Ur of Chaldea, pafling now the ford

130. To Haran, after him a cumb'rous train Of herds and flocks, and numerous fervitude; Not wand'ring poor, but trusting all his wealth With God, who call d him in a land unknown. Canaan he now attains; I fee his'tents

135
Pitch'd about Sechen, and the neighb'ring plain:
Of Moreh ; there by promise he receives
Gift to his progeny of all that fand,
From Hamath northward to the desert fouth,
(Things by their names I call, tho' yet 'unnam'd);
From Hermon salt to the great western sea; 141
Mount Hermon, yonder sea, each placé behold
In prospect as I point them; on the fiore

I
Moont Carmel; here the double-founted stream,
Jordan, true limit eastward ; but his fons

145
Sball dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills.
This ponder, that all nations of the eartli
Shall in his seed be bleffed: by that reed
Is meant thy great Deliverer, who shall bruise
The serpent's head; whereof to thee anon Igo
Plainlier shall be reveald: This patriarch bless'a,
Whom faithful Abraham due time shall call,
A fon, and of his son a grandchild Icaves,
Like him in faith, in wisdom, and renowni.
The grandchild with twelve sons increas'd departs
From Canaan, to a land hereafter callà
Egypt, divided by the river Nile :
See where it flows, disgorging at seven mouths
Into the sea. To sojourn in that land
He comes, invited by a younger son

160 In time of dearth; a son whose worthy, deeds Raise him to be the second in that realm Of Pharaoh: there he dies, and leaves his race Growing into a nation, and now grown

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Suspected

136

Suspected to the sequent king, who seeks

165 To stop their overgrowth, as inmate guelts Too numerous; whence of guels he makes them llaves, Inhospitably', and kills their infant-males;. . Till by two brethren (those two brethren call Moses and Aaron) fent from God to claim 170 Jlis people from enthralinent, they return With glory' and spoil back to their promis'd land. But first the lawless tyrant, who denies To know their God, or meilage to regard, Must be compellid by ligns and judgments dire ; 175 To blood unlhed the rivers mul be turn'd; Frogs, lice, and flies, muft all his palace fill With loath'd intrusion, and fill all the land; His cattle pult of rot and murrain die ; Botches and blains must all his filelh imbols, 180 And all his people; thunder mix'd with hail, Hail mix'd with fire, mpt rend th' Egyptian sky, And wheel on th'earth, devouring where it rolls; What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain, A darksome cloud of locafts swarming down Mult eat, and on the ground leave nothing green; Darkness must overshadow all his bounds, Palpable darkness, and blot out three days; Last, with one midnight-froke, all the fort born Of Egypt must lie dead. Thus with ten wounds 190 The river.dragon tam'd at length submits To let his fojourners depart, and oft Humbles his Aubborn heart; but still as ice More harden'd after thaw, till in his rage Pursuing whom he late dismiss'd, the sea

195 Swallows him witb his hok ; but them lets pass As on dry land between two crystal walls, Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to stand Divided, till his rescu'd gain their laore :

Such

185

Such wondrous pow'r God to his faint will lend, 200 Though present in his angel, who fhall 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 i. :sia Behind them; iliile th’obdurate king pursões:2:20 All night he will pursue ; but his approach: 3 ? 2: Darkness defends betweeri till morning-watch ; inos Then through the fiery pillar and the cloud God looking forth will trouble all his hol, And craze their chariot-wheels: when by command Moses once more his potent rod extends Over the fea; the sea his rod obeys; On their imbattled ranks the waves return, And overwhelm their war. The race elect Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance 315 Thro’ the wild desert, not the readieft way, Lest ent’ring on the Canaanite alarm'd, War terrify them inexpert, and fear Returu them back to Egypt, chuling rather : Inglorious life with servitude; for life To noble and ignoble is more sweet Untrain'd in arms, where ralhness leads not on. This also shall they gain by their delay In the wide wilderness, there they fhall foundTheir government, and their great fenate chofe 125 Thro' the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'da ' God from the mount of Sinai, whose gray top Shall tremble, he descending, wilt himself In thunder, light'ning, and loud trumpets found, Ordain them laws ; part fuch as appertain

230 To civil justice, part religious rites Of sacrifice, informing them. -by-týpes ***** And shadows, of that deltin'dieed to bruite The serpent, by what means he shall achieve

Mankind's

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Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God 235
To mortal ear is dreadful; they befeech
That Mofes might report to them his will,
And terror cease; he grants what they befoughts,
Instructed that to God is no access
Without mediator, whose high office now 340.
Mofes in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whose day he shalt foretel,
And all the prophets in their age the times
Of great Meffiah shall fing. Thus laws and rites
E Rablish'd, fuch delight hath God in men 245.
Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes
Among them to fet up his tabernacle,
The Holy One with mortal men to dwells.
By his prefcript a sanctuary is fram'd
Of cedar, overlaid with gold; therein

250
An ark, and in the ark his teftimony,
The records of his covenant; over these
A mercy-seat of gold, between the wings
Of two bright cherubim; before him burn
Seven lamps, as in a zodiac representing

255 The heavenly fires; over the tent a cloud Şball 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 feed. The rest 260 Were long to tell, how many battles fought, How many kings destroy'd, and kingdoms won; Or how the sun shall in mid-heaven stand still A day entire, a night's due course adjourn, Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon Itand, 265 And thou moon in the vale of Ajalon, Till Israel overcome; so call the third From Abraham, son of Ifaac, and from him His whole defcent, who thus shall Canaan wid.

Here

Here Adam interpos'd. O sent from heaven, 270 Inlightner of my darkness, gracious things Thou hast reveal'd, those chiefly, which concern Just Abraham and his feed : now first I find Mine eyes true op’ning, and my heart much eas'd, Erewhile perplex'd with thoughts what would become Of me and all mankind; but now I fee

276. His day, in whom all nations shall be bless'd, Favour unmerited by me, who fought Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means. This yet I apprehend not, why to those

280 Among whom God will deigu to dwell on earth, So many and so various laws are giv'n ; So many laws argue so many fins Among them; how can God with such relide ?

To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that fin! Will reign among them, as of thee begot; 2869 And therefore was law given them to evince. Their natural pravity; by stirring up'. Sin against law to fight; that when they seeLaw can discover fin, but not remove;

2909 Save by thofe shadowy expiations weak;. The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude Some blood more precious must be paid for man, Just for unjust ; that in such righteousness To them by faith imputed, they may find

29.57 Justification 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 given 300 With purpose to resign them in full timeUp to a better covenant, difciplin'd From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to fpirit, From imposition of strict laws to free

Accept:íce.

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