Mass being purged and refined, he shall raife a new Heaven and a new Earth, founded in Righteousness, Peace, and Love; which will bring forth Fruits of eternal Joy and Happiness.

Here Michael made a Pause, and Adam replied, Blest Angel! in what short Compass halt thou given me a satisfactory View of all Things, from thie Beginning of Time, till it shall finish its Courte? Beyond which is the great Length of Eternity, whole End no Eye can reach! I shall leave PARADISE, greatly instructed, in great Quietness of Mind, and have as much Knowledge as my Nature is capable of receiving ; beyond which I was so foolish as to aspire ! Henceforward, I learn; that it is best to obey and love the only God, with Fear; to walk as knowing I am always in his Prelence, always to observe his Providence, and have my whole Dependance upon him ; who is inerciful over all his Works, still overcoming Evil with Good, accomplishing great Things by small, subverting Things of a worldly Nature by Things deemed weak, and worldly Wisdom by Simplicity and Meekness; that suffering for Truth's Sake is Fortitude, the highest Victory; and to the Faithful, DEATH so suffered is the Gate to Life: This I am taught by Example, whom I now acknowledge my ever bleft RedeeMER!

To whom the Arch-angel, for the last Time, made Answer: Having learned thus much, thou hast attained the Sum of Wisdom ; hope for nothing higher : Though thou knewest all the Stars by their Names, and all the Powers of Heaven; all the Secrets of the Deep; all the Works of Nature, or of God, in Earth, Water, Air, or Fire; or though thou enjoyedst all the Riches of this world, and ruled over it as one Empire, only add Deeds answerable to thy Knowledge; add Integrity, add Virtue, Patience, Ff 2

Tempe

Temperance, and Love, hereafter to be called Charity, which is the Soul of all the reít; then thou wilt not be loth to leave this PARADISE, but shalt possess within thyself a Paradise far happier ! Therefore now let us descend from this Hill, from whence I have been shewing thee and foretelling future Things; for this is exactly the Time that we must depart from hence: And see! the Guards, which I have encamped upon yonder Hill, expect Orders for moving; before whom a flaming Sword waves fiercely round in Signal, that it is Time for me to go. We must stay no longer here; do thou go and wake Eve; I have calmed her Spirit with gentle Dreams, foreboding Good, and have composed all her Spirits to meek Submission. At a fit Seafon, do thou inform her of what thou hast heard, chiefly what may concern her Faith to know; make her sensible of the great Deliverance which is to come, by her Seed, on all MANKIND ; (for so God pronounced it, The SEED OF THE WoMAN) that fo ye may live all your Days (which will be many) both unanimous in one Faith, though, with Realon, forrowful for paft Evils; yet much more joyful in Meditation on the happy End.

Michael leads Adam and Eve out of Paradise; the

fiery Sword waving behind them, and the Cherubim taking their Station to guard the Place.

ICHAEL, after this, spoke no more to

ADAM, but they both descended the Hill;

ADAM ran before the Angel to the Bower where they had left Eve Neeping, intending to wake her, as the Angel had bid him; but he found her al

ready

M

ready risen from Sleep, and with chearful Words she thus received him :

I know whither thou wentest with the Angel, and from whence thou art returned; for God is also with us while we seep, and can communicate Knowledge in Dreams, which he hath to me, propitiously presaging some great Good, since I fell asleep, wearied with Sorrow and Distress of Heart ; but now I am chear'd; lead on! I shall not desire to make

any

Delay; to go with thee, makes it as happy as to stay here ; to stay here without thee, as unhappy as to go hence unwillingly: Thou art all Things under Heaven to me, and canit make all Places alike to me ; who art banished hence, on Account of my wilful Transgression. Yet this farther Consolation I carry with me, that though all is loft by me, such Favour is vouchsafed me, unworthy as I am! that by me the promised Seed shall restore all.

So spoke our first Mother Eve, and ADAM heard her, well pleased, but made no Answer; for now the Angel was come up to him, and stood too near; and from the other Hill the Cherubim all descended in bright Array, to take their fixed Station, gliding as an Evening Mift does over' maríhy Ground. High adyanced in the Front, blazed before them the flaming Sword of God, as fierce as a Comet; which with fultry Heat and Vapours began to parch that temperate Climate: At which the Angel, in either Hand, took our lingring Parents, and led them directly to the Eastern Gate; and then, as fast down the Cliff, to the Plain' beneath; after which he immediately disappeared from them. They, looking back, beheld all the Eastern Side of PARADISE, which had been their happy Seat so lately, and saw the flaming Sword waving over it; the Gate crouded with Angels dread

fully

fully armed with Fire, and forbidding Entrance. They shed some natural Tears, but soon wiped them away: The whole World was before them, where to chuse the Place of their Residence, PROVIDENCE was their Guide: And they, Hand in Hand, with Now and wandering Steps, took their solitary Way through Eden.

THE END.

I N D E X.