Only begotten Son, see thou what rage Transports our adversary, whom no bounds Prescribed, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains Heaped on him there, nor yet the main Abyss Wide interrupt can hold; so bent he seems On desperate revenge, that shall redound Upon his own rebellious head. And now Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way Not far off Heaven, in the Precincts of light, Directly towards the new created World, And Man there placed, with purpose to assay If him by force he can destroy, or worse, By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert For man will harken to his glozing lies, And easily transgress the sole Command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall, He and his faithless Progeny: whose fault? Whose but his own? ingrate, he had of me All he could have; I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. Such I created all the Ethereal Powers And Spirits, both them who stood and them who failed; Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have given sincere Of true allegiance, constant Faith or Love, Where only what they needs must do, appeared, Not what they would? what praise could they receive? What pleasure I from such obedience paid, When Will and Reason (Reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, Made passive both, had served necessity, Not me. They therefore as to right belongs, So were created, nor can justly accuse Their maker, or their making, or their Fate, As if predestination over-ruled Their will, disposed by absolute Decree Or high foreknowledge; they themselves decreed Their own revolt, not I: if I foreknew, Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, Which had no less proved certain unforeknown. So without least impulse or shadow of Fate, Or aught by me immutably foreseen, They trespass, Authors to themselves in all Both what they judge and what they choose; for so I formed them free, and free they must remain, Till they enthral themselves: I else must change Their nature, and revoke the high Decree Unchangeable, Eternal, which ordained Their freedom, they themselves ordained their fall. The first sort by their own suggestion fell, Self-tempted, self-depraved: Man falls deceived By the other first: Man therefore shall find grace, The other none: in Mercy and Justice both, Through Heaven and Earth, so shall my glory excel, But Mercy first and last shall brightest shine. 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 has thou spok'n as my thoughts are, all As my Eternal purpose hath decreed: Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will, Yet not of will in him, but grace in me Freely vouchsafed; once more I will renew His lapsed powers, though forfeit and enthralled 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 His fallen condition is, and to me ow 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 warned Their sinful state, and to appease betimes The incensed Deity, while offered grace Invites; for I will clear their senses dark, What may suffice, and soften stony hearts To pray, repent, and bring obedience due. To Prayer, repentance, and obedience due, Though but endeavoured 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 used they shall attain, And to the end persisting, safe arrive. This my long sufferance and my day of grace They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste; But hard be hardened, 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 don; Man disobeying, Disloyal breaks his fealty, and sins Against the high Supremacy of Heaven, Affecting God-head, and so loosing all, To expiate his Treason hath nought left, But to destruction sacred and devote, He with his whole posterity must dye, Dye he or Justice must; unless for him Some other able, and as willing, pay The rigid satisfaction, death for death. Say Heavenly powers, where shall we find such love, Which of ye will be mortal to redeem Mans mortal crime, and just the unjust to save, Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear? O thou in Heaven and Earth the only peace Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou My sole complacence! well thou know 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 loosing thee a while, the whole Race lost. Thou therefore whom thou only can redeem, Their Nature also to thy Nature join; And be thy self Man among men on Earth, Made flesh, when time shall be, of Virgin seed, By wondrous birth: Be thou in Adams room The Head of all mankind, though Adams 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, So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate So easily destroyed, and still destroys In those who, when they may, accept not grace. Nor shalt thou by descending to assume Mans Nature, lesson or degrade thine own. Because thou has, though Throned in highest bliss Equal to God, and equally enjoying God-like fruition, quited all to save A World from utter loss, and has been found By Merit more then Birthright Son of God, Found worthiest to be so by being Good, Far more then Great or High; because in thee Love hath abounded more then Glory abounds, Therefore thy Humiliation shall exalt With thee thy Manhood also to this Throne; Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt Reign Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man, Anointed universal King, all Power I give thee, reign for ever, and assume Thy Merits; under thee as Head Supreme Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce: All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide In Heaven, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell; When thou attended gloriously from Heaven Shalt in the Sky appear, and from thee send The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Winds The living, and forthwith the cited dead Of all past Ages to the general Doom Shall hasten, such a peal shall rouse their sleep. Then all thy Saints assembled, thou shalt judge Bad men and Angels, they arraigned shall sink Beneath thy Sentence; Hell, her numbers full, Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring New Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell, And after all their tribulations long See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth. Then thou thy regal Sceptre shalt lay by, For regal Sceptre then no more shall need, God shall be All in All. But all ye Gods, Adore him, who to compass all this dies, Adore the Son, and honour him as me. Raphael, said he, thou hear what stir on Earth Satan from Hell escaped through the darksome Gulf Hath raised in Paradise, and how disturbed This night the human pair, how he designs In them at once to ruin all mankind. Go therefore, half this day as friend with friend Converse with Adam, in what Bower or shade Thou find him from the heat of Noon retired, To respite his day-labour with repast, Or with repose; and such discourse bring on, As may advise him of his happy state, Happiness in his power left free to will, Left to his own free Will, his Will though free, Yet mutable; whence warn him to beware He swerve not too secure: tell him withal His danger, and from whom, what enemy Late fallen himself from Heaven, is plotting now The fall of others from like state of bliss; By violence, no, for that shall be withstood, But by deceit and lies; this let him know, Least wilfully transgressing he pretend Surprise, unadmonisht, unforewarnd. Hear all ye Angels, Progeny of Light, Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers, Hear my Decree, which unrevok't shall stand. This day I have begot whom I declare My only Son, and on this holy Hill Him have anointed, whom ye now behold At my right hand; your Head I him appoint; And by my Self have sworn to him shall bow All knees in Heaven, and shall confess him Lord: Under his great Vicegerent Reign abide United as one individual Soul For ever happy: him who disobeys Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls Into utter darkness, deep engulfed, his place Ordained without redemption, without end. Son, thou in whom my glory I behold In full resplendence, Heir of all my might, Nearly it now concerns us to be sure Of our Omnipotence, and with what Arms We mean to hold what anciently we claim Of Deity or Empire, such a foe Is rising, who intends to erect his Throne Equal to ours, throughout the spacious North; Nor so content, hath in his thought to try In battle, what our Power is, or our right. Let us advise, and to this hazard draw With speed what force is left, and all employ In our defence, lest unawares we lose This our high place, our Sanctuary, our Hill. Servant of God, well done, well has thou fought The better fight, who single has maintained Against revolted multitudes the Cause Of Truth, in word mightier then they in Arms; And for the testimony of Truth has born Universal reproach, far worse to bear Then violence: for this was all thy care To stand approved in sight of God, though Worlds Judged thee perverse: the easier conquest now Remains thee, aided by this host of friends, Back on thy foes more glorious to return Then scorned thou did depart, and to subdue By force, who reason for their Law refuse, Right reason for their Law, and for their King Messiah, who by right of merit Reigns. Go Michael of Celestial Armies Prince, And thou in Military prowess next Gabriel, lead forth to Battle these my Sons Invincible, lead forth my armed Saints By Thousands and by Millions ranged for fight; Equal in number to that Godless crew Rebellious, them with Fire and hostile Arms Fearless assault, and to the brow of Heaven Pursuing drive them out from God and bliss, Into their place of punishment, the Gulf Of Tartarus, which ready opens wide His fiery Chaos to receive their fall. Effulgence of my Glory, Son beloved, Son in whose face invisible is beheld Visibly, what by Deity I am, And in whose hand what by Decree I doe, Second Omnipotence, two days are past, Two days, as we compute the days of Heaven, Since Michael and his Powers went forth to tame These disobedient; sore hath been their fight, As likeliest was, when two such Foes met armed; For to themselves I left them, and thou know, Equal in their Creation they were formed, Save what sin hath impaired, which yet hath wrought Insensibly, for I suspend their doom; Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last Endless, and no solution will be found: War wearied hath performed what War can do, And to disordered rage let loose the reins, With Mountains as with Weapons armed, which makes Wild work in Heaven, and dangerous to the maine. Two days are therefore past, the third is thine; For thee I have ordained it, and thus far Have suffered, that the Glory may be thine Of ending this great War, since none but Thou Can end it. Into thee such Virtue and Grace Immense I have transfused, that all may know In Heaven and Hell thy Power above compare, And this perverse Commotion governed thus, To manifest thee worthiest to be Heir Of all things, to be Heir and to be King By Sacred Unction, thy deserved right. Go then thou Mightiest in thy Fathers might, Ascend my Chariot, guide the rapid Wheels That shake Heavens basis, bring forth all my War, My Bow and Thunder, my Almighty Arms Gird on, and Sword upon thy puissant Thigh; Pursue these sons of Darkness, drive them out From all Heavens bounds into the utter Deep: There let them learn, as likes them, to despise God and Messiah his anointed King. At least our envious Foe hath failed, who thought All like himself rebellious, by whose aid This inaccessible high strength, the seat Of Deity supreme, us dispossessed, He trusted to have seized, and into fraud Drew many, whom their place knows here no more; Yet far the greater part have kept, I see, Their station, Heaven yet populous retains Number sufficient to possess her Realms Though wide, and this high Temple to frequent With Ministries due and solemn Rites: But least his heart exalt him in the harm Already done, to have dispeopl'd Heaven My damage fondly deemed, I can repair That detriment, if such it be to lose Self-lost, and in a moment will create Another World, out of one man a Race Of men innumerable, there to dwell, Not here, till by degrees of merit raised They open to themselves at length the way Up hither, under long obedience tried, And Earth be changed to Heaven, & Heaven to Earth, One Kingdom, Joy and Union without end. Mean while inhabit lax, ye Powers of Heaven, And thou my Word, begotten Son, by thee This I perform, speak thou, and be it don: My overshadowing Spirit and might with thee I send along, ride forth, and bid the Deep Within appointed bounds be Heaven and Earth, Boundless the Deep, because I am who fill Infinitude, nor vacuous the space. Though I uncircumscribed my self retire, And put not forth my goodness, which is free To act or not, Necessity and Chance Approach not me, and what I will is Fate. Let us make now Man in our image, Man In our similitude, and let them rule Over the Fish and Foul of Sea and Air, Beast of the Field, and over all the Earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. thy Mansion wants thee, Adam, rise, First Man, of Men innumerable ordained First Father, called by thee I come thy Guide To the Garden of bliss, thy seat prepared. Whom thou soughtst I am, Author of all this thou see Above, or round about thee or beneath. This Paradise I give thee, count it thine To Till and keep, and of the Fruit to eat: Of every Tree that in the Garden grows Eat freely with glad heart; fear here no dearth: But of the Tree whose operation brings Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set The Pledge of thy Obedience and thy Faith Amid the Garden by the Tree of Life Remember what I warn thee, shun to taste, And shun the bitter consequence: for know, The day thou eats thereof, my sole command Transgressed, inevitably thou shalt dye; From that day mortal, and this happy State Shalt loose, expelled from hence into a World Of woe and sorrow. Not only these fair bounds, but all the Earth To thee and to thy Race I give; as Lords Possess it, and all things that therein live, Or live in Sea, or Air, Beast, Fish, and Foul. In sign whereof each Bird and Beast behold After their kinds; I bring them to receive From thee their Names, and pay thee fealty With low subjection; understand the same Of Fish within their watery residence, Not hither summoned, since they cannot change Their Element to draw the thinner Air. What call thou solitude, is not the Earth With various living creatures, and the Air Replenished, and all these at thy command To come and play before thee, know thou not Their language and their ways, they also know, And reason not contemptibly; with these Find pastime, and bear rule; thy Realm is large. A nice and subtle happiness I see Thou to thy self propose, in the choice Of thy Associates, Adam, and wilt taste No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary. What think thou then of me, and this my State, Seem I to thee sufficiently possessed Of happiness, or not? who am alone From all Eternity, for none I know Second to me or like, equal much less. How have I then with whom to hold converse Save with the Creatures which I made, and those To me inferior, infinite descents Beneath what other Creatures are to thee? Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased, And find thee knowing not of Beasts alone, Which thou has rightly named, but of thy self, Expressing well the spirit within thee free, My Image, not imparted to the Brute, Whose fellowship therefore unmeet for thee Good reason was thou freely should dislike, And be so minded still; I, ere thou spoke, Knew it not good for Man to be alone, And no such company as then thou saw Intended thee, for trial only brought, To see how thou could judge of fit and meet: What next I bring shall please thee, be assured, Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, Thy wish exactly to thy hearts desire. Ye shall not eat Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, least ye die. Assembled Angels, and ye Powers returned From unsuccessful charge, be not dismayed, Nor troubled at these tidings from the Earth, Which your sincerest care could not prevent, Foretold so lately what would come to pass, When first this Tempter crossed the Gulf from Hell. I told ye then he should prevail and speed On his bad Errand, Man should be seduced And flattered out of all, believing lies Against his Maker; no Decree of mine Concurring to necessitate his Fall, Or touch with lightest moment of impulse His free Will, to her own inclining left In even scale. But fallen he is, and now What rests but that the mortal Sentence pass On his transgression, Death denounced that day, Which he presumes already vain and void, Because not yet inflicted, as he feared, By some immediate stroke; but soon shall find Forbearance no acquittance ere day end. Justice shall not return as bounty scorned. But whom send I to judge them? whom but thee Vicegerent Son, to thee I have transferred All Judgement, whether in Heaven, or Earth, or Hell. Easy it might be seen that I intend Mercy colleague with Justice, sending thee Mans Friend, his Mediator, his designed Both Ransom and Redeemer voluntary, And destined Man himself to judge Man fallen. See with what heat these Dogs of Hell advance To waste and havoc yonder World, which I So fair and good created, and had still Kept in that State, had not the folly of Man Let in these wistful Furies, who impute Folly to me, so doth the Prince of Hell And his Adherents, that with so much ease I suffer them to enter and possess A place so heavenly, and conniving-seem To gratify my scornful Enemies, That laugh, as if transported with some fit Of Passion, I to them had quited all, At random yielded up to their misrule; And know not that I called and drew them thither My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth Which mans polluting Sin with taint hath shed On what was pure, till crammed and gorged, nigh burst With sucked and glutted offal, at one sling Of thy victorious Arm, well-pleasing Son, Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave at last Through Chaos hurled, obstruct the mouth of Hell For ever, and seal up his ravenous Jaws. Then Heaven and Earth renewed shall be made pure To sanctity that shall receive no stain: Till then the Curse pronounced on both precedes. Increase and multiply, All thy request for Man, accepted Son, Obtain, all thy request was my Decree: But longer in that Paradise to dwell, The Law I gave to Nature him forbids: Those pure immortal Elements that know No gross, no unharmoneous mixture foul, Eject him tainted now, and purge him off As a distemper, gross to air as gross, And mortal food, as may dispose him best For dissolution wrought by Sin, that first Distempered all things, and of incorrupt Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts Created him endowed, with Happiness And Immortality: that fondly lost, This other served but to eternize woe; Till I provided Death; so Death becomes His final remedy, and after Life Tried in sharp tribulation, and refined By Faith and faithful works, to second Life, Waked in the renovation of the just, Resigns him up with Heaven and Earth renewed. But let us call to Synod all the Blessed Through Heavens wide bounds; from them I will not hide My judgments, how with Mankind I proceed, As how with peccant Angels late they saw; And in their state, though firm, stood more confirmed.