CONFERENCE IV. 515 Sopii. I only mentioned it, Sir, as a supposition that is not impossible ; for I cannot say that I come heartily into its and therefore 1 will not undertake to be an advocate for it. Permit me then tomake yet another supposition, in which many of our divines seem to have been encouraged by scripture ; and that is, that before the final shutting up of the theatre of this world, there may probably be a long space of time, at least a thousand years, wherein virtue, religion, piety, and happiness shall be spread over the world as úhiversally as vice and misery are now. Suppose also in this millennium there be a more regular: and numerous propagation of mankind, when at the same time there shall be no wars, no public calamities and spreading depopula- tions of the world ,- would not this blessed sdene of things go a great way to provide and prepare such multitudes of inhabitants for the heavenly regions as might nearly equal the numbers of sinners in the six thousand years past ? But suppose after all, it shall be found id thegreat day of decision, that far the greatest part of the inhabitants of this our world have been wilful criminals against the laws of their Maker, and fall under a sentenceof condemnation and punishment ; and suppose that, upon the whole, it must be acknowledged, that there are some degrees of severity exercised by the Lord and Gover- nor of the universe against the inhabitants of this little globe of earth ; why may he not chime to make the final impenitente of this our sinful world a monument of his punishing justice, his hatredof sin, and his vindication of his own injured honour? Whymay he not set them up as an awful warning to millions of inhabitants of upper and larger worlds of his dominion, in com- parison whereof perhaps this earth is no bigger than the prison of Newgate, when compared with the large and spacious cities of London and Westminster ? Is it esteemed any unreasonable severity in the government of Great Britain, if twenty or thirty prisoners in Newgate are capitally punished every year, in order to deter the millions of inhabitants of these two great cities from the like crimes? Does not every governor find it proper and necessarythat there should be some examples made, of executing and sustaining the penalties of the law, when. villains, by their own crimes, have incur ed these penalties ? Does not prudence itself sometimes see it need- ful by such executions to vindicate the wisdom and justice of the government, to maintain the authority of the laws, and to secure the rest of the subjects intheir constant obedience ? And may not a sovereign prince chuce which criminals he pleases to pardon in a rebellious province, and which of them he will make a mo- nument of terror to preserve the honour of his government, and due obedience tohis laws? And if by this means he secures mil- lions of his subjects in their allegiance to himself, and in the en- xk2
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