What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain, A darksome cloud of locusts swarming down Must 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-stroke, all the first-born Of Egypt must lie dead. Thus with ten wounds This river-dragon tamed at length submits To let his sojourners depart, and oft
Humbles his stubborn heart; but still as ice More harden'd after thaw, till, in his rage Pursuing whom he late dismiss'd, the sea Swallows him with his host, but them lets pass As on dry land between two crystal walls, Awed by the rod of Moses so to stand Divided, till his rescued gain their shore. Such wondrous power God to his saint will lend, Though present 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 the obdurate king pursues : All night he will pursue, 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, Moses once more his potent rod extends Over the sea; the sea his rod obeys; On their embattled 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 Lest entering on the Canaanite alarm'd, War terrify them inexpert, and fear Return them back to Egypt, choosing rather Inglorious life with servitude; for life, To noble and ignoble, is more sweet
Untrain'd in arms, where rashness leads not on. This also shall they gain by their delay
In the wide wilderness, there they shall found Their government, and their great senate choose Through the twelve tribes, to rule by laws ordain'd. God, from the mount of Sinai, whose gray top Shall tremble, he descending, will himself In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpets' sound, Ordain them laws; part, such as appertain To civil justice; part, religious rites Of sacrifice, informing them, by types And shadows, of that destined Seed to bruise The serpent, by what means he shall achieve Mankind's deliverance. But the voice of God
To mortal ear is dreadful: they beseech
That Moses might report to them his will, And terror cease; he grants what they besought, Instructed that to God is no access
Without mediator, whose high office now Moses in figure bears, to introduce
One greater, of whose day he shall foretell, And all the prophets in their age the times Of great Messiah shall sing. Thus, laws and rites Establish'd, such delight hath God in men Obedient to his will, that he vouchsafes Among them to set up his tabernacle, The Holy One with mortal men to dwell. By his prescript a sanctuary is framed Of cedar, overlaid with gold, therein An ark, and in the ark his testimony, 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 The heavenly fires; over the tent a cloud Shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by night, Save when they journey, and at length they come, Conducted by his angel, to the land
Promised to Abraham and his seed. The rest 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, and night's due course adjourn, Man's voice commanding, Sun in Gibeon stand And thou moon in the vale of Ajaion, Till Israel overcome; so call the third From Abraham, son of Isaac, and from him His whole descent, who thus shall Canaan win. Here Adam interposed: O sent from heaven, Enlightener of my darkness, gracious things Thou hast reveal'd, those chiefly which concern Just Abraham and his seed: now first I find Mine eyes true opening, and my heart much eased, Erewhile perplex'd with thoughts what would become Of me and all mankind; but now I see
His day, in whom all nations shall be blest; Favour unmerited by me, who sought 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 so various laws are given?
So many laws argue so many sins
Among them; how can God with such reside?
To whom thus Michael: Doubt not but that sin
Will reign among them, as of thee begot; And therefore was law given them, to evince
Their natural pravity, by stirring up
Sin against law to fight; that when they see Law can discover sin, 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 Justification towards God, and peace
Of conscience, which the law by ceremonies Cannot appease, nɔr 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, disciplined
From shadowy types to truth; from flesh to spirit; From imposition of strict laws to free Acceptance of large grace; from servile fear To filial; works of law to works of faith.
And therefore shall not Moses, though of God Highly beloved, being but the minister
Of law, his people into Canaan lead But Joshua, whom the Gentiles Jesus call,
His name and office bearing, who shall quell The adversary serpent, and bring back,
Through the world's wilderness, long-wander'd man Safe to eternal Paradise of rest.
Meanwhile they, in their earthly Canaan placed, Long time shall dwell and prosper, but when sins National interrupt their public peace, Provoking God to raise them enemies, From whom as oft he saves them penitent, By judges first, then under kings; of whom The second, both for piety renown'd And puissant deeds, a promise shall receive Irrevocable, that his regal throne
For ever shall endure; the like shall sing All prophecy, that of the royal stock Of David, so I name this king, shall rise A Son, the woman's seed to thee foretold, Foretold to Abraham, as in whom shall trust All nations, and to kings foretold, of kings The last, for of his reign shall be no end. But first, a long succession must ensue, And his next son, for wealth and wisdom famed, The clouded ark of God, till then in tents Wandering, shall in a glorious temple enshrine. Such follow him, as shall be register'd
Part good, part bad, of bad the longer scroll; Whose foul idolatries, and other faults, Heap'd to the popular sum, will so incense God, as to leave them, and expose their land,
Their city, his temple, and his holy ark, With all his sacred things, a scorn and prey To that proud city, whose high walls thou saw'st Left in confusion, Babylon thence call'd.
There in captivity he lets them dwell
The space of seventy years, then brings them back, Remembering mercy and his covenant sworn To David, stablish'd as the days of heaven. Return'd from Babylon by leave of kings, Their lords, whom God disposed, the house of God They first re-edify, and for a while
In mean estate live moderate, till, grown In wealth and multitude, factious they grow: But first among the priests dissension springs, Men who attend the altar, and should most Endeavour peace: their strife pollution brings Upon the temple itself; at last they seize The sceptre, and regard not David's sons; Then lose it to a stranger, that the true Anointed King Messiah might be born Barr'd of his right; yet at his birth a star, Unseen before in heaven, proclaims him come, And guides the eastern sages, who inquire His place, to offer incense, myrrh, and gold His place of birth a solemn angel tells
To simple shepherds, keeping watch by night; They gladly thither haste, and by a choir Of squadron'd angels hear his carol sung.
A Virgin is his mother, but his sire
The power of the Most High; he shall ascend The throne hereditary, and bound his reign
With earth's wide bounds, his glory with the heavens. He ceased, discerning Adam, with such joy Surcharged, as had like grief been dew'd in tears, Without the vent of words, which these he breath'd: O prophet of glad tidings, finisher
Of utmost hope! now clear I understand
What oft my steadiest thoughts have search'd in vain, Why our great Expectation should be call'd
The seed of woman: Virgin Mother, hail,
High in the love of Heaven, yet from my loins Thou shalt proceed, and from thy womb the Son Of God Most High; so God with man unites. Needs must the serpent now his capital bruise Expect with mortal pain: say where and when Their fight, what stroke shall bruise the Victor's heel. To whom thus Michael: Dream not of their fight, As of a duel, or the local wounds
Of head or heel: not therefore joins the Son Manhood to Godhead, with more strength to foil Thy enemy; nor so is overcome
Satan, whose fall from heaven, a deadlier bruise,
Disabled not to give thee thy death's wound; Which he, who comes thy Saviour, shall recure, Not by destroying Satan, but his works
In thee, and in thy seed: nor can this be, But by fulfilling that which thou didst want, Obedience to the law of God, imposed On penalty of death, and suffering death, The penalty to thy transgression due,
And due to theirs, which out of thine will grow : So only can high justice rest appaid. The law of God exact he shall fulfil, Both by obedience and by love, though love Alone fulfil the law; thy punishment He shall endure, by coming in the flesh To a reproachful life and cursed death, Proclaiming life to all who shall believe In his redemption, and that his obedience Imputed becomes theirs by faith, his merits To save them, not their own, though legal, works. For this he shall live hated, be blasphemed, Seized on by force, judged, and to death condemn'd, A shameful and accursed, nail'd to the cross By his own nation, slain for bringing life: But to the cross he nails thy enemies, The law that is against thee, and the sins Of all mankind, with him there crucified, Never to hurt them more who rightly trust In this his satisfaction. So he dies,
But soon revives, death over him no power Shall long usurp; ere the third dawning light, Return, the stars of morn shall see him rise Out of his grave, fresh as the dawning light, Thy ransom paid, which man from death redeems, His death for man, as many as offer'd life Neglect not, and the benefit embrace
By faith not void of works. This godlike act Annuls thy doom, the death thou shouldst have died,
In sin for ever lost from life; this act
Shall bruise the head of Satan, crush his strength, Defeating Sin and Death, his two main arms, And fix far deeper in his head their stings,
Than temporal death shall bruise the Victor's heel, Or theirs whom he redeems, a death, like sleep, A gentle wafting to immortal life,
Nor after resurrection shall he stay
Longer on earth than certain times to appear To his disciples, men who in his life
Still follow'd him; to them shall leave in charge To teach all nations what of him they learn'd And his salvation; them who shall believe Baptizing in the profluent stream, the sign Of washing them from guilt of sin to life
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