Selected quad for the lemma: work_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A50919
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Paradise lost a poem written in ten books / by John Milton.
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Milton, John, 1608-1674.
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1667
(1667)
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Wing M2137; ESTC R13460
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160,733
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344
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first I finde Mine eyes true op'ning and my heart much eas'd 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 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 refide To whom thus Michael Doubt not but that sin Will reign among them as of thee begot And therefore was Law given them to evince Thir natural pravitie by stirring up Sin against Law to fight that when they see Law can discover sin but not remove Save by those shadowie 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 To them by Faith imputed they may finde 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 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 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 But Joshua whom the Gentiles Jesus call 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 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 By Judges first then under Kings of whom The second both for pietie renownd And puissant deeds a promise shall receive Irrevocable that his Regal Throne For ever shall endure the like shall sing 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 The last for of his Reign shall be no end But first a long succession must ensue And his next Son for Wealth and Wisdom fam'd The clouded Ark of God till then in Tents Wandring shall in a glorious Temple enshrine Such follow him as shall be registerd Part good part bad of bad the longer scrowle Whose foul Idolatries and other faults Heapt to the popular summe will so incense God as to leave them and expose thir Land 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 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 Thir Lords whom God dispos'd the house of God 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 Endeavour Peace thir strife pollution brings Upon the Temple it self at last they seise The Scepter and regard not Davids Sons Then loose it to a stranger that the true Anointed King Messiah might be born 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 To simple Shepherds keeping watch by night They gladly thither 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 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 breathd 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 Haile High in the love of Heav'n yet from my Loynes 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 bruise Expect with mortal paine say where and when 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 joynes the Son Manhood to God-head with more strength to foil 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 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 And due to theirs which out of thine will grow So onely can high Justice rest appaid The Law of God exact he shall fulfill Both by obedience and by love though love Alone fulfill the Law thy punishment He shall endure by coming in the Flesh To a reproachful life and cursed death Proclaming Life to all who shall believe In his redemption and that his obedience Imputed becomes theirs by Faith his merits To save them not thir own though legal works For this he shall live hated be blasphem'd Seis'd on by force judg'd and to death condemnd A shameful and accurst naild to the Cross By his own Nation slaine for bringing Life But to the Cross he nailes thy Enemies The Law that is against thee and the sins Of all mankinde with him there crucifi'd Never to hurt them more who rightly trust In this his satisfaction so he dies But soon revives Death over him no power Shall long usurp ere the third dawning light Returne the Starres of Morn shall see him rise Out of his grave fresh as the dawning light Thy ransom paid which Man from death redeems His death for Man as many as offerd Life Neglect not and the benefit imbrace By Faith not void of workes this God-like act Annuls thy doom the death thou shouldst have dy'd In sin for ever lost from life this act Shall bruise the head of Satan crush his strength Defeating Sin and Death his two maine armes And fix farr deeper in his
up in Idol-worship O that men Canst thou believe should be so stupid grown While yet the Patriark liv'd who scap'd the Flood As to forsake the living God and fall To worship thir own work in Wood and Stone For Gods yet him God the most High voutsafes To call by Vision from his Fathers house His kindâ—…ed and false Gods into a Land Which he will shew him and from him will raise A mightie Nation and upon him showre His benediction so that in his Seed All Nations shall be blest hee straight obeys Not knowing to what Land yet firm believes I see him but thou canst not with what Faith He leaves his Gods his Friends and native Soile Ur of Chaldaea passing now the Ford To Haran after him a cumbrous Train Of Herds and Flocks and numerous servitude Not wandring poor but trusting all his wealth With God who call'd him in a land unknown Canaan he now attains I see his Tents Pitcht about Sechem and the neighbouring Plaine Of Moreh there by promise he receaves Gift to his Progenie of all that Land From Hamath Northward to the Desert South Things by thir names I call though yet unnam'd From Hermon East to the great Western Sea Mount Hermon yonder Sea each place behold In prospect as I point them on the shoare Mount Carmel here the double-founted stream Jordan true limit Eastward but his Sons Shall dwell to Senir that long ridge of Hills This ponder that all Nations of the Earth Shall in his Seed be blessed by that Seed Is meant thy great deliverer who shall bruise The Serpents head whereof to thee anon Plainlier shall be reveald This Patriarch blest Whom faithful Abraham due time shall call A Son and of his Son a Grand-childe leaves Like him in faith in wisdom and renown The Grandchilde with twelve Sons increast departs From Canaan to a Land hereafter call'd Egypt divided by the River Nile See where it flows disgorging at seaven mouthes Into the Sea to sojourn in that Land He comes invited by a yonger Son In time of dearth a Son whose worthy deeds Raise him to be the second in that Realme Of Pharao there he dies and leaves his Race Growing into a Nation and now grown Suspected to a sequent King who seeks To stop thir overgrowth as inmate guests Too numerous whence of guests he makes them slaves Inhospitably and kills thir infant Males Till by two brethren those two brethren call Moses and Aaron sent from God to claime His people from enthralment they return With glory and spoile back to thir promis'd Land But first the lawless Tyrant who denies To know thir God or message to regard Must be compelld by Signes and Judgements dire To blood unshed the Rivers must be turnd Frogs Lice and Flies must all his Palace â—…ill With loath'd intruâ—…on and fill all the land His Cattel must of Rot and Murren die Botches and blaines must all his flesh imboss And all his people Thunder mixt with Haile Haile mixt with fire must rend th' Egyptian Skie And wheel on th' Earth devouring where it rouls What it devours not Herb or Fruit or Graine A darksom Cloud of Locusts swarming down Must eat and on the ground leave nothing green Darkness must overshadow all his bounds Palpable darkness and blot out three dayes Last with one midnight stroke all the first-born Of Egypt must lie dead Thus with ten wounds This River-dragon tam'd at length submits To let his sojourners depart and oft Humbles his stubborn heart but still as Ice More hard'nd after thaw till in his rage Pursuing whom he late dismissd the Sea Swallows him with his Host but them le ts pass As on drie land between two christal walls Aw'd by the rod of Moses so to stand Divided till his rescu'd gain thir shoar Such wondrous power God to his Saint will lend Though present in his Angel who shall goe Before them in a Cloud and Pillar of Fire By day a Cloud by night a pillar of Fire To guide them in thir journey and remove Behinde them while th' obdurat King pursues All night he will pursue but his approach Darkness defends between till morning Watch Then through the Firey Pillar and the Cloud God looking forth will trouble all his Host And craze thir Chariot wheels when by command Moses once more his potent Rod extends Over the Sea the Sea his Rod obeys On thir imbattelld ranks the Waves return And overwhelm thir Warr the Race elect Safe towards Canaan from the shoar advance Through the wilde Desert not the readiest way Least entring on the Canaanite allarmd Warr terrifie them inexpert and feare Return them back to Egypt choosing rather Inglorious life with servitude for life To noble and ignoble is more sweet Untraind in Armes where rashness leads not on This also shall they gain by thir delay In the wide Wilderness there they shall found Thir government and thir great Senate choose Through the twelve Tribes to rule by Laws ordaind God from the Mount of Sinai whose gray top Shall tremble he descending will himself In Thunder Lightning and loud Trumpets sound Ordaine them Lawes part such as appertaine To civil Justice part religious Rites Of sacrifice informing them by types And shadowes of that destind Seed to bruise The Serpent by what meanes he shall achieve Mankinds deliverance But the voice of God To mortal eare is dreadful they beseech That Moses might report to them his will And terror cease he grants them thir desire Instructed that to God is no access Without Mediator whose high Office now Moses in figure beares to introduce One greater of whose day he shall foretell And all the Prophets in thir Age the times Of great Messiah shall sing Thus Laws and Rites 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 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 of Gold between the wings Of two bright Cherubim before him burn Seaven Lamps as in a Zodiac representing The Heav'nly fires over the Tent a Cloud Shall rest by Day a 〈◊〉 gleame by Night Save when they journie and at length they come Conducted by his Angel to the Land Promisd 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 adjourne Mans voice commanding 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 Here Adam interpos'd O sent from Heav'n Enlightner of my darkness gracious things Thou hast reveald those chiefly which concerne Just Abraham and his Seed now