BOOK THIRD
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��Yet so much bounty is in God, such grace, That who advance his glory, not their own, Them he himself to glory will advance."
So spake the Son of God ; and here again Satan had not to answer, but stood struck With guilt of his own sin for he himself, Insatiable of glory, had lost all; Yet of another plea bethought him soon : " Of glory, as thou wilt," said he, " so deem; 150
Worth or not worth the seeking, let it pass. But to a Kingdom thou art born or- dained
To sit upon thy father David's throne, By mother's side thy father, though thy
right Be now in powerful hands, that will not
part
Easily from possession won with arms. Judaea now and all the Promised Land, Reduced a province under Roman yoke, Obeys Tiberius, nor is always ruled With temperate sway: oft have they vio- lated 160 The Temple, oft the Law, with foul affronts, Abominations rather, as did once Antiochus. And think'st thou to regain Thy right by sitting still, or thus retiring ? So did not Machabeus. He indeed Retired unto the Desert, but with arms; And o'er a mighty king so oft prevailed That by strong hand his family obtained, Though priests, the crown, and David's
throne usurped,
With Modin and her suburbs once content. If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal 171
And duty zeal and duty are not slow, But on Occasion's forelock watchful wait: They themselves rather are occasion best Zeal of thy Father's house, duty to free Thy country from her heathen servitude. So shalt thou best fulfil, best verify, The Prophets old, who sung thy endless
reign
The happier reign the sooner it begins. Reign then ; what canst thou better do the while ? " 180
To whom our Saviour answer thus re- turned: " All things are best fulfilled in their due
time; And time there is for all things, Truth
hath said. If of my reign Prophetic Writ hath told
��That it shall never end, so, when begin The Father in his purpose hath decreed He in whose hand all times and seasons
rowl.
What if he hath decreed that I shall first Be tried in humble state, and things ad- verse,
By tribulations, injuries, insults, 190
Contempts, and scorns, and snares, and
violence,
Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting Without distrust or doubt, that He may
know
What I can suffer, how obey ? Who best Can suffer best can do, best reign who first Well hath obeyed just trial ere I merit My exaltation without change or end. But what concerns it thee when I begin My everlasting Kingdom ? Why art thou Solicitous ? What moves thy inquisition ? Know'st thou not that my rising is thy fall, 201
And my promotion will be thy destruc- tion ? "
To whom the Tempter, inly racked, re- plied : " Let that come when it comes. All hope
is lost
Of my reception into grace; what worse ? For where no hope is left is left no fear. If there be worse, the expectation more Of worse torments me than the feeling can. I would be at the worst; worst is my port, My harbour, and my ultimate repose, 210 The end I would attain, my final good. My error was my error, and my crime My crime; whatever, for itself condemned, And will alike be punished, whether thou Reign or reign not though to that gentle
brow
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign, From that placid aspect and meek regard, Rather than aggravate my evil state, Would stand between me and thy Father's
ire
(Whose ire I dread more than the fire of Hell) 220
A shelter and a kind of shading cool Interposition, as a summer's cloud. If I, then, to the worst that can be haste, Why move thy feet so slow to what is
best?
Happiest, both to thyself and all the world, That thou. who worthiest art, shouldst be their King !
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