with the Multitude of my Redeemed, to fee thy Face, wherein no Cloud of Anger fhall remain, but affured Peace and Reconcilement; thenceforward entire Joy fhall be in thy Prefence, and Wrath fhall be

no more.

HERE his Words ended; but his meek Afpect, though he was filent, fpake and breathed immortal Love to Mankind, above which only fhone filial Obedience; he attends the Will of his great FATHER, as a Sacrifice glad to be offered up. All Heaven was feized with Admiration, what this might mean, and whether it would tend; but the ALMIMHTY foon replied:

My fole Delight! the only Peace in Heaven and Earth found out for Mankind, under Wrath; Thou knoweft well how dear all my Works are to me, and it fhews MAN not the leaft fo, though the laft created; feeing that for his Sake I fpare Thee from my Bofom and Right-Hand, to fave (by lofing Thee for a Time) the whole Race that was loft: Do Thou, therefore, join thy Nature alfo to theirs, whom thou alone canft redeem; and be Thyfelf a MAN upon Earth among MEN, and made Flefh, when the Fulnefs of Time fhall be, of Virgin Seed, by a miraculous Birth: Be thou in the Room of ADAM (f), the Head of all Mankind, though one of his Sons; as in him all MEN perish, fo as from a second Root, in Thee fhall be restored as many as are reftored, and without Thee none: His Crime makes all his Sons guilty; the Merit accounted for theirs, fhall-abfolve all those who renounce their own Deeds, both righteous and unrighteous, and live engrafted in Thee, and

receive new Light from Thee: So (as is most just) MAN fhall fatisfy for MAN, be judged and die, and afterwards rife again, and with him raife his Brethren, ranfomed with his own dear Life: So hellish Hate fhall be out-done by heavenly Love, giving itself to DEATH, and dying; fo dearly redeem what hellifh Hate destroyed to easily, and ftill does deftroy in all thofe, who when they may will not accept› of Grace. Nor fhalt Thou leffen or debafe thy own Nature, by condefcending to affume that of MAN; because, though enthroned in higheft Blifs, equal to GOD, and enjoying the fame as the FATHER, Thou haft quitted all, to fave a whole World from utter Lofs, and hast been found the SON of GOD, by Merit more than by Birthright; formed worthy to be fo, by Reafon of being good, far more than by being great or high; because Love hath abounded in Thee far beyond Glory: Therefore thy Humiliation fhall with Thee exalt thy Manhood alfo to this Throne; here thou fhalt fit incarnate, and reign here, both GoD and MAN, the Son both of GOD and MAN, anointed the univerfal King; all Power I give unto Thee, do Thou reign for ever, and affume all Adoration as thy Merit; all the Angels of Heaven I put under thy Government; to Thee, as the fupreme Head, every Knee fhall bow, of Things in Heaven, and Things in Earth, and Things under the Earth; when thou fhalt appear in the Sky, attended glorioufly from Heaven, and fend from Thee Arch-Angels, with a Summons proclaiming thy dread Tribunal: Forthwith from all Corners of the Earth the Living fhall haften to the general Doom, and the cited Dead of all Ages; (for fuch a Peal fhall rouze them from their Sleep,) then all thy Saints being affembled, Thou fhalt judge bad MEN and bad Angels, when they come to be arraigned, they fhall fink beneath thy Sentence, and Hell (the Number of the Damned being filled up) fhall be thenceforward fhut up for ever. Mean while

the

the World fhall burn, and there fhall arife from her Ashes a new Heaven and a new Earth, wherein juft MEN fhall dwell; and after all their long Perfecutions and Sufferings fee happy Days, that fhall bring forth nothing but Joy, Love triumphing, and fair Truth: After this Thou shalt lay thy regal Scepter by, for there fhall then be no farther Ufe for it; but GOD fhall be all in all. All ye Angels of Heaven, give Adoration to him, who to compaís all this dies; adore him, who is my only Son, and honour him even as ye honour me.

No fooner had the ALMIGHTY pronounced this, than the Multitude of Angels gave a Shout, uttering Joy; loud as from Numbers which were not to be numbered, and sweet as from bleft Voices; Heaven rung with Jubilee (g) and loud HOSANNAS (b) filled the eternal Regions. Toward either Throne they bow lowly, reverent, and caft down to the Ground their Crowns, with folemn Adoration; Crowns that were adorned with Gold and immortal Amaranth, a Flower which once began to blow in PARADISE, juft by the Tree of Life; but after MAN's Fall was removed to Heaven, where it firft grew, now grows, and with its never

(8) Jubilee; Lat. Gr. Heb. i. e. A Ram and a Ram's Horn: because the Jews proclaimed their Feats with the Sound of Trumpets made of Rams Horns, Lev xxv. 8. The Word came firit from Jubal the Son of Lamech, the Inventor of mufical Inftruments, Gen. iv. 21.

(b) Hafanna's; Lat. Gr. Heb. i. e. Save we beseech thee, or God bless the King. Solemn Rejoicings among the Jews in the Feaft of Tabernacles and Congratulations to their Kings.

And the Difciples went, and

Colt, and put on them their Clothes, and they fat him. "thereon. And a very great "Multitude fpread their Gar"ments in the way; others cut "down Branches from the Trees, "and firewed them in theWay. "And the Multitudes that went "before, and that followed, "cried, faying, Hofanna to the "Son of David: bleffed is he "that cometh in the Name of "the Lord, Hofanna in the "Higheft."

fading Bloom fhades the Fountain of Life, and all along where the clear River of Blifs flows through the Midft of Heaven; with thefe immortal Flowers the elect Spirits bind their glorious Locks, wreathed in with Beams of Light. Now the bright Pavement, that fhone like a Sea of Jafper, made purple with heavenly Rofes, was covered with the Garlands which they had thrown off; afterwards taking their Crowns again, and their golden Harps that hung (always tuned) like Quivers glittering by their Side, with fweet Preamble of charming Symphony, they usher in their most facred Song and exalted Praifes, no Voice being exempt; for fuch Concord there is in Heaven, that there was no Voice but could well join in fuch melodious Ecftafy.

To Thee, Oh! great GoD and FATHER of all ! they fung firft, almighty, unchangeable, immortal, infinite and eternal King! the Author of all Being, and the Fountain of Light, Thyfelf being invifible, and not to be approached amidst the glorious Brightnefs where thou fitteft enthroned; but then when Thou cafts a Shadow over the full Blaze of thy Beams, thy Skirts appear, though drawn round about Thee, like a radiant Shrine; darkening with exceffive Brightnefs, and dazling Heaven, fo that the brighteft Seraphim cannot approach, till they have veiled their Eyes with their Wings.

THEE, first of all Creatures, Thee they fung next, Begotten Son! Divine Similitude! in whofe Countenance, without a Cloud and made visible in the Flesh, the Almighty FATHER fhines, whom no Creature else can behold: On Thee impreffed abides the Effulgence of his Glory, and on thee refts his Spirit, poured out in Abundance and at full: By thee he created the Heaven of Heavens, and all the Powers that are therein; and by Thee threw down fuch of thofe,

thofe, as through Pride and Ambition became rebellious: Then Thou didst not fpare thy FATHER's dreadful Thunder, nor ftop thy flaming Chariot Wheels, that fhook the everlasting Frame of Heaven; while Thou droveft over the Neck of the warring Angels, routed and put to Flight: Returning back from the Purfuit, thy holy Angels celebrated Thee with loud Shouts, calling Thee Son of thy FATHER'S Might, to execute fierce Vengeance on his Enemies: Not fo on MAN; but he through the Malice of Devils fallen, Thou FATHER of Mercy and Grace, didst not doom him fo ftrictly, but much rather inclined to Pity: No fooner did thy dear and only Son perceive that Purpofe, but he much more inclined to Pity, to appease thy Wrath, and end the Contest perceiveable in Thee, between thy Justice and thy Mercy, without Regard to the Throne of Blifs whereon he fat, and fecond to Thee, offered himself to die for the Offence and Difobedience of MAN. Oh Love! without Example, Love truly divine! Hail the Son of GOD! Hail Saviour of MEN! henceforth thy Name fhall be the great Subject of our Song, nor fhall our Harps ever neglect thy Praifes, or feparate them from the Praifes of GOD the eternal FATHER.

THUS happily the Angels fpent their Time in Heaven above the ftarry Sphere, in finging Hymns of holy Praise and Songs of Joy.

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