vor unmerited by me, who fought rbidden knowledge by forbidden means. his yet I apprehend not, why to those

280

nong whom God will deign to dwell on earth

many and fo various laws are given;

many laws argue fo many fins

nong them; how can God with fuch refide?

To whom thus Michael. Doubt not but that fin

'ill reign among them, as of thee begot;

286

Their

nd therefore was law giv'n them to evince

I of goats fhould take away fins ; fect. Heb. X. 1. That no man is herefore when he cometh into the rld, be faith, Sacrifice and offertbou wouldeft not, but a body haft u prepared me. Heb. X. 4, 5. It s imputed to him for righteousness. w it was not written for his fake ne, that it was imputed to him; t for us alfo to whom it shall be uted, if we believe on him that fed up Jefus our Lord from the d. Rom. IV. 22, 23, 24. There. e being juftified by faith, we have ce with God through our Lord fus Chrift, Rom. V. 1. For there verily a difannulling of the comndment going before, for the weaksand unprofitableness thereof; For law made nothing perfect, but bringing in of a better hope did. b. VII. 18, 19. For the law ving a fhadow of good things to ze, and not the very image of the ngs, can never with thofe facries make the comers thereunto per. VOL. II.

juftified by the law in the fight of God it is evident; for the just shall live by faith: And the law is not of faith; but the man that doeth them shall live in them—But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. Gal. III. 11, 12, 23. Wherefore thou art no more a fervant, but a fon. Gal. IV. 7: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father. Rom. VIII. 15. How admirably hath our author here in a few verses fumm'd up the fenfe and argument of these and more texts of fcripture? It is really wonderful, how he could comprife fo much divinity in fo few words, and at the fame time exprefs it with fuch ftrength and perfpicuity.

Dd

307. And

Their natural pravity, by stirring up

205

Sin against law to fight: that when they fee
Law can discover fin, but not remove,
Save by those fhadowy expiations weak,
The blood of bulls and goats, they may conclude
Some blood more precious must be paid for man,
Juft for unjust, 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, disciplin'd

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

Acceptance of large grace,

307. And therefor fball not Mofes,

&c.] Mofes died in mount Nebo, in the land of Moab, from whence he had the profpect of the promis'd land, but not the honor of leading the Ifraelites in to poffefs it, which was referved for Joshua. Deut. XXXIV. Joh. I. Commen. tators on the death of Aaron in mount Hor, Numb. XX. 28, remark that

from fervile fear

350

305

Το

neither Miriam that is the proph nor Aaron that is the priefs, r Mofes the deliverer of the law, ba Joshua that is Jefus Chrift, was le to lead God's people into the p mis'd land, to Heaven and e Lafting blifs. St. Jerom. Thank Rabanus &c. Hume. 311. His name and office bearing) Jolhua was in many things a typ

filial, works of law to works of faith.

d therefore shall not Mofes, though of God ghly belov'd, being but the minifter

law, his people into Canaan lead;

t Joshua whom the Gentiles Jefus call,

s name and office bearing, who fhall quell

e adversary Serpent, and bring back

310

rough the world's wildernefs long wander'd man e to eternal Paradise of reft.

ean while they in their earthly Canaan plac'd 315

ng
itional interrupt their public peace,

time shall dwell and profper, but when fins

ovoking God to raise them enemies ;

om whom as oft he faves them penitent
judges firft, then under kings; of whom
he fecond, both for piety renown'd
d puiffant deeds, a promise shall receive
evocable, that his regal throne

Jefus; and the names are the e, Joshua according to the Hew, and Jefus in Greek. The enty always render Joshua by us, and there are two paffages in New Testament where Jefus is d for Joshua, once by St. Stephen, ts VII.45. The tabernacle which fathers brought in with Jefus, tis with Joshua, into the poffeffion

320

For ever shall indure; the like fhall fing
All prophecy, that of the royal stock
Of David (fo I name this king) shall rise
A Son, the Woman's feed to thee foretold,
Foretold to Abraham, as in whom shall truft
All nations, and to kings foretold, of kings
The laft, for of his reign fhall be no end.
But first a long fucceffion must enfue,
And his next fon, for wealth and wisdom fam'd,
The clouded ark of God, till then in tents
Wand'ring, fhall in a glorious temple' infhrine.
Such follow him as fhall be register'd

Part good, part bad, of bad the longer scroll,
Whose foul idolatries, and other faults

ever before thee; thy throne shall be eftablished for ever, z Sam. VII. 16. And this promife is called irrévocable, for fays God Pfal. LXXXIX. 34, 35, 36. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I fworn by my bolinefs that I will not lie unto David. His feed fhall indure for ever, and his throne as the fun before me. The poet goes on, the like shall fing all prophecy, all the prophets fhall foretel the fame, that of the royal ftock of David fball rife a Son, infomuch that when the Pharifees were asked Whofe fon is Chrift, they all readily answer The Son of David.

33

339

Heap'

Matth. XXII. 42. foretold to the a the Woman's feed, Gen. III. foretold to Abraham as a periaa whom all nations fall trat, Ge XXII. 18. And in thy feed f the nations of the earth be and in him fhall the Gentila m Rom. XV. 12. and to kings for as the laft of kings, for of bug fhall be no end, according to the claration of the Angel, Lakel 33. The Lord God shall giv him the throne of his father Dea And he shall reign over the b Jacob for ever, and of his Ex there fhall be no end. So thorough has our author ftudied all the pa

cap'd to the popular fum, will fo incenfe
d, as to leave them, and expose their land,
heir city', his temple, and his holy ark

ith all his facred things, a scorn and

prey

340

that proud city, whose high walls thou faw'st ft in confufion, Babylon thence call'd.

nere in captivity he lets them dwell

ne space of fev'nty years, then brings them back, membring mercy, and his covenant sworn

o David, stablish'd as the days of Heaven. eturn'd from Babylon by leave of kings

346

heir lords, whom God difpos'd, the house of God They first re-edify, and for a while

mean estate live moderate, till grown

350

In

holy Scripture, and digefted them ham, ver. 128: but the Mediterra

to this work.

342.

whofe high walls thou faw'ft &c.] I know not hether the poet has not here forotten himself a little; for it is not ictly true, that Adam faw the alls left in confufion; it was no art of Adam's vifion; it is only a art of the Angel's narration in this ook. I was thinking then that erhaps Adam might fee places, tho' e could not fee perfons; as he fees e Nile, ver. 158, and mount Heron and the Mediterranean, ver. 42, tho' he could not fee Abra

nean, and Hermon, and the Nile, feas, and mountains, and rivers, are fuch places as exifted at that very time, whereas the walls of Babel or Babylon were not built till several years afterwards, and Adam seems now to have loft his profpect of things future; as the Angel fays, I perceive thy mortal fight to fail, ver. 9. We must not therefore underftand the expreffion litterally; for verbs of feeing are often extended beyond the bare act, and are applied to other fenfes and other faculties of the mind.