CHAP. V. Of the ftation Satan had in Heaven before he fell; the nature and original of his crime, and fome of Mr. Milton's miftakes about it. HUS far I have gone upon general obfervation, in this great affair of Satan and his Empire in the world; I now come to my Title, and fhall enter upon the historical part, as the main work before me. Befides what has been faid Poetically, relating to the fall and wandering condition of the Devil and his Hoft, which poetical part Loffer only as an excurfion, and defire it fhould be taken fo; I fhall give you what I think is deduc'd from good originals on the part of Satan's story in a few words. He was one of the created Angels, form'd by the fame omnipotent hand and glorious power, who created the Heavens and the Earth, and all that is therein: This innumerable heavenly hoft, as we have reason to believe, contain'd Angels of higher and lower ftations, of greater and of leffer degree, exprefs'd in the Scripture by Thrones, Dominions, and Principalities; This, I think, we have as much reason to believe, as we have, that there are Stars in the Firmament (or ftarry Heavens) of greater and of leffer magnitude. What hat particular ftation among the immor tal Choir of Angels, this Arch-feraph, this Prince of Devils, call'd Satan, was plac'd in before his expulfion, that indeed, we cannot. come come at the knowledge of, at least, not with fuch an Authority as may be depended upon; but as from Scripture authority, he is plac'd at the head of all the Apoftate armies, after he was fallen, we cannot think it in the leaft, affuming to fay, that he might be fuppofed to be one of the principal Agents in the Rebellion which happen'd in Heaven, and confequently that he might be one of the highest in dignity there, before that Rebellion. The higher his ftation, the lower, and with the greater precipitation was his overthrow ; and therefore, those words, tho' taken in another sense, may very well be apply'd to him: How art thou fallen, O Lucifer! Son of the morning! Having granted the dignity of his Perfon, and the high ftation in which he was placed among the heavenly Hoft; it would come then neceffarily to enquire into the nature of his fall, and above all, a little into the reafon of it; certain it is, he did fall, was guilty of Rebellion and Difobedience, the juft effect of Pride; fins which, in that holy place, might well be call'd wonderful. But what to me is more wonderful, and which, I think, will be very ill accounted for, is, how came feeds of crime to rife in the Angelic Nature? created in a state of perfect, unfpotted holiness? how was it firft found in a place where no unclean thing can enter? how came ambition, pride, or envy to generate there? could there be offence where there was no crime? could untainted purity breed corruption? corruption? could that nature contaminate and infect, which was always Drinking in principles of perfection? Happy 'tis to me, that writing the Hiftory," not folving the Difficulties of Satan's Affairs, is my province in this Work; that I am to relate the Fact, not give reafons for it, or fign caufes; if it was otherwife, I fhould break off at this difficulty, for I acknowledge I do not fee thro' it; neither do I think that the great Milton, after all his fine Images and lofty Excurfions upon the Subject, has left it one jot clearer than he found it: Some are of opinion, and among them the great Dr. B---s, that crime broke in upon them at fome interval, when they omitted but one moment fixing their eyes and thoughts on the glories of the divine face, to admire and adore, which is the full employment of Angels; but even this, tho' it goes as high as imagination can carry us, does not reach it, nor to me, make it one jot more comprehenfible than it was before; all I can fay to it here, is, that fo it was, the fact was upon Record, and the rejected Troop are in being, whofe circumftances confess theGuilt, and ftill groan under the Punishment. If you will bear with a poetic excurfion upon the fubject, not to folve but to illuftrate the difficulty; take it in a few lines, thus, Thou fin of Witchcraft! first born child of Crime! Produc'd before the bloom of Time; Ambition's maiden Sin, in Heaven conceiv'd Defilement could in purity begin, And bright eternal Day be foil'd with Sin? H Tell Tell us, fly penetrating Crime, How cam'ft thou there, thou fault fublime? From what dark fate? from what deep place? And how at first didst thou come there? Sure there was once a time when thou wert not By whom waft thou created? and for what? Art thou a fteam from fome contagious dampexbal'd? How fhould contagion be intail'd, On bright feraphic Spirits, and in a place Where all's fupreme, and Glory fills the Space? No noxious vapour there could rife, For there no noxious matter lies; Nothing that's evil could appear, Sin never could Seraphic Glory bear; The brightness of the eternal Face, Which fills as well as conftitutes the place Would be a fire too hot for crime to bear, Twould calcine Sin, or melt it into air. How then did firft defilement enter in? Ambition, thou first vital feed of Sin! Thou Life of Death, how came'st thou there? In what bright form didft thou appear? In what Seraphic Orb didft thou arife? Surely that place admits of no difguife, Eternal Sight must know thee there, And being known, thou foon muft disappear. But But fince the fatal Truth we know, Without the matter whence or manner how: Thou high fuperlative of Sin, Tell us thy nature, where thou didst begin? Debauch'd the Regions of eternal Peace, And made the bright Seraphic Morning-ftar Satan, that while he dwelt in glorious light, And banish'd with thee from the high Pre-eminence. For fuch must be the place where either of you Thus, as I told you, I only moralize upon the fubject, but as to the difficulty, I must leave it as I find it, unless, as Ihinted at first, I could prevail with Satan to fet pen to paper, and write this part of his own Hiftory: No question, but he could let us into the fecret; but to be plain, H 2 I |