That Mofes might report to them his will, And terrour cease; he grants what they befought, 1..ftructed that to God is no access

Without Mediator, whofe high office now 240
Mofes in figure bears; to introduce

One greater, of whose day he shall foretel,
And all the Prophets in their age the times
Of great Meffiah fhall fing. Thus, laws and rites
Establish'd, fuch delight hath God in Men 245
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 fanctuary 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

250

people by the writing and preaching of Mofes, as a mediator between God and them. GREENWOOD.

Ver. 237. That Mofes might report] Dr. Bentley would read may report." NEWTON.

Ver. 238. he grants what they befought] In the first edition it was thus, "he grants them their defire ;" but in the fecond it was altered to this, "he grants what they befought :" I fuppofe that the conftruction might be plainer in what follows, Inftructed that to God &c. NEWTON.

Ver. 241. Mofes in figure bears;] Compare Heb. ix. 19, 24.

Ver. 242.

HUME.

of whofe day he shall foretel, &c.] See

A&ts iii. 22, 24. NEWTON.

Seven lamps as in a zodiack representing 255
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,

Ver. 255. Seven lamps as in a zodiack representing

The heavenly fires;] That the feven lamps fignified the feven planets, and that therefore the lamps ftood flope-wife, as it were to exprefs the obliquity of the zodiack, is the glofs of Jofephus, from whom probably. Milton borrowed it. Jofeph. Antiq. lib. iii. cap. 6, and 7, and De Bel. Jud. lib. v. cap. 5. See likewife Mede's Difcourfe x, upon the feven Arch-Angels. Mr. Hume quotes likewife the Latin of Philo to the fame purpofe. See Cornelius à Lapide upon Exod. xxv. 31. NEWTON.

See alfo the learned Parkhurft, in his excellent Hebrew and English Lexicon, 4°. edit. 1692, p. 873. TODD.

Ver. 258. Save when they journey,] Exod. xl. 34, &c. "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Mofes was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up, from over the tabernacle, the children of Ifrael went onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not, till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the fight of all the house of Ifrael, throughout all their journeys." Thus it was in all places wherever they came: and this is what Milton fays in fhort, the cloud was over the tent by day, and the fire (call'd here a fiery gleam) by night, when they journey'd not. He takes no notice how it was when they did; which this text (for the infinite beauty of which we have given it at length) explains: The cloud was then taken up; How, then?" The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night,” chap. xiii, 21. Other armies pitch their enfigns when they encamp, and lift them up when they march. So does the Lord of

Conducted by his Angel, to the land
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 ftand ftill
A day entire, and night's due course adjourn,
Man's voice commanding, "Sun, in Gibeon stand,
"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 descent, who thus fhall Canaan win.

266

Here Adam interpos'd. O fent from Heaven, Enlightener of my darkness, gracious things 271 Thou haft reveal'd; those chiefly, which concern Just Abraham and his feed: now firft 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;

275

Hofts leading forth his people. But, what enfigns! how fublime! Milton feems too concife here. RICHARDSON.

Ver. 270. Here Adam interpos'd.] Thefe interpofitions of Adam have a very good effect; for otherwise the continued narration of the Angel would appear too long and tedious. NEWTON.

Ver. 274. Mine eyes true-opening,] Relating to that falfe promise, made to Adam by the lying ferpent, "Your eyes fhall be opened," Gen. iii. 5. HUME.

Ver. 277. His day,] An allufion to John viii. 56. "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he faw it, and was glad." NEWTON.

280

Favour 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
many and fo various laws are given;
So many laws

So

argue fo many fins

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; 286 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 fin, but not remove, Save by those shadowy expiations weak,

290

Ver. 283. So many laws argue fo many fins] The fcruple of our first Father, and the reply of the Angel, are grounded upon St. Paul's Epiftles, and particularly thofe to the Ephefians, Galatians, and Hebrews, as the reader, who is at all converfant with thefe facred writings, will eafily perceive. Compare the following texts with the poet; Gal. iii. 19. Rom. vii. 7, 8. Rom. iii. 20. Heb. ix. 13, 14. Heb. x. 4, 5. Rom. iv. 22, 23, 24. Gal. iii. 11, 12, 23. Milton has here, in a few verses, admirably fummed up the fenfe and argument of thefe and more texts of Scripture. It is really wonderful how he could comprise fo much divinity in fo few words, and at the fame time exprefs it with so much strength and perfpicuity. NEWTON.

Rom. v. 1. Heb. vii. 18, 19. Heb. x. 1.
Gal. iv. 7. Rom. viii. 15.

The fentiment, so many laws argue fo many fins, Mr. Bowle obferves, is alfo Mariana's: "Legum multitudinem tempus et malitia invexit tantam, ut jam non minùs legibus quàm vitiis laboremus," De Rege. lib. i. cap. ii. Peck has noticed the fame remark in Tacitus, Annal. lib. viii. "Corruptiffimæ reipublicæ plurimæ leges." Mem. of Milton, p. 198. TODD.

The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for Man;
Juft for unjuft; that, in fuch righteousness
To them by faith imputed, they may find
find 295
Juftification towards God, and peace
Of confcience; which the law by ceremonies
Cannot appeafe; nor Man the mortal 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; disciplin'd
From shadowy types to truth; from flesh to spirit;
From impofition of ftrict laws to free

300

Acceptance of large grace; from fervile fear 305
To filial; works of law to works of faith.
And therefore shall 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, 310 His name and office bearing, who shall quell

Ver. 307. And therefore fhall not Mofes, &c.] Mofes died in mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, from whence he had the profpect of the Promised Land, but not the honour of leading the Ifraelites to poffefs it; which was referved for Joshua, Deut. xxxiv. Joh. i. HUME.

Joshua was in many the fame, Joshua acThe Seventy always paffages in the New

Ver. 311. His name and office bearing,] things a type of Jefus; and the names are cording to the Hebrew, and Jesus in Greek. render Joshua by Jefus; and there are two Teftament, where Jefus is ufed for Joshua, once by St. Stephen,