# “Say, Heavenly Powers, where shall we find such love?” by John Milton

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2006/07/16/say-heavenly-powers-where-shall-we-find-such-love-by-john-milton/
- Published: 2006-07-16T13:15:00-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“Man disobeying, disloyal, breaks his fealty, and sins
 Against the high supremacy
of Heaven, Affecting Godhead, and, so losing all, To expiate his treason hath naught
left, But, to destruction sacred and devote, He with his whole posterity must die;
Die he or Justice must; unless for him Some other, able, and as willing, pay The
rigid satisfaction, death for death. Say, Heavenly Powers, where shall we find such
love? Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem Man’s mortal crime, and just, the unjust
to save? Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear? He asked, but all the Heavenly Quire
stood mute, And silence was in Heaven: on Man’s behalf Patron or intercessor none
appeared— Much less that durst upon his own head draw The deadly forfeiture, and
ransom set. And now without redemption all mankind Must have been lost, adjudged
to Death and Hell By doom severe, had not the Son of God, In whom the fulness dwells
of love divine, His dearest mediation thus renewed:—

‘Father, thy word is passed, Man shall find grace;
 And shall Grace not find means,
that finds her way, The speediest of thy winged messengers, To visit all thy creatures,
and to all Comes unprevented, unimplored, unsought? Happy for Man, so coming! He
her aid Can never seek, once dead in sins and lost— Atonement for himself, or offering
meet, Indebted and undone, hath none to bring. Behold me, then: me for him, life
for life, I offer; on me let thine anger fall; Account me Man: I for his sake will
leave Thy bosom, and this glory next to thee Freely put off, and for him lastly 
die Well pleased; on me let Death wreak all his rage. Under his gloomy power I shall
not long Lie vanquished. Thou hast given me to possess Life in myself for ever; 
by thee I live; Though now to Death I yield, and am his due, All that of men can
die, yet, that debt paid, Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave His prey,
nor suffer my unspotted soul For ever with corruption there to dwell; But I shall
rise victorious, and subdue My vanquisher, spoiled of his vaunted spoil. Death his
death’s wound shall then receive, and stoop Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarmed;
I through the ample air in triumph high Shall lead Hell captive maugre Hell, and
show The powers of Darkness bound. Thou, at the sight Pleased, out of Heaven shalt
look down and smile, While, by thee raised, I ruin all my foes— Death last, and 
with his carcase glut the grave; Then, with the multitude of my redeemed, Shall 
enter Heaven, long absent, and return, Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud
Of anger shall remain, but peace assured And reconcilement: wrauth shall be no more
Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire.'”

–John Milton, _Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained_. Ed. Christopher Ricks. (New
York: Penguine Putnam, 1968), pp. 63-64.

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## Comments

### By: rschorr3

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2006/07/16/say-heavenly-powers-where-shall-we-find-such-love-by-john-milton/comment-page-1/#comment-8813
- Published: 2015-07-18T14:09:40-05:00

The hinge of history!