What it devours not, Herb, or Fruit, or Grain,
A darkfom Cloud of Locufts swarming down
Muft eat, and on the ground leave nothing green :
Darkness muft overshadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkness, and blot out three days:
Laft with one midnight stroke all the first-born
Of Egypt muft lye dead. Thus with ten wounds
The River-dragon tam'd at length submits
To let his fojourners depart, and oft
Humbles his ftubborn heart, but ftill as Ice
More harden'd'after thaw, till in his rage
Purfuing whom he late difmifs'd, the Sea
Swallows him with his Hoft, but them lets pass
As on dry land between two chryftal Walls,
Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to ftand
Divided, till his refcu'd gain their shore:
Such wondrous pow'r God to his Saint will lend,
Though present in his Angel, who shall go
Before them in a Cloud, and Pillar of Fire,
By day a Cloud, by night a Pillar of Fire,
To guide them in their journey, and remove
Behind them, while the obdurat King pursues ;
All night he will purfue, but his approach
Darkness defends between till morning Watch;
Then through the Fiery Pillar and the Cloud
God looking forth will trouble all his Hoft
And craze their Chariot wheels: when by command
Mofes once more his potent Rod extends
Over the Sea; the Sea his Rod obeys;
On their embattl'd ranks the Waves return,
And overwhelm their War: the Race elect,
Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance
Through the wild Defert, not the readiest way,
Left entring on the Canaanite alarm'd
Warterrifie them inexpert, and fear
Return them back to Egypt, chufing rather
Inglorious life with fervitude; for life
To noble and ignoble is more sweet
Untrain'd in Arms, where rashness leads not on.
This alfo fhall they gain by their delay
In the wide Wilderness, there they fhall found
Their government, and their great Senate chufe
Thro' the twelve Tribes, to rule by Laws ordain'd:
God from the Mount of Sinai, whofe gray top
Shall tremble, he defcending, will himself
In Thunder, Lightning, and loud Trumpets found
Ordain them Laws: part fuch as appertain
To civil Juftice, part religious Rites
Offacrifice, informing them, by types
And fhadows, ofthat deftin'd Seed to bruife
The Serpent, by what means he fhall atchieve
Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful; they befeech
That Mofes might report to them his will,
And terror ceafe; he grants what they befought,
Inftructed that to God is no accefs
Without Mediator, whofe high Office now
Mofes in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whofe day he shall foretel,
And all the Prophets in their Age the times
Of great Meffiah fhall fing. Thus Laws and Rites
Establish'd, fuch delight hath God in Men
Obedient to his will, that he voutfafes
Among them to fet up his Tabernacle,
The holy One with mortal Men to dwell:
By his prefcript a Sanctuary is fram'd
Of Cedar, overlaid with Gold, therein
An Ark, and in the Ark his Teftimony,
The Records of his Cov'nant, over thefe
A Mercy-feat of Gold between the wings
Of two bright Cherubim, before him burn
Seven Lamps as in a Zodiac representing
The Heav'nly fires; over the Tent a Cloud
Shall reft by Day, a fiery Gleam by Night,
Save when they journey, and at length they come,
Conducted by his Angel, to the Land
Promis'd to Abraham and his Seed the rest
Were long to tell, how many Battles fought,
How many Kings deftroy'd, and Kingdoms won,
Or how the Sun fhall in mid Heav'n ftand ftill
A Day entire, and Night's due courfe adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon ftand, 265
And thou Moon in the vale of Ajalon,
C Till Ifrael overcome;' fo call the third
From Abraham, Son of Ifaac, and from him
His whole defcent, who thus fhall Canaan win.
Here, Adam interpos'd. Ofent from Heav'n,
Enlightner of my darkness, gracious things
Thou haft reveal'd, thofe chiefly which concern
Juft Abraham and his Seed; now first I find
Mine Eyes true op'ning, and my heart much eas'd,
Ere while perplext with thoughts what would become
Of me and all Mankind; but now I fee
His day, in whom all Nations shall be bleft,
Favour unmerited by me, who fought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
This yet I apprehend not, why to those
Among whom God will deign to dwell on Earth
To many and fo various Laws are giv'n:
So many Laws argue fo many Sins
Among them; how can God with fuch refide?
Doubt not but that Sin
Will reign among them, as of thee begot ;
And therefore was Law giv'n them to evince
Their natural pravity, by ftirring up
Sin against Law to fight: that when they fee
Law can discover Sin, but not remove,
Save by thofe fhadowy expiations weak,
The blood of Bulls and Goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for Man,
Juft for unjust, that in such righteousness
To them by Faith imputed, they may find
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of Conscience, which the Law by Ceremonies
Cannot appeafe, nor Man the moral part
Perform, and not performing cannot live.
So Law appears imperfect, and but giv'n
With purpose to refign them in full-time
Up to a better Cov❜nant, disciplin'd
From shadowy Types to Truth, from Flesh to Spirit,
From impofition of ftri&t Laws, to free
Acceptance of large Grace, from servil fear
To filial, works of Law to works of Faith.
And therefore fhall not Mofes, though of God
Highly belov'd, being but the Minifter
Of Law, his people into Canaan lead;
But Jofbua, whom the Gentiles Jefus call,
His name and Office bearing, who fhall quell
The Adverfary Serpent, and bring back
Through the World's wilderness long wander'd Man
Safe to eternal Paradife of reft.
Mean while they in their earthly Canaan plac'd
Long time shall dwell and profper, but when fins
National interrupt their publick Peace,
Provoking God to raise them Enemies
From whom as oft he faves them penitent
By Judges first, then under Kings; of whom
The second, both for piety renown'd
And puiffant deeds, a promise fhall receive
Irrevocable, that his Regal Throne
Forever shall endure; the like fhall fing
All prophecy, That of the Royal Stock
Of David (fo Iname this King) shall rife
A Son, the Woman's Seed to thee foretold,
Foretold to Abraham, as in whom shall truft
All Nations, and to Kings foretold, of Kings
The laft, for of his Reign fhall be no end.
But firft a long fucceffion must enfue;
And his next Son for Wealth and Wisdom fam'd,
The clouded Ark of God, till then in Tents
Wandring, fhall in a glorious Temple enshrine.
Such follow him, as shall be register'd
Part good, part bad, of bad the longer scrowle,
Whose foul Idolatries, and other faults
Heap'd to the popular fum, will so incenfe
God, as to leave them, and expose their Land,
Their City, his Temple, and his holy Ark
With all his facred things, a fcorn and prey
To that proud City, whofe high Walls thou faw'ft
Left in confufion, Babylon thence call'd.
There in Captivity he lets them dwell
The space of seventy years, then brings them back,
Remembring mercy, and his Cov'nant swern
To David; ftablish'd as the days of Heav'n.
Return'd from Babylon by leave of Kings
Their Lords, whom God difpos'd, the House of God They first re-edify, and for a while
In mean eftate live moderate, till grown
In wealth and multitude, factious they grow ;3
But first among the Priefts diffention springs,
Men who attend the Altar, and should moft
Endeavour Peace: their ftrife pollution brings
Upon the Temple it felf: at laft they seize
The Scepter, and regard not David's Sons.
Then lose it to a Stranger, that the true
Anointed King Meffiah might be born
Barr'd of his right; yet at his Birth a Star
Unfeen before in Heav'n proclaims him come,
And guides the Eastern Sages,, who enquire
His place, to offer Incense, Myrrh and Gold;
His place of Birth a folemn Angel tells
To fimple Shepherds, keeping watch by night;
They gladly thither hafte, and by a Quire
Offquadron'd Angels hear his Carol fung.
A Virgin is his Mother, but his Sire
The Power of the most High; he shall ascend
The Throne hereditary, and bound his Reign
With Earth's wide bounds, his Glory with the Heav'ns.
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