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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