Calvary. Book VIII. the Resurrection from the Dead

Now had the Savior by the word of power Wafted the magic Phantom into air, And all the horrors of the scene dispell'd: Swift as the stroke of his own winged dart, Or flitting shadows by the moon-beam chas'd, Death on the instant vanish'd: What had seem'd A citadel of proud and martial port With bastions fenc'd and tow'rs impregnable Of adamant compos'd and lofty dome, Covering the throne imperial, now was air; And, far as eye could reach, a level plain, In the intermin'able horizon lost, Unfolded it's vast champain to the view. Darkness twin-born with Death had fled; the rays, That from the Savior's sun-crown'd temples beam'd, With dazzling lustre brighten'd all the scene. There just emerging to the distant view, And glitt'ring white, a multitude appear'd, Stretch'd east and west in orderly array, Swift marching underneath the mighty wings Of the protecting Angel, who in air Soar'd imminent, and with the broad expanse From flank to flank envelop'd all the host: He with the blast of the awak'ning trump Gave note of their advance. In the mid-plain There was a mount; thither the Savior hied With his cherubic guard, and there in view Of the assembled myriads stood sublime. The Saints in order form'd themselves around, Orb within orb, each in his proper sphere Instinctively arrang'd; then all at once, As by one soul inspir'd, with bended knee And forehead prostrate on the earth they paid Joint homage and ador'd. Oh! who shall dare With bold conjecture to compute the list Of that blest multitude, or say, who first, Who last, receiv'd the glorious All-hail, Ye blessed of my Father? Yet perchance, So warranted by scripture and so taught By moral sage experience, we may doubt If many rich, if many great or learn'd Were of that righteous company; be sure The lover of this world had there no place, He barter'd it for gold, he pass'd it off To Belial for a perishable toy, He sold it to a wanton: There the proud Were brought down, and the meek and lowly rais'd: The conque'ror not of others but himself There found pre-eminence: All joy to him, Who rear'd the orphan, dried the widow's tears, And sought affliction, in her secret haunts, Not for the praise of men; and may not we, Born in an age when mild philanthropy Hath taught a better lesson to the heart, May not we foster a kind hope that some Of pagan name were call'd, who through the maze Of dark idolatry took Reason's clue, And found a mental avenue to God? Here with the Father of the Faithful stood A host of patriarchs, prophets, judges, saints: Noah, who perfect in the time of wrath And righteous found, was left unto the earth A remnant, when the waters fell from heav'n, And was in covenant with the Most High That man no more should perish by the flood: Moses, the faithful servant of the Lord, Meekest, though mightiest, of the sons of men And glorious in the sight of dreadful kings: Joshua, th' avenger of th' Elect of God, Whose voice upon mount Gibeon staid the sun In the mid-heav'n, and bade the moon stand still In Ajalon's dark vale, till Israel ceas'd From slaughter and the conqu'ring sword was sheath'd: Here Samuel in his linen ephod girt, Thrice call'd of God, amid the foremost stood: He, who with Baäl's priests contending rear'd His rival altars and brought fire from heav'n To vindicate his God: The Psalmist King, And he, at whose sick pray'r the sun went back, And he, surnam'd the Good: Daniel the feer, And they, who in the furnace walk'd unhurt; All in the sacred page recorded just And faithful servants of the living God: For who can doubt the holy word of truth Attesting their salvation? Yet there is One, who, by promise sacredly assur'd Of bliss immediate, heard the glorious call, Whilst hanging on the cross, by penitence And faith obtain'd from the all-gracious lips Of God's own Son expiring at his side. Hail, holy congregation, elder-born Of righteousness and first-fruits of the grave, Elect unto salvation! Hail, blest Saints, Now cloathed in white robes, as in your lives With purity, sound forth your praise to God And to the Lamb, in whose blood ye are wash'd; Wave high your branches of victorious palm, Hymning the strain, which He in Patmos heard, What time the glorious vision was reveal'd. Hail, First and Last! th' immortal chorus sung, Of all things the beginning and the end; For thou art he, who liveth and wast dead, And lo! thou art alive for evermore, And hold'st in hand of hell and death the keys. Salvation to our God and to the Lamb At his right hand, who sitteth on the throne; Blessing and glory, wisdom, honor, power, Might and thanksgiving evermore to God And to his CHRIST! Father, we give thee thanks, Lord God, which wast and art and art to come, For this thy mighty pow'r in us fulfill'd. Now are the kingdoms, of this world become The kingdoms of our Lord and of his CHRIST, And he shall reign for ever; now thy wrath On the rebellious nations is let loose; Now is the first call of the sleeping saints, And all thy servants faithful unto death Thou hast rewarded with eternal bliss. Henceforth for ever blessed are the dead, Thus dying in the Lord, for they shall rest From labor, and their good works are not lost! Their hymn perform'd, the whole redeemed host, With hands uplifted and all eyes direct Upon the glorious Presence, bent the knee Silent, whilst thus the LORD OF MERCY spake. Ye blessed of my Father, prophets, saints And martyrs; ye of Abraham's faithful stock, And ye, though wild by nature, grafted in Upon the parent tree and bearing fruits To life eternal, welcome to my peace! Now are your watchings and your labors past, Your tribulations, self-denials, pains And mournings recompens'd; never again Shall ye know thirst or hunger, nor the sun Scorch you by day, nor yet by night the moon; For ye shall dwell before the throne of God, And I will feed you; I will lead you forth To living founts and wipe away all tears. Come, enter ye into your Master's joy, Come, for the throne awaits you, take the crown Of glory, take the kingdom from all time For you prepar'd, possess your happy rights, The earnings of your charity and love: For I was hungred and ye gave me meat, Thirsty I was and ye asswag'd my thirst, I was a stranger and ye took me in, Naked ye cloath'd me, sick ye visited, I was in prison and ye came unto me. When Lord, the righteous humbly interpos'd, When were these charities by us perform'd? How have we merited this praise of thee, Whom in the flesh we knew not? Tell us, Lord, When saw we thee an-hungred and gave food? When thirsty and gave drink? a stranger when And took thee in, naked and cloathed thee; When saw we thee in sickness or in prison And came unto thee? When didst thou endure These hard necessities, or we relieve? Whereto the LORD replied: Truly ye say Me in the flesh ye knew not, yet in spi'rit Ye knew me, for my law was in your hearts; And what to these my brethren ye have done, Or to the least of these, ye did to me, Patron of mercy and the friend of man. To every one, but not to all alike, Some talent is in trust, the loan of Heav'n, To husband as he may, and he who spares From his imparted fund wherewith to help His neighbor's scantier dole, improves the loan And makes his Lord his debtor. First and last, Ere Abraham was I am. Open your ears! Hear, mark and understand: The world by sin Original had fallen off from God; Man was become corrupt, idolatrous, Abominable; SATAN reign'd on earth. Ye are of various ages; all have slept, And some from earliest times or e'er the flood Swallow'd the nations, yet with one accord All in your several periods have bewail'd Degenerated man: Noah can tell How all the earth with violence was fill'd, Or e'er the fountains of the vasty deep Were broken up: Moses can well declare How hard and to rebellion prone the hearts Of those, whom he led forth: Samuel beheld A stiff-neck'd generation spurn the yoke And kick against their God; but vain his voice, Vain all the prophets voices, which foretold My coming, without whom the world were lost. Now is salvation come; I've drank the cup Of bitterness and died the death for man: My peace I've left on earth; the living world, They have the word of truth and by that word Through faith they shall be sav'd; from them I came To visit these dark regions and redeem The saints who slept; behold! ye are alive: Death hath no more dominion; SATAN, chain'd For ages, shall abide his time to come: Meanwhile in glory ye shall dwell with me; By resurrection purchas'd with my blood Ye are the first-fruits of immortal life. Now ABRAHAM, father of the faithful band And first in station nearest to the mount, His eyes uplifted to the face divine Of the effulgent Virtue, and thus spake. Yet once more, as aforetime in the days Of Sodom, suffer me to plead for man, And ask of thee his Savior if these few, Few not in numbers, yet for heav'n too few And for heav'n's mercy, seeing there are past So many many ages of the world, Are all that shall be sav'd: Alas, for man! If this be the whole remnant, all the stock Cull'd from so many myriads for God's fold. Where are the nations vanish'd? Where the hosts, That sea, earth, flood and fire have swallow'd up? Can hell contain them? Can devouring Death Find stomach for them all? Did God make man For death and hell, or thou endure the cross Only for us? Are all the righteous shrunk To this small measure? And, if these be all, Are they not yet enough to save the rest, If heav'nly mercy listen to our prayer? May not our righteousness so save a world From wrath, as once the righteousness of five Had sav'd a guilty city from it's fate? To him the LORD OF MERCY: I have said Ye are the first fruits by my blood obtain'd, The earnest of redemption: I have bruis'd, Not crush'd, the Serpent's head; he shall arise Out of the pit once more to vex the earth. Death the last enemy is not destroy'd, Yet is his sceptre shorten'd, and the key, That opens into life, now in those hands, Where mercy best can place it for man's good: Thus of all pow'r though Death is not bereft, Yet I have shook his throne, with inroad deep Pierc'd his dark realm, and, you redeeming thence, Made tenantless your graves, his strongest holds. With you when from this depth I reascend, And through heav'n's golden portal lead my host Of Saints high-waving these victorious palms, Your white robes glitt'ring in God's starry courts, Great sure will be the triumph, loud th' acclaim, When all my Father's Angels shall sound forth Their joyful halelujahs round his throne. Enough for victory hath been atchiev'd, Destruction is reserv'd to that great day, When the compelling Angel shall go forth To gather every atom of man's dust, Which the seas cover or the earth contains: Then shall all souls be judg'd; if Abraham then, When of all hearts the secrets shall be known, Then if the Friend of God hath aught to urge In mitigation of man's guilt, be sure, Ere justice strike, mercy will hear the plea. Of this no more: The seasons and the times Are with the Father; the dread hour draws on: But I must first revisit those on earth, Whom I have left in sorrow; for their sakes I must again submit me to the flesh, And by the evidence of sense confirm My promis'd resurrection; this perform'd And immortality reveal'd to man, By faith made sure, my gospel shall go forth: My office then the Comforter will take; The weak he shall make strong, the foolish wise, And by the mouths of sucklings and of babes He shall confound the wisdom of the world, And o'er the gates of hell erect my Church. When thus the Patriarch, glowing still with zeal For man's salvation, further question urg'd. Lord, will not then the faithless world believe, When thou return'st with glory? From the dead When they behold thee visible on earth And thence to heav'n ascending, can they doubt? Such revelation can their eyes resist, Their ears such truth recorded? Shall there then Be left a Gentile idol upon earth To rival Israel's God? Shall there not be One Shepherd and one fold for all mankind, One faith, one baptism, one LORD and CHRIST? But I perhaps too bold offend thine ear With my rude converse; Lord, if so, command My tongue to silence; yet not in thy wrath, Not in thy wrath, O Lord, reprove my zeal. Whereto the Savior mildly thus replied. O Abraham, in whose soul compassion glows And love, that burns with zeal for all thy sons, Nor for thy sons alone, but the whole world, Whose advocate thou art, think not the tongue, That speaks for mercy, can offend my ear: Yet what thy zeal anticipates in time Is distant far; ages must roll betwixt Thy hope and its completion; threat'ning clouds Lour on the glorious prospect; seas of blood Must first be pass'd; long pilgrimage and sad My martyrs have to make through vallies dark, Where ign'rance shades the sun, through frightful haunts, Where superstition pictures out the scene In monstrous forms, and worships what it dreads: Painful their march and round beset with snares; Here treach'ry lurks, there persecution flames, Before them infidelity, behind Reproach and slander and the roar of tongues Contentious, urging them to turn from God And waste their nobler zeal in vain dispute. Thus step by step in righteousness and faith Arm'd at all points my servants militant Shall win their way, and what they earn enjoy. Lowly and meek I came into the world, And meek and lowly I shall now return, Not with that glory rising from the grave, Which for my second coming is reserv'd, But in that mortal body, which they pierc'd, Shewing my wounds, not with the proud display Of one, who courts the voice of public fame, But communing apart with those I left To be my witnesses, that so through them Men may be taught by reason to discern Not what they must, but what they should, believe; Not by the evidence of sense to feel, But by the mind's conviction to perceive Truth in it's argument, not act, and build On reason, not necessity, their faith, And on their faith and their good works their hope. God will not always struggle with mankind, Heap proof on proof till incredulity Though blind must see, though deaf of force must hear; He will not bring his heav'n upon the earth, Rather will lead man's heart from earthly things To reach at heavenly; the railing Jews, Who fix'd me to the cross, bade me come down And with the sign of pow'r dispel their doubts: So had I frustrated all faith at once, And with all faith all virtue: I was dumb, I open'd not my mouth to their reproach, I stirr'd not from the cross, I died the death, Nor to my rescue brought one Angel down, Though legions waited to obey my call: And now none other sign will I vouchsafe But of the prophet Jonas, for as he From out the belly of the whale emerg'd On the third day, so I from out the tomb In the same body will come forth on earth With the third morning's dawn; thus shall the word Of prophecy by my disciples heard, Not understood, be perfected in me, And I will breathe my spi'rit into their hearts To comprehend all scriptures, and to preach Me crucified; nor shall there be a dearth Of witnesses to publish and attest My resurrection; hundreds shall behold My substance in the flesh, and he that doubts Shall touch me and believe. More to expound There needs not; this in all your ears aloud I now promulgate, that when I am gone Ye may abide the interim in peace, By terror or impatience undisturb'd: And now not many are the days to pass, Ere to the heav'n of heav'ns I shall ascend, And there in blest communion with my Saints, Made perfect after death, for ever dwell At the right hand of Pow'r; meanwhile the seed, Which I have sown, though of all grains the least, Yet water'd by the Comforter shall grow Of herbs the greatest, and become a tree, Within whose branches all the birds of air Shall come and lodge, so shall my kingdom rise From mean beginning into mighty growth, A still small current, spreading as it goes; For in the arm of man I place no strength, Nor in the battle's thunder can be heard His voice that preacheth peace; to storm the ear, Like those loud heathen orators, who shake The forum with their eloquence, ill suits The servants of a Master little vers'd In this world's wisdom and not vain of speech: In love, in calm persuasion and in peace My gospel I have planted: Woe to them, Who in the place of these sweet fruits provoke The baneful growth of persecution, strife And discord in my Church, op'ning my wounds Unheal'd and crucifying me afresh. To him the Patriarch: Lord, we give thee thanks For that thou hast imparted to thy saints These tidings of great joy, though distant far And through such clouds of sorrow dimly seen; And sure we are thy gospel shall prevail, Yet much do we lament for what thy saints And martyrs have to suffer upon earth, Foil'd by that first Deceiver of mankind, Who, though now bruis'd and for awhile enchain'd, Shall yet come forth to vex thy holy Church, To conjure up false prophets and pervert Thy follo'wers, who are taught to live in peace And charity with all men: But we know God did not build this goodly frame of things For SATAN to destroy, and he and Death Shall have an end: Heav'n is man's natural home And righteousness the impulse of his heart; Nor will God fail his promise, that in me And in my seed the whole world shall be blest: Ah! when shall I behold that promis'd day? When shall I see the warring world at peace? When shall my Israel, scatter'd o'er the earth And straggling wide, hear their good Shepherd's call And come into his fold? Sure that blest voice, That glorious vision would be heav'n itself. That vision thou shalt see, the LORD replied And smil'd all-gracious on th' enraptur'd Saint, From this prospective mount with purged eye, That through the length'ning tract of time discerns Futurity remote, thou shalt behold Th' Apocalypse, which to no living eye, Save of my servant John, I shall disclose: But know ere this blest period shall arrive The elements must melt with fervent heat, And earth and sea and heav'n must pass away, Darkness and sin and death shall be no more, And a new world shine forth. Ascend the mount, And eastward turning tell me what thou see'st. I see, the Patriarch cried, an heaven and earth, Earth without sea and heav'n without a cloud, All bright and glist'ning from the Maker's hands: I see descending from the throne of God Jerusalem the Holy City, new, Deck'd like a bride for her celestial spouse: Order and grace and symmetry conspire In all her parts, and with the rich display Of vivid gems make glorious her attire: To the four points of heav'n in equal span She stretches out her many-colour'd walls, Celestial masonry, whose meanest stone, More rare and precious than the brightest gem Of earthly diadems, transparent flames, From the foundations to the topmost cope Of mural battlement one dazzling blaze Of glorious jewelry, and them amidst On every flank quadrangular three gates, Each of an orient pearl, to our twelve tribes By number and by name appropriate, Stand open, guarded by Cherubic watch; Through whose unfolded portals I descry A city all of purest gold and clear As the unclouded crystal, on whose towers God's all-sufficient glory sheds a flood Of radiance brighter than the borrow'd beam Of shadowy moon or sun oft wrapt in clouds, Making alternate night and day on earth: But night is here unknown; day needeth not To rest in darkness, nor the eye in sleep; Nor temple here for worship may be found, The ever-present Deity demands No house of pray'r; in ev'ry heart is built His altar, every voice records his praise, And every saint his minister and priest. Through the mid-street a crystal river flows Pellucid, welling from the throne of God, It's living source, upon whose border springs The tree of life, bearing ambrosial fruits Monthly renew'd and varied through the year, Food for immortals, in whose balmy gum And leaves medicinal a virtue dwells So general and potential, that no pain Or ailment but here finds it's ready cure: No tear shall wet this consecrated soil, Nor feud nor clamor nor unholy curse Disturb these peaceful echoes, here the saints In sweet harmonious brotherhood shall dwell Serene and perfect in the sight of God. And hark! I hear seraphic voices chaunt To their melodious harps the bridal hymn— Now is our God espoused to his Church, And from their heav'nly union are gone forth Blessing and peace and joy to all mankind: Now shall his saints eternal Sabbath keep From death and pain and wailing and complaint: All is made new, the old is pass'd away, Time draws aside the faded scene of things And Nature in immortal freshness blooms: Now to the waters of the fount of life, Perpetual waters, every soul may come, And he that is athirst may freely drink: But fire and brimstone in the burning lake Shall be their portion, who revolt from God; There with the Beast in torments they shall dwell, Seal'd in their foreheads with his mark and drink The cup of indignation to the dregs Wrung out in anger, whilst their ceaseless cry Shall with the smoke of the infernal pit Day after day for evermore ascend. No more; for now the heav'nly vision clos'd; Awaken'd from his trance the Patriarch turn'd With grateful reverence to address the LORD And giver of these new-discover'd joys, When lo! ascending from the mount he saw CHRIST in a cloud of glory on the wings Of mighty Cherubim upborne in air High-soaring, to this orb terraqueous bound, Seen over-head diminish'd to a point Dim and opake amid the blue serene: His raiment, whiter than the new-born light Struck out of chaos by the Maker's hand In earnest of creation, sparkling blaz'd In it's swift motion and with fiery track Mark'd his ascent to earth; the host of Saints With joyful loud hosannas fill'd the air: Glory to God on high, was all their strain, On the earth peace, good-will to all mankind! Meanwhile th' Arch-angel GABRIEL, who yet kept His tutelary station on the mount, So bidd'n of CHRIST, with arm outstretch'd and voice Commanding silence, thus the Saints bespake. Now is your resurrection sure, your joy, Your glory and your triumph over Death And hell made perfect; for behold where CHRIST Your first-fruit is aris'n, and waves on high The ensign of redemption; now he soars Up to yon pendent world, that darkling speck, Which in the boundless empyrean floats Pois'd on it's whirling axle; there he liv'd And took your mortal body, there he died And for your sakes endur'd the painful cross, Giving his blood a ransom for your sins; Thither he goes to re-assume his flesh; There, when his angel ministers have op'd The sealed sepulchre, he shall come forth And shew himself resurgent from the grave To those whom he hath sanctified and call'd To be his witnesses in all the world, And of his resurrection after death Their faithful evidence to seal with blood Of martyrs and apostles, warning men With their last breath to be baptiz'd and live; So shall the seed be water'd and increase, Till all the Gentile nations shall come in And dwell beneath it's branches evermore. Now are the gates of everlasting life Set open to mankind, and when the LORD, Captain of their salvation, shall have liv'd His promis'd term on earth, and thence to heav'n Ascending seat himself at God's right hand, Then shall the Holy Ghost the Comforter Rush like a mighty wind upon the hearts Of his inspir'd apostles; tongues of fire And languages untaught they shall receive To speak with boldness the revealed Word, Enduring all things for the gospel's sake; Troubled on ev'ry side yet not distress'd, Perplex'd but not surrender'd to despair, Afflicted not forsaken they shall be, Cast down but not destroy'd, knowing that God, Who raised the LORD JESUS from the dead, Them also into life through him will raise, And that the light affliction of this world, Which is but for a moment, soon shall be O'erpaid by a far more exceeding weight Of glory' eternal in the life to come. He ceas'd, and all were silent, wrapt in awe Of the late glorious vision, yet in heart Troubled for what the Angel had reveal'd Of sorrows still to come and pains and deaths To be encounter'd by the Saints on earth; When now that Shepherd, who on Sinai's mount Commun'd with God and heard creation's plan Expounded by it's Architect, thus spake. Oh thou, whom through the fiery cloud I saw On Horeb's hill, when tending Jethro's flock, What time I heard my name twice call'd of God In thunder from amidst the flaming bush, Bidding me strait go forth to loose his sheep From Egypt's captive fold, I do perceive That I have penn'd the Word of God aright, And now in CHRIST behold the woman's seed Bruising that Serpent's head, who wrought the fall Of our first parents. Forty days and nights On Sinai's top 'midst thund'rings, clouds and fire Fasting I stood, and whilst the hallow'd ground Trembled beneath my bare unsandal'd feet, I heard an awful voice, that bade me write The glorious record of his six days work. Aghast, confounded, dazzled with the blaze Of glory, still my faithful pen obey'd The sacred dictates of an unseen God: I wrote, and to an unbelieving world Publish'd the wond'rous Code; age after age Libell'd the transcript: With the rod of pow'r I smote the seas asunder; Israel pass'd Through wat'ry battlements; forty long years In the waste howling wilderness I fed Their murmuring tribes with food miraculous; They fed but murmur'd still: I brought them laws With God's own finger graven; I came down Bearing Jehovah's statutes in my hand On both sides written; impious noisy shouts, Lewd triumphs and vile revels smote mine ear; The people danc'd around a molten calf, Monstrous idolatry! Raging with shame I dash'd the stony tablets on the ground, And shiver'd them to fragments; God was mock'd; A stiff-neck'd and a stubborn race they were, Who from the rock of their salvation turn'd And sacrific'd to devils; and behold! Their sons have crucified the LORD OF LIFE; Therefore his resurrection, which shall be Light and redemption to the Gentile world, To them is darkness and the shadow' of death; For they have slain the very Paschal Lamb; That bloody symbol of their antient law, Which I made sacred, they have now made void, And cancell'd my legation: I perceive A new commandment is gone forth; I see The temple's vail is rent; for the old law, A carnal shadow of things spiritual, Suffic'd not for perfection and the pow'r Of an eternal life: CHRIST is become That King of Salem, that immortal Priest Of God most high, whose ministry supreme, Before all time from heav'n itself deriv'd And not from right Levitical, removes All title from that consecrated tribe, Where I had fix'd it. God, who sending me, Sent but his servant, now hath giv'n his Son More worthy of his glory; without sin And spotless He, the great High Priest, hath pass'd Into the heav'ns victorious over Death; But I, whose trespasses at Meribah, Frail sinful man, provok'd the Lord to wrath, Saw but the skirts of Dan from Pisgah's top, Unworthy deem'd to enter that fair land, And died upon mount Nebo. But when CHRIST, Who hath awaken'd us from sleep, shall rise And in his mortal flesh a second time Visit his Saints on earth, who then shall say There is no resurrection of the dead? Faintly I shadow'd forth a future life; I spake not to men's senses, as CHRIST speaks; God gave me no commission to reveal The secrets of the grave; corruption's worm Spar'd not my flesh, nor came my spirit back From Death's dark citadel to give mankind Conviction ocular of his defeat; I left him in his power till CHRIST should come To break that sceptre, which had aw'd the world. Much then it moves my wonder, much I grieve That darkness shall not yet be drawn aside From Israel, and that those, who would not hear Me and the prophets, shall not yet believe CHRIST their Messias rising from the dead. To whom th' Arch-angel answer'd heav'nly mild: Well may'st thou muse that reas'ning man should doubt, And cause we have to grieve, when he neglects So great salvation; but when CHRIST hath shewn What is the good and true and perfect way, Reason must do the rest: When all are free Some must be faithless, wilful and perverse. God could have made his creatures void of sin, For he can put a master in their hearts, And govern them by instinct; but to man He gave a nobler faculty, a will, A spark of immortality, a soul, Reason to counsel that immortal soul, And conscience to restrain licentious will. Grace shall assist the humble and devout; A proud man hath no friend in heav'n or earth, Renounc'd of angels and by men abhorr'd: Truth must be sought, it will not be impos'd: What were that revelation, which should leave No exercise to faith? All men must work With fear and trembling their salvation out. God does not give free will to take away What he hath giv'n; if man will sin, he must: Nor do we call them good, who cannot err, Else brutes would claim a virtue. None is good Save God alone; impute we not to God The evil which man does, nor him arraign For not preventing ills which he foreknows: Angels have sinn'd and some are fall'n from bliss; All had their days of error, their degrees Of good and ill, else why have we degrees Ranks and precedencies of bliss in heav'n? Call your own lives to mind; ye have been men, Your failings many, yet your virtues more; Why are ye now rewarded by your God? Why but because those virtues were your own? Ye made them what they were, ye rear'd their growth, Reason reform'd the wild luxuriant soil, Pluck'd up the weeds and nurs'd the glorious fruit. Is there amongst you one that hath to boast Human perfection? There is none that will. A free yet faultless creature would be more Than man, than angel; nor can God create An equal to himself, a rival God. In Eden's happy groves when man was plac'd, One interdicted baneful plant there was, Tempting and rich in fruit; all else was good, Fair to the eye and wholesome to the taste; Yet of that fruit man pluck'd and eat and died; Tempted he was, but not compell'd to take; Warn'd to abstain, no angel stopp'd his hand, No thundering voice deterr'd him from the deed, For man was free; so could he not have been, Had God's foreknowledge over-rul'd his will. Thus Sin had origin and Death began His occupation with the human race, More terrible for that he came with pangs, Horrors and doubts on sin-oppressed man, When conscience wrung him in the parting hour: But still the inextinguishable soul Mock'd at Death's dart, the body was his own From the beginning; of the earth 'twas made, The earth it till'd and from the earth it fed; A tenement of dust was never form'd Fox immortality; and now, behold, Adam the earthy man, in whom all die, Is buried to the world; redemption brings The day-spring of Salvation from on high, CHRIST in his glory comes, the LORD from heav'n, And who in him have faith, in him have life. He ceas'd, when now th' assembly of the Saints, Who whilst he spake stood in their orbs unmov'd Circling the mount, 'gan feel the Spi'rit of God Descending on their hearts, and, like a sea By secret currents from it's bottom stirr'd, Wav'd to and fro their undulating files Wide and more wide, as with a mighty wind The heav'nly inspiration on them rush'd: This GABRIEL heard and from the mount came down, Which quak'd beneath his feet, whilst over-head Loud thunderings announc'd the coming God: And now a fire, that cover'd all the mount, Bespoke him present; all the air respir'd Ambrosial odours, amaranth and rose, For Nature felt her God, and every flower And every fragrant shrub, whose honied breath Perfumes the courts of heav'n, had burst to life Blooming, and, in a thousand colors dy'd, Threw their gay mantle o'er the naked heath: Now glow'd the living landscape; hill and dale Rose on the flat, or sunk as Nature shap'd Her loveliest forms and swell'd her wavey line, Leaving unrein'd variety to run Her wild career amid the sportive scene: Nor were there wanting trees of ev'ry growth, Umbrageous some, making a verdant tent Under their spreading branches, some of shaft Majestic, tow'ring o'er the subject groves: Blossoms and fruits and aromatic gums Scented the breeze, that fann'd their rustling leaves; And them betwixt a crystal river flow'd O'er golden sands, meand'ring in it's course Through amaranthine banks with lulling sound Of dulcet murmurs breathing soft repose. Thus at the sight of God spontaneous rose A Paradise within the realm of Death, Where that blest congregation might abide Their LORD's return now visitant on earth: And now th' Eternal having breath'd his joy Into their hearts and giv'n them to discern All knowledge, that befitted souls so blest, Withdrew his presence from the flaming mount; Whereat the min'istring Angel, who beheld Salvation's work complete, thus parting spake. God, in whose presence pleasure ever dwells, Hath for your dear Redeemer's sake bestow'd These joys, and now his presence is withdrawn; Yet hath he left his spirit in your hearts To teach you all that is and is to be: Behold, the cloud that veil'd your mortal eyes Is drawn aside, and what as in a glass Darkling ye saw now face to face is seen: Ye now discern the ways of God how just, How true, how wise, how perfect in design, And well ye know that man, presumptuous man, In a vain shadow walketh; ye perceive His boasted mind sufficient for the things, That to his own salvation appertain; Yet when it scans the mysteries of heaven, How false, how weak, how daringly absurd! Firm faith, warm charity and humble hope, These are the Christian graces, these the guides, That lead to life eternal; thoughts perverse, Pert quibbling follies, publish'd in the pride Of false philosophy, are dev'lish arts, That damn the instrument, who thus attempts To hide the light of revelation's beam From weaker eyes, and turn the world from God; These verily shall have their just reward: And now no more; this Paradise ye see Is but your passage to a brighter scene, A resting-place till CHRIST shall re-ascend To the right hand of God and call you hence To share his glory in the heav'n of heavens. He said, and swifter than the meteor's glance, Sprung on the wing to seek his native sphere: The Saints look'd up, then sung with joint acclaim— Glory to God and praises to his CHRIST, Judge and Redeemer of the quick and dead!