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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, unimplored, 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 I offer; on me let thine anger fall; Account me Man: I for his sake will leave Thy bosom, and this glory next to Thee Freely put off, and for him lastly die Well pleased; on me let Death wreak all his rage; Under his gloomy power I shall not long Lie vanquished. Thou hast given me to possess Life in myself for ever; by thee I live, Though now to Death I 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, spoiled of his vaunted spoil; Death his death's wound shall then receive, and stoop Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarmed. I, through the ample air, in triumph high Shall lead Hell captive, maugre Hell, and show The powers of darkness bound. Thou, at the sight Pleased, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile, While, by thee raised, I ruin all my foes, Death last, and with his carcass glut the grave; Then, with the multitude of my redeemed, Shall enter heaven, long absent, and return, Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud Of anger shall remain, but peace assured

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 breathed immortal love

To mortal men, above which only shone

Filial obedience; as a sacrifice

Glad to be offered, He attends the will

Of his great Father. Admiration seized

All heaven, what this might mean, and whither tend,

Wondering; but soon the Almighty thus replied:

O Thou in heaven and earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath! O Thou, My soul complacence !-well thou knowest how dear To me are all my works, nor man the least, Though last created; that for him I spare Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save, By losing thee awhile, the whole race lost. Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem, Their nature also to thy nature join: And be thyself Man among men on earth, Made flesh, 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 restored As many as are restored, without thee none. His crime makes guilty all his sons. Thy merit, 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 judged, and die, And dying rise, and rising with him, raise His brethren, ransomed with his own dear life. So heavenly love shall outdo hellish hate, Giving to death, and dying to redeem,