The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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That far be from Thee, Father, who art judge
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Of all things made, and judgest only right.
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Or shall the adversary 2487 thus obtain
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His end, and frustrate Thine? Shall he fulfill
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His malice, and Thy goodness bring to nought?
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Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,2488
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Yet with revenge accomplished, and to Hell
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Draw after him the whole race of mankind,
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By him corrupted? Or wilt Thou Thyself
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Abolish Thy creation, and unmake
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For him, what for Thy glory Thou hast made?
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So should Thy goodness and Thy greatness both
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Be questioned and blasphemed without defence.
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To whom the great Creator thus replied:
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“O Son, in whom my soul hath chief delight,
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Son of my bosom, Son who art alone
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My word, my wisdom, and effectual 2489 might,
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All hast thou spoken as my thoughts are, all
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As my eternal purpose hath decreed.
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Man shall not quite be lost, but saved who will,
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Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
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Freely vouchsafed.2490 Once more I will renew
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His lapsèd 2491 powers, though forfeit 2492 and enthralled
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By Sin to foul exorbitant desires.
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Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
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On even ground against his mortal foe,
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By me upheld, that he may know how frail
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His fall’n condition is, and to me owe
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All his deliverance, and to none but me.
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Some I have chosen of peculiar2493 grace,
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Elect2494 above the rest; so is my will.
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The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warned
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Their sinful state, and to appease betimes2495
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The incensed 2496 Deity, while offered 2497 grace
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Invites, for I will clear their senses dark,
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What may suffice, and soften stony hearts
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To pray, repent, and bring obedience due. 2498
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To prayer, repentance, and obedience due,
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Though but endeavored with sincere intent,
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Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut.
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And I will place within them as a guide
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My umpire2499 Conscience, whom if they will hear,
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Light 2500 after light, well used, they shall attain,
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And to the end, persisting, safe arrive.
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This my long sufferance, 2501 and my day of grace,
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They who neglect and scorn shall never taste,
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But hard be hardened, blind be blinded more,
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That they may stumble on, and deeper fall.
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And none but such from mercy I exclude.
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“But yet all is not done. Man disobeying,
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Disloyal, breaks his fealty2502 and sins
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Against the high supremacy of Heav’n,
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Affecting2503 God-head and, so losing all,
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To expiate his treason hath nought left,
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But to destruction sacred2504 and devote,
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He, with his whole posterity, must die.
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Die he or justice must; unless for him
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Some other able, and as willing, pay
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The rigid2505 satisfaction,2506 death for death.
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Say, Heav’nly Powers, where shall we find such love?
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Which of you will be mortal, to redeem
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Man’s mortal crime and, just, the unjust to save?
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Dwells in all Heav’n charity 2507 so dear?
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He asked, but all the Heav’nly choir2508 stood mute,
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And silence was in Heav’n: on man’s behalf
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Patron2509 or intercessor 2510 none appeared,
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Much less that durst upon his own head draw
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The deadly forfeiture and ransom set.
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And now without redemption all mankind
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Must have been lost, adjudged to Death and Hell
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By doom2511 severe, had not the Son of God,
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In whom the fullness dwells of love divine,
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His dearest mediation thus renewed:
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“Father, Thy word is past, man shall find grace;
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And shall grace not find means? that finds her way,
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The speediest of Thy wingèd messengers,
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To visit all Thy creatures, and to all
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Comes unprevented,2512 unimplored, unsought?
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Happy for man, so coming. He her aid
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Can never seek, once dead in sins, and lost:
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Atonement for himself, or offering meet,2513
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Indebted and undone, hath none to bring.
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Behold me, then: me for him, life for life
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I offer. On me let Thine anger fall;
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Account2514 me man. I for his sake will leave
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Thy bosom, and this glory next to Thee
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Freely put off, and for him lastly2515 die
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Well pleased. On me let Death wreak2516 all his rage.
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Under his gloomy power I shall not long
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Lie vanquished. Thou hast giv’n me to possess
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Life in myself forever. By Thee I live,
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Though now to Death I yield, and am his due2517
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(All that of me can die), yet that debt paid,
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Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave
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His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul
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Forever with corruption there to dwell,
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But I shall rise victorious, and subdue
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My vanquisher, spoiled of his vaunted 2518 spoil.
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Death his Death’s wound shall then receive, and stoop2519
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Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarmed.
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I through the ample2520 air in triumph high
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Shall lead Hell captive maugre2521 Hell, and show2522
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The powers of darkness bound. Thou, at the sight
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Pleased, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile,
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&nbs
p; While, by Thee raised, I ruin2523 all my foes,
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Death last, and with his carcass glut2524 the grave.
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Then with the multitude of my redeemed
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Shall enter Heav’n, long absent, and return,
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Father, to see Thy face, wherein no cloud
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Of anger shall remain, but peace assured
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And reconcilement. Wrath shall be no more,
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Thenceforth, but in Thy presence joy entire.”2525
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His words here ended, but his meek aspect,
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Silent, yet spoke, and breathed immortal love
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To mortal men, above which only shone
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Filial obedience. As a sacrifice
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Glad to be offered, he attends the will
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Of his great Father. Admiration2526 seized
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All Heav’n, what this might mean, and whither tend,2527
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Wond’ring. But soon2528 th’Almighty thus replied:
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“O thou, in Heav’n and earth the only peace
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Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou
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My sole complacence!2529 Well thou know’st how dear
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To me are all my works, nor man the least,
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Though last created, that for him I spare
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Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,
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By losing thee a while, the whole race lost.
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Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem,2530
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Their nature also to thy nature join,
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And be thyself man among men on earth,
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Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed,
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By wondrous birth. Be thou in Adam’s room2531
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The head of all mankind, though Adam’s son.
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As in him perish all men, so in thee,
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As from a second root, shall be restored
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As many as are restored, without thee none.
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His crime makes guilty all his sons: thy merit,
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Imputed,2532 shall absolve them2533 who renounce
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Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,
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And live in thee transplanted, and from thee
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Receive new life. So man, as is most just,
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Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die,
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And dying rise, and rising with him raise
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His brethren, ransomed with his own dear life.
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So Heav’nly love shall outdo hellish hate,
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Giving to death, and dying to redeem,
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So dearly2534 to redeem what hellish hate
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So easily destroyed, and still destroys
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In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
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Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume
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Man’s nature, lessen or degrade thine own.
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Because thou hast, though throned in highest bliss
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Equal to God, and equally enjoying
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Godlike fruition,2535 quitted2536 all, to save
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A world from utter loss, and hast been found
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By merit more than birthright Son of God,
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Found worthiest to be so by being good,
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Far more than great or high—because in thee
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Love hath abounded more than glory abounds.
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Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt
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With thee thy manhood also to this throne.
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Here shalt thou sit incarnate, 2537 here shalt reign
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Both God and man, Son both of God and man,
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Anointed universal King. All power
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I give thee: reign forever, and assume
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Thy merits.2538 Under thee, as head supreme,
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Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions, I reduce. 2539
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All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide2540
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In Heav’n, or earth, or under earth in Hell.
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When thou, attended gloriously from Heav’n
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Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send
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The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim
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Thy dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds
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The living, and forthwith the cited 2541 dead
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Of all past ages, to the general doom2542
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Shall hasten. Such a peal2543 shall rouse their sleep.
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Then all thy Saints assembled, thou shalt judge
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Bad men and Angels. They, arraigned,2544 shall sink
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Beneath thy sentence. Hell, her numbers full,
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Thenceforth shall be forever shut. Meanwhile
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The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring
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New Heav’n and earth, wherein the just shall dwell
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And after all their tribulations long
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See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
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With joy and peace triumphing, and fair truth.
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Then thou thy regal scepter shalt lay by,
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For regal scepter then no more shall need:
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God shall be all in all. But all ye gods,
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Adore him, who to compass2545 all this dies,
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Adore the Son, and honor him as me.
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No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but all
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The multitude of Angels, with a shout
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Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
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As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav’n rung
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With jubilee, 2546 and loud hosannas2547 filled
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The eternal regions. Lowly reverent
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Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground
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With solemn adoration down they cast
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Their crowns inwove with amarant2548 and gold,
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Immortal amarant, a flower which once
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In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life,
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Began to bloom, but soon for man’s offence
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To Heav’n removed, where first it grew, there grows,
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And flow’rs aloft, shading the Fount of Life,
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And where the river of bliss through midst of Heav’n
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Rolls o’er Elysian flow’rs her amber stream.
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With these that never fade the Spirits elect 2549
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Bind their resplendent locks inwreathed with beams,
&nbs
p; 362
Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright
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Pavement,2550 that like a sea of jasper shone,
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Impurpled with celestial roses smiled.
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Then, crowned again, their golden harps they took,