To vital fpirits afpire, to animal, To intellectual; give both life and fenfe, Is ofteft yours, the latter moft is ours, Differing but in degree, of kind the fame. Wonder not then, what God for you faw good Το 485 499 proper fubftance: time may come, when Men With Angels may participate, and find No inconvenient di'et, nor too light fare; And from these corporal nutriments perhaps Your bodies may at last turn all to spirit, buting his own falfe notions in philofophy to an Arch-Angel he has really leffen'd the character, which he intended to raise. He is as much mistaken here in his metaphyfics, as he was before in his phyfics. This notion of matter refining into fpirit is by no means obferving the bounds proportion'd to each kind. I fuppofe, he meant it as ment on the doctrin of a natural body changed into a fpiritual body, as in 1 Cor. XV. and perhaps borrow'd it from fome of his fyftems of divinity. For Milton, as he was too much of a materialift in his a com 495 Improv'd philofophy, fo was too much of a fyftematift in his divinity. 482. Spirits odorous] We must take notice in reading this verse, that Spirits is here a word of two fyllables, tho' it is often contracted into one or pronounc'd as two short ones, and particularly in the fecond line after this To vital fpirits afpire; and the fecond fyllable in odorous is to be pronounced long, tho' the poet makes it fhort in other places, IV. 166. So Improv'd by tract of time, and wing'd afcend Here or in heav'nly Paradifes dwell; If ye be found obedient, and retain Unalterably firm his love entire, Whose progeny you are. Mean while enjoy Your fill what happiness this happy state Can comprehend, incapable of more. To whom the patriarch of mankind reply'd. O favorable Spirit, propitious guest, Well haft thou taught the way that might direct Our knowledge, and the scale of nature set 500 505 510 In contemplation of created things be found By steps we may afcend to God. But fay, 515 Who form'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here Full to the utmost measure of what blifs Human defires can feek or apprehend? 520 To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth, Attend: That thou art happy, owe to God; That thou continueft fuch, owe to thyself, That is, to thy obedience; therein stand. This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd. the whole circumference of what mankind can fee or comprehend. The metaphor is bold and vaftly expreffive. Matter, one firft matter is this center; nature infinitely diverfify'd is the fcale which reaches to the utmost of our conceptions, all round. We are thus led to God; whofe circumference who can tell? Uncircumfcrib'd be fills infinitude, VII. 170. Richardjon. 512. By fleps we may afcend to God.] There is a real vifible ladder (befides that vifionary one of Jacob) whose foot, tho' placed on the earth among the loweft of the creation, yet leads us by fieps in contemplation of created things up to God the in VOL. I. God made thee perfect, not immutable; Our voluntary service he requires, 525 Not our neceffitated; fuch with him 530 Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how Can hearts, not free, be try'd whether they serve Myself and all th'angelic host, that stand Because we freely love, as in our will 535 To love or not; in this we ftand or fall: To whom our great progenitor. Thy words Cherubic fongs by night from neighb'ring hills Aereal mufic fend: nor knew I not 540 545 To be both will and deed created free; 550 Our Maker, and obey him whofe command Single is yet so juft, my conftant thoughts Affur'd me', and ftill affure: though what thou tell'st Hath past in Heav'n, some doubt within me move, But more defire to hear, if thou confent, 555 |