With glory' and spoil back to their promis'd land.
But first the lawless tyrant, who denies
To know their God, or meffage to regard,
Muft be compell'd by figns and judgments dire; 175
To blood unfhed 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 cattel muft of rot and murren die ;
Botches and blains muft all his flesh imboss,
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 darksome cloud of locufts fwarming down
Must 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 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
Purfuing 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 Mofes fo to stand
Divided, till his refcu'd gain their shore:
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 pill'ar 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 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 210 Mofes once more his potent rod extends
Over the fea; the fea his rod obeys;
On their imbattel'd ranks the waves return,
And overwhelm their war: the race elect
Safe towards Canaan from the shore advance
Through the wild desert, not the readiest way,
Left entring on the Canaanite alarm'd
War terrify them inexpert, and fear
Return them back to Egypt, choosing 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 shall found
Their government, and their great fenate choose 225
Through the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd:
God from the mount of Sinai, whose 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
Of facrifice, informing them, by types
And shadows, of that destin'd Seed to bruife
The Serpent, 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 cease; he grants what they befought
Inftructed that to God is no access
Without mediator, whose 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
great Meffi'ah fhall fing. Thus laws and rites
Establish'd, fuch delight hath God in men
Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes
Among them to fet up his tabernacle,
The holy One with mortal men to dwell:
By his prescript a sanctuary is fram’d
Of cedar, overlaid with gold, therein
An ark, and in the ark his teftimony,
The records of his covenant, over these
A mercy-feat of gold between the wings
Of two bright Cherubim; before him burn
Sev'n 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 feed: the reft
Were long to tell, how many battels fought,
How many kings deftroy'd, and kingdoms won,
Or how the fun fhall in mid Heav'n ftand ftill
A day entire, and night's due course adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon ftand, 265
And thou moon in the vale of Aialon,
Till Ifrael overcome; fo call the third
From Abraham, fon of Ifaac, and from him
His whole defcent, who thus fhall Canaan win.
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 seed: now first I find
Mine eyes true opening, 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 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 given:
So many laws argue so many sins
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 ftirring up
Sin against law to fight: that when they fee
Law can discover fin, but not remove,
Save by those 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
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of conscience, which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appease, nor man the moral part
Perform, and not performing cannot live.
So law appears imperfect, and but given
With purpose to refign them in full time
Up to a better covenant, difciplin'd
From shadowy types to truth, from flesh to spirit,
From impofition of strict laws to free
Acceptance of large grace, from fervile fear
To filial, works of law to works of faith.
And therefore, fhall not Mofes, though of God
Highly belov'd, being but the minister
Of law, his people into Canaan lead;
But Joshua whom the Gentiles Jefus call,
His name and office bearing, who fhall quell
The adversary Serpent, and bring back
Through the world's wildernefs long wander'd man
Safe to eternal Paradise of reft.
Mean while they in their earthly Canaan plac'd 315
Long time fhall dwell and profper, but when fins
National interrupt their public peace,
Provoking God to raise them enemies :
From whom as oft he faves them penitent
By judges firft, then under kings; of whom
The fecond, both for piety renown'd
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