Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (74 page)

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Seven lamps as in a zodiac
²⁵⁵
representing

The heav’nly fires; over the tent a cloud

Shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by night,

Save when they journey, and at length they come,

Conducted by his angel to the land

Promised to Abraham and his seed: the rest

Were long to tell, how many battles fought,

How many kings destroyed, and kingdoms won,

Or how the sun shall in mid-heav’n stand still

A day entire, and night’s due course adjourn,

Man’s voice commanding, ‘Sun
²⁶⁵
in Gibeon stand,

And thou moon in the vale of Aialon,

Till Israel overcome’; so call the third
²⁶⁷

From Abraham, son of Isaac, and from him

His whole descent, who thus shall Canaan win.”

   Here Adam interposed. “O sent from Heav’n,

Enlight’ner of my darkness, gracious things

Thou hast revealed, those chiefly which concern

Just Abraham and his seed: now first I find

Mine eyes true op’ning
²⁷⁴
, and my heart much eased,

Erewhile perplexed with thoughts what would become

Of me and all mankind; but now I see

His
²⁷⁷
day, in whom all nations shall be blest,

Favor 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 giv’n;

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
²⁸⁷
to evince

Their natural pravity
²⁸⁸
, 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
²⁹²
, they may conclude

Some blood more precious
²⁹³
must be paid for man,

Just for unjust, that in such righteousness

To them by faith imputed
²⁹⁵
, they may find

Justification
²⁹⁶
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 giv’n

With purpose to resign them in full time

Up to a better cov’nant, disciplined

From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit,

From imposition of strict laws to free

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
³¹⁰
,

His name and office bearing, who shall quell

The adversary serpent, and bring back

Through the world’s wilderness long wandered man

Safe to eternal Paradise of rest.

Meanwhile they in their earthly Canaan placed

Long time shall dwell and prosper, but
³¹⁶
when sins

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 renowned

And puissant deeds, a promise
³²²
shall receive

Irrevocable, that his regal throne

Forever 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
³³²
for wealth and wisdom famed,

The clouded ark of God till then in tents

Wand’ring, shall in a glorious temple enshrine.

Such follow him, as shall be registered

Part good, part bad, of bad the longer scroll,

Whose foul idolatries and other faults

Heaped to the popular sum
³³⁸
, 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

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

Left in confusion, Babylon thence called.
³⁴³

There in captivity he lets them dwell

The space of seventy years, then brings them back,

Rememb’ring mercy, and his cov’nant sworn

To David, ‘stablished as the days of Heav’n.

Returned from Babylon by leave of kings
³⁴⁸

Their Lords, whom God disposed
³⁴⁹
, the house of God

They first re-edify
³⁵⁰
, 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

Endeavor peace: their strife pollution brings

Upon the temple itself: at last they seize

The scepter, and regard not David’s sons,

Then lose it to a stranger
³⁵⁸
, that the true

Anointed King Messiah might be born

Barred of
³⁶⁰
his right; yet at his birth a star

Unseen before in Heav’n 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 choir

Of squadroned angels hear his carol sung.

A virgin is his mother, but his sire

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 Heav’ns.”

   He ceased, discerning Adam with such joy

Surcharged, as had like grief been dewed 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 searched in vain,

Why our great expectation should be called

The seed of woman: Virgin Mother, hail
³⁷⁹
,

High in the love of Heav’n, 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
³⁸³
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 Heav’n, a deadlier bruise,

Disabled not to give thee thy death’s wound:

Which he who comes thy Savior shall recure
³⁹³
,

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
³⁹⁶
,

Obedience to the law of God, imposed

On penalty of death, and suffering death,

The penalty to thy transgression due,

And due to theirs which out of thine will grow:

So only can high justice rest apaid
⁴⁰¹
.

The law of God exact he shall fulfill

Both by obedience and by love
⁴⁰³
, though love

Alone fulfill the law; thy punishment

He shall endure by coming in the flesh

To a
⁴⁰⁶
reproachful life and cursèd death,

Proclaiming life to all who shall believe

In his redemption, and that his obedience

Imputed
⁴⁰⁹
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 condemned

A shameful and accursed, nailed to the cross

By his own nation, slain for bringing life;

But to the cross
⁴¹⁵
he nails thy enemies,

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
⁴²³
,

Thy ransom paid, which man from death redeems,

His death for man, as many as offered 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 forever 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
⁴³²
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

Longer on Earth than certain times to appear

To his disciples, men who in his life

Still followed him; to them shall leave in charge

To teach all nations what of him they learned

And his salvation, them who shall believe

Baptizing in the profluent
⁴⁴²
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 preached, but to the sons

Of Abraham’s faith wherever through the world;

So in his seed all nations shall be blest.

Then to the Heav’n of Heav’ns he shall ascend

With victory, triumphing through the air

Over his foes and thine; there shall surprise

The serpent, Prince of Air
⁴⁵⁴
, and drag in chains

Through all his realm, and there confounded leave;

Then enter into glory, and resume

His seat at God’s right hand, exalted high

Above all names in Heav’n; and thence shall come,

When this world’s dissolution shall be ripe,

With glory and power to judge both quick
⁴⁶⁰
and dead,

To judge th’ unfaithful dead, but to reward

His faithful, and receive them into bliss,

Whether in Heav’n or Earth, for then the Earth

Shall all be Paradise, far happier place

Than this of Eden, and far happier days.”

   So spake th’ Archangel Michael, then paused,

As at the world’s great period
⁴⁶⁷
; and our sire

Replete with joy and wonder thus replied.

   “O goodness infinite, goodness immense!

That all this good of evil shall produce
⁴⁷⁰
,

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 sin

By me done and occasioned, or rejoice
⁴⁷⁵

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
⁴⁷⁸
.

But say, if our Deliverer up to Heav’n

Must reascend, 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

Worse with his followers than with him they dealt?”

   “Be sure they will,” said th’ angel. “But from Heav’n

He to his own a comforter
⁴⁸⁶
will send,

The promise of the Father, who shall dwell

His Spirit within them, and the law of faith
⁴⁸⁸

Working through love, upon their hearts shall write
⁴⁸⁹
,

To guide them in all truth, and also arm

With spiritual armor
⁴⁹¹
, 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

Poured first on his apostles, whom he sends

To evangelize the nations, then on all

Baptized, shall them with wondrous gifts endue

To speak all tongues
⁵⁰¹
, 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 ministry performed, and race well run,

Their doctrine and their story written left,