Darkness muft overshadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkness! and blot out three days:
Laft, with one midnight ftroke, all the firft-born
Of Egypt muft lie dead. Thus with ten wounds 190
The river dragon tam'd at length fubmits
To let his fojourners depart; and ofc
Humbles his ftubborn heart; but ftill as ice.
More harden'd after thaw: till in his rage
Pursuing whom he late difmifs'd, the fea
Swallows him with his hoft; but them lets país
As on dry land between two chrystal walls;
Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to ftand
Divided, till his refcu'd gain their fhore:
Such wondrous pow'r God to his faint will lend, 200
Through prefent 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 th' obdurate king purfues.
All night he will purfue, put 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 210
Mofes once more his potent rod extends
Over the fea, the fea his rod obeys :
On their imbattled ranks the waves return,
And overwhelm their war! The race cle&t,
Safe towards Canaan from the fhore advance
Through the wild defert; not the readiest way,
Left entring on the Canaanite alarm'd
War terrify them inexpert, and fear
Return them back to Aegypt, chufing rather
Inglorious life with fervitude: for life,
To noble and ignoble is more sweet
Untrain❜d in arms, where rafhnefs leads not on.
This alfo fhall they gain by their delay
In the wide wildernefs: there they fhall found
Their goverment, and their great fenate choose
Thro' the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd
God from the mount of Sinai, whofe gray top
Shali 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.
Of facrifice: informing them by types,
And fhadows, of that destin'd feed to bruife
The ferpent, by what means he shall 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 acceís
Without mediator, whofe high office now
Mofes in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whofe day be fhall foretel,
And all the prophets in their age the times
Of Great Meffiah fhall fing. Thus laws and rites
Eftablifh'd, fuch delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchfafes
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 testimony,
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 reprefenting
The heav'nly fires: over the tent a cloud
Shall reft by day, a fiery gleam by night,
Save when they journey: and a length they come,
Conducted by his Angel to the land
Promis'd to Abraham and his feed-
Were long to tell, how many battles fought,
How many Kings destroy'd, and kingdoms won,
Or how the Sun fhall in mid Heav'n stand still A day entire, and night's due courfe adjourn, commanding,,,Sun in Gibeon ftand, 265
Man's vo
,,And thou moon in the vale of Ajalon,
Till Ifrael. overcome; fo call the third
From Abraham, fon of Ifaac, from him,
His whole defcent, w who thus fhall Canaan win.
Here Adam interposid. O fent from Heav'n,
Inlightner of my darknefs! gracious things
Thou haft reveal'd; th
thofe chiefly which concern
just Abraham and his feed: now first I find
Mine eyes true op'ning, and my heart much eas'd;
Ere while perplex'd with thoughts what would become
Of me and all mankind: but now I fee
His day, in whom all nations fhall be bleft:
Favor 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,
So many and fo various laws are givin
So many laws argue fo many fins
Among them: how can God with fuch refide?
To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that fin 285
Will reign among them, as of thee begot:
And therefore was law giv'n them to evince
Their natural pravity by stirring up
Sin against law to fight: that when they fee.
Law can discover fin, 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 fuch righteoufnefs
To them by faith imputed, they may find 295
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of confcience; which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appease; nor man the moral part
Perform and not performing, cannot
So law appears imperfect, and but giv'n
With purpose to refign them in full time
Up to a better cov'nant; difciplin'd
From fhadowy types to truth; from flefh to fpirit,
From impofition of frict laws, to free
Acceptance of large grace; from fervil 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 Jofhua: whom the Gentiles Jefus call;
His name and office bearing, who fhall quell
The adverfary ferpent; 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 public peace,
Provoking God to raise them enemies,
From whom as oft he faves them t penitent;
By Judges first, then under Kings: of whom
The fecond, both for piety renown'd
And puiffant deeds, a promife fhall receive
Tevocable, that his regal throne
For ever fhall indure: the like shall fing
All prophecy, that of the royal ftock 97
Of David, 'fo I name this king, fhall rife
A fon, the woman's feed to thee foretold:
Foretold to Abraham; as in whom fhall 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 fon, for wealth and wisdom fam'd, in
The clouded Ark of God, till then in tents
Wand'ring, fhall in a glorious Temple infhrine.
Such follow him as fhall be register'd
Part good par bad; of bad the longer fcroll: tans
Whole foul idolatries, and other faults
Heap'd to the popular fum, will fo 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 feventy years then brings them back, 345
Remembring mercy, and his cov'nant sworn
To David, stablifhd as the days of heav'n.
Return'd from Babylon, by leave of kings
Their lords, whom God dispos'd, the House of God
They firft re-edify: and for a while
In mean eftate live moderate: till grown
In wealth and multitude, factious they grow;"
But first, among the priests diffention fprings;
Men who attend the altar, and fhould most
Endeavour peace: their ftrife pollution brings
Upon the Temple itfelf: at laft they feife
The fceptre, and regard not David's fons:
Then lofe it to a stranger, that the true
Anointed king Meffiah might be born yak
Barr'd of his right: yet at his birth a star
Unseen before in heav'n proclaims him come,
And guides the eastern Sages, who inquire
His place, to offer incenfe, myrrh and gold:
His place of birth a folemn Angel tells
To fimple fhepherds keeping watch by night:
They gladly thither hafte, and by a choir
Of fquadron'd Angels hear his carol fung.
A Virgin is his mother, but his fire
The pow'r of the most High! He shall afcend
The throne hereditary, and bound his reign
With earth's wide bounds, his glory with the heav'ns. He ceas'd, difcerning Adam with fuch joy Surcharg'd, ás had, like grief, been dew'd in tears, Without the vent of words; which thefe he breath'd.
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