490 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book V. 



Of this kind of beauty, the firft and the greatefl: that it is poffible 

 to conceive, and which, of neceffity, muft be the archetype and model 

 of all beauty, is the intelledual world above mentioned, where there 

 is fuch infinite variety, and, at the fame time, fuch wonderful order 

 and regularity, that it is impoflible for human intelled to have any 

 more than a very rude and ini perfect idea of it. 



Here, then, we have the utmoft limit of theoretical beauty, or beau- 

 ty in contemplation. But there is a beauty flill higher, and more per- 

 fedt, and which is at the very top of the pyramid. It may be called 

 praSlical beauty, becaufe it produces into ad the ideal beauty, and 

 gives it life and energy. It is what we conceive gives the higheft 

 perfedlon even to God himfelf, and crowns all his other attributes ; 

 for, if the intelledual world had never been produced into ad, and 

 the Deity had contented himfelf with the mere contemplation of it, 

 through all the ages of eternity, we fhould have conceived fomething 

 defedlve in power and goodnefs, and even the ideal beauty of the in- 

 telledual world we fliould not have confidcred as compleat ; but, 

 when all thefe wonderful ideas are realized, when every thing is pro- 

 duced into life and being, and when God Almighty has pronounced 

 that they are all good^ and * anfwering his fair idea,* as our poet ex- 

 prefles it, then are poiver^ goodnefs^ and beauty^ compleat. 



What remains to be confidered is, how far man can advance to- 

 wards this perfection of power, goodnefs, and beauty, both theoretical 

 and pradical. That he mull: be forever greatly defedlve in power 

 and goodnefs, is evident ; nor is it pofTible that he can comprehend in 

 his mind fuch theoretical beauty as that of the intelledual world ; far 

 lefs can he put it into execution. However, as to beauty in theory, 

 there is no man, I believe, who has attained to the ule of intelled, 

 that has not fome idea of it. But, where the intelled is imperfed, there 



the 



