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Ur of Chaldea, paffing now the ford
To Haran, after him a cumb'rous train
Of herds and flocks, and numerous fervitude;
Not wand'ring poor, but trufting all his wealth
With God, who call'd him, in a land unknown.
Canaan he now attains; I fee his tents
Pitch'd about Sechem, and the neighb’ring plain
Of Moreh; there by promife he receives
Gift to his progeny of all that land,
From Hamath northward to the defert fouth,
(Things by their names I call, tho' yet unnam'd),
From Hermon saft to the great western fea;
Mount Hermon, yonder fea, each place behold
In profpect as I point them; on the fhore
Mount Carmel; here the double-founted stream,
Jordan, true limit eaftward; but his fons
Shall dwell to Senir, that long ridge of hills.
This ponder, that all nations of the earth
Shall in his feed be bleffed: by that feed
Is meant thy great Deliverer, who fhall bruife
The ferpent's head; whereof to thee anon
Plainlier fhall be reveald: This patriarch blefs'd,
Whom faithful Abraham due time fhall call,
A fon, and of his fon a grandchild leaves,
Like him in faith, in wifdom, and renown.

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The grandchild with twelve fons increas'd departs From Canaan, to a land hereafter call'd

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Egypt, divided by the river Nile:

See where it flows, difgorging at feven mouths

Into the fea. To fojourn in that land

He comes, invited by a younger fon

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In time of dearth; a fon whofe worthy deeds
Raife him to be the fecond in that realm
Of Pharaoh there he dies, and leaves his race
Growing into a nation, and now grown

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Sufpected to the fequent king, who feeks.
To ftop their overgrowth, as inmate guests
Too numerous; whence of gueûts he makes them flaves
Inhofpitably', and kills their infant-males:.
Till by two brethren (thofe two brethren call
Mofes and Aaron) fent from God to claim
His people from enthralment, they return.
With glory' and fpoil back to their promis'd land.
But firft the lawless tyrant, who denies

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To know their God, or melage to regard,
Must be compell'd by figns and judgments dire; 175
To blood unbed the rivers must be turn'd;
Frogs, lice, and flies, muft all his palace fill
With loath'd intrufion, and fill all the land;
His cattle muft of rot and murrain die;
Botches and blains must all his flesh imbols,
And all his people; thunder mix'd with hail,
Hail mix'd with fire, muft rend th' Egyptian sky,
And wheel on th' earth, devouring where it rolls;
What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain,
A darkfome cloud of locafts fwarming down
Muft eat, and on the ground leave nothing green;
Darkness must overshadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkness, and blot out three days;
Laft, with one midnight-froke, all the first-horn
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 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 pafs
As on dry land between two crystal walls,
Aw'd by the rod of Moses so to stand
Divided, till his rescu'd gain their shore

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Such

Such wond'rous pow'r God to his faint will lend, 200
Though prefent 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 9. Ani
Behind them, while th? obdurate king pursues: 2205
All night he will purfue; but his approaching t
Darkness defends between till morning-watch;
Then through the fiery pillár and the cloud
God looking forth will trouble all his hot,
And craze their chariot-wheels: when by command'
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 elect
Safe towards Canaan from the fhore advance
Thro' the wild defert, not the readieft way,
Left ent'ring on the Canaanite alarm'd,
War terrify 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 rathness leads not on.
This alfo fhall they gain by their delay

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$120

In the wide wilderness, there they shall found
Their government, and their great fenate chufe 125
Thro' the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd si
God from the mount of Sinai, whofe gray top *****
Shall tremble, he defcending, wilt himself
In thunder, light'ning, and loud trumpets found,
Ordain them laws; part fuch as appertain gate
To civil justice, part religious rites

230

Of facrifice, informing them, by types a ch
And fhadows, of that deftin'd feed to bruife
The ferpent, by what means he shall achieve

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 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

240.

One greater, of whofe day he fhalt foretel,

And all the prophets in their age the times.

Of great Meffiah fhall fing. Thus laws and rites
Eftablish'd, fuch delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchfafes
Among them to fet up his tabernacle,

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The Holy One with mortal men to dwelk.
By his prefcript a fanctuary is fram'd
Of cedar, overlaid with gold; therein
An ark, and in the ark his teftimony,
The records of his covenant; 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 heavenly 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

255

Promis'd to Abraham and his feed. The reft 260
Were long to tell, how many battles fought,
How many kings deftroy'd, and kingdoms won;
Or how the fun fhall in mid-heaven stand still
A day entire, a night's due courfe adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon ftand, 265
And thou moon in the vale of Ajalon,.

Till Ifrael overcome; fo call the third

From Abraham, fon of Ifaac, and from him
His whole defcent, who thus fhall Canaan win.

Here

Here Adam interpos'd. O fent from heaven, 270 Inlightner of my darkness, gracious things Thou haft 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

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
Among whom God will deigu to dwell on earth,
So many and fo various laws are giv'n ;
So many laws argue fo many fins

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To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that fin

Among them; how can God with fuch refide?

Will reign among them, as of thee begot;

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And therefore was law given them to evince

Their natural pravity, by stirring up'.

Sin against law to fight; that when they fee
Law can difcover fin, but not remove,

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Save by thofe fhadowy 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
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 given
With purpose to resign them in full time-
Up to a better covenant, difciplin'd

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From fhadowy types to truth, from flesh to fpirit,
From impofition of ftrict laws to free

R.5

Acceptafic