isintroducedinfullchorus，inacheeringallegromovement，preparingthewayforaclimaxhigherthananyyetreachedinthecourseofthework。Thisclimax——delayedforafewmomentsbyanandanteariaforacontraltovoice，“TheLordisfaithfulandrighteous“——atlastburstsuponuswithasuperbcrescendoofstrings，andthewords，“Awake，thouthatsleepest，arisefromthedead，andChristshallgivetheelight。“Thischorus，whichforreasonspresentlytobegivenwasheardatconsiderabledisadvantageatPortland，containssomeofthebestfugue-writinginthework，andisespeciallyrichandpowerfulinitsinstrumentation。
ThesecondpartoftheoratoriobeginswiththecrucifixionandascensionofJesus。Herewemustnoteespeciallythedeeplypatheticopeningchorus，“TheSonofManwasdeliveredintothehandsofsinfulmen，“thejoyousallegro，“Andonthethirddayheroseagain，“thechoral，“Jesus，myRedeemer，lives，“andthequartet，“FeedtheflockofGod，“commentinguponthecommandofJesus，“Feedmylambs。“ThisquartethasalltheheavenlysweetnessofHandel’s“Heshallfeedhisflock，“whichitsuggestsbysimilarityofsubject，thoughnotbysimilarityoftreatment；butinacertainqualityofinwardness，orreligiousmeditativeness，itremindsonemoreofMr。Paine’sfavouritemaster，Bach。Thechoral，liketheoneinthefirstpartandtheonewhichfollowsthesceneofPentecost，istakenfromtheLutheranChoralBook，andarrangedwithoriginalharmonyandinstrumentation，inaccordancewiththecustomofBach，Mendelssohn，andothercomposers，“ofintroducingintotheirsacredcompositionstheoldpopularchoralmelodieswhicharethepeculiaroffspringofareligiousage。“Thusthenoblestchoraleverwritten，the“Sleepers，wake，“in“St。Paul，“wascomposedin1604byPraetorius，theharmonizationandaccompanimentonlybeingtheworkofMendelssohn。
In“St。Peter，“asin“Elijah，“thesecondpart，whileformingthetruemusicalclimaxoftheoratorio，admitsofabrieferdescriptionthanthefirstpart。Thewaveofemotionansweringtothesensuouslydramaticelementhavingpartlyspentitself，thewaveoflyricemotiongathersfreshstrength，andonefeelsthatonehasreachedtheheightofspiritualexaltation，while，nevertheless，thereisnotsomuchwhichonecandescribetootherswhomaynothappentohavegonethroughwiththesameexperience。SomethingofthesamefeelingonegetsinstudyingDante’s“Paradiso，“afterfinishingtheprecedingdivisionsofhispoem:thereislesswhichcanbepicturedtotheeyeofsense，orlefttobesuppliedbytheconcreteimagination。
Nevertheless，inthesceneofPentecost，whichfollowsthatoftheAscension，thereisnolackofdramaticvividness。Indeed，thereisnothingintheworkmorestrikingthantheorchestrationoftheintroductorytenorrecitative，themysteriouschorus，“ThevoiceoftheLorddivideththeflamesoffire，“ortheamazedquerywhichfollows，“Behold，arenotallthesewhospeakGalileans？andhowisitthatweeveryoneheartheminourowntonguewhereinwewereborn？“WehaveheardtheopinionexpressedthatMr。Paine’soratoriomustbelackinginoriginality，sinceitsuggestssuchstrongreminiscencesof“St。Paul。“Now，thissuggestion，itseemstous，isduepartlytothesimilarityofthesubjects，independentlyofanylikenessinthemodesoftreatment，andpartly，perhaps，tothefactthatMr。Paine，aswellasMendelssohn，hasbeenadevotedstudentofBach，whosecharacteristicsaresostrongthattheymaywellhavelefttheirmarkupontheworksofbothcomposers。Butespeciallyitwouldseemthatthereissomereal，thoughverygeneralresemblancebetweenthiscolloquialchorus，“Behold，“etc。，andsomechorusesin“St。Paul，“as，forexampleNos。29and36-38。Inthesamewaythesceneinthehigh-priest’shallmightdistantlysuggesteitherofthesepassages，orothersin“Elijah；“Theseresemblances，however，areverysuperficial，pertainingnottothemusicalbuttothedramatictreatmentofsituationswhicharegenericallysimilarinsofar，andonlyinsofar，astheyrepresentconversationalpassagesbetweenanapostleorprophetandanignorantmultitude，whetheramazedorhostile，undertheswayofviolentexcitement。Asregardsthemusicalelaborationoftheseterseandstrikingalternationsofchorusandrecitative，itsoriginalitycanbequestionedonlyafterwehavedecidedtoreferalloriginalityonsuchmatterstoBach，or，indeed，evenbehindhim，intotheMiddleAges。
AfterthepreachingofPeter，andthesweetcontraltoaria，“Asforman，hisdaysareasgrass，“theculminationofthisscenecomesintheD-majorchorus，“ThisisthewitnessofGod。“Whatfollows，beginningwiththechoral，“PraisetotheFather，“istoberegardedasanepilogueorperorationtothewholework。Itisinaccordancewithasoundtraditionthatthegrandsacreddramaofanoratorioshouldconcludewithalyricoutburstofthanksgiving，apsalmofpraisetotheGiverofeverygoodandperfectgift。Thus，afterPeter’slaboursareendedinthearia，“Nowasyewereredeemed，“inwhichthetwelvedisciplesandthefullchorusjoin，aduetfortenorandsoprano，“SinguntoGod，“