satisfised.

The law that is against thee, and the sins
Of all mankind with him there crucified,
Never to hurt them more who rightly trust
In this his satisfaction: so he dies,
But soon revives; death over him no power
Shall long usurp; ere the third dawning light
Return, the stars of morn shall see him rise
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 godlike act

Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst have died,
In sin for ever lost from life; this act

Shall bruise the head of Satan, crush his strength,
Defeating Sin and Death, his two main arms;
And fix far deeper in his head their stings

Than temporal death shall bruise the victor's heel,

Or theirs whom he redeems; a death, like sleep,
A gentle wafting to immortal life.

Nor after resurrection shall he stay

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Longer on earth, than certain times to appear
To his disciples, men who in his life

To teach all nations what of him they learn'd

Still follow'd him; to them shall leave in charge

And his salvation: them who shall believe
Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign
Of washing them from guilt of sin to life
Pure, and in mind prepared, if so befall,
For death, like that which the Redeemer died.
All nations they shall teach; for, from that day,
Not only to the sons of Abraham's loins
Salvation shall be preach'd, but to the sons
Of Abraham's faith wherever through the world;
So in his seed all nations shall be blest.
Then to the heaven of heavens he shall ascend

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With victory, triumphing through the air

Over his foes and thine; there shall surprise

The serpent, prince of air, and drag in chains

Through all his realm, and there confounded leave;
Then enter into glory, and resume

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His seat at God's right hand, exalted high
Above all names in heaven; and thence shall come,
When this world's dissolution shall be ripe,

With glory and power to judge both quick and dead;

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To judge the unfaithful dead, but to reward

His faithful, and receive them into bliss,

Whether in heaven or earth; for then the earth
Shall all be Paradise, far happier place

Than this of Eden, and far happier days.

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457. See Eph. i. 20, 21.

So spake the archangel Michael; then paused,
As at the world's great period; and our sire,
Replete with joy and wonder, thus replied:
O, goodness infinite, goodness immense!
That all this good of evil shall produce,
And evil turn to good; more wonderful

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Than that which by creation first brought forth

Light out of darkness! Full of doubt I stand,
Whether I should repent me now of sin

By me done, and occasion'd; or rejoice

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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 say, if our Deliverer up to heaven

Must reascend, what will betide the few

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His faithful, left among the unfaithful herd,

The enemies of truth? Who then shall guide

His people, who defend? Will they not deal

Worse with his followers than with him they dealt?

Be sure they will, said the angel; but from Heaven

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He to his own a Comforter will send,

The promise of the Father, who shall dwell
His Spirit within them; and the law of faith,

Working through love, upon their hearts shall write,
To guide them in all truth; and also arm
With spiritual armour, able to resist
Satan's assaults, and quench his fiery darts;
What man can do against them, not afraid,
Though to the death: against such cruelties
With inward consolations recompensed,
And oft supported so as shall amaze
Their proudest persecutors; for the Spirit,
Pour'd first on his apostles, whom he sends
To evangelize the nations, then on all

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Baptized, shall them with wondrous gifts endue
To speak all tongues, and do all miracles,

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As did their Lord before them. Thus they win
Great numbers of each nation to receive

With joy the tidings brought from Heaven: at length,

Their ministry perform'd, and race well run,

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Their doctrine and their story written left,

They die; but in their room, as they forewarn,

Wolves shall succeed for teachers, grievous wolves,

Who all the sacred mysteries of Heaven

To their own vile advantages shall turn

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Of lucre and ambition; and the truth
With superstitions 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,
Places, and titles, and with these to join
Secular power; though feigning still to act

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