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Ur of Chaldæa, paffing now the ford

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To Haran, after him a cumbrous 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,

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From Hamath northward to the defert fouth,"
(Things by their names I call, though yet unnam'd),
From Hermon eaft to the great western sea;
Mount Hermon, yonder fea, each place behold
In profpect, as I point them; on the fhore
Mount Carmel; here the double-founted ftream,
Jordan, true limit eastward; 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 shall bruise
The ferpent's head; whereof to thee anon
Plainlier fhall be reveal'd. 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.

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 seven 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

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Of Pharaoh there he dies, and leaves his race
Growing into a nation, and now grown

Subjected to a fequent king, who feeks

To ftop their overgrowth, as inmate guests

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Too numerous; whence of guests 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 inthralment, they return

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,

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Must be compell'd by figns and judgements dire; 175
To blood unfhed the rivers must be turn'd;
Frogs, lice, and flies must 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 flefh imbofs,
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 locufts fwarming down
Muft eat, and on the ground leave nothing green;
Darkness muft overfhadow all his bounds,
Palpable darkness, and blot out three days;
Laft, with one midnight-ftroke, all the firft-born
Of Egypt muft lic dead. Thus with ten wounds 190
The river-dragon tam'd at length fubmits

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 cryftal walls,
Aw'd by the rod of Mofes fo to stand
Divided, till his refcu'd gain their fhore:

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Such wond'rous power 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 pill'ar of fire,
To guide them in their journey, and remove.
Behind them, while th' obdurate king pursues: 205
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 host,
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 their fhore advance

Thro' the wild defert, not the readiest 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 fweet

Untrain'd in arms, where rafhnefs leads not on.
This alfo fhall they gain by their delay

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In the wild wilderness; there they shall found
Their government, and their great fenate chufe
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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 justice, part religious rites
Of facrifice, informing them, by types
And shadows, of that deftin'd seed to bruise
The ferpent, by what means he fhall achieve

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Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful; they befeech
That Mofes might report to them his will,
And terrour ceafe; he grants what they befought,
Inftructed that to God is no accefs
Without mediator, whose high office now
Mofes in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whofe day he fhall foretel,
And all the prophets in their age the times
Of 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 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 representing
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

Promis'd to Abraham and his feed.

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The rest

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Were long to tell, how many battles fought,

How many kings deftroy'd, and kingdoms won;

Or how the fun fhall in mid-heaven ftand 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 descent, 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
Juft 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 fhall be bless'd,
Favour unmerited by me, who fought
Forbidden knowledge by forbidden means.
This yet I apprehend not, why to those

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

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Among them: how can God with fuch refide?

To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that fin

Will reign among them, as of thee begot;

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And therefore was law given them to evince

Their natural pravity, by ftirring 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 unjuft; that in fuch righteousness
To them by faith imputed, they may find
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of confcience; 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 refign them in full time
Up to a better covenant, difciplin'd

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

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