Pardon; watering the Ground with our Tears, and filling the Air with our Sighs, fent from contrite Hearts, in Sign of unfeign'd Sorrow and meek Humiliation? He will undoubtedly relent, and turn away from his Difpleasure; in whofe ferene Look, when he feem'd moft angry and moft fevere, what elfe fhone but Favour, Grace, and Mercy?

So fpoke our first Father, in true Penitence: nor did Eve feel lefs Remorfe: They forthwith repair'd to the Place where GOD judg'd them, fell reverently proftrate before him; and there humbly confefs'd their Faults, and begg'd Pardon; watering the Ground with their Tears, and filling the Air with their Sighs, fent from contrite Hearts, in Sign of unfeign'd Sorrow and meek Humiliation.

The End of the TENTH BOOK,

СНАР.

THE

ELEVENTH BOOK

O F

PARADISE LOST.

T

The ARGUMENT.

HE Son of GOD prefents to his Father the Prayers of our firft Parents, now repenting, and interceeds for them: GOD accepts them, but declares that they muft no longer abide in Paradife: Sends Michael, with a Band of Cherubim, to difpoffefs them; but firft to reveal to Adam future Things: Michael's coming down.

С Н А Р.

The Son of GoD prefents to his Father the Prayers of Adam and Eve. Michael is fent to put them out of Paradise, and reveal future Things to Adam.

HUS proftrate in the lowest State of Humility, they remain'd penitent and praying; for, even before that, Grace defcending from the Mercy-Seat (a) above, had foften'd the Stonynefs of their Hearts, and in the Room made new Flefh to grow; fo that they breath'd unutterable Sighs and Groans; which were infpir'd with the Spirit of Prayer, and could fooner find the Way to Heaven than the loudest Oratory: Yet were they not mean Supplicants, nor did their Petition feem lefs important, than when the antient Pair, according to the Fables of old, DEUCALION (b) and chafte PYR

RHA,

"beaten Work fhalt thou make "them in the two Ends of the

Mercy-feat. And thou shalt "put the Mercy-feat above up"on the Ark, and in the Ark "thou fhalt put the Teftimony "that I fhall give thee." It was called Prepitiatory or Covering Mercy-feat. Therefore God is faid to fit between the Cherubim. Thither the pious Jews did always turn their Faces, in what Part of the World they were, when they prayed, 1 Kings 8. 48. Pf. 99. 1. Dan. 6. Jon. 2. 5. Heb. 4. 16.

(b) Deucalion; Lat. Gr. i. e. Calling upon God. An antient King of Theffaly the Son of Pro

RHA, (c) ftood before the Shrine of THE MIS, (d) to restore the Race of MANKIND, deftroy'd by the Deluge. Their Prayers afcended up to Heaven without Obstruction, and there found easy Entrance; then clad with Incenfe, came in Sight before the FATHER'S Throne, where the golden Altar fmoak'd, close by their great Interceffor; and the SON gladly prefenting them, thus began to intercede:

BEHOLD, O FATHER! what are the firft Fruits, which on Earth are fprung up in MAN, from thy Grace implanted in him! they are thefe Sighs and Prayers, which I thy Priest bring before thee, mix'd with Incenfe in this golden Cenfor: Thefe are Fruits of more pleafing Savour, produc'd from thy Seed, fown with Contrition in his Heart, than thofe which all the Trees in PARADISE could have produc'd, manur'd by his Hand before he was fallen from Innocence. Now, therefore, incline thine Ear to his Supplication; hear his Sighs, though his Tongue be mute! He knows not with what Words to pray, let me interpret for him, who am his Advocate and Propitiation; impute all his Deeds good or evil to me; my Merit fhall make the good perfect, and for the

Prometheus, cotemporary with Cecrops King of Athens, about A. M. 2437. in whofe Reign a great Inundation happened in Greece. He with his Wife only were faved in a little Boat upon Mount Parnaffus, till the Waters abated.

(c) Pyrrha; Lat. Gr. i. e. Fire: Because of her fingular Piety, Zeal for the Gods. and Chaftity. She was the Wife of Deucalion. Thefe Names were very fuitable to the Character given to Noah and his Wife.Deucalion, they fay, was the firit that erected a Temple to

evil

the Worship of the Gods; fo Noah built the firit Altar, we read of in the World, Gen. 8. 20. 21. And Berofus clls Pyrrha Tytea and Vefta. Heb. i. e. Earth-born.

(d) Themis; Lat. Gr. i. e. Juft or Right: Because she taught Men to petition the Gods for thofe Things that were right and fit; or Heb. from Tham or Thummim, i. e. Perfect, upright. A Goddess, that had an Oracle upon Mount Parnafus; thither those two addreffed themieives for Counsel, how the loft Race of Mankind might be reflored.

evil my Death shall Death fhall pay. Accept of me; and in me, from thefe Prayers and Sighs, receive Motive to grant Peace to MANKIND: Let him live reconcil'd before thee, though he live in Sorrow, (at least the Number of his Days) 'till DEATH (which being his Doom I plead not to reverfe, but to mitigate) fhall yield him to a better Life; where all my Redeem'd may dwell with me in Blifs and Joy; and as I am one with thee, fo they may be made one with me.

To whom the FATHER graciously replied: My accepted SoN! all that Thou haft requested for MAN, obtain, for all thy Request was my Decree. But the Law which I gave to Nature, forbids him to dwell any longer in that PARADISE: Thofe pure and immortal Elements, that know no grofs nor foul difcordant Mixture, eject him, as he is now tainted; and purge him off, as a grofs Diftemper, to fouler Air and mortal Food, fuch as may beft fit him for the Diffolution wrought by SIN, that firft diftemper'd and corrupted all Things. I, when I firft created him, endow'd him with two fair Gifts, Happiness and Immortality; Happinefs once loft, Immortality ferv'd only to make Mifery eternal, 'till fuch Time as I provided DEATH; fo DEATH becomes his final Remedy, tnd refigns him up to a fecond Life, when Heaven and Earth fhall be renew'd, after a Life try'd in fharp Tribulation, and refin'd by Faith and faithful Works; when he fhall be wak'd in the Renovation of the Juft. But let us call together all the Bleft through the wide Bounds of Heaven: I will not hide my Judgments from them, and how I proceed with MANKIND, as they faw lately how I did with the offending Angels; and though they flood firm in their State before, yet afterwards they were ftill more confirm'd.

THE FATHER concluded thus; and the SoN gave high Signal to the bright Minifter that kept Watch:

He