The Complete Poetry of John Milton (128 page)

   245     
Establisht, such delight hath God in Men

               
Obedient to his will, that he voutsafes

               
Among them to set up his Tabernacle,

               
The holy One with mortal Men to dwell:

               
By his prescript a Sanctuary is fram’d

   250     
Of Cedar, overlaid with Gold, therein

               
An Ark, and in the Ark his Testimony,

               
The Records of his Cov’nant, over these

               
A Mercie-seat
¹⁹
of Gold between the wings

               
Of two bright Cherubim, before him burn

   255     
Seaven Lamps
²⁰
as in a Zodiac representing

               
The Heav’nly fires; over the Tent a Cloud

               
Shall rest by Day, a fiery gleam by Night,

               
Save when they journie, and at length they come,

               
Conducted by his Angel to the Land

   260     
Promis’d to
Abraham
and his Seed: the rest

               
Were long to tell, how many Battels fought,

               
How many Kings destroyd, and Kingdoms won,

               
Or how the Sun shall in mid Heav’n stand still

               
A day entire, and Nights due course adjourn,

   265     
Mans voice commanding,
²¹
Sun in
Gibeon
stand,

               
And thou Moon in the vale of
Aialon
,

               
Till
Israel
overcome; so call the third

               
From
Abraham
, Son of
Isaac
, and from him

               
His whole descent, who thus shall
Canaan
win.

   270  
      
       Here
Adam
interpos’d. O sent from Heav’n,

               
Enlightner of my darkness, gracious things

               
Thou hast reveald, those chiefly which concern

               
Just
Abraham
and his Seed: now first I find

               
Mine eyes true op’ning, and my heart much eas’d,

   275     
Erwhile perplext with thoughts what would becom

               
Of mee and all Mankind; but now I see

               
His day, in whom all Nations shall be blest,

               
Favour unmerited by me, who sought

               
Forbidd’n knowledge by forbidd’n means.

   280     
This yet I apprehend not, why to those

               
Among whom God will deigne 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?

   285  
      
       To whom thus
Michael.
Doubt not but that sin

               
Will reign among them, as of thee begot;

               
And therefore was Law giv’n them to evince

               
Thir natural pravitie,
²²
by stirring up

               
Sin against Law to fight; that when they see

   290     
Law can discover sin, but not remove,

               
Save by those shadowie
²³
expiations weak,

               
The bloud of Bulls and Goats, they may conclude

               
Some bloud more precious must be paid for Man,

               
Just for unjust, that in such righteousness

   295     
To them by Faith imputed, they may find

               
Justification towards God, and peace

               
Of Conscience, which the Law by Ceremonies

               
Cannot appease, nor Man the moral part

               
Perform, and not performing cannot live.

   300     
So Law appears imperfet, and but giv’n

               
With purpose to resign them in full time

               
Up to a better Cov’nant, disciplin’d

               
From shadowie Types to Truth, from Flesh to Spirit,

               
From imposition of strict Laws, to free

   305     
Acceptance of large Grace, from servil fear

               
To filial, works of Law to works of Faith.

               
And therefore shall not
Moses
, though of God

               
Highly belov’d, being but the Minister

               
Of Law, his people into
Canaan
lead;

   310     
But
Joshua
whom the Gentiles
Jesus
call,
²⁴

               
His Name and Office bearing, who shall quell

               
The adversarie Serpent, and bring back

               
Through the worlds wilderness long wanderd man

               
Safe to eternal Paradise of rest.

   315     
Meanwhile they in thir earthly
Canaan
plac’t

               
Long time shall dwell and prosper, but when sins

               
National interrupt thir public peace,

               
Provoking God to raise them enemies:

               
From whom as oft he saves them penitent

   320     
By Judges first, then under Kings; of whom

               
The second,
²⁵
both for pietie renownd

               
And puissant deeds, a promise shall receive

               
Irrevocable, that his Regal Throne

               
For ever shall endure; the like shall sing

   325     
All Prophecie, that of the Royal Stock

               
Of
David
(so I name this King) shall rise

               
A Son, the Womans Seed to thee foretold,

               
Foretold to
Abraham
, as in whom shall trust

               
All Nations, and to Kings foretold, of Kings

   330     
The last, for of his Reign shall be no end.

               
But first a long succession must ensue,

               
And his next Son
²⁶
for Wealth and Wisdom fam’d,

               
The clouded Ark of God till then in Tents

               
Wandring, shall in a glorious Temple enshrine.

   335     
Such follow him, as shall be registerd

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

               
Whose foul Idolatries, and other faults

               
Heapt to the popular sum, will so incense

               
God, as to leave them, and expose thir Land,

   340     
Thir Citie, his Temple, and his holy Ark

               
With all his sacred things, a scorn and prey

               
To that proud Citie, whose high Walls thou saw’st

               
Left in confusion,
Babylon
thence call’d.

               
There in captivitie he lets them dwell

   345     
The space of seventie years, then brings them back,

               
Remembring mercie, and his Cov’nant sworn

               
To
David
, stablisht as the dayes of Heav’n

               
Returnd from
Babylon
by leave of Kings
²⁷

               
Thir Lords, whom God dispos’d, the house of God

   350     
They first re-edifie, 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

   355     
Endeavour Peace: thir strife pollution brings

               
Upon the Temple it self: at last they
²⁸
seise

               
The Scepter, and regard not
Davids
Sons,

               
Then loose it to a stranger,
²⁹
that the true

               
Anointed King
Messiah
might be born

   360     
Barr’d of his right; yet at his Birth a Starr

               
Unseen before in Heav’n proclaims him com,

               
And guides the Eastern Sages, who enquire

               
His place, to offer Incense, Myrrh, and Gold;

               
His place of birth a solemn Angel tells

   365     
To simple Shepherds, keeping watch by night;

               
They gladly thither
³⁰
haste, and by a Quire

               
Of squadrond Angels hear his Carol sung.

               
A Virgin is his Mother, but his Sire

               
The Power of the most High; he shall ascend

   370     
The Throne hereditarie, and bound his Reign

               
With earths wide bounds, his glory with the Heav’ns.

           
      
       He ceas’d, discerning
Adam
with such joy

               
Surcharg’d, as had like grief bin dew’d in tears,

               
Without the vent of words, which these he breath’d.

   375  
      
       O Prophet of glad tidings, finisher

               
Of utmost hope! now clear I understand

               
What oft my steddiest thoughts have searcht in vain,

               
Why our great expectation should be call’d

               
The seed of Woman: Virgin Mother, Hail,

   380     
High in the love of Heav’n, yet from my Loyns

               
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
³¹
bruise

               
Expect with mortal pain: say where and when

   385     
Thir fight, what stroke shall bruise the Victors heel.

           
      
       To whom thus
Michael.
Dream not of thir fight,

               
As of a Duel, or the local wounds

               
Of head or heel: not therefore joyns the Son

               
Manhood to God-head, with more strength to foil

   390     
Thy enemie; nor so is overcome

               
Satan
, whose fall from Heav’n, a deadlier bruise,

               
Disabl’d not to give thee thy deaths wound:

               
Which hee, who comes thy Saviour, shall recure,

               
Not by destroying
Satan
, but his works

   395     
In thee and in thy Seed: nor can this be,

               
But by fulfilling that which thou didst want,

               
Obedience to the Law of God, impos’d

               
On penaltie of death, and suffering death,

               
The penaltie to thy transgression due,