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The other none: in mercy' and juftice both, Through Heav'n and Earth, fo fhall my glory' excel, But mercy first and last shall brightest shine.

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Thus while God spake, ambrofial fragrance fill'd All Heav'n, and in the bleffed Spirits elect Senfe of new joy ineffable diffus'd: Beyond compare the Son of God was feen Most glorious; in him all his Father shone Substantially exprefs'd; and in his face Divine compaffion vifibly appear'd, Love without end, and without measure grace, Which uttering thus he to his Father spake.

140

O Father, gracious was that word which clos'd Thy fovran fentence, that Man should find grace; 145

his mafter Homer, and all who followed him, where they are reprefenting the Deity fpeaking, describe a scene of terror and awful confternation. The Heavens, Seas and Earth tremble &c, and this, to be fure, was confiftent enough with their natural notions of the fupreme Being: but it would not have been fo agreeable to the mild, merciful, and benevolent idea of the Deity upon the Chriftian fcheme, and therefore our author : has very judiciously made the words of the Almighty diffufing fragrance and delight to all around

For

him. There is a paffage in Ariofta, which is exactly in the fame tafte with what Milton has given us, Cant. 29. St. 30.

Dio così diffe; e fe ferena intorno L'aria, e tranquillo il mar più che mai fuffe.

Thus faid the Higheft, and then there did enfue

A wondrous calm in waters and in air. Harrington.

Thyer.

140. Subftantially exprefs'd;] According to Heb. I. 3. where the Son of God is tiled, the brightness of

150

For which both Heav'n and Earth shall high extol
Thy praises, with th' innumerable found
Of hymns and facred fongs, wherewith thy throne
Incompass'd fhall refound thee ever bleft.
For fhould Man finally be loft, fhould Man,
Thy creature late fo lov'd, thy youngest son,
Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd
With his own folly? that be from thee far,
That far be from thee, Father, who art judge
Of all things made, and judgeft only right.
Or fhall the Adverfary thus obtain

His end, and fruftrate thine? fhall he fulfil
His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought,
Or proud return, though to his heavier doom,

his Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perjon; xacaulup ane STOSAσEWS OUTY, the character of his fubftance, as the original expreffeth it. Hume.

147.-with th' innumerable found Of hymns and facred fongs,] Dr. Bentley reads with innumerable frains &c. He thinks it ftrange to find innumerable join'd to a fingular number, unless the fubftantive implies multitude in the very name : But is not innumerable found of fongs here the fame with innumerable force of Spirits in I. 101.? In both places the word innumerable, tho'

155

Yet

join'd to found and force, yet in
fenfe refers to fongs and Spirits. See
alfo X. 268. Again he diflikes
found, because refound follows in the
next verfe but one. But this way
of writing is common in this poem:
See I. 642. and II. 190, 192. So
in I. 441, 442. we read fongs un-
fung. And we have the very thing
which the Doctor finds fault with
in VII. 558.

Follow'd with acclamation and the
found
Symphonious of ten thousand
harps that tun'd

Angelic

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Yet with revenge accomplish'd, and to Hell
Draw after him the whole race of mankind,

By him corrupted? or wilt thou thyself
Abolish thy creation, and unmake

For him, what for thy glory thou haft made?

160

So fhould thy goodness and thy greatness both 165
Be question'd and blafphem'd without defense.

To whom the great Creator thus reply'd.
O Son, in whom my foul hath chief delight,
Son of my bofom, Son who art alone

My word, my wisdom, and effectual might,
All haft thou spoken as my thoughts are, all
eternal purpose hath decreed:

As my

Man fhall not quite be loft, but fav'd who will,

170

Yet

Angelic harmonies: the earth, the may be justify'd as well from the

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Saxon.

168. O Son, &c.] The Son is here addrefs'd by several titles and appellations borrow'd from Scripture. O Son, in whom my foul bath chief delight, from Mat. III. 17. My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Son of my bosom, from John I. 18. The only begotton Son which is in the bofom of the Father. My word, from Rev. XIX. 13. And his name is called the word of God. My wisdom and effectual might, from 1 Cor. I. 24. Chrift the power of God and the wisdom of God.

180. By

Yet not of will in him, but grace in me
Freely vouchfaf'd; once more I will renew
His lapfed pow'rs, though forfeit and inthrall'd
By fin to foul exorbitant defires;

Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand
On even ground against his mortal foe,

By me upheld, that he may know how frail
His fall'n condition is, and to me owe
All his deliverance, and to none but me.
Some I have chofen of peculiar grace

175

180

Elect above the reft; fo is

my will;

The reft shall hear me call, and oft be warn'd
Their finful state, and to appease betimes
Th' incenfed Deity, while offer'd grace
Invites; for I will clear their senses dark,
What may suffice, and soften stony hearts
To pray, repent, and bring obedience due.

180. By me upheld,] It was before, ver. 178. Upheld by me. The turn of the words is remarkable. And we have the oftner taken noticę of these turns of the words, because it has been objected by Dryden and others, that there were no turns of the words in Milton.

183. Some I have chofen of peculiar grace &c.] Our author

185

190 To

did not hold the doctrin of rigid predeftination; he was of the fentiments of the more moderate Calvinifts, and thought that fome indeed were elected of peculiar grace, the reft might be faved complying with the terms and conditions of the Gospel.

192. endervor'd] So Milton fpells this word, and it is most agreeable to our pronunciation of

To pray'r, repentance, and obedience due,
Though but endevor'd with fincere intent,
Mine ear shall not be flow, mine eye not shut.
And I will place within them as a guide
My umpire conscience, whom if they will hear,
Light after light well us'd they shall attain,

196

And to the end perfifting, safe arrive.

This my long sufferance and my day of grace

They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste;
But hard be harden'd, blind be blinded more, 200
That they may stumble on, and deeper fall;
And none but fuch from mercy I exclude.
But yet all is not done; Man disobeying,
Disloyal breaks his feälty, and fins
Against the high fupremacy of Heaven,
Affecting God-head, and fo lofing all,
To expiate his treafon hath nought left,

it, as well as to its derivation from the French en and devoir.

197. And to the end perfifling, safe arrive. He that indureth to the end fhall be faved, Mat. X. 22. 198. This my long sufferance and

my day of grace
They who neglect and fcorn, fhall

never tafte] It is a great I pity that our author fhould have thus debafed the dignity of the VOL. I.

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