Paradise Lost

THE LORD WILL COME AND NOT BE SLOW

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The Lord will come and not be slow;
His footsteps cannot err;
Before Him righteousness shall go,
His royal harbinger.

Mercy and truth, that long were missed,
Now joyfully are met;
Sweet peace and righteousness have kissed,
And hand in hand are set.

Truth from the earth, like to a flower,
Shall bud and blossom then,
And justice, from her heavenly bower,
Look down on mortal men.

Thee will I praise, O Lord, my God!
Thee honor and adore
With my whole heart; and blaze abroad
Thy Name forevermore!

About the writer: John Milton, one of the greatest of English poets, is known to hymnologists as the Puritan author of 19 versions of various Psalms, which appeared in his Poems in English and Latin, 1673. Milton was born in London in 1608 and died in the same city in 1674. He was educated at Cambridge. In 1652 he became totally blind – a condition that did not keep him from writing such works as the epic “Paradise Lost.”

Key Verse: See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay all according to their deeds. –Revelation 22:12

Milton, John

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John Milton (1608-1674) was one of the greatest English poets. He was born in London and was educated at Cambridge. His family’s wealth allowed him to travel extensively after graduation and to spend six years at his father’s estate writing poetry. He wrote a number of pamphlets that defended the Presbyterian system of government against the Episcopal practices of the Anglican Church. In 1652 he became totally blind – a condition that did not keep him from writing such works as the epic “Paradise Lost.” He also wrote 19 versions of various Psalms, which appeared in his Poems in English and Latin, 1673. He represents the best influences of both the Protestant Reformation and the Renaissance.