175

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 fin 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 180
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

185 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.

190 Το

180. By me upheld,] It was be did not hold the doctrin of rigid fore, ver. 178. Upheld by me. The predestination; he was of the fenturn of the words is remarkable. timents of the more moderate Cal. And we have the oftner taken no- vinifts, and thought that some in. tice of these turns of the words, deed were elected of peculiar because it has been objected by grace, the rest might be saved. Dryden and others, that there complying with the terms and conwere no turns of the words in ditions of the Gospel. Milton.

192. endevor'd! So Milton 183. Some I have chosen of pecu- spells this word, and it is most liar grace &c.] Our author agreeable to our pronunciation of

To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due,
Though but endevor’d with sincere intent,
Mine ear shall not be Now, 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, 196
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 harden'd, blind be blinded more, 200
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 fins
Against the high supremacy of Heaven, 205
Affecting God-head, and so losing all,
To expiate his treason hath nought left,

But it, as well as to its derivation from Deity by putting in his mouth this the French en and devoir.

horrid doétrin of a day of grace, 197. And to the end persisting, safe after which it is not possible for a

arrive.] He that indureth to man to repent; and there can be the end shall be saved, Mat. X. 22. no sort of excuse for him, except 198. This my long sufferance and the candid reader will make some my day of grace

allowance for the prejudices, which They who neglect and fcorn, shall he might possibly receive from the

never taste;] It is a great gloomy divinity of that enthusiastic pity that our author should have age in which he lived.

Tbyer. thus debased the dignity of the VOL. I.

Y

215.- and

But to destruction facred and devote,
He with his whole posterity muft die,
Die he or justice must; unless for him

210
Some other able, and as willing, pay
The rigid satisfaction, death for death.
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? 215
Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear?

He ask'd, but all the heav'nly quire ftood' mute, 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 220 The deadly forfeiture, and ransome set. And now without redemption all mankind

Must 215:- and juft th' unjust to fave?] a filence in Heaven. Addisor. That is, Which of ye will be so This beautiful circumstance is raisjust as to save the unjust? Which ed upon Rev. VIII. 1. where upon of ye will be righteous enough to a certain occasion it is said, Tbere supply the defects of others righ-, was filence in Heaven. And so, as teousness? It is plainly an allufion there was silence in Hell, when it to i Pet. III. 18. For Christ also hath was propos'd who thould be sent once suffer'd for fins, the just for the on the dangerous expedition to deunjuft.

stroy mankind, there is likewise 217. -flood mute,] I need not filence in Heaven, when it is ak'd point out the beauty of that cir- who would be willing to pay the cumstance, wherein the whole host price of their redemption. Satan of Angels are represented as stand- alone was fit to undertake the one, ing mute, nor show how proper as the Son of God the other. But che occasion was to produce such tho' the silence is the same in both

places,

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, 225
His dearest mediation thus renewid.

Father, thy word is past, Man shall find grace;
And Ihall grace not find means, that finds her way,
The speediest of thy winged messengers,
To visit all thy creatures, and to all

230 Comes unprevented, unimplor’d, unsought ? Happy for Man, fo coming; he her aid Can never seek, once dead in fins and lost; Atonement for himself or offering meet, Indebted and undone, hath none to bring: 235 Behold me then; me for him, life for life I offer; on me let thine anger fall;

Account places, the difference of the ex cur works, but according to his own pression is remarkable. In Hell it purpose and grace. Psal. LXXXVIII. is said all fat mute, II. 420, as 13. But unto thee bave I cry'd, O there the infernal peers were sitting Lord, and in the morning shall my in council; but here it is said they prayer prevent thee. Here the faflood mute, as the good Angels were vor if it comes, comes not unprestanding round about the throne of vented; prayer prevents or goes God.

before God's goodness. 231. Comes unprevented,] Prevent

Richardson. from prevenire to come before. This grace is not preceded by mc 236. Behold me then; me for bin, rit or supplication; itself prevents life for life or goes before; 'tis a free gift, as I offer ; on me let thire anger fall; XI. 3. Prevenient grace descending, Account me Man;] The frequent &c. 2 Tim. I: 9. Not according to and vehement repetition of me here

nor suffer

Account me Man; I for his fake will leave
Thy bosom, and this glory next to thee
Freely put off, and for him lastly die

240
Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreck all his rage;
Under his gloomy pow'r I shall not long
Lie vanquish'd; thou hast giv'n me to possess
Life in myself for ev'r; by thee I live,
Though now to Death I yield, and am his due 245
All that of me can die; yet that debt paid,
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome

grave His prey,

my unspotted soul For ever with corruption there to dwell; But I shall rise victorious, and subdue

250 My vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil; Death his death's wound shall then receive, and stoop

Inglorious, is very like that in Virgil, Æn. 249. -with corruption there to

dwell;] According to the Me, me : adsum qui feci : in me

Psalmist, For thou wilt not leave my convertite ferrum :

Soul in Hell, neither fuffer thine Holy

One to see corruption, Psal. XVI. 10. and a little afterwards,

applied to our Saviour's resurrection Figite me, fi qua eft pietas : in me by St. Peter, Acts II. 20, 21, &c. omnia tela

252. Death his death's wound shall Conjicite, ô Rutuli; me primum forry to observe, that the quaint

then receive,] I am very abfumite ferro.

conceit in this line is very incon244. Life in myself for ev'r;] For fistent with the character of the as the Father bath life in himself, so speaker, and unworthy of the mahath he given to the Son to have life jesty of the rest of the speech. in himself, John V. 26.

Milton might perhaps be led into

IX. 427