ly Meditations. He often thinks of thofe "Men of Renown who were Blind as He is,

wishing for the Fame of the Two Poets he " mentions. Then Arife Thoughts which Eafily run into Verfe, and fo he Sings in the "Dark as does a Nightingale. Again he Laments his Blindness, but turns his Com"plaint into a Prayer for Recompence by an "Improvement in Mental Sight.'

We have feen Hell; Now Heaven opens to our View; from Darkness Visible we are come to Inconceivable Light; from the Evil One, to the Supream Good, and the Divine Mediator; from Angels Ruin'd and Accurs'd to Those who hold their Firft State of Innocence and Happiness; the Pictures Here are of a very Different Nature from the former: Senfible things are more Describable than Intellectual; Every One can Conceive in fome Measure the Torment of Raging Fire; None but Pure Minds, and Minds Capable Of, and Accuftom'd To Contemplation Can be Touch'd Strongly with the Things of Heaven, a Chriftian Heaven; but He that Can may Find and poffefs Some Ideas of what he hopes for, where there is a Fullness of Joy and PleaJure for Evermore.

،

as the Scripture So Milton, without Exprefly faying God had a Human Form, has led us to Conceive Such a One; but This 'must be the Utmoft Conceivable Majefty and Beauty of Age without the leaft Decay. perH 2

haps

haps it has not been Attempted in Painting, 'but we have an Idea of Immaterality Seeming to be in Such a Form, and Surrounded ' with and Penetrated by Glory. a Shape Divine, Prefence Divine, a Bright Vision, as • VIII. 295, 314, 367.

How we are to Imagine Good and Evil Angels we have Attempted to fhew in the Note on v. 6oo. of the ift Book; but there is Another Picture Yet to be given, and that is of the Son of God, the Mediator. Milton has Suppos'd Him Visible, though not as Cloath'd with Flesh (So he appear'd not in Heaven till after the Afcenfion) but as Me'diator. Here must be a Picture Such as we have never known Aim'd at by any Mafter, or fo much as Thought of by Any other 'Writer. Here 'tis Certain we muft Avoid 'the Traditional Likeness of what he was on

་

Earth, or in Heaven Afterwards, we are ' alike to Avoid what is Ufually given to God when he is Represented by Painting, though 'tis faid the Son is the Express Image of his Perfon, and though Milton fays the Father is in HimSubftantially Express'd; There fhould be 'the Paternal Majefty fhining in the Filial Divinity; a Dignity and Beauty Different from the Angelic Characters, Lefs Youthful and More Majeftic; a Mediatorial Sweetness and Sublimity. I with Rafaelle had Attempted This and had Succeeded in it as when he has painted Chrift a Child; or as a Man,

which he did not fo frequently; That we have in the Cartons at Hampton Court in the Boat is Exquifite; a Higher Character ' should have been in That where he is giving 'the Keys to St. Peter, 'twas after the Refur"rection, and doubtless This Was Fine, but 'tis Spoil'd; fomething more Sublime was requir'd in the Transfiguration and 'tis Di'vine; but Still what we are Speaking of is Vaftly Beyond, and requires the Utmoft Stretch of the Moft Lively, Accurate, Judicious, and beft Inftructed Imagination; ' and when Such a One has done its Utmost ' it will have done but Little.'

Such is the Image we are to furnish Our Minds with, and to have in view when we read of Chrift, the Son, the Mediator, in this Divine Poem, for Such Milton directs, v. 63, 140, 385. VI. 681, &c.

58 High Thron'd above all Heighth.

the Empyrean is fuppos'd to Extend in Heighth Infinitely above all Pofitive, Determin'd Heighth, There is the Throne of God and Higher than any of the Thrones of the Potentates of Heaven.

60 Sanctities

a Word Expreffing the Holynefs and Purity of the Bleffed Angels.

61

and from His Sight

to fee God is to fee his Divine Perfections, hist Wisdom, Power, Goodnefs, &c. 'tis to fee the Wonders of Creation, Redemption, and Providence: All This we have Some Glimmerings of Here, in Proportion to our Various Capacities, Application, and Purity of Heart, and are proportionably Happy. the Idea of God is the Greatest Treafure of the Human Mind; even Here it gives Beatitude paft Utterance. what Bleffedness muft it beftow above! paft Utterance There too. This is the true Beatific Vifion, I. 684. V. 613.

70 Hell and the Gulph between, and Satan There Coafting the Wall of Heaven on this fide Night inthe Dun Air Sublime, and ready Now to floop with weary'd Wings,and Willing feet on the bare Outfide of this World,

the fecond Book ends with defcribing Satan juft Emerg'd from Chaos, he has Now got Aloft, making his Way towards the New Creation, at which he is Nearly Arriv'd, not having ris'n in a Perpendicular Line, coming out of that Dark Ocean directly under the World he had form'd his Defign against; but at a great Distance to the Right or Left, So that His way Hither was in a manner Parallel with the wall of Heaven, only Something Oblique, the World being Sufpended between the Surfre of Chaos, and that Wall which Theres fre he is faid to Coast.

75 Firm

75 Firm Land, Imbofom'd, without Firmament, Uncertain which in Ocean or in Air it feem'd to be a Solid Globe encompass'd with Air, or Water, he could not at That Distance tell Certainly Which, but without any Firmament as Earth has.

80 God fpeaking to his Son "Obferves to him "the Bold Attempt Satan is upon; and fays " he will fucceed; but that 'tis Man's Own Fault, having been Created Free, as all the Heavenly Powers had alfo been. This he proves by feveral Arguments, 1. Not Free, "no Proof could have been given of their Obe"dience or Love. 2. Predeftination or Fore

knowledge had no Influence, Themselves "Decreed their Fall, not God; and the Event "would have been the Same Unforeknown.

3. Their Free-will was Decreed. But as "the Bad Angels fell Self-Tempted, and Man "is Seduc'd by Them, These shall find Grace "not Thofe, "

wide Interrupt

the Chaos that Interrupts, Being an Un-created Chafm broken in between Hell and the New Creation.

92

and fhall Pervert,

to Avoid the Difficulty of Reconciling Human Liberty with the Divine Prescience Some

H 4

have