Book II.—Of the Harmony of the Old and New Laws. ^[1393]

After the faith was broken by the dint Of the foe's breathing renegades, ^[1394] and sworn With wiles the hidden pest ^[1395] emerged; with lies Self-prompted, scornful of the Deity 5 That underlies the sense, he did his plagues Concoct: skilled in guile's path, he mixed his own Words impious with the sayings of the saints. And on the good seed sowed his wretched tares, Thence willing that foul ruin's every cause 10 Should grow combined; to wit, that with more speed His own iniquitous deeds he may assign To God clandestinely, and may impale On penalties such as his suasion led; False with true veiling, turning rough with smooth, 15 And, (masking his spear's point with rosy wreaths,) Slaying the unwary unforeseen with death Supreme. His supreme wickedness is this: That men, to such a depth of madness sunk! Off-broken boughs! ^[1396] should into parts divide 20 The endlessly-dread Deity; Christ's deeds Sublime should follow with false praise, and blame The former acts, ^[1397] God's countless miracles, Ne'er seen before, nor heard, nor in a heart Conceived; ^[1398] and should so rashly frame in words 25 The impermissible impiety Of wishing by "wide dissimilitude Of sense" to prove that the two Testaments Sound adverse each to other, and the Lord's Oppose the prophets' words; of drawing down 30 All the Law's cause to infamy; and eke Of reprobating holy fathers' life Of old, whom into friendship, and to share His gifts, God chose. Without beginning, one Is, for its lesser part, accepted. ^[1399] Though 35 Of one are four, of four one, ^[1400] yet to them One part is pleasing, three they (in a word) Reprobate: and they seize, in many ways, On Paul as their own author; yet was he Urged by a frenzied impulse of his own 40 To his last words: ^[1401] all whatsoe'er he spake Of the old covenant ^[1402] seems hard to them Because, deservedly, "made gross in heart." ^[1403] Weight apostolic, grace of beaming word, Dazzles their mind, nor can they possibly 45 Discern the Spirit's drift. Dull as they are, Seek they congenial animals! But ye Who have not yet, (false deity your guide, Reprobate in your very mind, ^[1404] ) to death's Inmost caves penetrated, learn there flows 50 A stream perennial from its fount, which feeds A tree, (twice sixfold are the fruits, its grace!) And into earth and to the orb's four winds Goes out: into so many parts doth flow The fount's one hue and savour. ^[1405] Thus, withal, 55 From apostolic word descends the Church, Out of Christ's womb, with glory of His Sire All filled, to wash off filth, and vivify Dead fates. ^[1406] The Gospel, four in number, one In its diffusion 'mid the Gentiles, this, 60 By faith elect accepted, Paul hands down (Excellent doctor!) pure, without a crime; And from it he forbade Galatian saints To turn aside withal; whom "brethren false," (Urging them on to circumcise themselves, 65 And follow "elements," leaving behind Their novel "freedom,") to "a shadow old Of things to be" were teaching to be slaves. These were the causes which Paul had to write To the Galatians: not that they took out 70 One small part of the Gospel, and held that For the whole bulk, leaving the greater part Behind. And hence 'tis no words of a book, But Christ Himself, Christ sent into the orb, Who is the gospel, if ye will discern; 75 Who from the Father came, sole Carrier Of tidings good; whose glory vast completes The early testimonies; by His work Showing how great the orb's Creator is: Whose deeds, conjoined at the same time with words, 80 Those faithful ones, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Recorded unalloyed (not speaking words External), sanctioned by God's Spirit, 'neath So great a Master's eye! This paschal Lamb Is hung, a victim, on the tree: Him Paul, 85 Writing decrees to Corinth, with his torch, ^[1407] Hands down as slain, the future life and God Promised to the fathers, whom before He had attracted. See what virtue, see What power, the paschal image ^[1408] has; ye thus 90 Will able be to see what power there is In the true Passover. Lest well-earned love Should tempt the faithful sire and seer, ^[1409] to whom His pledge and heir ^[1410] was dear, whom God by chance ^[1411] Had given him, to offer him to God 95 (A mighty execution!), there is shown To him a lamb entangled by the head In thorns; a holy victim—holy blood For blood—to God. From whose piacular death, That to the wasted race ^[1412] it might be sign 100 And pledge of safety, signed are with blood Their posts and thresholds many: ^[1413] —aid immense! The flesh (a witness credible) is given For food. The Jordan crossed, the land possessed, Joshua by law kept Passover with joy, 105 And immolates a lamb; and the great kings And holy prophets that were after him, Not ignorant of the good promises Of sure salvation; full of godly fear The great Law to transgress, (that mass of types 110 In image of the Supreme Virtue once To come,) did celebrate in order due The mirrorly-inspected passover. ^[1414] In short, if thou recur with rapid mind To times primordial, thou wilt find results 115 Too fatal following impious words. That man Easily credulous, alas! and stripped Of life's own covering, might covered be With skins, a lamb is hung: the wound slays sins, Or death by blood effaces or enshrouds 120 Or cherishes the naked with its fleece. Is sheep's blood of more worth than human blood, That, offered up for sins, it should quench wrath? Or is a lamb (as if he were more dear!) Of more worth than much people's? aid immense! 125 As safeguard of so great salvation, could A lamb, if offered, have been price enough For the redeemed? Nay: but Almighty God, The heaven's and earth's Creator, infinite, ^[1415] Living, and perfect, and perennially 130 Dwelling in light, is not appeased by these, Nor joys in cattle's blood. Slain be all flocks; Be every herd upburned into smoke; That expiatively 't may pardon win Of but one sin: in vain at so vile price; 135 Will the stained figure of the Lord—foul flesh— Prepare, if wise, such honours: ^[1416] but the hope And faith to mortals promised of old— Great Reason's counterpart ^[1417] —hath wrought to bring These boons premeditated and prepared 140 Erst by the Father's passing parent-love; That Christ should come to earth, and be a man! Whom when John saw, baptism's first opener, John, Comrade of seers, apostle great, and sent As sure forerunner, witness faithful; John, 145 August in life, and marked with praise sublime, ^[1418] He shows, to such as sought of olden time God's very Paschal Lamb, that He is come At last, the expiation of misdeed, To undo many's sins by His own blood, 150 In place of reprobates the Proven One, In place of vile the dear; in body, man; And, in life, God: that He, as the slain Lamb, Might us accept, ^[1419] and for us might outpour Himself Thus hath it pleased the Lord to spoil 155 Proud death: thus wretched man will able be To hope salvation. This slain paschal Lamb Paul preaches: nor does a phantasmal shape Of the sublime Lord (one consimilar To Isaac's silly sheep ^[1420] ) the passion bear, 160 Wherefore He is called Lamb: but 'tis because, As wool, He these renewed bodies clothes, Giving to many covering, yet Himself Never deficient. Thus does the Lord shroud In His Sire's virtue, those whom, disarrayed 165 Of their own light, He by His death redeemed, Virtue which ever is in Him. So, then, The Shepherd who hath lost the sheep Himself Re-seeks it. He, prepared to tread the strength Of the vine, and its thorns, or to o'ercome 170 The wolf's rage, and regain the cattle lost, And brave to snatch them out, the Lion He In sheepskin-guise, unasked presents Himself To the contemned ^[1421] teeth, baffling by His garb The robber's bloody jaws. Thus everywhere 175 Christ seeks force-captured Adam; treads the path Himself where death wrought ruin; permeates All the old heroes' monuments; ^[1422] inspects Each one; the One of whom all types were full; Begins e'en from the womb to expel the death 180 Conceived simultaneously with seed Of flesh within the bosom; purging all Life's stages with a silent wisdom; debts Assuming; ^[1423] ready to cleanse all, and give Their Maker back the many whom the one ^[1424] 185 Had scattered. And, because one direful man Down-sunk in pit iniquitous did fall, By dragon-subdued virgin's ^[1425] suasion led; Because he pleased her wittingly; ^[1426] because He left his heavenly covering ^[1427] behind: 190 Because the "tree" their nakedness did prove; Because dark death coerced them: in like wise Out of the self-same mass ^[1428] re-made returns Renewed now,—the flower of flesh, and host Of peace,—a flesh from espoused virgin born, 195 Not of man's seed; conjoined to its own Artificer; without the debt of death. These mandates of the Father through bright stars An angel carries down, that angel-fame The tidings may accredit; telling how 200 "A virgin's debts a virgin, flesh's flesh, Should pay." Thus introduced, the Giant-Babe, The Elder-Boy, the Stripling-Man, pursues Death's trail. Thereafter, when completed was The ripe age of man's strength, when man is wont 205 To see the lives that were his fellows drop By slow degrees away, and to be changed In mien to wrinkles foul and limbs inert, While blood forsakes his veins, his course he stayed, And suffered not his fleshly garb to age. 210 Upon what day or in what place did fall Most famous Adam, or outstretched his hand Rashly to touch the tree, on that same day, Returning as the years revolve, within The stadium of the "tree" the brave Athlete, 215 'Countering, outstretched His hands, and, penalty For praise pursuing, ^[1429] quite did vanquish death, Because He left death of His own accord Behind, disrobing Him of fleshly slough, And of death's dues; and to the "tree" affixed 220 The serpent's spoil—"the world's ^[1430] prince" vanquisht quite! Grand trophy of the renegades: for sign Whereof had Moses hung the snake, that all, Who had by many serpents stricken been, Might gaze upon the dragon's self, and see 225 Him vanquisht and transfixt. When, afterwards, He reached the infernal region's secret waves, And, as a victor, by the light which aye Attended Him, revealed His captive thrall, And by His virtue thoroughly fulfilled 230 The Father's bidding, He Himself re-took The body which, spontaneous, He had left: This was the cause of death: this same was made Salvation's path: a messenger of guile The former was; the latter messenger 235 Of peace: a spouse her man ^[1431] did slay; a spouse Did bear a lion: ^[1432] hurtful to her man ^[1433] A virgin ^[1434] proved; a man ^[1435] from virgin born Proved victor: for a type whereof, while sleep His ^[1436] body wrapped, out of his side is ta'en 240 A woman, ^[1437] who is her lord's ^[1438] rib; whom, he, Awaking, called "flesh from his flesh, and bones From his own bones;" with a presaging mind Speaking. Faith wondrous! Paul deservedly, (Most certain author!) teaches Christ to be 245 "The Second Adam from the heavens." ^[1439] Truth, Using her own examples, doth refulge; Nor covets out of alien source to show Her paces keen: ^[1440] this is a pauper's work, Needy of virtue of his own! Great Paul 250 These mysteries—taught to him—did teach; to wit, Discerning that in Christ thy glory is, O Church! from His side, hanging on high "tree," His lifeless body's "blood and humour" flowed. The blood the woman ^[1441] was; the waters were 255 The new gifts of the font: ^[1442] this is the Church, True mother of a living people; flesh New from Christ's flesh, and from His bones a bone. A spot there is called Golgotha,—of old The fathers' earlier tongue thus called its name,— 260 "The skull-pan of a head:" here is earth's midst; Here victory's sign; here, have our elders taught, There was a great head ^[1443] found; here the first man, We have been taught, was buried; here the Christ Suffers; with sacred blood the earth ^[1444] grows moist. 265 That the old Adam's dust may able be, Commingled with Christ's blood, to be upraised By dripping water's virtue. The "one ewe" That is, which, during Sabbath-hours, alive The Shepherd did resolve that He would draw 270 Out of th' infernal pit. This was the cause Why, on the Sabbaths, He was wont to cure The prematurely dead limbs of all flesh; Or perfected for sight the eyes of him Blind from his birth—eyes which He had not erst 275 Given; or, in presence of the multitude, Called, during Sabbath-hours, one wholly dead To life, e'en from the sepulchre. ^[1445] Himself The new man's Maker, the Repairer good Of th' old, supplying what did lack, or else 280 Restoring what was lost. About to do— When dawns "the holy day"—these works, for such As hope in Him, in plenitude, (to keep His plighted word,) He taught men thus His power To do them. What? If flesh dies, and no hope 285 Is given of salvation, say, what grounds Christ had to feign Himself a man, and head Men, or have care for flesh? If He recalls ^[1446] Some few, why shall He not withal recall All? Can corruption's power liquefy 290 The body and undo it, and shall not The virtue of the Lord be powerful The undone to recall? They, who believe Their bodies are not loosed from death, do not Believe the Lord, who wills to raise His own 295 Works sunken; or else say they that the Good Wills not, and that the Potent hath not power,— Ignorant from how great a crime they suck Their milk, in daring to set things infirm Above the Strong. ^[1447] In the grain lurks the tree; 300 And if this ^[1448] rot not, buried in the earth, It yields not tree-graced fruits. ^[1449] Soon bound will be The liquid waters: 'neath the whistling cold They will become, and ever will be stones, Unless a mighty power, by leading on 305 Soft-breathing warmth, undo them. The great bunch Lurks in the tendril's slender body: if Thou seek it, it is not; when God doth will, 'Tis seen to be. On trees their leaves, on thorns The rose, the seeds on plains, are dead and fail, 310 And rise again, new living. For man's use These things doth God before his eyes recall And form anew—man's, for whose sake at first ^[1450] The wealthy One made all things bounteously. All naked fall; with its own body each 315 He clothes. Why man alone, on whom He showered Such honours, should He not recall in all His first perfection ^[1451] to Himself? man, whom He set o'er all? Flesh, then, and blood are said To be not worthy of God's realm, as if 320 Paul spake of flesh materially. He Indeed taught mighty truths; but hearts inane Think he used carnal speech: for pristine deeds He meant beneath the name of "flesh and blood;" Remembering, heavenly home—slave that he is, 325 His heavenly Master's words; who gave the name Of His own honour to men born from Him Through water, and from His own Spirit poured A pledge; ^[1452] that, by whose virtue men had been Redeemed, His name of honour they withal 330 Might, when renewed, receive. Because, then, He Refused, on the old score, the heavenly realm To peoples not yet from His fount re-born, Still with their ancient sordid raiment clad— These are "the dues of death"—saying that that 335 Which human is must needs be born again,— "What hath been born of flesh is flesh; and what From Spirit, life;" ^[1453] and that the body, washed, Changing with glory its old root's new seeds, ^[1454] Is no more called "from flesh:" Paul follows this; 340 Thus did he speak of "flesh." In fine, he said ^[1455] This frail garb with a robe must be o'erclad, This mortal form be wholly covered; Not that another body must be given, But that the former one, dismantled, ^[1456] must 345 Be with God's kingdom wholly on all sides Surrounded: "In the moment of a glance," He says, "it shall be changed:" as, on the blade, Dispreads the red corn's ^[1457] face, and changes 'neath The sun's glare its own hue; so the same flesh, 350 From "the effulgent glory" ^[1458] borrowing, Shall ever joy, and joying, ^[1459] shall lack death; Exclaiming that "the body's cruel foe Is vanquisht quite; death, by the victory Of the brave Christ, is swallowed;" ^[1460] praises high 355 Bearing to God, unto the highest stars.