Earth all the while fitting ftill, and alone receiving the Benefit. First confider, that Greatnefs or Brightnefs does not imply Excellence: The Earth, though not gliftering and being fo fmall in Comparifon of Heaven, may contain more Plenty of folid Good than the Sun, that though it fhines is barren, whofe Virtue works no Effect upon itself, but in the fruitful Earth; there is Beams, (which would be otherwise unactive) when they are received, first find their Vigour. Yet it is not to the Earth that thofe bright Luminaries do their Office, but to thee, the Earth's Inhabitant: And for the wide Circuit of Heaven, let it fpeak the high Magnificence of the Maker, who built fo fpaciously, and ftretched out his Line fo far, that MAN may know he dwells in an Edifice too large for him to fill; that he is lodged in a small Partition and that the rest is ordained to Ufes beft known to his Lord. Attribute the Swiftness of those numberlefs Circles to his Omnipotence, that could add to material Subftances Speed almoft fpiritual. Me thou wilt not think flow, who fince the Morning fet out from Heaven, where God refides, and before Noon arrived in EDEN; a Distance not to be expreffed by any Numbers that have Name; but this I urge, admitting Motion in the Heavens, to fhow that invalid which moved thee to doubt it; not that I affirm it to be fo, though it seems fo to thee, who hait thy Dwelling upon Earth. GOD being minded to remove his Ways from human Senfe, placed Heaven fo far from Earth, that if earthly Sight fhould prefume to pry, it might err in Things that are too high, and gain no Advantage. What if the Sun fhould be the Centre to the World, and other Stars, incited by their own and his attractive Virtue, move about him in various Circles? In fix of them thou feeft their wandering Course, fometimes high, fometimes low then hid, then progreffive; then going backwards, or standing still; that is, in Appearance) and what if

the

feventh to thefe, this Planet the Earth 'feemingly fo ftedfaft) hath three (e) different Motions infenfibly? Which elfe thou muft afcribe to feveral Spheres, moved contrarywife and with indirect Motions; or fave the Sun his Labour, and that fwift daily and nightly Revolution fuppofed invifible about the Stars; which has no Need of thy Belief, if the Earth moving towards the East bring the Day, and her other oppofite Part turning from the Sun meet Night: What if Earth's Light, fent from the Earth through the wide tranfparent Air, be as a Star to the Moon, reciprocally enlightening her by Day, and her Inhabitants, (if Inhabitants are there) as the by Night does this Earth? Thou feeft her Spots like Clouds, and Clouds may rain, and Rain may produce Fruits in her foftened Soil, allotted there for fome to eat; and perhaps thou or thy Pofterity may difcover other Suns communicating dazling Lights, and other Moons communicating weaker Lights, each Orb perhaps filled with living Inhabitants: For it remains very open to Difpute, that fuch a vast Part of the Universe fhould be uninhabited by living Souls, and be defart and defolate, and ferve only to fhine; yet fcarcely to contribute each Orb'one Glimpfe of Light, when conveyed down fo far as this habitable Earth, which again returns Light back to them. But whether thefe Things are thus, or not; whether the Sun, above all, rife on the Earth, or Earth rife on the Sun; or whether he begin his Road from the Eaft, or the advance her filent Course from the Weft, do not thou be anxious to know Things which are hid from thee; but leave them to GoD above, and ferve and fear him : Let him difpofe of other Creatures wherever he has placed them, as pleases him beft; do thou enjoy what he hath given to thee, that is this PARADISE, and thy

(e) Three, i. e. The Diurnal, the Annual and the Motion on her ⚫wn Axis.

beautiful

beautiful EVE: Heaven is too high for thee to know what paffes there; be humbly wife; think only of what concerns thee and thy Being; don't dream abour other Worlds, what Creatures may live there, or if living there, what may be their State, Condition, or Degree: Reft contented, that thus much hath been revealed to thee, not only Things belonging to this Earth, but many concerning the highest Heaven.

CHA P. II.

Adam affents to the Advice of Raphael, and being fill defirous to detain him, relates what he remembered fince his own Creation.

Y the Speech of the Angel, ADAM being cleared of all Doubts, made this Reply:

SERENE Angel! pure Intelligence of Heaven! how fully haft thou fatisfied, freed from Intricacies, and taught me to live the best and easiest Way! not to interrupt the Sweets of Life with perplexing Thoughts, which God hath bid to keep far off from us, and not moleft us; unless we ourselves, with wandering Minds and vain Motions, feek them out: But the Soul or the Fancy is apt to rove unchecked, to which there is no Bound; till advised or taught by Experience, fhe learn, that not to know at large of obfcure Things, full of Subtilty, and remote from Ufe, but to know that which lies before us in daily Life, is the firit Wisdom; what is more is but a Vapour, Emptiness, or trifling, and renders us unpractifed, unprepared, and ftill to feek in Things that moft concern us. Therefore let us defcend from thefe high Subjects to thofe of a lower Nature, and fpeak of Things which are near to us, and of Ufe; whence Mention

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Mention may perhaps be made of fomething, which Permiflion and wonted Condefcenfion may not Ele to enquire about.

VE heard thee relate what was done before nykemembrance: Now hear me relate my Story, which perhaps thou haft never yet heard, and the Day is not yet spent; till then thou feeft how I contrive to detain thee, inviting thee to give Audience while I fpeak; which I can only excufe by faying, that I do it, only hoping to hear thy Reply. For I feem in Heaven while I fit with thee, and thy Dif course is sweeter to my Ear, than the Fruit of the Palm-Tree (at the Hour of fweet Repaft) is to the Tafte, though pleasant both to Hunger and Thirst; that fatiates foon and fills, but thy Words, endued with divine Grace, bring no Surfeit with their Sweetnefs. To whom thus RAPHAEL anfwered with heavenly Meeknefs:

FATHER OF MANKIND! think not that thy Lips are incapable of fpeaking Things pleafant to hear, or that thy Tongue is without Eloquence; for God hath alfo poured his Gifts abundantly on thee, and made thee both inwardly and outwardly his own fair Image: All Comeliness and Grace attend thee, and form each Word or Motion; nor do we in Heaven think lefs of thee upon Earth, than of our own Fellow-Servant, and we gladly enquire into the, Ways of GOD with MAN; for GOD we fee hath honoured thee, and fet his Love upon MAN equal with the Angels: Therefore fpeak on, for on the Day of MAN's Creation it befel that I was abfent, bound upon an obfcure and uncouth Voyage, out upon Excurfion towards the Gates of Hell, with many Legions of Angels, (for we had fuch a Command) to fee that none iffued forth from thence, either as an Enemy or a Spy, while God was in his great Work; left he (incenfed

if fuch bold Eruption had been made) might have mixed Destruction with Creation: Not that they durft attempt any fuch Thing, without his Permiffion; but he fends us to execute his high Commands, (as being the Sovereign King to exercife his Power, and inure us to ready Obedience: We found the difinal Gates faft fhut, and ftrongly barricaded; but long before we approached them, we heard a Noife far different from the Voice of Joy, loud Lamentations and furious Rage, the Effect of Torment: We returned gladly up to Heaven before the Evening of the Sabbath, for fo we had in Charge to do. But now begin thy Relation, for I attend, as much pleated with thy Words as thou art with mine.

So froke the Angel, and thus in Reply ADAM: It is hard for MAN to el how human Life began; for who knew himself beginning? But Defire ftill to converfe longer with thee, firft induced me to fpeak. - -I found myself lying upon the Grafs, as if new waked from found Sleep, and in a gentle Sweat, which the Sun foon dried with his Beams. Strait I turned my wondering Eyes towards Heaven, and gazed a-while at the fpacious Sky; 'till railed by quick Motion, I fprung upward, as naturally defirous, and endeavouring to go thither) and ftood upright upon my Feet: Round about me I faw Hills, Dales, Woods, and running Streams, and by thefe, Creatures that lived and moved, and walked or elfe Hew; Birds were finging, on the Branches, all Things looked pleafant and full of Sweetnefs, and my own Heart overflowed with Joy. Then I confidered myfelf, and furveyed me, Limb by Limb; fometimes I walked, fometimes, as lively Vigour prompted me, I ran; but I knew not who I was, or where, or from what Cause : I tried to fpeak, and immediately I fpoke; my Tongue could readily name whatever I faw. Thou Sun, faid I, fair Light! and Thou, the enlightened Hh2

Eart