CONFERENCE L 401 used in the art of reasoning, if they were left only to their own rude labours of thought. I will not deny but some of the heathens, and even in some of the islands of America, have had such a sentiment : but these, perhaps, are but few in number : the bulk of them on the north continent, seem to have no such opinion : Nor is it likely their wild reasoning powers should work this way, or should reach so far. Loa. Indeed, Sir, you surprize me again with such talk as this; for, in my opinion, nothing can be more repugnant to the wisdom and justice, as well as the goodness of God, than to suppose this short life was designed as a state of probation for mankind, in order to their existing hereafter in a state of per- petual happiness or misery, and yet that God doth not let them know that there was to be such a state immediately succeeding this life. PITa. If I were to give. a particular answer to this objec- tion, I would say, that however this our short life may be de- signed by God himself as a state of probation fór perpetual hap- piness or misery in the next, yet it is not absolutely necessary that God should acquaint his creature man with it: For lie 'whatsoever state a creature is placed, it is bis duty to exert his utmost power to seek out the knowledge of his Maker's will, and to practise it without intermission, so long as his Creator pleases to continue him in that state. And then he may, if his Maker think proper, be removed into some new state of further trial : For if God may confine one man fifty, sixty, or seventy years to a state of -probation in this world, why may he not dismiss ano- ther out of it at ten, twenty, or thirty years end, and appoint him to fill up the remnant of his probationary state in another world, or in two or three successive worlds, if he please ? What is there in the pure nature of things to forbid it ? And what can mere reason say to disprove it? But, on the other hand, if a creature in this world has neglected his ditty, and behaved amiss, he may justly expect anger and punishment from his Maker, into what- soever unknown state he shall remove him. Now this is suffi- cient to vindicate the justice of God, if he had not put it at all into the power of a creatureto find out which is his state of pro- bation, or how long it shall last, or how many probations he shall go through, or when his state of retribution shall begin, or how long that shall endure. I confess, indeed, that the knowledge and certain expecta- tion of the stateof rewards and punishments after this life, is a most desirable thing for mankind, since it has a great and pow-. erful influence on the practice of virtue and religion here; and E allow, that it may be so far found, by a careful and wise exercise of reason, upon the survey of things in this world, that a righte- ous God will not deal with the good man and the wicked just in VOL. III. C c
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=