Comment on Paradise Lost 7.542

While I am not quite certain as to whether or not I am writing as a result of some profound inspiration or rather, having read far too much Milton (or drinking two cups of coffee), I have a couple observations that I would like to explore here within John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Written as the only "English" Epic, or example of Epic poetry written in the English language for English culture, is a story about the fall of Lucifer, mankind, and written in the Epic style following that of Homer and Virgil (i.e. the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid).

What I would like to explore is found in a scene set amidst a sort of re-telling of the Creation, and the comment is made about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It reads:

"...but of the Tree
Which tasted works knowledge of Good and Evil,
Thou mai'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou di'st;
Death is the penaltie impos'd, beware," - Paradise Lost 7.742-745

Keeping in mind that "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23)

It's interesting to me that God has maintained His standard of zero tolerance and, yet, infinite mercy - since the beginning. That is, He is a profoundly consistent God.

Even sitting in lecture having come to the conclusion that the atheistic world view is not one to vehemently disagree with, but rather to pity. It is out of ignorance, not valid thought, that they have arrived at their conclusions. Let the argument begin at a mere 'showing' of the spiritual realm in terms of simple cause and effect cited by the Spiritually Elect (John Calvin theology aside, let this stand to be anyone saved by grace - Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8). That is, for example, that when I go to sleep after praying the Armor of God over myself (Ephesians 6) I sleep far better than on the nights that I don't. On the latter nights, I have awoken from dreams being chased by cannibalistic tribes and out-of-control car accidents - should I intentionally fail to pray these things to generate more evidence? Or what of the girl in my lifegroup who, after being tormented by nightmares for several months, came to the Lord, and mid-nightmare (having memorized every subsequent 'scene') sees herself crying to the Lord, Him coming, and the dream evaporating - and the dream is yet to return? Miracles are for today. It's this sort of thing that I think His mercy reaches to, that atheist are simply not familiar with. So keep Romans 2:4 in mind, and kindly illustrate when the opportunity arises (and not a moment before). It is this sort of unreasoning to which the Word speaks "and they will overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11). So share first the testimony of our consistent God, the workings of His in your life, and share second the wrote memorization of the gospel tract. Let this be our default, unless the Spirit Himself leads otherwise.